Symphony of the Seas
An Oasis-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International, introduced in 2018.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Symphony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International, a cruise brand within Royal Caribbean Group. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, the vessel entered service in 2018 as the fourth ship in the Oasis class. Its design combines the capacity and scale of a large resort with the mobility of an ocean-going vessel, offering accommodation, dining, entertainment, recreation and family activities in a segmented shipboard environment. At 361.011 metres in length and 228,081 gross tons, Symphony of the Seas was the world's largest cruise ship by gross tonnage when completed, exceeding its sister ship Harmony of the Seas. It was later surpassed in 2022 by another sister ship, Wonder of the Seas. The ship has 18 decks, including 16 primarily used by guests, and is designed for 5,518 passengers at double occupancy, with a maximum passenger capacity of approximately 6,680 and a crew complement of about 2,200. Its accommodation inventory includes 2,759 cabins, while its dining program spans 22 restaurants and other food-service venues. The ship's onboard proposition is built around multiple neighborhood-style zones and a broad range of activities. Facilities include four pools, a children's water-park area, a full-size basketball court, an ice-skating rink, a ten-deck zip line, a large theater, an outdoor aquatic theater with high diving platforms, two 43-foot rock-climbing walls and a landscaped park containing more than 20,000 tropical plants. These features position the vessel as a high-capacity, activity-led holiday product intended to serve families, couples, groups and passengers seeking resort-style entertainment at sea. Symphony of the Seas also incorporates several engineering measures intended to reduce energy use and vibration relative to earlier Oasis-class designs. The vessel uses six Wärtsilä marine-diesel generator sets, three electric azipod propulsion units and four bow thrusters. Its stated design features include extensive LED and fluorescent lighting, a waste-heat recovery steam turbine and an air-bubble lubrication system beneath the hull. Royal Caribbean has described the design as requiring less shipboard power generation than the 100 MW commonly associated with earlier Oasis-class vessels and as using less fuel than earlier ships in the class, although these are design-level comparisons rather than a separate financial or operating performance measure. The ship's commercial career began with Mediterranean sailings in 2018. It initially operated seven-night Western Mediterranean itineraries from Barcelona, then repositioned to Florida later that year and began Caribbean operations from PortMiami. Service was suspended during Royal Caribbean's broad fleet shutdown in the COVID-19 pandemic. Symphony of the Seas subsequently returned to cruising and remains an active Royal Caribbean vessel, with its itinerary pattern changing seasonally between European and Caribbean markets.
History
Symphony of the Seas was developed as the fourth vessel in Royal Caribbean International's Oasis class, a series defined by unusually large dimensions, high passenger capacity and a resort-like division of onboard spaces. Construction took place at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France. The keel was laid on 29 October 2015, and the vessel was floated out on 9 June 2017. Its scale and facilities continued the Oasis-class strategy of turning the ship itself into a destination, with multiple pools, restaurants, performance venues, family attractions and activity zones. The ship underwent sea trials from 15 to 18 February 2018 and was formally delivered to Royal Caribbean on 23 March. It then sailed from Saint-Nazaire to Málaga on 24 March under the command of Rob Hempstead, arriving three days later, before reaching Barcelona on 29 March. Its first passenger operation began on 31 March, followed by the official maiden voyage on 7 April, a seven-night Western Mediterranean itinerary. During its inaugural season, Barcelona served as the principal home port for Mediterranean cruises. A christening ceremony was held in Miami in November 2018. Alexa Vega, Carlos Pena Jr. and their young son Ocean were selected as the ship's godfamily, an arrangement presented as a family-oriented alternative to the more conventional single sponsor model. Later in 2018, Symphony of the Seas repositioned to Florida, arriving at Royal Caribbean's PortMiami terminal on 9 November. It then operated Caribbean itineraries from that market, establishing the seasonal Europe-to-Caribbean pattern associated with many large Royal Caribbean ships. The vessel's technical profile reflected incremental efficiency improvements within the Oasis class. It has a gross tonnage of 228,081, a length of 361.011 metres and 18 decks. Propulsion is provided by three electric azipods, supported by four bow thrusters, while six marine-diesel generator sets supply onboard power. Design measures include waste-heat recovery, low-heat lighting and an air-bubble system beneath the hull intended to reduce resistance, noise and vibration. The ship was reported as using less power and fuel than the earlier baseline associated with Oasis-class vessels, although the available reference material does not provide an independently verified operating-cost series. Symphony of the Seas attracted attention not only for its size but also for its extensive guest infrastructure. Its facilities include a children's water-play area, basketball court, ice rink, zip line, theater, outdoor AquaTheater, climbing walls and a park with more than 20,000 tropical plants. The vessel can carry 5,518 passengers at double occupancy and up to approximately 6,680 passengers at maximum capacity, supported by around 2,200 crew members. Dining and accommodation are organized to support a broad market spanning family holidays, group travel, couples and activity-focused vacations. The ship's operation was interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Royal Caribbean suspended most fleet services. A 27-year-old housekeeping crew member was medically evacuated in March 2020 and died the following month; the family subsequently filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean. The ship also became the subject of a three-part United Kingdom Channel 4 behind-the-scenes program, Billion Pound Cruise, filmed in late 2019 and broadcast in 2020. Several overboard incidents have been reported during the ship's career. In January 2019, a guest survived a deliberate jump made as part of a stunt while the ship was in Nassau; the participants were turned over to law enforcement and were later permanently banned by Royal Caribbean. In August 2019, an Australian passenger died after going overboard during a Caribbean cruise. In October 2023, another passenger went overboard during a Barcelona-to-Florida repositioning voyage and was rescued by the crew. These events are recorded as operational and safety incidents, not as established corporate scandals.
- 2022
Surpassed in gross tonnage
[1]Sister ship Wonder of the Seas surpassed Symphony of the Seas as the world's largest cruise ship by gross tonnage.
- 2020
Pandemic service suspension
[1]Cruise operations were suspended as part of Royal Caribbean's COVID-19 fleet shutdown.
- 2018
Sea trials and delivery
[1]Sea trials took place in February, followed by formal delivery to Royal Caribbean International on 23 March.
- 2018
First passenger voyage
[1]Passenger service began in late March, with the maiden seven-night Mediterranean voyage departing in April.
- 2018
Miami christening
[1]The ship was christened in Miami in November with Alexa Vega, Carlos Pena Jr. and their son Ocean as godfamily.
- 2018
Caribbean deployment begins
[1]The ship arrived at PortMiami on 9 November after repositioning from Europe for Caribbean cruises.
- 2017
Vessel floated out
[1]The completed hull was floated out on 9 June.
- 2015
Keel laid
[1]Chantiers de l'Atlantique laid the ship's keel at its Saint-Nazaire shipyard on 29 October.
Products and positioning
A mega-ship resort product positioned around scale, destination cruising, family entertainment, diverse dining and high-density onboard activities.
Cruise travel · 2018
Symphony of the Seas cruise vacations
The ship's core offering is an integrated cruise vacation combining transportation, accommodation, meals, entertainment and organized recreation. Its large scale allows Royal Caribbean to offer multiple onboard environments and activity types within one vessel, while seasonal deployment supports Mediterranean and Caribbean itineraries.
Hospitality and entertainment · 2018
Onboard entertainment and activities
The onboard program includes theatrical productions, an outdoor aquatic theater, pools, an ice-skating rink, a zip line, rock-climbing walls, basketball and children's water activities. Together these features make the ship's entertainment offer a central part of the product rather than an ancillary service.
Hospitality · 2018
Dining and accommodation
Symphony of the Seas provides 2,759 cabins and a multi-venue dining program comprising 22 restaurants and related food-service spaces. The accommodation and food offering is designed for a wide passenger mix, from families and groups to couples and travelers seeking a resort-style holiday at sea.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Inaugural Mediterranean season
Spain · Western Mediterranean
The ship was introduced through seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises departing from Barcelona, establishing its initial commercial identity as a large-scale European cruise product.
Outcome. The vessel completed its first season before repositioning to Florida for Caribbean service.
Brand decisions
2020
COVID-19 operational suspensionOtherBackground
The pandemic led Royal Caribbean to suspend services across most of its fleet, including Symphony of the Seas.
Action taken
The ship's passenger operations were paused during the cruise industry's pandemic shutdown.
Aftermath
The reference material does not specify the ship's individual restart date or financial effect.
2018
Seasonal deployment between Europe and the CaribbeanStrategyBackground
Royal Caribbean used Barcelona for the ship's inaugural Mediterranean season and then repositioned the vessel to PortMiami for Caribbean operations.
Action taken
The ship was transferred from Western Mediterranean seven-night itineraries to seasonal Caribbean cruises from Florida.
Aftermath
The deployment demonstrated the vessel's role as a flexible, globally operating resort ship rather than a ship tied to one permanent market.
Sources2 sources
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