Last Day. Best Day!
Sea Day #4
July 11, 2026
We are trying to make the last day count...
Morning
We moved our clocks back one hour to return to Central Standard time but our bodies still woke up around 7AM, which meant 6AM ship (CST). I met the boys at the Windjammer for breakfast and it was not crowded at all. We grabbed a coffee at Cafe Promenade and did some people watching. TIP- Reminder, the Ultimate Drink Package allows for unlimited specialty coffee at Cafe Promenade!
I LOVE Saturdays but on a cruise ship it usually means it's almost over!
I returned to the stateroom to ensure Natalie was awake for our Diamond Behind the Scenes tour at 9AM. We were not sure if we would be able to attend this tour since there were over 300 Diamond guests onboard but they allowed everyone to attend which was really nice. We have been on a tour of the backstage area on our Navigator of the Seas 2014- Galley Tour but this was spectacular as we were able to meet the Royal Theater Manager and the lead performers of the show onboard- Hairspray! We learned that due to the nature of all of the props and effects, they often have to "stop the show" due to safety issues and then restart (or resume) the show. This actually happened on day 2 of our sailing in and not a single guest realized it. That is how fast and impressive these shows really are.
The kids with the STAR of the Hairspray show!
He is from New Jersey!
The Symphony of the Seas stats page!
After our Backstage Tour, we stayed in the Royal Theater for the Captain's Corner which is one of our favorite activities on a Royal Caribbean cruise. This brief activity allows guests to meet the Captain and ask all kinds of questions about life onboard and so much more. Be sure to find it on the Cruise Compass and make plans to attend. It is usually the last sea-day onboard.
Natalie was actually able to get the Captain's signature!
This is the first cruise where the KIDS have gotten a picture with the Captain and I have not!
We then went to the Schooner Bar to wait for the Veteran's Tribute to begin at noon. Royal Caribbean does such a remarkable job with this event and I swear each of our cruises gets better and better. Jamie, the Cruise Director, did such a great job with this- especially on a July 4th holiday sailing. The playing of the Taps gets me every. single. time! Well done Royal Caribbean!
The cupcake spread on the Royal Promenade before the Veteran's Tribute!
I love that even the CAPTAIN comes to honor those who have served!
Afternoon
After the Veteran's Tribute the kids went searching for last minute signatures for the Search for the Nations game while Chris and I enjoyed a rather empty Schooner Bar. Chris was not feeling well, again, and went to take a nap before our lunch at Jamie's Italian. The fever he had never returned but he was seriously down for the count and you could tell it in his behavior and even his skin color. It was around lunch on this day that he noticed the swelling of his hip and buttocks area. We were not really sure what was going on but it was very enlarged (not showing signs of redness).
The kids are getting along... It's a PERFECT DAY!
The kids Search for the Nations final card.
But they had FUN! They have already decided to SPLIT UP Next time to determine our own winner!
Hello Jamie's- Oh how I love you!
We all met at Jamie's Italian for our specialty lunch. TIP- As mentioned in previous posts and cruise blogs, try out the specialty restaurants for lunch as it is usually at least half the price of dinner costs and usually has at least 90-95% of the menu offered. We paid $15.99/ person for this lunch and even with the gratuity and additional tip we paid less than $100 for this meal and it was worth EVERY PENNY!
Jamie's Meat Plank
Chris- 4.0, all others 4.5
Truffle Pasta
Kellie- 4.5 and Natalie- 4.0
Jamie's Dessert Menu
Rich Chocolate Brownie
Luke-5.0 and Chris- 3.5
Sorbet of the Day (Caramel)
Kellie- 3.0
Since we had a later lunch time of 1PM we were so tired and full after Jamie's that we ALL went back to the staterooms to lay down- even Luke. Once we felt a little revived we walked around the outside Promenade deck before meeting in the Crown Lounge to play cards. The kids played for hours while I enjoyed a more peaceful environment and a few cocktails. Chris was still not feeling well and chose to spend the majority of the afternoon in the stateroom.
Chris did, however, meet me at the Bionic Bar mid-afternoon to check it off our Bar Pub Crawl. The Bionic Bar is such a money grab and truly a "one and done" type of thing but we did enjoy our custom made cocktails. We also met the kids at the Rising Tides bar in Central Park, which is also a "one and done" for us. Be sure to do the Rising Tides Bar at least once on an Oasis Class ship but it's just not worth it after that.
Rising Tides bar Family Selfie!
A view of the Schooner Bar from the Rising Tides bar!
Cheers to the last day!
Evening
We all cleaned up and packed our suitcases before making our way to the Crown Lounge for Happy Hour before dinner in the Main Dining Room. Chris met us in the Crown Lounge but was having a really hard time even sitting down due to the swelling, pressure and pain he was feeling in his lower half. I was worried before it was Covid but this seemed like something totally different. I told him to go to the Sick Bay but since we were within the last 12 hours on board, he opted to just tough it out.
They are STILL getting along... someone pinch me!
We are almost home... They brought out the Texas Flag!
Unfortunately, Chris didn't even go with us to the Main Dining Room for dinner as he was in too much pain to sit down and then when he would stand up his feet and neuropathy were hurting and he was even getting light headed. Clearly something was wrong with him and I just prayed we could get home to have him treated. (Little did we know what we were dealing at the time. This turned into something so much bigger than we EVER imagined. God pulled us through for sure!)
Dinner in the Main Dining Room featured the Bon Voyage Menu and the kids and I all had a fun option on our plate. The service was, once again, some of the best we have ever had in our THIRTY cruises. The maitre'd even came over and said "I heard someone love strawberries" and brought Luke a massive plate of strawberries. This is the type of service that we rave about and truly brings us back to Royal Caribbean time and time again!
The Bon Voyage Menu
Luke and Kellie- 5.0 and Natalie- 5.0+
We all seriously LOVE this soup!
Seafood Cake
Kellie- 4.5 and Luke -4.0
Spaghetti Bolagnese
Luke- 3.5
Pecan Crusted Salmon
Kellie- 2.5
This was very flavorful but so dry!
Luke's strawberries!
It's Natalie's turn to order THREE desserts! She loved all of them!
Peach Pudding
Kellie- 2.5 (yeah... that was interesting)
WE LOVE Ikadek and Kenneth!
Thank you for making our cruise extremely memorable!
BEST WAITSTAFF TEAM... EVER!
After dinner the kids and I went to play our round of mini-golf as this is a tradition of ours and I was sad we waited until the last night to make it happen. I actually won this time! We went to the Boardwalk to watch another match of the Finals of the World Cup and the environment and weather were just perfect for our last night on board.
We love playing Mini-Golf!
Check out our TWO FREE DIAMOND PHOTOS:
Time is a thief!
It was a great last day spent onboard the Symphony of the Seas. We have really enjoyed this ship and all she has to offer. I am not sure if this overall cruise experience will top the Harmony of the Seas- February 2026 as that was the kids first Mega-Ship experience but this is definitely a CLOSE SECOND! Even with Chris getting "sick" and tired at the end of this sailing, it was a good cruise. I learned through these last few days that I can be a single mom if needed.
We've got 1 more cruise booked in 2026 and Natalie's BIG Graduation Europe Cruise in 2027! But who knows... We may book a last minute trip as well!
Up Next... Natalie's Graduation Europe Cruise 2027!
Stay Tuned!
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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