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Symphony of the Seas (March 7-14) The time is here


HAK1906

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Been trying to think of a lot of nifty things to say the night before the cruise (Christmas when you hope you are getting that new bike or New Atari game), so I’ll just step away from that as I look out the 19th Floor of the Hilton Downtown Miami and just say WE ARE READY!  Look forward to waking up in the morning and in the distance seeing Symphony!

We has a great time in Little Havana, then Bayside Market throughout the day and now the time is nigh. Our bags, are packed, our wine in our carryon, many shows and movies loaded from Netflix and Disney+ and just can’t wait for tomorrow. Look to get to the ship around 11am (remember ignore that boarding time thing).  We know things will be different with the temperature scan but after taking a Bay Cruise around Miami and seeing the beautiful Terminal A in person for the first time just made things even more excited. 
 

Shout out to anyone joining on this cruise especially those from Texas and look to have the best time ever. As “The Rock” would say “Can you smell what Royal Caribbean is cooking”.  Pun Intended “HAK1906” out!???

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The temperature check was done as soon as you walk into the cruise terminal and go up the first escalators.  They don’t touch you or your kids foreheads. There were at least 10+people checking at 11am. Very quick. 
 

Before getting on board there were at three if not more times it was requested to apply hand sanitizer (For those not going Diamond+).   Check in easy. About 20-30 minutes from when we arrived at 11 with 9 people and three families. 
 

it’s 1pm so you know what that means. Go check into your room. 
 

FYI, wifey and I split up and she went to get WOW bands while I went to set up speciality dining (14 people) and MTD (9 people).  Kids went with other family to grab an area in Windjammer until rooms were ready.  Highly advise setting up dining times ASAP. There were at three separate lines to do so.  We have the three night package and chose Chops, Wonderland and Park 150. Kids will only do Chops and Wonderland. Don’t think they are interested in Park 150. They are 11 and 13.   
 

in Windjammer they had a person Requesting you wash your hands as soon as you go in  

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End of the first day. Checked out everything basically. Went to the 2nd floor and cross crossed. 20,000 steps in today ?. Main Dining Room Was pretty good. Wifey loved the Creme Bulee. Starbucks was great. I asked the manager if they run out of the pastries as the week goes and she said they do not. Checked out the sail away party, went to the Solarium during sail away and watched sail away from the area that has the glass floor. Extremely windy today. 
 Went to HIRO and the whole family thoroughiy enjoyed  wifey had a hot dog from the hot dog spot and the kids enjoyed Sugar and bought some candy and had ice cream additionally went to Playmakers for a beer and 24 wings with friends  I am a huge Wing Stop fan and they are not that, however, for the price and being on a cruise ship the wings were very good with good heat and flavor  definitely worth it  playmakers will get a lot of visits from me this week  walked through Central Park and set up my Wine Tasting for night 6.  No music out there tonight but love the sounds of the crickets and they were handing out free champagne at the Cartier store.  There were a lot of people around the Trelis Bar   
 

After HIRO hung around the Promenade, people watched, kids had Sorrentos and had another Starbucks.  Glad I loaded my card before the trip.  Baleros had a lot of energy this evening and the welcome party is currently happening.  A key takeaway is with 6,000 on board it never feels crowded.  Before we sailed and prior to the muester drill it felt packed but afterwards not at all and able to get an elevator.

We will be at sea tomorrow and will hit up JOHNNY Rockets for Breakfast.  A key dynamic is I use the app onboard ALL THE TIme!  To schedule events, set reminders, set up shows, etc.  

HIRO had a good crowd but not overly packed and people were able to just walk in. 
I am including pics of the Starbucks menu since I haven’t seen the menu with prices often.

 

 

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Following along.  We were on Symphony last year this very same week.  Such an amazing ship!  It's my #1.

Thanks for explaining the additional check in process.  Can you let us know if any differences during the week.  We have a cruise next weekend and not sure whether to cancel or not. 

Enjoy your cruise.  Sounds like you have a large party.  So fun!

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7 hours ago, WannaCruise said:

Following along.  We were on Symphony last year this very same week.  Such an amazing ship!  It's my #1.

Thanks for explaining the additional check in process.  Can you let us know if any differences during the week.  We have a cruise next weekend and not sure whether to cancel or not. 

Enjoy your cruise.  Sounds like you have a large party.  So fun!

What I can to you is every restaurant you go to they kindly ask you to wash hands and apply sanitizer. When leaving ask you to apply sanitizer. Everyone seems to be compiling no one is trying to get the Corona or be stranded off Miami for a week or two. I have to say there is more precautions put in place getting on the boat and while on board than airline flights, the mall, grocery store or any other places.  

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Very windy day today started off at Solarium Bistro for breakfast with two made to order eggs. I drink almond milk and just had to request it and they provided for my coffee. Will see how El Loco fresh is for lunch. 
 

in between lunch on deck 15 aft having a cigar with Buffalo Trace living a great life. YOLO. 50ED6E71-A7D2-4903-81B5-321FF9A397EF.thumb.jpeg.e907db0804c46527087a3f8a9c03d76c.jpeg

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4 hours ago, HAK1906 said:

What I can to you is every restaurant you go to they kindly ask you to wash hands and apply sanitizer. When leaving ask you to apply sanitizer. Everyone seems to be compiling no one is trying to get the Corona or be stranded off Miami for a week or two. I have to say there is more precautions put in place getting on the bird and while on board than airline flights, the mall, grocery store or any other places.  

This is a good thing, and guess the new norm.  Thanks for reporting back.  Hope you are having a wonderful cruise so far. So much to see and do on Symphony!

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Very lazy afternoon. Tried Loco Fresh for lunch. The line wrapped around the deck and just went to Windjammer. As predicted ended up at Playmakers watching the Lakers game. Great crowd at Playmakers and love the venue. 
Winds continue to be high and Deck 16 has been closed the majority of the day. As a side bar bar there definitely it key appears to be lower traffic at Johnny Rockets than what I remembered in the past. Just an observation since Playmakers is right across from Johnny R.

 

My kids loved The Abyss. I’ll check it out later in the week. 14D8FF86-B255-48C4-AE5E-AAAB4CF85350.thumb.jpeg.bb2c00fdf8b097b9d3913574ff46378e.jpeg

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Yesterday ended up AMAZING!  After Playmakers had a 6PM at Park 150 for 10. Our server Ben went above and beyond. I had the short rib AND Caesar Salad for starters, both really good. Wifey had the beet salad that she really enjoyed. Their bread is the BEST EVER!  Hit, warm and buttery. For my entree I chose the Tenderloin AND Lobster. Everyone was trying to decide which “one” for their entree and a very nice lady behind said “ Get both” and everyone had the lobster and another. The lobster was fine I just didn’t like all that cream and cheese just lobster. Tenderloin was very good. 
For Desert most ordered from the menu, me and another person decided to be those folks. I had the warm chocolate cake from Chops and she had the brownie from Jamie’s as we dined at 150. Yes they can do that, as with everything cruise “you just have to ask”. Again, Ben was great and everyone tipped him accordingly. 
afterwards in that “ what do we do now”. Used the app and digital touch boards that help you determine “what to do now”.  We went tonBoleros for the Dj for about thirty minutes, then we landed on Vintages for the Karaoke show and Stevie Wonder review. The band was GREAT and a young girl killed it at the karaoke as the last performer singing John Legend’s “All of Me”.   The place was packed as the Karaoke was ending and Stevie Wonder Review began. 
On the way to the midnight “silent party” stopped by the jazz club, appeared very nice and a little bit of blackjack in the Casino. Then to the attic for the “silent party”. The line was LONG. For those who haven’t done it they hand out earphones to everyone and either you are on the blue or green station. Music isn’t playing out loud on the club speakers just on the earphones.  Two stations, green and blue. The 40+ crew I was with had the best time ever dancing we’ve had in years. It was fantastic. Haven’t danced that much since my late twenties. No need for workout today as that was 90 minutes straight of dancing and Enjoying ourselves. All ten adults in my party loves the concept and most importantly the music/Dj’s played everything we loved. Afterwards we went to Sorrento’s and to the room at 2:30am. Look forward to what day three has to bring. 

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44 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Wow,  What a fun-packed day !  I love to see people really getting everything out of their cruise vacation.  Sounds like you guys are having a blast.

 Coming from the cruise Yoda himself I appreciate your feedback WAAAYTOOO!  As a Junior Suite Gold member trying to get reservations this evening for Coastal Kitchen. 

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This morning had MDR breakfast, two choices main dining or buffet on deck 3. It was fine. Afterwards toured the ship. I’m that guy that likes to find places that folks don’t talk too much about or notice. 
I found the Vitality Cafe Today and the smoothies were fresh and great. The biggest takeaway is their mini blueberry muffins were incredible. Very good have to be made from scratch. Went by the gym and then walked down to the walking track on deck. There are o OU three ways to get on the track since the winds are extremely high. Two at the AFT by the aqua theatre and the third via the gym. Additionally there is shuffle board and ping pong table and the chairs give at the back of deck 5 provide great views. 
Went by the Card room and just did a lot of walking. Will give a second try for El Loco fresh for lunch. I’ve attached few pics. 

I also attached a few pics to show what the inside of the lifeboats look like on Symphony  as a crew member Was inspecting one  

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44 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Wow !  Thanks for the shots inside the lifeboats.  I couldn’t figure out what they were....and then finally read your post !  It seems the floor boards are up and they show the battery banks.  Very interesting 

Same here. I went to the photos before reading what the photos were. Very interesting and its a pretty tight fit for anyone in one of those things

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3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Wow !  Thanks for the shots inside the lifeboats.  I couldn’t figure out what they were....and then finally read your post !  It seems the floor boards are up and they show the battery banks.  Very interesting 

They are motorized i.e. they have have propulsion. They are very large.  Wanted to things you don’t see often. 
 

The Captain took us a different route but still rough seas and very windy. When we get to St.Kitts it should be calmer as we then travel to St.Thomas on Wednesday 

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Yesterday was great other than the weather. Just yours the ship with our friends who were on their first cruise. Went to the ice skating show after MDR and then stopped by the Schooner Bar, Boleros,  Studio B and the Pub. Didn’t stay in any more than 15 minutes, just wanted a feel. Had to get up early for today but that’s only after I won $50 playing blackjack. I know small stakes but that’s big for me. ? 

The folks with My time dining were very accommodating with our party of 14. 
i have cruised before but my major takeaway if this cruise, and forgive the All CAPS but it’s “ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT”. The worse they can say is no or offer an alternative but they will bend over backwards to accommodate most requests. 

Today in St.Kitts and went to the Marriott resort for the day on the beach and this hotel pool.  The weather is beautiful, 83 and sunny. We have been starving for good weather. We have reservations at Wonderland tonight with the kids. Look forward to it. 
Sidebar:  The Starbucks on board is like being at home other than they don’t have the warmer for breakfast sandwiches or lunch sandwiches. They have the vast bay majority of the drinks you want from home with the sweetness that Starbucks offers, they don’t use the Royal Caribbean sweetness. They are truly an independently owned type of operation who happen to be on a cruise ship. Yes you can use your Starbucks apps to purchase but NOT redeem. You can also use your Seapass or being a Starbucks gift card. No, your drink package DOES NOT WORK. I see this question gets asked a lot and I did myself prior to the cruise. 

As with most who travel on the larger boats when you pull into a port you feel as you are the big dog, the big man ok campus and compared to the other ships most folks are truly in awe. Once you get off the ship and compare to the other ships it makes you appreciate how huge this ship is. Thank you for taking the time to read my  Rambling  ? 

 

The drones at the ice show are GREAT!

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Wonderland!  We went to Wonderland for dinner with the kids last night. It was interesting. I should have done a little more research into Wonderland. Let me first say it’s beautiful inside and a very unique experience. Experience being the key term. If you are going to Wonderland to be full from the food you may want to go to Windjammer afterwards. Very pretty looking food and presentation but we didn’t think the food was that great. I had the short rib which was amazing but half of the 14 in my group went to Playmakers for wings afterwards. Also the kids “Burger and Fries” are not your normal burger and fries to say the least. Again, the experience was good and unique but don’t have to do it again. 
The Smoke Ring from the bar at Wonderland was maybe the best old fashioned I have ever had. It’s Smokey with Four Roses single barrel (my favorite bourbon outside of Blanton’s).  The kicker being the Happy Hour from 5-u they have 2 for $15 on drinks that are normally $13 a piece (wifey and I didn’t get the drink package). 
Afterwards we went to Playmakers to hang out. Wifey and I went to deck 15 and had a cigar together for that quality one on one time away from the group 20 minutes at the Casino playing Blackjack and turned in early for us around 11:30. 
I included a few pics from our balcony at night on our way to Saint Thomas. 
We docked there this am next to a Viking cruise ship and ate breakfast in the Solarium Bistro. Most in my group think the Bistro is the best for breakfast. Plan on going to Meaghan’s Bay this am.  

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Really enjoying following along and thanks for all of the pictures.

I do have a question as to what you are seeing on board to help protect you from COVID-19? I have a sailing in about 2 weeks and want to know what out of the ordinary has been noticed on board to help protect the people?

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7 hours ago, Dimension said:

Really enjoying following along and thanks for all of the pictures.

I do have a question as to what you are seeing on board to help protect you from COVID-19? I have a sailing in about 2 weeks and want to know what out of the ordinary has been noticed on board to help protect the people?

Thank you!

A lot of the prevention has been prior to with the temp checks at Check in and the Passport checks from overly affected areas.  On board it’s washing hands and hand sanitizer being emphasized all the time and everywhere. 
All the islands we have gone to so far have zero reports or Covad-19. All passengers appear to be doing their part to ensure they remain Vikings to and wash hands and use sanitizer. 

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At.Thomas was good today. Got off the ship and took a Taxi to Meghan’s Bay Beach. Taxi was $10 a person one way. There were five ships in port today. Two including Symphony on one side and three other on the other side. 
The beach today was PACKED! They ran out of chairs and we got there around 10:30 am. If you are going to that beach I suggest getting there real early to ensure chairs, etc. if you want to rent those. The beach is absolutely beautiful and deserves  the publicity it receives. It was $10 back to the port with a couple of picture stops and an hour stop shopping downtown. I was excited to find a bottle of Blanton’s bourbon today. For Bourbon drinkers it’s a very difficult find. Back at the ship ate wings at Playmakers and the kids zip-lined, Ultimate Abyss and the Arcade. 
Tonight, we eat Chops. Look forward to it. 

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So........ a thing called Corona but I digress...

Chops Grille was absolutely Magnificent last night I asked for the chef to come and gave him our accolades. These were some greatly cooked steaks to perfection. This was said by everyone. Food was great!  Afterwards I put the wife and kids to bed and went to Jazz on 4, party at Studio B, Karaoke at on air and Baleros and needed at the Casio I where I on $22 playing black jack. 
We all breakfast at Solarium  Bistro and everyone loves. This is our spot for breakfast.  Afterwards got our 2 for $20 t shirts and then booked our next cruise. Afterwards went to the hot tub by the Solarium and relaxed. I also went to the Captain’s talk. For R.C nerds this is a must. Very informative. Even had a picture with the Captain. Hitting all the slides including Abyss and the Caymus wine tasting at Vintages. Dinner on night six is formal Lobster so I will use my Downy wrinkle release and be dressed too impress. As Cale Grundy would say “I’m a man I’m 40!!!!”?

The ship is lively trying to ignore the “real world” when we get back. 

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It sounds like you are having a blast.  It's SUCH good therapy for we beleaguered - those of us that are dry docked and having to read one sad cruise story after another - missed ports, cancelled cruises, embarkation ports closing.  PLEASE keep sending us HAPPY news and continue having fun for ALL of us.  ...and getting stuck on the champagne bowl slide is a right of passage.  A friend told me....

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My kids are on Spring Break this week. Just received an email that their Spring Break has been “extended” another week. Not cancelling classes just extending Spring Bring. ?
We are going to live our best life and enjoying these last days of paradise before returning to the real world. 

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