Symphony of the Seas

Symphony’s top deck is packed with things to do. Two FlowRider surf simulators let you surf or bodyboard, and the zip line flies you across the open-air Boardwalk while the ship sails. The Ultimate Abyss dry slide drops all the way down to the Boardwalk and is one of the fastest at sea. There’s also the Symphony Dunes mini golf course, a full sports court, and the Wipeout Bar with stadium seating beside the FlowRider.

The pool deck has a main pool, a beach pool where the bottom loungers sit right in the water, a sports pool for volleyball, and Splashaway Bay, a splash zone with a slide for little kids. The Perfect Storm adds three waterslides: two racers and Supercell, a champagne-bowl slide you swirl around before dropping out the bottom. Cantilevered whirlpools hang off the sides of the ship, with glass behind you and TVs above.

The Solarium is an adults-only retreat on two levels at the front of the ship, with plush loungers, day beds, hot tubs, a bar and a pool with a see-through acrylic wall. Chairs curve around to face the bow and the sides. The Solarium Bistro serves a complimentary buffet, including Indian dishes Danny enjoys. Upstairs, Hooked Seafood, which debuted on Symphony, is a New England seafood shack with oysters and lobster rolls (extra cost).

Adventure Ocean is included in your fare for potty-trained kids from age 3, with Aquanauts, Explorers and Voyagers groups, a science lab, the Imagination Studio and its own theater. Royal Babies & Tots cares for little ones from 6 to 36 months (extra cost). Teens 12 to 17 get the Living Room lounge and the Fuel teen club. Families can share Escape the Rubicon, laser tag in Studio B and the Challengers arcade (extra cost).

Symphony still has Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine, where you paint your menu with water to reveal it and dishes look like one thing but taste like another. The specialty lineup also includes Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Jamie’s Italian, Izumi Hibachi & Sushi and Hooked Seafood. Most carry an extra cost unless you have a dining package. At Izumi, Danny’s family loves the hibachi tables, and you can still order sushi there.

Central Park is an open-air garden in the middle of the ship and a signature of the Oasis Class, with thousands of live plants and living walls that climb several decks. It’s home to Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Jamie’s Italian, the Vintages wine bar and the Trellis Bar. Park Café serves grab-and-go salads, paninis and a carvery. The Rising Tide bar slowly rides three decks between the Royal Promenade and the park.

The Royal Theater stages the Broadway musical Hairspray and Flight, a Royal Caribbean original that tells the history of flying in reverse, from a trip to Mars back to the Wright brothers. Studio B hosts ice shows, open skating and Battle for Planet Z laser tag. Nearby, Entertainment Place has live music at Jazz on 4, comedy and silent parties in The Attic, and a large casino with table games and live poker.

The Boardwalk is an open-air seaside pier with a hand-carved wooden carousel, the Dog House, Sugar Beach for candy and ice cream (extra cost), Johnny Rockets, and Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, which debuted on Symphony. The Ultimate Abyss lands here too, next to two rock climbing walls. At the far end, the AquaTheater stage turns into a deep pool for HiRO, a show of high dives, acrobatics and special effects.