Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which Disney ships did you go on? I think the biggest difference for you will be:

1. Only one bathroom

2. Crowds - Bigger ship, more crowds. If you don’t have main dining room reservations at a set time, you’ll end up waiting. You’ll need tickets for events rather than just showing up. Hunting for seats in the buffet or on deck. (We prefer smaller ships…and crew members we’ve chatted with on Disney, Royal, and Celebrity agreed; they commented that you don’t get the same level of service on bigger ships.)

Disagree on the need for main dining reservations. We had anytime dining and showed up every night with never more than a moment's wait. It was great to have the flexibility as we had a port heavy itinerary and were back on the ship at different times each day.

Okay.

But you won’t have the same level of service you would if you have the same servers each night who get to know you, anticipate you/your kids’ needs, etc.

We prefer a quiet table by a window with the same servers at an appointed time. No wait; you head to your table when you are ready.

That's different from needing a reservation to avoid long waits. We aren't picky with servers and wanted to prioritize our time on shore, but I can understand that other folks have different priorities.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t done many RCL cruises (3 over the last 11 years) and just one Disney cruise. Never with teens, but some young 20-somethings on one RCL and not on an Oasis class.

While the Disney cruise had a gloss the RCL didn’t, I think there’s a LOT more for teens to do on RCL - especially if they are old enough to explore on board activities without you.

I suggest a few active excursions if that’s their jam and within your budget as well - snorkeling, zip lines, parasailing.

We’re paying more for a Disney cruise for spring break, but that’s because we just have one 8 year old, and who will likely enjoy the Disney kids club more than the RCL one and won’t want to hang out with just adults.

If I had two teens - I’d go with RCL.

[Anonymous]

We went on Symphony over the holidays. This was the 3rd time for us on an Oasis class ship. My kids love this class of ship as there is so much to do!

Keep checking the cruise planner for the entertainment. When it opens, book it as they fill up quickly. If you are not able too, you can still see the show - however, you may have to wait in line until they open it up to people with out reservation. Assuming the shows don't change, we really enjoyed Hairspray. The ice skating show and flight show really didn't make sense and may or may not be worth your time. Highly recommend the water show, Hiro. This one is tricky as it gets canceled frequently due to weather conditions.

Some things such as ice skaiting and laser tag can only be reserved onboard. So, as soon as you're on the ship - get on to their wifi (even if you don't get the wifi package) and reserve a spot. My kids really enjoyed both.

Dining - we did the set dining at 5:30. Honestly, pretty early, bu it made going to shows and doing other things easier. You could do the my time dining, but there may be a wait. We did two speciality restaurants - Jaime Oliver and the Japanese one. We did Jaime at lunch and Japanese at dinner. We got a 40% off for Jaime Oliver, so it wasn't too bad. The Japanese was good, but not sure if I would pay regular price for it. Overall, I felt the food was repetitive. Maybe because it was our 7th cruise on RC.

One thing with RC - keep checking the prices of excursions, dining, etc. if they go down in price, cancel it and re-book it. You can do all of it online. You can also do this with the cruise fare, but you need to call and do this or have your travel agent do it for you. I was able to reprice it several times and saved over $1000 from when I originally booked in April to our sailing in December.

[Anonymous]

It’s amazing and I enjoyed it much more than Disney.

[Anonymous]

My tweens likes Royal more than Disney because of all the activities. We've done Harmony and Oasis. Its different from Disney and somethings we think are better on Disney and some are better on Royal. We like set dining times which feels similar to Disney. We always do specialty dining on a few nights (we also did it on Disney).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you will be disappointed if you expect it to be similar to Disney. Expect it to be less nice than Disney. It is not as nice in many ways and yet it is not bad. But it is also generally less expensive and with many more ships in its fleet, Royal Caribbean is a line I have cruised from time to time based on the itinerary. Disney cabins are big compared to most lines. Disney ships pay much more attention to little details than most ships. Disney obviously skews family friendly and that is simply not the case so if you are traveling with young children, you may find that some things aren’t for the family at all. Some comedy or cruise games can be very mature. Just avoid that stuff.

This. It is budget. i've done the Royal Caribbean line. It was great when I was a stupid student but not now

Me, too! I would never do RCL now

[Anonymous]

We sailed on Symphony of the Seas last year and loved it! We've done Disney in the past, and Disney is nicer, but way more expensive. We like Royal Caribbean and do like Symphony of the Seas. Its a very large ship with tons to do, but manageable. The food was generally pretty good. We do like the specialty restaurants for a couple of nights of the cruise. Chops is particularly good. Our kids are younger, but I saw a lot of teens on the cruise, and the teens club looked really nice. I also noticed a lot of teen-specific daily activities.

[Anonymous]

I disagree on the advice to skip specialty dining; we were so disappointed with the food that we did specialty dining every chance we got on RC. And we are far from foodies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you will be disappointed if you expect it to be similar to Disney. Expect it to be less nice than Disney. It is not as nice in many ways and yet it is not bad. But it is also generally less expensive and with many more ships in its fleet, Royal Caribbean is a line I have cruised from time to time based on the itinerary. Disney cabins are big compared to most lines. Disney ships pay much more attention to little details than most ships. Disney obviously skews family friendly and that is simply not the case so if you are traveling with young children, you may find that some things aren’t for the family at all. Some comedy or cruise games can be very mature. Just avoid that stuff.

This. It is budget. i've done the Royal Caribbean line. It was great when I was a stupid student but not now

Me, too! I would never do RCL now

Me three. We sailed on RC this summer; never again. “Budget” sums it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree on the advice to skip specialty dining; we were so disappointed with the food that we did specialty dining every chance we got on RC. And we are far from foodies.

The suites-only dining room is a big improvement. If you can afford a jr suite it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you will be disappointed if you expect it to be similar to Disney. Expect it to be less nice than Disney. It is not as nice in many ways and yet it is not bad. But it is also generally less expensive and with many more ships in its fleet, Royal Caribbean is a line I have cruised from time to time based on the itinerary. Disney cabins are big compared to most lines. Disney ships pay much more attention to little details than most ships. Disney obviously skews family friendly and that is simply not the case so if you are traveling with young children, you may find that some things aren’t for the family at all. Some comedy or cruise games can be very mature. Just avoid that stuff.

This. It is budget. i've done the Royal Caribbean line. It was great when I was a stupid student but not now

Me, too! I would never do RCL now

Me three. We sailed on RC this summer; never again. “Budget” sums it up.

What ship?

What itinerary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree on the advice to skip specialty dining; we were so disappointed with the food that we did specialty dining every chance we got on RC. And we are far from foodies.

The suites-only dining room is a big improvement. If you can afford a jr suite it's worth it.

I get what you are saying, but by the time you have spent the money for a junior suite you might as well have done something much nicer than a RC cruise.

[Anonymous]

Ah, switching to Royal Caribbean after being loyal to Disney cruises? That's quite the leap! You'll find Royal Caribbean to be a whole different world. First off, yes, the add-ons can be a bit much. They seem to have a fee for everything, right? Dining plans? Well, if you're into paying extra to avoid the buffet crowds, go for it. Their specialty dining can be a nice escape from the usual cruise fare, but remember, it's still cruise ship food.

Reservations for shows? Yep, welcome to the 'planning your relaxation' paradox. It's a bit ironic needing a schedule for your downtime. Oasis class ships are like floating cities with endless activities, but you'll need a strategy to see it all. And get ready for the upsell – they love to remind you of all the 'exclusive' things you can pay extra for.

Your teens will probably love it though – there's a lot geared towards them. Just brace yourself for the constant buzz of activity. It's like they fear you might actually relax for a second!

All in all, it's a cruise – you're on a massive boat in the ocean, there's food 24/7, and you don't have to cook or clean. How bad can it be? Just keep your expectations in check and maybe, just maybe, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Remember, it's not Disney, but hey, change is good... sometimes. Enjoy your trip!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you will be disappointed if you expect it to be similar to Disney. Expect it to be less nice than Disney. It is not as nice in many ways and yet it is not bad. But it is also generally less expensive and with many more ships in its fleet, Royal Caribbean is a line I have cruised from time to time based on the itinerary. Disney cabins are big compared to most lines. Disney ships pay much more attention to little details than most ships. Disney obviously skews family friendly and that is simply not the case so if you are traveling with young children, you may find that some things aren’t for the family at all. Some comedy or cruise games can be very mature. Just avoid that stuff.

This. It is budget. i've done the Royal Caribbean line. It was great when I was a stupid student but not now

Me, too! I would never do RCL now

Me three. We sailed on RC this summer; never again. “Budget” sums it up.

What ship?

What itinerary?

Also curious which ship, itinerary, and what time of year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you will be disappointed if you expect it to be similar to Disney. Expect it to be less nice than Disney. It is not as nice in many ways and yet it is not bad. But it is also generally less expensive and with many more ships in its fleet, Royal Caribbean is a line I have cruised from time to time based on the itinerary. Disney cabins are big compared to most lines. Disney ships pay much more attention to little details than most ships. Disney obviously skews family friendly and that is simply not the case so if you are traveling with young children, you may find that some things aren’t for the family at all. Some comedy or cruise games can be very mature. Just avoid that stuff.

This. It is budget. i've done the Royal Caribbean line. It was great when I was a stupid student but not now

Me, too! I would never do RCL now

Me three. We sailed on RC this summer; never again. “Budget” sums it up.

What ship?

What itinerary?

Also curious which ship, itinerary, and what time of year!

It really depends on the itinerary and ship. If you are on one of the older ships - such as the ones that cruise out of Baltimore, I would agree. But then go up to NJ and catch the ship there. Depending on the time of year, you have the a Qauntum class or Oasis class. Both have lots of stuff for everyone.