Allure after Harmony

[BCirlin]

My family (41,46, 11) and I took our first Royal (we are converts from Disney 😉) cruise last November, in a GS on Harmony.  Absolutely LOVED everything about it.  

I'm looking into a cruise for next Thanksgiving and right now Allure, which has an itinerary I like slightly better, and a port I like a million times better is around $1700 cheaper than Harmony.  I know they are sister ships, but for those of you who have been on both recently, other than slides, is there any huge difference?  Is she starting to show her age?  We sailed Explorer this summer, and she definitely was!  I understand a little dating, but just don't want to be on Allure wishing I'd sprung for the newer ship.

 

[schmeed]

Following as we are sailing Allure on March 31st and were on Harmony for the inaugural sailing in Nov 2016.  I have the same questions.

[John&LaLa]

Sailed Allure in March, Oasis in June, and Harmony in September.  Not enough difference to warrant $500, much less $1,700.  

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

Sailed Allure in March, Oasis in June, and Harmony in September.  Not enough difference to warrant $500, much less $1,700.  

 

 

 

Agreed.  We did Harmony in March 2017, Oasis in March 2018 and are on Allure this Christmas.  All great ships.  It was going on Enchantment last January that the kids didn’t like.

[Robo1098]

I've been on all of the Oasis class. I like the Harmony best so far but Allure and Oasis are not lacking. Most of the things that set them apart from smaller ships are on all Oasis class. For the money I would go for Allure.

 

[VaTech8912]

Agree with others, for that price difference, stick with Allure.

[Ashland]

I for one didn't care for HOTS......I just like the decor (classic Oasis style) much better.....Those tiny sliver's without drawer's  they call nightstands and the sofabed that one portion stays ground level... and the closet's not a good design. 

 

I would definitely stick with Allure...HOTS not worth the extra $$'s. JMHO

[Sorcerer Tim]

We just came off Allure after our cruise on Harmony and we loved them both. We did not miss Wonderland or the slides enough to warrant paying any more to go back on it vs. Allure. Enjoy your trip and the money you saved.

[BNBR]

1 hour ago, Robo1098 said:

I've been on all of the Oasis class. I like the Harmony best so far but Allure and Oasis are not lacking. Most of the things that set them apart from smaller ships are on all Oasis class. For the money I would go for Allure.

 

 

What did you like better on Harmony vs Symphony? 

[BNBR]

The slides are the major difference.  The rooms are a little older styling and layout but that's trivial I think.  And no bionic bar but they have a nice champagne bar. Besides that you may find a few details about allure that you'll like better.  Like a pool on the solarium. Allure also has a few water features like a cool fountain under rising tide and water features in the solarium. Since no abyss slide, allure also has a large bar in the middle of the boardwalk. 

 

Mostly the same ship though.  And definitely well kept and not showing age. I've done Harmony last year and Allure just this month.  No reason at all to pay extra for harmony unless you must have water slides. Let alone $1700 extra.  And for some, Allure is actually better if you like the solarium pool and extra water features. The fountain in the promenade certainly changes the feel of the area with the water noise. It's nice. 

[MrFunInTheSun]

Really depends, are the slides important to you? Bionic bar? If not then Allure will suit all your needs. 🙂

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

I for one didn't care for HOTS......I just like the decor (classic Oasis style) much better.....Those tiny sliver's without drawer's  they call nightstands and the sofabed that one portion stays ground level... and the closet's not a good design. 

 

I would definitely stick with Allure...HOTS not worth the extra $$'s. JMHO

 

Interesting,  I much preferred the cabin and bath on Harmony over the two older ones.  Wasn't a fan of the dark wood everywhere,  but furnishings were well thought out.  

 

I also think Oasis has the same tiny nightstands

[John&LaLa]

29 minutes ago, BNBR said:

The slides are the major difference.  The rooms are a little older styling and layout but that's trivial I think.  And no bionic bar but they have a nice champagne bar. Besides that you may find a few details about allure that you'll like better.  Like a pool on the solarium. Allure also has a few water features like a cool fountain under rising tide and water features in the solarium. Since no abyss slide, allure also has a large bar in the middle of the boardwalk. 

 

Mostly the same ship though.  And definitely well kept and not showing age. I've done Harmony last year and Allure just this month.  No reason at all to pay extra for harmony unless you must have water slides. Let alone $1700 extra.  And for some, Allure is actually better if you like the solarium pool and extra water features. The fountain in the promenade certainly changes the feel of the area with the water noise. It's nice. 

 

I like the LED chasing fountain, but hate the noise with center fountain.  Especially during trivia in Schooner.

[BNBR]

The center fountain is pretty cool though.  The fountains are very noticeably absent on Harmony. It really felt like something was missing and too quiet. 

[BCirlin]

Thank you for all the replies!  I think we'll be very happy on Allure.

 

[Robo1098]

38 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

What did you like better on Harmony vs Symphony? 

Let you know about Symphony in 26 days.

[BNBR]

2 minutes ago, Robo1098 said:

Let you know about Symphony in 26 days.

 

Oh, so you haven't been on all of the Oasis class ships.... 

[Robo1098]

11 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

Oh, so you haven't been on all of the Oasis class ships.... 

Sorry, I misspoke. I have been on the three in the US and soon the Symphony. I stand corrected.

 

[mattb31]

We went through the same debate for which cruise to go on this Thanksgiving.

 

Ultimately ended up choosing the Allure for a few reasons

- Balcony on Allure was the same price as an inside on Harmony.

- Preferred the eastern itinerary

- Solarium pools were a huge factor

- Preferred the Sunday-Sunday itinerary for easier travel.

 

I do prefer the newer rooms on Harmony (a lot like the Anthem we stayed on a year ago), but it wasn't enough to justify the extra money. Plus, as I said, we spend a lot of time in the Solarium and not having a pool is a huge downfall.

[Robo1098]

I think I am actually in the minority. I actually feel like there is more storage in the Oasis and Allure cabins. Nooks and shelves around the desk area that I found handy are gone in Harmony and Symphony. I found the one larger closet easier to use than the two smaller closets. I also found the colors and décor warmer on Oasis and Allure. This is just personal opinion though. 

[buddylover]

19 minutes ago, Robo1098 said:

I think I am actually in the minority. I actually feel like there is more storage in the Oasis and Allure cabins. Nooks and shelves around the desk area that I found handy are gone in Harmony and Symphony. I found the one larger closet easier to use than the two smaller closets. I also found the colors and décor warmer on Oasis and Allure. This is just personal opinion though. 

I am with you completely on all your thoughts.  We liked the decorating better on the Allure than the Harmony (especially the common atriums etc), and more storage (set up differently) on Allure.  We made sure we had a balcony cabin with the bed by the balcony instead of by the closets (which makes a difference as well for access).  OP, you will like the Allure just as much, if not MORE!!  Very minimal additions on Harmony that for sure are NOT worth an extra $1700 IMHO!!  Have a great cruise!

[racerxspeedy]

We sailed the HOS x 2, Oasis and Allure x2  - Symphony is up next.   We loved Allure after Harmony.   I would take the deal on Allure 

[BCirlin]

Thank you!  I will book Allure, and use the extra $1700 for our next cruise!

[eastoftheboston]

I enjoyed the boardwalk bar on Allure a lot, so I think it's a good thing it doesn't feature those slides. Also, on Allure you don't have to put a card in a slot to get the lights to work in your stateroom 🙂 

[BNBR]

1 hour ago, eastoftheboston said:

I enjoyed the boardwalk bar on Allure a lot, so I think it's a good thing it doesn't feature those slides. Also, on Allure you don't have to put a card in a slot to get the lights to work in your stateroom 🙂 

 

I have mixed feelings about it.  I originally hated the idea of the slides and I love that bar.  But there is still a bar next to it perfectly accessible.  What I do like is that the slides bring a little more liveliness to the area.  And it's also more fun to hang out at the bar near the Flowriders, with people going on the slides, and Harmony had chairs overlooking the aft up on that deck, too.  It just added a little more activity in a good way to an area that is often unused and the vibe is better, in my opinion.  And it looks REALLY cool up on the top deck with the glass floor and what not.  It felt something was missing on Allure in that area.