Several times a year, we plan dive cruises - that is, we cruise, and wherever we go, we scuba dive! You can read more about that on my blog at DeepWaterHappy.com - just search for "cruise" and you will find several articles about turning a cruise ship into a mobile dive site! We knew the ship was one of the largest we had been on recently, but were pleasantly surprised that although large, there were small private areas scattered all over the ship. In the Solarium, there were lounging beds for two. On each deck, there were small areas tucked away here and there for a luxury yacht-like feel. I loved that the Windjammer buffet seating is spread out far more than other ships, and several repeating stations so you don't have to walk all over to see the selections. The Windjammer also wraps around the stern, so there are great views in all directions, and nearly all the seats are "waterfront seating." Our cabin had a wonderful surprise for us - we had booked a balcony, the furthest forward on the starboard side on deck 10. It turned out the end balcones have an additional couple feet of space! There was an area simply perfect for hanging our dive gear out to dry, and storing dive gear without taking up a single square foot of the normal balcony space. We were amazed and thrilled. This trip, we splurged on spa treatments for both of us, the massage combined with facials. It was the best facial of my life, and one of the best massages ever. When we booked them, we had booked mine at 5:00 p.m. and his at 8:00 p.m. We really wanted to enjoy cocktail hour in the Diamond Lounge. We swung by the spa, and before we could even ask, they asked us if we wanted to both have our treatments at 4:00 p.m. Fantastic - now we could start the relaxation earlier, and not interfere with our sundowners time or our dining schedule. In all, we can't wait to get back on the Mariner of the Seas. I already booked a second trip on her - we didn't even have time to explore the entire ship! Head over to my blog to read more about our cruising experiences with RCCL on several different ships. Cheers! Kim Read Less

The trip to hell and back! Electric extension cord was promised to us,at noon, we needed for medical equipment didnt come until midnight Heater broken froze over night They blamed balcony door handle not closed then finally next day tech came and fixed it he had to clean out the equipment. Sink was clogged. Not enough hangers in state room. We requested coffee and Breakfast room service, we put tag out to com at 8am, THEY came at 6 am on the 1st morning woke us up and also called. In Florida no breakfast came even though we left tag out night before. Called room service and on hold for so long no one picked up we gave up Food finally came we we were gone. Not enough bar waiters Lagoon trip very disorganized Had to inquire about where was our group and then found out we needed wristbands had to go to the back of the line then the guy never gave us our lunch tickets On the blue lagoon boat the restroom was out of order.! Spoke with guest services and he took some notes and will have someone get back to me they offered us 20 % off. For that excursion. The coco cay island is geared for kids, no adult only beach, so be aware of screaming kids all day. Machines broken in fitness center. The balcony glass was dirty, i had to clean it myself. Otherwise they left a very bad taste Read Less

We we're looking forward to a fun, relaxing cruise. Instead we got 5 days on a B-level floating mini mall. Let's discuss 'refurbished'. There is nothing new about this ship. Our rooms were dated, musty and stained. Likewise with the corridors, and facilities. We encountered mould problems in the bathroom, rock hard beds, and stained... everything. Some how the rooms are the highlight of the ship. The food was completely industrial, greasy, plastic, nasty, reheated. We mainly ate at the Windjammer, the main dining hall, where a heavy grease hung in the air due to poor ventilation. There was a respectful amount of reheated food to gorge yourself and try to salvage the trip. If the food, and rooms haven't scared you off, I'd invite you to the promenade. A boring and outdated bridge/entertainment area. Get ready for shopping at Michael Kors, boring pop/rock music from cover bands, and a selection of shows that where inspired by high school variety nights. We now arrive to the conclusion... For the price of our cruise, the never ending overinflated add-ons (resto's, internet, drinks, wine at dinner, arcade, shows, etc...), it's clear that Royal Caribbean is more interested in nickel and diming customers rather than providing a quality product. Full speed ahead away from this cruise. Read Less

After 7 days sailing around the GCC I would like to share my honest experience with you all.. Embarkation was fairly painless and the whole process took 30 minutes maximum, the huge let down was the disembarkation at Oman port & Dubai! Took 90 minutes to get off ship and was absolute chaos amongst the passengers, RC need to do something here or change ports as it is a huge negative and you lose too much time hanging around. Ship - Its old but still in fair condition and still a lovely ship, my only criticism is the sofas in schooner bar is like sitting on a park bench and the art work is from the 70's Cabin - Cabin is what you expect on a 10-15 year old ship, little worn and dated but found the bed to be comfortable and decent TV with English channels. Note - take adapters as it only has US / European plugs & hairdryer is terrible. Dining - AMAZING! Much better than Anthem of the Seas. The main dining room was one of our better meals and cant praise waiter - Karandeo & Marie enough! Fantastic work and 10/10 for service. Entertainment - Overall 5/10!! Motown singers however where fantastic and deserve a 10/10, for the rest of the shows it was average if I'm honest. Entertainment leader (Talita?) was very good and put on a fantastic show (Battle of the Sexes & another)! She had us all in stitches. Service - Service around ship was extremely good, with the exception of main customer service desk on level 4!! The manager had a stinking attitude when we complained about our room and requested to move. This did put a huge negative spin on our vacation, and did question my next booking with RC in 2020. Excursions - N/A we did our own so cant comment. Gym - Very good and on par with the larger ships. Overall I liked the ship but I prefer the larger / newer ships if I'm been honest. Read Less

Date fit our schedule plus free cruise offer from Casino Royale. We love the gym, shows, main, dining room, friendly, professional staff, clean staterooms and responsive staff to questions. I like the telephone number for our cabin steward. A nice touch. We went on the Escape Room challenge & had a blast with a family who were all very smart. Enjoyed Cafe Promenade & Sorrentos. It was nice to get a drink & snack any time we wanted it. My next cruise is on Symphony with one of my female friends. And after that I will be on Empress. I don’t mind smaller ships - as my name suggests: I am just happy to cruise. I consider it a privilege to jump on a ship & be pampered & never get tired of going. I could cruise every month & not tire of it. Every day is a new adventure! Read Less

As frequent travelers staying in many hotels locally here in the Philippines and hotel abroad in different countries, my wife and I tried to experience to cruise onboard which is Quantum of the seas. Every traveled that we planned, we always rely to read the comments and reviews to all hotels that we stayed in. This time, we decided to experience to choose to get onboard the cruise ship. At first, I was hesitant to choose Royal Caribbean Cruise- Quantum of the Seas because of majority negative reviews that we read, but to my surprised it turns out to be a remarkable experienced cruising at this luxury vessel. We travel Singapore cruise from November 30 to December 5, 2019, 5 days cruise from Singapore-Malaysia- Thailand-Singapore. We stayed in hotel in Singapore since we arrived on the 28th of November. Using our tourist pass which we bought at Changi airport for S$26 for three days is such a big savings using it unlimited at MRT lines and buses by simply tapping the tourist pass card as our ingress and egress on trains and buses. We took the advantage of using the tourist pass card visiting tourist places in Singapore. We observed that if you travel from station to another station it will cost you a minimum of S$0.83 –S$ 2.08 so having this tourist pass card is indeed a great savings. Quantum of the seas is remarkably a huge luxury vessel with superb facilities from cabins, classic restaurants, production show venues, swimming pools and entertainment venues. The Food and beverages staff went out beyond and above extraordinary services, kudos to Head Waiter ONUR from Turkey, Waiters Fely and Frederick both from India of SILK restaurant, Jidong from housekeeping, Bartender Mike of Sky Bar, Alvin of Sorrento, Regie of Solarium, Bar server KURL of Boleros, they all deserved to be commended for the excellent services they have rendered during our 5 days cruise. The cruise entertainment team is very active from the varieties of shows for the cruise led by Cruise Director Ken and Manager Troy. The Captain of the ship and the Hotel Director are always visible from embarkations to debarkations. Singapore embarkation process are very smooth and organized. Singaporean are also well- commended for their disciplined behaviors from dining to queuing on any events or entertainment production shows considering they are about 2,500 Singaporeans who was with us. Though we only stayed on inside cabin but the virtual balcony appears to be like you are staying in a real balcony cabin. The food that we have is so delicious from all the restaurants that we have dined. On our 1st day, we made a reservation to watch the STARWATER production show which is a Broadway’s presentations featuring world class musical show at deck 4 Two 7 venue. It is also recommended to watch SEQUINS and Feathers, another world class production show where reservation is not anymore needed. There is so much fun as in no dull moments from varieties of activities and unlimited dining experiences on board the Quantum of the seas. Over-all we really enjoyed our cruise and the money that we spent is worthwhile for the remarkable experiences that we had at Quantum of the seas. We will highly recommend this ship for our family and friends for them to experience what we have experienced. I would recommend to complete your online departure for Singapore immigration for a seamless process and avoid the long queues of passengers during debarkations. In about 20 mins we are already completed the immigration and down to Cruise terminal picking out of our luggage. Read Less

I’ve been to many cruises and finally chose this cruise as it’s new and the itinerary attracts me. However, this cruise is really a huge mess! First the boarding at Shanghai, wow, i thought they had organised us in regions to wait to board, However, when we were led by a staff to board the cruise first, there was suddenly a large crowd who were waiting at the gate before us, thus we are not first as sectioned out at the waiting area. Next entering the immigration clearance part, omg, it’s so messy, they didn’t tell us where foreigners should go to, after we all gathered, they decided to block foreigners till many Chinese nationals had cleared. Then on the cruise, one of our luggage went missing! Went to their lost and found which only opened after the cruise had moved and could not find it. Then our cabin attendant said she found it outside another cabin on the same level. But the issue was, all our luggage we had tagged them with the cabin strip with our cabin number provided by Royal carribean. Next, the cabin card, we tried to find our seating arrangement on the card for the main dining, however it wasn’t there. To our horror after checking out with the cabin attendant, we found out that in China for this cruise they don’t provide a fixed seatings for each cabin like the other cruises! We gave up on that so called fine dining for the entire trip as the queues outside the main dining rooms were like some refuge centre and the food menu is not fine dining at all as they provided Chinese food only and those usual items for fine dining like steak, etc were chargeable! Omg never seen a cruise like this! Then come the mandatory emergency drill, it was so disorganised and it was so different everyone was gathering in enclosed areas! We were told to gather at the 270 degree lounge, the woman who was holding the microphone was literally shouting in the microphone and commanding everyone of us there as if we were her staff or she’s the teacher or manager Or she’s the army officer in a fierce and authoritative manner. So rude! Never been on a cruise that would demand the customers to be silent in such a rude manner! Rubbish! Next, this cruise is really into hard selling their dining products, First two days, the restaurant staff everyone were holding a promotion plan to hard sell to everyone they saw! And the activities on board were mostly chargeable which included rock climbing which wasn’t on other cruises under RC! And next I wonder why a cruise can’t provide proper coffee (though I purchased the coffee card) this is quite applicable in many cruises that I’ve been on. The so called coffee including this one is just some black water! Please don’t treat us as some fools who just drink some black water and said that’s coffee. The alighting part on the last day of cruise was also another part which annoyed me. They purposely section on foreigners and made us wait for the Chinese nationals to clear first before we move on. They blocked us out in different parts before the immigration thus resulting us to have such Long waits (1.5h) before we cleared the immigration.Next, the gym and sauna, it seemed more like a place where their staff got to utilised more. The sauna was so small and seemed to be occupied by their staff as we can’t use it and the lockers we requested for keys and could tell us they did not have the keys???? All in all this cruise is really such a messy one. Very disorganised, no system, poor service attitude especially from the customer service counter. If you want to try out the horrible experience I had gone through, go ahead and book this cruise from China as they really treated their customers who paid money to be ordered by them. Read Less

I like new ships - had to try. Glad I got to try before this virus shutdown. Gorgeous ship with lots to do. We took a 7 day western Caribbean and never were bored. Loved the junior suite - big enough for our 16 year old to come with us. It had a walk in closet that was perfect for changing. Had our cabin on deck 6 - most convenient to the bar. We loved the entertainment. We are not theater people, but we enjoyed Hairspray and first in flight. We caught the comedian and he was hilarious. We also saw 1977-the skating show - excellent. Also, the piano guy was a neat surprise - we ran into to him at the elevators. We also had the restaurant package but if you want a yummy, included lunch - Central Park has a sandwich shop that has the BEST roast beef sandwhiches.- Even my teen loved Wonderland. Our waitress was so friendly and helpful.(the food needs to be explained) We were not aware of the $14 p/p upcharge on the Japanese steakhouse, but it was well worth it. If you get a restaurant package - make the reservations right after you embark as soon as you can - they fill up fast. Oh, and the seafood restaurant was very good. I still taste the homemade cornbread/hushpuppies. We previously sailed Allure and didn't think it could be outdone - but I was wrong! I hope these ships can sail again without too many changes. Best memories and the best crew members. Read Less

I read many reviews before this trip. There are couple things I didn't know until I got in the ship. - the ship only provides hair shampoo & conditioner & body soap in the same bottle, and one bar soap. There is no hand lotion. Since we washed hands many times a day so really need to have hand lotion. - the bed in my cabin wasn't good. My husband and I got back ache when waking up in the morning. We requested the top cover but it wasn't any left so the stateroom attendant had to use a comforter to put on the top of the mattress. It helped a little bit. My sister cabin didn't have this problem. - the last sea day is really rough. I had a tough time even I took a medicine. - Royal app: doesn't allow to do a text inside the ship. I wish the app shows the list of activities of a day same as you saw in the paper. This way is much easier to follow. - Three main shows are just ok because difficult to follow them. - taxi from EWR airport to Bayoone is $41 + $5 (toll fee) + tip - taxi from Bayoone to EWR is $65 + $3.75 (toll fee) + tip I don't know why they are different price. We are 4 pp, 4 carry-on and 1 check in luggage Good things: - my waiter in dining room - Fellington did an outstanding job. Food was great. - cabin is clean. - Fitness center has all good machines and good classes. Instructors are nice. - Casino is nice and has good machines. - come in and out of the ship are very easy. Read Less

This was our first cruise as a couple after 20 years or so cruising with family. We took our first RCCL cruise back in 1997 and have taken around 25 cruises in that time, around half of them with RCCL. It is sad to see how far this line is prepared to go, to erode the cruise experience totally. I'm sure those relatively new to cruising won’t know any different and so don’t know what they missed. First the good. The ship is a physical masterpiece and a tremendous feat of engineering (I work in the ship building business). Despite its size it was very crowded. Embarking and leaving the ship was exceptional with both taking less than 10 minutes. Airports could learn a thing or two here. The not so good. We had a boardwalk balcony (since all sea view balconies had sold when we booked). The balcony was fine, but we would not choose this type again for a couple of reasons. First, there is little privacy and secondly, there is a lot of noise. In our room, the air conditioning was not working and only really got sorted at the end of day 2. For interest, there were quite a few portable conditioners around the ship so perhaps ours was not an isolated incident. We had “my time” dining using the American Icon dining room. It might as well have been called “no time” dining, since there were no times available to book! On the first night, we queued for 30 minutes and once we were allocated a table, waited another 30 minutes to have our existence acknowledged. The food was bland and cold when finally delivered. We checked the menu for the rest of the week to see that it barely changed day-to-day. Under duress we purchased a dining package ($600+]. Here is where we feel RCCL have changed for the worst; the “extra-fee” restaurants are rather good, but basically offer no more than what used to be offered in the main dining room only a few years ago for no more than the cruise fare. We find it ironic that the line describe the eateries (main dining rooms, windjammer etc) as free dining....hmm, I think we have already spent a few $000’s of dollars for the pleasure! Unfortunately, eating in the main dining rooms, is no longer an “event”...unless you think a trip to Denny’s is an event. No disrespect to Denny’s as in fact we had a better meal on our way home there! Whilst we purchased the dining package, it didn’t stop the constant hard sell to buy it (for the first 4 days of the cruise), or to buy a beverage package, spa treatments or to buy a $35 kitchen tour etc. The whole constant up sell is tiresome and intimidating. Just another note, getting anything to eat after 9:00 PM is limited to pizza as even the windjammer is closed by then. Whilst having dinner in the main dining room on the first night, we noticed that the imminent Grease show had been cancelled and moved to day 7. (Coinciding with our dinner reservation on that day). On the second night, the Aqua show was cancelled, then on the fourth night, the skating show suffered the same fate. Ultimately all of the shows were squeezed into the last day. Grease was very good, as was 1887. The headliner show was an acquired taste (not ours) and Columbus we felt was rather poor. Unfortunately due to constant rescheduling we couldn’t see many of the other events as they were showing simultaneously. I’m not sure we will choose RCCL again simply because you can get an identical experience for much less money on lines like Costa and MSC, where the price paid = expectations. RCCL still charge premium prices for an ordinary experience and then have turned the up-sell into the reason for you to be onboard. They are prepared to spoil the experience to chase the last dollar. Read Less

Just got off the ship...great job Royal Caribbean!! My family and I had the best time. The staff members are so friendly and helpful. I definitely recommend cruising on this ship. The food is amazing. Kudos to the waiters & everyone that works in the kitchen. After you eat too much you can head over to the gym and work it all off. The gym was very nice and clean. If you’re able to get up early I recommend going as the sunrises. It’s located high enough up to where you can get an amazing view. There’s so much to see you almost forget how hard ur working after all those food and drinks,haha. For anyone interested in art make sure you save up some extra money for that, because you’re definitely going to see a few pieces you will want to take home with you!! Whether you just want to relax by the pool or you’re interested in the activities they’re is something for everyone! I will definitely cruise with Royal Caribbean again! Read Less

This is a newer ship with new technology and it has some of the best features with updated state rooms, or show rooms. Because it is a bigger ship with more passengers, they have better shows. The talent is the best I have seen on a cruise ship. The showroom in the back of the ship has stages that go up and down and holes open in the ceiling where people come down on a wire to put on a great show. There are more lounge acts with more entertainment. But those are the good things. The bad part is the music is way too loud and they think that people like it that way. But I saw people leaving the show because they didn’t like it. I wore my ear plugs and was ok. The ship is set up for all ages and they do a good job at keeping young folks on deck 15 and gamblers in the casino on deck 3 that is away from everything else. But the folks that like to go on this ship are people that like bumper cars, rock climbing, the flow rider, etc.... I have never seen so many people with tattoos and people wearing old T-shirt’s on a cruise ship. Formal night is a joke. Only 20 percent of the people put on a jacket or wore a tie. The rest of the folks were comfortable in T-shirt’s or whatever they were wearing that day. Most of the people in the lounge or walking around the deck look like they just came from Walmart. Maybe this is what some folks like, but it is not for me. The food and service is much better on Celebrity and Princess. The people working on this ship do a great job or the best they can. But there are about 3 passengers for 1 crew member on this ship while Princess has 2.5 and Celebrity has 2 and Crystal might have 1.3. The difference can really be seen in the dining room with long delays and having to wait on your waiter. We have no regrets taking this cruise, but I think others ships in this price range are better. Read Less

18 of my family and friends sailed on 8/4/19 to 5 different islands to celebrate my mother’s and 2 of my Aunts 60th birthday. 14 people were first time cruisers. The entertainments, the food and the staff were amazing. We were all pleasantly satisfied with everything and looking forward to future cruise with Royal Caribbean. We missed our tour in San Juan, I contacted the executive office after Customer relations tried to give me a hard time for my refund. The office responded immediately and set up my refund. Excellent customer service on and off the ship. After the kids were in bed, we went out passed midnight almost every night enjoying the night life. The pizza restaurant was delicious, myself and kids enjoyed every slice. Our Waiter Florentina and her assistant went out of their way to take care of us. She found us sits in the crowded Windjammer for breakfast. I would recommend more varieties on the menu in the main dinning room. Also, more entertainment for the kids, we attended the kids disco on the 14th floor which started at 7:15 during dinner time. By the time we finished dinner and went up, it was almost over. The lady on the first day was interactive with the kids however, the guy on the other day just played music with couple of hula hoops and ballon laying on the floor. Both ended at 8:00 pm and 7:45 respectively. I will recommend this cruise line and ship to anyone looking for a great vacation. Read Less

The cruise was a treat for myself, my wife and Son (21). It started off great with a gentle cruise out of Venice capturing the views of let’s face it, stunning architecture. With purchased the all inclusive drinks package. Again what we expected no hidden nightmares. Ship Dated and in a poor state of repair : toilets not up to scratch along with the public areas below spec Sun beds dirty with no comfy option. Again we are Diamond members - should be a free option for regular members. Trips : Appalling: overly expensive with little to no quality. Absolute rip off I honestly cannot point out one positive thing other than the guide they were terrible for such a fabulous itinerary. We have complained to RCI via feedback however yet again no response. The food was average to good, entertainment was plain shocking! If you like Butlins but at sea then RCI are beginning to become exactly that. We thought Carnival were bad however this is now our worst Cruise. Avoid ! Read Less

Embarkation : The worst check in experience so far . No queue control n poor signage leading to lot of confusion . No enough RCL in hand to direct queue . Food quality : MDR food was served cold n service so so Rides : most ride were chargeable n why should we pay so much n get charged for all these rides . Guest services : poor , advised that we don’t need arrival card upon arrival to shanghai ( she claimed she checked with immigration . Very crowded n rowdy especially eating area ,sailing in this region . Unhygienic practices by passenger . Spitting n hand handling of fruits RCL must have also cut budget on fruits selection . Apple and grapes were the lowest quality selected , resulting in lot of wastage . Only plus point of this ship : NEW I will still cruise but not in this region anymore . Guess is an eye opener for me Note : wonder why the gym was given such a mini area Read Less

We booked this ship because we loved her sister, the Oasis of the Seas. I was not very impressed with the activities onboard, I was very bored. The shows were amazing though. The dining was good. We ate in the American Icon most but we did eat in the other two. The food is the same in all three. I was not impressed with the service at Silk. It was slow and he was not friendly. We had an Ocean View that was actually a board walk view and the cabin was very good. The ports were awesome. I would not go on this ship again well maybe far in the future. I do reccomend sailing on Allure of the Seas. She is a beautiful ship. There is not a flaw about her. The only thing I would change is have more activities going on during the day. Every time we would go to an interesting event it would be so packed you could not even get anywhere, because there was nothing else to do. Read Less

Grandure is a bit dated but if you are looking for classic cruising this is a good ship to meet those types of expectations. Royal has not updated this ship to include water slides and a wave runner. Because of this, the ship draws an older crowd and there are few children, teens and college aged folks. Since the ship is older and lacks these amenities the price point is lower and attracts cotton tops on a fixed income and people who are looking for a bargain. The crew was awesome. It is not unusual for crew to try and remember you and your tastes but it seems that this crew really has a talent to make to feel you are the only person they are taking care of. I could write a review on Dan Burgess, the piano player in the Schooner Bar, and his talent for making connections and bringing an entire room of people together and making them have a great time. The food is standard Royal Caribbean offerings. I don’t find any uniqueness or variation in menu, quality or presentation from one RC ship to another. I believe corporate does this to maintain a homogenous expectation much like a chain of restaurants. I think this is a mistake because passengers feel like they are eating at the same chain restaurant every night and every cruise. The food in the MDR and the buffet are the same. The premium restaurants do serve a notch higher quality and portion and variety of menu. I would like to see RC put an exec chef of every ship and give them autonomy to create dining venues and offering that make one RC ship unique from another. My only truly negative feelings are of RC and their incessant and relentless jamming of dining, drink, internet, next cruise, jewelry, shore excursions etc etc. They are there to sell these things and I am here to buy them. Their nonstop, high pressure tactics is a HUGE turn off for me. Immediately upon entering the door of their terminal we were ordered, in a not so nice way, to empty all of our outside drinks on the ground. After checking in and even before getting to the ship we were hit up for dining packages, drink packages and the usual obligatory photo. I have no issue with this. Once on the ship, we were approached NINE (yes nine) times in the first hour to purchase premium dining. I began for feel this was rude and I had no problem being rude to anyone who approached me with a smile and a brochure by telling them to go away. Hitting the Windjammer for lunch as soon as you board is a bad idea unless you want to start your vacation by becoming angry. The spa personnel set up a table and greeted guests as you approached them instead of circling an area like a street beggar who is desperately pan handling for drug money. I purchased over $500 in spa services for my family. This is proof that slamming your guests with an army of beggars is not effective and creates a paradigm of anger that lasts for the entire cruise. If you are not a stickler for details and can turn a blind eye to sloppy repairs in public areas, worn furniture and scratches; then this may be a good fit for you. I would sail on Grandure again as the value is fair. If those little things bother you and mildew totally turns you off then you may want to look at Oasis class ships. Read Less

Booked this cruise as had a money off certificate from the last RCI cruise. Embarkation took 10 minutes, we must have lucked out and arrived at the perfect time (1pm) Overall really enjoyed the cruise. Ship was clean with lovely decor. Stateroom was a good size (Balcony room) and the attendant did his thing every day very well. Dining. Food in the MDR was OK but nothing special, buffet was good with loads of different options. Had a choppes grill which was superb, highly recommend. Also the pizza at Sorrentos was absolutely delicious! We saw several of the shows (theatre and Ice) and they were all amazing. All the staff were really nice and friendly, but the bar staff seemed very busy in the evenings and they could do with more bar staff IMO My 2 gripes were that the ship felt a bit too busy/crowded at times, and that in the casino they literally want to screw you out of every last penny. The blackjack has the worst rules of any casino in the world coupled with 6/5 payoffs for a blackjack, which is an insult basically. Anyway if you are not a casino lover you will have a great time on Indy, but as we are gamblers my next cruise will be with NCL. Im sure they will be just as stingy but I feel I need to vote with my feet, Read Less

After looking into many questions before I leave for the cruise, I feel compelled to share my first cruise with our friends. After much deliberation we decided that some of the 50th birthday celebrations would be Cruise (for the first time). The date of the cruise was determined following family constraints for the Passover holiday of 2019 in April. Since this is the first time we make a cruise and after a thorough examination it was decided to go on one of the best - a large ship of Royal Caribbean. As stated, there were time constraints and therefore the cruise was chosen with the Allure Of The Seas, https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-sh…/allure-of-the-seas, Western Caribbean track, 7 nights with 4 anchors in NASSAU- BAHAMAS, COZUMEL-MEXICO, ROATAN-HONDURAS, PUERTO COSTA MAYA-MEXICO and 2 DAYS ONLY, Departure from Miami. Now it was left to choose which agency would invite the cruise. There are many opinions whether to order through an Israeli agency or through a foreign agency. After a thorough and thorough examination, I found out that the company Crozit, https://www.cruiseit.co.il/, with the agent Orit Cohen Rochov gave the best offer. As I mentioned, it was decided to order with a minimum risk and therefore the room with balcony to the ocean, on the 11th floor in the center of the ship (room number 11590 D2). The room is spacious enough, a double bed and a sofa bed, a shower with excellent water flow and a balcony facing the sea, television, storage closet, 110 and 220 volts power sockets. It is difficult to describe in words the experience of sitting on the balcony while sailing and sleeping with an open window and hearing the waves coming back - an experience! The ship is huge, really a floating hotel. Many different types of rooms, countless dining rooms, restaurants, cafes, 2 promenades with vegetation, casino, swimming pools, Jacuzzi, climbing wall, Omega, surfing and more. 2 notable restaurants for light meals: 1. Park Caffe - Salads, sandwiches, cakes and flag sandwich with roast beef 2. The pizza restaurant The ship has a wide range of performances, including Mamma Mia, acrobatic show with oceanAria, Ice Ice show, Blue Planet, Headliner Showtime and more. About 60-90 days before the cruise, the possibility of planning the cruise is open on the Royal Caribbean site, ordering an hour for dinner (17.30, 20.00 or "on my own time"), ordering the various shows on the ship and booking excursions at the ports. For convenience and schedule of performances we chose the time 20.00, we got a regular table in the dining room on the 5th floor and regular waiters. In accordance with our needs, we purchased in advance and at a discounted price Classic Soda Package, which includes soft drinks and cola and an internet package VOOM Surf + STREAM Voyage Package - 1 Device Additional alcoholic beverages, coffee, shakes and more can be purchased. It is also possible to purchase a 10-cup card or a 10-alcoholic card. Each room has the option of bringing 12 bottles of 17 oz and 2 bottles of wine to the ship. In the boat, at various meals, you will be served free glasses of water and juices. The ship anchored at the port of Miami in Terminal 1 of Royal Caribbean, we reached the port of the car rental agency in the city and left the port to the airport on a trip with uber. The check-in and check-out of the ship is carried out with remarkable efficiency with no queue and speed. The attractions we did at our ports were: NASSAU-BAHAMAS - taxi ride ($ 10 toward) Cabbage Beach on the island island Paradise Island, a beach with soft white sand and good water for bathing. You can rent 2 sunbeds + umbrella for $ 20, and there are street vendors selling drinks. You can walk to the beach of the luxurious Atlantis Bahamas and even enter the hotel grounds and be impressed by it. COZUMEL-MEXICO - A fun day of sailing to spectacular blue lagoons and dive snorkeling, booked through http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.net/cozumel-snorkel-tour-res…, at a cost of $ 50 per participant. ROATAN-HONDURAS - We booked a day trip to the island with a local operator named Francklin Gálvez, francklinalexisgalvezbonilla1@gmail.com, a nice guy who tries very hard to please the guests he accompanies. Franklin charges $ 20 per participant for a full day of pick-up and return from / to port and travel according to an agreed plan. ($ 10) Visit the Chocolate and Fun Factory at the stunning beach of West Bay Beach (one of the resorts, plus sun beds + umbrella $ 15) PUERTO COSTA MAYA-MEXICO - We ordered a $ 50 golf car from MAYAHUAL Local Golf Car, https://costa-maya-golf-cars.negocio.site/, marvin1907@yahoo.com.mx and drove to the beaches of the nearby village of MAYAHUAL Docking Port . In retrospect it is unnecessary and you can reach this coastal strip with a local taxi. The coast of the Costa Maya disappointed. Hope this summary will help others. I'll be happy to answer any question. Yaari Read Less

I choose this ship for my family vacation because of the size as well as the variety of activities, entertainment and open air spaciousness of Central Park and the Boardwalk. Members of my family vary in age and interests and there was something on the Symphony for everyone. I first considered the Harmony until I discovered that the Solarium didn't have a pool. The Solarium is my favorite Sea day spot so this was an important feature for me. Dining: I read reviews about the food being average so we went to four speciality restaurants. Two for lunch and two for dinner. The service in the Main Dining room was amazing but the food was hit or miss. The food in the speciality restaurants was an all around amazing experience. Chops, Wonderland, 501 Central Ave and Hooked. We also had a Mediterranean buffet dinner in the Solarium which was also quite tasty. The only place that we would never eat at again was El Loco Fresh which was crowded, messy and did not have good food. Service: March Spring Break was a sold out sailing and a very full ship. The staff was on point and had everything under control. The waiters and bartenders kept orders moving quickly, the room attendant was pleasant and did a great job. Customer service was efficient and the ship was immaculate with the crew detailing the ship daily. World class shows and entertainment! This alone was worth the cost of the cruise. Casino: I wanted to try my luck at the slots or even play the lottery but I couldn't get near the casino because the cigarette smoke was so terrible. It also permeated the hallways, Dining room entrance and the entertainment areas on the fourth floor. Second hand smoke is a serious health hazard especially for people with asthma and those who work there. Royal Caribbean should do a better job on the air filtration or ventilation system. The Key: This is supposed to come with priority Embarkation & Debarkation, private time on activities, Internet, reserved seating at shows etc. The crew is still working out the kinks but things went smoothly in most cases so it was worth the added expense for this sailing. If I weren't on a crowded ship I would pass on the Key. Teen Center: My son only went on the first day, he had fun but preferred to hang with his older brother on the sports deck where there are tons of activities. Art: There is no shortage of spectacular artwork to discover around the ship. I sent my kids on a daily scavenger hunt and we still haven't found it all. On the last day we looked down the elevator shaft and noticed art in the elevator well below the third floor. Our family loves the Oasis class ships and Symphony of the Seas has all of the best features combined in one perfect ship. Read Less

Great staff, great ship, awesome friends, terrific cabin...fantastic! That was a wicked week, and it all started with the staff onboard, nothing was ever a hassle. Our servers in the MDR were some of the best I have ever encountered, met + exceeded all expectations. Voyager is due for a refurb later this year, wouldn't think it needs (only a couple of things here & there) but really the ship is in great condition...the refurb will be insane! Did a splurge for this cruise and got a Junior Suite on Deck10, right under the Windjammer...but really had no idea at all, didn't hear a thing and was able to sleep in until late :) Clean cabin, spacious, a good escape when needed. Picked this cruise for the range of ports and they didn't disappoint, Langkawi always a favourite, but Phuket was just too much fun and the food! In short loved it, pretty obvious I suppose...but as always go on with the right attitude and have the vacation you deserve :D Read Less

Our family had very wonderful experience with Symphony of the Seas to trip Caribbean for vacation 1/19-1/26/2019. one week on the ship travel, we feel excellent service, amazing shows and activity on the board, awesome food. On the ship trip also you can enjoy beautiful view of Caribbean and islands. The waiters, Prabhu, and Junny did wonderful jobs for each customer. They gave us detail good information and services, also they provide very useful information for ship trip, such shows, activities etc. when they knew my wife birthday, they held service members to celebrate birthday for my wife. My wife enjoy a special birthday dinner on the ship. Our family will remember this wonderful birthday. Another amazing thing will be never forgotten for this trip. Our family visited ST. Tomas island. When we returned to the board, my wife lost ruby ring. After about 2 hours, my wife was aware of her ring lost. We asked cabin crews to help. The crews asked derail information about ring and quick found the ring in board entrance security area. Crews gave us a great helps and also let us have very happy vacation trip. We want to thank very much for the crews' helps. The crews of Symphony of the seas did excellent job for customers. Read Less

The ship is an amazing ship for family cruising. Especially children 8 and older. There’s plenty to keep them busy. If you have children, choose an aft cabin. All activities for kids are aft. Otherwise you will be walking half the the time. Plenty of restaurants both for children and adults. The dining staff in the main dining room which is cramped when the ship is full, were fantastic. The food was mediocre. The shows on board were different and eclectic. Lots of talent. I did not try any of the specialty restaurants as I was traveling with my family of 14. Make reservations early. The cabins were typical and very well taken care of. The shore excursions were terrible. All beach destinations were crowded and didn’t stay long enough. Avoid getting off the ship in Nassau. Always crowded and Atlantis shore excursions took forever to get there and the Atlantis staff were rude and the grounds dirty. The waits were so long, you didn’t get to stay long enough. The pier is very long and the traffic was horrendous. This is not a cruise for the elderly. Too big and too crowded. One big plus was the ease of getting off and on the ship. However , once off the ship the traffic is congested and slow moving. The private island of Labadee was great. Also the trip over to the deserted island. Read Less

First, This is a big boat. But it's mostly storage for all of the passengers. There are not enough amenities to host all of the passengers comfortably. Many times we found we had to wait in lines to be seated for food, for soda machines, ice cream machines, and (most annoyingly) elevators (all the time). We chose this cruise because it was a 'DreamWorks' cruise. We thought it would be like Disney with characters going around. Not so much. In fact, hardly at all. Over 7 days, we saw 4 characters. There were long lines for photos with the crew yelling at people to "get in line!" Not so much for the ambiance. For the kids - our children hated their child center on the 14th floor. Our 9-year old described activities more appropriate for 5 or 6-year-olds and requested to not return after 1 visit. Our 7 year old only went there twice and then didn't want to return. Total disappointment. The staff kept them in 1 room running around playing games for hours. It was like a big kid pre-school. The staff seemed totally totally disinterested. Our child literally said, "I hate this place" right in front of them and they didn't even acknowledge or ask the child why. The housekeeper constantly pressed us on our schedule for the day. We would tell her that we were not sure but we would leave the sign out when were we gone. She seemed annoyed and it became very uncomfortable after several days. We really love to hit the spa (steam rooms, etc.) on the ship. These were tiny rooms. Again, unless you hit the rooms on off-hours, they were very crowded. The staff, who had to open the thermal rooms, often seemed annoyed by having to do their job. The showers were cold and there was no privacy for changing. It was terrible. Did we mention that everything was very crowded? The pools on deck 15 are tiny and filled to capacity except on excursion days. The pools were falling apart. The hot tubs in the family areas were always packed. The ice cream machines were messy and not kept up. You can sign up for various drink packages but the soda machines are not plentiful on the ship. (Floor 5, 15, & 16). They were often out of order, no ice, and the drinks tasted like watered down soda water. You can ask at various bars for soda but the bartenders often seemed annoyed. Overall, not good. Dining - The food was quite good on the first day. However, as the cruise progressed, it became clear that the cooks were recycling left-overs and just changing the food a little bit to make a different dish. Needless to say, it got stale and gross pretty quick. The main restaurant poses as a fine dining establishment. Yet, they blare announcements, loud music, and have the audience "give it up!" for the entire cook/wait staff every night - they would go on and on for 10 or 15 minutes per interruption. We were interrupted during multiple conversations with the family. It totally interrupted nice meals and is very disruptive. Lines and crowding - please be advised that you should make reservations for most things on the cruise well in advance. Expect to stand in line and wait a lot. Again, the boat is bigger but the amenities are really not. The cruise as a whole is constantly trying to get you to spend more money. The experience felt like one upsell after another. The customer service was poor. We felt like they just wanted to process us to get to the next customer. Many seemed nice but quite a few were annoyed at having to help us. Finally, getting off this cruise is hell. Everyone is thrown into a huge warehouse and we had to all be processed through customs. It was so disorganized and stressful. Terrible, terrible experience. We were told that our 'disembark time' was 10:45 AM, then the room attendant told us (that morning) that we were supposed to have been out by 9:00 AM. There was nothing in the documentation saying that!! If you like spending your vacation at a hugely overcrowded, sticky, broken mall, then this cruise is for you. Read Less

This ship should really listen to what their customers say!!! Alot of people understand that formal night is not for everyone but dressing in singlet tops and shorts for dinner - dressing like this is totally unacceptable. So Royal Caribbean listen to what we are saying, a dress code is for everyone not some arrogant people. I found the food ok for dinner, we went in Silk and Wonderland, but wait for the deals it’s well worth it. Food in the windjammer is ok, 1 thing I don’t understand is the boy and the little toaster, poor man is stressed out to hell, give him a bigger toaster!! The entertainment is brilliant, went to the shows not sure I understood The Gift. Our room was lovely and big, nice shower. The guys in the jewellery shop are great we had a good deal - Imran thank you ☺️ Loved the drinks robot Read Less