JLMoran Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 @twangster, am I wrong thinking you're already on Serenade and posting from there now? Thanks for yet another amazing live blog and photo safari of this latest adventure, and I'm already looking forward to seeing Serenade and this next experience you're kicking off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 2 minutes ago, JLMoran said: @twangster, am I wrong thinking you're already on Serenade and posting from there now? Thanks for yet another amazing live blog and photo safari of this latest adventure, and I'm already looking forward to seeing Serenade and this next experience you're kicking off! Not quite. Running about 18 hours behind in my time line. Right now I'm on Symphony's port bridge wing getting to sail away to Miami. My last night on board before Serenade tomorrow. JLMoran and The Cruise Junkie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 30 minutes ago, Twangster Fan said: Here Are Some Photo I Took Of Your Boat Docking In Port Canaveral. Hope You Enjoy A boat is something you get into when the ship is going down. The Symphony is a SHIP. henrysea13, JLMoran, Lovetocruise2002 and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 Just now, rjac said: A boat is something you get into when the ship is going down. The Symphony is a SHIP. And a beautiful one at that! @twangster the pics this time have been amazing. She may be my most favourite ship after I sail her in July.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 Just now, Lovetocruise2002 said: the pics this time have been amazing. She may be my most favourite ship after I sail her in July I know what you mean Loveto, Great photos, great ship and great write up. I've been looking at the 2020 itineraries for the Symphony and may just cancel our 2 week B2B on the Adventure. Hopefully the 2021 itineraries will be out in a couple of months. Symphony is now at the top of my cruise bucket list! Lovetocruise2002 and Sweety 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 Just now, rjac said: I know what you mean Loveto, Great photos, great ship and great write up. I've been looking at the 2020 itineraries for the Symphony and may just cancel our 2 week B2B on the Adventure. Hopefully the 2021 itineraries will be out in a couple of months. Symphony is now at the top of my cruise bucket list! I am going to assume that Symphony Summer 2020-Spring 2021 will be out mid-December (week of December 10th). rjac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 55 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: And a beautiful one at that! @twangster the pics this time have been amazing. She may be my most favourite ship after I sail her in July.... Royal hit a home run with Symphony. I am still looking forward to my other Oasis class ships as well as a couple on some ships that aren't the largest cruise ship in the world, but Symphony is special. Is it too much to ask for a pop up storm that closes all U.S. ports and forces us back to Europe? (yes, she has enough fuel to cross back across the Atlantic) Lovetocruise2002 and Neaxan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 Just now, twangster said: Royal hit a home run with Symphony. I just wish she wasn't double the price. Taking my girls on their first OA class in 4 months. Then we have Oasis after that. Would love to take them on Symphony but not at the prices right now. henrysea13 and accio7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 28 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Would love to take them on Symphony but not at the prices right now. Aren't you the one that always says "YOLO"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 18 minutes ago, rjac said: Aren't you the one that always says "YOLO"? Haha. Yes, I did YOLO and book Symphony. Kids are not coming! They are getting expensive. One is turning 13 and will no longer qualify for KSF. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodSmith Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 15 hours ago, Matt said: Correct, it's an optional thing to get. If you are not in a suite, you can purchase a WOWband for $4.95 each. It can replace most of what the SeaPass can do. The only real exception is you still need SeaPass card for getting on or off the ship in a port. Can the same WOWband be "re-programmed" and used on a later cruise free of charge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodSmith Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 That Solarium is a Symphony of Light in itself ! Sweety 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 16 hours ago, rjac said: A boat is something you get into when the ship is going down. The Symphony is a SHIP. JLMoran, accio7, FlowBro Ty and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 Awesome @twangster, haven't been able to keep up with all post but what I have read is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 @twangster - your pictures are fabulous; thank you for sharing your time on Symphony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One72pilot Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 21 hours ago, rjac said: A boat is something you get into when the ship is going down. The Symphony is a SHIP. On Harmony last week and Captain Gus told us the difference between a ship and a boat... “A ship has a captain. A boat has a frustrated husband”. accio7, SpeedNoodles, rjac and 5 others 2 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 @twangster, thank you so much for all of your hard work photographing and documenting your adventures aboard Symphony! Hope you have a great time aboard Serenade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 I plan to continue the timeline and post more to this thread but the last few days have been quite hectic. More to come... soon. accio7, betatke1480, Lovetocruise2002 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Day 12 - Land Ho! "Far, We've been traveling far..." Neil Diamond, "America" Sometime around 3am I ventured to the port bridge wing to capture our arrival in Port Canaveral and to North America. Several people would join me, the bridge wings were very popular. We did a quick turn in the mid-port turning basin and backed into the slip for Terminal 1 that Oasis of the Seas uses as her home. Captain Rob expertly brought us in and we gently made contact with the pier. With that we had arrived. Our progress... For the first time on this voyage we were pointing due East. With our arrival complete I went back to bed. I wasn't expected to meet Customs and Border Patrol until late morning so sleep seemed like a good idea. Guy Gadwa, Lovetocruise2002, accio7 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Day 12 - continued... Everyone on the ship was required to meet Customs and Border Patrol on this day. They had to get the ship to 'zero count' meaning all guests had to be off before any guest was allowed back onboard. With over 2,200 crew they had to be cleared by CBP as well which for them began at 4am as soon as we arrived. The crew were cleared early and first so that they could go in waves and get back to the ship to prepare our breakfast and do all the other things that the crew does. TV displays around the ship indicated when we were expected to debark. Guests with excursions were to meet in the theater closer to the start of the process. Since my muster was G4 I had a couple of hours so I headed to the Solarium Bistro for a buffet breakfast. The Bistro is much like the Windjammer for breakfast, self service with open seating. There is an egg station where cooked to order eggs are prepared as you wait. With the two story floor to ceiling windows the Solarium Bistro is a great alternative to the Windjammer for a buffet type meal. That second story seating area is part of the Hooked specialty dining venue. Lovetocruise2002, JLMoran, Sweety and 5 others 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 On 11/7/2018 at 12:15 PM, twangster said: Since Royal has ended it's relationship with Michael Schwartz the menu at 150 Central Park will be different going forward. I'm happy to see martini and beef for two are still on the menu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 On 11/8/2018 at 3:43 PM, twangster said: The Bistro on Anthem is good, make no mistake, but it wasn't the same experience. Still enjoyable but Symphony's Bistro is in a different league. We loved the Bistro on Quantum, and found it lacking in comparison on Harmony. We had a heavy handed chef with the salt that week. Our only gripe on Quantum was that they told us no butter when our kids asked for it for their potatoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 The U.S. Coast Guard performs routine and periodic inspections of all ships. When a ship arrives from outside of the region or in the event of new ship arriving those inspections are more thorough. Inspections today had begun. The crew was also exercising a fire drill throughout the morning witnessed by the USCG inspectors. My destination today was very close, Grills restaurant where local Florida members of the RCPeriscopers.live group were meeting those of us from Symphony. Located right behind Terminal 1 it's a great location to get pictures of the ship as well. With many guests already off the ship I took advantage of taking more photos with fewer people around. Our cruise director had been making periodic announcements including frequently that port officials had requested they hold guests to avoid over crowding the terminal. At 11 am I headed down to join the queue waiting to debark. Once inside the terminal I eventually reached a point where they separated Canadian and American guests into their own queue for Customs and Border Patrol officials. Just before noon I was outside the terminal on my way next door to Grills. They had life boats down exercising them. All life boats are lowered and operated on a periodic basis. They were also touching up the paint getting ready for the grand debut in Miami. Who knew there was a 'Baby' Symphony of the Seas? A great time was had meeting other members of the RCPeriscopers.live group all of which were extremely jealous that they weren't guests on board Symphony. It's always great to meet people and put internet usernames to faces. After several rounds and some food it was time to get back on board. Guy Gadwa, Sweety, JLMoran and 6 others 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomad Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 I am new to the blog but I wanted to provide some info on the ‘Crazy Ivans’ where the ship turned south and then west again. We were on the same cruise and during a bridge tour we asked why the ship moved like that. The officer said that because the wind from from the east at about 23 knots and the ship was moving about 21 knots they turn the ship like that to use the incinerator. If not the ship would have ash rain down on the ship. When the incineration is finished they would head back to the set course. There was also a turn for the Suite helideck party on Tuesday. Bobby said that Captain Rob slowed and turned the ship so the Helipad would be more comfortable. That said, it was probably the nicest Oasis class Helipad weather experience. Carlos A., JLMoran and Guy Gadwa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Day 12 - Port Canaveral Sail Away Our sail away was the highlight of the local news. The largest cruise ship in the world coming to America was a big deal. With a water cannon salute we pulled away from the pier with news helicopters flying overhead and a blast of the ship's whistle. A lot of people came out to see us off. We slowly made our way back into the Atlantic for our final night on board this wonderful ship. Looking back at Port Canaveral we had a beautiful sunset tonight to send us on our way to Miami. accio7, Traveler, GoodSmith and 5 others 5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodSmith Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 I was searching for you in the Grills among other periscopers videos but couldn't find you. You must have taken extreme precautions there twangster, Lovetocruise2002, accio7 and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 47 minutes ago, GoodSmith said: I was searching for you in the Grills among other periscopers videos but couldn't find you. You must have taken extreme precautions there He's a man of mystery! twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Day 12 - Evening Our last night on board. Sigh... Our progress so far: With 4,551 nautical miles behind us we hug the coast just far enough out to be outside the territorial boundary. Dinner tonight would be in Playmakers. Since it's Thursday, football was on. I had wanted to see what their wings are like so for $8 I ordered the hot wings. They are pretty good and it's a great place to hang out and watch the game. Shortly after I ate they announced a hot wing challenge. The winner got this super sized beer dispenser delivered to their table. Perfect for when the doctor or wife says you can have only one beer. While I'm back here I thought I take a few more pictures. I'm not normally one to take pictures in a bathroom, but I wanted to show you some of the bathroom art: Back in Playmakers for a last night of Jenga with friends. Not bad on a moving ship doing 20 knots. Ugh. What a horrible thing to see. The Cruise Junkie, JLMoran, Guy Gadwa and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 1 hour ago, GoodSmith said: I was searching for you in the Grills among other periscopers videos but couldn't find you. You must have taken extreme precautions there Hey Goodsmith. Here's an actual photo of the Twangster at formal night in the MDR last week! The Cruise Junkie, GoodSmith, SpeedNoodles and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Day 13 - Miami and Debarking Since I was up late with friends I slept as we arrived into Miami. Our progress: Cruise total, 4,701 nautical miles. Still dark I ventured up to deck 16 to see what I could see. True to his word, Captain Rob had delivered us to Miami. A first look at the now complete new Crown of Miami terminal building. Since I was up here already I zipped into the Windjammer for a final breakfast. Lovetocruise2002, Neaxan, Guy Gadwa and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Since I was up here and it was dark outside I thought I'd share another new feature that can be found on Symphony of the Seas. Electronic vending machines. I tried taking some photos mid-cruise but the glare from the outside light coming through the windows made picture taking pretty hard. While the machines are disabled when in port due to taxation and other retail regulations at any given port, these machines are generally available 24 hours a day when not in port. That makes them a great alternative from the retail shops on board if you need something after hours. I know what you are thinking. What kind of ungodly money do they charge in these vending machines? Actually they are pretty reasonable. I looked at an Over-The-Counter medication that was one of the more expensive items at $17.25. The same item for the same size was $17.01 on Amazon (U.S.). This is not Costco or Walmart of the Seas so I wouldn't expect prices to compete with land prices on everything but they didn't appear to be very different compared to drug store prices for a few items I looked at. The electronics do appear to have a higher premium compared to Amazon but realistically it's not fair to compare prices coming off a European transatlantic cruise to pricing at Amazon. Few retail stores in America are the same price as Amazon. Are these going to be the cheapest prices for any item? Not likely but the machines were very popular on this sailing any time I dropped by to try to take some pictures. When you consider there is no additional tax collected as there would be (or should be) on land it's not that bad. There is also a free charging station where you can securely store your device using a PIN you create. GoodSmith, accio7, Traveler and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 After breakfast I went down to deck 5 to have a look at the new terminal. There is another new terminal that has just started construction. If I recall this is for another cruise line. That's Mariner of the Seas back down at terminal G. She was using this new terminal for almost two weeks, testing it out and getting it ready for Symphony. There were a number of loyal guests transferring from Symphony to Mariner as well as Serenade today. Royal Caribbean very generously offered a free transfer for us and that was greatly appreciated. We were instructed to had down to Studio B at 9:15am as our meeting place. Luggage tag #75 were distributed to us (the last of the luggage tag zones). I placed my bag outside of my cabin the night before as instructed. Can you figure out what the mess is on the floor of Studio B? It's the inflatable laser tag from the night before. There were over 110 guests transferring to Mariner and Serenade today. Mariner guest count was in the mid 80s and Serenade guest count around 30. Sometime around 10:15am were led out to be scanned off the ship and down the gangway into the terminal. We didn't get the full terminal experience but it certainly looked great and had that new building smell to it. No customs processing here. I found my bag and exited the terminal. The pick up and drop off area is under cover of the building and it was pretty busy. There was a little confusion at this point with respect to where we were to find our shuttle bus. I found some fellow luggage tag 75 people and discovered they were also transferring to Serenade so we hung out as a group on the assumption there would be safety in numbers. Eventually a Mariner bus was called and not long after another motor coach pulled up for Serenade. Safely on board our bus we settled in for the short ride up to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. The transfer could have been a little better organized but it was free and greatly appreciated so I'm not complaining. I checked Uber and Lyft and both were in the $45 range. Loyalty does pay. I don't think this is normally offered as a free service so if you are planning a side-to-side cruise I wouldn't count on this. One last look at Symphony as we drove away in our bus. Sometime around noon I was onboard Serenade using terminal 18 in Port Everglades. My 'office' here on Serenade as I finish with these last few posts. Traveler, GoodSmith, ellcee and 7 others 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 21 minutes ago, twangster said: My 'office' here on Serenade as I finish with these last few posts What...no Kraken Lava Flow to tempt us with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Gadwa Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Thanks for the great blog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodSmith Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Thank you for another enjoyable blog. I imagined myself sitting with you in that shuttle bus as I continue my journey on Serenade for the next 10 days. Is it possible to share with us what future cruises you have booked, even if you are not blogging them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Cruise Summary Symphony is a fantastic ship. The evolutional changes and differences compared to her sisters including Harmony have been well thought out and executed. The Solarium is outstanding and my favorite of all in this class. The changing colors of the art in the Solarium day and especially at night is pretty great. Playmakers is a hit and from my deck 8 boardwalk balcony very nearly on top of it I never heard any noise from Playmakers. The main shows such as Hairspray, 1977, Flight and HiRO were also fantastic. Flight was very well done and I look forward to experiencing it again on the 50th birthday cruise. The enhanced projection technology even in HiRO was noticed. I appreciated the artistic nature of HiRO more and the symbolism of equality and unity. The crew were all top notch and I can't recall a single poor crew interaction. Like all Oasis class the crew can be very busy at times but they always had a smile on their face. I was pleasantly surprised how well the O3b Voom held up across the Atlantic. There are times when poor weather or satellite switch-over can impact even the best satellite technology so it's not the same as internet on land but it never really let me down. This was my first transatlantic but it won't be my last. The days flew by and before I knew it I had to think about packing. Next cruise - Serenade of the Seas from which I am writing this post. Ten days in the Eastern Caribbean. I hope you have enjoyed following me on this journey and I thank you for viewing. betatke1480, SpeedNoodles, accio7 and 6 others 4 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heffy2 Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Thank you again for taking the time to share your cruise with us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Thank you @twangster! I am so glad that you decided to blog this one. This makes me so much more excited to sail her in July! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted November 11, 2018 Report Share Posted November 11, 2018 @twangster Will you be doing anything from Serenade, or taking this sailing off? If they offer, you have to attend Diego's Italian hand gestures "class." He's hysterical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2018 1 hour ago, KathyC said: @twangster Will you be doing anything from Serenade, or taking this sailing off? If they offer, you have to attend Diego's Italian hand gestures "class." He's hysterical. I'm going to sit this Serenade out. I've got a lot of work this week, won't be doing very much in port most days. I've been to all these ports several times so no loss. KathyC, Skigoofy and accio7 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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