MikeNJ1109

My wife, daughter and I are looking into Holland America Line for a cruise to Alaska in 2019, either the end of June or the beginning of July. We have cruised a dozen times, but on other lines (RCL and NCL), and have had a blast with them, and this would be our first cruise on a line that has a "more classy", and definitely well earned reputation for quality service.

I've begun going through the "HAL for Dummies" link here on CC, but wanted to post and ask for hoping CC members who know HAL best to give us their input.

At the time of the cruise, I'll be 58, my wife will be 52 and our daughters will each be 13. We know RCL and NCL have great programs for kids of that age, but we know very little about HAL -- for those with kids that have sailed HAL, have they enjoyed it? We want the kids to have a blast (yes, we're going to Alaska, who wouldn't have fun?) but were wondering in terms of Kids activities on board. We're trying to move beyond zip lines and rock walls for a more refined experience, but still want our girls to enjoy their onboard experience as well.

Thanks in advance to the group, we appreciate everyone's input.

Cheers,

Michael

My wife and I have a special place in our heart for the Brilliance, as we sailed on her for our honeymoon cruise 15 years ago. Maybe it's rose colored glasses or the passage of time, but we both remember it being our favourite cruise on a beautiful ship with a terrific crew.

I'm hoping that the OP's experience was a one off, or that there was some logical explanation for the problems, because we look forward to sailing on her again going forward.

Michael

We were on the Harmony last week, and there was a "Code Alpha" announcement midday on Day 2. We never found out specific details, but folks were talking about it the rest of the afternoon. Hope those folks, but the person(s) in this case, are all right.

Michael

Wow, I have to say, we went on a spring break cruise in 2016 with our then 18 and 15 year old daughters and I did not witness any of the craziness you did. We were on Adventure in the Southern Caribbean. This was our first and only spring break vacation but I say that due to the sheer volume of people, everywhere... at the airport, sold out flights, full ships...

 

Just curious, you are mentioning college kids so would that be reading break in Feb, rather than spring break in March? We traveled in March.

In eleven cruises overall, 9 on RCL and 2 on NCL, my wife and I have never seen or experienced the kind of behavior the OP mentioned. Just a personal observation, overall the kids -- both teens and younger -- have been generally well behaved and respectful -- and any issues we've seen have been the Adults Acting Badly, such as drunk or rude or just plane obnoxious.

Lucky on our part? Perhaps, but that's just our 2 cents.

Michael and Silke

Can anyone who has been on the Harmony of the Seas who as used early disembark and walked off ship with their luggage tell me how it went?

I have been on many cruises and caught early flights (around 10:00 AM) with plenty of time to spare. I have a reasonably priced return flight that I would like to book that leaves Fort Lauderdale at 9:30 on a Saturday.

I have been told numerous times over the years that it is not worth the pressure and that I am crazy (maybe true).

This flight will save me $1,000 for my family of 4!

I would appreciate any feedback from people that have recently done this on The Harmony of the Seas.

Thanks in advance for your help!

My wife, daughter and I were on Harmony last week and did the self-disembarkation. We walked off the ship at 7:15 AM, were through Immigration / Customs 15 minutes later, and in a cab on the way to FLL 10 minutes after that. It was the most seamless departure from a cruise we ever had, and guess things just coalesced into place.

As others will surely tell you as well, things can always throw a monkey wrench into your plans --- late arrival into Port Everglades; a delay in clearing the ship by CBP; an overzealous immigration officer deciding to do a deep dive into your travel documents ... just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Michael

We were on Harmony last week , and docking was at Crown Bay ... I'm assuming it would be the same for Anthem as it's the same class of ship.

We took a taxi to get to the center of town, cost US$4 per person.

Michael

We agree with Bob's post earlier that food, or quality of food, is a subjective matter. That said, we found the main dining room to be adequate ... the food didn't stink but it wasn't anything to write home about either. If you choose to eat some or all of your meals there you'll be satisfied but may not have a "wow" factor.

In comparison, we found the specialty restaurants to be way above par. Wonderland was a real fun taste experience ... I would go to Jamie's for the planks alone again ... 150 Central Park was outstanding ...and Chops for lunch was delicious. I'm not usually a fan for paying the upcharges at specialty restaurants, but can honestly say we did get great quality from them this cruise.

Hope that helps ...

Michael

Thank you for the report!

 

Going on Harmony in January....did you find any public spaces that were better to avoid at certain times due to crowds?

Keep in mind that it was thanksgiving week so your mileage may vary. That said, the usual suspects of the Windjammer at breakfast and lunch, the Royal Promenade right after dinner, and the casino right after dinner were very crowded.

That said, my wife and I LOVED the Park Central Cafe for a quiet leisurely breakfast was wonderful ... Deck 5 (the running deck) had a couple of places with loungers, it’s a VERY quiet location that only the runners use, and it’s at “see” level and watching the ocean as the ship moves is intoxicating ... the Rising Tide bar became our absolute favourite for a quiet drink even if the area surrounding it was a hubbub of activity.

Enjoy the Harmony!!

Michael

Yes, we've seen the drink cards offered at the bars. Sometimes a bar server will offer them when taking a drink order.

Exactly ... I was offered the card a number of times from different bartenders at different locations. You won’t have any trouble locating a place to buy one.

So far, the arrival times have not been enforced by RC for US departures. If the uploaded photo does not meet their facial recognition requirements, they will take another and it will cost you about 15 seconds.

Agreed with Clarea ... we were on Harmony last week, and our entire group was allowed on during the 11-1130 appt slot regardless of each of us having different appointments.

Michael

Do you recall any drink cards being offered?

Yes, we saw them being offered on Day 4, 10 drinks for $79 plus 18% gratuity.

Michael

We just got off the Harmony yesterday and didn’t realise the late departure was due to missing people.

We had done the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Enclunter and the ferry boat back to the ship arrived at the dock at 1pm, with last call to board at 130. As others had mentioned the pier is very long, and Harmony was docked at the very end of the pier ... add to that we had to clear Port Security and there were LOTS of folks heading back to the ship at that time, so the whole process ... walk and security and boarding ... took a while, and that’s why we thought there was a hold up in departure.

Michael

My wife, daughter (age 11), and I returned today from a cruise aboard Harmony of the Seas, and we wanted to share our thoughts of the ship and cruise with the CC group.

In addition to the three of us (from NJ), we had family join us from Florida and California ... our age ranges from 11 (our daughter) to 81 years of age.

Boarding

11AM check in time was reserved ... we arrived at 10:45 after spending the night before at the Residence Inn by Marriott Ft. Lauderdale Airport / Cruise port, and were onboard 30 minutes later.

Itinerary

Originally supposed to be "At Sea" the first two days, then San Juan, St. Thomas and Labadee Haiti, concluding with another 'at sea' day. Due to the damage in SJU from Maria, Nassau, The Bahamas was substituted instead on the first full day at sea.

The Ship

In three words, Harmony OTS is "Big as Hell". My wife and I prefer Radiance Class ships, as they are more intimate and offers more windows to enjoy the sea. That said, there is something for every age range on the Harmony and one is free to do as much or as little as possible.

Cabin

Balcony Stateroom 12196 overlooking the ocean "on the hump". A more than comfortable cabin on the hump. The balcony is always one of our favourite places to relax, whether it's having tea first thing in the morning, or just to relax at night while listening to the ocean.

Our stateroom attendant was able to unlock the balcony partitions to allow us to more easily socialize with our family.

Food

We ate in the dining room twice for dinner and once for breakfast. The food is good overall, but nothing to write home about. The waiter and assistant waiter did their jobs competently, and we received reasonable attention while dining -- exactly what we expected.

Other meals were taken at the Windjammer (for breakfast and lunch), though my wife and I prefer the WJ on the Brilliance better as it has a better layout there; Wonderland (dinner), which was the most innovative restaurant we ate at; 150 Central Park (great "traditional" gourmet food for dinner), Jamie's for dinner (very good, with the only standout being The Plank as an appetizer; and Chops (for lunch yesterday) -- their Chops burger (only served at lunch) is the best I've ever had.

Great breakfast stop was Park Central Café (deck 8), Dawg House (deck 6) for incredible hot dogs), Promenade Café for light bites and coffee.

Ports

We've been to each of the posts many time, so there's nothing special for us in going ashore. One can still see the signs of the major reconstruction work being done on St. Thomas.

Excursions

Dolphin Encounter in Nassau (our favourite), snorkeling in St Thomas, and the beach / water park in Haiti.

On Ship Highlights

Central Park is extraordinary. The water show at the Aqua theater was fun to watch, sort of like Cirque de Solei on crack -- very talented performers. The Boardwalk was a nice change of place but we didn't spend much time there.

My daughter and I did a sushi making class at Izumi -- lots of fun, we would highly recommend this.

Favourite places on board

Deck 5 starboard side forward, there is a space with lounge chairs. It's extremely quiet, very few people go by there except the runners / walkers on the track. It's also at "see" level, which is very intoxicating.

Breakfast at Park Central Café, in Central Park.

Disembarkation

We did express / self disembarkation -- we packed the night before, walked off the ship at 7:05 AM, was through Immigration and Customs in less than 10 minutes and was in a cab heading to FLL at 7:30.

This is an abbreviated review, forgive us if there is something we did not include. Any questions please let us know by posting it here on CC and will do our best to reply.

Cheers!

Michael

I actually cooked risotto in the Chops kitchen on Freedom. They used to offer cooking classes.

 

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Glomming on to this post, my daughter and I will be doing a sushi making class next week while on the Harmony ... I can only assume the class will be held at Izumi. These classes are definitely fun, and my 11 y/o is jumping out of her skin with excitement.

Michael

On Freedom Class and Voyageur Class, we find Deck 4 to be our quiet place to read, talk and enjoy an adult beverage. Very few passengers go by there, and only slightly more crew heading from point A to point B. And the view of the ocean, which is at "See" level, can't be beat.

Michael and Silke

You can go to guest services on the day you turn 21 and show them your ID and they will make the change for you.

Then that represents a change over when I last cruised RCL ... and in fairness to the "new 21 year old", that's a good thing too.

Thanks for updating me. :)

Michael

And if memory serves, the age you are on the first day of your cruise is the age they will treat you for the entire cruise ... so that if you are 20 on the first day of the cruise, and turn 21 the second day, you're SOL if you wanted to purchase liquor on board.

Michael

Do they have a piano bar - a sing a long type of piano bar?

 

We board her next Saturday!!!!

We will be joining you next Saturday, Kathy. Not enamoured with the ports, especially Nassau, but in this case the destination could be the ship itself.

Michael, Silke and Olivia

Our cruise itinerary was changed (dropping SJU and picking up NAS) due to the recent Hurricanes, and we're going to be doing the Blue Lagoon excursion. The last few times we've stopped in Nassau, we've just stayed on the ship ... we know the Bahamas have their own currency, but how common is the US$ as method of payment? Also, do merchants discount for using the B$ or charge a premium for using the US$?

Just curious ...

Michael

Nine days and counting ... My wife and I aren't exactly thrilled with the itinerary this go round (Nassau, St. Thomas and Labadee), but we've never been on a ship this large before, so the ship will be our destination!

Michael

Same for us. I usually book months in advance to get rooms next to or at least near each other with our family and friends. Sometimes it does make me a little sad to look at possible upgrades I could get but don't want to be away from the rest of our group

 

 

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My wife and I would not turn down the upgrade, ESPECIALLY if we were traveling as part of a ground. We figure that we will be spending enough time with the other group members during the day, whether it’s a meal, or a show or an excursion. At the end of the day, we want our quiet .... we NEED some alone time from everyone else in our group, if only as a way to maintain our sanity. Having them next door or across the hall would be enough to drive me to drink. 😇😂

Michael

My wife, daughter and I will be on the Harmony in a couple of weeks, itinerary Fort Lauderdale - Nassau - St Thomas - Labadee - Fort Lauderdale. Does anyone have any recent info on whether there will be an On-Board US Immigration document check when we arrive in St. Thomas from Nassau on the 4th day of the cruise?

I ask because on a previous cruise -- admittedly, about 10 years ago or so -- we went to a foreign port first, then stopped in San Juan, and everyone had to make themselves available in the main dining room upon arrival for US Immigration. The visit was mandatory in order for the ship to be "cleared" and passengers allowed off for their excursions.

While we understand and accept the need for the check, the pain is having to get up so early in the morning ... a minor inconvenience I suppose, but we want to be prepared.

Thanks in advance,

Michael

Should be reasonably quiet ... except when Aquatheater shows are going on.

Understood re: the Aqua show, sir. Our thoughts are for during the daylight hours ...

Thanks again, and cheers!

Michael

There are 2 spots with lounge chairs around the walking/jogging track. Take a quick walk around the track and you’ll find them

 

 

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An excellent suggestion! Thank you!!

I'd say that the closest thing to deck 4 on Voyager/Freedom is the aft part of deck 5. Nice view of the wake and some lounge chairs there (at least on Oasis and Allure).

That sounds great, sir ... we love that part of the ship, and if it's quiet then we are definitely there!

Thanks!!

Michael