Georgiafan's Harmony of the Seas Review - April 28th to May 4th

[georgiafan]

Where in Georgia are you from? I'm in Brunswick.

 

a small town in north part right beside Dalton and the TN line

[Peeker28]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. I am cruising on June 30th and got the same drink package you did, I like the frozen drinks without the alcohol so I plan on getting my moneys worth also

[Lady_831]

Yea That's one of the things I want to talk about in depth, but in short I was spoiled by Matt Mitcham on the Vista. Anyone that was my CD after Matt was going to pale in comparison it just happened to be Dru. I don't put all the blame on Dru since this is a mega ship.

 

It's hard to beat Matt!!

 

love the format of your review!

[georgiafan]

Love on the Lido Deck

Some more photos of the movie they filmed on the ship last week for hallmark. I should be in the movie as a extra during the sail away scene. All the producers and people working for hallmark was nice and more people then I expected was working behind the camera. Someone told me they expected a name change for the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X6jvfnubUYQ

[georgiafan]

It's hard to beat Matt!!

 

love the format of your review!

 

 

I'm trying to keep it short and simple with not a lot of words. Matt is the best I def want to cruise with him again before his ends up in Hollywood or something.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. I am cruising on June 30th and got the same drink package you did, I like the frozen drinks without the alcohol so I plan on getting my moneys worth also

 

Thanks I tried to go in detail on the refreshment package let me know if you have any more questions on it as I used it a lot.

[slyone14]

Loving the review. I agree with you on the CD part. I have been on 7 Carnival Cruises and 3 with Royal; Liberty, Majesty and Brilliance. There is a lot I love about Royal but the CD is something of a beef of mine. All 3 with Royal have been rather bland, I see them only at shows and briefly at the parties, that's it. None of the 3 CD were even at the Sailaway party, come on! They really don't interact with everyone Like Carnival's CD do. You see Carnivals Everywhere, hugging people, shaking hands, photos and just being so sociable. One thing, by the end of the 7 days, you feel like that CD is your best friend.

 

 

Its just crazy how little interaction with Royals cd. To put it into more perspective; I met 2 other couples on the ship who didn't even know who the CD was, "Oh that's the person, who spoke at the beginning of the show." This would not happen on Carnival.

 

Again, im not hating on Royal, they are wonderful and im hooked, but they need improvement in this department.

[Megan_Strick]

a small town in north part right beside Dalton and the TN line

 

 

Ok I'm in the very southeast corner near Florida

[DaniDanielle]

We had Dru on our April 14th cruise, he was everywhere. He came to the Meet and Mingle, Meet the Stars etc. There were activities going on all day, more than we could manage to get to! The prior week we had Marc Walker and he was pretty visible also. Maybe the movie messed things up on your trip???

 

 

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[tracyshellz]

Are the smoothies covered in the deluxe drink package?

 

 

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[georgiafan]

yes smoothies are covered with the deluxe or refreshment package just not milkshakes

 

 

Are the smoothies covered in the deluxe drink package?

 

 

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[ryano]

a small town in north part right beside Dalton and the TN line

 

I was born in Dalton. I went to grade school at Cohutta Elementary, middle school at Northwest Whitfield Middle then I moved to FL for about 20 years :) I have been back up here since 97 and I live in Fairmount now! Really am enjoying your review and am patiently counting down the 479 days until MY Harmony cruise! Looking forward to more! Keep up the great work!

[georgiafan]

I have a lengthy post about the CD that I should have up today and I agree with everything you said. Its a shame we can't combine the best qualities from both cruise lines.

 

 

Loving the review. I agree with you on the CD part. I have been on 7 Carnival Cruises and 3 with Royal; Liberty, Majesty and Brilliance. There is a lot I love about Royal but the CD is something of a beef of mine. All 3 with Royal have been rather bland, I see them only at shows and briefly at the parties, that's it. None of the 3 CD were even at the Sailaway party, come on! They really don't interact with everyone Like Carnival's CD do. You see Carnivals Everywhere, hugging people, shaking hands, photos and just being so sociable. One thing, by the end of the 7 days, you feel like that CD is your best friend.

 

 

Its just crazy how little interaction with Royals cd. To put it into more perspective; I met 2 other couples on the ship who didn't even know who the CD was, "Oh that's the person, who spoke at the beginning of the show." This would not happen on Carnival.

 

Again, im not hating on Royal, they are wonderful and im hooked, but they need improvement in this department.

 

 

 

We had Dru on our April 14th cruise, he was everywhere. He came to the Meet and Mingle, Meet the Stars etc. There were activities going on all day, more than we could manage to get to! The prior week we had Marc Walker and he was pretty visible also. Maybe the movie messed things up on your trip???

 

 

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I don't think the movie played a role in it as they did a good job of staying out of the way. I don't believe Dru has been on the harmony very long so maybe that might have played a role. I don't know maybe my expectations were just to high after having Matt.

[ryano]

Loving the review. I agree with you on the CD part. I have been on 7 Carnival Cruises and 3 with Royal; Liberty, Majesty and Brilliance. There is a lot I love about Royal but the CD is something of a beef of mine. All 3 with Royal have been rather bland, I see them only at shows and briefly at the parties, that's it. None of the 3 CD were even at the Sailaway party, come on! They really don't interact with everyone Like Carnival's CD do. You see Carnivals Everywhere, hugging people, shaking hands, photos and just being so sociable. One thing, by the end of the 7 days, you feel like that CD is your best friend.

 

 

Its just crazy how little interaction with Royals cd. To put it into more perspective; I met 2 other couples on the ship who didn't even know who the CD was, "Oh that's the person, who spoke at the beginning of the show." This would not happen on Carnival.

 

Again, im not hating on Royal, they are wonderful and im hooked, but they need improvement in this department.

 

Not all Carnival CDs are that great. We were on Magic this past October while Dr E was on vacation and his replacement was terrible. Of course Dr E sets the standard pretty high and most fail in comparison to him or Matt Mitcham.

 

My most favorite CD on Royal so far has been Graham Seymour followed by Drew Devine. They are wonderful and are all over the ship mingling with the guests. Not to mention VERY talented musicians. While I dont put much stock into who my CD is gonna be, a great CD does make a difference in a cruise.

[georgiafan]

I was born in Dalton. I went to grade school at Cohutta Elementary, middle school at Northwest Whitfield Middle then I moved to FL for about 20 years I have been back up here since 97 and I live in Fairmount now! Really am enjoying your review and am patiently counting down the 479 days until MY Harmony cruise! Looking forward to more! Keep up the great work!

 

ahh the big city of fairmount your just a hop skip and a jump away i'm from Chatsworth. Such a small world and that's way to long to wait and countdown.

 

 

 

Not all Carnival CDs are that great. We were on Magic this past October while Dr E was on vacation and his replacement was terrible. Of course Dr E sets the standard pretty high and most fail in comparison to him or Matt Mitcham.

 

My most favorite CD on Royal so far has been Graham Seymour followed by Drew Devine. They are wonderful and are all over the ship mingling with the guests. Not to mention VERY talented musicians. While I dont put much stock into who my CD is gonna be, a great CD does make a difference in a cruise.

 

Yea not all Carnivals are great the worst one I've ever had was some Todd guy on the Dream several years ago. My mom has sailed with Dr E before and loved him and I know him and Matt use to work together on the same ship and are buddies. I remember liking Drew as well. Yea def a great CD can make the trip where as a bad CD you can overcome.

[georgiafan]

Chops

 

I had been stubborn to try a specialty restaurant until I saw the MDR slowly get worse over the years. It was the perfect time to try it out since it was only 2 people instead of our usual group of 6. My brother had been on the harmony so I knew he would tell me which places I would like. I did the BOGO offer for $40 so for $20 (per person, per meal) it was a pretty good deal. I did have to go the 1st and 2nd night as they wouldn't let me switch had lobster night been the 2nd night I wouldn't have done it. You can tell from the menu its your basic American type food which was perfect for me.

 

I wanted to test out and see if it was worth paying extra for specialty restaurants and as I expected it was worth it as this was the best meal I had all cruise. The environment was nice and not crowded and the service was better then the MDR since the waitress had fewer tables. I already knew what to order since my brother went and the highlight for me was the bacon which I ate two of. The red velvet cake was the best dessert had for the week. I am not sure if the lobster bisque I got was the same as the one they served in the MDR or not, but it was excellent. You can get more of everything except for the main dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lobster bisque

 

 

Edited May 9, 2018 by georgiafan

[georgiafan]

Red Velvet Cake

 

 

 

 

 

9 oz filet mignon

 

 

 

black pepper bacon

 

 

[SilkySal]

Yes! The bacon in Chops is the best thing ever!:hearteyes: That red velvet cake looked so moist and delicious!;p However, your fillet looked too done for moi, as I prefer mine medium rare (dark pink but not red center) please! My choice between rare or well done would always be rare!!! I tried to be a vegetarian once, which may have lasted a few days!! Call me a carnivore!!

[georgiafan]

Yes! The bacon in Chops is the best thing ever!:hearteyes: That red velvet cake looked so moist and delicious!;p However, your fillet looked too done for moi, as I prefer mine medium rare (dark pink but not red center) please! My choice between rare or well done would always be rare!!! I tried to be a vegetarian once, which may have lasted a few days!! Call me a carnivore!!

 

Yea the bacon was amazing I will def get it again next time I cruise with RCL. I always order my steak medium rare also and If a good vet cant bring it back to life its not worth eating. I did think the steak was a cooked a little to much on the outside. Since this was day 1 and I was on cloud 9 I don't even know if I looked at the middle I just ate it lol. They had red velvet cake around the ship just not as fancy and 2 layered like this one.

 

Now that I've said a lot of good things I will focus on the negative stuff next for the next day or so. I didn't want to start with the bad as I didn't want people to think I was just bashing everything.

[georgiafan]

Forgettable Cruise Directors

 

Matt Mitcham of Carnival Vista will forever be the gold standard for me when it comes to cruise directors. Matt showed up day 1 and said he would be the most personable CD anyone has seen. He lived up to his word and was everywhere even at 1am he would be at the bars hanging out with guests. A example we were parked right beside another carnival ship and the other CD called Matt to ask if they were playing music he said no and then the other CD said ok we will not either. Matt then changed plans and moved his DJ to the pier to play music. Matt personally greeted (along with fun staff) everyone as they got back on the ship. He would go on to say how he wanted the passengers on the other ship to see how the other ship was having more fun.

 

I am going to give Dru a little bit of a pass, as this is a mega ship that’s bigger than the Vista. The problem seems to be a corporate issue and carnival just seems to emphasizes CD more then Royal does. Obviously not all Carnival CD are good and not all RCL are bad as the worst CD I ever had was some Todd guy on the Dream. Ken Rush comes to mind as a great CD from RCL, but outside of him when I name CD off the top of my head I almost always name people from Carnival.

 

Matt is also training people under him and it was obvious that Nono was a future CD and way to talented to just be hosting bingo. She is now the CD on the Inspiration and several others that week had the personalities to do more. When the shows were over the fun staff for CCL would hang around and talk to the guests for a few minutes and interact while RCL would run out like the place was on fire.

 

If I had to describe Dru in one word I would say corporate just very generic and forgettable. I never saw him outside of the main events and their wasn’t a lot of smaller type shows like welcome aboard, goodbye shows, game shows, etc. The sail away party was really lame and Dru didn’t even show up for it. The sail away party just had his fun staff play 2 or 3 songs and then the event was over. He had one good assistant the guy who was doing the scores during the belly flop contest. How does a CD not show up for a sailaway party or have a welcome aboard show?

 

Matt would say things like “the medal isn’t real what do you think this is Royal Caribbean” and by the end of week you felt like you really bonded with him and that just wasn’t the case with Dru. Lets be honest it doesn’t take a whole lot to be a good CD just be energetic, show up the events and take pictures with people. Dru wasn’t the worst CD I’ve ever seen, but in 3 months I will forget his name. It’s been years and I still remember Butch Begovich.

 

Im not trying to start a long length debate just my 2 cents

[storknurse13]

Great review!

[Joe12]

 

Forgettable Cruise Directors

 

Matt Mitcham of Carnival Vista will forever be the gold standard for me when it comes to cruise directors. Matt showed up day 1 and said he would be the most personable CD anyone has seen. He lived up to his word and was everywhere even at 1am he would be at the bars hanging out with guests. A example we were parked right beside another carnival ship and the other CD called Matt to ask if they were playing music he said no and then the other CD said ok we will not either. Matt then changed plans and moved his DJ to the pier to play music. Matt personally greeted (along with fun staff) everyone as they got back on the ship. He would go on to say how he wanted the passengers on the other ship to see how the other ship was having more fun.

 

I am going to give Dru a little bit of a pass, as this is a mega ship that’s bigger than the Vista. The problem seems to be a corporate issue and carnival just seems to emphasizes CD more then Royal does. Obviously not all Carnival CD are good and not all RCL are bad as the worst CD I ever had was some Todd guy on the Dream. Ken Rush comes to mind as a great CD from RCL, but outside of him when I name CD off the top of my head I almost always name people from Carnival.

 

Matt is also training people under him and it was obvious that Nono was a future CD and way to talented to just be hosting bingo. She is now the CD on the Inspiration and several others that week had the personalities to do more. When the shows were over the fun staff for CCL would hang around and talk to the guests for a few minutes and interact while RCL would run out like the place was on fire.

 

If I had to describe Dru in one word I would say corporate just very generic and forgettable. I never saw him outside of the main events and their wasn’t a lot of smaller type shows like welcome aboard, goodbye shows, game shows, etc. The sail away party was really lame and Dru didn’t even show up for it. The sail away party just had his fun staff play 2 or 3 songs and then the event was over. He had one good assistant the guy who was doing the scores during the belly flop contest. How does a CD not show up for a sailaway party or have a welcome aboard show?

 

Matt would say things like “the medal isn’t real what do you think this is Royal Caribbean” and by the end of week you felt like you really bonded with him and that just wasn’t the case with Dru. Lets be honest it doesn’t take a whole lot to be a good CD just be energetic, show up the events and take pictures with people. Dru wasn’t the worst CD I’ve ever seen, but in 3 months I will forget his name. It’s been years and I still remember Butch Begovich.

 

Im not trying to start a long length debate just my 2 cents

 

That's the Oasis Class format - no Welcome Aboard Show.

Remember as well that on Carnival, they have an Entertainment Director who does all of the behind the scenes work, whereas they do it all themselves on Royal, hence why Dru was less visible. In all honesty, Carnival CD's aren't real CD's in my opinion - they only do half the job and take all of the credit for it, not to mention that they come across a bit "in your face". The greeting guests at the gangway is just a bit over the top.

[DISFANS3]

Good TR..

[georgiafan]

That's the Oasis Class format - no Welcome Aboard Show.

Remember as well that on Carnival, they have an Entertainment Director who does all of the behind the scenes work, whereas they do it all themselves on Royal, hence why Dru was less visible. In all honesty, Carnival CD's aren't real CD's in my opinion - they only do half the job and take all of the credit for it, not to mention that they come across a bit "in your face". The greeting guests at the gangway is just a bit over the top.

 

That's interesting to know and it sounds like Royal could use a ED to handle all the behind the scenes stuff. I assume they don't the welcome aboard show because the crowd of the mega ships.

[Joe12]

That's interesting to know and it sounds like Royal could use a ED to handle all the behind the scenes stuff. I assume they don't the welcome aboard show because the crowd of the mega ships.

 

The format of Oasis Class and the greater number of entertainment options makes it harder to have Welcome Aboard Shows.

 

I personally think that Royal could do with additional behind the scenes help on the larger ships, but I don't like the CD/ED format. Some RCI CD's (and likely some CCL ones as well) would take all of the credit when the ED does the hardest work.

[georgiafan]

Great review!

 

Good TR..

 

thanks for the nice words