6 Nights Western Caribbean Cruise

Very nice vacation!!!

It was our 11th cruise to the Royal Caribbean. My husband and I love to spend our birthdays on a cruise. We were there from May 9 to 16 and it was my birthday on May 14! Everything was very good - our room attendant decorated our cabin, in the restaurant at our table our very nice and friendly waiter Michael congratulated me on my birthday! It was very nice!! Thank you very much! But then I noticed that I lost a gold chain with a key chain with stones, which is very dear to me as a memory. My husband gave it to me more than 10 years ago and I love it very much. I wore it as a strap for a small Tiffany handbag. I remembered the last time I saw her on the first evening in the casino... My husband and I went to the Front Desk and got to the very attentive Senior Guest Service Officer Melqui Espinoza. He listened carefully to our story, we talked and talked to him several times... And he brought us our lost thing and we were happy! I said today is my birthday! He asked for permission to congratulate and hugs me on this day! And the next morning we received a bottle of wine and strawberries in chocolate in honor of my birthday!!! Guys! Thank you all very much for a great vacation, despite the fact that we didn't get to the island because of the rain.. Everything was fine! And we have already booked a cruise from September 14 to 21 for my husband's birthday!

Symphony of the Seas - 4/30/2025

I wanted to preface this to say that this is NOT an extensive review, but a review based more on impressions from someone who doesn't always cruise on RCCL. We don't ever take the internet package, so we don't review in real time (part of the idea of a cruise is to disconnect from "the world"...that said there's bleed in of notifications that occur on cruises like this so we do get SOME info and can connect at ports). We decided to do our third RCCL cruise after many considerations and options, but mostly we live in NJ, the port is in NJ and our thirst for flying at this point in time is not strong. Thus the convenience of cruising out of Bayonne was enticing, even though the cruise was a bit more expensive that we usually like. Our previous cruises on RCCL were on the Anthem OTS in 2016 (or maybe 2017) out of NJ and on Freedom OTS out of San Juan (as part of a large group). We have liked RCCL but have been more loyal to NCL and CCL in the past. This was our first "mega-ship" and that was a consideration for us, and we wanted to try one. Considerations: Close by, ports we've been to but didn't mind revisiting, price (compared to flying/hotels), mega ship Reservations: A bit costly, MyTimeDining, really isn't "My Time" but late dining. Having to make, well, reservations for everything, parking confusion Embarkation: We decided to do Lyft rather than parking based on cost (at the end of the day, it would up saving us about $50). Had a 12:30 boarding time, so left our house around 11:15. Lyft app said about 40 minutes to the port, so that seems about right. But, at the approach to the terminal, it completely backed up and it took an hour to go about 1.5 miles. We ended up pulling up to the baggage area at around 12:45. The good news was, that it took us maybe 10 minutes to get through security, check in and board the ship. So we were on by around 1pm. We went straight to muster, checked in, where they informed us our cabin was ready (GTY balcony, floor 7 midship, right opposite the entrance to the elevators). So no "schlepping" our backpacks and 12 pack of water around with us waiting for our cabin. The Ship: The ship was, as far as I could tell, full, but it never felt crowded. The layout is well thought out, and there are plenty of gathering places so that not everyone is concentrated in one or two meeting points. Being on the 7th floor we were pretty central to most things. We could take the stairs to both the Atrium area (2 flights down) or the central park area (one flight up). Do go up to the pool decks, we did need elevators, but never once waited more than a minute or two. It was easy enough to navigate, though the two areas that were a bit problematic, was no direct access to the boardwalk (on 6) which required going to 5 and then going up to 6 to access the area, and the pool area where we would get confused what was on 15 and what was on 16. Minor quibbles to be sure. Plenty of places to eat or imbibe (if that's your thing). The Cabin: Standard balcony cabin. Plenty of space for storage, loungers on the balcony, and outlets for charging. We tipped our steward ahead of time and got extra towels, but hardly saw him. Perhaps it was because we took the late cleaning. Not sure if it was worth, the extra "tip", but this is how we usually do things. Liked the glass shower door, and the mirrors didn't fog after a shower, nice little touch. Overall, nothing "special" about the cabin, pretty standard compared to balcony cabins on other cruises I've been on. One thing I liked is there was a decent amount of TV channels, especially sports, so was able to watch some of the NBA and NHL playoff games. Though, the HDMI port was accessible, I was unable to get my phone to work with the HDMI ports despite a device I have that worked at home, but not with this TV. Food / Drink: We got the soda package, since neither of us drink much and my wife likes Diet Coke. That said, we probably could have lived without it and would probably not buy it again on another cruise. We got one free specialty dining through our TA, and we bought the 3 specialty dining package from RCCL. We ate at 150, Jaimies, Hooked and Chops, and had excellent meal at all. That said, I thought the food in the MDR was excellent and if we skipped the specialty dining altogether, it would have been fine. Only dish that I didn't like in the MDR was the lasagna, on "Italian" Night which was overcooked and mushy with a less than desirable sauce. Everything else was really great. Especially like the French onion soup, had it twice! We like eating breakfast in the MDR and I'm not an egg eater, but we both loved the french toast and CRISPY bacon. Best french toast I ever had on a cruise. Lunches varied. We aren't buffet people so we avoided Windjammer mostly, except for afternoon coffee (not terrible) and a snack. We did eat at the Solarium Bistro a couple of times since it was generally less crowded. We also tried the Mexican stand, which was fine, nothing special, the hotdog stand, which was very good, but we really enjoyed going to the little take and go place in Central Park. Never too crowded, and was able to get either snacks or a sandwich or salad. A couple of days all we got was some fruit which held us off until dinner. As for MyTimeDining, yes we were "forced" to make a 6:45 reservation, which turned out fine, though cost us a couple of trivia contests we wanted to attend. Because we made this "reservation" we got seated at the same table, and had the most wonderful waitress/assistant we've ever had on a ship we've been on....which leads to... Staff: Perhaps the best staff we've ever had on any ship, and one reason I would now consider RCCL as our current favorite. EVERYONE was friendly, smiling and genuinely seemed to be enjoying their work. I didn't encounter anywhere the "grumpy" staff person who seemed like they wanted to be somewhere else. The CD John, a former Hollywood stuntman was fun. While he didn't seem all over the place like the Carnival CDs, he seemed to be at just the right events and seemed to be generally having fun. The entertainment staff was all good. We do a lot of trivia and game shows and they were definitely into doing them. The best experience was with our MDR waitstaff, Ni and Saty. Ni felt like my Jewish grandmother at times, always seemed concerned that we didn't get enough to eat, always took some time to have a conversation about our day, her life in Bali and always had a smile on her face. Saty as well. The couple sitting next to us glowed about her as they had her on another ship, wrote a glowing review of her and helped her get promoted. Ni called them her "parents". She was all of that and more. I normally don't tip the waitstaff extra but I gave them extra. The nights when we ate somewhere else, they felt genuinely disappointed and she mentioned one night she held the table for us. That made us feel so good. The service at the other restaurants was also excellent. Entertainment: Also excellent, though again, not a fan of having to make "reservations" and I got stuck with late reservations for a few shows. But with that said, I screwed up one reservation for Hairspray for the late show because we wanted to try and get in early, and ended up with NO reservation for anything. We were told, just come 30 minutes early and wait on the standby line and you'll get in. Sure enough, they let in the folks with reservations first, and then us on the standby and, there were plenty of seats, though the theater did fill up eventually. We saw all of the stage shows, did both water shows, both ice shows and all were fun. We love doing trivia (won a keychain on the next to last day), and the little game shows they have and listening to karaoke (I can't sing, but I like listening to music). We didn't like the comedy show which we saw the first night and I could tell my wife was bored so we never went back to see if it got better. Overall, very little bored time for us. Always something to do. The app helped with planning, though had it's own glitches. Excursions. After we boarded we found out one of our excursions was cancelled. We rebooked something else. But they were fine and less expensive than I can remember similar excursions on the other cruise lines, so there's that. We generally like culture over adventure, so we don't do heavy hiking or snorkeling or that sort of thing. They were well organized, which is the best I could hope for. Debarkation: We chose to take our own bags, and was off the ship from our cabin to the street in like 20 minutes. No complaints, it was all pretty easy. Overall impression: This was probably one of the better cruises we've ever taken. Well organized, excellent ship, great staff. We will definitely be on another RCCL cruise soon. NCL used to be our favorite, but they seem to want to cater more to the Celebrity/Holland America crowd now. No Fun Cruise. Carnival has become TOO much of a party ship. Royal seems to have hit the sweet spot.

Symphony of the Seas – Just Book It!

We recently took a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard the incredible Symphony of the Seas, and let me tell you—this experience turned my husband and me into lifelong cruisers! Not only are we already planning our next voyage, but this trip also restored my faith in customer service. From the moment we stepped on board, the service was exceptional. We were warmly greeted and immediately made our way to a bar, where the bartender set the tone for the entire cruise—friendly, welcoming, and ready to make our vacation unforgettable. One of the standout highlights was our room attendant. We had a few special requests right from the start, and not only did he accommodate them with a smile, but he also kept our room spotless and was a joy to see every day. The dining room staff was equally impressive. Every night, our servers remembered our names, asked about our day, and gave us tips on what to look forward to the next day. If we needed anything, they were on it instantly. The bartenders all over the ship were just as fantastic—quick, friendly, and even making rounds on the pool deck to ensure we were taken care of. As for food, it was great! Whether we dined in the main dining room, the buffet, or the specialty options included in our package, everything was fresh and delicious. The only minor downside was that the buffet was always busy, but with so many other dining options, it wasn’t a problem. Similarly, the pools were quite crowded on sea days, which was expected. We found a peaceful escape in the Solarium, a great spot for adults looking to unwind. One experience I’d likely skip next time is the spa. While our massages were wonderful, the sales pitch before and after was a bit pushy. Just something to be aware of if you book a treatment. Overall, there was never a dull moment on this ship! Whether you're looking for relaxation or adventure, Symphony of the Seas delivers. If you’re on the fence about booking—just do it! You won’t be disappointed!