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Symphony of the Seas cruise review 2025
​Symphony of the Seas cruise review 2018
Symphony of the Seas in Six Ports (photos)

CRUISE REVIEW


SYMPHONY
OF THE SEAS

Caribbean

Spring 2025

By

Richard H. Wagner

 ​This was a nine-day cruise from Bayonne, New Jersey calling at the Dominican Republic (Puerto Platta), St. Thomas USVI, and St. Maarten. The original itinerary called for the ship to go toe Royal Caribbean's private resort at Labadee, Hati but Royal cancelled that call and substituted St. Maarten due to ongoing unrest in Hati.

Symphony is the fourth ship in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class. In an unusual move, Royal built the first two ships in the class, Oasis of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas, and then paused for several years before building any more ships in this class. The first two ships were popular but it was thought that they required special facilities that were only available in a limited number of Caribbean ports. When it was discovered that this design was more versatile than originally thought, Royal commenced building more ships in this class.

The first two ships were built in Finland. All of the subsequent ships have been built in France. Inasmuch as nautical technology had developed further during the pause, there are some differences between the originals and he newer versions of this class. However, the passenger experience is much the same.

My first cruise on Symphony was some seven years ago. I was quite disappointed. I had liked the first two Oasis class ships very much and had been impressed with my cruise onHarmony of the Seas, the third ship in the class. But, Symphony did not have the same atmosphere. The crew seemed self-absorbed and not passenger friendly.

What a complete turnaround! As soon as I boarded Symphony for this cruise, I could feel the change in the atmosphere. The crew were friendly, seemed happy and were eager to serve. It was a well-run ship. Indeed, for the first time in more than 300 cruises, there was never a need for me to visit the guest services desk.

This cruise proved that it isn't just the hardware on a ship that makes for a good cruise. Symphony had changed little physically over the seven years since I had sailed on her. But the attitude of her people and the resulting atmosphere had been transformed so as to produce an excellent cruise.

Passengers

Most of the passengers on tis cruise were from the northeastern United States.  However, there was a fair contingent of international passengers.  Even though the schools in the United States were in session and despite the fact that it was a longer cruise, there were a good number of children aboard.  Adults ranged in age across the spectrum.

(This review continues after the slide show).

​A look around Symphony

The Oasis class ships are quite different than traditional cruise ships even from other quite large cruise ships. They have been designed so that there are numerous things for passengers to do. As a result, even though there are numerous people aboard the ship, they spread out and there is less crowding than on many smaller ships.

Let's take a look at some of the venues on Symphony. Although this tour covers a lot of territory, keep in mind that there are more venues that I could not cover because of space constraints.

This ship has a split superstructure, which allows it to have balcony cabins facing the sea and balcony cabins facing out onto two elongated courtyards.

On this cruise, I had a balcony cabin overlooking the “Central Park” courtyard. Central Park has been planted with thousands of live plants. It has been landscaped with stone paths and even has a little foot bridge. There are sophisicated restaurants and bars discreetly distributed on the ground level.

In the morning, there are recordings of bird songs. On some evenings a guitarist played mellow romantic tunes. She alternated with a jazz ensemble, which specialized in soft standards. In the tropics, one can sleep with the balcony door open and enjoy the gentle breeze.

Unfortunately, during the day, the Caribbean band serenading the pool area, which is on top of each of the superstructure sections, plays from time to time. The sound echoes through Central Park. They were a good band but the loud music breaks Central Park's serence atmosphere. In contrast to my first cruise on Symphony where the band seemed to play all day, on this cruise, the band only played limited sets during the afternoon.

The other downside to a Central Park balcony cabin is one that city dwellers often experience. Since there are balconies across the courtyard from you, the people across the way can see into the cabins on the opposite side. Thus, drawing the curtain is in order while dressing.

My cabin was decorated in a contemporary style along the same lines as the cabins on other Royal Caribbean Oasis and Quantum class ships. It had been well-maintained and the steward kept it tidy each morning.

The other courtyard is the “Boardwalk”.  This area is styled as a traditional amusement park and has much the feel of such places. The restaurants here are fast food types including a hamburger joint, a hotdog venue with various types of dogs and sausages and a sports bar. There is also a candy shop.

There are three main attractions. First, there is a carousel with real wooden animals. Rides are complimentary.

Second, there is the “Ultimate Abyss” - - a tube slide in which one can drop from Deck 15 down to Deck 6. A friend who did it said that she screamed all the way down.  I decided to take her word for it and not experience it myself.

Third, there is the Aqua Theater. This outdoor amphitheater is built around a pool, the depth of which is adjustable so that dancers and acrobats can perform in it and divers can plunge into it from astounding heights. A production show, “Hiro,” is performed here with music, theatrical lighting and aquatic performances.

Running down the center line of the ship below Central Park is what is essentially an indoor mall. The Royal Promenade includes shops, bars and restaurants - even a Starbucks for those who indulge.

One of the bars is built on a large elevator and rises up into Central Park. At another bar, the drinks are made by robots that are similar to those on assembly lines.

In the open area in the middle of the Royal Promenade, Royal holds street parties and parades for the kids.

At the forward end of the Royal Promenade is the upper level of the Royal Theater. This venue is used for production shows, which on this cruise were a version of the Broadway musical “Hairspray” and a home-grown Royal production “Flight”. On the nights when there is no production show, the venue is used for shows by visiting entertainers (comedians and a hypnotist, this time) and for game shows such as the ”Love and Marriage Game,” a Royal Caribbean tradition.

If you go outdoors on this deck, there is a running/walking track. It is about 1,000 steps around.  In other words 2.4 laps equals a mile.  Nice views of the sea from the stern but the lifeboats block the view most of the way. But then unlike the tracks on most ships, you do not have to battle your way through the deck chairs that sun worshipers have dragged onto the track.

On the deck below the Royal Promenade, the highlights are a comedy club and a large casino.

Still further below is Studio B, an ice skating rink with grandstands on three sides and a stage at the other. The ship's skating cast perform impressive ice spectacular production shows, complete with drones, costumes, theatrical lighting and music. During the day, passengers can try skating at sea.

Speaking of physical activity, most of the sports facilities are on top of the superstructure on either side of the two aforementioned courtyards.

These include three large pools and a children’s aqua park on the area above the Central Park staterooms. There are also two waterslides called the “Perfect Storm,” which extend out over Central Park.

Back in the area overlooking the Boardwalk are a basketball court, a mini golf course, two surfing simulators and a zip line that takes brave riders across the Boardwalk courtyard.

The entrance to the Ultimate Abyss slide is also in this area. There are two rock climbing walls that run from the Boardwalk up to just below the sports area.

For indoor exercise, Symphony has a large gymnasium that adjoins the spa in the front of the ship.

The Suite Lounge is a large room that runs across the ship at the very top level. On the first ship of this class, this area was originally a Viking Crown Lounge but was changed to a restricted access venue fairly early on. The Suite Lounge shares this space with the Coastal Kitchen, the suites restaurant.

I do not have a suite on this cruise but I had access to these facilities because I have sufficient points in the cruise line’s loyalty program. The lounge provides a quiet, comfortable sanctuary where I could escape from all the activity discussed above. (Just watching can be exhausting). It is also a nice place to socialize and have drinks in the evening.

The Coastal Kitchen provided very good food and service. When this venue first appeared on Quantum of the Seas, the concept was that it would specialize in California-style cuisine. This idea seems to have been lost along the way and Coastal serves a menu that draws from a variety of cuisines.

Symphony has numerous places to eat. In addition to Coastal, on this cruise, I experienced Chops Grill, Hooked (seafood), the main dining room and Sorrento's Pizza. All were good. I did not have time to experience all the venues that I wanted to try.

Indeed, even on a nine-day cruise there was not enough time to see and do everything that Symphony has to offer.

Cruise ship review - - Royal Caribbean International - - Symphony of the Seas - - Caribbean - - 2025