Tom Baker Cruises Blog

I sailed on a two-night preview cruise of Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s latest mega ship from Miami and its most glamorous ship to date!

This mega liner is a near twin to Oasis, Allure, and Harmony but Symphony was designed wit even more elegant interior touches giving her a more premium class look and feel.

I am not typically a fan of ships carrying close to 6000 passengers but will tell you that RCI has mastered the art of guest movement, ability to design usable spaces, and keep all types of guest happy on this latest incarnation.

This ship offers a superb family experience with something for everyone of all ages and all types of cruisers from multi-generational families, party-goers, and to sophisticates looking for a sublime and spoiling vacation experience.

The entertainment options alone rivals Las Vegas and Broadway with full theatrical productions including Hairspray, Ice shows, multiple entertainment venues to meet all guest needs from Jazz clubs, to piano bars, to rock and roll, or Salsa clubs… The Aqua Theatre gets a special shout out for its water aquatic shows and unique setting at the aft end of the vessel on the Boardwalk deck lined with a full carousel, shops, and dining venues…

My personal favorite is the Central Park area with its lovely tree lined setting and tropical plants. This area hosts the ships best alternative dining venues, world class luxury shops, wine bar, and more. For the luxury seeker, this is the place to be-its also nice and quiet!

Cabins range across the board from interior to balcony, and the top suites have a myriad of amenities based on the price tag and location. There is truly something for everyone on this ship. While priced significantly higher than all the older RCI ships, this class of vessel really does offer a unique experience under the RCI brand. I believe it to be worth every penny more!

Royal Caribbean has also decided to up the stakes on its highest suite guests with private dining and lounging areas like the Coastal Kitchen and making the experience all-inclusive for these luxury seekers paying top dollar. They even have a Royal Genie-a butler designed to cater to top suite guests wishes.

Cruising has morphed into a spectacular vacation with so many options today compared to the companies 70’s and 80’s favorite Song of Norway which at 25,000 tons carried 1000 guests in cabins that were typically 100 or so square feet and overall décor resembled that of an airline waiting lounge.

Today, Symphony is just a spectacular cruise option and the lines revamped Make It A Great Day at Coco Cay reinvents the out-island experience in the Bahamas…

There is truly so much to this ship that once could not soak it all in during a 7-day Caribbean Cruise…

RCI has its own dedicated state-of-the-art cruise terminal that welcomes cruise passengers in a spectacular manner, speeds up the embarkation process enormously, and with its new biometric photo recognition process makes that check in and departure super easy.

I would sail again in a heartbeat and you can check out my photo album on Smugmug from my cruise. https://cruisecenter.smugmug.com/Symphony-of-The-Seas-November-2018/

Happy Cruising….Symphony of the Seas