My Trip Report: Harmony 1/28 out of Galveston with a 3-yr old

[silentbob007]

Hi everyone!  No live reporting this time, but I thought I'd post a few thoughts about the cruise we just completed.  We last cruised in April out of Galveston on Allure and ended up on Harmony this time because, quite frankly, the prices were much more reasonable when I was looking to book.  This was my 3 yr old son's second cruise and my wife's fourth.  Her first one was on Harmony when we got engaged.

 

Pre-Cruise

We had a plan to do a few things around the state, so we flew into Austin on the Friday before the cruise.  Unfortunately flying Southwest from Detroit meant a connection, but everything went as expected and we landed about 1 PM.  We rented a car from National.  I had added a child seat so I didn't have to travel with ours (we already had enough baggage) and the rental area seemed to have a pretty big gap in seats with either an infant seat or an older toddler booster seat with a back.  So ... we probably should have brought our own seat.  We ended up with the toddler seat (he was about 1 pound under the limit but is tall for his age), loaded up the car, and headed off.  Our first stop was to Terry Black's in Austin for some BBQ, then to Buccee's on our way to Waco where we spent the night at a Home2.  Our Saturday morning was spent in Waco doing Magnolia things, then we jumped back into the car and headed to Houston Hobby where I dropped the car and we caught our pre-reserved Galveston Express shuttle down to our hotel in Galveston.  The shuttle was fine, though it was quite full and didn't have the greatest first impression with a cracked windshield.

 

In Galveston, we stayed at the Tremont House.  We had a gorgeous room on the first floor though the huge windows also meant plenty of room for sound leakage from the street.  I booked the 10 AM shuttle from the hotel to the port for $15/pp (they did not charge for our son).  I would never choose this option because the port was literally minutes away except that, without a carseat, we couldn't do an uber/lyft and everyone told me taxis were unreliable in Galveston.  I don't know how true that is, but we got to the port without incident and had bags dropped and were checked in by 10:30.

[silentbob007]

Boarding

I checked in early for the 11 AM arrival time but we were let into the terminal much before that.  It was a quick elevator ride up to the check-in area and we were quickly checked in by someone with a tablet who just needed to scan a our mobile pass from the app and then scan our passport cards.  We then went through security and were put into boarding group 3.  Just a minute after sitting down they announced that boarding was starting and that Diamond Plus people could head to the ship.  They let us through the rope and we were onboard by about 10:40.

 

I had two things I wanted to do upon boarding: I wanted to book Wonderland for the first night and see about getting a dinner reservation at Coastal Kitchen as we were in a junior suite.  The suite lounge was fairly full already by the time I got there but no one was working the reservation desk and I was told to come back once the restaurant opened at noon.  We headed back down to Central Park and I made my Wonderland reservation at Chops and confirmed we could use our BOGO D+ coupon on the meal.  With that done, we grabbed some food at Park Cafe once it opened (at 11 I think) and then sat around and completed the safety videos for muster.  I ran back up to Coastal Kitchen at noon and was able to make a dinner reservation for the second night.  I was told once I completed dinner I could see about adding another reservation but I could only make one reservation at a time as a junior suite guest.

 

Rooms opened at 1 PM, so we went down and dropped our carry-ons and then headed to the Boardwalk to check-in at our muster area.  This is still a great time-saver and I appreciate that RC hasn't gone back to the old way of doing the drill when no one seemed to be paying attention anyway and we were generally out on the deck hot, miserable, and waiting behind 1,000 people for an elevator once it was over.

[aprilcruisers]

Enjoying your report. We sail on Harmony in April, and I look forward to hearing more. 

[superduper123]

I'm interested in reading your report. We were on this same cruise also. 

[DrPepper7]

I'll be traveling on Harmony in May with 3 year old twins, so I'm very interested to read your thoughts and impressions on the cruise for toddlers.

 

Looking forward to it! Thank you

[wolfganghowell]

Great start.  Nice to see you were able to do CK!

[silentbob007]

I won't do a day-to-day but will just focus on different aspects of the cruise.  If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask!

 

I took advantage of the black Friday sale to book very reasonable lunches at specialty restaurants on sea days.  I appreciated the pricing and I also appreciated not having to worry about finding a space to eat on sea days.

 

As a side note, I had bariatric surgery in mid-November so I was curious as to how dining would go this cruise.  I'm on a generally low-fat, low-carb diet high in protein.  I didn't stick with it 100% on this cruise, but I definitely changed some of my cruise eating habits for the better.  If you'd like to know more about this I can elaborate, but I just wanted to hedge my food talk with the restrictions I had.

 

Dining

Wonderland - Dinner

As stated earlier, I made a reservation for Wonderland on the first night.  We had a great experience and our server Davi was awesome at curating everything for us.  The Mad Hatter definitely made his presence known during the introduction and the meal such that my son was looking for him later in the trip.  The portion sizes were perfect for me and I stuck with the chicken entree rather than the short rib I've gotten on other visits.  My son was a bit picky and not too into the fried mac and cheese sticks from the kids menu.  He loved his sundae at the end of the meal.  

 

Chops - Lunch

Our only disappointment is that the goat cheese salad isn't on the lunch menu.  Other than that, this was one of the best visits to Chops I've had in a while.  The appetizers were great and the filet mignon was excellent.  I've been pretty down on Chops so I was pleasantly surprised about the quality of the steak offered.

 

Jamie's - Lunch

It was a first for me ... a lunch at Jamie's without pasta.  Nothing really blew my mind quality wise but it was still good.  I enjoyed some of the meat and cheese plank.  My wife raved about the burrata and wanted to go back and get it again.  We shared the fish and chicken sandwich entrees and they were both fine but nothing too exciting.

 

Izumi - Lunch

This was the most expensive lunch and came with what felt like the least amount of food.  I'd read it on these boards but the waiter did mention that our prepaid lunch included one small plate and two large plates though the sushi rolls would be halved from the large plate portions.  Portions were not really my priority but it definitely made it seem like less of a value when you might think about purchasing the fixed price menu comparing it to the a la carte pricing.  Everything tasted fresh  and was enjoyable.

 

Johnny Rockets - Breakfasts

We had most of our breakfasts at Johnny Rockets and generally had good experiences though sometimes the service was a bit blunt ... take order, here's food, bye.  My son loved the climbing area next to the restaurant on the boardwalk so we always sat outside over by that area so he could climb while the food was being prepared.  Everything was generally hot and fresh though one day they made a mistake on about everything we ordered.  This venue always gets more crowded as people find out about it as a free option for breakfast but we never had a problem getting a table when it opened.  It is a great option for free, cooked to order food on the ship.

 

Windjammer - Breakfast, Lunch

I'm not a huge fan of cruise buffets and this one did nothing to wow me though I had some decent butter chicken for lunch after a port day. It always felt pretty crowded though the crew were always friendly and trying to be helpful.  Even with the hand washing stations some felt they should just walk through without any sanitation which is a shame with so many communal utensils.  We sometimes took my son here for ice cream after a meal.

 

Solarium Bistro - Dinner

I made a reservation onboard using the app for after our showing of Grease.  It was set up like a buffet and was made up of Mediterranean food.  I found the food quality to be excellent and everything that was supposed to be hot was kept hot (sometimes to my chagrin as I tried to get the hot dish onto my plate). The chairs were a little tight for my liking to try to get to the buffet but it was definitely a great change of pace and another little-known gem.

 

Coastal Kitchen - Dinner

As I mentioned earlier, we booked a Junior Suite.  We love Coastal Kitchen from the times we've been in full suites because we hate crowds and it is so nice to have a food home.  We were lucky enough to be able to get a reservation for five nights of the cruise for dinner, one at a time.  I don't know if that was just luck but we were grateful to be accommodated and I let Milo the maitre'd know that.  The only "we are completely full" comment I got was for lobster night on day 6, though it magically appeared in my reservations a few hours later.  Again, I wasn't expecting it so it was nice that it happened, and I have no idea if it would ever happen again.  Our server each night was John and he was truly gracious and awesome.  Everyone gave my son special attention which was wonderful.  A few menus were better than others but I didn't have any bad food and of course CK still offers "the classics" that the main dining room doesn't offer like shrimp cocktail and onion soup every night.  I especially enjoyed the steak and tuna tartares.

 

Other

My wife and son had a few slices of pizza from Sorrentos and it seemed about what you'd expect ... not necessarily good but hot and available.  I thought the hours were a bit later than I was expecting (having to wait until noon for them to start serving on a port day) but that may be my poor memory.  I thought the beef was quite nice at Park Cafe and they were cutting it quite thin and stacking it high. I got a few ham, egg, and cheese english muffins from Park Cafe one morning and they were stone cold by the time I got them back to the room (and perhaps before then).  My wife said she did not like the taste of the yogurt parfaits from any venue on the ship. The soft serve ice cream machines always seemed to be either out of service or had huge lines so we only got that once.  I never made it to mini bites because that line was always crazy whenever I was near it and it was open (extending down the pool deck).  I had one hot dog minus the bun and it was fine.  There seemed to be fewer choices of cookies than in the past with the coconut ranger and sugar free lemon being the most spotted with occasional chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.  Starbucks had Harmony mugs so I got one for my collection but otherwise did not pay for food and beverage there.

 

[silentbob007]

Ports

 

Roatan

We booked with Victor Bodden tours as we have several times in the past.  This one was a simple group tour to go to the animal sanctuary and then get dropped off at a resort for a bit (I think it was called something like fun and sun) and was pretty cheap at $70 total for the three of us.  They like for you to pay cash saying that Honduras adds a 19% credit card transaction fee so it was definitely worth it to bring dollars (you pay at the sanctuary).  We always enjoy going to see the sloths, monkeys, and other animals.  Your guide at the sanctuary interacts with you and the animals and does remind you he wouldn't say no to a tip at the end.  We were dropped at the Henry Morgan resort and given a wristband meaning we could use the facilities and beach chairs.  It was a miserable day with rain and very little sun.  On the beach there was a rope line where vendors could not cross without being turned away by security.  Sitting near that line or going onto the beach would get you all kinds of offers for tours, massages, etc.  I don't begrudge people trying to make a living but it was not quite relaxing near the beach.  I ended up walking a bit down the beach to go to a local market for drinks and snacks that were very reasonably priced.  We stayed until about 2 and then headed back to the ship (all aboard was 4:30). 

 

Our group was all on time (rain may have helped) and everything was fine but I probably would only book a private car from Victor Bodden from now on like we had last April.  It was easy to find Bodden tours but we had to wait around quite a bit (unsure if it was for everyone to show up or for a set time but it was probably at least 20 minutes) and then had quite a long walk to the van unless we wanted to wait for the driver to get into the huge line at port to come get us.  When we were dropped at the resort we were asked for the time to be taken back and everyone at least publicly was agreeable to 2 (it wasn't raining yet) so as to not cut it too close for getting back to the ship.  However, the time at the resort with the rain and everything was just miserable and if it was a private tour I would have found something else to do instead of just waiting it out.  In the end, it would have been worth the money to have more control over the day.

 

Costa Maya

We booked the Dolphin Experience through the ship.  It was quite a long walk to the meet up point down the pier.  We were given a locker, life vests, instructions, and then split into groups to go to different enclosures with dolphins in the port area (many were watching the show as they passed by).  I booked this tour on sale during black Friday and because it was not swimming and was standing on a ledge to interact with the dolphin.  My son wanted nothing to do with it and I ended up leaving early with him after I had my brief interactions.  The guide took my name and cabin number (didn't think about why ... assuming it was to note I left early in case I complained).  Of course you are not allowed to bring your own phones or equipment and they want to charge you $40/photo or for packages of what they take during your interaction.  We did not make any extra purchases through I suppose they might have had us if my son had wanted anything to do with the dolphin.  I didn't leave with the greatest impression but it was pretty much what I expected for a "cheap" dolphin encounter of about $80/pp with my son being free.

 

Cozumel

Originally I had not planned to do anything but changed my mind and made a reservation for Paradise Beach with a daybed.  We booked #1 near the pool and I would caution against this particular spot as it is right next to the smoking area and gets a lot of foot traffic being an entrance/exit for maintenance and deliveries.  The food was fine.  I didn't really care for the drinks and had only a few sips of the couple I ordered.  We spent all of our time in and around the pool as that was where my son was happiest.  My wife was having a great time, finally getting the sunny and warm resort day we had been wanting until ... it got too sunny and she undid the drapes of the sunbed to block the sun and a few cockroaches skittered out.  That was it for her (she hates bugs) and it was time to leave (maybe 40 minutes earlier than we had planned).  It was just an unfortunate experience for her specific phobias though she said she would go back as long as we opened those drapes up first next time to make sure they are clear.  The taxi to/from Paradise Beach was $18 each way and the reservation itself was paid partly before the trip and the rest on site with no extra fees for using a credit card charged in USD.  I felt besides the bug thing that we had a better experience here than my last few visits to Nachi Cocum.

Edited February 6 by silentbob007

[PCWalton1]

Thanks for the review. We will be taking this cruise next January.

 

[silentbob007]

Cabin

We were in 6242, a junior suite.  I booked a suite guarantee and assumed I would receive a jr suite.  On at least one piece of paperwork I swear I even saw the cabin category labeled as a jr suite guarantee.  The cabin was assigned a few months before sailing and the guarantee rate was several hundred dollars per person cheaper than choosing our own cabin. 

 

I've never been in a jr suite on an Oasis class ship before so it was an interesting comparison to full suites and some of the jr suites I've been in on other classes of ships.  The common thought on this board is that you don't get very much as a Sea Class guest for the premium price.  I'd agree with a bit of a caveat.  We were in a grand suite for a couple of sailings and then in April we were in a standard balcony on Allure.  My wife told me she wanted more space, especially with our toddler.  The cabin was definitely much roomier than a standard balcony with a large walk-in closet.  The balcony was also much bigger though it was a bit disappointing to only have two chairs with foot rests and a small, short table with no full loungers for such a big space.  The bathroom had a shower and while was not huge offered a bit more room.  The cabin came with a Lavazza coffee machine that I used constantly as it was more convenient than going to the Spa or Crown Lounge.  We are not too messy but the twice a day service was nice to keep the coffee restocked.  I contacted the special needs department about having a cpap and they had a gallon of distilled water waiting.  There is one outlet near the bed, but we ended up bringing 2 cpaps so I used the QR code on the stateroom attendant's card to ask for an extension cord for the second one.  We also needed a medical fridge which was a small rectangular cubby that sat on the desk (so it wasn't like a mini-fridge like you'd see in a dorm) and it did take desk space.

 

In terms of suite benefits, there were few.  Coastal Kitchen dinner access, as I mentioned earlier, was nice but not guaranteed.  There was no priority boarding or departure and our bag tags or set sail pass did not indicate we were suite guests.  We could get towels by flashing the room card and not having to check them out as the card was its own color and did say Royal Suite Class (Sea).  That was about it besides the double cruise points and bigger cabin.  For about twice the price of a standard balcony when we booked you'd have to weigh the pros and cons.  The space was nice so it was a positive experience for us with the little one.  Also, the deck 6 location gave us easy access to Boardwalk for his two favorite activities: the carousel and the climbing area next to Johnny Rockets.

[jacobtsf]

Thanks for this! My wife and I will be in Harmony in just a few weeks with our 4 year old (it will be her 5th cruise). 
 

we are also going to Paradise beach and we also have a day bed (but ours is closer to the ocean).

 

Did you use Adventure Ocean, and if so how did you (and your kid) like the staff?

[silentbob007]

We went to Adventure Ocean on the first day to sign up our son and see how we felt about it as on our last cruise he was still in the baby room.  We filled out a form, listened to their description, and were told since he was still 3 they'd give us a ship phone if we dropped him off so they could call us in case of accidents, etc.  I took pictures of the different activities they had pre-set for each day.  In the end, we didn't end up using AO.  We were having fun with him and we also thought he would have a hard time with us dropping him off even though he does go to preschool 2 days a week. We probably should have tried it.

 

On the pool deck, our son enjoyed older kid pool with the slides.  He also liked wondering over to the wading pool until he was kicked out by a the staff member saying if he was potty-trained, he wasn't allowed in the baby pool.  The hardest thing for a lot of the kids seemed to be waiting their turn until the slides were cleared as a staff member would hold them up until seeing the last kid emerge.  One kid disappeared for quite a while and I'm surprised the staff member didn't get worried ... I was wondering what was going on and then realized the kid kept trying to climb back up the enclosed slide.

[DrPepper7]

@silentbob007I'm trying to decide whether to bring a stroller for my 3 year old twins. We would only use it in port but I just can't decide if I think it would be a help or a hassle. Did you have one? If not, was your son able to handle walking the length of the docks once in port? Thank you!

[silentbob007]

5 minutes ago, DrPepper7 said:

@silentbob007I'm trying to decide whether to bring a stroller for my 3 year old twins. We would only use it in port but I just can't decide if I think it would be a help or a hassle. Did you have one? If not, was your son able to handle walking the length of the docks once in port? Thank you!

 

Great question.  We did bring a stroller which was helpful when going through security and keeping our little one a bit reigned in.  We thought we would use it in ports but did not this time.  However, the dock in Costa Maya is LONG and I ended up carrying him on my shoulders to get to our excursion on time.  I really didn't want to mess with it when getting into transportation (there wouldn't have been room in the van for our Honduras excursion) though it probably would have been OK with the taxi in Cozumel.

[DrPepper7]

1 hour ago, silentbob007 said:

 

Great question.  We did bring a stroller which was helpful when going through security and keeping our little one a bit reigned in.  We thought we would use it in ports but did not this time.  However, the dock in Costa Maya is LONG and I ended up carrying him on my shoulders to get to our excursion on time.  I really didn't want to mess with it when getting into transportation (there wouldn't have been room in the van for our Honduras excursion) though it probably would have been OK with the taxi in Cozumel.

 

Thank you for the info! I think we will leave it at home and cross our fingers. We'll have uncles, aunts, grandpas that can all help carry one twin or chase another if needed, so hopefully we'll survive it!