Red, White and Royal Blue
Galveston, TX
July 4, 2026
Happy 250th Birthday America... From the Symphony of the Seas!
Morning
Despite it being a Saturday and a holiday, we left the house earlier than we normally would since there was a World Cup game being played in Houston at noon. We made our traditional stop at Kolache Factory and were on the island shortly after 9AM, which was really early, but the parking lot was still PACKED. Once we got parked we dropped off our bags at 9:35AM and were checked in at 9:44AM.
This sign always gives me all the feels... It's go time!
The boarding announcements started at 10:10AM with Suites and the Key guests. We were called as Diamond guests at 10:14AM and we heard the first "ding" at 10:17AM. Once onboard, we immediately went to our Muster Station to get checked in.
We have arrived... It's going to be a GREAT Cruise!
We have made it and we are ready to make this the BEST CRUISE EVER!
Luke really wanted to go to the Windjammer for lunch when they opened so we could be one of the first in the Windjammer and get the crew's welcome so we obliged. This happened to us on the Anthem of the Seas 2025 and Luke LOVED it! (Classic rookie mistake- NEVER eat at the buffet on embarkation day. It's just TOO busy and luggage everywhere). We were there before it opened and it was still a hot mess. The Oasis class Windjammer is so compact compared to Voyager or even Freedom class ships. TIP- Seriously, try to avoid the WJ on embarkation day. Royal Caribbean offers SO MUCH more; such as, Cafe Promenade, Sorrento's, Park Cafe, Boardwalk Doghouse and even Playmakers (for a fee). The buffet will be there ALL week. Avoid the chaos and enjoy a less crowded venue on embarkation day!
Yay... We got the Welcome Celebration from the Crew!
Royal Caribbean really knows how to celebrate... EVERYTHING!
Once we were done with lunch we went to the back of Deck 15 to sign all of the Flowrider waivers for the kids and got our first drink of the trip at the Wipe-Out Bar. Luke got into his swimsuit and he was the first person on the Flowrider and he loved it.
Cheers to Cruise #30!
Afternoon
We all met at Boleros around 12:30PM to wait for our stateroom to be ready at 1PM. Once we got to Deck 11, there was an actual line to get into staterooms... I had never seen anything like it. Once at our side-by-side interior staterooms, we found all of our luggage and unpacked it all quickly.
Embarkation Day and July 4th on the Symphony DID NOT disappoint:
We loved the proximity of Boleros to our Forward cabin and it became home base for this cruise- which was new to us as we typically prefer Schooner Bar!
Interior Stateroom 11553 is very well kept and clean but I do prefer the more open layout of stateroom 11551. Oddly enough, the boys had the much larger interior stateroom than the girls. Both were fine for our trip but know there are various layouts of the interior cabins on Oasis class ships.
Interior Stateroom 11553
We decided to go to Deck 4 forward to check out the Crown Lounge for Diamond and above Crown and Anchor members and let me tell you... it was GLORIOUS! They offered cookies and snacks during the day and even a latte machine. We were surprised to find out that we were able to attend Happy Hour nightly in the Crown Lounge from 5-8PM for drinks and appetizers. This became the highlight of our daily routine on the Symphony of the Seas.
We spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know the Symphony of the Seas. This seemed like a carbon copy of the Harmony of the Seas of which we sailed in February 2026. We love the Boardwalk on Oasis class ships but I much prefer the Playmakers Sports Bar to be INSIDE like it is on the Mariner of the Seas 2026. It was SO HOT in Playmakers and while we loved the vibes, it was just too hot most days for us!
Classic Oasis Class ship picture!
Evening
We watched sail away from the outside promenade on Deck 5 and it was a perfect sail away. We were able to see dolphins and gorgeous weather as well.
Goodbye Galveston... We will see you in EIGHT days!
The kids decided to enjoy the hot tubs while Chris and I ventured to one of our favorite spots on board- The Schooner Bar. It was crazy busy and we had a hard time finding a chair at all, let alone at the bar so we opted to go to Vintages. Here we found Roger and Richard from our Allure of the Seas 2023 cruise and they even recognized us before we recognized them. This is the kind of customer service we love as these crew members really make relationships with their passengers and go above and beyond. The fact they recognized us and then remembered the type of wine we liked THREE years later baffles me. I can barely remember my students name from May to August. Thank you Roger and Richard! You truly are the BEST!
We met up with the kids and tried our hand at the US Presidents Trivia and did well, but not enough to win. We also tried the American Jukebox trivia and we LOVED singing along but we didn't even come close to winning this one.
We are loving all the July 4th and American decor!
It's time to win our first trivia... Haha, not!
Next it was time for gym waivers. TIP- Royal Caribbean allows 16+ to go to the gym unaccompanied and 13-15 can have parents sign a waiver to attend with parent supervision. Luke was really excited to keep up with his baseball workouts- and he did, for the most part!
Right before dinner we went back to the Crown Lounge for Happy Hour. Where has this been my whole cruising life? This was so incredible with tasty appetizers, desserts and even a bartender taking orders from 5-8PM. The food was delicious and the bar service was phenomenal.
Dinner in the Main Dining Room was perfect. I met with the Maitre'D upon arrival on the ship and asked for a table "isolated" and we were placed in the middle of section and it was absolutely PERFECT. TIP- If you have MDR requests, be sure to go see the Maitre'D (usually on the lowest level of the dining room) just as soon as you get on to get the requests made and accommodations squared away. Our waiters were literally some of the best we ever had as well.
We are ready for dinner!
The July 4th Menu in the Main Dining Room.
Chilled Shrimp Cocktail
Luke-4.0
Scallop Gratin
Kellie-3.0 & Natalie- 3.5
Baked Potato Soup
Kellie- 3.0 & Natalie- 2.0
Beef Brisket
Chris- 4.0, Kellie- 2.5 (tough), Luke -2.0
Jambalya
Natalie- 1.0 & Luke- 3.5
Strawberry Shortcake
Kellie- 2.5 & Luke- 3.0
Red, White and Blue Cheesecake
Natalie- 4.5
Fudge Brownie
Luke- 3.0
Dinner on a cruise ship is my favorite. Not because of the food but the family time!
I swear we are so busy during the school year we only get 1 or 2 meals at the dinner table all together each week. These cruise meals are PRICELESS to me!
After dinner Chris went to take his medication and a brief "power nap" (he was not 100% but did well managing his exhaustion) while the kids and I walked outside on the promenade before the ice show in Studio B. The 1977 performance was really good but the storyline was lacking in my experience.
We were all excited for a show to be based in London!
We are loving this Ice Show!
We all met at Boleros for the July 4th Party in the Royal Promenade and the Balloon Drop. TIP- Royal Caribbean offers balloons drops on ALL Oasis class ships on Embarkation night. DO NOT MISS THIS- Trust me! We all partied well past midnight and then called it a night.
It was a great embarkation day and the PERFECT way to celebrate America's 250th birthday!
Check out our Day #1 on Symphony of the Seas:
Up Next... Sea Day #1
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
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