Harmony Trip Report April 8-15, 2017: A Cruise to Remember!

[CreativeCruiser119]

My Overall Thoughts

 

Overall, despite being sick for the second half of the cruise, I thoroughly enjoyed my week on the Harmony of the Seas. The ship was great, the service was top-notch, and the ports had great things to do. I'm having a hard time thinking of things they could change, because everything is done so perfectly! I would highly recommend this ship, ship class, and cruise line as a whole to anybody looking into cruising. I would be happy to answer any questions that any of you may have as you consider which cruise is best for you.

 

My overall rating: 10/10

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

Next up: an update on Patches!

 

(Not our photos, these are from Google Images)

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

An Update on Patches

 

In addition to your support of my reporting, you have all also been so supportive of my little girl in light of the news of her cancer, which has already struck two of our relatives, one of which is now cancer-free and the other one in treatment, both with good prognoses. So, I thought you deserved an update!

 

She's doing well. As you know, the cancer has not spread which means we will most likely be able to have her for a few more years as planned! She has her appointment tomorrow to remove her cone and stitches. Yay! During that appointment Mom and the vet will discuss treatment. She's always been a lazy cat, but has been fairly spunky recently and you'd have no idea she has anything going on. She also seems to have gotten used to the cone, when at first she couldn't stop running into things!

 

She has had asthma since age 5, which we have stayed on top of and kept her healthy. We plan to do the same for her cancer. While what she has is a rare and aggressive form of feline melanoma, they believe that if we stay on top of it like we have for her asthma for the past 6 and a half years, we'll most likely be able to have her for a few more years before she reaches the average life expectancy of a healthy cat.

 

So needless to say, the news was very welcome to all of us, and I'm glad I don't have to worry about losing my Patches for a long time! Let's just hope nothing changes. But right now, all is looking good! Thank you all so much again for your support; I have added a few pictures of Patches (the black and white tuxedo) and a bonus: a couple of Pepper (the calico) as well! I call the last picture "the princess on her throne." Pretty cat, pretty tree!

 

Pepper is a split personality cat. She's very sweet at night, but gets irritated very easily and is hostile around guests. Patches is somewhat timid around guests, and may go off and urinate when frightened, but she's a sweet little girl. Puff, who we lost a few years ago, was mostly white and just an all-around friendly and spunky cat. Regardless of their personalities, we love our cats and know they love us back, even when (Pepper) doesn't show it!

 

Next up: our next cruise!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

The Next One: Hello Freedom!

 

Okay, I don't know what to do with my life now that I'm wrapping this up! But before I go, I thought I'd talk about our next cruise!

 

As of Day 5 of our Harmony of the Seas cruise, we are booked on the March 25-31, 2018 sailing of the Freedom of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale to the Western Caribbean! The itinerary:

Day 0, Saturday, March 24th: Travel day- hopefully a smooth one this time!

Day 1, Sunday, March 25th: Embark in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Day 2, Monday, March 26th: At Sea

Day 3, Tuesday, March 27th: George Town, Grand Cayman

Day 4, Wednesday, March 28th: Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico

Day 5, Thursday, March 29th: Cozumel, Mexico

Day 6, Friday, March 30th: At Sea

Day 7, Saturday, March 31st: Disembark in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and head home.

 

This time around, we will be staying in side-by-side Deluxe Oceanview Balcony cabins (not connecting), located on Deck 7, starboard side, between forward and midship. Matt and I will be in E2 category cabin 7276, with Mom and Dad next door in category E3 cabin 7278. So if anybody has stayed in either of these cabins, feel FREE (pun intended) to comment! These cabins are, respectfully, 10 and 9 cabins forward of 7296, which our parents stayed in on the Liberty. Matt and I stayed across the hall in 7297 during that cruise, which had a bay window overlooking the Royal Promenade. I would also highly recommend that category as well.

 

Deck 7 seems to be our most common deck, as that was also the deck we stayed on during our Oasis and Disney Dream cruises, both of them on the port side. We were on Deck 3 on the Monarch (no balconies on that ship) and Deck 8 on the Allure, both on the starboard side. And of course, Deck 10, port side on the Harmony!

 

We are already excited for this cruise and while we will miss the Oasis-class features, we also loved the Liberty and look forward to experiencing the Freedom. Whether I do a trip report on that cruise is yet to be decided, so you'll just have to find out next year after we've sailed! I've attached three photos of the Freedom of the Seas, which once again do not belong to us, as well as a photo I just took this morning of my latest Royal Caribbean SeaPass card collection, consisting of my cards from Monarch, Oasis, Allure and Liberty, and my newly added Harmony of the Seas card right in the middle next to my WOWband as we continue to stay #LoyalToRoyal! (Once again, still nothing against Disney at all!)

 

Please note that while this is the last of my informational review, I will still frequently check up on this thread so if any of you have any final thoughts or questions at any point, I strongly encourage you to comment as you please. Just because I'm done reviewing doesn't mean we can't keep this thread somewhat active! Or maybe you just want to relive my experience again, in which case I would highly recommend re-reading my report and enjoying it as many times as you want!

 

Thank you all once again for following along on my journey. It sure has been a fun ride! And a special thank you once again to all who have supported Patches and I! It means more than you know. Thanks for following, and again feel free to comment anytime with any questions, comments or concerns!

 

That's all for now, so happy cruising to all, and I hope to see you again in the future, maybe for another trip report! We'll just have to see...

 

 

 

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Edited May 15, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[HeyJut]

Really enjoyed your review and following along with your lovely family. And I for one don't mind going off topic at all, and also find it interesting to see pix and hear tidbits from prior cruises or life in general.

And glad to hear Patches is doing ok.

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation. You are very fortunate to have started cruising so young. I didn't discover it till much later.

 

Am going on Harmony in September. No questions now as you were very thorough.

Thanks again

Ellen

[kdn hawaii]

Not sure if you already answered this question about comparing harmony and liberty. We are debating between a cruise on those ships. What did you like about the two and which did you prefer. We've been on oasis of the seas and mariner of the seas (over 10 yrs ago). Been on many cruises so we are familiar with cruising but just debating on the ship. We have two young children as well. It looks like liberty of the seas has a bigger and better kids splash area.

Is harmony much different from oasis? Basically wanted to go on harmony because it's newer but if it's very similar to oasis, might pass as liberty of the seas is closer to where we are traveling from.

Thank you!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Really enjoyed your review and following along with your lovely family. And I for one don't mind going off topic at all, and also find it interesting to see pix and hear tidbits from prior cruises or life in general.

And glad to hear Patches is doing ok.

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation. You are very fortunate to have started cruising so young. I didn't discover it till much later.

 

Am going on Harmony in September. No questions now as you were very thorough.

Thanks again

Ellen

 

 

 

Thank you so much, I greatly appreciate the support! I am happy to say that as of now, Patches is cancer-free! She has undergone two surgeries and is well on the road to recovery, and we will continue to treat her from here.

 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review! Happy sailing - you will LOVE the Harmony!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Not sure if you already answered this question about comparing harmony and liberty. We are debating between a cruise on those ships. What did you like about the two and which did you prefer. We've been on oasis of the seas and mariner of the seas (over 10 yrs ago). Been on many cruises so we are familiar with cruising but just debating on the ship. We have two young children as well. It looks like liberty of the seas has a bigger and better kids splash area.

Is harmony much different from oasis? Basically wanted to go on harmony because it's newer but if it's very similar to oasis, might pass as liberty of the seas is closer to where we are traveling from.

Thank you!

 

 

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To be honest, I am very bad at making these decisions, especially with cruise ships! I loved that both of them had waterslides. You are correct about the Splashaway Bay Aqua Park on Liberty, it has a pool and two small whirlpools, whereas the one on Harmony has one larger whirlpool but no pool. They both have designated baby splash zones for children in diapers, separate from the rest of the splash area. I would agree that the splash area on Liberty may be a little bit larger, so if that's what you prefer then I would take that into consideration.

 

They both have the Adventure Ocean children's program as well. Harmony was very similar overall to Oasis and Allure, but you could definitely tell it was more than just an exact copy. Many people say it feels like a Quantum class, but I have never sailed Quantum class so I cannot comment on that, however having seen pictures of Quantum class ships, Harmony does have a lot of the same decor and new features as the Quantum class ships. It's like Oasis/ Allure, but with its own twist.

 

It's definitely original in many ways, but if the splash park is the main deciding factor, I'd go with Liberty, and not to mention it will likely be cheaper since it's not a fairly new ship like Harmony is. However, if there's more to your decision than the splash park, I'd have a tough time deciding myself! They're both wonderful ships. I hope I was able to help, and let me know if you have any other questions!

 

 

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[kdn hawaii]

To be honest, I am very bad at making these decisions, especially with cruise ships! I loved that both of them had waterslides. You are correct about the Splashaway Bay Aqua Park on Liberty, it has a pool and two small whirlpools, whereas the one on Harmony has one larger whirlpool but no pool. They both have designated baby splash zones for children in diapers, separate from the rest of the splash area. I would agree that the splash area on Liberty may be a little bit larger, so if that's what you prefer then I would take that into consideration.

 

They both have the Adventure Ocean children's program as well. Harmony was very similar overall to Oasis and Allure, but you could definitely tell it was more than just an exact copy. Many people say it feels like a Quantum class, but I have never sailed Quantum class so I cannot comment on that, however having seen pictures of Quantum class ships, Harmony does have a lot of the same decor and new features as the Quantum class ships. It's like Oasis/ Allure, but with its own twist.

 

It's definitely original in many ways, but if the splash park is the main deciding factor, I'd go with Liberty, and not to mention it will likely be cheaper since it's not a fairly new ship like Harmony is. However, if there's more to your decision than the splash park, I'd have a tough time deciding myself! They're both wonderful ships. I hope I was able to help, and let me know if you have any other questions!

 

 

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Thank you! That was helpful. I think we've decided on liberty for several factors. After looking at harmony and oasis, I do agree that it's similar but grander. We will miss the boardwalk though! The price for our sailing window is not too much of a difference though. We are sailing in a few weeks so the prices are probably higher than planning ahead. We've sailed on several other cruise lines but like the layout of RCI ships the best. Love the promenade! Thanks again!

 

 

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[easyboy]

Just finished enjoying your review. It was really great and well written. The photos were very nice.

Feel sorry for Patches. I know she'll have more years!

Thanks for taking the time.

[CreativeCruiser119]

Saturday, July 22

An Update

 

Hello all,

 

I'm back, for the first time since I graduated! And this time, I need your help! I did start a separate thread on this just a bit ago, but thought I'd add it here as well. I start college in September and we, as a family, have the Freedom of the Seas booked for March 2018, as mentioned earlier on. We got extremely lucky in that my spring break lined up with my brother's, who will be starting high school in the fall.

 

The school district has published its calendar for 2019, however my university has not. In thinking that aligned spring breaks would likely be a fluke thing, I am considering gathering a group of friends in 2019 and going on Symphony of the Seas as a group- they pay for themselves of course[emoji16]. I have grown to love cruising at a young age and hope to get a few others into it, especially since many of my friends were so fascinated by my pictures and videos from Harmony that they simply could not believe they were taken onboard a cruise ship! I am considering summer 2019, as many of my friends will be attending different universities and likely have different spring breaks as me. And from what I've heard, you DO NOT want to miss a week of college!!

 

As you know, on Harmony, my parents stayed on Deck 10 in an Oceanview Balcony cabin, and my brother Matt and I stayed in a Central Park Balcony cabin directly across the hall. I loved my cabin on the Harmony so much, I would like to have that view again. However, since I would be paying for myself this time around (as would my friends), I am looking at the Central Park View cabins on Deck 9, with more living space and a picture window overlooking the park. I will miss the balcony, but I've heard they will still have great views and my reason for having an eye on these cabins in particular is that I've heard they're almost as cheap as the windowless interior cabins! Score! From what I've gathered and observed, it will be like a more peaceful version of my Promenade View cabin on Liberty.

 

We would likely be in two connecting or adjoining cabins- possibly three, depending on how many people are in our party- of course, we'd like to keep the boys and girls in separate cabins! I am currently 18, will be 20 at the time, and everyone in the group will be age 18 or older at the time of sailing. However, I have heard rumors that there must be at least one guest aged 21+ in the party in order to book. If that's the case, no problem- I have friends who will be 21 and I'm sure would love to come along!

 

I'm just here to confirm whether that is true, and to see what people think of these cabins (view and cabin as a whole), as well as which ones are best- I have heard on here that the lack of balcony adds square footage to the living space. I would like to book in the general area of my cabin in Harmony, as I loved being right in the middle- I'll just have to see what my friends think of the walk from the elevators, which actually wasn't that bad! Maybe I should try starboard side, to see the perspective from the other side? Likely connecting cabins 9611 and 9613?

 

I LOVED the views from my port side cabin 10207 on Harmony, and the balcony was like Heaven for me, especially at night. I can, however, do without it if it means saving money- after all, I will merely be an incoming college junior at the time with nowhere near as much money as my parents who pay for the balconies! I will be majoring in Business Administration-Accounting, and plan to become an accountant for a career, so I know from high school business classes (and my parents of course) how important it is to be wise with money while aiming to get as much bang for your buck as possible.

 

This is just a thought as of now; a consideration. A few friends are onboard with the idea but know it is just tentative right now, with it being so far out. I just wanted to do a bit of proactive research first! Right now, my main focus is starting college, but not before enjoying the rest of my summer- remember that Dells trip I mentioned at the very beginning of this review, that we almost had to cancel because of the expensive cost of the new flight to the cruise after our original one was cancelled, before Delta reimbursed us? Well, we leave tomorrow and I'm so excited! Not to mention, we also have the family cruise on Freedom to look forward to! And most likely another trip report from that cruise, if you want to see one you know how to let me know!

 

I love the ocean view, but Central Park is unique to Oasis class, and I love the serenity of it! Privacy is not an issue from me, and as mentioned, I did enjoy the Boardwalk as well but after this cruise, have fallen in love with having the greenery and lights in Central Park right outside my cabin- my pictures even managed to convince an online friend to book CP Balcony 10177 for her 2018 Harmony cruise! In general I enjoy any view, and I'm very much looking forward to having adjoining Oceanview Balcony cabins on the Freedom!

 

Thank you all in advance for your feedback and suggestions, and I would like to thank you all once again for following along with this review. And by the way- Patches is doing great! The support on here meant the world to all of us! Thanks again for being such a caring and supportive community, and happy cruising to all!

 

Kevin

 

 

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL. I love Central Park!!

 

 

 

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Edited July 23, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[mj]

A terrific review. Thanks for sharing.

[soon2brn]

Hi Just came across this very detailed review of Harmony. Thank You, as I will be taking this cruise January 2019 at completion of nursing school. Anyway, the one I'll be on will set sail Sunday Jan 13. However, I'd like to fly into FLL Saturday Jan 12. What hotel did you stay in or suggest to stay in the night before and how far is it from the port?

 

Thanks

[CreativeCruiser119]

A terrific review. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

My sincere apologies for such a late response, but thank you very much for reading!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Hi Just came across this very detailed review of Harmony. Thank You, as I will be taking this cruise January 2019 at completion of nursing school. Anyway, the one I'll be on will set sail Sunday Jan 13. However, I'd like to fly into FLL Saturday Jan 12. What hotel did you stay in or suggest to stay in the night before and how far is it from the port?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

You’re very welcome, and thank you for reading along! We stay in the Courtyard Marriott, but there are a ton of great hotels in the area. Depending where you are, I’d definitely recommend flying out at least a day early, if not 2, which it sounds like you’re doing! One day should be enough time. Fort Lauderdale is a beautiful city, and Harmony a breathtaking ship. Thank you again for reading along, and I’m always happy to help out a fellow cruiser!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Hello everyone, I’m back to direct you all to a new review! Just last weekend, my family and I disembarked the Freedom of the Seas, and I’m starting another trip report! I appreciate everyone following along as I wrote my Harmony review, I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and can’t wait to get started on another one! Here is the link to my new Freedom review:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=55777079#post55777079

 

 

Thanks everyone again for supporting this thread!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

So I just realized that I started my new Freedom review late at night, half asleep, and made a few errors that were too big to ignore. So, I am restarting that thread. The following link is to the thread that will be used from here on out:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=55778873#post55778873

 

I thank everyone once again for reading, and sincerely apologize for my errors! Hope to see you all in my Freedom review!

 

 

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