A Look Inside a Simulated Cruise on Symphony of the Seas
Simulation cruises are an important part of the industry’s return to service. Earlier this week, Premier Custom Travel’s owner Chris Grum was onboard one of these test voyages. Here is his review of this two-night voyage.
WHAT IS A SIMULATION CRUISE?
I was thrilled to receive an invitation to the Symphony of the Seas Simulation Voyage. Rusty, my Royal Caribbean International rep, had told me to expect it. But until I actually saw the email in my inbox, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I really wanted to be onboard for two reasons: First, as a travel advisor, it’s a great opportunity to show my customers an inside look at how the industry is working to return to service. And second, as someone who loves cruises as my own vacation choice, this was a chance to be on a ship after almost sixteen months of shutdown.
Before I get into the day-to-day, it’s important to understand WHY these simulation voyages are happening in the first place.
Cruise ships sailing from U.S. ports are currently required to operate under the CDC’s Conditional Sail Order (sometimes referred to as the CSO). This order, which is in effect until at least October 31, 2021, requires cruise lines and ships to follow one of two paths to a return of service:
Some cruise lines have chosen option A, while others have gone with option B. Either way, there are certainly those who will disagree with or be disappointed by either choice. Having now sailed under both rules, I will share my thoughts on both at the end of this post.
AN INVITATION AND A SET OF EXPECTATIONS
The official invitation arrived via email and offered a spot on the cruise for myself and one guest. I was asked to send our information (names, dates of birth, etc.) and wait for confirmation. The email warned that space was limited and that we were not guaranteed a spot. I filled it out within a few minutes of receipt and within a day or so, we had a booking confirmation. We were told that rooms would be randomly assigned, which is fine when you consider that they are not allowed to charge us anything for the cruise itself. It must be completely free and voluntary. We ended up with a nice balcony cabin with a large verandah on deck nine. It’s a location and room type I would have likely picked myself.
One of the other documents we received was the list of rules and expectations during the cruise. While the cruise itself was complimentary, we were expected to pay gratuities to the crew (and I’m 100% in support of that). They also discounted pretty much everything you could do on a cruise, giving us 50% off on drinks, specialty dining, shore excursions, and more.
While we were not one of them, some guests received an email telling them that they would be testing a specific protocol. For some, it was a request to arrive early or late to test the port’s reaction to people who show up outside of their scheduled time. Others were told to say they had a cough or a runny nose, also to test the port’s reaction to someone who shows symptoms of being ill. Although everyone on the simulation cruise had to be fully vaccinated, some were told that they would play the part of an unvaccinated guest to test those protocols onboard. I would not have minded any of the other options, but I’m certainly glad we were not designated as unvaccinated, as it would have limited what we could enjoy onboard. More on that shortly.
BOARDING THE SHIP
I had not sailed from Royal Caribbean’s new terminal in Miami before, and I must say that it is gorgeous. I particularly love the giant propellor decorations hanging from the ceiling and of course, the quote from Ferris Bueller on the wall as you enter.
Since there were only around 900 people on this voyage (on a ship that can hold over 6000), the boarding process was very smooth. We had the earliest arrival time – 11am. When we got to the terminal, there were about 10-20 people already in line, waiting for the doors to the terminal to open. When they did, we were directed to a series of podiums where agents checked our vaccination records and passports to verify that we were indeed fully vaccinated. The next step was to head up the escalator to another station where a similar process occurred. I’m not completely sure why they verified everything twice, but it really only took a few minutes. After heading through security, we went to the waiting area. But before we could even find a seat, they told us that boarding was open and we were welcome to head onto the ship. I wasn’t timing it, but I’d guess that the entire process took less than 20 minutes.
THE NEW MUSTER DRILL
Similar to our experience two weeks ago on Carnival, the muster drill has gone virtual. While we were in the Uber headed to the port, we got notification from the Royal Caribbean App to start our muster process. On the app, there are videos to watch and also a file that contains the sounds of the emergency signals. You must play all of these to their completion before you can proceed to the next step. The entire process took around 5 minutes. Once you board the ship, you proceed to your assigned muster station, where they check you in, show you how to wear a life jacket, and show you where to go in the event of an emergency. Once that is complete, you are done. No need to interrupt your first day onboard by standing outside or sitting in a lounge. They do still make the required announcements before sailing, but the e-muster process is really a breeze overall. This was something Royal Caribbean was developing prior to the pandemic, so it’s likely that this new version will remain forever and the days of assembling in a large group are gone.
SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS
Most people are not prepared for the size of the Oasis-class ships. I’ve sailed one before (Oasis of the Seas) and still, whenever I step onboard one of them, I’m in awe of the size and beauty of these vessels. Here is the ship’s “fact sheet” with some details about what you’ll find onboard:
During our two nights onboard, I took over 450 photos of the ship itself and over 100 on Royal Caribbean’s private island CocoCay. So if you want an in-depth look at the ship or the island, visit those albums on our Facebook page.
ONBOARD PROTOCOLS
Overall, the rules onboard were mostly unobtrusive and logical. The sign above was attached to every elevator bank and for the most part, people observed this rule. With only 900 or so onboard and a ton of elevators, this wasn’t really too much of a problem. I can imagine that at full capacity, this might be a bit more challenging, especially at peak times like dinner or when shows have just let out.
There were hand sanitizer stations everywhere, and often a crew member nearby to remind you to use them. We couldn’t enter a shop, restaurant, or lounge without being asked to sanitize. While I do appreciate the overall thought behind this rule, there were a few instances where it was taken to the extreme. For example, the Schooner Bar and Photo Gallery are directly opposite each other. On the second day, we left the bar and as we did, we were asked to sanitize. We then walked maybe 20 feet to the photo gallery entrance and were again asked to sanitize. Those crew members watched us leave the bar and watched us use the machine, and yet they asked us to do it again 20 seconds later. We had touched nothing along the way. If I had to guess, I’d say that we probably sanitized at least 40-50 times a day, if not more.
One of the smart things Royal Caribbean did is to implement the cards pictured above. These were on every table at every bar or lounge. If it said “Cleaned” you were welcome to sit there. When the waiter or waitress arrived, they would immediately flip the card to the other side. In certain areas, there were also seats blocked off to allow for social distancing. In the main theatre, the front two rows were completely blocked off to allow some distance between the audience and the performers.
Another great feature of this ship (and really something that should be on all ships) is a touchless opening device for the restroom doors. There is one outside and one inside, and both react when you wave your hand in front of them. While overall I was grateful for the crew’s diligence in getting us to clean our hands constantly, I think the bathrooms are one of the true problem areas for hand washing and I’m appreciative of any efforts to make the restroom process more sanitary.
VACCINATED VS UNVACCINATED & MASKS
While everyone onboard our voyage was fully vaccinated, the overall goal of this test cruise was to eventually allow for everyone to be able to sail on this ship. When Symphony does enter service officially later this month, there will be venues open to all and some open only to vaccinated guests.
The Royal Theater is a great example of how Royal plans to address the two different types of customers. Deck 4 of the theater was open only to vaccinated guests, while the upper level was open to anyone. The difference was the mask rules. Those who were fully vaccinated could remove their masks once they entered any venue that was designated only for those guests. In areas where it was a mix, masks were required unless you were actively drinking or eating. For the venues that were vaccinated only, there were stanchions and crew members limiting access and you had to show your wristband, which was proof of your vaccination status.
Masks were required when boarding and disembarking the ship in Miami. They were also required while moving around the ship on the inside. Once we were outside (lido deck, Central park, Boardwalk, etc.) we could remove the masks. They were also not required on the private island CocoCay. For restaurants, we were asked to wear our masks to and from the table. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about having to wear a mask, especially since I had just sailed with Carnival, where masks were not required at all once onboard. However, I didn’t find it to be very intrusive at all and if it keeps our industry going, then I’m fine with it.
It’s worth noting that as I write this, the Delta variant has caused the cruise lines to re-evaluate their mask policies and the Carnival brands are now more in line with what Royal Caribbean was doing on this voyage. Both companies are also now requiring a negative COVID-19 test for ALL passengers before boarding the ship.
IS IT WORTH IT?
I truly believe that the cruise industry as a whole is doing everything it can to safely return to service while delivering the best possible product under the restrictions currently in place. While I don’t expect all of these protocols to remain, they are the “new normal” for now and the question must be asked – are you getting the same value for your money under these rules?
If you read my Carnival Breeze Return to Cruise blogs, you may remember that overall, I found the cruise to be very similar to the pre-pandemic experience. However, I have no children and the experience for families might be very different from a value point of view. On Symphony of the Seas, we had an outstanding time overall. The crew was fantastic and, I must say, a bit less rusty for their first time out in sixteen months than was the Carnival team. To be fair, the Royal crew was only working with around 900 guests vs. almost 3000 for Carnival, so it might not be a fair comparison. In both instances, the crew was clearly happy to be back at work and treated us very well.
The downside, to me at least, is the restrictions in place for those who are not vaccinated. On Symphony of the Seas, there were a significant number of places you could not enjoy if you had not received your shots. I’m not sure I would want to sail unvaccinated, as I don’t think I would be receiving the value for my money as those who are vaccinated.
Bottom line is this – as a fully vaccinated guest, I feel that I received a great vacation from Carnival and even though I didn’t pay anything for my Royal Caribbean cruise, I feel like the value was there as well. In fact, we were sad that it was only two nights long. Some of you know about my previous issues sailing with this brand, and I’m happy to say that none of those were present this time. I would have been happy to stay onboard for the full week.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Below are a couple of fun-fact graphics about Symphony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, and Royal Caribbean’s private island CocoCay.
