Sea Day on Symphony of the Seas
A day at sea on a cruise ship is a welcome reprieve from the bustle of daily life and the potentially hectic nature of embarkation day.
Here’s how we spent our first sea day on Symphony of the Seas.
Late Breakfast in the Main Dining Room
Like sleeping in? No problem! On a sea day you can enjoy a leisurely late breakfast in the main dining room if you’d like. Rather than the busy buffet, you can order off a menu and have the full traditional dining experience in main dining room.
Fresh Fruit
You can pretty much always order a fresh fruit plate at any meal, even if you don’t see it on the menu. 😉 The fruit varieties will vary based on what is available, but we started off colorfully here with a lovely mix of pineapple, cantaloupe, red grapes, strawberries and kiwi!
Cinnamon Swirl Danish
Much like the bread basket served at dinner in the main dining room, at breakfast time there are offerings of a variety of danishes and breakfast pastries. Our personal favorite was this cinnamon swirl danish. It’s almost a puff pastry cinnamon roll. Ask for it specifically if you don’t see it! 😉
Portugal Travel tip: There is a similar pastry in Portugal that we sometimes see in the bakery section of the grocery store called Continente. If you see it, give it a try!
French Toast
Two slices of thick-cut brioche dipped in Royal Caribbean’s signature batter and cooked until golden brown. Served with berries, whipped cream, and maple syrup.
You can also add sides like bacon, sausage, sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese grits, hash brown potatoes, corned beef hash, or a fruit cup to your breakfast order!
Brunch on Symphony of the Seas
We were able to order more breakfast-y foods (as mentioned above) and more lunch-y foods, so Royal Caribbean really offers a nice, free brunch in their main dining room. This is great if some in your party like to eat “real food” (like a steak, lol) while others want pancakes and French toast.
Iceberg Wedge Salad
Chilled iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, crispy bacon and chives drizzled with blue cheese dressing.
If you like crunchy iceberg lettuce, blue cheese dressing and crispy bacon then you can’t go wrong with this wedge salad.
Steak Frites
Grilled sirloin topped with creamy béarnaise sauce and served with crispy truffle fries.
Alert! This was one of the best things I ate on Symphony of the Seas! ‼️
We’ll always laugh about the moment when the waiter brought a second steak to our table because someone ordered the dish thinking they were ordering “steak FRIES”. Whoops! 🙂
Coconut Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Despite being recommended by waiters on Royal Caribbean and Princess, I have yet to have a coconut cake with raspberry sauce on a cruise that was noteworthy.
Boardwalk Neighborhood on Symphony of the Seas
Day two on a cruise is a continuation of the exploration that began on embarkation day. Let’s check out the Boardwalk Neighborhood – an iconic feature of Oasis Class Ships.
Boardwalk Dog House
The Boardwalk Dog House is a free dining option on Symphony of the Seas which specializes in, you guessed it, crafted hot dogs!
Boardwalk Dog House Sample Menu
At the Dog House you can order things like:
- Coney Island Dog (all-beef)
- The Big Apple (chicken and apple)
- German (Thuringer old world style Pork dog)
- The Smoke House (smoked bratwurst)
You can add toppings like sautéed mixed peppers, sautéed onions, and sauerkraut along with classic condiments – ketchup, mustard, and relish.
Consider adding a side of Potato Salad or Cole slaw to round it out.
Which Royal Caribbean Ships Have Dog House?
Find Dog House on the following RC ships:
- Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas
Arcade & Sugar Beach Sweet Shop
As you stroll down the Boardwalk on deck 6 of Symphony, you’ll find arcade games and Sugar Beach.
What is Sugar Beach?
Sugar Beach is the name of the sweet shop on Symphony of the Seas. You have to pay extra to play the arcade games or indulge in the rainbow walls of candy at Sugar Beach. These activities are not included in your cruise fare.
Boardwalk Carousel
On the other hand, the carousel (aka merry-go-round) on Symphony of the Seas is totally free and fun for all ages!
It’s pretty cool there is a merry-go-round on a cruise ship.
The horses are hand carved and as you enter the Boardwalk Neighborhood you will see a series of carousel horses in varying stages of completion leading up to the merry-go-round.
Love seeing a bit of the creative process behind this classic amusement park ride.
What is a Boardwalk Balcony?
There is a unique and controversial balcony type on some of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships called a “Boardwalk Balcony“. These balcony cabins are not on the exterior of the ship, facing the ocean. Instead, they actually face inside the ship and overlook the Boardwalk Neighborhood.
The balconies you see in the picture above are the boardwalk balconies. A Boardwalk Balcony Stateroom Cabin Review is on the horizon, so stay tuned. 😉
Can You See the Ocean From a Boardwalk Balcony?
Some Boardwalk Balcony rooms do have a view of the ocean from their balcony. Real Pictures of the views from cabins 10272 and 12329 are coming soon to help you pick the best boardwalk balcony room for your cruise!
Aqua Theater on Symphony of the Seas
The aqua theater is found at the aft of the ship (back) and is a unique feature of Royal Caribbean’s Entertainment. Shows in the aqua theater are full of impressive feats including high dives and acrobatics.
Symphony of the Seas Tip: If you sit in the front rows of the aqua theater, beware as you will likely get splashed. 🙂
If you have stacks of cash, consider booking an AquaTheater Suite. In your spacious suite with wrap around balcony, you can enjoy rear ocean views and never fight for a seat at the aqua shows!
In this panoramic picture you can see the rear ocean views, the Aqua Theater & Suites, the large screens (which, by the way, sometimes play sporting events) as well as the two rock climbing walls and the Ultimate Abyss Slide.
The Ultimate Abyss
The Ultimate Abyss is a giant dry slide (as in a normal slide, not a water slide) which drops 10 stories! It’s faster than the elevators 😉
You get in a special mat to go down the slide which helps ensure a smooth sliding experience. It’s really fun and I recommend doing it at least once for street-cred, if you know what I mean. :p
The Ultimate Abyss slide is free. The rock climbing walls are also a free activity on Symphony of the Seas!
Packing Tip: Pack lace up tennis shoes/trainers if you want to participate in the rock wall or zip line. Shoes must have laces in order to participate. If you have slide on sneakers you won’t be permitted. It’s for the safety of those below – no one wants to get hit by your shoe if it somehow slipped off.
Secret Loungers on Symphony
If you climb the stairs near the rock climbing walls in the Boardwalk Neighborhood, you have a chance of finding a secluded little area with just a few chairs to relax in and watch the clouds roll by.
All this exploring of the Boardwalk on deck 6 worked up an appetite and we hadn’t yet visited the pizzeria onboard so we popped down to deck 5 to remedy that!
Pizza Blog
Sorrento’s Pizzeria
You will not need a dining package to eat at Sorrento’s as it is not a specialty dining restaurant. Sorrento’s Pizzeria is a free restaurant on Symphony of the Seas!
Sorrento’s Pizzeria is casual, free cruise ship pizza.
Is it the best pizza at sea? We can’t say because we haven’t tried them all.. yet 😉 But is it a solid pizza? For sure.
When you want a quick slice, Sorrento’s is the spot. They are also the free food venue that is pretty much always open, so if you wake up at 2am and somehow you are hungry, you can count on Sorrento’s.
Once the buffet (The Wind Jammer) is closed, Sorrento’s is a reliable place to hydrate as they have a water station set up. Of course you can also ask for water at any bar as well.
Sorrento’s Pizza Royal Caribbean Photo Review
Sorrento’s pizza offers a solid, thin crust pizza on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships.
The menu for Sorrento’s changes daily but you can pretty much always get a classic cheese or pepperoni pizza, as well as a vegetarian option and gluten free pizzas on request!
The crust always has these small holes on the underside and does tend to get some nice browning and is on the crispy side.
If you so desire you can add a sprinkle of oregano and red pepper. You can dine in at Sorrento’s and be part of the Royal Promenade atmosphere, or take your slices somewhere with a view, like we did. 🙂
Free Zipline on Symphony of the Seas
Can you see yourself in this picture? On the right side, just about to land after finishing this zipline on a cruise ship!? You can do it and it’s totally free! Just remember to pack your lace-up shoes.
I love this vantage point from the pool deck (deck 15) looking toward the back of the ship and down on part of the Boardwalk Neighborhood.
Above you see the 8 or so decks worth of Boardwalk Balcony Rooms. Notice the view of the ocean at the back of the ship and the way these balcony rooms get some fresh air and natural light even though they are facing the inside of the ship.
The Ultimate Abyss’ purple slides end on the Boardwalk (deck 6) and right at the Johnny Rockets restaurant in case you want a milkshake. 🙂
Mini Golf on Symphony of the Seas
On the other end of deck 15 is a Mini Golf course which is also free, of course! We came back another day to play a round, but as you can see it’s very cute with lots of little themed elements for taking classic family vacation mini golf pics.
Flow Rider & Ultimate Abyss
It was about time to get ready for dinner, but we decided to just run up to deck 16 real quick to see where the entrance to the Ultimate Abyss slide was and get the low-down on the flow rider.
Would you climb in the mouth of this giant angler fish and slide down 10 stories?!
Flow Rider Instructions & Warnings
The flow rider is a surf simulator that you can enjoy for free on Symphony of the Seas.
Unlike some other Royal Caribbeans which have just one flowrider, Symphony actually has two. This is great because those who are ready to truly surf can enjoy dedicated time while others who are new or just want to bodyboard can have a blast on the other.
In addition to these boards, you do have to do a short training and sign a waiver to use the flow rider. You will be given a wristband which indicates you have completed these steps and if you are qualified for bodyboarding only or for flow-boarding (stand up like surfing)
Dinner in the Main Dining Room — What We Ordered
Crispy Buttermilk Calamari
Golden fried squid rings served with a fresh fennel salad and chipotle-lime aioli.
Also shown is another shot of the cheesy dinner roll, but mainly because this Echte Boter (butter) was so delicious! Since cruise ships are sailing all over the world and sourcing food in each port, you do get to try some unique varieties of ordinary things – butter included!
Seafood Linguine
Al dente ribbon pasta tossed with a Chardonnay cream sauce, sautéed bay scallops, shrimp, and mussels.
Roasted Beef Tenderloin
Roasted and carved with creamy mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a rich peppercorn sauce.
Creme Brulee
Smooth, rich vanilla custard topped with a crackly caramelized sugar topping. A Royal classic.
Cappuccino Chocolate Cake
Individual Mini Salad Cups
Just loved the presentation of these little salad cups in the Wind Jammer Buffet. Great idea for dinner party salad appetizers inspired by travel.
This brings us to the end of our Sea Day on Symphony. We actually have another sea day ahead before stopping in beautiful Aruba.
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