New to Royal, just off Harmony (11/19-11/26)

[M313M]

Just sharing our perspective as first time Royal cruisers. My daughter (age 17) and I were on HOTS November 19-26, on the first Western Caribbean voyage.

 

We drove down to Fort Lauderdale on Friday night from the Orlando area, and stayed at the Residence Inn in Dania Beach which was actually really nice, with a full kitchen, sitting area, and large bathroom. The staff was very friendly as well, and they offered a free breakfast in the morning.

On Saturday, we took the 10 minute drive to Port Everglades and parked at the cruise terminal. Our arrival time was about 11am.

 

We had never been to this port, and once inside, I asked a RCI employee which way to go and pointed ahead. She basically scolded me, telling me THAT area was for Diamond and above. Ok, lady. Just asking where to go. Direct me to the peasants then, please. ;) She really had an attitude.

Once our number to board was called (around noon) we started moving down the row, only to hear guests yelling at another RCI employee because she was making them wait until our row finished.

Oh my goodness. People were a little testy already. :(

 

We finally made it on board, and went straight to Park Cafe for the much read-about roast beef sandwich. My daughter loved it, but I thought it was a bit fatty. We also grabbed some fruit cups which were really good. After checking out a few areas of the ship, we went to our room once they were "open". I booked an oceanview at the very front of the ship on deck 11. It had a big, slanted window, and was pretty spacious.

 

For dinner, we went to Sabor. Got right in, she didn't even look at our reservation in the system because it was pretty empty. After the waiter came over he said, "did she tell you we have no guacamole?" Um, no. He said the avacados were not ripe yet. Dinner was pretty good over all, and then we asked about dessert. There are only 3 options. My daughter asked for the churros. Nope, no churros. Ok then, I guess we'll get dessert elsewhere. Wound up at the self-serve frozen yogurt machine.

We called it a night pretty early since we were both tired.

 

Day 2 at sea was spent with us getting pedicures at the spa. The 2 spa personnel were not that chatty, and i don't think the one my daughter had said more than 2 words to her. It was fine, we were there to relax anyways. We relaxed in the sun, and checked out more of the ship. Lunch was in the Solarium Bistro, which was good. Dinner was in the MDR and it was somewhat crazy there. Lots of people with no reservations, in the wrong line, and the staff seemed very rushed.

We saw Grease that night, which we thought was very good, even with them stopping for a technical difficulty, and restarting a scene. Make sure you have a reservation!

 

Day 3 - Labadee. Ok, so maybe I was expecting too much here, having been to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Labadee was just ok to me. It seemed old, and slightly run-down. We asked for 2 chairs, and tipped the man who got them. They seemed really old and worn. Really RCI, you can't afford some nicer, newer chairs? I almost rented a few floating mats but was glad I didn't after seeing the ones of the people near us. Those also looked like they had seen better days, and had big chunks out of them on the bottom. We didn't go into the "shops" because I read on the boards the sellers are pushy, and from what people near us were saying, it seems that is an understatement.

A tip- make sure you get a towel before you get to the gangway. We were told they would be there when we left, but we didn't see any, and unless we wanted to go through security and back onto the ship, there were no towels to be had.

Food for lunch at Labadee was not great, mostly burgers and hot dogs and I thought the burger was pretty nasty. My daughter liked the hot dog ok.

Dinner in the MDR again on this night, and the host couldn't find our seat, and walked us around for awhile, before leaving us standing in the middle of the room for a bit. We finally sat in a new area than the night before, and our waiter and assistant waiter, while still seeming very rushed, still managed to provide great service.

The Fine Line aqua show was this night, and they had a few times where the show was stopped for technical difficulties. It was still a good show, but I liked it more than my daughter.

 

Day 4- Jamaica. We didn't get off the ship, and used it to explore more and do a few of the activities since it was a bit less crowded. My daughter did the zip line which she loved, and we both did the Abyss. She liked it more than I did. I read it wasn't that fast, but found that it actually was.

Breakfast and lunch were both in the Windjammer, as there was not a lot else open (for lunch) until late, around 3. I find it too crowded there, hard to get a seat, and the food is just ok.

We saw iSkate, which was pretty good, and had dinner at Jamies which was very good. The service was good as well. Make reservations! We were seated near the front, and saw so many people turned away because they did not have a reservation.

 

Day 5 at Sea - I think with close to 6400 people on board, a few basic manners would go a long way. We started seeing more people rushing in front of others getting on elevators, cutting in lines, not saying excuse me...kids who are too young to be roaming the ship alone doing just that, being obnoxious.

I did find out I could probably never do a TA cruise, as too many sea days would start to wear on me a bit I think.

Breakfast today was in the MDR. It was fine, although the waiter had zero personality.

We tried Johnny Rockets for lunch. There was about a 15 minute wait in line. Once we were seated, our waitress came over fairly quickly, but told it it would be at least 15 minutes to get the shakes we ordered. That's fine, we had water while we waited. She was right, it was about 20 minutes, luckily before our meal came though.

Other people were complaining their waiter had not come over yet, and it did seem very unorganized. I will stick to Johnny Rockets on land.

Dinner was in the MDR again tonight, and it was good, as well as our service.

We saw Big Daddy's, which was a cute aqua show, since my daughter had no interest in going to the Headliner show which was a Journey tribute band.

 

Day 6 - Cozumel. I booked Nachi Cocum after reading reviews on the boards. It was very peaceful, with pretty good food, drinks, and a nice beach, and a pool. Although 2 people near us got stung by jellyfish, so I was a little hesitant to swim much. The taxi ride for 2 was $17 each way.

Thanksgiving dinner in the MDR was good, and I was sad this was our last night in the MDR, as our assistant waiter Leo, was awesome. I made sure to find him the next morning at breakfast to give him an extra tip.

 

Day 7 - another day at sea, and more rude people. :( Two different women were yelling at the chefs in the Solarium Bistro. One wanted oatmeal and didn't see it, and the other wanted eggs cooked to order (which you can get in other places for breakfast) but they actually made her one.

For lunch, we decided to try Sabor again, for the tableside guac since I had seen a few people with it the day before. We didn't go until after 3, so it wasn't the lunch rush, but we waited in back of 2 other groups to get a table, even though there were plenty (they were just not cleaned off). It wasn't busy in there, and the hostess kept disappearing, so I'm not sure what the issue was. Right when we were about to leave, she did come over to seat us, although I overheard some other guestes telling her they were there for 25 minutes and the waiter had not come over yet. Our waiter was great at first, but when it came time to get the check it took forever.

We made it in time to Columbus the Musical which was really good! We had Chops for dinner, and our waiter was good. I had the Filet, and actually thought one I had in the MDR earlier in the week was better, but it was still a good overall experience.

 

Getting off the ship the next morning was pretty organized, and during breakfast, our departure number had been called. The line wasn't bad at all. It went really smoothly.

 

All in all, I did like Harmony of the Seas. The ship itself is impressive, with lots to do, and lots of choices for food, and activities. I found most of the food to be good to very good. Some exceptions...like the cookies...why are they all rock hard?! :rolleyes: But for the most part, with so many choices, you can always find something you like.

 

We though the shows were all great, and had fun with the activities we really wanted to do...zipling, the Abyss, mini golf. My daughter really wanted to do the ice skating but it was always full.

 

We really liked Abe as the CD, and had a few exceptional crew members, but honestly, I felt like most of the servers were rushed, and just had so much turnover as far as tables, they barely have time to really focus on quality service.

We saw our stateroom attendant on the first night, but never again. Our room was cleaned, and things were taken care of, but she was never around like a lot of the others near us.

 

I would sail Royal again, but my heart is still with Disney. My daughter and I were discussing it, and feel like there is more "charm" for lack of a better word with DCL, and better service. They may not have as many choices as far as food, but I like the 2 dinner seating times, and rotating with your servers to different restaurants. With only 2 set times, they have more time to spend, and are not rushing to turn over tables to people coming in at all different times.

 

I read up on the boards a lot before this cruise, and can definitely say I am grateful. The best tip was to make reservations for all of the shows and dining you want as soon as you can. This was a necessity!

Also, VOOM was good. I got it for one device which was fine for my daughter and me. One of us would sign off and the other would sign on. It worked well with the exception of a couple hours one morning.

The Royal IQ app was helpful too....I liked the ability to check the room account on there, and noticed a couple of discrepancies which I was able to get corrected at Guest Services pretty quickly.

Also, if you are interested in the Royal Refreshment plan, wait for it to go on sale. I got it for $18 OR 19 a day. Totally not worth $26 a day to me.

You can also use it for the non-alcoholic drinks at the Bionic Bar. The most requested drink overall there for a few days was the Shirley Temple. :D

 

Any questions, feel free to ask!

[kwazi07]

Thanks for the detailed review!

 

I disagree with your sea day comment...I LOVE sea days. That's why I want to do a TA :)

 

Interesting that you have been on Disney. I've been wanting to go on Disney for a while...almost did...but we ended up going to WDW. Their prices seem to have risen a lot lately, so I haven't been able to sail with them.

 

But thanks for the review and happy you enjoyed Harmony!

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the well balanced review.

[easyboy]

Thank you for your review.

 

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[Big_G]

Thanks for the review.

[Emeloula]

Thanks for your review.

 

Questions: Do they still have the Dreamworks characters around the ship?

 

Did you happen to notice many babies? We're cruising in January with our 2 year old and 7 month old, and I was just curious.

[Emeloula]

Oh another question - do they still give you a printed ship schedule each day? I heard everything is done electronically on that ship.

 

Thanks!

[Fruggers]

I was on this sailing as well. We were five adults and five kids (ages 6-9) spread across three cabins. This was my first Royal sailing as well after spending the last two sailings on Disney (Fantasy & Magic). We decided to try something different (and something that cost less).

 

The ship itself was beautiful, there were tons of activities for all to enjoy and the food in the MDR (we were in Silk on Deck 5) was very good, and I'll say the food was better than Disney. Where the ship failed was in everything else.

 

Tried to book MTD when it first opened but was unable to combine reservation across three cabins. Called Royal and they said take care of it on board. Got onboard, checked Silk dining room and only reservations available were for the first night at 9 PM - no other reservations available all week. Went to traditional dining and they were fully booked early and late seating.

 

Dining room staff were very good and very friendly, and THEY managed to get us a daily 5:30 PM dinner reservation for the rest of the cruise. So much for there being nothing available according to the Maitre'D.

 

So many people had dining reservation issues that people just ended up eating dinner in the Windjammer, but they only had one side of the Windjammer open and then ended up closing Windjammer to additional guests due to capacity.

 

Got in line Thur at 9:30 AM to get a slot for ice skating as instructed by the daily bulletin. Wait in line 45 minutes only to be told you can't book a slot for later in the day (which is contrary to what the bulletin said). Told come back 30 minutes before the afternoon session I want to get a slot. Head back when instructed and told all slots for the day are gone. At the first afternoon slot, they started giving out spots for the rest of the afternoon skating. I and 20 other people are standing there dumbstruck.

 

All the shows were very good, but making reservations months in advance doesn't leave any flexibility for when you want to see a show. I booked Grease for the 2nd night at 10:30 pm, but by the time the 2nd day rolled around everyone was too exhausted to see it. With the ship at capacity, there wasn't an opportunity to see it again.

 

Room attendant was the most unfriendly person I've ever had on a cruise. The room was always clean, and everything was ok - but trying to engage her in conversation was a fruitless endeavor.

 

It felt very disorganized, and most of the crew (with the exception of our dining room staff) seemed like they would rather be somewhere else. At the rock climbing wall while my daughter was getting ready I overhead one of the rock climbing staff say to another staff that she should hurry and get her break in before the rest of the cattle show up - and that's exactly what it felt like.

 

My wife and I kept thinking why does Disney cost so much more than Royal, Princess, etc. And I think I know now - the staff is paid better, Disney is the clear winner when it comes to kids clubs, the Disney ships appear to be cleaner and guest satisfaction is more important than getting you to signup for a drink package or buy discount jewelry on "Black Friday."

 

I'm glad I went on the Harmony (I pushed for this cruise since I wanted to see the ship), but I won't be back on Oasis class. If I cruise Royal again, I'd like to try the Quantum class since it might be better with fewer crowds. Next, for our party of 10, we're booked on the Celebrity Reflection for Thanksgiving 2017 and then back to Disney for Thanksgiving 2018.

 

Looking forward to everyone else's thoughts.

[Fruggers]

Yes there are character meet and greets all around the ship and the schedule is printed and left in your cabin each evening. There were several babies on this voyage that I saw (maybe 7-10).

 

 

Thanks for your review.

 

Questions: Do they still have the Dreamworks characters around the ship?

 

Did you happen to notice many babies? We're cruising in January with our 2 year old and 7 month old, and I was just curious.

[Emeloula]

Thanks for your review and feedback Fruggers.

 

Someday I want to try a Disney cruise! I can see now it's probably worth the price, but I'm not sure I want to cruise with a ton of kids (coming from a mom bringing my 2). ;)

 

Sorry your experience wasn't A+, I'm hoping they work out some issues in the next few months!

[cpayne]

You mentioned getting your drink package for $18-19/day. Which pkg was this? Did you purchase on the ship or before? Did you notice if they offered a discounted drink pkg if you purchased later in the wk for the remaining days? If so, how much?

 

 

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[mcatmcat]

I asked a RCI employee which way to go and pointed ahead. She basically scolded me, telling me THAT area was for Diamond and above. Ok, lady. Just asking where to go. Direct me to the peasants then, please. ;) She really had an attitude.

!

 

No matter what ship or terminal you are sailing from Port Everglade it is easy to find rude employees inside and outside the terminal. Sometimes I am waiting outside the terminal for my friends to either board at the same time or waiting for my friends for pick up after the cruise and people directing traffic are extremely rude without reasons as well. Terminal 18 is beautiful and thousands of passengers go trough it some know the drill others are lost so employees at the terminal need to be a little bit patient with those passengers that are lost ot simply want to ask a question.

[M313M]

Thanks for the detailed review!

 

I disagree with your sea day comment...I LOVE sea days. That's why I want to do a TA :)

 

Interesting that you have been on Disney. I've been wanting to go on Disney for a while...almost did...but we ended up going to WDW. Their prices seem to have risen a lot lately, so I haven't been able to sail with them.

 

But thanks for the review and happy you enjoyed Harmony!

 

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Yes, Disney's prices have risen quite a bit which is why we decided to try something different this time. They never have sales, but if you can book right when new dates are released you can get it a little lower.

 

 

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[M313M]

You mentioned getting your drink package for $18-19/day. Which pkg was this? Did you purchase on the ship or before? Did you notice if they offered a discounted drink pkg if you purchased later in the wk for the remaining days? If so, how much?

 

 

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This is the Royal Refreshment. Or did they change the name? It included non alcoholic drinks, fresh squeezed oj, soda... I purchased it on sale before the cruise. They were still out on the Promenade selling the soda cups days into the cruise so I believe you could buy it for the remaining days. I didn't see the price but I'm guessing it wasn't the sale price I got online.

 

 

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[M313M]

Oh another question - do they still give you a printed ship schedule each day? I heard everything is done electronically on that ship.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

They still leave the daily compass along with lots of other papers everyday, although you can also look at the compass on the Royal iq too.

 

 

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[M313M]

Thanks for your review and feedback Fruggers.

 

 

 

Someday I want to try a Disney cruise! I can see now it's probably worth the price, but I'm not sure I want to cruise with a ton of kids (coming from a mom bringing my 2). ;)

 

 

 

Sorry your experience wasn't A+, I'm hoping they work out some issues in the next few months!

 

 

Honestly, I feel like I saw more kids on the Harmony than on Disney. Yes, it was a holiday week sailing, but they're catering to families with this class of ship. Lots for everyone to do.

Disney has adult only areas of the ship, adult only dining, and even adult only beach on Castaway.

I have never minded the amount of kids on Disney, and even sailed them before I had one.

 

 

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[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Honestly, I feel like I saw more kids on the Harmony than on Disney. Yes, it was a holiday week sailing, but they're catering to families with this class of ship. Lots for everyone to do.

Disney has adult only areas of the ship, adult only dining, and even adult only beach on Castaway.

I have never minded the amount of kids on Disney, and even sailed them before I had one.

 

 

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With more than double the passengers than any Disney ship, and also during a holiday break where kids were off school...not that surprised you saw a good number of them. The same happens during Spring break.

 

Thanks to the original poster for their report.

[RSLeesburg]

Honestly, I feel like I saw more kids on the Harmony than on Disney. Yes, it was a holiday week sailing, but they're catering to families with this class of ship. Lots for everyone to do.

Disney has adult only areas of the ship, adult only dining, and even adult only beach on Castaway.

I have never minded the amount of kids on Disney, and even sailed them before I had one.

 

 

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Did you hear how many kids were onboard for our cruise? They usually announce this but if they did I missed it, and forgot to ask at AO. Last year we had over 1,400 kids on Freedom over Thanksgiving, and to me, it felt like we had less than that on Harmony this year. The kids club seemed less crowded than it was on Freedom, and I saw far fewer kids on pool deck or hanging around the elevators. Maybe you felt there were lots of kids, but compared to our last two Thanksgiving cruises on Freedom and Grandeur, this one was practically empty...lol

 

 

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[andrew2346]

We are also a Disney cruising family (wonder, wonder wonder, fantasy) but have taken more RCL cruises (Serenade, Explorer X3, Grandeur, Anthem). Also have sailed MSC Divina and Celebrity Summit. You are spot on about the Disney service and the condition of the ship as well as the private island experience. Disney is pretty much near twice as much $$ most of the time. While I have never had a terrible cruise if I had the $$$ it would be Disney every time. Glad you enjoyed your vacation!

[vacationlover_mn]

Thanks for the review!