Symphony vs Harmony! Need opinions please!

[jimandami]

Hi all,

 

Husband and I are going on a 20th anniversary sans kids in April 2020.  Both cruises are the same week, and have Work conferences for me so we get cheap rates and my cruise is technically “free.”  The Symphony will visit Coco Cay, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas.  Harmony will visit Coco Cay, San Juan, and St. Maarten.  We have done several western cruises but no Eastern.  We were in the Harmony last April with the kids and enjoyed it.  I guess I’m just wondering which ship others would choose.  We have never cruised out of PC, only Everglades or Miami.  Thank you for your help!

[garnetpalmetto]

Symphony. You get El Loco Fresh and something actually approaching a pool in the Solarium. Plus you'd have all new shows (Hiro and 1977 are fantastic) and St. Thomas's beaches beat St. Maarten's in my mind. Never been to St. Kitts so I can't comment there.

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by garnetpalmetto

[LookingForward2]

Symphony gets my vote as well.  Agree with reasons in above post.

[jbethel11]

Symphony, as I always have wanted to sail out of Miami.

[Artemus]

I would say symphony because it’s bigger.

[John&LaLa]

47 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Symphony, as I always have wanted to sail out of Miami.

 

Harmony out of Pt Canaveral always has a chance to see a rocket launch😉🚀

 

 

Kind of slim chance, though.

Edited September 25, 2019 by John&LaLa

[vacationlover_mn]

Symphony 🙂. The ship is great, and personally, I like the itinerary better 🙂

[soremekun]

Symphony.   Get the latest and greatest for "free".

[xpcdoojk]

3 hours ago, Artemus said:

I would say symphony because it’s bigger.

 

They are indistinquishable from a size perspective.  

 

Anything else for a decision?  

 

Pick the itinerary you want.  

 

JC

[molsonschooner]

4 hours ago, Artemus said:

I would say symphony because it’s bigger.

that is a ridiculous reason

 

[cruisegirl1]

 I would say Symphony.  We thought the entertainment on Symphony was better  than on Harmony. The ice show was unbelievable. Plus, we liked the addition of Hooked and el Loco Fresh.

 

 If you are flying, it is much easier to get to the ship from Miami than from Port Canaveral   However, if you are driving, Port Canaveral is terrific  and not as crowded as Miami. 

 

Can’t  go wrong with either. 

 

M   

Edited September 26, 2019 by cruisegirl1

[mickeygirl78]

Symphony - you’ve already done Harmony so why not enjoy new shows? Also symphony has a pool in the solarium, playmakers (I love their wings) and new food (hooked, el loco fresh). 

 

I really enjoyed St Kitts (ziplining), so that itinerary jumped out to me. 

 

Both would be a a great vacation but I’d go with something new. 

[deliver42]

I haven't been on the Harmony, but the Symphony was fantastic.

[Tulsacoker]

I vote Harmony just to be different 😄

[gatour]

I would pick Symphony.  I liked Playmakers, Loco Fresh and the shows.

[jimandami]

I appreciate all the advice!  Flights opened this morning for Southwest, and they were so cheap from to MCO (non-stop, great times) that we changed to Harmony. We will just have to book another on the Symphony later!

[xpcdoojk]

Have fun.  The only issue with Port Canaveral is the whole getting there and back to the airport which requires either a shuttle or a rental car both ways.

 

jc

[John&LaLa]

39 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

Have fun.  The only issue with Port Canaveral is the whole getting there and back to the airport which requires either a shuttle or a rental car both ways.

 

jc

 

Or a friend.

[xpcdoojk]

Some friends are not available when you show up in PC.  Remodeling the kitchen or whatever. 

 

JC😂

[Tulsacoker]

glade you took my choice 😉

[kathy884]

We picked the Harmony when we were considering the two for the same reason you did:  Cheaper flights to Orlando than Miami/Fort Lauderdale from where we live.  We also see better deals on lodging in Orlando.  We get to visit my nephew who lives in Orlando doing this.  We can stay and extra night and do a day at the Magic Kingdom too and stay in budget -- it was that much less expensive with air and lodging to be able to fit that in budget.  I love Maho Beach with the planes (my all time favorite beach).  We have never done either of the ships, so all shows would be new to us.

 

I don't think either is a bad choice.

[kathy884]

Is there any issue taking an uber from Port Canaveral to MCO for the return?  That's what we were planning to do.

[Clarea]

1 hour ago, kathy884 said:

Is there any issue taking an uber from Port Canaveral to MCO for the return?  That's what we were planning to do.

 

Nope, though you might find a shuttle is less expensive if there are just one or two people.

[ryguy2008]

I've been on both (in August 2018 & 2019). Although your experience may vary, for me, I prefer Symphony. Here's why:

 

• On Harmony, I found that the lines to enter the Windjammer buffet were huge at times. As a result, I had to eat elsewhere. On Symphony, even right before an early port day, I was able to walk right in.
• As the current flagship, the menu options on Symphony in the main dining room are just a bit better.
• The Solarium has a non-heated hot tub, instead of a sprinkler. (Let's be realistic -- it's not a pool.) It's also much nicer.
• Hairspray was amazing. Gease (on Harmony) is OK.
• El Loco Fresh by the pool deck was actually surprisingly good. It was a nice change from just hamburgers/hot dogs, etc. which was found on Harmony.

[jimandami]

On 9/28/2019 at 11:57 AM, kathy884 said:

Is there any issue taking an uber from Port Canaveral to MCO for the return?  That's what we were planning to do.

 

We are also planning to Uber.