​ LIVE! * Harmony OTS * April 7 - 14, 2024 * ATS-2 🤩 ​

[LisaLisa87]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us! It looked like you and your friends had an amazing week and made lots of incredible memories. 
 

I went back and looked at your plans from an early post. I have to know… Did you stop at the Thirsty Cougar, and get t-shirts??

[buncosquad]

3 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Breakfast at the CK was a cluster. It’s not like the Haven restaurant. Everyone in a suite was there. I’m guessing it’s because they do not have room service on disembarkation day. Plan accordingly. We were there an hour which included the wait time to be seated and the service. Wendy met us by the deck 17 elevators and whisked us through the terminal right to our luggage where we said our sad goodbyes. I love that genies can exit the ship with you. NCL Butlers cannot.
 

We only had to wait 5 min for our driver. Easy peasy!

 

What time did you arrive @ CK for breakfast on disembarkation morning?

 

When is Star Class required to leave staterooms?

 

TY

Edited April 14 by buncosquad

[LATTELOVE]

So sad this thread is coming to an end.

 

Thank you for taking us along on this

fantastic journey.  We really enjoyed it.

 

Till next cruise, safe travels home and thanks again.

[HBCcruiser]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Love this! I wonder if I could ask for a quick photo to see all the options for the week for the rotating snacks. Makes a difference knowing you can only get that apricot cherry thingy 2x whereas the basic chocolate donut will be there daily. Or even just to know that they have a nutella croissant at all - I don't care which day you bring it to me, just get it in my belly!

 

Looks like you had a great trip overall. I'll keep scouring for affordable ways to try out this infamous Star class. The trip I priced out yesterday on Icon was starting at 15K/pp just to get into Star class which is still too rich for my blood.

I’m sure they have listings of what’s available different days. I have seen the rotating menus and saw how detailed they are with labels.  Yes, the current Star Class prices are INSANE! If prices don’t drop this experience is a one and done for us. 

[HBCcruiser]

35 minutes ago, buncosquad said:

What time did you arrive @ CK for breakfast on disembarkation morning?

 

When is Star Class required to leave staterooms?

 

TY

We were at breakfast by 7:45. They want you out of your cabin by 8:00 am. The elevators were a nightmare so take everything with you to breakfast. We waited a good 15 min for the elevator to go up to CK on 17.
 

Remember that we were escorted directly to our cabin at 10:30 a.m. when we boarded.  They need time to turn those cabins around. 

[buncosquad]

16 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

We were at breakfast by 7:45. They want you out of your cabin by 8:00 am. The elevators were a nightmare so take everything with you to breakfast. We waited a good 15 min for the elevator to go up to CK on 17.
 

Remember that we were escorted directly to our cabin at 10:30 a.m. when we boarded.  They need time to turn those cabins around. 

Understood, and quite thorough depiction on your thread. Super helpful.

 

I've got the three Star Class rooms (Royal Loft and both Star Lofts) on a sailing next month, same ship and itinerary, of course.

 

Since we're already on deck 17, good that we won't need the elevator.

 

I'll rouse all three rooms to get over for breakfast promptly upon opening for breakfast.

 

Many thanks.

[HBCcruiser]

3 minutes ago, buncosquad said:

Understood, and quite thorough depiction on your thread. Super helpful.

 

I've got the three Star Class rooms (Royal Loft and both Star Lofts) on a sailing next month, same ship and itinerary, of course.

 

Since we're already on deck 17, good that we won't need the elevator.

 

I'll rouse all three rooms to get over for breakfast promptly upon opening for breakfast.

 

Many thanks.

Enjoy your cruise!! If you have Wendy you will be in great hands. 

[Colorado Buffalo]

We will we walking off on our own with luggage.  I have Omega Royal set for 9:30. Will we have enough time?

[HBCcruiser]

9 hours ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Thank you for sharing your trip with us! It looked like you and your friends had an amazing week and made lots of incredible memories. 
 

I went back and looked at your plans from an early post. I have to know… Did you stop at the Thirsty Cougar, and get t-shirts??

Yes we did! Love the shirts too! Thanks, we had an amazing time. Star class really is an amazing experience. Never be afraid to ask your genie for something. The worst they can say is no. 
 

 

[HBCcruiser]

8 hours ago, Colorado Buffalo said:

We will we walking off on our own with luggage.  I have Omega Royal set for 9:30. Will we have enough time?

That is up to you. We checked our bags the night before. You are able to have them get your bags before 12 a.m. or by 6:30 a.m. the day you leave. We were in our car by 9:00 a.m. It took about 10 minutes from when Wendy took us down the elevator, off of the ship and through the terminal to our luggage.

[HBCcruiser]

10 hours ago, scubaslayer said:

So overall, is Star Class worth the extra price per person? Would it still be worth it for people that don't drink or teens in the room?

That is really a personal decision and depends on the price on the sailing. If you had a few couples or families in the larger suites it would be less per person. You do not have to drink alcohol to make it worth it. Genies will hold suite parties for kids with pizzas, shakes, mocktails, sweets and the like. Remember that Genies can deliver food from any restaurant as long as the kitchen is open. 

[perfect match]

Thank you very much for a great review! I loved following along with you. 

[AtlantaAlly]

Thank you for your thorough review and snapshot into some of the differences between Haven and Star Class.

 

Seems like with a good Genie, Star class/Royal wins:

- Entertainment Options & scheduling/seating

- Specialty Dining

- In-Room Snacks & Coffee

- Extras- tours, escape room, etc being included 

Haven/NCL wins:

- Sun Deck (although I was on Encore when deck was closed one day due to wind)

- Suite-specific area, including pool

- Suite Restaurant

- Drink Selection (especially wine) - and for us the Scotch

 

I’m interested in comparing first hand in July on Harmony as well. The Haven was slightly more per person, however we have only done the newest ships each time. We had to go to older Harmony to get the price to be comparable. 
 

Would you have asked for anything different up front based on your experience? 
 

thanks again for taking your vacation time to share your experiences. I’m 

[HBCcruiser]

7 hours ago, AtlantaAlly said:

Thank you for your thorough review and snapshot into some of the differences between Haven and Star Class.

 

Seems like with a good Genie, Star class/Royal wins:

- Entertainment Options & scheduling/seating

- Specialty Dining

- In-Room Snacks & Coffee

- Extras- tours, escape room, etc being included 

Haven/NCL wins:

- Sun Deck (although I was on Encore when deck was closed one day due to wind)

- Suite-specific area, including pool

- Suite Restaurant

- Drink Selection (especially wine) - and for us the Scotch

 

I’m interested in comparing first hand in July on Harmony as well. The Haven was slightly more per person, however we have only done the newest ships each time. We had to go to older Harmony to get the price to be comparable. 
 

Would you have asked for anything different up front based on your experience? 
 

thanks again for taking your vacation time to share your experiences. I’m 

I tend to agree. For service nothing beats Star Class. Plus it includes the drink package, drinks delivered to room upon request,  priority everything, specialty dining, WiFi and tons of special surprises. Hands down better than the Haven.
 

Personally, if I could not afford to book Star Class on a ship with Star Class, I would prefer booking a regular RCI suite on ships that do not have Star Class.  Why? You get much better pricing and the suite areas are much less crowded. You still get to eat the suite breakfast in a specialty restaurant which has always been less crowded than the CK was on that last day. Granted, you must pay for the drink package, dining package and WiFi, but often there are good sales on those. Some of the smaller ships provide a more intimate service experience too. Our cruise on the Vision had excellent service and our concierge provided an amazing personalized experience. He’d make a great Genie.

 

NCL Haven tops RCI in the ship-within-a-ship category, the availability of wines and liquor brands, and the private areas - bar, pool, deck, hot tubs and restaurant. We never had to wait long for drinks or seating in the restaurant or bar area, and could always find a lounger on the sun deck. Both NCL and RCI allow children in suite areas so can’t compare that. 
 

I must say, though, that the layout of the Harmony was much better than the NCL ships, especially the Prima. We never felt crowded despite the ship being full with 6000+ passengers. We could find seats at bars and shows (even if we were not in a suite just reserve and get three early). There were always open loungers, and the open areas like the Boardwalk and Central Park were never crowded. Even during the parties, the Royal Promenade had space to move around. I really enjoyed the layout of the Harmony. There were so many great venues to choose from with plenty of seating and space. Yes, the elevators sucked at times, but it’s the same on NCL. 
 

A huge difference now, though, is the pricing. I can book a Haven suite on the Joy for 4 people for 9 days to Alaska for $12,000, which includes the premium upgraded package. On RCI the Star Class suite would be $20,000+ for a 7-day cruise during the same time. That’s a huge difference. 
 

Would I book Star Class again? Absolutely if the price were right! 

[SarcasmSpasm]

Thank you so much for the review!  Can’t wait to go on Sunday!  
 

Did you guys tip at the cabanas? Not sure if you’re supposed to give a set amount or do like 20% on top of the bill. Could you pay by credit? 
 

thanks again!!!!

[HBCcruiser]

On 4/16/2024 at 9:48 AM, SarcasmSpasm said:

Thank you so much for the review!  Can’t wait to go on Sunday!  
 

Did you guys tip at the cabanas? Not sure if you’re supposed to give a set amount or do like 20% on top of the bill. Could you pay by credit? 
 

thanks again!!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise! Yes, we tipped our cabana server between 15%-20%  of our food and drink costs. Just like we would a waiter. We used cash for the tips but CC for the cabana, food, drinks and massage fees.

[mac_tlc]

On 4/14/2024 at 1:52 PM, HBCcruiser said:

I’m sure they have listings of what’s available different days. I have seen the rotating menus and saw how detailed they are with labels.  Yes, the current Star Class prices are INSANE! If prices don’t drop this experience is a one and done for us. 

Certainly agree with the current price points. The 4 bedroom Villa suite on Symphony in summer 2025 is more than double what it was on Harmony in 2022. Others must agree because it is still available for a number of summer 2025 sailings. It usually disappears as soon as bookings open. 
 

mac_tlc

[HBCcruiser]

2 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Certainly agree with the current price points. The 4 bedroom Villa suite on Symphony in summer 2025 is more than double what it was on Harmony in 2022. Others must agree because it is still available for a number of summer 2025 sailings. It usually disappears as soon as bookings open. 
 

mac_tlc

So I was able to book a 4-night cruise out of LA on the Quantum - it's the first LA sailing - in October 2025 in a Grand Loft Suite for under $6000 when it was released. Drunk HBC may, or may not have, booked the B2B 6-night Cabo cruise following that one while she was onboard the Harmony. 😜 That cruise is more expensive but I also got $1000 OBC for that booking because I booked onboard. I suppose I can pay $100 to change the cruise if I need to but for now I will hold them both. The prices have already gone up! 

[rrraydon]

On 4/9/2024 at 11:32 AM, wolfganghowell said:

rrraydon - we did the guacamole class last December.  Meh.....of course we are Texans so we like our guac very flavorful.  Their ingredients are pretty limited so it was a bit bland.  The margarita drinkers had a few nice ones and lunch was included - again, Sabor on Harmony is just a miss for us.  We loved it on other ships but something seems missing now.  Were the guys nice who did it?  Yes. Did some people enjoy it?  Sure.  It wasn't for us but that doesn't mean there weren't plenty others who like it.

 

Carry on - enjoying your review.  Yeah - the Aquashow was cancelled three times on our sailing.

Thank you for your review of the class. I hope they do it better on Liberty in 3 days!! woohoo  😁