What is Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas like? — featuring JBit Vlogs (Royal Caribbean)

0:00 So, we are here aboard Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas. This video is going to be a full walk-through ship tour. I'm going to go deck by deck, floor by floor, and show you all the spaces that are available on the ship, at least the spaces that are available to the public. The goal of this video is

0:14 to show you a real POV-style look, so you know exactly what to expect when you book with Symphony of the Seas. Come along. When Royal Caribbean built the Symphony of the Seas in 2018, it was the biggest

0:39 cruise ship in the world at the time. It only got dethroned by Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas in 2022. And as of the making of this video, it's still in the top five, but Royal Caribbean is pumping out mega ship after mega ship every year, so it may not stay that way for long.

0:56 The top of the ship are decks 18 and 17, but those are either crew only or for higher-tier members, and so my plebeian self is going to start this tour on deck 16. Starting in the aft of the ship, which is just fancy nautical terminology for the back, is the Windjammer Marketplace,

1:12 which is what Royal calls their complimentary buffet. You have to pass the hand-washing stations before entering the buffet proper. The buffet is U-shaped, with both sides being completely identical. There's always going to be a make-your-own burger or hot dog station off to the side, complete with toppings and

1:29 condiments. Each of these islands is going to change every day and every meal, with breakfast offerings being typical American breakfast mainstays like eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, French toast, and fresh fruits, while the lunch and dinner offerings will feature a rotating assortment of different breads, soups,

1:47 ethnic foods, a meat carving station, and way, way more. The back of the buffet is where they'll have the customizable foods, which is an omelet station for breakfast or a made-to-order wok station in the afternoon. The corners are where you'll find the desserts and the sweets, as well as ice

2:04 cream scooped for you with toppings available nearby. Finally, the buffet is one of the places on the ship with a soda machine. You will need a drink package, but they'll give you the souvenir cup that lets you access the machine and allows you to fully customize your soda. The rest of deck 16 are just these

2:22 outdoor areas with loungers for tanning, and they let you overlook the main pool areas or the side of the ship. From up here, you're going to get a great view of the pools available on deck 15, including the water park, three different pools, multiple hot tubs, and three different water slides.

2:39 The last thing available on this deck is Hooked, the specialty dining restaurant that specializes in seafood. For new cruisers, specialty dining just means that it's not included in your price of admission, and you do have to pay extra to access it. Going down to deck 15, we'll start in

2:56 the Solarium. The Solarium is the adult-only outdoor space on the ship. It's way more relaxing here as they play ambient background noise instead of the loud party music in the main pools. You'll have a beautiful view of the front of the ship as you enjoy two different hot tubs and the Solarium pool

3:14 in the center. Keep in mind that this pool is meant for relaxing rather than swimming. And there is a lower deck that can see everything you're doing in the glass pool, so be smart with what you do here. There's also a great bar nearby in the dead center of the space, so you're never far from your next drink.

3:31 This is also where they're going to host the nightclub specifically for white night, which is a really fun time. And all of the footage you're watching of us enjoying the ship is part of a bigger cruise vlog. So, if you want a real look into what the ship is really like, make sure you subscribe and turn on

3:45 notifications so you know when that video goes live. Back out of the Solarium, we see all the pools we saw earlier when we were on deck 16. This is where you'll line up for the three water slides which are all really, really fun. The pools are great, but they are small and they get crowded really, really

4:02 quickly. So, make sure you claim your spot early. This is also where they'll host the sail away party to start the cruise off and it's a really great spot to be when you cross the Verrazano Bridge if you're leaving out of New Jersey or New York. There are also, of course, bars on both

4:17 sides of the deck and even if you don't feel like getting out of the pool, there's also staff walking around taking drink orders so you can drink them directly in the pool. Walking towards the back of the ship, we pass by the Padi Dive Center. And I couldn't find too much info on it, but

4:33 apparently, you can get scuba certified here. Sounds pretty cool. All the way in the back of the ship are a whole bunch of activities. Now, the first thing you'll notice is the mini golf section. Completely complimentary, but it can get busy very quickly. There's also some ping pong tables

4:48 behind some glass to prevent you from yielding your ping pong across the ship. And there's also a zip line that takes you directly over the massive chasm right over the boardwalk, which we will see when we get to deck six. Moving to the very, very back of the ship, you'll find two different

5:04 FlowRiders. One meant for beginners and one meant for more experienced users. Using these is completely free, but you do have to sign a waiver and go through some training videos to use them. Now, something unique about the ship is the Abyss dry slide. This is that massive purple slide that takes you from

5:21 the very top of the ship all the way down to the boardwalk on deck six. They give you a mat to slide on and then the boardwalk is just one magic carpet right away. Looping back around, we find the court. Now, most of the time it's free play basketball, but every now and then they'll host competitions for things

5:39 like basketball, volleyball, or even pickleball. In the middle back is Fuel, which is the teen club. This is where your teenager can go to meet others and they even have their own version of a nightclub in here as well. Moving on, we come to El Loco Fresh, a complimentary grab-and-go style Mexican

5:57 food spot. You can quickly grab pre-built burritos or quesadillas or you can mix and make your own salsa, guac, nachos or tacos. Definitely get the pulled pork while you're here and thank me later. The last outside thing on this deck is a soft-serve ice cream machine conveniently located right by the kids

6:17 water park and the rest of the pools. When you move inside, you'll see one of two arcades available on board. Just scan your cabin card up to the games and you're ready to play for a small fee, of course. Before we move on to deck 14, I did want to focus a little bit on these glass

6:34 elevators because they offer amazing views of most of the floors that we'll be exploring later. And if you're lucky, you may even share an elevator with the stowaway, a pianist that plays ragtime tunes while you wait for your floor. Decks 14 through 9 are mostly just cabin rooms, but there are a couple quick

6:51 highlights. On deck 14, you'll find the card room, a quiet space with board games and cards if you want a place to do that with friends or maybe play cards away from the casino. And on the other side of the deck is Adventure Ocean, which is where you'll find a small theater that shows movies,

7:08 the kids section filled with science, arts and crafts and games for the little ones, a nursery, and the escape room, which we didn't do, but we heard really great things about. There is no deck 13 because that's considered an unlucky number and so we're going to go straight to deck 12

7:24 and the only thing of note here is Wonderland, a specialty restaurant themed after Alice in Wonderland and it's described as an imaginative creative restaurant where the menu is written on invisible ink and you don't order food, but rather an element. This is one of the specialty restaurants we

7:41 paid for and it's absolutely worth it. So, if you want to see what it's really like in Wonderland, make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications so you can watch a cruise vlog when it drops. The only thing on deck 11 are cabins, but that's actually where my balcony room is located, so I'm going to show

7:56 you a quick look into what a balcony room looks like. Now, we had four guys in this room and so we split the beds, while the other two guys slept on the pull-out couch. The space is pretty small with very little storage space, but you know, you're only in here to sleep anyway. If

8:11 you're spending most of your day in your cabin, you're not cruising correctly. Deck 10 is also just cabins, and so we're going to move on to deck 9 where the only thing of note is Dazzles, a two-floor jazz club. This is a great space to come and listen to more relaxed music with a beautiful view and a great

8:29 seating arrangement. Moving on to deck 8, this is the main entrance for Dazzles' lower floor. But, turn around and you'll find Central Park. This is an insane outdoor space that I cannot believe is on a cruise ship. Whenever I step out here, I forget that I'm in the middle of the ocean.

8:46 One of the first things you'll notice is the Rising Tide Bar, which is a bar that's also an elevator. And so, it moves back and forth between here on deck 8 and the promenade on deck 5. There are also some luxury brands here if you want to go shopping and a couple of specialty dining restaurants,

9:02 including 150 Central Park, which is a bistro that likes to highlight fresh ingredients, Chops Grille, which is their steakhouse and while we didn't go, basically every staff member highly recommended this one, and Jamie's Italian, an Italian restaurant whose menu was designed by

9:18 celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. There's also Vintages, which is the wine bar on board, and this is also where the ship hosts a lot of their meet-ups and their mixers. Other than the specialty dining restaurants, there's also a bar nearby and Park Cafe, a complimentary grab-and-go style food spot if you need

9:36 something quick. Deck 7 is just more cabins, and so we're going to move down to Deck 6. All the way forward is Vitality at Sea, which is their health and wellness section. The first thing you'll see is Vitality Cafe on the right, which offers healthy smoothies, juices, and protein shakes.

9:54 They also have a beauty salon inside in case you need anything done. On the right is a spa, and on the left is the gym. The gym is pretty impressive and is open pretty early if you need to prepare your body for the buffet. On the complete opposite end of the deck is another unique space on the ship, the

10:11 Boardwalk, which is meant to evoke memories of places like Coney Island. On the left, when you walk in, is Dog House, a complimentary hot dog spot with different kinds of sausages, and they're all actually really good. In the center of the space is the carousel, which is free to ride, and it

10:28 doesn't have an age restriction, which is how five fully grown men like us were able to take pictures on it. Moving on is Sugar Beach, the candy shop of the Boardwalk, and you do have to pay for the things in here, including the ice cream and the sundaes. Past Sugar Beach is where you'll really

10:45 get a view of the entire Abyss dry slide that we saw at the start at the top of the ship. This is where you end up at the end of that slide. They also have a surf shack here, which is where you can buy swimming gear like shorts, clothes, sunglasses, sunscreen, or anything else you may have forgotten

11:01 to pack. Next to that is Johnny Rockets, which should carry many of the similar foods as any Johnny Rockets you can find on land. And for those that have never seen it before, this is just a diner-style burger and milkshake spot. What's interesting is that breakfast here is complimentary, but other than

11:18 breakfast, you have to pay for any other food you get here. Towards the back of the Boardwalk are the rock climbing walls, of which Symphony has two of them. They're completely free, but they do have pretty specific hours of operation, so make sure you plan accordingly. In the center back of the ship is the

11:35 Aqua Theater. And this is where they'll have their big water shows including Hiro. And if there's only one show you reserve seats for while you're on the ship, make sure it's Hiro. I honestly can't even describe what it is. It's like an aquatic gymnastics show with aerial stunts and break dancing and

11:51 slackline tricks and high dives and some of the most banging tracks you'll hear all week. It's completely complimentary, but seat reservations do fill quickly, so get on that as soon as you can. As we loop back around the Boardwalk, we come across Playmakers, the ship's sports bar.

12:07 If there's ever a big game happening, there's bound to be a crowd in here. The drinks in here are part of your drink package, but the food in here does need to be paid for. This is one of the places we decided to spend money on, and I think it was very worth it. They have typical burgers,

12:22 wings, fries, typical sports bar food. But the real reason why I wanted to come here is the cookie camp, which is a cookie skillet with ice cream on the side. And they even give you some games to play while you wait for your food. The other half of Playmakers is actually another arcade, and so the kids have

12:41 something to do while you watch your game. Now, the last thing I want to say about the Boardwalk is that on one of the final days of your cruise, they turn the Boardwalk into a full-on family fair full of carnival games, cotton candy, music. So, this is a great spot to be when that happens.

12:59 Now that we're done with the Boardwalk, let's go back inside, which is where we'll see the Royal Promenade, which is technically deck five, but deck six does offer some views of it here. On the left is Schooner's Bar, which had some of my favorite drinks on board including a marshmallow old fashioned.

13:16 So, come here for some inventive drinks. This is also a great spot to be if the Promenade is hosting an event and you want to people watch during it instead of being down in those crowds. The final thing to see on deck 6 is the excursion section where you can book excursions, but also check all the

13:32 photos that the cruise photographers have been taking of you and your crew all week. They even have a full-on photo gallery inside if you want a more personalized private touch. But now, let's go down the stairs onto Deck 5. In the very back of the Promenade is where the main dining room start, or

13:49 MDR. All the MDRs are in the same location, just on different floors. For new cruisers, the MDRs are completely complimentary, and the food here is way better than anything offered in the buffet. You are typically beholden to a specific time, however, so keep that in mind. The Promenade essentially acts as the

14:09 main hub of the ship. This is where they'll host their big, big events like parties or the balloon drop on the first midnight of your sailing. One of the more unique things on the ship is the Bionic Bar, which makes all of your typical cocktails, but it's completely bartended by robots. You

14:27 order on a tablet, and then you watch as two robots prepare perfectly measured drinks every time. This is a fun way to get your drinks as you explore the rest of the Promenade. Now, since the Promenade is the main hub of the ship, this is where you'll find guest services if you need anything

14:41 taken care of like lost cabin cards, issues with billing, splitting onboard credit, etc. Next to guest services is Cafe Promenade, which is one of the best spots to get coffee in the morning, and there's always a line of people that need their morning caffeine. They also do have some quick grab-and-go bites

14:59 here, too. Across the way is Next Cruise, where you can book your, you know, next cruise. We spent some time here exploring next year's options because, of course, we do a cruise vlog every year. Nearby is the Royal Shop, which is where you can get Royal Caribbean specific merch if that's

15:15 your thing. Next to that is one of my personal favorite spots on in ship, Copper and Kettle, which acts as the ship's English pub. It's a great spot to get some unique cocktails, and I highly recommend their stout espresso martini, which is an espresso martini with some Guinness poured on top.

15:34 They also usually have guitarists in here at night if you want some relaxed tunes to enjoy your pint with. Across the pub is Sorrento's, which is the ship's complimentary pizza spot. They'll always have slices of cheese, pepperoni, and vegetarian with a fourth pizza rotating every day.

15:51 The pizzas are fine, but what makes this place really great is that they're open until 3:00 a.m. And so, this is the spot to go after partying in the nightclub until the early morning. Next is my personal favorite spot on the ship, but that's just because I'm an attention hog, On Air.

16:08 During the day, On Air will host things like trivia or game shows, but at night, this place turns into the karaoke bar, and you know I was on that stage every night. If you plan on singing, make sure you show up early to register your song because it's a very popular activity. I actually got invited to sing and

16:24 compete on their invite-only final karaoke night, so if you want to see how that ended up, subscribe or click through the channel to watch a full cruise vlog. Across the way is Boleros, a lively Latin club. The drinks in here are great, and at night, they'll usually have a live band playing Latin hits, and

16:41 during the day, they often have dance classes in here. This is a fun, energetic space in the promenade. All the way to the front of the deck is the Royal Theater, a two-floor venue where they'll do their live performances like Hairspray, which is completely complimentary, but reservations are

16:57 highly recommended. The final thing of note on deck five is the outside, which is where you'll find the walking or running track that spans around the ship in case you still want your dose of outdoors cardio. Moving down to deck four, you'll see the other entrance to the Royal Theater that

17:13 we saw earlier. As we keep moving down, we first come across the smoking free casino, which is a really small room specifically for the gamblers that want to escape the main casino that we'll see in a sec because that does allow smoking. Nearby is the Attic Comedy Club, which as the name suggests is where they'll

17:31 have live comedians. However, in the late hours of the night, this is typically where the ship is going to have their nightclub. So, we were here basically every single night. Moving on is Studio B, which is an all-purpose arena that they use for a bunch of different events. During select

17:47 mornings, they turn this into an ice rink so you can enjoy some complimentary ice skating with your friends and family. Some nights they use the space to host their nightclub like when they did the red night party. And sometimes they turn the arena into a massive game show. And Royal Caribbean does this amazing thing

18:04 called crazy quest and it genuinely may be one of the most fun things I've ever done on a cruise ship. It's way too rowdy and way too adult for me to talk about in the ship tour. So, I'm sorry, but I got to plug it one more time. Check out the vlog to see what kinds of shenanigans happen in that game show

18:19 because it is some serious debaucherous fun. Moving on, you find the art gallery, which is where you can flex some of that hard-earned money on some art pieces. And they do host some art auctions on board as well. And past that is the casino proper filled with slot machines, tables for

18:37 roulette, poker, blackjack, anything you can think of. Friendly reminder that this space does allow smoking. All right, well, that's going to finish our ship tour. There's definitely spots on the ship that I missed, but I like to think that I hit all the easily accessible spots. But, if you want to

18:54 see a real on-the-ground look as to what kind of shenanigans you can get up to when you're on board, make sure you watch our cruise vlog. That's where we're going to have all the footage of all the events, all the foods, all the drinks, everything that we can do on board. So, thanks for watching and I'll

19:08 see you in the cruise vlog. >> Woo!