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Symphony of the Seas

Oasis-class cruise ship · flagged in The Bahamas. Browse upcoming sailings and route previews for this ship.

Image via Wikimedia Commons
Tonnage
228,081
Capacity
2,200
Built
2,018
Length
361.011 m
Upcoming
75

Reviewer read

One of the fleet's best ships. Not one of its best values.

Symphony of the Seas rates higher overall than 94% of the ships we track. Cabins and entertainment are exceptional. The weak spot is value — and a small but very consistent signal says it is getting worse.

Why reviewers choose it

  • Cabins9.2

    Higher than 98% of ships · 2,022 ratings

  • Entertainment9.1

    Higher than 98% of ships · 1,939 ratings

  • Activities8.9

    Higher than 96% of ships · 1,570 ratings

  • Service9.3

    Higher than 95% of ships · 1,948 ratings

The one caution

6.9out of 10 for value

Higher than only 43% of ships. The typical ship scores 6.96.

Of the 18 reviewers who described value changing over time, 17 said it got worse.

Consistent, but only 18 people said it.

Of the 159 reviewers who wrote about it, 32% were positive.

Everything else, in three lines

Eight categories rate in the top tenth of the fleet — cabins, entertainment, activities, service, embarkation, ship quality, dining and fitness.

Family rates that highly too, but only 66 people scored it, so treat it as a hint.

Two are good without being remarkable: disembarkation (higher than 83% of ships) and public areas (higher than 71% of ships).

One falls below the fleet: value (higher than only 43% of ships).

Covered in full above.

Cabin grade barely matters here. The inside, oceanview, balcony and suite grades all score between 9.07 and 9.15. Pick on price and position, not on rating.

Three places worth knowing about

  • Windjammer The one people argue about48% positive · 300 comments
  • Hairspray The show people mention most87% positive · 297 comments
  • Central Park The best-liked space on board91% positive · 141 comments

Reviewers named 12 places by name. These 3 are the ones where knowing changes anything — the other 9 are all liked by 71% to 94% of the people who mentioned them.

Who says it suited them

Families with young kids (104 of 130), first-time cruisers (83 of 86), families with teens (41 of 46), couples (24 of 32), solo travelers (14 of 19) and large groups (14 of 15).

No group described it as a poor fit.

What we can’t tell you

How it suits older travelers
Too few reviewers on this ship described traveling as seniors.
How it handles mobility needs
Too few reviewers mentioned accessibility here.
Whether it's good value today
Reviews describe the fare people paid, not the one you'll be quoted.

Every category, compared

The mark on each bar is where the typical ship sits.

CategoryRatingCompared with other shipsEvidence
Ship quality9.5Higher than 93%1,563 ratings · broad
Service9.3Higher than 95%1,948 ratings · broad
Embarkation9.3Higher than 94%1,982 ratings · broad
Cabins9.2Higher than 98%2,022 ratings · broad
Disembarkation9.2Higher than 83%1,565 ratings · broad
Entertainment9.1Higher than 98%1,939 ratings · broad
Activities8.9Higher than 96%1,570 ratings · broad
Dining8.6Higher than 93%1,985 ratings · broad
Family8.3Higher than 97%66 ratings · limited
Fitness8.2Higher than 90%322 ratings · useful
Public areas8.2Higher than 71%405 ratings · useful
Value6.9Higher than only 43%380 ratings · useful

2,161 published reviews · 593 from the last three years · 17,731 individual comments read.

On the chart

Upcoming sailings on Symphony of the Seas