Symphony of the Seas

Symphony of the Seas Review

November

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Symphony of the Seas - still a favorite!

November

Pros: Outstanding service, appearance and cleanliness of the ship, lovely on-board park with trees and plants, many available activities, the best-in-fleet feature show (Hairspray in 2025), 150 Central Park specialty restaurant

Cons: Built in 2018, the ship is getting closer to a refurbishment which is needed in some areas.

Recommended: Yes

Big ship surprise

June

Pros: Cabins, food, staff

Cons: First day crowd

Recommended: Yes

Never thought we’d like a big ship but it was best ever. First day was a zoo getting on and moving about. But after that it was great. Such a smooth sailing we never felt any rocking. Shows were great especially water shows. Food was very good as were the staff. Little know fact - 10% discount at Kennedy space center shop for cruisers. Ship does not tell you and neither does the space center tour guide on the bus. Found out from a store person stocking shelves. Cabin was best we’ve ever had and plenty of storage. Summer cruise had lots of kids since school was out. Ship likes kids.

Symphony of the Seas May 2025

May

Pros: Entertainment was top notch. The ship was in amazing condition, and had tons to offer. Ghe crew on Royal are always the best, and they did not disappoint.

Cons: Due to weather our stop at coco cay was canceled and that was a huge let down.

Recommended: Yes

This ship is amazing and this was our second time sailing on it! We love all it has to offer from the amazing shows, fun game competitions, And all the food you could ever want. The crew always wow us with their excellent customer service!! Overall I would highly recommend this ship for anyone who loves to cruise! It has everything you could possibly want to have a great cruise vacation! Last but certainly not least, our cruise planner Jacki York has taken care of 3 of our cruises so far and has always been there to provide excellent customer service for each cruise!! She has helped us save money and kept us informed on all things related to our cruise!! Due to her knowledge and professionalism, we have two more cruises planned with her and plan to book a couple more. I also recommend her to my brother and he now has now planned a cruise with her as well!

Check it out

May

Pros: Lots of activities and shows to keep busy

Cons: On a sea day not enough pool chairs for everyone even on top deck

Recommended: Yes

This ship is in very decent shape. This particular cruise had to be sold out because there were soooo many passengers everywhere! Which brings me to the following cons: Boardwalk gets jammed on a nice day when there are lots of kids onboard! Pool areas are great but we never found chairs available! There were LOTS of chairs with towels and no people which is really crappy! Something really needs to be done about that. Elevators many times throughout the cruise were full which caused a good amount of waiting for many! We always walked down the stairs but due to health issues if we had to go more than 3 decks we needed the elevator.

Fabulous Family Vacation on Symphony of the Seas

April

Pros: Room, Star Class, Genie, Laundry and Shows

Cons: Elevators were VERY slow and needed more seating on suite deck

Recommended: Yes

Our entire family had an amazing time on our Symphony of the Seas Cruise. The shows were amazing regardless and we loved the water show, Hairspray and both ice shows. All the restaurants were amazing but we still were not a fan of Wonderful and would suggest they change the menu. It was the same as the last cruise we were on last spring break. Overall, we had a blast and loved our room, STAR class, our genie RAJ JOGI was absolutely amazing and Kathylee kept our room beautiful and laundry clean.

Great ship and experience

February

Pros: Food good, staff helpful and friendly, entertaining shows,

Cons: None to speak of

Recommended: Yes

Despite the change in itinerary, this trip was a great time. Nothing spectacular about Nassau. Gem on this cruise was Labadee. I just wish the market vendors weren't so aggressive. Otherwise a nice trip.

A Great resort at Sea!

February

Pros: food, shows, staterooms, service

Cons: chair reserves , smoke in casino

Recommended: Yes

This ship has great facilities. Always difficult to get a chaise lounge on cruising days as people get up early to reserve spots. But that's part of the experience. You just have to adapt. The shows, Hairspray, ice skating and water shows are top notch entertainment with amazing talent. The food quality has improved greatly in the Windjammer. However, if you gamble , the casino is all smoking (although there is a very small non-smoking section) and our clothiers smelled of smoke after we spent time there. I would cove to see cruise lines go all non-smoking! The ports, Coco Cay, St Thomas and St Martin were all easily close to the ships dock and the beaches were clean and not too expensive. I would recommend this ship to anyone who has never cruised before or the experience cruiser.

Wonderful Ship

January

Pros: Easy to get around, staff is wonderful

Cons: Elevators are a little slow

Recommended: Yes

With the amount of people enjoying the ship, the staff in all areas, restaurant, activities, shows, they did an excellent job.

Great family ship

October

Pros: Tons of entertainment options

Cons: None come to mind

Recommended: Yes

This is our 2nd Oasis class ship and she did not disappoint! We previously sailed on Allure which hasn't been amplified, where Symphony has. My kids loved the water slides and the Ultimate Abyss slide. Hairspray and Flight were great shows. There is a lot to do every day to the point you cant get it all done. We were able to utilize all pools, including the Solarium, the mini golf course, laser tag evet on sea day, and so much more. The Adventure Ocean crew was amazing and our 9 and 12 year olds wanted to go to every session every day. Sometimes the food in the Windjammer was a little to adventurous for me, but there are a ton of other food options! Great trip, Great Ship, Great Crew!

Ever wish comes true with a Royal Genie

September

Pros: All staff were super nice and accommodating

Cons: The Cape Liberty terminal needs some work

Recommended: Yes

This was my first Star Class experience and it was amazing! My Genie (MJ) was incredible and made my family feel so welcome and special. The shows, specialty restaurants, and Shows were the best I’ve had at sea so far. The casino didn’t even disappoint. Hairspray in the Royal theater is better than broadway. It’s mind blowing how staff remembers passengers after the first day. Coffee/drink orders, if you repeat a restaurant the servers remember names and even previous orders. So amazing.

Never ending service!

August

Pros: We really enjoyed all of the activities and events that we participated in. The shows were all Broadway level shows. We appreciated The constant communication with the guests on the status of the tropical storm. They kept our safety The number one priority.

Cons: I would not really say this is a con, but I wished they would have a little more for the 16-18 age range. My 17-year-old daughter did not want to hang out with 12-year-olds. Otherwise everything was perfect

Recommended: Yes

Our time on the cruise was amazing. The service is really above and beyond. The quality of the food is wonderful. The events planned were fun. Our excursion for Coco cay was canceled because of weather. And unfortunately there wasn't really anything additional that we can do so perhaps creating some new alternative excursions for Coco cay in the case of weather would be great.

Great family cruise

July

Pros: Food, service, entertainment, excellent kids program

Cons: Had no issues !

Recommended: Yes

Food was excellent as usual. Service was outstanding. We were 2 families traveling together. We had 3 teens and an 8 yr old and a 10 yr old. Kids sat at there own table and our waiter went out if his way with kids.Great cabin steward as usual. Had some really good shows on this sailing and a different themed party in the Promenade every night. Everyone enjoyed Coco Cay especially the kids in Thrill Park. Overall a really nice cruise.

Excellent vacation

July

Pros: Clean, plenty of entertainment, variety of food, excellent service

Cons: Very small solarium pool

Recommended: Yes

My girlfriend and I traveled on Symphony of the Seas recently. She was a great ship, smooth sailing, large pools for kids, a few water slides, plenty of bars and tons of places to get food. The ship was very clean and well maintained. The shows were absolutely fantastic and would recommend seeing every single one of them. Our only real complaint is the solarium pool. (Adult only pool). It was extremely small for the size of the ship, it would fit maybe 20 people. We were on Serenade of the Seas last year, a ship half its size, with half the guests, and the pool was twice a large.

Magnificent 7 Days of Exciting Entertainment, Amazing Events, Excellent Food and Dynamic Crew Members,

July

Pros: Health Spa, Food, Entertainment and exceptional crew/staff

Cons: None!

Recommended: Yes

The personalities of the entire Symphony of the Seas international family represent the best of the best! My cabin was always cleaned perfectly and Omar cabin steward was excellent! At dinner Caleb assistant waiter made sure our table was well taken care of along with Mohit waiter. I have travelled the world and love going to beauty spa’s, I must admit aboard the Symphony of the Seas I received the best facial and massage Arlene was excellent. The Entertainment across the performing platform was wonderful!

June cruise

June

Pros:

Cons: Food could be better

Recommended: Yes

Extra fees for everything is too much on top of cruise cost

Loved this boat

June

Pros: Fabulous service beautiful boat loved this cruise

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Loved this cruise and love leaving from cape liberty (Bayonne) Wish the ship stayed a bit longer (even overnight) in cocoa cay and cut back on cruise time back to Bayonne

Great ship

March

Pros: So much to do, easy to find our way around, choices for meals are great, shows were wonderful

Cons: More up charges than in the past, Wind noise in the extended bump out balcony room was very loud.

Recommended: Yes

Overall loved the ship, had a great time. Hot Dog place has less choices and no beer, told us to go to Playmakers for beer, and when I asked for sauerkraut he forgot it, asked again and he gave me a small dollop, so I asked for more. My husband didn’t get the onions he asked for and was too annoyed to ask again.

Symphony March 2024

March

Pros: Great layout, great entertainment and food

Cons: Pricing is getting ridiculous but other than that not much bad to say. Wish there were more adult pools

Recommended: Yes

Loved it

Our latest trip with Royal was awesome!

March

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

This trip was great, we will travel with Royal again next year!

Awesome cruise

October

Pros: Amazing ship

Cons: Best service

Recommended: Yes

One of the best cruises we have taken. Shore trips were excellent

Trip of a life time on the Mediterranean Sea

October

Pros: Services, performances, ship cleanliness and of course food

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

I have no complaints it was an excellent voyage. I would recommend this ship to any and all. I am grateful for the opportunity to partakes if the many amenities this ship has to offer. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Symphony of the Seas

May

Pros: Beautiful new ship

Cons: Reservations for dinner & shows snapped up quickly

Recommended: Yes

Symphony of the Seas is a beautiful ship with activities for the whole family. We were concerned that we would feel crowded on board, but Royal Caribbean does crowd control well. We never had long delays to board or disembark. There were multiple included dining options and times so all the passengers could find places to fit their tastes. Also, the shows were performed on multiple days and times which spread out the crowds and allowed people to fit them into their own schedules. My biggest complaint was that the earlier reservations for MyTime dining in the main dining room filled so quickly that we were assigned late (8:30 pm) dining times. The staff worked with us and we were able to dine at 6:30 on 3 nights in the end. The free RC phone app is not great either. I would not rely on it for onboard communication. The VOOM internet (which you pay for separately) streamed well enough for our kids.

Feedback

February

Pros: Very clean- excellent service!

Cons: Not enough chairs

Recommended: Yes

People put towels down on chairs 7:00am and save chairs for hours so there are hardly any chairs by 9:00am- should somehow limit the chairs or chair time.. Cococay brochures should be put in all rooms before the arrival day. This was people can plan their day. Maybe some coffee kiosks could be set up in certain floors. People complain ed that there weren’t enough coffee places. Otherwise, very happy with activities, service and staff. Would recommend and would go in another cruise with Royal Caribbean!

Cruise 2023

January

Pros: Very spacious, well layed out, good specialty dining

Cons: Could use more elevators, dining room food was meh

Recommended: Yes

Loved Central Park, great shows, good specialty restaurants

Symphony

January

Pros: Size and amount of activities available. Help and friendly staff. Layout of the staterooms.

Cons: Very limited MDR meal choices and serving amounts. Buffet did not seem to change.

Recommended: Yes

We were very happy with our cruise. We only had one complaint, which was the Main Dining Room menu options and serving sizes. All members of the staff were extremely welcoming and helpful.

Ángel #3

September

Pros: Variety of activities for every age

Cons: Vacation time always too short :)!

Recommended: Yes

Amazing shows! The staff happy faces and a positive attitudes made my vacation very enjoyable! The food was absolutely delicious!!!

A trip to remember

September

Pros: Fun for the whole family

Cons: Baby splash pad area not the greatest... food choices at buffet did not rotate out alot

Recommended: No

Awesome Cruise!!

July

Pros: Service, staff, entertainment, food, ports, ship, activities and sky class suite with its amenities

Cons: Chops restaurant fell short of our expectations

Recommended: Yes

Symphony of the sea is an awesome ship. The suite, staff and all of the amenities were great! 2nd time aboard the ship and met our expectations again.

Awesome Cruise!!

July

Pros: Service, staff, entertainment, food, ports, ship, activities and sky class suite with its amenities

Cons: Chops restaurant fell short of our expectations

Recommended: Yes

Symphony of the sea is an awesome ship. The suite, staff and all of the amenities were great! 2nd time aboard the ship and met our expectations again.

Brent Shattuck symphony review

May

Pros: Service, food , pool , shore executions

Cons: Transportation , ship entertainment

Recommended: Yes

Overall experience very good the crew was very attentive and was quick to solve any issues that came up . Very nice ship . Food was excellent. Great shore executions. Issues with my trip did not get picked up by bus for hotel to pier transfer along with other royal Caribbean vacationers all of us had to take a taxi after waiting for two hours at the hotel royal Caribbean was contacted and was really no help. Probably the biggest issue was with the entertainment heard the shows were really good but you need to do reservations for the shows and they were all booked up even the comedy shows because we arrived so late in afternoon because of the hotel to ship transfer issue. Pro the royal Caribbean air to sea worked out great do to the extra day at see because of a tropical storm in Miami royal Caribbean rebooked my missed flight on Saturday and rebooked my flight on Sunday with out me having to do anything outstanding. Overall if it was not for lack of ability to see the entertainment on ship it would have been a home run.

Best Vacay!

April

Pros: Never ran out of things to do, Royal Caribbean is an amazing, helpful company

Cons: Had to skip a port

Recommended: Yes

The Symphony of the Seas is a huge ship, you'll never run out of things to do. It's super clean and the staff are all very friendly and responsive. It's pure luxury cruising with Royal Caribbean.

Great Family Vacation

March

Pros: So much to do!

Cons: Big ship, lots of walking and climbing stairs

Recommended: Yes

My only complaint is that not all venues were open due to the smaller crowd on board.

The Symphony of the Seas

February

Pros: Amazing staff on this ship! Everyone went way above to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The Symphony has lots of activities to keep everyone busy and entertained.

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

There is no way anyone could ever get bored while on the Symphony of the Seas! From the entertainment to the food and activities, there is something for everyone regardless of their age.

35th Cruise

February

Pros: Great Covid protocols

Cons: Solarium restaurant closed for entire Cruise

Recommended: Yes

Loved the ship. Great Covid protocols. Felt very safe. Loved the shows. Only thing I was unhappy that the Solarium Restaurant was closed . We love having breakfast & lunch there.

Symphony of the Seas eastern Caribbean

February

Pros: Everything

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Would have liked to hear the ship's band play some real big band numbers by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, et Al.

Very entertaining ship

December

Pros: Lots to do

Cons: Huge, can be exhausting, very poor vegan/plant based options

Recommended: Yes

The boat was very amazing with all the amenities but it did offer. However the vegan and plant-based healthy options were extremely limited and choice and not appetizing. Myself and my husband are both plant-based I am much more strict about eating plant-based due to health reasons and did request the menu was given at promptly however the food on it was very bland tasteless and watery for the majority of the time. Windjammer had a lot more fantastic plant-based vegan options primarily IndianThat were delicious but most likely also had a lot of oil in them which if you are looking to be plant-based for health reasons is not recommended.

Awesome!

December

Pros: Newest fleet

Cons: Lots to do. Hard to decide.

Recommended: Yes

Was a great Christmas/Birthday cruise!

Symphony of the Seas

November

Pros: Accessibility, shows, and tours

Cons: none

Recommended: Yes

It's a Big ship, however, despite the size and occupancy everything was quite accessible i.e. dining,pool,shows, and activities. Shows were excellent and very unique. Staff was very attentive. Tours were very good, especially enjoyed the cultural tour in Puerto Rico and loved Coco Bay. Would cruise again!

Wonderful Experience for Us

November

Pros: Love all that the ship offered. We truly enjoyed our trip. Food was exceptional! We had a wonderful waiter/server for My time Dining. His name was albert. Wonderful service, and he remembered our names each time we dined for dinner.

Cons: We did go to the breakfast buffet in the dining room several times, but felt the food was a little cold, other than the made to order omlets.

Recommended: Yes

Beautiful Symphony of the Seas

November

Pros: Everything was great.

Cons: The elevators were very warm.

Recommended: Yes

Fantastic ship. Fantastic crew. Shows were over the top. And seeing Hall and Oats concert was exceptional. Never dreamed we would see them in person. Great job to all officers, crew and all staff for a job well done. Exciting to be on the Cococay Island, what a terrific fun place to go. Highly recommended.

Great Vacation

June

Pros: The ship is gorgeous, entertainment and activities were great

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

This ship is just like Harmony of the Seas. The art work was different and I think Starbucks was in a different place but both ships are fantastic. I don't think Playmakers was on Harmony. Symphony is gorgeous just like Harmony. There were so much to do or you could just chill at the pools. We had such a great time that 7 days wasn't long enough.

Truly a Symphony at sea

June

Pros: Tons of open space, many different entertainment options, beautiful grand suite, amazing staff

Cons: Shopping staff was not very helpful, $10 accessories were $1 store quality, prices on ship were much more than on shore or Amazon, even without the tax and duty

Recommended: Yes

Ship was immaculate. Don't think I saw any trash during the entire week. My time timing is still not really "my time". You have a time to dine but you still wait and the service suffers. Wonderland was a great dining experience. The Hiro show was too long and repetitive. They are all very talented, but the show does not have much variety. The ice shows were really great. The escape room was fun and long enough to be worth $20 per person. We had a gran suite which was an amazing experience from embarkation to debarkation. The suite lounge and amenities were well worth the extra money. Private event on the helipad was really cool. Having two rooms, two sinks, and enough storage for everything and more. Highly recommended.

Symphony of the Seas

May

Pros: The most phenomenal ship we have ever seen!!

Cons: Haven't found any yet.

Recommended: Yes

This vacation was the best we have ever had and it was only a 3 day cruise. The ship was truly amazing and anyone would be extremely impressed by the amenities offered on this Royal Caribbean "luxury yacht." There won't be a better option until someone builds a bigger and better boat...tremendous experience!!

WOW what a ship!

May

Pros: Great Food, Entertainment, Service, Beautiful Ship

Cons: NONE

Recommended: Yes

The entertainment on this ship is unparalleled. Musicians, figure skaters, divers, dancers and aerialists. "Hairspray" was truly outstanding. Main dining and specialties are always good. The new "Hooked On Seafood" restaurant exceeded all of our expectations.

Amazing Girl's Trip

May

Pros: Great food, great entertainment, more activities than you have time to do.

Cons: Large ship means a large number of people. Elevator service was challenging.

Recommended: No

7 Day Cruise

May

Pros: Not enough time at Coco Cay

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Sailing Away...

May

Pros: The new terminal is excellent and very organized. The shows were excellent and started on time.

Cons: There were 1,900 kids on board without much supervision by their parents... nuf said. >^..^<

Recommended: No

Great First Time Cruise

April

Pros: So many things to do!

Cons: Can’t think of any

Recommended: Yes

Great cruise experience for our first time. So many things to do and luxury all the way! We may be Loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers.

Entertainment

April

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

This ship is huge, and has more entertainment for all ages. There is music being played in different lounges, to listen to or dance to, through out the ship all evening long. Food is very good, many choices to eat if you don't do the dinning room. We have been on the Oasis of the Sea, which was really nice, but this one was much bigger and better, the balcony suite was a lot bigger and more comfortable. The trip was amazing.

Spring trip to Eastern Caribbean.

March

Pros: Best service dining. We enjoyed the fine cuisine,very professional service your dining staff gave us.

Cons: Your ship is beautiful but too large for older folks to completely traverse to get your amenities.

Recommended: No

I didn't use your workout room. The daily walking to and from the varied events coupled with dining was exercise enough. Your shows are spectacular. Keep it up! We could have used more quiet areas when visiting with friends. Paying for wifi and phone service should be included. In a ship that big it should be free. Finding people was not easy or convienent when trying to coordinate excursions or attending events, or for that matter even dining. There are so many things to do that it was mandatory speaking with friends and trying to join a group for them. This was not easy or convienent! I expected more communication.

Great ship

March

Pros: None

Cons: None

Recommended: No

Beautiful Ship

March

Pros: Technology, Entertainment & Embarkation Process

Cons: Heavy Oversell At Start of Cruise

Recommended: Yes

A truly beautiful ship that is well maintained. The staff is extremely accommodating and very professional. There is a tremendous variety of restaurants to choose from. The entertainment was fantastic. We really enjoyed our time on the ship.

Symphony of the Seas

February

Pros: All

Cons: None

Recommended: No

Absolutely awesome ship!

February

Pros: Very clean, Great entertainment, Wonderful foods available

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

We were very impressed with the cleanliness and upkeep on the Symphony ... crew were everywhere, constantly painting, cleaning up, serving, etc. The entertainment and all of the things to do throughtout the days at sea was wonderful, as were all of the night shows, comedy shows, etc.

Super Ship Super Service

February

Pros: Get bar service!!!!

Cons: Needs to have an outdoor adult only pool

Recommended: Yes

Over all great!

Symphony of the Seas

January

Pros: Great Aqua shows, hairspray was well done, good comedian, food was outstanding and the service a 10+!

Cons: Some venues were not large enough for the number of cruisers. Bingo games were too pricy at $49 dollars.

Recommended: No

Wow, what a cruise!!

January

Pros: Lots of professional grade entertainment, specialty restaurants, lots of live music venues, activities for all ages, short wait elevators, very organized

Cons: Need more in room t.v., better lighting in room

Recommended: Yes

This ship has it all!! Broadway production of Hairspray, outside water show, fabulous ice skating show & much, much more. We love the quiet, plants & specialty restaurants & bars at Central Park outside. Kids love the pools, zip line, miniature golf, basketball etc. We also like free Mexican food, bistro & pub & starbucks. Big ship but no lines. Lots of small venues with live music like jazz, Latino, nightclub, rock, quiet guitar. Parties on the promenade with live music.

Dining Service

December

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

The evening dinning service is excellent!

Amazing ship, too much structure

October

Pros: Beautiful new ship, awesome amenities and activities available

Cons: Reservations required for EVERYTHING including dinner and shows

Recommended: Yes

Due to the high volume of passengers on the Symphony, reservations are required in advance for EVERYTHING including dinner (this includes ‘anytime dining’), shows, comedian, zip lining, escape room, specialty restaurants etc. We were not aware of all this in advance so we missed out on quite a few shows and activities. You can make reservations once you board the ship however, the ideal timeframe are likely no longer available.

SOS June 2018

June

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Amazing ship and staff!