AandD

We sailed on Symphony for our first Oasis class ship a few weeks ago just to experience the ship. And wow.  Everybody says I wont go back to smaller or other ships. But for us usually its about itineraries.  Same ship or not. Next year we booked Hawaii to Vancouver for the itinerary and Wonder for the ship.

6 hours ago, Jolly Ogre said:

It depends on the ship. On Oasis class we like to be near to have easy access to central park.

We just did our first Oasis class. We were in an interior virtual balcony not far from central park. We loved being near central park. If we get on the Symphony again I would like to stay in a balcony over looking central park.

2 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

1. Gives me a chance to visit places in an "appetizer" fashion that I might have otherwise not have gone to.
2. All-inclusive.
3. Pretty pretty sea.

I like how you said number 1. We have been to a lot of places as an appetizer while cruising. We would have never thought about spending a vacation in Puerta Rico or even Panama. But we are talking about it now.

We just got off Symphony. One thing that was really nice was they had a trouble shooter at the entry to guest services. Usually there is a long line. But the person up front was able to take care of all the easy stuff and keep the line short. 

We just got off Symphony in Miami. Last week we walked up at 10:20 for a 10:30 boarding. The people in front of us had a 1:30 boarding. As far as I can tell they didn't check boarding times or hold anybody back. And the security and boarding process was efficient. We were on pretty quick and had restaurant reservations by 11:00.

I started tipping our  cabin steward a little bit on the first day and a little bit later in the week the last few cruises.

7 hours ago, Leroyr55 said:

Been on board this week. Heard there was around 5400 on board. Absolutely no complaints for this cruise. The crew have been fantastic and all meals in main dining and and one night in Hooked were great. 
Shows were Hiro,Flight,1977,Randy Cabral and two comedians. 
With that said this ship is back!

Thanks Leroyr55. We are sailing on 5/21. Have the Dinning Package. First time on Oasis Class. Looking forward to Restaurants and shows. 

We went to Alaska last August. Maybe 50% full. Had a free upgrade to a balcony room. It was a handicap room and huge. Only saw one other cruise ship one time. It was great.

Ours just validated in less than 1 day for a cruise starting in 10 days

Traveling Mike,  Thanks for spending time doing this blog.  We will be on Symphony for the first time in less then 2 weeks. We have mostly

been on the smaller ships. We decided to do this one just for the food and shows. 

We started with and have always used Jay at affordablevacationstation.com

3 hours ago, Toby said:

We booked a Grand Suite quite a few years ago and while it was nice we felt it was too much for us.  A JS fits us fine and for us the bath tub/shower was the selling point and the C&A double points for booking a suite was icing on the cake.  I look at balcony cabins from time to time but just can't pull the trigger to book one. 

We have never had a Grand Suite. But we book the Junior Suite for the same reasons as you. Not all the time but sometimes. In between everything from an inside room to a balcony. Our next cruise will be on the Symphony with a virtual balcony.

We have traveled with our Catholic Priest friends in the past. They usually post something or let somebody know at guest services. So, you might ask when you board. There has been as few as the 8 or 10 in our group to probably 40 people at a daily mass.

2 hours ago, FoxboroCruiser said:

Yes we do tip above an beyond the pre-paid gratuities.  Having worked a decent part of my life in the service industry, I always tip better than average/expected.    I divided the pre-paid numbers across what I thought it would cost to stay in a nice hotel, eating in restaurants, etc.  Lets just say that the numbers came out below 10% and I'd be the worst tipper ever.  The beauty of tipping on board is that it improves the already fantastic service, and for so little money.  Giving the room steward $20 on embarkation day will pay off for the duration of the cruise.  Tipping bartenders and waiters will only make them even more attentive.

The crew is away from their families for months at a time just trying and earn a living and provide, and I am sure none of them are getting rich doing so.  A few bucks here and there isn't a huge expense for me, but it may make a very big difference in their lives.  It's just the right thing to do. 

We also started tipping the steward on embarkation day. And then at the end of the cruise. Usually starting with a $20. If its a nicer room like a junior suite then more. It does seem to improve the service.

Sorobon Beach in Bonaire. 

Cruiser58, We will be on the Symphony in 5 weeks. Our first time on a Oasis class ship. We are excited as we are doing this cruise to experience this ship. How are the crowds for the shows ? We have the UDP for dinners as we want to try different restaurants but also want to see the shows. 

We have about 8 weeks until our next cruise. It will be our first on an Oasis class ship. The Symphony.  I am excited because we are going on this cruise to experience the ship and not for the itinerary. As much as I love dogs I am looking forward to not walking our dog every day.