Cactus527 Posted January 12 Report Posted January 12 So glad you're on board and enjoying it. Sorry about all the Lyft shenanigans you had to go through this morning, but that Jamie's chicken sandwich takes me right back. Love that thing. The best parts are always seeing your brother's smiling face with all of his food and the photo of you two together! PPPJJ-GCVAB, MaryS, Baked Alaska and 3 others 5 1 Quote
LandstromCruise Posted January 12 Report Posted January 12 I enjoyed symphony but thought the food in the MDR was not as good as other ships. Ampurp85 1 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 12 Author Report Posted January 12 Took a little nap, then walked my smoke free casino raffle ticket down to 4 so I could also see what the CL had for happy hour. Park Cafe has Lay's and Ruffles, so I scored 2 bags for a snack. We have sailed away and I am heading to my second home for the next 18 days, aka the casino. Sweety, SweetPea, MaryS and 6 others 8 1 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 12 Author Report Posted January 12 Well I'm beyond a little sad. The worst casino host I ever had, RBF/not a people person from Freedom is on here. I hope she is much nicer this time around. Cactus527, Jax, Lovetocruise2002 and 7 others 5 5 Quote
Cactus527 Posted January 12 Report Posted January 12 45 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: Took a little nap, then walked my smoke free casino raffle ticket down to 4 so I could also see what the CL had for happy hour. Park Cafe has Lay's and Ruffles, so I scored 2 bags for a snack. We have sailed away and I am heading to my second home for the next 18 days, aka the casino. COLLECT THOSE CHIPS!!!! I guarantee they will be gone in the next 2 days. #hoarders Sweety, PPPJJ-GCVAB, lovetheplaya and 2 others 3 2 Quote
Cactus527 Posted January 12 Report Posted January 12 Hey, @Ampurp85, I just saw this and thought of you: https://www.thestreet.com/travel/royal-caribbean-quietly-makes-non-smoking-casino-change WAAAYTOOO and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 8 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: Hey, @Ampurp85, I just saw this and thought of you: https://www.thestreet.com/travel/royal-caribbean-quietly-makes-non-smoking-casino-change I will do a random spot-check n OA tonite….providing I’m still awake. Cactus527 and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 13 Author Report Posted January 13 7 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: Hey, @Ampurp85, I just saw this and thought of you: https://www.thestreet.com/travel/royal-caribbean-quietly-makes-non-smoking-casino-change All the Oasis class have had a non-smoking casino since maybe 2024. The problem is it is small, has a smaller selection of machines and small. They seem to do a smoke free raffle the first night. I have been to the one on Allure, Oasis, Wonder and now Symphony Quote
LandstromCruise Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 51 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: All the Oasis class have had a non-smoking casino since maybe 2024. The problem is it is small, has a smaller selection of machines and small. They seem to do a smoke free raffle the first night. I have been to the one on Allure, Oasis, Wonder and now Symphony And they don’t have any higher limit blackjack in there Ampurp85 1 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 13 Author Report Posted January 13 So that casino host is still a witch with a capital B. I'm both disappointed and happy with the casino. First Symphony has a lot of new and popular games. It's large enough that even when packed, I still can find something to play. The disappointment comes from the unwritten/spoken changes. Said horrible casino host is telling everyone the freeplay is no longer loaded automatically when you board, instead it shows up after 10pm or the 2nd day. Also a major huge disappointment is the list for 6n+ cruises. You need to earn too many points for just a bogo! Like why is a 4n on Jewel 1500pts????? Anyway I love how new and clean symphony is, she is super purty . Lots of tiny screaming humans on this cruise. They stop crying when they see my brother and ask to touch his mustache . Yall know how I feel about bathrooms and these have been the cleanest I have seen in awhile, especially on embarkation day. Which is to say it was shenanigans lite. I saw a pineapple couple from my may Freedom sailing and they asked about my "FAF*" brother and if he was down to clown.......I didn't answer that. They said they would find him. Our room attendant is so sweet and happy. And despite being a windowless cave, it was very clean. However the ship rocks when you are in a forward room. Dinner was at Izumi and we did prefix. Food was delicious and I had 2 Japanese strawberry's, while my brother had 3 spicy Okinawas. We ordered a soda at Jamie's and was not charged vouchers or cash money for either. So we used the vouchers at Cafe promenade and got an assortment of red bull, juices and one beer with our 10 drinks. There are "later" night options. JR stays open until 10. The Doghouse reopens up at 9ish to almost midnight and Cafe promenade has sandwiches and pre-made salads. Plus Playmakers. Luggage is now delivered after 3. The captain is hilarious. I encountered a sea of farts, trying to get my brother a coffee from the CL......it was so horrible ......which meant no coffee for him. When we back after Izumi they were cleaning it. Tomorrow is PDCC aka a sweet casino day for me. asquared17, MaryS, InmyElement and 11 others 13 1 Quote
asquared17 Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 20 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: Anyway I love how new and clean symphony is, she is super purty . she is!!!! 20 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I saw a pineapple couple from my may Freedom sailing and they asked about my "FAF*" brother and if he was down to clown.......I didn't answer that. They said they would find him. oh my lord 21 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: The captain is hilarious. HES THE BEST!!!!!! captain johnny!!!!! Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 We went to Izumi tonite, too….and Dan got the same thing your brother got (Chefs Choice). I will say….Izumi is the most consistently good restaurant on Royal Caribbean. Maybe it’s just that I always get the same thing, but I’ve never had a bad experience EVER at any Izumi…even the service is consistently good. asquared17, PPPJJ-GCVAB, Ampurp85 and 6 others 8 1 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 Late-night smoke-free casino food recon report : Nope. Not only was there no food of any kind, but there is no space for a buffet setup that I could determine. Based on a sampling of 1 night, Oasis does not offer a buffet in the smoke -free casino. Cactus527, PPPJJ-GCVAB and Ampurp85 2 1 Quote
InmyElement Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 11 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: Well I'm beyond a little sad. The worst casino host I ever had, RBF/not a people person from Freedom is on here. I hope she is much nicer this time around. Same experience on Symphony..she didn't want anything to do with us newbs..Happy Cruise!! She is crisp and clean, not the host, the ship! SweetPea, WAAAYTOOO and Ampurp85 2 1 Quote
SplashOfWater Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 11 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: So that casino host is still a witch with a capital B. I'm both disappointed and happy with the casino. First Symphony has a lot of new and popular games. It's large enough that even when packed, I still can find something to play. The disappointment comes from the unwritten/spoken changes. Said horrible casino host is telling everyone the freeplay is no longer loaded automatically when you board, instead it shows up after 10pm or the 2nd day. Also a major huge disappointment is the list for 6n+ cruises. You need to earn too many points for just a bogo! Like why is a 4n on Jewel 1500pts????? I interacted with two female hosts on Symphony last week. One was very nice and the other one was not very friendly. My husband had all his freeplay available right away the first night. Not sure why it's delayed on your cruise. Maybe there was a computer/server issue. Ampurp85 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 16 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: All the Oasis class have had a non-smoking casino since maybe 2024. The problem is it is small, has a smaller selection of machines and small. They seem to do a smoke free raffle the first night. I have been to the one on Allure, Oasis, Wonder and now Symphony It was more the buffet thing that I thought was interesting. Ampurp85 and OCSC Mike 2 Quote
Cactus527 Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 12 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: Lots of tiny screaming humans on this cruise. They stop crying when they see my brother and ask to touch his mustache This made me laugh so hard. Love it when they are fascinated with facial hair! Sweety, asquared17, Ampurp85 and 1 other 1 3 Quote
SweetPea Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 13 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: I encountered a sea of farts I think public farters should be relegated to their own ship. I wasn't onboard with the vaxxed/unvaxxed separation, but i would be onboard for a Farts of the Seas ship, specially for Public Farters whereas Private Farters could have their choice. I would also accept Crop Duster of the Seas. Sweety, Jax, Lovetocruise2002 and 6 others 9 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 31 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: It was more the buffet thing that I thought was interesting. It basically looks like the nightly CL snacks but served at 10pm. I'll definitely be on the lookout on Utopia. One more option for my last snack on top of Sorrento's and Cafe Promenade can only help. Ampurp85 and Cactus527 2 Quote
Lovetocruise2002 Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 43 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: This made me laugh so hard. Love it when they are fascinated with facial hair! More proof that @Ampurp85 and her brother are way too approachable asquared17, Sweety, Cactus527 and 2 others 5 Quote
Robert M Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 Thanks for the Jamie's lunch photos, we have that on Day 3 of our cruise but I keep seeing dinner photos and not lunch portions so that will help for the wife and daughter to see what to expect Enjoy the cruise ! Ampurp85 1 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 13 Author Report Posted January 13 Day 2 PDCC. I slept so good and then woke up at 7am, late for me, showered and went to my job. If you don't know this, I play for my brother and myself in the casino. So I went down while he was still sleeping with his card. He gets my money worth in drinks plus that's free cruises to combine. I did very well today. I've spent no money and have 1100pts between us. I went to park Cafe for my lunch on a prayer. Hopefully the kimmelweck would be delicious. I also wanted more chips. I discovered a turkey, cranberry cream cheess, and veggie bagel. Super delicious and now I have fuel to continue my goal. My brother is at the gym. After I get casino tured we will tour the ship. Tonight is MTD and Hiro. Sweety, InmyElement, WAAAYTOOO and 10 others 11 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 13 Author Report Posted January 13 I have ended my job in the casino. Won back everything I spent plus $23. Sitting at 700pts for my brother and 986 for me. People in the casino are wild. Man discussing all the personal toys his room steward discovered . Said he was filming OnlyFans. I moved machines. Which was fortuitous because the new machine kept me in the black. I did something different and opted for 4:30 service on this trip. Whatever this is, is drinking ginger ale. Our room steward is great. BTW my brother put the ginger ale there. She left the remote. I walked the ship while it was empty but I wasn't taking pictures, just clearing my head and getting exercise. I won't be getting off at Labadee, so I will take photos then. I missed eating . All I had was the turkey bagel and some lays. So we went to the Crown Lounge and had a snack before dinner. Side note, the door to the CL was broken yesterday and the concierge said several people snuck in yesterday. So many kept asking why they couldn't come in. The weather was amazing, almost 80s, decent humidity, so I believe choosing to do Hiro tonight was a good idea. Dinner is a taste of Mexico......I hope I survive . PPPJJ-GCVAB, SweetPea, Cactus527 and 9 others 12 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 Cruising noobs trying to infiltrate the crown lounge. asquared17, Cactus527, Ampurp85 and 1 other 4 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 14 Author Report Posted January 14 I forgot to tell a shenanigan. I was playing coin trio, the one in the photo, it's right by the bar. My brother was at the bar playing Warframe on his phone, iykyk. This lady comes to the casino bar screaming "star". People are looking at her and she tells the bartender " I'm star and I need a chardonnay!". Everyone is like we were here first, she throws up her hand and says STAR!!! The bartender says he is out of chardonnay and but he will send for some, she says that won't do, what other whites does he have because she in a rush. He get her sauv blanc. She doesn't tip and huffs back to her machine. Everyone at the bar was like wtf is star.........I was laughing hard. Then later my brother was like I never saw star listed as a C&A level . Gilley, JohnK6404, Cactus527 and 9 others 7 1 4 Quote
Cactus527 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 13 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I forgot to tell a shenanigan. I was playing coin trio, the one in the photo, it's right by the bar. My brother was at the bar playing Warframe on his phone, iykyk. This lady comes to the casino bar screaming "star". People are looking at her and she tells the bartender " I'm star and I need a chardonnay!". Everyone is like we were here first, she throws up her hand and says STAR!!! The bartender says he is out of chardonnay and but he will send for some, she says that won't do, what other whites does he have because she in a rush. He get her sauv blanc. She doesn't tip and huffs back to her machine. Everyone at the bar was like wtf is star.........I was laughing hard. Then later my brother was like I never saw star listed as a C&A level . The audacity of some people...wow... MaryS, Ampurp85, Sweety and 1 other 3 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: Man discussing all the personal toys his room steward discovered . Said he was filming OnlyFans YES!!!!! *THESE* are the shenanigans I'm here for! WAAAYTOOO, asquared17, PPPJJ-GCVAB and 4 others 7 Quote
asquared17 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 34 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: This lady comes to the casino bar screaming "star". People are looking at her and she tells the bartender " I'm star and I need a chardonnay!". Everyone is like we were here first, she throws up her hand and says STAR!!! … … … you give star class a bad name [sung to the tune of you give love a bad name by bon jovi] Ampurp85, MaryS, LandstromCruise and 5 others 8 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 14 Author Report Posted January 14 Symphony has some really cool but funky decor. It really makes little sense . Dinner was fast. We had a table tucked away so the choas was at a minimum.......possibly only a 1/10. Service was superb despite several drop ins from head waiters and such. We were done in under an hour. There appear to be many small changes. They offer the iced tea and lemonade plus apple and orange juice now with dinner. The drink of the day is $8.50 and some items on the menu have changed. The app also has some ingredients listed. I don't have my cruise stomach yet so I barely ate, my brother hardly didn't either. But we stopped by café promenade for pre-made salads and sandwiches for after Hiro. They had an eclectic selection......including potato salad you needed to dress yourself. I got 4 bags of chips earlier, I only ate one, and will have a bag with my turkey bagel later. I am bringing pretzel rods to the show for a snack. Yes i brought pretzels and popcorn from home. Stray observations...... Although the solarium bistro is closed for yeshiva week, I haven't seen as many Jewish cruisers as I normally do. Even on PDCC day people be real loose on deck. Thongs galore. The bathroom shenanigans have started. There was a girl eating her dinner, while her friend pooped. Yes, she brought her plate in the bathroom, the salmon, and was eating by the mirror. I am totally fine everywhere but my room when we are moving. I took a dramamine. Normally I don't need meds. I continue to not be a fan of forward cabins. Nobody likes the casino host . Cactus527, Lovetocruise2002, SplashOfWater and 6 others 9 Quote
asquared17 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 also of COURSE she demands chardonnay ….i’ll see myself out now. Ampurp85, Sweety and Cactus527 3 Quote
asquared17 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 1 minute ago, Ampurp85 said: But we stopped by café promenade for pre-made salads and sandwiches for after Hiro. They had an eclectic selection......including potato salad you needed to dress yourself i forgot to mention this!!! there were so really interesting grab and go options at cafe promenade. it was kind of cool. don’t know that i saw this potato salad though 2 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: Symphony has some really cool but funky decor. It really makes little sense . tell me you have found the super mario wall art!!!! it’s in the aft stairwell, starboard side, i think. maybe deck 10? PPPJJ-GCVAB, OCSC Mike, Ampurp85 and 3 others 4 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 14 Author Report Posted January 14 @asquared17 so the problem with being forward is I am missing that sweet aft action........I am thrown off. I went down and got my seat early for Hiro. The suite/pinnacle/D+ seats in the Aqua theater are the best imho. Also the weather is perfect, I believe it's 71 degrees. asquared17, Sweety, OCSC Mike and 7 others 9 1 Quote
asquared17 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 6 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: @asquared17 so the problem with being forward is I am missing that sweet aft action........I am thrown off. ugh. we need to get you back there Ampurp85 1 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 14 Author Report Posted January 14 Just now, asquared17 said: ugh. we need to get you back there I plan to walk the ship on Day 4 Labadee, so I will see all the art. I believe the wall on deck 6 foward has been my favorite. The agamograph one. Cactus527 1 Quote
asquared17 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 omg this is the one i had to look at the ground so i didn’t fall over because it made me feel like i was tripped out on substances!!!!! Ampurp85 and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 1 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 14 Author Report Posted January 14 Hiro This photo of them slinging 30in bundles sums it up Dictionary.....if tomfoolery was a Aqua show Everyone to Dictionary.......Hiro Sweety, WAAAYTOOO, asquared17 and 1 other 1 3 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 14 Author Report Posted January 14 I am assuming the pitch went like this. Okay so hear me out. The Aqua show for Symphony should be set in feudal Japan with the theme song of a 1970s hit called "War"........but also let's use The Gorilla's, Andre 3000, and 30 Seconds to Mars from the 2000s.........but also let's do this in the style of EDM but also house music. You know what let's include that stepping thing black fraternity's do. Ooooh throw in a soundtrack of giggling babies and toddlers. Gotta have a woman in a harness walking in space or air or just flipping about......but also let's feature her a lot, why, just because. Let's also incorporate Egyptian dancing.....plus pop-locking What you say that doesn't make sense......let's do a random spoken word section with a guy who could be living in a submarine or space? Also we want people to scream "Your soul is mine, fatality " when they see the outfits. Now with all that out of the way let's somehow incorporate the divers, tightrope walkers, splashing, synchronized swimmers, and water tomfoolery everyone has grown to love thanks to Aqua80 and OceanAria. asquared17, Baked Alaska, lovetheplaya and 6 others 2 7 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 14 Author Report Posted January 14 5min into the show the man next to my brother said WTF is this, loudly. His wife said, baby let's go, this don't sit right with my soul. When the Crossfit ropes came out my soul left my body. I would never sit through this Aqua show again. I'm not saying the crew weren't fantastically talented. What I am saying is story...........what story?????? Hiro is pure shenanigans . I have never seen so many people leave an Aqua show. I stayed until the end and the experience was probably akin to seeing that Wonka experience in Glasgow last year. The Doghouse was popping when we left and Playmakers now serves food until 12pm when they close. There is possibly more but my brain is stuck on Hiro. MaryS, Sweety, Cactus527 and 7 others 3 5 1 1 Quote
asquared17 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 55 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: Also we want people to scream "Your soul is mine, fatality " when they see the outfits. I SWEAR MY SCREAM ALMOST WOKE THE HOUSE WHEN I READ THIS Ampurp85 and Cactus527 2 Quote
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