LIVE From the Harmony OTS with Trainman-2, Judith, Ally, & Lyric

[Trainman-2]

It is a real shame that I forgot my cell phone. Without it we are not doing well getting together with Ally & Lyric. But we did find each other this afternoon and I shot some photos of them on the water slide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Trainman-2]

This is probably not a Russian Spy Ship but I thought is was interesting anyway.

 

[Trainman-2]

I don't think I will ever get used to Live Music at the Windjammer.

 

 

[Trainman-2]

The Compass no longer has a section called "Open Hours" or whatever it was.

 

The hours of the various eateries are given but activities such as the Flow Rider, the Zip Line, etc. seem to be missing. At least I couldn't find them.

[FunCruiser56]

Have enjoyed your cruise very much, we will sail on Harmony April 1 and are looking forward to it alot.

I will give a big recommendation for any of the Celebrity Solstice Class ships for a nice relaxing cruise, great service and food also. We have never encountered huge crowds or lots of kids to dodge ;) Plus your past guest level on RCI will transfer over to Celebrity.

Bev

 

Sent from my SM-T900 using Forums mobile app

[Bette And Bill]

The Compass no longer has a section called "Open Hours" or whatever it was.

 

The hours of the various eateries are given but activities such as the Flow Rider, the Zip Line, etc. seem to be missing. At least I couldn't find them.

 

 

It is listed on the back (page 4) of the Compass - not the Daily Planner sheet

 

For those that have not sailed on the Harmony - the Compass is now in two parts - the Daily Planner which is all the activities and times. The Daily Planner is found inside the Cruise Compass which has all your sale information and port information. The very back page has the open hours of all the venues

[bilyclub]

Those jet engine looking cylinders on the Coral Princess help feed air to functioning gas turbine inside the stack. Found this: Yes, they are completely faux on the Sapphire and Diamond Princess. I was told by an officer on Coral Princess that they do channel air down to the turbine which is located in the funnel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were three ships in port when we arrived.

 

 

 

 

We could not identify the RCI ship but it sailed about 7:30 pm

 

 

The Coral Princess sailed about 4:30 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always thought that the air intakes that look sort of like jet engines are funny looking!

 

 

Edited February 25, 2017 by bilyclub

[Trainman-2]

I am about to shut down for the night and, if the Harmony is the same as other RCI ships I have been on, the WiFi system will already be shut down for reboot and cleanup when I get up tomorrow.

 

So this will probably be my last post from the Harmony.

 

Our next cruise in on the Serenade sailing 4 December 2017

 

More when we are home Saturday night and Sunday.

[Clarea]

I am about to shut down for the night and, if the Harmony is the same as other RCI ships I have been on, the WiFi system will already be shut down for reboot and cleanup when I get up tomorrow.

 

So this will probably be my last post from the Harmony.

 

Our next cruise in on the Serenade sailing 4 December 2017

 

More when we are home Saturday night and Sunday.

Thanks much for taking us along, really enjoyed all the photos.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Thank you for doing this! I have enjoyed following!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[suzyluvs2cruise]

I am about to shut down for the night and, if the Harmony is the same as other RCI ships I have been on, the WiFi system will already be shut down for reboot and cleanup when I get up tomorrow.

 

So this will probably be my last post from the Harmony.

 

Our next cruise in on the Serenade sailing 4 December 2017

 

More when we are home Saturday night and Sunday.

 

Thanks for taking us along. We've found the internet to be available on debarkation day. :)

[atfreud17]

Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us. It has helped me get my "cruise Fix" as I don't have any sailings booked in the near future.

 

I wanted to tell you that the thread that you did while on the Freedom was so compelling. That is when I first started following you. You have a very nice writing style and I like the way you view life.

 

After sailing 2 of the big ships, my husband and I have decided too that they are not for us. The radiance class is a perfect size for us and such beautiful ships.

 

Safe travels home tomorrow!

 

 

 

I think you would enjoy following along Trainman outside of cruise reviews on his daily life in the country blog! I have been a reader for 3 years now!

[psupa]

Really enjoyed your posts and lovely pics. Thanks for taking us along and wow those 7 days went by quick. Lyric is a beautiful little girl and always smiling.

 

Theresa

[Trainman-2]

Saturday Morning - Debarkation Day

 

We are coming into Port Everglades in heavy fog and the Captain is blowing the Fog Horn for 5 seconds every minute.

 

Judith has slept through it!

[Trainman-2]

[Trainman-2]

Ally and Lyric came by our cabin last night to say "Good Bye!"

 

They came from the big parade on Deck 5 and Lyric had gathered up a bunch of streamers for souvenirs.

 

 

 

[truffles2]

Enjoyed your trip. You should have internet today until you leave. Safe travels home.

[Cruise a holic]

Thanks much for taking us along, really enjoyed all the photos.

Thanks for sharing! We look foward to sailing on the HOS in two weeks. Safe trip home.

[mac_tlc]

Saturday Morning - Debarkation Day

 

We are coming into Port Everglades in heavy fog and the Captain is blowing the Fog Horn for 5 seconds every minute.

 

Judith has slept through it!

 

 

Watching on web cam -- fog is really heavy, but the ships seem to be coming into FLL -- looks like Port Canaveral is another story. Four ships lined up about 4-5 miles off shore and stationary. I guess its too foggy.

 

Thank you for letting us come aboord with you and your family. I always enjoy your reviews -- lots of common sense and great pictures !!!

 

What's next on Trainman's cruise agenda?

 

Safe trip home..

 

mac_tlc

[gypsygal08]

I originally didn't even want to comment on this because I am still very irritated about it, but since Trainman has so many readers who might have young children or young grandkids and look to this blog for cruise advice I will say, I do not recommend Adventure Ocean as a trusted care provider. They are understaffed, every day. Secondly and worst, upon arriving last night to pick up my daughter I was mortified to find her asleep on the floor with no other children in the room and only one MALE caregiver alone in the room with her. When I asked he said the other remaining girl had left 20 minutes prior. The door to the room remains closed daily. But this time the entire center was closed off at the entrance with a wall sized door. I'm sure that larger door is standard at that hour but no male caregiver should ever be permitted left alone with a female child. Ever. Why it isn't policy that a female caregiver is called when this situation happens, or the parent called for pick up, is risky and incredibly dangerous for the little girls. Big reckless fail for AO. Highly inappropriate. I will never trust them with my child's safety and well being again.

[luvscruising2007]

As always have enjoyed your cruise review and look forward to your Serenade cruise. Thank you!

[BecciBoo]

THX for the memories and helping the next 2 months go faster for me.

Safe travels home and hope all is well there.:D

[Orangefan]

I originally didn't even want to comment on this because I am still very irritated about it, but since Trainman has so many readers who might have young children or young grandkids and look to this blog for cruise advice I will say, I do not recommend Adventure Ocean as a trusted care provider. They are understaffed, every day. Secondly and worst, upon arriving last night to pick up my daughter I was mortified to find her asleep on the floor with no other children in the room and only one MALE caregiver alone in the room with her. When I asked he said the other remaining girl had left 20 minutes prior. The door to the room remains closed daily. But this time the entire center was closed off at the entrance with a wall sized door. I'm sure that larger door is standard at that hour but no male caregiver should ever be permitted left alone with a female child. Ever. Why it isn't policy that a female caregiver is called when this situation happens, or the parent called for pick up, is risky and incredibly dangerous for the little girls. Big reckless fail for AO. Highly inappropriate. I will never trust them with my child's safety and well being again.

 

 

 

Ally,

I am glad that you shared this latest information. It seems that this cruise gave you many highs . You and Lyric made memories together and with Jim and Judith and had many fun adventures. However, your lows certainly highlighted many safety issues.

Since a small number of people are on Cruise Critic compared to all those people who cruise. My inclination would be to call the top brass at Royal Carib and share your experiences. My focus wouldn't just be on the Harmony. I would ask about the protocol that staff were supposed to follow for many scenarios . Also ask if there was a book with those directives in all rooms dedicated to children. In my humble opinion the book should be a compilation of all possible things that could happen and a list in order of how to respond. All names and phone numbers should be listed so the care giver doesn't need to hunt for info. I would even suggest that they gather a focus group of cruise parents and some children's room staff from different ships to brainstorm and come up with protocol.

Personally, I don't think it is enough to call a parent. Some situations require immediate action and can't wait for arrival of a parent ,medical staff or security . What do you do if a child swallows a coin ? Do you want a staff member just to stand around and wait for help to come or worse just guess what to try to do ? What if a child has an accident and is bleeding profusely ? Sure you call for medical help but is the staff member trained for an emergency tourniquet ? What training have these staff members received ?

I didn't mean to take up so much time but planning and training makes the staff more aware of the " what ifs " and what to do and where to find the info in a handy protocol book.

Ally, if you decide to contact RoyalCarib , I would love to know what fleet plans they have to rectify the situation . I do follow Jim and Judith's adventures so hopefully RCCL will act on this and you can share the news wth us.

Sali

[BND]

I originally didn't even want to comment on this because I am still very irritated about it, but since Trainman has so many readers who might have young children or young grandkids and look to this blog for cruise advice I will say, I do not recommend Adventure Ocean as a trusted care provider. They are understaffed, every day. Secondly and worst, upon arriving last night to pick up my daughter I was mortified to find her asleep on the floor with no other children in the room and only one MALE caregiver alone in the room with her. When I asked he said the other remaining girl had left 20 minutes prior. The door to the room remains closed daily. But this time the entire center was closed off at the entrance with a wall sized door. I'm sure that larger door is standard at that hour but no male caregiver should ever be permitted left alone with a female child. Ever. Why it isn't policy that a female caregiver is called when this situation happens, or the parent called for pick up, is risky and incredibly dangerous for the little girls. Big reckless fail for AO. Highly inappropriate. I will never trust them with my child's safety and well being again.

 

There should never be one caregiver (male or female) no matter how few children there are. They should always work by the 2 caregiver rule which protects everyone. DH ad I were involved in Boy Scouts 15+ years ago and even they had multiple times that the rule of two unrelated adults were required. Otherwise, it's a huge liability and safety issue.

 

What you describe is completely wrong and should never be allowed under any circumstances. Even if a regular caregiver can't be there for some reason, a supervisor should be in their place. It's just common sense.

[5326jan]

There should never be one caregiver (male or female) no matter how few children there are. They should always work by the 2 caregiver rule which protects everyone. DH ad I were involved in Boy Scouts 15+ years ago and even they had multiple times that the rule of two unrelated adults were required. Otherwise, it's a huge liability and safety issue.

 

What you describe is completely wrong and should never be allowed under any circumstances. Even if a regular caregiver can't be there for some reason, a supervisor should be in their place. It's just common sense.

 

 

Completely agree with your comments! Not only is it a risk for the children but also for the caregivers! If one adult is left to attend and an accusation is made, the default will be to assume that the child is telling the truth. Attention getting behaviors can take all shapes and the caregiver could be completely innocent. I've got two boys and I've always warned them not to allow themselves to be put in a situation that they can be falsely accused of something. Goes for daughters too.