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So... we're one day away until we head to Ft. Lauderdale! I packed last night. My suitcase is currently at 39lbs and I still have a few things to add. Did I overpack?... I just like having a lot of options. I did pack eight pairs of shoes!

I'm already in vacation mode since I am writing this while I'm on the clock and "should be working". Let's hope my manager isn't a member of cruise critic.

We are also a 30 something couple from the DC Area. I can't think of a better week to get out of dodge and head somewhere warm?

 

We did an eastern caribbean cruise on Freedom 4 years ago and did your itinerary on the Independence of the Seas 2 years ago. Last year we did a western Caribbean on Getaway and must say. Comparing all 3 experiences, unless things have changed drastically in the 2 years since we've sailed with Royal, you are in for an excellent vacation.

 

We rented a cabana in Labadee to celebrate a birthday. It was a splurge but a nice way to get away from the crowds especially since there were 2 ships in port that day. I wouldn't mind trying the zipline adventure there but remember it being somewhat spendy.

 

We look forward to your review as we are eyeing this itinerary on Freedom this coming March. Enjoy!

We're happy to be leaving the cold! I'm actually born and raised in Canada and moved to DC three years ago. I don't mind this cold at all (actually like it better than the summers here) but it'll be nice to be in warm weather for the week. :)

Hope you signed up for meet and mingle. Third Royal...loved Allure but hated Freedom. Also cruised Disney 3 times and Oceania. ...which was the best ever to Australia.

We have a boardwalk balcony on 11. Had a central park balcony on Allure.

 

We will have to meet up sometime.

 

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Yes, we're signed up for the Meet & Mingle! :)

Good to know, were not sure what to do in Jamaica, did you see many people with toddlers on the lazy river? we will have a 20 mos old with us.

Ah no, I don't think toddlers would be allowed for this excursion. There weren't any small kids on this excursion.

We are on this sailing as well. If you haven't done so, you can join our roll call here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=51754880#post51754880

 

We will be in connecting Junior Suites (the only pair on the ship!) up on Deck 8. Our party covers quite the age range, as DH and I will have our 8 year old son and Grandma traveling with us. Also happy to answer questions!

Already on the roll call and signed up for the Meet & Mingle! :)

Hello, I will be joining you on this cruise (first cruise ever)

 

What types of excursions would you recommend? Is it too late to book third party excursions?

 

Thanks!

I'm not sure if it's too late to book. I don't think it is. It all depends on what you want to do! Do you want to relax, see cultural sights, do some activities? I'll let you know that our favourite excursion was last year in Jamaica. We did the lazy river tubing and we had a lot of fun!

Thank you, I do know about that, I was just looking for updated ones. (Even though im sure not much will be different in a month)

I'll let you know if they've changed. :)

My husband and I will be joining you on the cruise!! We're in a balcony on D6. We look forward to following your thread and cruising with you guys!!

 

 

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Only a few days left!

Just got off Harmony this past Saturday.

 

It's a wonderful ship! Had a great time and the entertainment was amazing.

 

Just be careful getting off the ship in Jamaica, the waves splash up onto the gangway ramp and makes it really slippery. There were no signs and the crew never mentioned anything to anyone as we got off the ship. Then my gf slipped and feel on the ramp which is like a cheese grater. She had 3 places on her knee where skin was sliced off and a week later she's still bleeding!!!

 

So be careful on ramps getting off!!

Thanks for the tip! Hope your gf heals quickly!

GREAT!!! looking forward to your live review. We are going on her March 11 for the western as well. If possible can you upload daily planners? thanks and have a great time.

There are daily compasses from HOTS Western Sailing posted in this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2424575

If I see there are any changes, I'll post them.

Hi everyone! Myself and my husband will be on the Harmony of the Seas Western Caribbean sailing from Dec. 17th to the 24th. I thought I'd attempt to do a live review since it'll be our first time on a Royal ship.

A little background:

We have booked an D6 Superior Oceanview Balcony room on Deck 11. Both myself and my husband are 30 years old and have no kids. We live in the Washington DC area. My husband likes to relax and enjoy our balcony on cruises whereas I like having activities to do. This will be our third cruise. Our first cruise was on the Celebrity Reflection (Eastern Carribean sailing) in 2014 and we loved the food but I felt there weren't as many activities as I would have liked. In 2015, we decided to go on the Norwegian Getaway (Western Carribean sailing). We thought there were a lot of activities but the food wasn't great for us. We hope HOTS will be the balance we're looking for!

Dining:

We have three specialty restaurants booked: Chops, Wonderland and Jamie's. Other nights, we have MTD booked in the Main Dining room for 6:30pm.

Ports:

As for ports, we currently do not have any excursions booked for Labadee. We're not sure yet if we want to do anything there so we'll just play it by ear. We may go jet skiing or parasailing if those excursions are not full by the time we book it. In Conzumel, since we've already been there we thought we'd just do something small and we'll be doing the Reef Explorer Semi-Sub excursion booked through RCCL. For Jamaica, no excursions. We plan on staying on the ship.

Packages:

We did purchase the VOOM Surf + Stream package. We also did purchase the non-alcoholic drink (Replenish) package before it was changed to the Refreshment package and went up in price! The husband doesn't drink alcohol but I do once in a blue moon. I don't plan on drinking alcohol on the cruise though.

We fly to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday via JetBlue and will be staying at the Hilton that is close to the cruise terminal. I will try to give a day by day review and answer as many questions as I can.

If you're on the sailing with us, come say hi! We love meeting new people on our cruises. :)

I was just able to purchase the Royal Replenish package for myself and my husband for our Dec/2016 Harmony sailing via Cruise Planner. All the old packages were still available to purchase.