We ran across a new batch of Symphony of the Seas construction photos that were recently posted that show off the progress the ship is making.

Kudos to Saint Nazaire, une ville à la mer for sharing these photos with us. Merci!

© Hervé GLAIS

It has been barely 24 hours since Royal Caribbean pulled the curtain back and revealed Symphony of the Seas, and we are already giddy with anticipation. New cruise ships are always exciting because the prospect of a new experience suddenly creates intrigue with the new possibilities, and it seems like the cruise line's 26th ship in the fleet is going to epic.

Without a doubt, there is plenty more for Royal Caribbean to reveal, but with just the news from day one, we found five aspects of Symphony of the Seas that already have us excited to cruise on her.

Different itineraries

Symphony of the Seas is the fourth Oasis class ship, but first of her kind to stray from the sort of itineraries Oasis of the Seas first pioneered.

Symphony of the Seas is headed to some new (or much less frequently visited) ports for Oasis class ships. These new stops include St. Kitts & Nevis, Costa Maya and Roatan.

If you are a fan of the more "traditional" Caribbean ports, there are still some Eastern Caribbean sailings that visit Labadee, San Juan and St. Maarten.

New cruise terminal

Just like when Oasis of the Seas was being built, Royal Caribbean is building an all-new cruise terminal for Symphony of the Seas (and sister ship Allure of the Seas is joining in too).

PortMiami Terminal A promises to be state-of-the-art cruise hub and future home of Symphony of the Seas.  The ‘Crown of Miami,’ a 170,000-square-foot terminal, scheduled for completion for the arrival of Symphony and Allure, will be the most innovative cruise facility in the United States. Royal Caribbean anticipates at least 1.8 million passenger moves at PortMiami, thanks to having the world's largest cruise ship calling Miami home.

New twist coming to Ultimate Abyss

Royal Caribbean is bringing back its 10-story thrill slide, known as the Ultimate Abyss, to Symphony of the Seas.  While the slide is not new to Royal Caribbean (it originally debuted on Harmony of the Seas), there is something different we can look forward to experiencing.

On Royal Caribbean's website, they included an indication that the version on Symphony of the Seas might have something additional, not found on the version on Harmony.

After riding the Ultimate Abyss on Harmony, any enhancements on Symphony of the Seas are sure to make an already exhilarating ride into an even better one.

Hints at new experiences

If you follow the progress of a Royal Caribbean ship during construction, you will notice that the cruise line really enjoys teasing guests with possibilities of what is to come, and they are already at it with Symphony of the Seas.

Besides the Ultimate Abyss hint earlier in our countdown, there are two other clues of what is to come.

The first tease is with the promise of something "daring" and "a whole new challenge".

It also appears there will be new culinary experiences on Symphony of the Seas to enjoy.

Solarium will be different

During a conference call with members of the media, Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley mentioned something about Symphony of the Seas' Solarium that has caught the attention of a few folks.

With any new ship, one of the most common questions is usually about what makes this ship different from other ships in her class.  Bayley was not keen to share many details, but did indicate the adults-only area towards of the front of the ship will be "quite a lot" different from ones on other Oasis Class ships.

What that means is anyone's guess, but perhaps this could signify the return of a pool in the Solarium, following the omission of a Solarium pool on Harmony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean and Miami-Dade County broke ground on the cruise line's brand new world-class cruise terminal, Terminal A at PortMiami.

The new terminal will be the new home of the just announced Symphony of the Seas, as well as sister ship Allure of the Seas.

Terminal A will be completed in October 2018 and be LEED certified and accommodate a 1,300-foot long ship. Terminal A will not be the only addition for Royal Caribbean this year, RCL has added a 20,000-square-foot Innovation Lab to its corporate headquarters. The Innovation Lab will continue to generate the design of Royal Caribbean’s industry-leading ships.

"This is an exciting collaboration with Miami-Dade County and PortMiami to create not just another cruise terminal but an iconic state-of-the-art facility," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Terminal A reinforces our unwavering commitment to our hometown, the city where our company first started nearly 50 years ago."

Once the new cruise terminal is completed, it is anticipated that Royal Caribbean will generate at least 1.8 million travelers at PortMiami – representing no less than 30 percent of the port’s projected passenger traffic.

Royal Caribbean first announced its intentions to build this new cruise terminal in June 2016.

After months of speculation, Royal Caribbean announced the name and details surrounding its fourth Oasis class cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas.

Photos by Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean revealed the name of the ship, along with some key details surrounding its sailings.  Symphony will arrive in April 2018, and begin service by sailing the Mediterranean in Spring and Summer 2018.  Symphony of the Seas will make stops at ports in Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Provence, Florence, Rome and Naples.

In Fall 2018, Symphony of the Seas will cross the Atlantic to her new home in at PortMiami in Miami, Florida. From Miami, she will sail from Royal Caribbean's brand new cruise terminal that it broke ground on this morning. Symphony of the Seas will offer seven-night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.

Symphony of the Seas will be joined by sister ship Allure of the Seas, which will move from her current home of Port Everglades, Florida to Miami, Florida. Both ships will arrive just in time for the new ‘Crown of Miami’ cruise terminal to open, which will be a 170,000-square-foot terminal. Royal Caribbean touts this terminal will be the most innovative cruise facility in the U.S. with an expected $500 million in revenue and the addition of 4,000 jobs to Miami-Dade County.

Symphony of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship ever, coming in at 230,000 GRT.  She will have 28 more staterooms than her sister ship, Harmony of the Seas, and be 215.5 feet wide and 1,188 feet long. This will make Symphony of the Seas just slightly larger than Harmony of the Seas.

In the coming months, Royal Caribbean will announce more details about the ship, but they have confirmed certain key dining and entertainment options.  Symphony of the Seas will offer guests

• Ultimate Abyss slide (with "a new twist")
• FlowRider surf simulator
• Rock climbing wall
• Perfect Storm water slides (three slides)
• Splashaway Bay aqua park
• Ice skating rink
• Vitality Spa

Royal Caribbean did hint at something "daring" coming to Symphony of the Seas as well. The tease on Royal Caribbean's web site simply says, "Adventure hits a high note with a whole new challenge."

There will also be over 20 dining options on Symphony of the Seas for guests to enjoy, including: 

• Chops Grille
• Jamie's Italian
• Izumi
• Vintages
• Solarium Bistro
• Sabor

Like the entertainment, Royal Caribbean is hinting at "a few new dishes" that will be available on Symphony of the Seas.  

Bookings for 2018-2019 Symphony of the Seas sailings opened late last night over the phone, but the public may now purchase any of her available sailings either online, on the phone or via a travel agent. 

Guests aboard a few Royal Caribbean ships this week have gotten not only confirmation of what the cruise line will name its newest cruise ship, but also when the first sailings will go on sale.

Photo by Damian Rickard‏

Photo by Karen McWherter Fraser

Flyers posted in the NextCruise office of Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas advertise the name of Royal Caribbean's fourth Oasis class ship, as well as the fact sailings will go on sale on Wednesday, March 8. 

Indications from crew onboard are that the Symphony of the Seas will have Mediterranean sailings between June - October, 2018 followed by United States-based sailings in November 2018. Once in the United States, Symphony of the Seas will be homeported in Miami, Florida.

German site Schiffe und Kreuzfahrten is reporting Symphony of the Seas will begin her season in Barcelona on May 6, 2018 and also offer a transatlantic crossing on November 4, 2018 from Barcelona.

Photo by Karen McWherter Fraser

Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the name of its fourth Oasis class ship, although it appears now that announcement, and perhaps other details, are imminent.

Royal Caribbean is working with Boldt to provide glow-in-the-dark decking for two of its Oasis class ships, including the cruise lines fourth Oasis class ship.

Royal Caribbean and Boldt have a contract in place to provide Bolideck Glow, which offers energy efficiency savings by reducing lighting requirements. When used outside, it can also harvest energy, storing solar energy generated by day that can be converted into exterior lighting at night. It could also bring safety benefits, Bolidt points out, by illuminating escape routes and signage, as the luminous material ensures decking areas remain highly visible in the dark.

Bolideck Glow will be added to Harmony of the Seas before the end of 2017, as well as on the fourth Oasis class cruise ship, which is scheduled for delivery in 2018. In both cases, the product will be installed in a 350m2 area to add the ‘wow’ factor for cruisers at the top of the 10-deck Ultimate Abyss slide, which will also be used in the dark.

"RCI’s request for a glow in the dark material has coincided with our development of Bolideck® Glow," adds Jacco Van Overbeek, Director, Maritime Division, Bolidt. "This demonstrates how our long-term customers look to us for new decking solutions, while our continuous development program means we are ready to respond. It’s perfect timing, and highlights how we can help designers to convert the wishes of owners into new concepts and innovative features."

Deck plans for Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas are now available, which show off a ship very similar to sister vessel, Harmony of the Seas.

The deck plans are posted for travel agent reference, and list many of the ship's onboard restaurants, bars, lounges and entertainment.  These deck plans are likely to change as the ship nears the end of its construction.

Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the name of this ship yet, although it is widely believed to be called Symphony of the Seas.

You can view the full deck plans here.

Royal Caribbean has filed a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for "Symphony of the Seas", which seems to confirm the name that has been rumored for the cruise line's fourth Oasis class cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean filed the trademark application on January 21, 2017 and it is currently active.

Royal Caribbean has not officially confirmed the name of its fourth Oasis class cruise ship, which is due out in Spring 2018.  There have been a few different convincing rumors this month that seem to point to the name of the ship being Symphony of the Seas, including a construction site photo taken of the ship's name being prepared.

There appears to be photographic proof of what Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship will be named.

A photo was shared by Royal Caribbean fan and avid ship construction fan, Lloyd Marchand from the STX France shipyard that shows a piece of Royal Caribbean's fourth Oasis class cruise ship with the outline for what will be the ship's name.

Photo shared by Lloyd Marchand

The letters begin to spell out the rumored name, Symphony of the Seas.  Earlier this week, a partner company accidently posted Symphony of the Seas as the name of the new ship on its blog.

Royal Caribbean has not formally announced the name of this ship yet, although we do know it will debut in Spring 2018.

It looks like the name of Royal Caribbean's fourth Oasis class cruise ship may have been leaked by a partner company that works with the cruise line.

FlowRider touted the work it is doing with its largest client, Royal Caribbean, and repeatedly referred to the fourth Oasis class ship as Symphony of the Seas.

The blog post mentions the new ship in reference to the the fact it will have a FlowRider onboard, "But what does all of this have to do with music? Well, Symphony of the Seas®, that’s what. This is what RCCL will call their fourth OASIS Class cruise ship and it’s due to be commissioned later this year! Translation: we are super busy building #17 and 18 on the beautiful Ms. Symphony. With even more in the pipeline, can we ask for a better advertisement for repeat business? For customer AND consumer satisfaction? And if it is “good to great” enough for RCCL, shouldn’t it be for you?"

Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the name of its fourth Oasis class ship yet.

Oasis 4 is under construction in STX France and will join Royal Caribbean's fleet in spring 2018.

Credit for spotting this news goes to Harmony of the Seas Facebook group first.