CRUISE SHIP REVIEWS DESTINATIONS
TRIED & TESTED by Jane Archer
Symphony of the Seas
R
oyal Caribbean International gives you all sorts of stats
about Ultimate Abyss, the two ferocious-looking tube slides on new ship Symphony of the Seas. At 100ft, they are the tallest
slides at sea. They take you plunging between decks 16 and six in about 13 seconds. You’ll be travelling at around 10mph. What they neglect to mention
is that to get to the slides, which you ride with feet and legs tucked safely in a sack, you have to cross a glass platform some 150ft above sea level. Most probably don’t even
notice; for those of us who don’t do heights, getting across is more challenging than the hair-raising plunge from the sports zone to the Boardwalk below. But it’s one of those things you just have to do if you’re coming aboard.
w BIGGER AND BETTER Launched in March, Symphony of the Seas is the fourth in Royal Caribbean’s series of world’s biggest ships that started with Oasis of the Seas in 2009. In the spirit of evolution, each has been a little bigger and, dare one say, a little better. Royal Caribbean president and chief executive officer Michael Bayley says: “We design ships with tradition, revolution and evolution in mind. There is something for every demographic on these ships.” So while Symphony matches
predecessor Harmony of the Seas in terms of length and width (if standing upright they would be
taller than the Eiffel Tower), it steals the world’s largest cruise ship title from Harmony by being 2,000 tons heavier. It is a whopping 228,081 tons, the same as 17,000 African elephants, in case anyone is wondering. As for being better, top prize
definitely goes to a new glow-in- the-dark laser tag game, where teams of robots and aliens do battle for control of Planet Z (the ‘planet’ is actually an inflatable maze on top of the ice-rink in Studio B; when it’s not in action, there are ice-skating sessions). It’s great fun, if impossible to comply with the ‘no running’ rule.
w DINNER TIME Among other new features, Symphony has seafood restaurant Hooked and a diner-cum-sports bar called Playmakers, with 31 TVs and a pub grub menu. Both cost extra and join a line-
up of restaurants that include returning favourites Jamie’s Italian, Chops Grille steakhouse, 150 Central Park and Wonderland, which pairs quirky decor with eccentric dishes such as ‘crispy crab cones’ and ‘snap, crackle and pork’. Restaurant prices range from $39 to $49 per person. Among complimentary options
are El Loco Fresh, a new outdoor Mexican diner, and meals in the main dining room or Windjammer self-service. There are also free sandwiches, salads, pastries and pizza in the Park Cafe on Central Park, an area planted with real shrubs and trees, and the cafes and bars that line the two-deck- high Royal Promenade. Royal Caribbean was behind the curve when it came to putting water slides on its ships, but made up for it with Perfect Storm (pictured), a trio of flumes
that debuted on Harmony and also feature on Symphony. Two are straightforward slides – even if there’s nothing straight about the way they twist and turn – but the third takes you into a bowl that you whizz around before plunging out.
w ROOM WITH A VIEW Some of the ship’s extra weight can be attributed to the fact that more cabins have been added (there are 2,759 v 2,747 on Harmony), taking the total passenger count to 5,518 at double occupancy, or a maximum of 6,680 when all berths are full. Among accommodation options, a new family loft suite has a slide for kids to get from their bedroom to the lounge below, a Lego wall, a climbing wall on the balcony and a price tag from £30,000 a week. Children will love it of course, but I suspect parents would swap its dazzling orange and yellow colour scheme for one of the other loft suites, whose decor is gorgeous. They also come with complimentary speciality dining, drinks packages and free Wi-Fi, and are attended by a ‘Royal genie’ (butler). Entertainment is a mix of old
and new, with musical Hairspray making a return after its debut on Oasis back in 2009, and a home- grown theatre production about flying. 1977 is an ice-skating show with special effects that even create a whale beneath the ice. In the open-air AquaTheater,
a feature on all the Oasis- class ships, divers plunge from 10-metre-high boards into tiny pools below. It does make tackling Ultimate Abyss seem rather tame, but who cares. There is something for everyone on this ship, even if it’s just overcoming one’s irrational fears!
28 June 2018
travelweekly.co.uk 39
PICTURES: ROYAL CARIBBEAN/JORDAN LUTES & DANI GILLCRIST
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