Marc Van Niekerk

Departure Day and Pre-Cruise Hotel
Our departure had some interesting hiccups along the way but it all worked out in the end but highlights why we prefer to fly out the day before a cruise. 
We had made an appointment for my wife to have her NEXUS Global Entry interview the afternoon of out flight so we arrived at the airport in plenty of time.  After the interview concluded we took an airport train to the correct terminal and went through security.  As we were going through security just after we had passed through the metal detectors there was a power outage in the airport.  Thankfully our bags had already passed through the machine as anyone whose bags were in the machine and those who were waiting for the metal detectors needed to wait about 15 minutes for the systems to reboot.
As we approached the customs agents they closed the doors to clear the backlog created by this power outage but about 5 minutes later the doors opened and we were quickly through customs too.  For those who have never travelled from Canada to the US, you pass US customs in Toronto airport creating much simpler arrival at your US destination.
After security we found that our flight had been delayed by several hours because of weather 2 flights upstream from ours.  Our plane was delayed leaving Washington DC for Miami due to de-icing which delayed the Miami to Toronto leg and therefore our Toronto to Miami.  We made the most of it and found some nice lounges with outside views and relaxed in the airport knowing we had plenty of time.
Once in Miami we made the long walk through the airport to luggage claim where we quickly found our bags and headed out to catch a shuttle to the Hotel.
For this cruise we used points to get a free stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami - Airport West.  We had never stayed at this hotel before but I'm never going to complain about free.  One note was that due to our late arrival (after 11PM) the room I had requested was no longer available and we were given a room on the main floor about as long a walk from the hotel entrance as there could possibly be.  The room was quite spacious though and we quickly settled in for whatever sleep we could get before a cruise.
In the morning we made our way to the included breakfast and then for a quick relax in the warmth of the pool as it was still only 8am.  Below is a photo from the pool area of a let passing over the hotel.

Embarkation
We elected to take an UBER to the port and while the process was relatively easy I will note that our driver was not to familiar with where the new terminal was and didn't complete our ride until he passed the older terminals (without us in the car).  This resulted in a slightly higher charge than expected which I resolved with UBER directly.
Embarkation at the new terminal is the most streamlined process I could ever imagine.  Everything happens so quickly and easily I didn't have time to stop and take many photos of the facility.  I have a couple of snaps from my phone.
The area outside where you drop your bags is well designed ans seemed to flow well.  All signs of passengers who had left the ship before us were gone at 10:45 when we arrived.  Te left all our bags except my camera bag with a porter and proceeded inside.

Inside the terminal was a vast space with escalators up to the embarkation area.  The space is punctuated by the huge gold propeller sculptures.

From the escalator we were directed to a series of agents and there we were quickly checked in and directed to a line for the next escalator.  Here we were waiting briefly but not even long  enough to consider visiting a restroom.
Up the escalator appeared busy enough but not overcrowded.  The were already arranging for Suite and Key guests to embark.  After barely visiting the restroom, the called Emerald class and just like that it was time for us to board.
On feature of this terminal I really appreciated was that because we had used the escalators inside the building we were already level with Deck 5 and there were no additional ramps to climb.
Once aboard we headed directly to the MDR to arrange our speciality dining.  We had pre-purchased the Ultimate Dining package and wanted to get our reservations made.

Due to some large groups it was not as easy as we would have liked to get the times and restaurants we wanted but with a little work all was arranged.



Finally it was time for lunch and my much anticipated Kemmelweck sandwich.


 

Departure Day and Pre-Cruise Hotel
Our departure had some interesting hiccups along the way but it all worked out in the end but highlights why we prefer to fly out the day before a cruise. 
We had made an appointment for my wife to have her NEXUS Global Entry interview the afternoon of out flight so we arrived at the airport in plenty of time.  After the interview concluded we took an airport train to the correct terminal and went through security.  As we were going through security just after we had passed through the metal detectors there was a power outage in the airport.  Thankfully our bags had already passed through the machine as anyone whose bags were in the machine and those who were waiting for the metal detectors needed to wait about 15 minutes for the systems to reboot.
As we approached the customs agents they closed the doors to clear the backlog created by this power outage but about 5 minutes later the doors opened and we were quickly through customs too.  For those who have never travelled from Canada to the US, you pass US customs in Toronto airport creating much simpler arrival at your US destination.
After security we found that our flight had been delayed by several hours because of weather 2 flights upstream from ours.  Our plane was delayed leaving Washington DC for Miami due to de-icing which delayed the Miami to Toronto leg and therefore our Toronto to Miami.  We made the most of it and found some nice lounges with outside views and relaxed in the airport knowing we had plenty of time.
Once in Miami we made the long walk through the airport to luggage claim where we quickly found our bags and headed out to catch a shuttle to the Hotel.
For this cruise we used points to get a free stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami - Airport West.  We had never stayed at this hotel before but I'm never going to complain about free.  One note was that due to our late arrival (after 11PM) the room I had requested was no longer available and we were given a room on the main floor about as long a walk from the hotel entrance as there could possibly be.  The room was quite spacious though and we quickly settled in for whatever sleep we could get before a cruise.
In the morning we made our way to the included breakfast and then for a quick relax in the warmth of the pool as it was still only 8am.  Below is a photo from the pool area of a let passing over the hotel.

I'm going to make my first attempt at this and as I say in the title, this is not even remotely live.
We booked this cruise the day that Symphony sailings became available.  The plan all along was for our 25th wedding anniversary, although in out family we refer to February celebrations as Annivaleirthday as both my wife and I as well as one son have our birthdays in the month along with our anniversary and Valentines.  We mash them into one main celebration. The cruise itself was just prior to our anniversary but did encompass my birthday.
The itinerary when we booked was out of Miami with 2 sea days, followed by St Kitts, St Thomas, a sea Day, and finally Nassau before returning.  Somewhere alon the line it changed to be Nassau followed by a sea day, St Thomas, St Kitts and 2 sea days.
Part of the reason this is so late is I didn't bring a computer with me and managed to take nearly 800 photos not counting those on my phone.  It is quite a daunting task to cull that many photots while getting back to regular life and work.
I will leave it there for now with a photo from the Toronto airport on the day we left.

Embarkation
We elected to take an UBER to the port and while the process was relatively easy I will note that our driver was not to familiar with where the new terminal was and didn't complete our ride until he passed the older terminals (without us in the car).  This resulted in a slightly higher charge than expected which I resolved with UBER directly.
Embarkation at the new terminal is the most streamlined process I could ever imagine.  Everything happens so quickly and easily I didn't have time to stop and take many photos of the facility.  I have a couple of snaps from my phone.
The area outside where you drop your bags is well designed ans seemed to flow well.  All signs of passengers who had left the ship before us were gone at 10:45 when we arrived.  Te left all our bags except my camera bag with a porter and proceeded inside.

Inside the terminal was a vast space with escalators up to the embarkation area.  The space is punctuated by the huge gold propeller sculptures.

From the escalator we were directed to a series of agents and there we were quickly checked in and directed to a line for the next escalator.  Here we were waiting briefly but not even long  enough to consider visiting a restroom.
Up the escalator appeared busy enough but not overcrowded.  The were already arranging for Suite and Key guests to embark.  After barely visiting the restroom, the called Emerald class and just like that it was time for us to board.
On feature of this terminal I really appreciated was that because we had used the escalators inside the building we were already level with Deck 5 and there were no additional ramps to climb.
Once aboard we headed directly to the MDR to arrange our speciality dining.  We had pre-purchased the Ultimate Dining package and wanted to get our reservations made.

Due to some large groups it was not as easy as we would have liked to get the times and restaurants we wanted but with a little work all was arranged.



Finally it was time for lunch and my much anticipated Kemmelweck sandwich.


 

Embarkation
We elected to take an UBER to the port and while the process was relatively easy I will note that our driver was not to familiar with where the new terminal was and didn't complete our ride until he passed the older terminals (without us in the car).  This resulted in a slightly higher charge than expected which I resolved with UBER directly.
Embarkation at the new terminal is the most streamlined process I could ever imagine.  Everything happens so quickly and easily I didn't have time to stop and take many photos of the facility.  I have a couple of snaps from my phone.
The area outside where you drop your bags is well designed ans seemed to flow well.  All signs of passengers who had left the ship before us were gone at 10:45 when we arrived.  Te left all our bags except my camera bag with a porter and proceeded inside.

Inside the terminal was a vast space with escalators up to the embarkation area.  The space is punctuated by the huge gold propeller sculptures.

From the escalator we were directed to a series of agents and there we were quickly checked in and directed to a line for the next escalator.  Here we were waiting briefly but not even long  enough to consider visiting a restroom.
Up the escalator appeared busy enough but not overcrowded.  The were already arranging for Suite and Key guests to embark.  After barely visiting the restroom, the called Emerald class and just like that it was time for us to board.
On feature of this terminal I really appreciated was that because we had used the escalators inside the building we were already level with Deck 5 and there were no additional ramps to climb.
Once aboard we headed directly to the MDR to arrange our speciality dining.  We had pre-purchased the Ultimate Dining package and wanted to get our reservations made.

Due to some large groups it was not as easy as we would have liked to get the times and restaurants we wanted but with a little work all was arranged.



Finally it was time for lunch and my much anticipated Kemmelweck sandwich.


 

Departure Day and Pre-Cruise Hotel
Our departure had some interesting hiccups along the way but it all worked out in the end but highlights why we prefer to fly out the day before a cruise. 
We had made an appointment for my wife to have her NEXUS Global Entry interview the afternoon of out flight so we arrived at the airport in plenty of time.  After the interview concluded we took an airport train to the correct terminal and went through security.  As we were going through security just after we had passed through the metal detectors there was a power outage in the airport.  Thankfully our bags had already passed through the machine as anyone whose bags were in the machine and those who were waiting for the metal detectors needed to wait about 15 minutes for the systems to reboot.
As we approached the customs agents they closed the doors to clear the backlog created by this power outage but about 5 minutes later the doors opened and we were quickly through customs too.  For those who have never travelled from Canada to the US, you pass US customs in Toronto airport creating much simpler arrival at your US destination.
After security we found that our flight had been delayed by several hours because of weather 2 flights upstream from ours.  Our plane was delayed leaving Washington DC for Miami due to de-icing which delayed the Miami to Toronto leg and therefore our Toronto to Miami.  We made the most of it and found some nice lounges with outside views and relaxed in the airport knowing we had plenty of time.
Once in Miami we made the long walk through the airport to luggage claim where we quickly found our bags and headed out to catch a shuttle to the Hotel.
For this cruise we used points to get a free stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami - Airport West.  We had never stayed at this hotel before but I'm never going to complain about free.  One note was that due to our late arrival (after 11PM) the room I had requested was no longer available and we were given a room on the main floor about as long a walk from the hotel entrance as there could possibly be.  The room was quite spacious though and we quickly settled in for whatever sleep we could get before a cruise.
In the morning we made our way to the included breakfast and then for a quick relax in the warmth of the pool as it was still only 8am.  Below is a photo from the pool area of a let passing over the hotel.

I'm going to make my first attempt at this and as I say in the title, this is not even remotely live.
We booked this cruise the day that Symphony sailings became available.  The plan all along was for our 25th wedding anniversary, although in out family we refer to February celebrations as Annivaleirthday as both my wife and I as well as one son have our birthdays in the month along with our anniversary and Valentines.  We mash them into one main celebration. The cruise itself was just prior to our anniversary but did encompass my birthday.
The itinerary when we booked was out of Miami with 2 sea days, followed by St Kitts, St Thomas, a sea Day, and finally Nassau before returning.  Somewhere alon the line it changed to be Nassau followed by a sea day, St Thomas, St Kitts and 2 sea days.
Part of the reason this is so late is I didn't bring a computer with me and managed to take nearly 800 photos not counting those on my phone.  It is quite a daunting task to cull that many photots while getting back to regular life and work.
I will leave it there for now with a photo from the Toronto airport on the day we left.

Yes, there was a bit of a lineup and at the time, only on person helping passengers at a computer terminal.  I know Matt mentioned someone taking reservations on Brilliance with a piece of paper.  In our case there was a massive group from ABC Supply aboard and they had booked entire speciality venues some nights so that was the primary challenge.
If you are in a suite and or higher C&A level and get on sooner you may have a better experience.

Embarkation
We elected to take an UBER to the port and while the process was relatively easy I will note that our driver was not to familiar with where the new terminal was and didn't complete our ride until he passed the older terminals (without us in the car).  This resulted in a slightly higher charge than expected which I resolved with UBER directly.
Embarkation at the new terminal is the most streamlined process I could ever imagine.  Everything happens so quickly and easily I didn't have time to stop and take many photos of the facility.  I have a couple of snaps from my phone.
The area outside where you drop your bags is well designed ans seemed to flow well.  All signs of passengers who had left the ship before us were gone at 10:45 when we arrived.  Te left all our bags except my camera bag with a porter and proceeded inside.

Inside the terminal was a vast space with escalators up to the embarkation area.  The space is punctuated by the huge gold propeller sculptures.

From the escalator we were directed to a series of agents and there we were quickly checked in and directed to a line for the next escalator.  Here we were waiting briefly but not even long  enough to consider visiting a restroom.
Up the escalator appeared busy enough but not overcrowded.  The were already arranging for Suite and Key guests to embark.  After barely visiting the restroom, the called Emerald class and just like that it was time for us to board.
On feature of this terminal I really appreciated was that because we had used the escalators inside the building we were already level with Deck 5 and there were no additional ramps to climb.
Once aboard we headed directly to the MDR to arrange our speciality dining.  We had pre-purchased the Ultimate Dining package and wanted to get our reservations made.

Due to some large groups it was not as easy as we would have liked to get the times and restaurants we wanted but with a little work all was arranged.



Finally it was time for lunch and my much anticipated Kemmelweck sandwich.


 

Departure Day and Pre-Cruise Hotel
Our departure had some interesting hiccups along the way but it all worked out in the end but highlights why we prefer to fly out the day before a cruise. 
We had made an appointment for my wife to have her NEXUS Global Entry interview the afternoon of out flight so we arrived at the airport in plenty of time.  After the interview concluded we took an airport train to the correct terminal and went through security.  As we were going through security just after we had passed through the metal detectors there was a power outage in the airport.  Thankfully our bags had already passed through the machine as anyone whose bags were in the machine and those who were waiting for the metal detectors needed to wait about 15 minutes for the systems to reboot.
As we approached the customs agents they closed the doors to clear the backlog created by this power outage but about 5 minutes later the doors opened and we were quickly through customs too.  For those who have never travelled from Canada to the US, you pass US customs in Toronto airport creating much simpler arrival at your US destination.
After security we found that our flight had been delayed by several hours because of weather 2 flights upstream from ours.  Our plane was delayed leaving Washington DC for Miami due to de-icing which delayed the Miami to Toronto leg and therefore our Toronto to Miami.  We made the most of it and found some nice lounges with outside views and relaxed in the airport knowing we had plenty of time.
Once in Miami we made the long walk through the airport to luggage claim where we quickly found our bags and headed out to catch a shuttle to the Hotel.
For this cruise we used points to get a free stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami - Airport West.  We had never stayed at this hotel before but I'm never going to complain about free.  One note was that due to our late arrival (after 11PM) the room I had requested was no longer available and we were given a room on the main floor about as long a walk from the hotel entrance as there could possibly be.  The room was quite spacious though and we quickly settled in for whatever sleep we could get before a cruise.
In the morning we made our way to the included breakfast and then for a quick relax in the warmth of the pool as it was still only 8am.  Below is a photo from the pool area of a let passing over the hotel.

I'm going to make my first attempt at this and as I say in the title, this is not even remotely live.
We booked this cruise the day that Symphony sailings became available.  The plan all along was for our 25th wedding anniversary, although in out family we refer to February celebrations as Annivaleirthday as both my wife and I as well as one son have our birthdays in the month along with our anniversary and Valentines.  We mash them into one main celebration. The cruise itself was just prior to our anniversary but did encompass my birthday.
The itinerary when we booked was out of Miami with 2 sea days, followed by St Kitts, St Thomas, a sea Day, and finally Nassau before returning.  Somewhere alon the line it changed to be Nassau followed by a sea day, St Thomas, St Kitts and 2 sea days.
Part of the reason this is so late is I didn't bring a computer with me and managed to take nearly 800 photos not counting those on my phone.  It is quite a daunting task to cull that many photots while getting back to regular life and work.
I will leave it there for now with a photo from the Toronto airport on the day we left.

Great insights from everyone.  Got the quote from out TA and really still thinking we are better to get 3 separate balcony staterooms.  Will mean equal space for all 3 couples and separate bathrooms.  Just means we can't share any benefits of C&A status to everyone's pricing.

@Marc Van Niekerk as those mentioned above, you have to call to price out more than 4.  Royal themselves does not allow for more than 4 on a reservation.  If you were to book this, you would get more than one invoice.  Basically, the way Royal will price it out will be Passengers 1 & 2 will pay higher rate and then all additional passengers will pay the same amount after 1 & 2.  It would be up to you and your party to figure out how split the cost.  I have heard of some who are not family members divide it so that those not in the master pay less.  
As far as comfort level for all adults, I have heard of some who have put 6-8 adults in this cabin type and have not complained about it.  Personally, if it was all adults, and not everyone is family, I would not go with more than 6 and even that is stretch.  Like @tiny260 mentioned, there is one master, which has an ensuite bath and then the second bedroom has two twins (combined to make a king) and two pullmans up above.  This second room is small for adults.  For me, it would feel very claustrophobic.  The bathroom for this room is in the hall.  Not ensuite.  If you had additional people, there is pullout couch.  So you basically have the en-suite bath and the bathroom in the hall (which is a standard capsule shower and sink/toilet combo).
If you are seriously considering this room, I would make sure that everyone in your party watches the YouTube videos that are out there first.  And have everyone look at the actual layout.  That way everyone is clear on what they are getting into.  We just booked our family into the Villa Suite on Harmony recently and I made all my sisters/brother in laws do this first.  Also beware that you are going to have to divide up the cost on your own as Royal will price it out as I mentioned in the first paragraph.

When we were in Nassau Feb 3 on Symphony I did a periscope of a solo pier runner
https://www.pscp.tv/w/bzrBvDMwMDQwOHwxbW54ZU9YQldBckdYiD-Tnx4rBrDMc-hipBZ4a1EAdD7T9vTecJQRvpPR_Fo=?t=1m26s
it was our observation that the captain of Symphony does not wait around. The ropes were droppped and walkways pulled on schedule. There were no ship wide pages for passengers and there certainly did not appear to be luggage or port agents waiting for this person running to catch the ship.
 

Yes, at least working with a travel agent as I always do.  When I am far away in time I prefer refundable to cover me in case of inevitable changes.  
Once I know I am firm on the dates, I'll start looking at prices again.  
More often than not, the NRDB (non-refundable) prices at 150 - 90 days are more than my refundable rate was many months earlier when I booked it originally and it makes no sense to change.
Once in a while though, I can save a little bit, or upgrade to a better cabin at a small price increase while also converting to NRDB.  This is the more likely scenario (upgrade).  
I'm not sure what magic my TA does or the hoops they go through, but that's why I use a TA.  

When on the RCL Blog Group Cruise aboard Navigator an number of us took the RCL excursion to Klein Bonaire.  It was on of the most memorable snorkeling experiences I have ever had.  The excursion takes you by boat to the island of Klein Bonaire where you have a beautiful unspoiled beach and fantastically clear water to snorkel a reef.  There is a current around the island  which means that you walk a ways up the beach and enter the water and you can then drift with the current along the reef.  The tell you that you don't even need flippers and it is completely true.
The only addition is that by unspoiled I mean there are no facilities on the beach, simply a small shelter with a roof.

 
I believe this is the same island / excursion @WAAAYTOOO is referring to.

Good plan. On Oasis in Sept we managed to catch the only full showing of the aqua show because we booked the early performance. 

Nice job!  Love Majesty!

Just an update on this. I received an email today that our reservation for The Fine Line on Super Bowl Sunday has been moved to night 4 so that they can show the Super Bowl in the Aqua Theatre. We plan to rebook the show for an earlier showing in case it gets cancelled due to weather.
 
 

We haven't done it before but will be experiencing it firsthand this year on Symphony.  I expect that Playmakers will be quite busy and the perhaps even the Aqua Theater screens will be showing the game as HiRO is not scheduled for that night.

I am shocked...just got an e-mail of our successful bid. We were below the waterline with an "Ocean View" on Deck 2. I low balled (as low as I could bid) for a balcony at $150ea...Shazzam!, we're now on Deck 6 with a balcony. And for less than we would have paid if we were to book it straight up (for the particular cruise, Feb 10 on the FOS).

There's a few non-sushi items on the menu, including:
Soups Gyoza (pork dumplings) Chicken karage (chicken skewers)

@WAAAYTOOO nailed it.  The Izumi sushi menu has tons of non-sushi options.  She will definitely be able to find plenty to eat.  The menu is ala carte so you only pay for what you want, or if you have the dining plan you each get $35 to spend.  $70 gets you a lot of food there.

I'm not a huge sushi person but cruise with people who are.  To be honest, I do Izumi (not the Hibachi side) because of them, but I suck it up and deal with it.  There are a few rolls that I can deal with so I make those my meal.  Worst case, I hit Windjammer after.