Day 3 of our Southern Caribbean Cruise was another relaxing sea day. We took the opportunity to meet up with family for breakfast in the main dining room.
Breakfast in the main dining roomThese photos of breakfast in the main dining room on Symphony of the Seas show just a sample of what you can order off the menu for breakfast on your cruise.
All the classics are available: bacon, sausage, hash browns, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, pancakes, and French toast.
Because you're on a cruise... you can also order dessert like this layered carrot cake with walnut topping after breakfast if you want. :p
|
Hiro aquatheater show
Hiro was the AquaTheater show on Symphony of the Seas and this fuzzy night time pic is all I got to prove I was there. :p
It's amazing to see the use of the dive pool and acrobatics in a choreographed show like this. Royal likes to brag on their entertainment, but I can see why after our most recent cruise. |
A day at sea on a cruise ship is a welcome reprieve from the bustle of daily life and the potentially hectic nature of embarkation day.
Here's how we spent our first sea day on Symphony of the Seas. |
Late breakfast in the main dining room
Like sleeping in? No problem! On a sea day you can enjoy a leisurely late breakfast in the main dining room if you'd like. Rather than the busy buffet, you can order off a menu and have the full traditional dining experience in main dining room.
Fresh fruit.
You can pretty much always order a fresh fruit plate at any meal, even if you don't see it on the menu. ;) The fruit varieties will vary based on what is available, but we started off colorfully here with a lovely mix of pineapple, cantaloupe, red grapes, strawberries and kiwi!
Cinnamon Swirl Danish.
Much like the bread basket served at dinner in the main dining room, at breakfast time there are offerings of a variety of danishes and breakfast pastries. Our personal favorite was this cinnamon swirl danish. It's almost a puff pastry cinnamon roll. Ask for it specifically if you don't see it! ;)
Portugal Travel tip: There is a similar pastry in Portugal that we sometimes see in the bakery section of the grocery store called Continente. If you see it, give it a try!
Symphony of the Seas ReviewS:
French toast.
Brunch on symphony
We were able to order more breakfast-y foods (as mentioned above) and more lunch-y foods, so Royal Caribbean really offers a nice, free brunch in their main dining room. This is great if some in your party like to eat "real food" (like a steak, lol) while others want pancakes and French toast.
Iceberg wedge salad.
Steak frites.
Grilled sirloin topped with creamy béarnaise sauce and served with crispy truffle fries.
Alert! This was one of the best things I ate on Symphony of the Seas!
We'll always laugh about the moment when the waiter brought a second steak to our table because someone ordered the dish thinking they were ordering "steak FRIES". Whoops! :)
coconut cake with raspberry sauce.
Despite being recommended by waiters on Royal Caribbean and Princess, I have yet to have a coconut cake with raspberry sauce on a cruise that was noteworthy.
Cruise Ports:
Boardwalk Neighborhood on Symphony of the Seas
Day two on a cruise is a continuation of the exploration that began on embarkation day. Let's check out the Boardwalk Neighborhood - an iconic feature of Oasis Class Ships.
Boardwalk Dog House
The Boardwalk Dog House is a free dining option on Symphony of the Seas which specializes in, you guessed it, crafted hot dogs!
Boardwalk Dog House sample Menu.
At the Dog House you can order things like:
You can add toppings like sautéed mixed peppers, sautéed onions, and sauerkraut along with classic condiments - ketchup, mustard, and relish. Consider adding a side of Potato Salad or Cole slaw to round it out. Which ships have Dog House?
Find Dog House on the following ships:
|
|
Arcade & Sugar beach sweet shop
As you stroll down the Boardwalk on deck 6 of Symphony, you'll find arcade games and Sugar Beach.
What is Sugar Beach?
Boardwalk Carousel
On the other hand, the carousel (aka merry-go-round) on Symphony of the Seas is totally free and fun for all ages! It's pretty cool there is a merry-go-round on a cruise ship. The horses are hand carved and as you enter the Boardwalk Neighborhood you will see a series of carousel horses in varying stages of completion leading up to the merry-go-round. Love seeing a bit of the creative process behind this classic amusement park ride. |
what is a boardwalk balcony?
The balconies you see in the picture above are the boardwalk balconies. A Boardwalk Balcony Stateroom Cabin Review is on the horizon, so stay tuned. ;)
Can you see the ocean from a boardwalk balcony?
Some Boardwalk Balcony rooms do have a view of the ocean from their balcony. Real Pictures of the views from cabins 10272 and 12329 are coming soon to help you pick the best boardwalk balcony room for your cruise!
Royal Caribbean Cruise Blogs:
Aqua Theater on symphony
The aqua theater is found at the aft of the ship (back) and is a unique feature of Royal Caribbean's Entertainment. Shows in the aqua theater are full of impressive feats including high dives and acrobatics.
Symphony of the Seas Tip: If you sit in the front rows of the aqua theater, beware as you will likely get splashed. :)
If you have stacks of cash, consider booking an AquaTheater Suite. In your spacious suite with wrap around balcony, you can enjoy rear ocean views and never fight for a seat at the aqua shows!
In this panoramic picture you can see the rear ocean views, the Aqua Theater & Suites, the large screens (which, by the way, sometimes play sporting events) as well as the two rock climbing walls and the Ultimate Abyss Slide.
The Ultimate AByss
The Ultimate Abyss is a giant dry slide (as in a normal slide, not a water slide) which drops 10 stories! It's faster than the elevators ;)
You get in a special mat to go down the slide which helps ensure a smooth sliding experience. It's really fun and I recommend doing it at least once for street-cred, if you know what I mean. :p
The Ultimate Abyss slide is free. The rock climbing walls are also a free activity on Symphony of the Seas!
Packing Tip: Pack lace up tennis shoes/trainers if you want to participate in the rock wall or zip line. Shoes must have laces in order to participate. If you have slide on sneakers you won't be permitted. It's for the safety of those below - no one wants to get hit by your shoe if it somehow slipped off.
secret loungers on symphony
If you climb the stairs near the rock climbing walls in the Boardwalk Neighborhood, you have a chance of finding a secluded little area with just a few chairs to relax in and watch the clouds roll by.
All this exploring of the Boardwalk on deck 6 worked up an appetite and we hadn't yet visited the pizzeria onboard so we popped down to deck 5 to remedy that!
Sorrento's Pizzeria
You will not need a dining package to eat at Sorrento's as it is not a specialty dining restaurant. Sorrento's Pizzeria is a free restaurant on Symphony of the Seas!
Sorrento's Pizzeria is casual, free cruise ship pizza. Is it the best pizza at sea? We can't say because we haven't tried them all.. yet ;) But is it a solid pizza? For sure. When you want a quick slice, Sorrento's is the spot. They are also the free food venue that is pretty much always open, so if you wake up at 2am and somehow you are hungry, you can count on Sorrento's.
Once the buffet (The Wind Jammer) is closed, Sorrento's is a reliable place to hydrate as they have a water station set up. Of course you can also ask for water at any bar as well.
Sorrento's pizza royal caribbean photo review
Sorrento's pizza offers a solid, thin crust pizza on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships. The menu for Sorrento's changes daily but you can pretty much always get a classic cheese or pepperoni pizza, as well as a vegetarian option and gluten free pizzas on request!
If you so desire you can add a sprinkle of oregano and red pepper. You can dine in at Sorrento's and be part of the Royal Promenade atmosphere, or take your slices somewhere with a view, like we did. :)
Free zipline on symphony of the seas
Can you see yourself in this picture? On the right side, just about to land after finishing this zipline on a cruise ship!? You can do it and it's totally free! Just remember to pack your lace-up shoes.
I love this vantage point from the pool deck (deck 15) looking toward the back of the ship and down on part of the Boardwalk Neighborhood.
The Ultimate Abyss' purple slides end on the Boardwalk (deck 6) and right at the Johnny Rockets restaurant in case you want a milkshake. :)
Mini Golf on Symphony of the seas
Flow Rider & Ultimate Abyss
Would you climb in the mouth of this giant angler fish and slide down 10 stories?!
FlowRider Instructions and Warnings
The flow rider is a surf simulator that you can enjoy for free on Symphony of the Seas. Unlike some other Royal Caribbeans which have just one flowrider, Symphony actually has two. This is great because those who are ready to truly surf can enjoy dedicated time while others who are new or just want to bodyboard can have a blast on the other.
In addition to these boards, you do have to do a short training and sign a waiver to use the flow rider. You will be given a wristband which indicates you have completed these steps and if you are qualified for bodyboarding only or for flow-boarding (stand up like surfing)
Dinner in the main dining room
Crispy Buttermilk Calamari.
Also shown is another shot of the cheesy dinner roll, but mainly because this Echte Boter (butter) was so delicious! Since cruise ships are sailing all over the world and sourcing food in each port, you do get to try some unique varieties of ordinary things - butter included!
Seafood Linguine.
Roasted Beef Tenderloin.
Creme Brulee.
Capuccino Chocolate Cake.
Individual Mini Salad Cups
This brings us to the end of our Sea Day on Symphony. We actually have another sea day ahead before stopping in beautiful Aruba.
Embarkation at Port Everglades
Our 8 night Southern Caribbean Cruise departed from Port Everglades, the cruise port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We arrived 2 nights in advance (free flights - thanks to Chase Ultimate Rewards Points!) and stayed at a nearby cruise port hotel. Uber (actually Lyft) from our hotel to the port only cost $4.17 thanks to a Lyft discount I had.
How long did embarkation take? Not long at all! We were in the terminal at 11:43 and by 12:04 we were onboard!
Fort Lauderdale blogs:
Exploring Symphony of the seas
Your first time onboard a new cruise ship is so much fun - there is so much to explore! You probably spent months researching and learning about every nook and cranny of the ship (okay, a certain bunch of people do this... I'm assuming you're part of the club since you're here? ☺)
Today is the day to see if you can remember literally anything from all your research. haha!
Embarkation Day Tip: Lifeguards are posted so have your swimwear handy and you can enjoy the pool during one of the few times that it will totally empty! ;)
Above you can see a view of the Central Park Neighborhood - yes, those are real trees! Symphony of the Seas also has 3 water slides and multiple pools including a saltwater pool.
El Loco Fresh is the popular Mexican casual dining restaurant on Symphony of the Seas where you can get things like grab and go tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Be sure to load them up with fresh pico de Gallo, salsa, and guacamole! You can also find fresh fruit cups here.
Celebrity Apex was also in port in Fort Lauderdale!
Embarkation day lunch
We traveled in a group of 8 relatives for this cruise and only 2 people in the group knew we were coming. It was a really fun surprise seeing the reactions of aunts and uncles. We met up in the Solarium Bistro and snagged a large round table for lunch. This smaller buffet area was a nice spot to meet and I was soaking in the novelty that I only managed to get 2 pics of my lunch.
I have to say the Indian food was excellent and I also thoroughly enjoyed this little carrot cake dessert cup! It would make a perfect individual dessert idea for a dinner party and someday I hope to replicate it for Home Cooking Inspired By Travel.
Oceanview Cabin Photos
Around 2pm we had finished eating and were ready to check out our cabin. It was our first time in an ocean view stateroom. You can see all our cabin 3198 photos here:
Dinner in the main dining room
We had traditional dining on Royal Caribbean which means we had a table reserved for our group every night at the same time. Our early dining time was 5:30 PM. Of course we could also dine at another time by walking in and waiting for a table, eating at the buffet or other casual dining venue, or eating at a specialty restaurant.
Embarkation day Welcome Aboard menu
Different than our experience on Sun Princess, on Symphony you ordered your meal and dessert at the same time.
What we ordered.
Caesar Salad.
A classic caesar salad is a cruise dinner must.. if you're into that sort of thing. :) Every night your table will be presented with a basket of bread/rolls. The one shown below seemed like an asiago cheese roll and was delicious. You may need to ask for more of these if you like them because each basket will probably only have one of them.
crab cake.
Pan Roasted Fish Fillet.
Southern Fried Chicken.
Dessert
Dark Chocolate Custard.
Key Lime Pie.
Silky key lime custard baked in a brown butter graham cracker crust topped with whipped cream.
royal theater: Dare to Dream
After dinner we went straight to The Royal Theater to watch our first production of the cruise - Flight Dare to Dream.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Tip: Reserve your entertainment on the Royal Caribbean App so you can get the best seats.
On our previous cruises we have booked interior rooms as well as balcony staterooms and for this 8 night Southern Caribbean Cruise we opted to try an oceanview cabin on this Oasis class ship.
Oceanview cabin 3198 photos - Symphony of the seas
Our Oceanview Cabin was on the third deck.
First impressions of oceanview cruise cabin
Beside the couch is a cupboard with shelves and a small safe. There are also two small drawers at the bottom of this cupboard.
We opted to have the bed pushed together and as you can see there was a small space on either side of the bed that act as a nightstand.
Cruise Travel Blog:
The window in our oceanview room 3198 on Symphony of the Seas was a round window, divided in the center. The window is so large that an adult person can actually sit in there like a little hamster on its wheel. :)
Turning around and going back toward the entrance you can see on the right side of the couch is a closet with hangers. There were a combination of regular wooden hangers as well as wooden hangers with the clips attached for pants or skirts.
To the right of that closet is the bathroom door.
The bathroom on Symphony of the Seas is a really spacious and modern cruise ship bathroom. There is no shower curtain, but instead a full glass shower! A dispenser in the shower supplies body wash/shampoo combo.
This cruise ship bathroom is spacious and bright. There is a large window and three shelves to the right along with a shelf underneath the sink.
It was nice to find in our stateroom a rundown of all the shows scheduled during our cruise consolidated to one sheet on embarkation day.
Royal Caribbean Tip: Use the Royal Caribbean App to reserve your space at each show you are interested in. This was the first time we experienced needing to reserve our showtimes on a cruise.
Royal Theater Shows
Studio B
|
Aqua Theater, Boardwalk, Royal Promenade
|
View from oceanview room 3198 & Review
What do you think of the view?
I was so impressed with our oceanview stateroom. As mentioned at the outset, this was our first time booking an oceanview cabin and I absolutely loved it.
royal caribbean blog southern caribbean cruise review:
Oh, Hey!
We're Justin and Marissa
We love to travel and eat!
Traveling Through Food is a place to share some of our adventures in travel and food so you can find inspiration for your next big trip whether it's around the world or down the freezer aisle at the grocery store. :p
Planning a trip?
Conveniently for you, we also book travel! Fill out a request Marissa Books Travel
Check out this recent cruise post:
Check out this recent Restaurant Review:
Categories
All
Alaska Cruise
Albufeira Restaurant Reviews
Aldi
Algarve
Algarve Foodie Blog
Algarve Restaurant Reviews
Americans In Portugal
Appetizers
Apples
Aqua Theater Suite
Are Travel Agents Worth It?
Bacon
Balcony Stateroom Cabin
Beans
Beef
Bifana
Bitoque
Boardwalk Balcony Stateroom Cabin
Book Travel
Breakfast
Bubble Tea
Cafe Reviews
Celebrity Cruises
Central America
Client Services
Couples Travel Blog
Crepes
Crete Chania
Cruise Drink Packages
Cruise Food
Cruise Ports
Cruise Reviews
Cruises
Cruise Travel Blog
Desserts
Dinner
Door Dash Review
Drinks
Egg
El Salvador
Europe
Expats In Portugal
Experiences
Family Recipes
Family Travel
Ferreiras
Flight Reviews
Florida
Foodie Blog
Foodie Bloggers
Fort Lauderdale
Greece
Grocery Reviews
Hello Fresh
Hilton
Hilton Honors Credit Card
Hoagies
Hotel Reviews
Hyatt
Imperfect Foods
Indian Food In Portugal
Indian Restaurants
Inspired By Travel
Italy
Italy Travel Blog
JW Guides
JW Travel Agent
Korean Barbecue
Learn Portuguese
Lisbon
Lisbon Hotels
Lisbon Restaurant Reviews
Lisbon Restaurants
Lisbon Travel Blog
Lunch
Luxury Cruise Vacation
Marissa Books Travel
Meal Kits
Meal Prep
Mediterranean Cruise
Miles And Points
Misfits Market
Moving Abroad
Mushrooms
Naples
North America
Norwegian Cruises NCL
Oceanview Stateroom Cabin
Ohlos De Agua
Pasta
Pastries In Portugal
Pastry
Photo Diary
Piri Piri Chicken
Pizza
Pizza In Italy
Pizza In Portugal
Plate Of The Day
Port Canaveral
Port Everglades
Portimao
Portugal
Portugal Travel Blogs
Potato
Princess Cruises
Quarteira
Recipe Reviews
Recipes
Recipes Cooking Tips Grocery Reviews
Restaurant Review
Reviews
Rice
Rome
Royal Caribbean Blog
Royal Caribbean Cruise Deals
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Royal Caribbean Review
Royal Caribbean Travel Agent
Saving Money
Scarlet Lady
Should I Use A Travel Agent?
Should I Use A Travel Agent To Book A Cruise?
Snacks
Soup
Southern Caribbean Cruise
Stateroom Tours
Sun Princess
Sun Princess Inaugural Season
Sushi
Symphony Of The Seas
Symphony Of The Seas Review
Take Out Delivery Review
Taste Test
Technical Writing
Too Good To Go Restaurants
Too Good To Go Reviews
Tools & Gadgets
Train Travel
Travel Blog
Travel Blogs
Travel Credit Cards
Travel Days
Travel Deals
Travel News
Travel Tips Travel Hacks Packing Tips
Travel Tutorial
Travel With Kids
Uber Eats Reviews
United Airline Miles
Vilamoura
Vilamoura Restaurant Reviews
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages Blog
Virgin Voyages Cruise Deals
Virgin Voyages Travel Agent
Western Caribbean Cruise
What Do Travel Agents Do
Wonder Of The Seas Reviews
Archives
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
May 2024
April 2024
January 2024
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023