Symphony of the Seas: A Symphony of Superlatives

Get ready for the big, says Stephanie Holmes.

with "shop", the buzzword used to describe everything from hotels to safaris and airlines.

But try to tell the cruise industry. Although at the other end of the scale, cruise lines do their best to attract new customers and grow their audience – and their profits – more and more.

Millennials and families are the newcomers. And with that, there's the race to build bigger, better, bolder, billion-dollar ships to attract budget-conscious travelers.

This year, the Norwegian Bliss (330m), Carnival Horizon (322m), and the MSC Seaview (323m), but the largest of them is the 362m Symphony of the Seas of Royal Caribbean, currently the largest cruise ship in the world.

Navigating to the Mediterranean for the northern hemisphere's summer season in Miami for a Caribbean cruise starting in November. The hope is that it will attract a whole new generation of cruisers.

As a floating city at sea, Symphony has room for 6680 pbadengers and 2200 crew members at full capacity. On its 18 decks you'll find multi-level slides, discos, ice rink, wave simulators, mini-golf, zipline, Broadway shows, 22 cafes and restaurants, bartenders and more. The symphony is a cacophony of entertainment of all ages and hours.

Of course, a boat like this is not going to please everyone. No matter how many areas to explore, being surrounded by over 6,000 other pbadengers is not everyone's ideal.

But, if you're looking for a non-stop party, or want a vacation where children will be constantly entertained while you have time to rest and relax, this could be for you.

I sailed on Symphony of the Seas in April for a two day preview cruise. Here is my guide to what's on board

Be active

The common perception of a cruise vacation is that the only exercise that you will go for a walk at the buffet and come back. But Symphony offers many opportunities to be active. Start your day with a water slide on one of the three water slides, then learn to ride the Flowrider wave simulator. Get a bird's eye view of the boardwalk with a trip through the zip line. Make your heart vibrate on the Ultimate Abyss – twin slides that float at the back of the boat, 45m above sea level, then show your strength on the climbing wall. You can also use the gym. make turns on the track that bypbades the fifth bridge; and pull hoops on the outdoor sports field on the 15th. If all else fails, get a good start by taking the stairs instead of one of the 24 guest elevators

Chill out

Of course, you also need time to relax, and Symphony is not just high-octane activities. The Solarium is the only indoor / outdoor adult sanctuary at the front of the boat, with hot tubs, sun loungers, palm trees (imitation), a bar and a restaurant. If you need more solitude, go to the Vitality Spa for manicures, pedicures, hair treatments, mbadages, wraps, facials, acupuncture. . . or intensify it with medi-spa treatments to eliminate wrinkles, and whitening procedures to give you a Hollywood smile

Hard Party

If sleep is your top priority, you may want to – be booking a different ship because Symphony of the Seas has a range of late night entertainment to keep you informed. There's karaoke every night at the On Air bar, the great silent nightclub at The Attic, and the novelty value of Rising Tide – where the whole bar goes up and down between the fifth and eighth bridges. The strongest drinks can be found at Bionic Bar, where you place your order on an iPad and two hydraulic robots mix and serve. They can make up to two glbades a minute and do not need a tip. And if you do not have enough, party until early morning at Studio B Nightclub. You can sleep when you are dead, is not it?

Fill Your Belly

In recent years, cruise ships have less talked about buffets and main dining rooms. . Symphony covers all bases, from seafood to Hooked, to Japanese to Izumi; top quality steaks at Chops Grille, to celebrate favorites such as Jamie's Italian; and destination restaurants covering Mexico in Manhattan. For an imaginative meal, go to Wonderland, where the menu is categorized by elements and not by course (Wind, Ice, Fire, Water and Earth), inspired by Lewis Carroll's décor and cuisine is a chef's favorite. breathtaking molecular gastronomic work. At the Boardwalk you will find pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream; and on deck five, there is Starbucks, very important for Americans.

Do not spread the buffet, of course. Here he calls Windjammer and offers a global cuisine for all meals, with the price included in your base rate. A great option to feed the family without eating in your budget

Family Fun

You will not have problems entertaining children. . . In fact, you may find that you never see them during the day because there is so much to do for them. They can be well supported in the Adventure Ocean program, which caters to children from 3 to 11 years old, with activities such as games, sports, music, science, art and music. theater. Young people aged 12 to 17 are also well supported, with pool parties, treasure hunts, video games, DJ training and thematic dance nights. For a quality family moment, try outdoor mini-golf, outdoor movie nights, arcade games, laser tag and ice skating. Or try your intelligence at Escape the Rubicon, a puzzle room where you have to find hidden clues and break through mysteries in less than an hour.

For the most epic adventure at sea, book a stay in the Ultimate Family Suite -Storey, 125sqm apartment on the 17th floor. It's filled with cool features, including an air hockey table, a Lego ground wall, and the movie theater, but the pièce de résistance is the bright orange slide, which leads from the kids room to the living room below . Of course, with this number of exclusive features, the Ultimate Family Suite is not cheap – seven nights for up to eight guests cost $ 35,000. This includes the services of your own butler, nicknamed the Royal Genie, and the right of your children to boast of being the coolest parents ever.

Entertainment

All this and you still want more? Well, agree. . . Here you are. There is the Aquatheater, where Olympic level divers and acrobats perform breathtaking waterfalls; the full performances of the Broadway Hairspray show; the ice skating shows specially created in 1977 and the iSkate; comedy clubs, live bands, cooking clbades, casinos and theme nights. . . Basically, when you arrive home, you will need a holiday of your vacation. But it's not the biggest ship at sea for nothing. . . as the saying goes, go ahead grow up or go home.

Environmental Initiatives

Okay, so a giant cruise ship will of course have an impact on the environment. In addition to the fuel burned to fuel it, and the food remains that can not be distributed on land because of the agricultural laws of the port destinations, there is also the issue of sustainable tourism. Do cities like Barcelona, ​​Rome and Florence need 6,000 new tourists who invade their ports every summer, and what do they do to local communities when they do?

"As the population grows,

People want to know the world around them," said Michael Bayly, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. how to prevent people from doing this, I think our time has to help invest, develop and design infrastructure and ways to accommodate the kind of inevitable growth. "

RCI It is committed to contributing to the local economies of the ports of call of its vessels.For example, when hurricanes hit the Caribbean and severely hit nations like Puerto Rico, Royal Caribbean studies how they can help.

"I met the governor of Puerto Rico and essentially all the Caribbean countries where [our ships] went," Richard Fain, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

"One of the things that they said that was absolutely consistent was," to get us out of hurricanes, we need cruise ships to help generate the Symphony of the Seas has some number of environmental initiatives and improvements in efficiency – the vessel is 25% more fuel efficient than the sister ship Allure of the Seas, which was launched eight years

The ship also eliminated the plastic straws and works to remove plastic agitators. "It's a trip," says Bayly. "It will take us some time before we can completely remove the consumable plastics."

But the company is trying to increase its environmental game.

She joined the World Wildlife Fund in £ 3.5 million (NZ $ 68m Five-Year Global Partnership for Ocean Conservation.

"They have really been great partners for Royal Caribbean, helping us reach our sustainability goals, "says Bayly," how can we be better environmental citizens for the world? live in. "

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