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Why Symphony of the Seas is a world record-breaker

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Symphony of the Seas due to be handed over by STX France next month
When Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Symphony of the Seas, debuts in April the vessel will be the world’s largest cruise ship.

At 228,081gt it beats current world record holder, 226,963gt Harmony of the Seas.

With the sisters measuring the same length at 1,188ft, how is the newbie claiming the record?

Seatrade Cruise News found out why during a sneak peak of Symphony on a visit to the STX France shipyard in St Nazaire this week (see video below).

‘It revolves around a couple of key new features’, explains Mark Tamis, svp hotel operations.

Symphony has 28 more staterooms, 14 balconies and 14 interiors overlooking the boardwalk. In total though, the net result is 15 more staterooms as Symphony launches with one two-level 980sq ft Ultimate Family Suite that sleeps eight and includes a cinema room with popcorn machine, in-room slide, LEGO wall, air-hockey table and whirlpool on the balcony.

The other main volume and weight difference is found on decks 14 and 15 in the Solarium which is much larger on Symphony and features a plunge pool with glass walls looking out to sea, plus a double storey fully air-conditioned space housing two eateries, Solarium Retreat and debut seafood restaurant Hooked, with full length outside glass walls offering expansive views.

In addition, the decked area below will have more glass paneling replacing the much lighter ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) panelling found throughout in this space on Harmony.

The Solarium also features ‘Big Wonder,’ an architecturally integrated sculpture weighing seven tons and featuring 3,800 dichroic glass panels and 10,000 individual RGB lights.

Symphony’s North American master, Captain Rob Hempstead, who is preparing to take Symphony of her first sea trials, starting Thursday, says the newest ship in the fleet is ‘every bit an improvement on Harmony and will be smoother, can go faster using less energy, and provides all the latest tools to manage speed of data making it even more efficient.’

Like her sisters Symphony features neighborhoods, varied dining, Bionic Bar robot bartenders powered by Makr Shakr, ice rink, Broadway-calibre entertainment, the waterfront AquaTheater, the Perfect Storm trio of waterslides and Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea and Central Park, complete with 12,000 plants and trees loving tendered by five resident horiculturists.

On entertainment, Hairspray is the featured Broadway-style show whilst Royal Caribbean has created its own production Flight: Dare to Dream which celebrates aerospace through the ages and starts with a journey to Mars and then follows the history of flight back to the Wright Brothers’ first adventure featuring a replica plane which will fly from above the stage and out over the theatre audience.

‘Everyone is somewhat nerdy nowadays and becoming experts on everything, so we require to add an extra layer of complexity in our entertainment offering,’ remarked Nick Weir, vp entertainment. RCI teamed with an ex resident of the Space Station to advise on the show and the production team went to the Johnson Space Center to get a real feel of space travel to enhance the show offering, he added.

On the f&b front, in addition to Hooked, the line’s first seafood brasserie, El Loco Fresh Mexican will offer fresh and Mexican bites, Arcade, Sugar Beach candy and ice-cream shop, offering over 100 sweets, and Playmakers Sports Bar with 40 large screens showing live sport from around the world and serving burgers, fries and chicken wings.

Symphony of the Seas’ maximum guest capacity is 6,680, spread across 2,759 staterooms. The crew complement is 2,200.

Handover to Royal Caribbean International is March 23. The ship then proceeds to the Mediterranean for summer homeport of Barcelona, due to arrive March 29. Weekly cruises Civitavecchia (Rome), Palma de Mallorca, La Spezia, Marseille and Naples start April 7.

At the end of the summer Symphony sails transatlantic to the US, arriving at PortMiami in early November for her naming ceremony and to begin seven-night Caribbean itineraries.