Live: Harmony of the Seas Western Caribbean Aug 25

[ceilidh1]

5 hours ago, atanac said:

Will you be doing another Live on your 9/24 Sapphire Princess cruise? You should feel all tingly seeing 600 replies and almost 35,000 views for this one on Harmony. Not many live reviewers get those kind of numbers. Proof that you are one of the go-to darlings for a trip report.

Awwww shucks! Y’all just wanted shenanigans 🤣🤣🤣

[ceilidh1]

Welcome to Vancouver!

[middlehaitch]

@ceilidh1, welcome home.

I'm a bit late to the party, I'm a follower not commenter, but just wanted to say those bites are just like what I get from mosquitoes so much so that I'm not allowed in the garden after sunset anymore (no one else gets them). I have had similar from sand fleas/ants but slightly less swelling. 

I treat with Afterbite to reduce the itch and take Benadryl 25mg for the first couple of days after they appear (usually 36-48 hr after I was bit) then switch to the less sleepy, for me, Kirkland desloratadine allergy control 5mg until the swelling has gone. I have often burst the bubbles in my sleep and they have been fine but when I had a couple on my toes I put band aids on when the bubbles burst - just incase. 

 

Cheers, heather.

[odie1024]

@ceilidh1 thanks for another great review. Glad to see you made it safely home, I love being away but always look forward to coming home and sleeping in my own bed and seeing my 2 kitties. 

 

Hope your son is doing better, your kids are very lucky to have you as you sound like a cool Mom. I know you have been through a lot but you know how to have fun and your kids will remember you for this. 

[Mom*3]

Thanks for this entertaining and informative review! We are considering this itinerary for a future cruise, so this is very helpful. Hope your son feels better soon. 

[ceilidh1]

Update on the bites - we went to our walk in clinic this morning, and they narrowed it down to either mosquito or ant bites. Since he has never had a reaction to mosquito bites previously, they were leaning more toward red ants or fire ants. Either way, nothing serious/dangerous. They gave us a prescription for a stronger dose hydrocrotisone and we are to apply it 3 -4 times a day. We have done 2 applications, and the biggest bite is already reducing in size and redness! The one with the blisters is painful, as the blisters popped overnight and those areas are open and exposed. The doctor gave us gauze pads and recommended keeping them covered so that they are clean and do not get infected. DS is feeling much better about it all (I think we convinced himself he was going to lose a leg or something) and, other than being sad that vacation is over, is doing great!

 

I will come back and do a recap once all the laundry is done and the groceries have been acquired!

[Lionesss]

46 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Update on the bites - we went to our walk in clinic this morning, and they narrowed it down to either mosquito or ant bites. Since he has never had a reaction to mosquito bites previously, they were leaning more toward red ants or fire ants. Either way, nothing serious/dangerous. They gave us a prescription for a stronger dose hydrocrotisone and we are to apply it 3 -4 times a day. We have done 2 applications, and the biggest bite is already reducing in size and redness! The one with the blisters is painful, as the blisters popped overnight and those areas are open and exposed. The doctor gave us gauze pads and recommended keeping them covered so that they are clean and do not get infected. DS is feeling much better about it all (I think we convinced himself he was going to lose a leg or something) and, other than being sad that vacation is over, is doing great!

 

I will come back and do a recap once all the laundry is done and the groceries have been acquired!

Thank you for the update. 
 

Hope he feels better. 
 

Thanks again for posting live. 
 

Really enjoyed looking forward to it 

 

Take care. 

[YVRteacher]

On 8/24/2024 at 12:15 PM, ceilidh1 said:

Continuing on, we came to the library. @YVRteacher I thought of you! We stopped in (hello air con and wifi). It was so beautiful in there. On the top floor they had a free museum/exhibit about the huge hurricane that hit Galveston and pretty much devastated the city. We spent about an hour reading every bit of the info and highly recommend checking it out!

You just sold me on a trip to Galveston!

[ceilidh1]

Recap:

 

As promised, I'm back with a pull-it-all-together, end of story, recap. Firstly, thank you all for following along, giving advice, helping with tips and tricks, and being a great audience!

 

Having only ever sailed RC once before (a VERY long time ago) I truly felt like a new cruiser - while this was overwhelming at times, it also allowed me that thrill that you only get when you step on a ship for the first time. I truly loved this ship - it was huge, so my fear of being swamped by people never came to fruition. RC do a stellar job of spreading out the crowds. I rarely stood in a line (other than for walk-up for the shows), always got seats at anything I wanted to do, found plenty of quiet spaces to relax and play cards with DS. That being said, the pool area was always mobbed (luckily we are not "sit by the pool" types so that never bothered us). I felt that the ship was very well maintained, clean, and had more than enough to keep us busy and entertained (we didn't end up doing most of what we had set out to do - either because we never quite managed to get the opening times figured out, or there was just too many other things to do). 10/10

 

Food is subjective - we are not picky eaters, but I do like my food to be hot. I never really felt like any of the food was hot, or as hot as it should be (in contrast, the Chai Latte at Vitality Spa Cafe was like an inferno in my mouth - some mornings it was still hot an hour later). I was disappointed that our my time dining reservations got messed up - I did attempt to fix them and took them the confirmations, but all they could offer was walk in. I don't do that, so we only had one meal in the dining room. This was a first for me, as I rarely eat at the buffet - on this ship, most meals were there. This turned out fine - there was a great selection and we always found something for everyone (just not hot). My favourite place was Park Cafe - man, those beef sandwiches. We did 2 breakfasts at Johnny Rocket's - they were just ok - definitely far from hot (DS had the paid options and said the burger was awesome). Hibachi was fantastic, but Izumi sushi, while delicious, was not worth the price we paid for the specialty dining. I was also quite surprised that the opening hours of all the "snack" type places were so short - we only managed to catch the dog house once, and a few times we wanted to grab a light dinner at Park Cafe but they closed at 6pm. As I said, we failed miserably on figuring out opening times, so we often got somewhere and found it closed! 8/10

 

Entertainment was hands down the shining star on this sailing. Despite not loving the forced acting in Grease, I sat through it twice and smiled the whole time. Dancing and singing was out of this world. Columbus was just amazing. The two aquashows had me on the edge of my seat and gasping out loud, and the ice show had some great talent on display. I missed all of the comedians so can't comment on that aspect. The parade was cute and a nice touch. I planned on going to all the parties in the promenade...and missed all of them. We did a few gameshows and trivias, and overall thought the entertainment was just right (for us). 10/10

 

With the exception to the rocky start for bar service, I would say that everyone on this ship was excellent. We never had anyone look grumpy or in a bad mood. The drink waiters were on the ball and constantly circling for drink orders. The bartenders at the pub were my go-to - they knew my name and drink orders by the second day. I have to say that, once the senior beverage manager stepped in regarding my poor service at the Solarium, he went above and beyond in making things right - I was so impressed with this level of customer service. Huge shout out to all the team! Our stateroom attendant was lovely - I make it clear on day one that I honestly couldn't care about the room being made up everyday but I DO need towels (they don't always dry in between showers). She was amazing - not only did she get in like a ninja and make up our room at the perfect times, but she always left us three extra towels every day. She also left 3 towel animals (yay) and greeted us by name and a smile whenever we saw her in the hallway. 10/10

 

None of the ports were new to us and we chose not to do any RC excursions, so can't really comment on that. I must say that the entering and leaving ports was so smooth that I didn't even know it had happened (I missed EVERY sailaway on this cruise). Usually you feel the shuddering and hear the lines, etc - this time, nothing. We also had very smooth seas - even when sailing through a lightning and wind storm. I never felt any movement at all! 10/10

 

Teen Club - DD loved it and truly lived her best life on this cruise. DS hated it and refused to go after the first day. This is likely more a reflection on DS than on RC, to be honest. This was his first time in the teen program, as opposed to the kid club. He was one of the youngest and I think he just felt overwhelmed - he doesn't make friends as easily as DD and he said that all he did was sit on video games the whole time. I tried to encourage him to try it again, but then he thought it was because I didn't want him around (it wasn't - I just wanted him to go have fun). Anyways, it turned out fine as we played a lot of cards, did a lot of activities, and got to hang together while DD was off doing her own thing. The teen club had a few dances, karaokes, trivias, etc and dedicated times for Flow rider (sadly cancelled due to the lightning storm). 8/10

 

Embarkation and disembarkation were the smoothest, easiest, and fastest I have ever experienced at any port with any line. From leaving the shuttle to getting on the ship we just kept walking and were on in less than 15 minutes. Getting off, we stayed until the very end and just walked right off, did the facial recognition, got our bags and were outside in under 10 minutes. Super impressive. The only aspects I would change - on boarding day, I wish the keycards were given at check in. I didn't like having to wait on the room being ready to get my card. For disembarking, I was surprised that there was no waiting area inside or outside of the terminal. It was HOT to wait outside for a shuttle - imagine if it were pouring rain? It's ironic as they have that beautiful seating area for embarkation that no one gets to use as they are so efficient with embarking... 9/10

 

So the big question - would I sail RC again? Absolutely, 100%. BUT I don't think I would do the trek to Galveston or the East Coast to do so. The ships on the West Coast are the older/smaller ships so maybe we will try one of those out for comparison. The problem is, by the time I had added flights, hotel, food and activities in Galveston, and then the extras on RC (drinks, wifi, dining) I could have easily done 2 weeks on a sailing from the West Coast for the same price or less. So, I won't rule it out...

 

Next up - a cheeky little 4 day coastal on Sapphire Princess. Come find me on the Princess boards for my September 24-28 live (no kids, hopefully shenanigans).

[Biker19]

23 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

The ships on the West Coast are the older/smaller ships so maybe we will try one of those out for comparison.

You will get a Q class ship next year. 

[Denversail]

19 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

You will get a Q class ship next year. 

Those are nice.

[Kellie in Texas]

@ceilidh1 you left out your son's update. Are his bites all gone by now?

[ceilidh1]

22 minutes ago, Kellie in Texas said:

@ceilidh1 you left out your son's update. Are his bites all gone by now?

Post #606 had a bit of an update, but as of today we are bite free, other than some scabbing on the ones that blistered. A couple of folks on our group posted that they have (doctor confirmed) bed bug bites - whether they were from the ship or elsewhere, I don't know. Many on our group came home with Covid or some kind of flu, and there were a few that did get food poisoning on the ship. I guess my little clan were lucky as we came home just fine!

[3yorkies]

20 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Recap:

 

As promised, I'm back with a pull-it-all-together, end of story, recap. Firstly, thank you all for following along, giving advice, helping with tips and tricks, and being a great audience!

 

Having only ever sailed RC once before (a VERY long time ago) I truly felt like a new cruiser - while this was overwhelming at times, it also allowed me that thrill that you only get when you step on a ship for the first time. I truly loved this ship - it was huge, so my fear of being swamped by people never came to fruition. RC do a stellar job of spreading out the crowds. I rarely stood in a line (other than for walk-up for the shows), always got seats at anything I wanted to do, found plenty of quiet spaces to relax and play cards with DS. That being said, the pool area was always mobbed (luckily we are not "sit by the pool" types so that never bothered us). I felt that the ship was very well maintained, clean, and had more than enough to keep us busy and entertained (we didn't end up doing most of what we had set out to do - either because we never quite managed to get the opening times figured out, or there was just too many other things to do). 10/10

 

Food is subjective - we are not picky eaters, but I do like my food to be hot. I never really felt like any of the food was hot, or as hot as it should be (in contrast, the Chai Latte at Vitality Spa Cafe was like an inferno in my mouth - some mornings it was still hot an hour later). I was disappointed that our my time dining reservations got messed up - I did attempt to fix them and took them the confirmations, but all they could offer was walk in. I don't do that, so we only had one meal in the dining room. This was a first for me, as I rarely eat at the buffet - on this ship, most meals were there. This turned out fine - there was a great selection and we always found something for everyone (just not hot). My favourite place was Park Cafe - man, those beef sandwiches. We did 2 breakfasts at Johnny Rocket's - they were just ok - definitely far from hot (DS had the paid options and said the burger was awesome). Hibachi was fantastic, but Izumi sushi, while delicious, was not worth the price we paid for the specialty dining. I was also quite surprised that the opening hours of all the "snack" type places were so short - we only managed to catch the dog house once, and a few times we wanted to grab a light dinner at Park Cafe but they closed at 6pm. As I said, we failed miserably on figuring out opening times, so we often got somewhere and found it closed! 8/10

 

Entertainment was hands down the shining star on this sailing. Despite not loving the forced acting in Grease, I sat through it twice and smiled the whole time. Dancing and singing was out of this world. Columbus was just amazing. The two aquashows had me on the edge of my seat and gasping out loud, and the ice show had some great talent on display. I missed all of the comedians so can't comment on that aspect. The parade was cute and a nice touch. I planned on going to all the parties in the promenade...and missed all of them. We did a few gameshows and trivias, and overall thought the entertainment was just right (for us). 10/10

 

With the exception to the rocky start for bar service, I would say that everyone on this ship was excellent. We never had anyone look grumpy or in a bad mood. The drink waiters were on the ball and constantly circling for drink orders. The bartenders at the pub were my go-to - they knew my name and drink orders by the second day. I have to say that, once the senior beverage manager stepped in regarding my poor service at the Solarium, he went above and beyond in making things right - I was so impressed with this level of customer service. Huge shout out to all the team! Our stateroom attendant was lovely - I make it clear on day one that I honestly couldn't care about the room being made up everyday but I DO need towels (they don't always dry in between showers). She was amazing - not only did she get in like a ninja and make up our room at the perfect times, but she always left us three extra towels every day. She also left 3 towel animals (yay) and greeted us by name and a smile whenever we saw her in the hallway. 10/10

 

None of the ports were new to us and we chose not to do any RC excursions, so can't really comment on that. I must say that the entering and leaving ports was so smooth that I didn't even know it had happened (I missed EVERY sailaway on this cruise). Usually you feel the shuddering and hear the lines, etc - this time, nothing. We also had very smooth seas - even when sailing through a lightning and wind storm. I never felt any movement at all! 10/10

 

Teen Club - DD loved it and truly lived her best life on this cruise. DS hated it and refused to go after the first day. This is likely more a reflection on DS than on RC, to be honest. This was his first time in the teen program, as opposed to the kid club. He was one of the youngest and I think he just felt overwhelmed - he doesn't make friends as easily as DD and he said that all he did was sit on video games the whole time. I tried to encourage him to try it again, but then he thought it was because I didn't want him around (it wasn't - I just wanted him to go have fun). Anyways, it turned out fine as we played a lot of cards, did a lot of activities, and got to hang together while DD was off doing her own thing. The teen club had a few dances, karaokes, trivias, etc and dedicated times for Flow rider (sadly cancelled due to the lightning storm). 8/10

 

Embarkation and disembarkation were the smoothest, easiest, and fastest I have ever experienced at any port with any line. From leaving the shuttle to getting on the ship we just kept walking and were on in less than 15 minutes. Getting off, we stayed until the very end and just walked right off, did the facial recognition, got our bags and were outside in under 10 minutes. Super impressive. The only aspects I would change - on boarding day, I wish the keycards were given at check in. I didn't like having to wait on the room being ready to get my card. For disembarking, I was surprised that there was no waiting area inside or outside of the terminal. It was HOT to wait outside for a shuttle - imagine if it were pouring rain? It's ironic as they have that beautiful seating area for embarkation that no one gets to use as they are so efficient with embarking... 9/10

 

So the big question - would I sail RC again? Absolutely, 100%. BUT I don't think I would do the trek to Galveston or the East Coast to do so. The ships on the West Coast are the older/smaller ships so maybe we will try one of those out for comparison. The problem is, by the time I had added flights, hotel, food and activities in Galveston, and then the extras on RC (drinks, wifi, dining) I could have easily done 2 weeks on a sailing from the West Coast for the same price or less. So, I won't rule it out...

 

Next up - a cheeky little 4 day coastal on Sapphire Princess. Come find me on the Princess boards for my September 24-28 live (no kids, hopefully shenanigans).

Actually Navigator of the Seas is my favorite ship, and she is ported out of San Pedro in LA.   I am on her at least 3 or 4 times a year on the 7 day cruises.  One great thing on her is the bar/restaurant, Playmakers.   And it has very long hours each day.   Also good is Sabor, the Mexican restaurant with my favorite drink, the habenero margarita.   Does not have a Broadway show, but the others are always good. 

[AKR2011]

It took me forever to make it back to the boards and catch up on reviews, but I'm so glad that I made it back to yours! What a fabulous write up and recap. I love your cruising attitude, and your kids seem awesome. I can't wait to follow your next shenanigans soon ❤️⚓️

[trafaelwyr]

On 8/20/2024 at 10:54 AM, TNVolnteerCruiser said:

Here for the fun.  Let the shenanigans begin!

 

I was on this same cruise!  Seeing you say "shenanigans" made me think of the cabin door I took a picture of.  Oh my.

[YVRteacher]

On 8/25/2024 at 3:39 PM, Hogladyrider said:

Hmmm sounds like you may need some adult supervision to stay out of trouble! 🙂

Her mistake was cruising without me!

[ceilidh1]

20 hours ago, trafaelwyr said:

 

I was on this same cruise!  Seeing you say "shenanigans" made me think of the cabin door I took a picture of.  Oh my.

Disclaimer....That was NOT my door! 🤣

[atanac]

3 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Disclaimer....That was NOT my door! 🤣

[ceilidh1]

20 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Her mistake was cruising without me!

I keep inviting you but you’re way too committed and responsible about work! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣