Tom Stieghorst was on Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas for a preview of world's largest cruise ship prior to its debut cruise in Barcelona. His second dispatch follows:
ABOARD THE SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS -- One feature everyone wanted to see on a two-day preview cruise from Barcelona was the Ultimate Family Suite, a first-of-its-kind cabin chock full of catnip for kids.
European travel agents and others stood in a 50-person line to crowd into the 1,346-square-foot duplex.
Where to start? Definitely with the slide, the most over-the-top feature in the bi-level suite. In fact, an inordinate amount of space is taken up with the slide -- which looks like a personal version of the Perfect Storm water slides -- and a metal spiral stair case next to it.
Both connect the ground floor to the second floor sleeping loft, which has a Royal King bed in a room meant for adults, and four bunk beds or sleeper sofas in a kids' area.
There were no kids to demonstrate the ride, and I felt too big to make the trip myself, but who can doubt that the slide will be a hit?
The kids' sleeping area in the Ultimate Family Suite features bunk beds and pull-out sofas. © TW photo by Tom Stieghorst
Also on the second floor is an impossibly cute door, which is cut at a size only kids could fit through into the standard-size door to the bunk room. Wallpaper includes one design of soda pop caps, and another with Route 66/Road Trip imagery.
The kids' bathroom, one of three, has a television embedded in a mirror wall. Cartoons were playing on my visit.
The hit parade for kids continues on the ground floor with a kitchenette decorated completely in red with its own Coca-Cola-dispensing mini-fridge. Next to it there's a wall comprised of Lego blocks.
A colorful suspended chair in the Ultimate Family Suite on Symphony of the Seas. © TW photo by Tom Stieghorst
There's an air hockey game and a ping pong table. There's one of those cozy chairs suspended like a hammock from a large frame/stand. There's a large blackboard wall that can be colored on with erasable markers.
A second, straightforward staircase to the second floor has two kid-sized nooks carved into the space underneath it.
Outside on the 212-square-foot balcony, there's a miniature version of the mesh-enclosed climber on the ship's Boardwalk neighborhood, plus a whirlpool.
While there's some nice modern design, there's not much for mom and dad in the Ultimate Family Suite except for the fun they'll have watching their kids have fun. One exception is an 85-inch high-definition TV that was showing NFL highlights while I was there.
The parent's bedroom in the Ultimate Family Suite. © TW photo by Tom Stieghorst
An inquiry about the price brought a quote of $50,000 a week for a family of four in the Med, although the suite is said to be virtually sold out for 2018.
It is a steep price for adults to spend their time in what is essentially a kids' playhouse with a primo sea view. But demand doesn't appear to be lacking and Royal Caribbean officials are already hinting there is a version in the works for other ships in the fleet.