WVHillbilly

We have a connoisseur tour booked for June 2021, we chose it mainly for the known cost value.  I have been told that the Tundra Wilderness tour is the one you want to take as the other tour doesn't go as far into the park.

The lodges are isolated to somewhat isolated with limited to no dining options outside of the lodge.  If you know what lodge you are going to, check out the menu from the restaurant in the lodge for the prices, then make your decision.

USMC 72-93, Air Wing

We were supposed to do a cruise tour May 27 starting in Fairbanks and sailing on the Royal Princess, I had to cancel for medical reasons just as Covid 19 was escaping from China.  My TA was able to transfer my deposit to a cruise tour in 2021 this time aboard the Star Princess. 

I had to cancel my June 2020 Alaska cruise due to medical reasons prior to the shutting down of the cruise industry in March and my TA contacted Princess and I was able to transfer my booking to 2021 and I didn't lose any of my deposit.  If rebooking is something you would do I'd try that.

And this I believe was the all inclusive area.

Here are a few pictures of the family area.

And a few more of the adults area.

Here are a few pictures of the adults area.

Here are a few pictures of the restrooms, showers and pay restaurant.

Since there are very few reviews on this resort and I am bored with the Covid-19 news I thought I would do a little review on this excursion.

We sailed on Harmony of the Seas February 16-23, 2020; and purchased the Sol Y Mar - Adults only excursion on the cruise planner.  It was to include transportation, access to the adults only area, drinks and snacks.  We followed everyone to the excursion waiting area and found the line for our excursion.  There are several times for this excursion, one was when we first docked, one mid morning and one around lunch time, we chose the mid morning one.  Once it was time we were led to a bus were we took about a 15 minute ride to the resort; our tour guide was very friendly talking to us about Roatan on the way to the resort.  Once at the resort we were escorted to our area of the beach and introduced us to our waiters.  There is a small market when you first enter no pressure at all.  On the way they pointed out the restrooms, showers, pay restaurant and then to our area and showed us the bar where we could get our drinks that were included.  Our guide said he would come for us when it was time to leave.  In fact he checked on us throughout our stay numerous times.

The resort is divided into three areas:  All Inclusive, Family and Adults area.  Each area is separated by a fence, I was able to walk the length of the resort both along the beach and by the entrance.  Since I purchased the Adults Only excursion I will start my comments with that.  The adults area consisted of a bar, volleyball court, patio area and of course the beach.  There were plenty of loungers available arranged in rows along the beach front.  I do not know exactly what drinks were included as we didn't really ask, we had diet soda, pina coladas and a beer.  We saw several others with some type of blue drink.  The pina coladas had plenty of rum in them not obnoxiously strong but was a good stiff drink.  The included snacks were nachos, nothing special just typical of what you'd get at a ball game.  The waiter came by frequently asking if we needed anything and like i already said the tour guide also would walk by checking on us.  They have a restaurant that had items you could purchase and they would bring you the menu as well as take your order and bring the food back.  The restaurant also had picnic type tables for eating should you want to get away from the beach.

We had heard of reports of sand fleas at times, so we sprayed our legs with an insect repellent and were not bothered with them.  I don't think they were out that day.  We wore water shoes so can't comment on the feel of the sand, the water was clear and shallow for a long distance.  Being February the air temperature was in the high 70's, we had some overcast clouds for a short time and a passing rain shower; the water temperature was brisk.   There wasn't any shade along the beach loungers but we were able to take a break and get a seat on the patio which was shaded a bit when the sun got to be to much.  They had a massage booth set up and they asked if anyone wanted a massage; they also had a few vendors selling trinkets and one guy asking about an atv excursion.  None of them were pushy, they were friendly and would talk to those who engaged them.  The atv guy had a monkey that he would pose for pictures and let a few people hold him.

Most in the adults area were content with laying on the beach loungers and wading in the water, we were adjacent to the family beach but there was a pretty good buffer between us; as the family's were clustered near the floating water slides, etc.  There was some music playing but it wasn't really loud, i think the speakers were closer to the family area.  Now the big question would I do it again?  If I was looking for a relaxing beach day yes I would go back and purchase the adults only excursion.  The only thing I think I would change is I'd take the afternoon excursion, partake in a massage ($1.00 per minute) and maybe have lunch at the restaurant while I was there.  Once we got back to the port there were many excursions arriving back and shopping, so it is much easier to shop early to beat the crowds.

2 minutes ago, Qcruise said:

We were on Caribe deck port side but can't remember the cabin #......sorry.

Thank you was just wondering if the problems noted were limited to one deck or rather scattered about the ship

6 hours ago, Qcruise said:

You do need to be aware and ready for problems RE the Star.  We were aboard her last September and experienced the following......our cabin had multiple toilet issues never resolved throughout the week making certain times very inconvienient having to go elsewhere for a bathroom.  Cabin next to us had dripping water from ceiling in their doorway all of the cruise.  Places in public areas with leaking ceilings and buckets catching water outside the casino.  Our friends were moved to different deck/cabin and many of their neighbors due to issues.  My wife won't return to this ship.  But some folks have never known of any issues.....it's luck of the draw.

If I may ask what deck/cabin were you in?

Cruise Day 3:  Sea Day: Shortly after sunrise, towels began finding their favorite spots around the pool.  After breakfast it was time for some time in the Solarium.  We spent some time in a clam shell lounger and the tub/pool on deck 14, before moving up to a lounge chair on deck 15 to be closer to the frozen drinks.

Tonight was formal night in the MDR, we had purchased the all-digital photo package so it was time to get dressed and pose for pictures before dinner.  With all the discussion on what’s acceptable to wear on formal nights in the MDR, I took a look around to see what everyone was wearing for the first time.  I’d say that more than half the men were wearing slacks and collared shirts, some wearing ties, suits and a few tuxes’.  Only about 1% was wearing shorts with a collared shirt or t-shirt or jeans.  The cruise compass publishes suggested dress attire for the MDR, the ever accommodating dining room staff doesn’t want to confront anyone, and so as many have said you can wear whatever you’re comfortable in.

The evening’s entertainment was “A Journey in Time”.  This was a fascinating show filled with amazing skating and visual effects.  This was the only show where “The Key” reserved seats were in a good spot. 

The wake and the sunrise.

Dazzles, Central Park, The Pool Deck and The Abyss

The Boardwalk

Cruise Day 3:  Sea Day: Sea days are my favorite time on a cruise, sea days are sunrises and sunsets; pools and hot tubs; and lounge chairs and naps.  I’m an early riser so I grab my camera, a cup of coffee and wander a nearly empty ship waiting for the sun to rise on another day.  Harmony has so many venues that it’s nearly impossible to experience them all in 7 days.

The Promenade

Wow, what a crazy post cruise week!  It's been almost non stop helping my parents, washing clothes and spending time with our abandoned furry pets.  I'm scheduled for surgery next month and made the difficult decision to cancel my Alaska cruise/tour for May/June of this year.  With the help of my TA, I re-booked for next year and the only money I lost was an airline change fee on my flight with AA.  I hated cancelling this trip, but it's been a load off my mind on whether I'd feel up to Alaskan excursions.  

Okay, time to resume this review.

Well the cruise is over, I am in awe of all of you that manage to write a live review.  I packed so much fun in during the day that by the time I got back to the room at night I was beat.  In short I had another great cruise and have many observations and comments to share.  7 days is just not enough time to explore everything and Oasis class ship has.  I will endeavor to pick up this review where I left off and hopefully will have something for everyone.

On 2/18/2020 at 6:16 PM, Maplemoose said:

What were the Corona procedures this week. Was it still the 3 questions method or was there any temperature taking etc? 

Just the questions, easy peasy.  Didn't notice or hear of any illness during this sailing.

Cruise Day 2:  Coco Cay, Bahamas:  I woke up around 6:30 to find us about 30’ from the dock in Coco Cay, we were scheduled to be there at 8:00.  I thought maybe they would open the gangway earlier, but apparently they had to wait for the dock workers to arrive.

Empress joined us in port today,  with Harmony and Empress both at Coco Cay there was plenty of free  loungers both at Chill Island and Oasis Lagoon;  spent a couple of hours at both locations soaking up the warm sun.  We didn’t go into the water heard several people say the water was cold, a few were in the ocean but there were quite a few in Oasis Lagoon. Grabbed a crispy chicken sandwich and funnel cake from the Snak Shack it was less hectic there than our previous lunches at Labadee and Coco Cay.

Summary of Coco Cay:  I’d say they have it right for calling it Perfect Day, there is something for everyone.  The only food place that seemed busy was Chill Grill, Snak Shack and Captain Jacks were not crowded at all.  One observation is that there were plenty of empty day beds at Chill Island and most of the over water cabanas were empty also.  If that is a trend maybe prices will come down.  After lunch we headed back to the ship and found a fruit basket waiting for us (nice touch), partook of an embarrassing round of mini golf before getting ready for dinner.

We had our first specialty dinner tonight at Chops; DW had the Tuna Tartare, Spicy Jumbo Shrimp and Key Lime Pie, I had the Charred Beef Carpaccio, NY Strip and Warm Chocolate Cake.  I must say everything was delicious and the service was excellent.  It was a bit louder than I thought it would be but still quieter than the MDR.  I don’t normally eat steak out as I purchase a ¼ of a Black Angus cow each year and find most steak houses disappointing.  The fillet I had for the Key Lunch was good and tender but I wasn’t impressed with the flavor, but the NY Strip was seasoned just right and very tender.  Wrapped up the evening in Boleros dancing to the Latin Band.

Cruise Day 1:  Embarkation from Port Canaveral:  I woke up early and drove to the port to watch Harmony come in before daybreak.  It was amazing how effortlessly she came into port, turned and slipped into the dock. 

Had a bit of panic set in, somehow my trunk popped open after returning to the hotel and before breakfast.  The front desk called to let me know my trunk was open; with most of my bags in the trunk I flew down four flights of stairs worried that my bags were gone.  Was relieved to find all was safe. Once my heart returned to a normal beat, we were off to eat the complimentary breakfast.  It was pretty much standard free hotel breakfast.  They had fixings to make a breakfast burrito, waffles, cereal, bagels and such. 

I dropped the bags off at the porters around 9:45 and went to return the rental car.  Entered the terminal at 10:10 and seated in “The Key” area at 10:20, no sooner had we sat down they started boarding.  The Key boarded right after B2B, Suites, and Diamond +.

Once onboard we stopped to make our specialty dinner reservations, then off to Bolero’s for WOW bands while the DW ordered our cruise starting Kracken Lava Flows.  With drinks in hand, we dropped the carryon bag at the MDR to be delivered to the room and set about exploring the ship a bit.

Lunch was the Chops Lunch in the MDR which is part of “The Key”.  Started with the shrimp cocktail, 6 oz. fillet mignon and we shared a warm chocolate cake.  Steak was tender and cooked to order, although I would have seasoned the meat.  Tried the peppercorn sauce, wasn’t my cup of tea, I generally cook my steaks at home with a little salt and pepper and that’s it.  It was a larger lunch than we normally have but it was a nice relaxing way to start the cruise. 

The rooms opened up before we finished lunch so we checked out our room.  My carryon bag was in the room and I spotted one of my suitcases down the hall.  After unpacking the carryon and hanging clothes suitcase; went back down the hall and my other two bags were there. 

Tonight’s supper was in the MDR, a dance or two in the Promenade and then to the showing of “Grease”.  Seating for Key guests was on deck 4 in the balcony, better seats were available 30 minutes before the show on deck 3 center.  We enjoyed the show and it definitely is not for children, yet many were in attendance.  The gestures were very explicit, much more than I remember in the movie.

After “Grease” we went back to our room to change shoes around 10:15pm, only to find out the doors on all of deck 6 were malfunctioning no one could get into their rooms.  After waiting a bit and talking to several ships’ crew members, Security came with the key and lets us in.  Doors were working again around 11:45 pm but we had decided to call it a night.

On 2/16/2020 at 9:31 AM, Eastern flygirl said:

Just got home from the Harmony.  You will love the ship, food and service.  Everything is perfect, except for the location of the Diamond Club.  

Everything has been great so far, had one little hiccup on day 1; something happened and all stateroom doors on deck 6 quit working.  We had to wait for Security to unlock our doors, took so long to get Security we called it a night around 10:15 pm.  I checked the door just before midnight and they were working again, not sure what it was just a computer glitch only affected deck 6.

On 2/16/2020 at 9:06 AM, avlski said:

🤩 Hope you have a WONDERFUL cruise! We will be taking your place next Sunday!  🌴🛳️

We'll try to get her back in one piece.  :)

Pre-cruise Day:  We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson which is the closest hotel to the port.  The room was pretty nice and the bed was comfortable; however the hot water was so-so sometimes warm and other times okay.