Harmony Cruise - Halfway Through

[RadioPeri]

Hey, all, had some time this afternoon to jot down a few random thoughts. It's our first time on the Harmony of the Seas, which is doing a Western Caribbean this week out of Fort Lauderdale. We were lucky enough to escape last weekend's nor'easter -- by the skin of our teeth -- and are very grateful to be on board.

Full disclaimer: this is absolutely an opinionated post, some positives, some negatives. It's our first time on this ship, but my 29th cruise, and I feel fully entitled to my opinions and very capable of forming them!!

 

- - - - -

Check-in was smooth and quick. We got to the pier around 11:15, and were almost immediately on board. Entering onto the Promenade from the gangway is very impressive, and a great way to feel the excitement and magnitude of the ship. Luggage was waiting for us after the 1pm announcement that all cabins were available.

 

The Meet & Mingle was held in Dazzles on the morning of day 2. Prizes were quite nice, including bottles of wine and a dinner gift certificate to Jamie’s. It’s a beautiful lounge. Empty during the day, with low-key music playing in the background. Kind of a Viking Crown equivalent but with a view of the Boardwalk and aft. One of the few public indoor spaces you can go to escape the crowds.

We were bummed to miss Labadee, which has become one of our favorite ports over the years.

 

Food has been universally very good, despite a very annoying scheduling glitch. When we booked, we were told second seating traditional dining was closed, so they gave us My Time. No problem. I booked all of our entertainment about having a flexible schedule. Surprise! When we checked in, we were assigned late seating, and they would NOT change us back to My Time, despite the confirmation showing that assignment. Night one we at in the Windjammer due to a show conflict. Night two going forward, Maitre d’ Omer has been working with us to make dining room seating work for us.

 

Other than the nasty My Time lady we spoke with on day one, service has been universally excellent. Friendly, professional, and very accommodating.

 

There is a fabulous hand washing station on each side as you enter the Windjammer. It’s brilliant. Such a much better idea than Purell, and virtually everyone seems to use it.

 

There were vats of beautiful, peeled shrimp cocktail at the Windjammer at lunch today.

 

I haven’t had one yet, but the made-to-order pizzas at Sorrento’s look amazing.

 

I LOVE the jogging/walking track on Deck 5. Did a 5k walk there the other day without getting blown overboard.

 

Try as I might, I will never understand the appeal of a non-oceanview balcony. This is our first time on an Oasis-class ship, and by the time we booked, oceanviews were prohibitively expensive. Central Park sounded far more appealing than the Boardwalk to us, so we went ahead and booked one. I’ll try (most) anything once. I know this cabin has its fans, but sorry, it feels like we’re in a nice highrise apartment building or hotel, not a cruise ship at all. Looking out at other balcony rooms is something we usually only experience in port, not every moment on the ship, morning, noon, or night -- in port or at sea. Not for me at all.

Not only that, it is LOUD. On sea days, pool music BLASTS for many of the daylight hours. Sitting on the balcony is not relaxing, and naps, which are one of my husband’s favorite cruise treats, are impossible. Seriously, I just don’t get it.

Someone also needs to explain to me why there is no sheer curtain in the Central Park balcony cabins, only a blackout curtain. In exactly the staterooms where you NEED an opaque window covering, there is none. You either close the curtains entirely or give your across-the-park neighbors a show.

Cabin layout is spacious and sensible, but another big *** for me is the lack of an outlet/USB port on one side of the bed. So, ONE of us can keep a charged phone or other device on the night table, but the other cannot. Really??? Also, the night table top is way too small to hold the stateroom phone and anything else. I took the phone off and put it on the floor under the bed.

Entertainment’s been very good. The Aqua Show is SPECTACULAR. One of the most impressive shows I’ve ever seen, much less at sea -- on a moving ship. We also had a great time at Grease and at both ice skating shows, both the scripted story and the exhibition.

 

I really don’t like the spectacle of “auditioning” before the Love & marriage show, but other than that, Marc Walker is very quick-witted and did a very nice job with the contestants. It was packed, as was today’s belly flop contest.

 

Absurdly, to me, they now sell popcorn at many venues before the shows. Small, movie-sized boxes for $2.50 each. AND PEOPLE BUY IT. Really??? How many more ridiculous things will you continue to pay for??

 

This is the first ship I’ve ever been on where you have to sign out pool towels. I find the process incredibly insulting and demeaning. I’m a grownup who paid a lot of money for this vacation. I’m not stealing your damn towels. Don’t proactively treat me like a potential criminal.

 

Even without a pool, the Solarium is great.

 

Wifi’s been decent, except for constantly having to re-log in and enter a password every time.

 

Diamond perks are virtually worthless except for the lounge/3 free drinks, and if you have an alcohol package, there isn’t much else.

 

The bartenders are awesome. As is all the bar waitstaff. Overworked and sometimes understaffed, but they always have a nice word and a smile on their faces.

And I think that’s a nice note on which to end for now. Looking forward to Columbus tonight, and days 5 through 7!!

[bigjcruiser]

Thanks for the update. We are sailing on harmony doing the western itinerary in 5 weeks time and really looking forward to it. I assume you missed labadee due to the weather? Did you manage to go to Falmouth? Struggling for what to do there, we are just wanting a relaxing week so debating whether to stay onboard and enjoy it being a bit quieter! Looking forward to the rest of your review. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[RadioPeri]

Thanks for the update. We are sailing on harmony doing the western itinerary in 5 weeks time and really looking forward to it. I assume you missed labadee due to the weather? Did you manage to go to Falmouth? Struggling for what to do there, we are just wanting a relaxing week so debating whether to stay onboard and enjoy it being a bit quieter! Looking forward to the rest of your review. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

Yes, Captain made the announcement shortly after 8am that the swells were too big and it was unsafe. They were worried about gangway instability and the possibility of ropes snapping. He said it was impossible to get alongside safely.

 

As for Falmouth, we've been there several times, and it's our LEAST favorite port. We chose to stay on board and enjoy the ship, which was quiet, lovely, and very relaxing. We've already done Dunn's River Falls, river tubing, etc,, and those attractions are about an hour away from Falmouth, anyway. Don't stress. It's great to stay on board and chill out. We may even do so again in Cozumel tomorrow, lol!!!

[bigjcruiser]

Thank you, least there is enough to do on the ship to keep you occupied.

 

Have you dined in the MDR all nights? We are tempted by some of the speciality ones.

 

We are in a boardwalk cabin on deck 12 so hoping the noise isn't too bad. The oceanview ones were too much more expensive!

[RadioPeri]

Have you dined in the MDR all nights? We are tempted by some of the speciality ones.

 

We are in a boardwalk cabin on deck 12 so hoping the noise isn't too bad. The oceanview ones were too much more expensive!

 

Windjammer the first night while trying to deal with the dining issue.

 

We're eating in the Diamond Lounge tonight believe it or not lol. We have Columbus at 8:30,and drinks and apps made the most sense.

 

Splurging on Wonderland Friday night. Reviews during this cruise have been amazing!

[taglovestocruise]

Windjammer the first night while trying to deal with the dining issue.

 

We're eating in the Diamond Lounge tonight believe it or not lol. We have Columbus at 8:30,and drinks and apps made the most sense.

 

Splurging on Wonderland Friday night. Reviews during this cruise have been amazing!

 

DL has the best chicken wings on the ship. I could easily make a meal of chicken wings and Gin and Tonic.. happy cruising

[Crazy planning mom]

Hey, all, had some time this afternoon to jot down a few random thoughts. It's our first time on the Harmony of the Seas, which is doing a Western Caribbean this week out of Fort Lauderdale. We were lucky enough to escape last weekend's nor'easter -- by the skin of our teeth -- and are very grateful to be on board.

Full disclaimer: this is absolutely an opinionated post, some positives, some negatives. It's our first time on this ship, but my 29th cruise, and I feel fully entitled to my opinions and very capable of forming them!!

 

- - - - -

Check-in was smooth and quick. We got to the pier around 11:15, and were almost immediately on board. Entering onto the Promenade from the gangway is very impressive, and a great way to feel the excitement and magnitude of the ship. Luggage was waiting for us after the 1pm announcement that all cabins were available.

 

The Meet & Mingle was held in Dazzles on the morning of day 2. Prizes were quite nice, including bottles of wine and a dinner gift certificate to Jamie’s. It’s a beautiful lounge. Empty during the day, with low-key music playing in the background. Kind of a Viking Crown equivalent but with a view of the Boardwalk and aft. One of the few public indoor spaces you can go to escape the crowds.

We were bummed to miss Labadee, which has become one of our favorite ports over the years.

 

Food has been universally very good, despite a very annoying scheduling glitch. When we booked, we were told second seating traditional dining was closed, so they gave us My Time. No problem. I booked all of our entertainment about having a flexible schedule. Surprise! When we checked in, we were assigned late seating, and they would NOT change us back to My Time, despite the confirmation showing that assignment. Night one we at in the Windjammer due to a show conflict. Night two going forward, Maitre d’ Omer has been working with us to make dining room seating work for us.

 

Other than the nasty My Time lady we spoke with on day one, service has been universally excellent. Friendly, professional, and very accommodating.

 

There is a fabulous hand washing station on each side as you enter the Windjammer. It’s brilliant. Such a much better idea than Purell, and virtually everyone seems to use it.

 

There were vats of beautiful, peeled shrimp cocktail at the Windjammer at lunch today.

 

I haven’t had one yet, but the made-to-order pizzas at Sorrento’s look amazing.

 

I LOVE the jogging/walking track on Deck 5. Did a 5k walk there the other day without getting blown overboard.

 

Try as I might, I will never understand the appeal of a non-oceanview balcony. This is our first time on an Oasis-class ship, and by the time we booked, oceanviews were prohibitively expensive. Central Park sounded far more appealing than the Boardwalk to us, so we went ahead and booked one. I’ll try (most) anything once. I know this cabin has its fans, but sorry, it feels like we’re in a nice highrise apartment building or hotel, not a cruise ship at all. Looking out at other balcony rooms is something we usually only experience in port, not every moment on the ship, morning, noon, or night -- in port or at sea. Not for me at all.

Not only that, it is LOUD. On sea days, pool music BLASTS for many of the daylight hours. Sitting on the balcony is not relaxing, and naps, which are one of my husband’s favorite cruise treats, are impossible. Seriously, I just don’t get it.

Someone also needs to explain to me why there is no sheer curtain in the Central Park balcony cabins, only a blackout curtain. In exactly the staterooms where you NEED an opaque window covering, there is none. You either close the curtains entirely or give your across-the-park neighbors a show.

Cabin layout is spacious and sensible, but another big *** for me is the lack of an outlet/USB port on one side of the bed. So, ONE of us can keep a charged phone or other device on the night table, but the other cannot. Really??? Also, the night table top is way too small to hold the stateroom phone and anything else. I took the phone off and put it on the floor under the bed.

Entertainment’s been very good. The Aqua Show is SPECTACULAR. One of the most impressive shows I’ve ever seen, much less at sea -- on a moving ship. We also had a great time at Grease and at both ice skating shows, both the scripted story and the exhibition.

 

I really don’t like the spectacle of “auditioning” before the Love & marriage show, but other than that, Marc Walker is very quick-witted and did a very nice job with the contestants. It was packed, as was today’s belly flop contest.

 

Absurdly, to me, they now sell popcorn at many venues before the shows. Small, movie-sized boxes for $2.50 each. AND PEOPLE BUY IT. Really??? How many more ridiculous things will you continue to pay for??

 

This is the first ship I’ve ever been on where you have to sign out pool towels. I find the process incredibly insulting and demeaning. I’m a grownup who paid a lot of money for this vacation. I’m not stealing your damn towels. Don’t proactively treat me like a potential criminal.

 

Even without a pool, the Solarium is great.

 

Wifi’s been decent, except for constantly having to re-log in and enter a password every time.

 

Diamond perks are virtually worthless except for the lounge/3 free drinks, and if you have an alcohol package, there isn’t much else.

 

The bartenders are awesome. As is all the bar waitstaff. Overworked and sometimes understaffed, but they always have a nice word and a smile on their faces.

And I think that’s a nice note on which to end for now. Looking forward to Columbus tonight, and days 5 through 7!!

Thanks for the report. Sailing 3/31 in an Oceanview balcony.

[levonfan]

thanks for the review. We will be on Harmony in about 30 days!!! Can't wait, this will be our daughter's first cruise (5). Do you think all of the shows are good for kids, especially Grease?

[amr2323]

How is the music at night in the pub and/or Schooner bar?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[countess5]

We just came off a B2B on Harmony.

 

We had the drink package and if you want the best Rum Runner go to the Solarium and find Ricardo, he makes the best ever!

Also at the Trellas Bar Utuputu ( i can’t remember exactly his name, but you will see it) pored the best drink. He is usually there at night. If you see him tell him Michael says hi!

 

Wonderland was great, dined there two nights. If there are two of you ask for the tables for two in the middle of the room. Is Dmytro the guitar player in Central Park still there? He played at night. Sitting outside at Jamie’s and listening to him was the best. I think our second week was his last week.

 

Marc was great, his games in the AM fun. He leaves for Symphony to bring her over.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise, sail on!

[RadioPeri]

How is the music at night in the pub and/or Schooner

 

To you and LevonFan, who asked about Grease, we've only been in the pub and Schooner one night while entertainment was happening. In the pub, things were much louder than we've experienced before (it's a theme on this cruise, which we've nicknamed the Amplitude of the Seas). The performer was fine, but was just way more contemporary and pop than we've been used to in similar pub singers.

 

In the Schooner, it's your typical piano/singer person, and from the little we caught, seemed to be enjoyable. It's been a different person a couple different nights.

 

Countess5, there is a guitar player named Yuri in Central Park at night, but we've been out at shows and haven't caught him.

 

As for Grease, LevonFan, it's suggested for mature audiences, so that will have to be your call. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but it does have some language and a few adult themes and moments. Some may very well go right over your daughter's head, but they're there, just so you know. (This was never an issue for us as parents of kids who did theater, but it's entirely a personal call.) The performances are all great, and I think she'll likely get caught up in the singing, dancing and costumes, but it's not a show geared toward little kids in particular.

 

Mine have aged out by a long shot, but it seems like there are several character meet-and-greets on the Boardwalk or Promenade each day, plus activities especially targeted toward families with younger kids (like balloon sculptures, face painting, and more).

 

We saw the campy and fun Columbus last night. It's a hoot of a show that doesn't take itself too seriously. as Columbus says, "It's a musical! On a cruise ship!!

[Eslader]

[quote=RadioPeri;55486300

This is the first ship I’ve ever been on where you have to sign out pool towels. I find the process incredibly insulting and demeaning. I’m a grownup who paid a lot of money for this vacation. I’m not stealing your damn towels. Don’t proactively treat me like a potential criminal.

 

That's on all, or at least most, RCCL ships now, because other people are not adults like you and do steal the towels.

[mjkacmom]

That's on all, or at least most, RCCL ships now, because other people are not adults like you and do steal the towels.

NCL requires the same.

[molsonschooner]

Absurdly, to me, they now sell popcorn at many venues before the shows. Small, movie-sized boxes for $2.50 each. AND PEOPLE BUY IT. Really??? How many more ridiculous things will you continue to pay for??

 

I think charging for pop corn has been around for some time on RC ships. It is certainly not a new thing.

[thegoodlife247]

For the towels, are there no longer a set in your cabin? I know CCL you have to sign our extra towels. On RCCL you have to sign out your first set as well?

 

Also, do any of the speciality restaurants have a bar area? If so, can you go in and order a drink at the bar if you don’t have reservations to dine there?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[RadioPeri]

For the towels, are there no longer a set in your cabin? I know CCL you have to sign our extra towels. On RCCL you have to sign out your first set as well?

 

Also, do any of the speciality restaurants have a bar area? If so, can you go in and order a drink at the bar if you don’t have reservations to dine there?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

There are no towels in your cabin. You have to sign out however many you want or need. There was a towel station after the gangway when we disembarked at Cozumel this morning.

 

As for specialty restaurant bars, we've gotten delicious margaritas from Sabor, and the beautiful bar at Wonderland is also open to guests not dining there. There may be others but those are ones I know of for sure!

[BNBR]

First cruise with towel sign out we were a suite and didn't have to sign out. I thought signing out towels would be awful and annoying. 2nd cruise we were regular ocean view and had to sign out towels. I was surprised that it was really not a big deal. You can also sign out more towels on the dock when you leave the ship. Use for your excursion, then turn them back in when you return right at the dock. That was nice and super fast, too.

 

Glad you seem to be enjoying Harmony, we liked that ship a lot.

[YachtMama]

Thanks for your great info! We board her on Saturday, as you're leaving. Can't wait! It's a bummer that you missed Labadee. Hope they are able to dock next week. It's the one port we're really looking forward to!

[levonfan]

Have you been to any of the specialty restaurants this trip? We are trying to get into Izumi one night, but the only times available are 5 or 9 or later. Hopefully we can get a decent time once we get on ship.

[Grandma Dazzles]

That's on all, or at least most, RCCL ships now, because other people are not adults like you and do steal the towels.

.

 

I think another major problem was people taking the towels off the ship for an excursion and just leaving them behind. The beaches were often littered with RC blue towels after people left to go back to the ship. Too lazy to return; don't want to carry; sandy; etc.

[39august]

After many RCI cruises, I have never checked out a towel. I go to the gym and get the old beach towels. And I have never left one behind either!

[denamo]

Great thoughts. We stayed in a Central Park balcony on the Oasis only once and won't do that again. We too found that area of the ship way too loud with music and outdoor dance classes happening. We do however like the Boardwalk balcony. Can at least see some view of the sea and outside. Not sure with the slide how much noise that might generate, but the Oasis and Allure don't have those, yet!

 

Yeah, the towel thing creates an extra step. Unfortunately, cruisers have created that by leaving towels in port at beaches. :(

 

Won't ever buy popcorn on board unless they make it with unlimited free refills! :) I'm popcorn addicted.

 

Glad they are willing to work with you on your show schedule in the MDR.

 

Thanks for posting.

[CelticMCO]

Regarding Grease there is only one scene that is overtly questionable (pack of cigarettes, enough said) - if you have seen the show you know which one it is. Not sure why they seem to think it needs to be in the performance...

[Smyles]

thanks for the review. We will be on Harmony in about 30 days!!! Can't wait, this will be our daughter's first cruise (5). Do you think all of the shows are good for kids, especially Grease?

 

 

We brought our 5 yr old daughter to all shows except Grease. We opted to send her to 'ship school' I was glad we did. There were plenty of kids there but the content isn't ideal in my mind. It's all about teens wanting to get laid, teen pregnancy and such. It's just not something I need my 5 yr old seeing and asking me about for all eternity. BUT my daughter picks up on things, digs deep and demands details and more info. So we would really be answering questions for months to come. Other kids perhaps wouldn't care or pick up on it.

 

We do a lot of theatre so she is well trained with sitting quietly. But I would think most children would be very engaged with the aqua-theatre shows and ice shows so definitely see those. The headliner (ventriloquist) was really good and totally acceptable for 5yr olds. Columbus was very musical and had great stage props so is worth bringing her to as well!

[RadioPeri]

Have you been to any of the specialty restaurants this trip? We are trying to get into Izumi one night, but the only times available are 5 or 9 or later. Hopefully we can get a decent time once we get on ship.

 

Wonderland tomorrow night -- and can't wait! Have heard amazing things.

 

Good luck booking Izumi! If you're Diamond, the concierge can possibly help you, but either way you may have better luck on board!