Why Symphony of the Seas is the Ultimate Family Ship

PHOTO: Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean)

Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas edges out Harmony of the Seas as the world’s largest cruise ship, and it’s packed with even more experiences to entice families and millennials.

Symphony measures 228,081 gross tons, compared to Harmony's 226,963 gross tons. It can carry up to 6,680 passengers.

Most of them are travelling as families, and a sizable percentage will be millennials, according to Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. He said a Gallup Poll ranked Royal Caribbean as the No. 1 cruise line for millennials.

Since millennials crave experiences, the bigger the ship, the more activities and variety it can offer, Bayley said. Plus, Royal Caribbean puts a lot of energy into its marketing, with a heavy focus on digital advertising and action-packed videos in online communications.

The Ultimate Family Suite

Spread across 1,346 square feet on two levels, this one-of-a-kind (for now) suite was designed to please all ages. Extensive market research uncovered the most desired elements of a dream home at sea for kids, teens and parents, and bundled them into one fabulous space.

The Ultimate Family Suite is outfitted with a bright orange in-room slide, a cinema with an 85-inch HD TV and a popcorn machine, a floor-to-ceiling LEGO wall and other fun, whimsical features. The 212-square-foot balcony has table tennis, a climbing structure and full-sized whirlpool.

The suite sleeps eight, has three bathrooms and seven televisions.

Laura Hodges, vice president of guest experience for Royal Caribbean, said an important selling point for parents is that the suite is so cool teens will want to hang out with them. “It creates family bonding in an unforced way,” she said.

Pricing for the suite is based on demand/seasonality and averages $45,000 to $80,000 per week, including the services of a Royal Genie, a butler of sorts who strives to make all wishes come true.

A Better Boardwalk

On other Oasis-class ships, the Boardwalk appeals mainly to children, with its carousel, Johnny Rockets burger joint and hot dog stand. Aboard Symphony, this neighbourhood has “come alive,” according to Vicki Freed, senior vice president-sales, trade support and service. “It was a kids’ zone. We wanted to expand it into a whole family zone,” she said.

So now there's also the family-friendly Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, with 31 big-screen TVs, arcade games and bar food like burgers and fries to go with the craft beers and cocktails. And, just across the way, the new Sugar Beach sells ice cream and candy.

More Casual Dining Choices

Besides Playmakers, Symphony has two other new casual dining spots. The seafood restaurant Hooked is found in the upper level of the Solarium. Hooked serves fare like lobster rolls, crab claws, oysters shucked to order and the signature "Messy Fish Sandwich."

For fast food Mexican style in the Pool and Sports Zone, El Loco Fresh offers tacos, quesadillas, nachos and burritos at a counter with serve-yourself salsas and toppings.

Fabulous Shows

In the Royal Theater, Broadway hit “Hairspray” is having a return run for Royal Caribbean, along with the new “Flight: Dare to Dream,” that starts with a flight to Mars and goes back to the Wright Brothers, with a 22-foot aeroplane that actually flies in the show.

Studio B’s spectacular new “1977” ice skating extravaganza starts in a dazzling way: with 48 drones buzzing in a choreographed routine. It continues with incredible projections on a high-definition screen under the ice, snow falling and Olympics-caliber skaters.

The AquaTheater’s new show “AquaNation” features daring stunts like high-divers and tightrope walking.

Adventure Ocean Youth Programming

Symphony has Royal Caribbean’s youth program and dedicated spaces for ages 3 to 17 in four distinct age groups, plus Royal Babies (ages 6-18 months) and Royal Tots (18-36 months).

Thrills and Chill

New on Symphony, the Studio B ice rink converts into a glow-in-the-dark laser challenge, “Battle for Planet Z.” Plus, the ship reprises Royal Caribbean action thrills like The Ultimate Abyss slide that plunges nearly 100 feet, The Perfect Storm trio of water slides, a pair of FlowRiders for surfing, a zip line over the Boardwalk and two rock-climbing walls. There’s an escape room challenge, too.

Younger kids can have fun with the spray jets and dump bucket at Splashaway Bay.

There are also places to chill, like the quiet, adults-only Solarium with its dipping pool and the family-friendly mini-golf course.

Fantasy and Reality Mix on Harmony of the Seas

The world’s largest cruise ship — Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas — provides guests with a perfect blend of the ordinary and extraordinary

Escape from the everyday has always been a prime goal of vacationing. Travelers on a cruise not only want to travel to other parts of the world, but they also want to travel away from ordinary living — and many will try things they wouldn’t at home.

Nobody knows that better than Royal Caribbean International. The company’s most recent ship, the 5,479-passenger Harmony of the Seas, offers travelers a safe intersection between idealized reality and wild fantasy.

Nothing could be more centered in an iconic form of reality than the awnings and sidewalk tables of dining venue Sorrento’s pizzeria or the trees and benches of the vessel’s Central Park. But guests will also find fantastical elements onboard, such as a 5-ton metallic human head sculpture by Czech artist David Cerny; a greatly expanded; robotic bartenders; bracelets that open doors; and the “stowaway piano player,” which could appear on the ship’s elevators, by the buffet and in other unexpected places. In kid-centric waterpark Splashaway Bay, sea creature double as water cannons, and in optical illusions and more transform divers, acrobats and high-flying performers. 

Guests can feel like the main character of author Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” when they dine in Wonderland restaurant, which has been expanded to two decks and offers "maddeningly delicious" menu items and magical, elegant decor. Mysterious elixirs whisper “Drink me,” dishes arrive shrouded in smoke, and the magic extends to the flavors of the unusual menu. 

Out on deck, the familiar fantasy of the carousel is paired with the much more unusual ride of the ship’s new slides, which have been transformed from slippery speed runs to full sensory experiences. The most dramatic slide, Ultimate Abyss, has a drop of 150 feet and features twin slides made of stainless steel tubes about 2.5 feet in diameter. Adventurous guests step from a glass platform onto special mats and launch themselves at 9 mph through the toothy jaws of a fish along a twisting route 10 decks down, accompanied by audio effects. 

With all of its special features, which are brand new and brought over from earlier Quantum- and Oasis-class ships, Harmony of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship and 25th in the Royal fleet, comes in at a cost of more than $1billion. 

Arriving in Barcelona in early June, the vessel will launch initial inaugural sailings of 34 seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises. In November, it will arrive in the U.S., settling in its homeport of Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. 

Royal confirms plans for fifth Oasis-class ship

Royal confirms plans for fifth Oasis-class ship

Royal Caribbean Cruises has confirmed plans to build a fifth Oasis-class ship and two more ships for Celebrity Cruises.

The parent company of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises has signed a memorandum of understanding with French shipyard STX France for a fifth Oasis ship, to be delivered in Spring 2021. It comes just days following the launch of the third Oasis-class ship, Harmony of the Seas (pictured). The fourth in class will launch in 2018.

An order has also been placed for two additional Edge-class ships for sister brand Celebrity Cruises, being delivered in autumn 2021 and 2022.

The line already has two Edge vessels on order, the first coming in 2018 and the second in 2020. Each will carry 2,900 passengers.

Royal Caribbean Cruises chairman and chief executive, Richard Fain, said: “The response to the arrival of Harmony of the Seas is staggering, eliciting excitement from eager cruisers from markets on both sides of the Atlantic.

“And Edge-class is one of the most highly anticipated new projects, following the high bar of Modern Luxury design set by its predecessors.”

Royal Caribbean International boss, Michael Bayley, added that the positive response to Harmony was proof that “this class of ship will continue to drive exceptional performance for the brand”.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and chief executive of Celebrity, said: “Although our first Edge-class vessel is still over two years away from delivery, there has been a tremendous amount of interest around the new standard of style Edge-class will introduce.”

Final contracts for the ships are set to be complete this financial quarter.

Royal Caribbean seeks new terminal in Miami

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has started negotiations aimed at building a new $100 million terminal at Port Miami that would accommodate Oasis-class ships.

Specifications call for a 170,000-square-foot terminal with a berth of 400 meters, or about 1,312 feet. Oasis of the Seas is 1,186 feet long.

The specifications are in a memorandum of understanding to be considered by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 16. If approved, the memorandum would become a roadmap for a final negotiation. The memorandum said the terminal is “assumed to become operational” by the end of 2018.

“By the nature of a memorandum of understanding, there is still a long road to go,” said Rob Zeiger, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of communications.

Royal Caribbean currently docks at Terminal G at the port, the closest one to downtown Miami. The new terminal would be built partly on a cargo area in the easternmost part of the port furthest from downtown. Designated Terminal A, it would be developed and owned by Royal Caribbean except for a small contribution from the county.

The agreement, which would last for a minimum of 20 years, calls for Royal Caribbean to pay an initial rent on leasing the land beneath the terminal for $9.5 million a year, or about $250 million over the life of the agreement, after annual escalators. The lease would have four 10-year optional extensions. A summary of the memorandum calls it a new model for financing terminals at the port.

“This deal structure is extremely attractive to the port because it transfers risk from the county to a private company,” said the summary, signed by Jack Osterholt, deputy county mayor.

The memorandum said that ever since Miami lost the deployment of Oasis and Allure of the Seas to Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades in 2009, the port has been talking with Royal Caribbean about ways to boost the number of passengers. Currently, that number is about 730,000 a year.