If you are looking to book connecting or adjoining rooms on Symphony of the Seas, one of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's largest ships, I'm here to share with you some tips and tricks.
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Our family of six (two adults and four kids under the ages of ten) often book connecting rooms because we can't fit into a single room or because we can't afford some of the larger, more luxurious and spacious rooms.
Overview of Connecting Rooms
Symphony of the Seas has a handful of connecting rooms. Connecting rooms are essentially two rooms that have a door divider between them that can be open so that you can move from one room to another.
Each side has a door that can be secured on the other side. In addition, if you have a balcony, the balcony divider can be separated to make it more spacious.
Connecting Room Configurations on Symphony of the Seas
Generally, the connecting rooms that Symphony of the Seas will have will have the following combinations:
- Cabin that sleeps 2 and another cabin that sleeps 4
- Cabin that sleeps 2 and another cabin that sleeps 2
- Cabin that sleeps 3 and another cabin that sleeps 3
Here's the cabin that fits 4. You can see that two can fit on the bed, 1 can fit on the sofa, and the other can fit on the pullout bed below the sofa.
>> Check out more Symphony of the Seas reviews from others here.
Finding Available Connecting Rooms
Booking connecting rooms might prove to be tricky if you are doing it yourself online. Often, booking connecting rooms may require booking in different categories, and cannot be selected at the same time.
My advice is to either call Royal Caribbean to try to book directly through them or work with a travel agent to book the room. I would recommend booking at least a year out.
We are planning an Alaska cruise and are trying to move up a few floors from the 6th floor, but the connecting rooms are hard to come by.
Benefits of Connecting Rooms
Connecting rooms provide more space and really flexible, easy access for big families (especially those with lots of little kids). If you are a family like us, you need to be able to visually see your kids especially on a cruise, so connecting rooms are a great affordable way to keep families together.
In addition, on the Symphony of the Seas, you get a bigger balcony if you ask for the dividers to be open. It makes it easier to go back and forth on the balcony and into the rooms.
I would wait until after the first dinner on the first night to have the rooms unlocked because the attendants are busy getting things ready the first night.
Cons to Booking a Connecting Room on Symphony of the Seas
If you did not intend on booking a connecting stateroom, but did anyway, I've heard experiences where the other guests with kids (or curious adults) may "play around" with the door on the other side, often causing noisy disturbances as they try to figure out what the door does. Unless you are trying to book both rooms, I would avoid booking a connecting room because noise bleed can happen.
About the Door of Connecting Room
The doors can stay open, but cannot be locked once it's open by the stateroom attendant. To prop the door open, we had to use a shoe. I would recommend getting a big door stop to keep the door from opening and closing frequently. The door between the rooms have a keyed deadbolt combined with a standard knob. The attendant will unlock the deadbolt with their key, but there is not an ability to lock it.
The doors are VERY heavy and the biggest concern I had with the door is with my kids bare feet potentially getting slammed on due to the door not being secured open. I would recommend getting a door stopper to keep the door open.
Alternatives to Connecting Rooms
Book Rooms Across the Hallway
You can also put older kids in rooms across the cabin in a less expensive interior cabin without a view.
Upgrade to a Suite
Another alternative, albeit more expensive, is booking the rooms that I mentioned above. I will say that it will be twice the cost of booking a connecting room (checkout prices below).
Symphony of the Seas Rooms that Fit Six
- Connecting Oceanview (some configurations up to 6)
- Balcony Rooms (some configurations up to 6)
- Grand Suite (up to 8)
- AquaTheater Suite (up to 8)
- Royal Loft Suite (up to 6)
- Ultimate Family Suite (up to 8)
- Villa Suite (up to 14)
Tips for Symphony of the Seas Connecting Rooms
Book Early
Symphony of the Seas is one of the newest ships, so I would recommend booking connecting rooms as early as possible due to the high demand of this ship.
Use Connecting Rooms Feature
Royal Caribbean's website has a feature where you can click "include connecting rooms" to make it easier for families to reserve and book rooms that have a connecting door between them. However, my experience is that it doesn't work very well and I would still prefer booking rooms through the travel agent.
Book Through Travel Agent
If you book through a travel agent (a larger one), chances are their agency might have reserved a block of rooms that include connecting rooms that may not be available with the cruise line.
Example Costs for Connecting Rooms
If you are wanting to understand the costs of connecting rooms, I wanted to share with you quotes from across different cruise ships within the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line family as well as on different itineraries so that you don't have to wait on a ridiculous hold with them.
Western Caribbean Cruise on Symphony of the Seas
For our 7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) in February 2020, we booked room 10586 and 10588, which were both outside balconies near the middle of the ship.
- 10586 (4 person cabin): $4,724.36
- 10588 (2 person cabin): $3,332.18
Alaska Cruise on Ovation of the Seas
For our 7 night Alaska cruise on the Ovation of the Seas in June 2022, we booked rooms 6136 and 613, which were the lowest outside balconies near the aft of the ship.
- 6136 (4 person cabin): $5,400.28
- 6138 (2 person cabin): $3,651.14
Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Wonder of the Seas
We got a quote on a 7 Night Eastern Caribbean in April 2024 fo rooms 10188 and 10186, and the total price quoted was: $7,110.70. This was on the newest ship.
For comparison, an Aqua Suite room that includes beverages, gratuity, and more was a total of $24,502 (too high for my blood).
Comparison to Disney Connecting Staterooms (on Disney Dream)
This was the same cost as our 3-night Disney Cruise connecting verandah rooms (just without the magic of Disney)!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Symphony of the Seas have adjoining or connecting rooms?
Symphony of the Seas has multiple adjoining rooms that are connected via a door. They come in configurations of 2 person, 3 person, and 4 person cabins.
What is a connecting stateroom on Royal Caribbean?
A connecting stateroom is a room that has a connecting door that can be open to make more room for guests that desire to be booked next door to each other. These connecting staterooms are best for families that want to have an affordable stay, but do not want to pay for upgraded spaces in the luxury suites.
Final Thoughts
I hope you found this helpful. We absolutely love our connecting rooms on our cruises because we get two bathrooms and separation from the kids when we need it!
Symphony of the Seas Tips
- Symphony of the Seas vs Disney Dream Cruise Ship
- Honest Review of Symphony of the Seas
- Connecting Rooms Symphony of the Seas
Disclosures
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