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Choosing between 2 cruises...Harmony or Freedom...advice please!

matj1986

By matj1986,
in Royal Caribbean International

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matj1986

matj1986

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My partner and I are in the process of booking a cruise for our honeymoon next March/April and we are trying to decide between an 9 night cruise on Harmony of the Seas or a back to back, total of 14 nights, cruise on Freedom of the Seas.  Both in the Caribbean, both based out of Florida.

 

We have previously cruised on Royal Caribbean but in Europe so looking forward to the Caribbean. 

 

Harmony is the larger and newer ship but which may be worth considering.  Any suggestions/advice to help us make a decision is greatly appreciated!

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Clarea

Clarea

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1 minute ago, kayehall said:

I checked March/April 2019 & 2020.  I could not find a 14 night on the Harmony.  And I only found the Freedom sailing from San Juan.  What is your departure port?  What islands does each stop at? 

 

The OP mentioned that Harmony is a 9-night cruise.

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kayehall

kayehall

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OK...Found a 9 night on Harmony for March 29, 2019.  FLL>NAS>STT>STM>SJU>Labadee>FLL.  Typical Eastern Itnerary.  Like these ports.  Haven't been to Nassau in a long time.  Have not been on this

 

What are your ports on the Freedom?  We will be on her in January doing Southern Caribbean and I can report back then.  But we are sailing out of San Juan.

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Clarea

Clarea

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21 minutes ago, kayehall said:

...

 

What are your ports on the Freedom? ...

 

Freedom would typically alternate two Southern Carib itineraries.  Normally ABC (or AC) followed by one that includes Barbados, St. Lucia, etc.

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SilkySal

SilkySal

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Posted

It sounds like you are trying to choose the "ship" vs the itinerary. We have been on both ships and, if I were on my honeymoon, I would choose the one with more "honey" time!!😍 B2B's are great! Try to get the same cabin for both legs, so you don't have to switch rooms; however, that's not too much of a hassle anyway. They are both great ships with plenty to do! Both have the wonderful Promenade decks but Harmony also has Central Park with the Rising Tide bar, and the Boardwalk with Johnny Rockets, a carousel, and the aqua theater. If you choose Harmony though, be sure to eat in Wonderland for the gourmet food experience!😋 My specialty restaurant of choice is Chops, especially for the peppered bacon appetizer!

 

Both are great ships, so I am sure you will have a wonderful honeymoon on either one! Please let us all know which one turns your head the most!! Congratulations and CHEERS!!😎

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martyap

martyap

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Posted (edited)

We just returned from the 12/2 Freedom out of San Juan. Our last three previous cruises were on the Symphony and Allure twice. Although the Freedom was OK we missed Central Park, Solarium Bistro, better entertainment, larger Promenade, more specialty restaurants, etc. The great Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Freedom is a good reason to select the Freedom. We love San Juan and would suggest staying in Puerto Rico a few days pre or post......either at the Marriott Stellaris or La Concha....both great resorts in Condado. My vote would be only one week on the Freedom + a few nights in San Juan.....or.....9 days on Harmony......NOT two weeks on Freedom!

 

Nothing negative but one observation......we have sailed out of San Juan twice before and this sailing on the Freedom had the least diverse group of passengers.

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SilkySal

SilkySal

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2 minutes ago, martyap said:

We just returned from the 12/2 Freedom out of San Juan. Our last three previous cruises were on the Symphony and Allure twice. Although the Freedom was OK we missed Central Park, Solarium Bistro, better entertainment, larger Promenade, more specialty restaurants, etc. The great Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Freedom is a good reason to select the Freedom. We love San Juan and would suggest staying in Puerto Rico a few days pre or post......either at the Marriott Stellaris or La Concha....both great resorts in Condado. My vote would be only one week on the Freedom + a few nights in San Juan.

 

Nothing negative but one observation......we have sailed out of San Juan twice before and this sailing on the Freedom had the least diverse group of passengers.

Not sure you caught the OP's original post but he stated that "both are based out of Florida", so I assume they won't be departing from SJ.

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martyap

martyap

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19 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

Not sure you caught the OP's original post but he stated that "both are based out of Florida", so I assume they won't be departing from SJ.

The Freedom is now sailing out of San Juan.....the OP must be thinking of a different ship. There was nothing wrong with the Freedom but we liked the Oasis class more. We had recently disembarked the Symphony out of Barcelona so it might be unfair to compare. The food and service on the Freedom were fine; the ports were great; the ship is in great shape........just hard going down a class for us. The vast majority of passengers on the Freedom were Puerto Rican residents and my Spanish is asi, asi.

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SilkySal

SilkySal

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14 minutes ago, martyap said:

The Freedom is now sailing out of San Juan.....the OP must be thinking of a different ship. There was nothing wrong with the Freedom but we liked the Oasis class more. We had recently disembarked the Symphony out of Barcelona so it might be unfair to compare. The food and service on the Freedom were fine; the ports were great; the ship is in great shape........just hard going down a class for us. The vast majority of passengers on the Freedom were Puerto Rican residents and my Spanish is asi, asi.

Yep, I guess it is sailing from SJ! I stand corrected! We loved the Freedom but now really like the Oasis and Allure! Even though we are going on Harmony again next fall, I don't care for the big purple monster in the AFT that ruins the view! However, maybe the younger crowds enjoy it! Hoping they leave the Oasis and Allure alone, as we like them just the way they are! For the OP, I chose Freedom because of the most cruising days for a honeymoon but a nice 9-nighter on Harmony is hard to pass up! Wonder what they'll do?

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matj1986

matj1986

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Sorry folks, you are correct, the Freedom does sail out of San Juan.

 

I suppose we are trying to decide which itinerary is best along with the facilities on the ship.  We haven't been to the Caribbean before so don't have a great knowledge of the islands.  The extra nights on board with the B2B sounds great.

 

 

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Clarea

Clarea

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9 minutes ago, matj1986 said:

Sorry folks, you are correct, the Freedom does sail out of San Juan.

 

I suppose we are trying to decide which itinerary is best along with the facilities on the ship.  We haven't been to the Caribbean before so don't have a great knowledge of the islands.  The extra nights on board with the B2B sounds great.

 

 

 

With regard to itinerary, I suspect that most here would prefer the Freedom Southern Caribbean itineraries.

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bouhunter

bouhunter

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26 minutes ago, matj1986 said:

Sorry folks, you are correct, the Freedom does sail out of San Juan.

 

I suppose we are trying to decide which itinerary is best along with the facilities on the ship.  We haven't been to the Caribbean before so don't have a great knowledge of the islands.  The extra nights on board with the B2B sounds great.

 

 

 

Nothing beats a B2B, and the Southern Caribbean ports, just our opinion.   As you've seen, half the people here love the ports and longer (B2B) cruises, and half are madly in love with Oasis class ships.  You just have to decide for yourself which you want, and keep reading posts in favor of each:classic_tongue:

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davekathy

davekathy

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3 hours ago, matj1986 said:

My partner and I are in the process of booking a cruise for our honeymoon next March/April and we are trying to decide between an 9 night cruise on Harmony of the Seas or a back to back, total of 14 nights, cruise on Freedom of the Seas.  Both in the Caribbean, both based out of Florida.

 

We have previously cruised on Royal Caribbean but in Europe so looking forward to the Caribbean. 

 

Harmony is the larger and newer ship but which may be worth considering.  Any suggestions/advice to help us make a decision is greatly appreciated!

B2B on the Freedom would be our choice. We like longer cruises and especially flying into San Juan which the Freedom is currently and will be in 2020. We are doing a B2B cruise on the Freedom March 2019. 

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erby2283

erby2283

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2 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

If you are going for the ports - Freedom is your best best.  If going for the ship - Harmony.

 

Double ditto.  I booked the Anthem a few years ago bc I had never done a mega-ship. It was also my longest cruise (9-days).  I think you have to ask yourself if you want to sail on a ship with all the bells and whistles or whether you're going for ports. Once you decide that, you'll probably have your answer. 

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