ChipLondon

Harmony is NOT a total mess, those of us on the actual ship as she sets sail for the cruise to Barcelona know the ship is fully operational and the ongoing maintainance is no more than would be found on any other ship at any time.

First, the Empress transfer was a debacle, now, reports are the Harmony is a total mess!!! They have changed their minds on the Majesty a few times. ANy thoughts on what is going on?

Remember the TA is a long way off and things could easily change before then.

Thanks, that is exactly what I saw in the reservations page. I thought I heard that select now included bottled water but I guess not. We will be on the Harmony TA so I assume that will certainly have the freestyle machines so that is nice. Still not sure if it is worth it as a D+ b/c of the diamond hour benefits. Paying that price for 13 days is a lot of $. Wish they were doing that 40% off for D+ that was reported to have been trialed on a few trips. They are however offering 20% off online but when you add back the gratuities it is about $500 for the 13 days. Not sure I would spend near that much paying as I go on top of diamond hour free drinks and we can easily pack a case of water to board the ship with. Decision, decisions.

I wonder why you make such assumptions, I am not travelling in a suite and am using exactly the same Resaturants, Pools, Bars and facilities as all other guests. Despite popular belief we do not have an allocated additional space around us nor have exclusive toilets etc. In fact one of the featured photos in the DM article was from the Suite Lounge and there I think the provider of those photos may well have been a Suite Guest.

Rest assured our cruise experience would be the same as anybody else.

I doubt that as a C&A Pinnacle Club member travelling in a suite you are going to see, hear, or be affected by much of the disruption, restaurant crowding, unfinished facilities etc. compared to the less fortunate and less travelled passengers in the many other cabins on the ship.

 

I am glad to hear you are enjoying the ship, it is obvious many are not, they can't all be wrong.

Correct :D

Just messaging from ship this evening. The ship is now awesome!

 

 

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Absolutely, I actually think that by tomorrow, all facilities and shows will be up and running. They even previewed the second Ice Show today, the water slides are open, and they are finishing off the Suite Sun Deck :D

Happy to hear she is getting better each day. :):):)

Thank you for your uninformed compliment. I maintain that those of us who are actually on the ship and have the ability to see the whole picture, will probably report the facts in a fairer way than those that read sensational headlines.

I never stated that some aspects were acceptable, but I do maintain that the images presented are not 24/7 and are not as bad as edited photos make them out to be.

You only have to see the bizarre thread titles here on CC and the numbers that view such threads to realise how a headline grabs attention.

Online reporting relies on attention grabbing headlines to feature paid advertising, on that basis I prefer to gather the facts. Many statements made about this ship are factually incorrect, but why allow that to get in the way of poor journalist standards.

ChipLondon's comment that these photos could be duplicated on any ship, any day and labeling this as sensational journalism are patently absurd. I don't need to be on the ship to look at photos and call them unacceptable.

 

It is the mentality of "It's no big deal" and "Any day on a ship is better than a day at work" that allows companies to charge full fare for crap like this.

 

I'm sure in a few weeks or a month it will all be done.

Yes but what the photos do not show is the crew members or workmen that are in the area using the equipment, Often in areas that are cordoned off by hazard tape. A zoom lense or cropping can easily change the truth, the old days of cameras never lying have gone.

Sorry, hadn't read that one - ha ha ha ha ha - now that did make me laugh.

As if they'd risk anyone falling off the ship :rolleyes:

 

I agree re the hovering - it is called keeping the ship clean - but I do think those long trailing cables are just waiting for a H&S claim, as any business knows.

....they throw me off, ( thankfully that will not be until Barcelona ) as I am having such a good time.

So glad we are on board The Harmony, sure there has been some ongoing maintainance in some areas, but day by day the few facilities that needed attention are being opened, the crew are working hard and smiling throughout.

Could I make negative comments, sure ........or I could choose to have a great time and enjoy this incredible ship. I work hard for the money I chose to spend to be here, and therefore I am going to ensure I enjoy my time.

Anyone heading to the ship for the next sailing will wonder what all the fuss is about, all we need now is sunshine. The captain has not found that switch yet.

The Daily Mail report is very exaggerated, yes it is possible to take photos of some cables that are being used for maintainance, and sure I could find some areas that need minor attention. But the ship is amazing and the unsafe comments are just a joke. Would anyone consider their own homes unsafe when hovering.......NO.

On any ship on any day it would be possible to take the same photos, this is just sensational journalism.

Have just seen those photos in the Daily Mail and would not be too happy either .......

Prepare to be 100% out of luck !!!!!

11-11 in the Suite Lounge to those with access.

Are they serving complimentary beer, wine and soda from 11:00 AM until 11:30 PM as they do on the Allure and Oasis?

Hi

Coastal Kitchen is great, very different from the one on Oasis or Allure, the dining area has been swapped to the other side, and the bar has been moved to the back wall, which allows tables to be at the window wall.

The food menu has been different every night, with the lunch menu the same daily.

However the main different is much less drinks service in the Suite Lounge, it is more reliant on the bar service. I do not know if this is ongoing but I fear it will be.

We will be heading to Barcelona after this 3 day sailing.

Thanks for taking the time to check in, Chip.

 

How has the food/service been in Coastal Kitchen?

 

Enjoy the remainder of your time on Harmony. Are the next 9 days bringing her to Barcelona??

Welcome to your first post here on CC, and your kind words.

Trust me everyday the ship is becoming more and more amazing, today the water slides opened and by a miracle the sun decided to shine, people are enjoying also enjoying the large hot tubs and some of the finishing details are being completed.

To those that comment about the contractors, yes there are still many on the ship, but they are as discreet as possible, a lot of the work is little things like artwork and information screens. You may see some small open deck areas that require the finishing sanding but you would have to search these out.

If you come with a positive approach and the intention to have a good time, then that is what you will have.

If you think you see me please stop me and say hello, I don't bite :D

ChipLondon: I don't normally post on here - I just tend to read everyone else's comments pre-cruise!

 

We booked our Harmony cruise last summer (we join on Sunday at Southampton) and were really excited, but over the last few days have been becoming increasingly concerned after reading various reports of problems and work still required.

 

But a huge thank you to you for your post and the reassurance - you really have set our minds at rest and reignited our excitement. Hope you are having an awesome time - see you on board :)

Okay so you ask "What do you think", well I think this

The title of this thread and the news report is a massive over exaggeration of the facts.

Sure it is easy to take some photos of areas that need finishing touches, but this is only a very small percentage of the overall ship.

Yes some areas like the suite sun deck are closed of, but there has until today been no sun anyway, and yes there are some small areas that need some finishing paint work or decorative touches, but none of these are major.

The restaurants and bars are fully open, as are entertainment areas except the Acqua Theatre as the weather has been too bad to enable the performers to complete final onboard practices.

Day by day some facilities are being opened like the one of the water slides today. Anyone that booked one of these first 4 or 3 days cruises knew what they were booking, and as such had a risk that not all facilities or shows would be up and running from day one, as it has been for the last few ships.

Anybody that has fears about the Harmony please do not have, the ship is incredible and the management and crew working hard to ensure guests have a great cruise experience.

I have taken many photos around the ship and it looks amazing, could I repeat some of the less attractive photos, yes sure I can. Have I seen ceiling panels being removed to fix electrical or plumbing issues, yes I have but I can see this any week on any ship. But this ship is not a construction site, and unsafe to walk around.

Of course I am sure the management on board would want to have everything perfect from day one, however they were only handed the ship a short while ago, and yes it should have been handed over without any issues.

The areas that require work are those ares that are least used by guests in the current weather conditions, who cares if a couple of hot tubs are out of use, there are others that can be used and only have a few people in them.

I respect the OPs opinion that it is not ready for prime time, but these first sailing are not prime time nor sailing with a full house. Sure this does not help those that only cruised for the first 4 days sailing, but already things are better on this 3 day sailing. Anyone that cannot enjoy themselves with all the facilities that are available will probably never be happy. I agree that guests should have reasonable expectations met, but having heard some people scream because there favorite hot tub or water slide is closed, well I am not sure if that is reasonable.

This is a fabulous ship, with an amazing crew that are smiling through despite the rudeness of some guests. We are happy to be on board and even happier to be staying on for the next 9 days.

This is well beyond normal first cruise bugs; the ship simply is not ready for prime time. These cruises were sold as regular cruises and guests have a reasonable expectation for things to be ready.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-36389384

 

Just reinforces my viewpoint of

 

-No new ships for 6 months

-No ships out of drydock for 1 month

-No ships going to dry dock in 2 to 4 weeks.

Apply to all cruise lines

 

 

What do you think? I have heard of no compensation, but in this instance I feel some is due.

There is too much confusion between drink packages, hopefully the future changes will address this.

We all need to remember that whatever we read about drink packages today, may not be true in a few months time, Royal have a way of changing things at any time, and it is possible that the current advice on packages may not be applicable for those sailing later in the year. :eek:

On that basis I should bring my own Caddie to carry my golf clubs, and my own drinks for the Winners After Party. :D

I got the same email, which unfortunately does not state which upcoming cruise on The Harmony ( I have a b2B2B2B booked ) no visible changes on any on them. :eek:

We will be on board and hope to be able to report back, but I am sure someone else will create a LIVE thread before I even finish my first drink :D

Looking at the Port of Southampton movements this week, there's a 'channel cruise' running 20 - 22 May. Anyone know, is this a Travel Agent/VIP preview event?

 

Is anyone on this board on it to give us some early reviews?

My comment was not aimed at you personally, I apologise if you think it was.

Many of us on these pages that have higher post counts, know that such a message is a regular feature on the website.

Sorry I even posted. I log on RCCL website a few times a day, checking prices, and this is the first time I've ever seen the message about C & A.

The Suite deck on deck 17 is all there is "that is reserved" for suites near the pool on Oasis Class.

Although as the OP says this area is actually not near the pools at all, being two floors up from the pools.

However Suite guests are welcome to sit on any other loungers not occupied by others. In fact the Oasis Class is one of the few ships that have an abundance of loungers, and there are often available loungers at most time of the day.

The suite sun deck on deck 17 is all there is for suites near the pool on Oasis class.

That is because today is May 1st and they are making all the changes we have been expecting.................Ohhh NO it's not, someone must have made a mistake. ;)

Changes to C & A? When trying to login this morning, I got this message.

 

 

Your detailed Crown & Anchor information is currently not available. You can continue browsing the site, but please keep in mind that anything pertaining to your Crown & Anchor membership information will not be viewable at this time.

Most people use long attachable bungy cords, It gets messy in the lifts, but ensures the kids come back quickly. :D

Note to self ....Do not comment !!!!! :D

On that basis, it is irrelevant what the sign ever says, or looks like :eek:

But surely you know that many people don't really bother to read...anything!

:rolleyes: