LIVE from Harmony, NYE Cruise, Dec 31, 2023

[GetToLivin]

7 hours ago, perfect match said:

 I could actually see the beach, not just a bunch of lounge chairs crammed in as close together as they can get them!  🏝️ 

That is an excellent point, there was plenty of space for sure!

[GetToLivin]

Good morning from Cozumel 🌞 We've really lucked out on this trip with smooth seas and warm sunny weather, today is no exception!

 

 

Disembarking was easy and we entered the taxi line, around 10 minutes later we were on our way to a favorite: Mr. Sanchos. Taxi fare was $20/each way and is a 15-20 minute drive. At the entrance they have a coffee house and...drugstore, should you be so inclined. 

 

 

Follow this path to check in with your reservation, it will be the building on your right:

 

 

I counted 4 ships at our pier with another one off in the distance, so as expected this place was busy! No worries though, they seem to have endless amounts of tables, chairs and loungers. We were set up with loungers by the ocean and a table with umbrella for meals/sun breaks:

 

 

Mr. Sanchos is all-inclusive so you're good to go with food and drinks. The food gets the job done, the drinks tend to be weak. I've found its best to go to the bar and order v. using a waiter. The wait service is great though, they are attentive and we never had to wait very long for our orders.

 

They have pools throughout...

 

 

 

Massage stations...

 

 

Cabanas...

 

 

Several bars with fun details like swings...

 

 

And kayak and seadoo rentals...

 

 

 

Photos from the beach...

 

 

 

 

Another nice offering are the water toys, it's a small add-on but totally worth it if you have older children. 

 

 

No where to go...

 

 

...but down!

 

 

Great beach day, beautiful grounds, all you can eat and drink, good wait staff, what could be better?

 

 

When you're ready to go there are taxis lined up ready to take you back to port. We left at around 4pm and it was pure insanity at the port. We've been here several times and have never experienced lines like these. They wound all the way through the port area...we were in line for upwards of 30 minutes before reaching security. I heard another passenger say the experience was like "The Walmart of Ports" and that's exactly what it was. No direction, just people trying to make sense out of chaos, and luckily, decorum was practiced by everyone. Humanity for the win!

 

Home sweet home...

 

 

We didn't leave until after 6:30pm tonight (hour late) due to a ferry running late with other passengers. Hopefully in their panic they were able to enjoy the sunset 😉

 

 

Tonight, Paul and I decided to go to Johnny Rockets! Ya'll the food is so good...hamburger for Paul (10/10 from Paul!) and Tuna Melt for me:

 

 

 

And let's just wash all that down with the Oreo Cookie Shake since calories don't count on vacation:

 

 

We are on our way heading North, Capt said there is a cold front coming in from the Gulf so we'll be lucky to hit 70° tomorrow but if there's sun it shouldn't be too bad! The plan is to sleep in, gym, then enjoy the suite deck one last time.

 

On the home front I get pics of Jack every day from my awesome friend. Latest one looks like he's taken up card games 😉

 

[Twin Dad]

Love Mr. Sanchos. Headed there for our 3rd time in April. They also have horseback riding there with a ride on the beach. Girls loved it. 

[JamesEM]

I see there is construction going on at the port of Roatan since my visit this past May where shopping was at a minimum,

[GetToLivin]

10 hours ago, JamesEM said:

I see there is construction going on at the port of Roatan since my visit this past May where shopping was at a minimum,

Yes! I'm excited to see what it looks like when they're finished, I wonder how long it will take?

Edited January 6 by GetToLivin

[GetToLivin]

Alright folks, sorry for the tardy but here is my final post and thoughts!

 

Our last day at sea was much cooler and the wind was whipping. Paul and I walked to the suite deck to see how it was and the wind blew so hard Paul felt like he was gonna be swooped up 🤣 We spent the rest of the day enjoying the ship, hanging out at Schooners and the Rising Tide Bar. We had dinner at Jamie's, packed, and before we knew it the alarms sounded and we said our goodbyes to Aimee, our amazing room attendant. 

 

Our last sunset, mother nature is showing off:

 

 

Crown Loft Suite: we were in 1708 which is an awesome location, it's right inside the doors so you don't have to walk down any halls. I loved this room. There is so much space and storage and the *separation* of space is amazing when you're traveling with more than 2 pax. In my opinion, it's ideal for families for this reason. Two bathrooms made for a stress free vacation as well, no one was left waiting for facilities or getting ready. We had two boys over 6ft tall so one had the sofa bed and the other had a roll-away. For this reason alone I was so grateful we had twice a day service. 

 

 

The views are second only to the aqua suite and the floor to ceiling windows provided outstanding views. I'm so grateful we were able to experience such a special room and if the price is right I'd book it again in a heartbeat!

 

 

Coastal Kitchen and Suite Lounge: we never had a bad meal. Food was fresh, came out hot, tasted good, and most importantly, was timed well. We didn't wait for the next course, the pace was appropriate, and I would say for our table of 4 we were done within an hour. I enjoy that because so many days we're just tired from the day, want to enjoy a nice dinner but not at the expense of two hours. Danny was our waiter and was simply outstanding! And the views? Very colorful 😉

 

 

The lounge items were generally good as well, food came out hot and there was a nice variety of sweet, savory and fresh:

 

 

 

The ship is the newest one we've been on and is in great shape! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite things to do on Oasis Class is stopping by Sbux and heading AFT for this view:

 

 

Disembarkation: I appreciate the perk of suite assist and a dedicated elevator, it did make for a stress free experience. We also opted for self-assist so we simply grabbed our luggage, walked off the ship and were on our way. Galveston has facial recognition which speeds things up even more. All in all we lined up in the suite lounge at 7:45am and by 8am we were walking to our car. As sad as it is to leave its nice to so in this way!

 

We were home by 12:30pm and the laundry was underway. This little guy was excited to see us, too!

 

 

I hope ya'll enjoyed the review, especially of the ports and activities we did. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

 

Until next time...

 

 

 

Edited January 9 by GetToLivin

[perfect match]

Thank you, @GetToLivin! I really enjoyed your review. 
 

After seeing your pictures, I may consider Mr Sanchos for our next visit to Cozumel. It will be hard to beat the snorkeling at Sky Reef though. We’re not going to be there until September so I’m not rushing into a decision.

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks for taking us along.  Roatan is probably our favorite port.  We've even stayed at Infinity Bay for a week after falling in love with Roatan on cruises.  We did Mr Sanchos a few years but the last time - spring 2023- it was so grossly crowded and our service was so bad, we went back to Nachi Cocom last month.  We too feel the drinks have gotten weaker and the food quality seems to have slipped a bit.  Still a good time but overall, we found Nachi was a better fit after switching for about 5 years.  We were on Harmony last month and had a great time and terrific service at Coastal Kitchen and SL/Suite Deck as well!

[loug1601]

Great review and interesting read! Thank you!

[glamourpup]

Thank you again for this review! We are in Harmony now in a Crown Loft Suite and couldn’t agree more about how family friendly and beautiful the room is. The only issue is that if you want an elevator, you are often stuck in a long wait in elevators that stop at every floor before you get to the top. Sadly on our sailing we haven’t had an Aqua show yet; the winds have been too high. Hopefully tonight they will make it happen. I won’t hesitate to book this ship or room again!