Symphony of the Seas vs Voyager of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas was built in 2018. It's 19 years newer than the Voyager of the Seas, which was built in 1999 and renovated in 2024. Voyager of the Seas was Amplified in 2022 which added many new features, restaurants, and attractions to this ship.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Symphony of the Seas is considered an extra large ship. Coming in at 1,188 feet long and 216 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.3 football fields, as wide as 4.1 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 16-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas, the Symphony of the Seas is 66% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas holds 53% more passengers than the Voyager of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas holds 67% more passengers than the Voyager of the Seas.

When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Symphony of the Seas has the same amount of space per person as the Voyager of the Seas.

The Symphony of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas
Class	Oasis	Voyager
Gross Tonnage	228,081	137,276
Length	1,188	1,020
Beam/Width	216	157
Passenger Decks	16	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	5,518	3,602
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	6,680	4,000
Crew	2,200	1,200
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.0	3.3
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	34	34

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Symphony of the Seas has twenty-one different dining options like 150 Central Park, Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, and Chops Grille. Of those options, fourteen are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fourteen options have an additional fee.

The Voyager of the Seas has thirteen fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, Cafe Promenade, and Chef's Table. Eight of these restaurants are complimentary and the other five have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Symphony of the Seas might be a better choice. It has more than twice as many dining options as the Voyager of the Seas.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Voyager of the Seas might be a better choice than the Symphony of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas

Restaurant	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas
Included
Cafe Promenade	✓	✓	Learn More
Dog House	✓	✗	Learn More
El Loco Fresh	✓	✗	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
Park Cafe	✓	✗
Solarium Bistro	✓	✗	Learn More
Sorrento's Pizza	✓	✗	Learn More
Vitality Cafe	✓	✗	Learn More
Windjammer	✓	✓	Learn More
A la carte
Ice Cream Parlor	✗	✓
Izumi Hibachi & Sushi	✓	✗	Learn More
Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks	✗	✓	Learn More
Playmakers	✓	✗	Learn More
Starbucks	✓	✗	Learn More
Sugar Beach	✓	✗
Vintages Wine Bar	✓	✗	Learn More
Flat fee
150 Central Park	✓	✗	Learn More
Chef's Table	✗	✓	Learn More
Chops Grille	✓	✓	Learn More
Giovanni's Table	✗	✓	Learn More
Hooked Seafood	✓	✗	Learn More
Jamie's Italian	✓	✗	Learn More
Johnny Rockets	✓	✗	Learn More
Wonderland	✓	✗	Learn More
Exclusive (open to select guests only)
Coastal Kitchen	✓	✗	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas has 8 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas
Bionic Bar	✓	✗
Boleros	✓	✗
Casino Bar	✓	✓
Dazzles	✓	✗
English Pub	✓	✓
High Notes	✗	✓
Mast Bar	✓	✗
On Air Club	✓	✗
Playmakers	✓	✗
Pool Bar	✓	✓
R Bar	✗	✓
Rising Tide Bar	✓	✗
Sand Bar	✓	✗
Schooner Bar	✓	✓
Sky Bar	✗	✓
Solarium Bar	✓	✓
Star Lounge	✗	✓
Suite Lounge*	✓	✓
Suite Sun Deck Bar*	✓	✗
The Attic	✓	✗
The Tavern	✗	✓
Trellis Bar	✓	✗
Vintages	✓	✗
Windjammer Bar	✗	✓
Wipeout Bar	✓	✗
Wonderland	✓	✗

* = this bar is exclusive and not open to everyone.

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-Cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barq's Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out the recent bar menus for the Symphony of the Seas and the Voyager of the Seas below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

	Symphony of the Seas	Voyager of the Seas
General-access pools	3	2
Adults-only pools	1	1
General-access hot tubs	8	4
Adults-only hot tubs	2	2

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas has a total of 4 pools and 10 hot tubs.

Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas has fewer pools than the Symphony of the Seas and fewer hot tubs.

Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. The Symphony of the Seas has a wading adult-only pool, while the Voyager of the Seas has a full-depth adult-only pool. Symphony of the Seas's adult-only area is is open to the elements with some wind breakers, while Voyager of the Seas's is not enclosed. The Symphony of the Seas's adult-only area is in the front, while the Voyager of the Seas's is in the middle.

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. Both ships have about the same share of included activities: 78%

	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Aquatheater	✓	✗
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✓	✗
Carousel	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Escape Room	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✓	✓
Ice Skating	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✗	✓
Laser Tag	✓	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - Broadway play	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✗
Thrill Slide	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✓
Zip Line	✓	✗
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically, newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas will likely be more expensive than on Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests may also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically, guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

	Royal Caribbean
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%
Soda Price	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$7.49 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$77 - $118 Learn more
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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