Embarkation Day on Symphony of the seas | Royal Caribbean Cruise Blog

 

It's embarkation day for a Southern Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas!
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All Aboard Symphony of the Seas!

In this post

• Embarkation at Port Everglades
• Exploring Symphony of the Seas Ship
• Lunch at Solarium Bistro
• Our Oceanview Cabin Photos
• Dinner in the Main Dining Room
• Dare to Dream - The Royal Theater
• Royal Caribbean Booking Agent

 

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! 
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That Embarkation Day Buzz

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Fort Lauderdale blogs:

• Fort Lauderdale Travel
• ​Laspadas Original Hoagies
• Hyatt Place Cruise Port Review
  

 

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! 
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Symphony of the Seas Pool

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! ;)

Central Park Neighborhood

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. 
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El Loco Fresh Mexican Restaurant on Symphony of the Seas

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. 
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View of Celebrity Apex in Port Everglades from onboard Symphony of the Seas

​Celebrity Apex was also in port in Fort Lauderdale! 
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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.
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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: 
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​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

Welcome Aboard Dinner Menu on Symphony of the Seas

Different than our experience on Sun Princess, on Symphony you ordered your meal and dessert at the same time. 
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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. 

Crispy crab cake fried until golden brown with creamy Old Bay sauce and a tomato-cucumber salad.
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Pan Roasted Fish Fillet.

Flaky white fish over sweet peppers, snow peas, corn, creamy potato leek gratin and a saffron butter sauce. 
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Southern Fried Chicken. 

Seasoned, crispy chicken with Tabasco hot honey, buttery mashed potatoes, sweet corn on the cob. 
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Dessert

Dark Chocolate Custard. 

Silky custard infused with rich cocoa, finished with a fresh tart raspberry. 
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Key Lime Pie. 

Silky key lime custard baked in a brown butter graham cracker crust topped with whipped cream. 

Cruise Food Blog:

• Wonder of the Seas Cruise Food Pics
• Cruise Pizza and Hot Dogs on Sun Princess
• American Diner on Mediterranean Cruise

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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. 

Flight! Dare to Dream

Royal Caribbean Cruise Tip: Reserve your entertainment on the Royal Caribbean App so you can get the best seats. 
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More Symphony of the seas cruise blogs:

• Symphony of the Seas Reviews