First things first ........... but what

[W and W]

8 of us boarding Harmony at Civitavecchia around 11:30 in a few weeks time.

 

Given that there may be 8 different ideas on what to do first I'd appreciate any suggestions from previous group trips.

 

Tour the ship / beef sandwiches / find a bar / grab some sunbeds near the pool. Or maybe put all the suggestions into a hat and draw one out :)

 

What did others do ?

Edited August 16, 2016 by W and W

[welshrich]

Hello

 

We've been on her sister, Anthem and there was a ton of stuff to do on her.

 

You don't mention what type of group you will be, friends, family with young children etc so that can make a difference. If you are travelling from Rome it can be quite a journey so you might prefer to just get some loungers and relax, you could send someone to the park cafe to get some food. From what I remember the Windjammer was a bit of a zoo with people waiting around for their cabins to open up so it might be best avoided especially if you do need a table for 8 until after 1pm when the cabins could be open.

 

Whatever you do, just remember to relax and enjoy it.

[Cruise_Christy]

We always grab something to eat first as we don't eat whilst travelling so just get something very light - a salad or a sandwich or some cookies from the buffet. Then we usually hit the pools - we board as early as possible so by the time we hit the pools plenty of people are still getting on board and it is often very quiet around the pools but will be getting very packed in the buffet! I say we, I sit and watch with a drink whilst my husband swims. By the time we've spent an hour or two lounging at the pools the rooms are usually ready so then we go drop off our carry on and have a nose at the room, grab another drink along the way for the balcony. Chill out on the balcony until muster but if we were in a larger group I'd guess we would do this in a bar or lounge. We don't usually tour the ship until it sets sail and then we head off exploring before dinner. Usually a relaxed dinner in the buffet for us on night one as we don't like to rush to unpack and then we unpack after dinner, then head to a bar/lounge to relax.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Cruise_Christy

[Biker19]

We've been on her sister, Anthem and there was a ton of stuff to do on her.

Harmony is more like a distant really big cousin to Anthem.

 

Regardless of what anyone tells you, you'll find distractions that will take you away from your plan. Don't be a herd of tourists, break up the group and explore - you'll be together again at dinner soon enough.

[Clarea]

Harmony is more like a distant really big cousin to Anthem.

 

Regardless of what anyone tells you, you'll find distractions that will take you away from your plan. Don't be a herd of tourists, break up the group and explore - you'll be together again at dinner soon enough.

I agree, let the folks in the group do their own thing, people will be happier.

[RoyalDiamond]

Hello

 

We've been on her sister, Anthem and there was a ton of stuff to do on her.

 

You don't mention what type of group you will be, friends, family with young children etc so that can make a difference. If you are travelling from Rome it can be quite a journey so you might prefer to just get some loungers and relax, you could send someone to the park cafe to get some food. From what I remember the Windjammer was a bit of a zoo with people waiting around for their cabins to open up so it might be best avoided especially if you do need a table for 8 until after 1pm when the cabins could be open.

 

Whatever you do, just remember to relax and enjoy it.

 

Anthem is not Harmony's sister.....Harmony is the same class as Oasis and Allure. Anthem is the same class as Quantum and Ovation. In any case, don't try to get everyone to want to do the same thing. Let everyone do their own thing, and meet up for meals. It's not typical that everyone would want the same thing at the same time....

Edited August 16, 2016 by RoyalDiamond

[KeywestK]

My first rule in traveling with other people is that no one has to be joined at the hip 24/7. It's everyone's vacation, and they need to do what they want to do. Meet up for drinks and dinner, and share the day's experiences with each other.

[cb at sea]

Agreed! Large groups are notorious time wasters....someone is always either rushing to meet the group, or waiting for someone to show up....unless the group consists of your children who will do as you say...let everyone have their own plans!

[marci22]

I also think you should split up and let people get organized that first day. Meet up at dinner and then you can plan what you want to do later. The first day is usually a bit hectic.

 

Don't plan on doing everything together.

Edited August 16, 2016 by marci22

[dani negreanu]

Beef sandwich, preferably 2 slices :):)

[Wendyland]

With many people exploring the ship, the first day is a good day to hit the pool. It's the least crowded that day. Just wear your suit under your clothes or pack a carry on bag. If you are spa people, there's an open house the first day with a raffle.

[tonyweir]

We were just on Liberty with a group of 12.

We had a standing dinner reservation in the main dining room.

 

Everyone did their own thing during the day. We met for dinner as a group and then everyone did their own thing.

In ports, some did their own thing and some went as a group to the beach.

 

It worked very well and everyone had a great time!

[easyboy]

I also think you should split up and let people get organized that first day. Meet up at dinner and then you can plan what you want to do later. The first day is usually a bit hectic.

 

Don't plan on doing everything together.

Well said. Our first order of the day on board is to "agree to disagree". We all end up enjoying the cruise.

[TonyL128]

Let start by saying, we were on the July 10 Harmony cruise from Barcelona. This year Harmony's Mediterranean cruise allows for boarding in Barcelona or Rome, so the ship is really sailing continuously around the Med. About 2/3 of the ship boards in Barcelona and 1/3 in Rome (this might change cruise to cruise). Knowing that and the fact that most of the passengers will be off ship in Rome, I would first grab something to eat and then go explore the ship. There shouldn't be too many "chair hogs" around that day.

 

 

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[welshrich]

I see my deliberate mistake was spotted :p:p:p:p:p:p

 

Meant to say Oasis, you can guess what I spend most of my day thinking of!

 

Have a good day everyone.