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

Trainman-2

By Trainman-2,
in Royal Caribbean International

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psupa

psupa

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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.

 

 

I would be mortified if I walked in and found my daughter alone in the room with only one male attendant. That should never have happened and you need to address this with Royal's Corporate Offices. Please send an email to address your concerns and believe me they will contact you. Also when you receive the online survey please address the issue on the survey as well. They do read them and take issues very seriously. For a ship that size they are definitely understaffed and that needs to be addressed. Yes Trainman has many followers and you should also put a thread on the main boards addressing AO.

 

Theresa

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Trainman-2

Trainman-2

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Hello Everyone,

 

We made it home safe and sound! Traffic had its ups and downs but we had no problems.

 

When we got home we saw that "spring has sprung" and all of our trees are leafing out and the grass and weeds are already starting to grow.

 

We got about 2" of rain this past Thursday while we were gone!

 

I still have photos and comments to post about the ship and the cruise and I will get to them tomorrow morning.

 

But first:

 

- The Harmony is a wonderful ship with way more nifty new things that we ever saw. It is an ideal ship for families but not the most wonderful for old fogies like us who enjoy calm & quiet.

 

- Ally is going to address her issues with RCI directly. Please let us end this discussion here.

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Mr&MrsTop-Ret.

Mr&MrsTop-Ret.

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I have seen posts about needing a card of some sort to be kept in a slot by the door for the electricity. Is this a real "thing" on Harmony that I need to deal with? I don't want our room to get hot while we're away due to the electricity not being on.......

 

I have enjoyed following along with you - we are cruising HOTS June 3, and you have made me even more excited!

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Canadian Tyler

Canadian Tyler

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Here is a link to the thread. I re-read it again last night! Caution, it you decide to read it have some Kleenex handy.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1268384

 

 

Thank you for sharing that link. I read it last night and you were right about the Kleenex. It was a beautiful tribute to Carol.

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joand452

joand452

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Thank you for taking us along!

 

Any old expired card will work in your electricity slot in the cabin. I think I had a store rewards card I used on Anthem. Just left it in there. At night you're still able to turn off all the lights but leave the ac running.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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Trainman-2

Trainman-2

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I must admit that we noticed an overall reduction in the quality and selection of things in the Windjammer.

 

There was no carved turkey which has always been one of RCI's better offerings.

 

The soups used to be spectacular but now are just ordinary.

 

The Greek Salad has a lot less Feta Cheese in it.

 

The Windjammer no longer offers RCI's excellent Sour Dough Rolls. The staff did offer to run down to the MDR Kitchen and get some for us but this seemed like trying to accommodate a complainer. We miss the giant bowl full of them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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Trainman-2

Trainman-2

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Here is an example of how the ships designers and the crew do things differently.

 

DSCN1275_zpsvc0klyvj.jpg

 

The photo shows a work station where the crew gather up, scrape, and stack used plates, glasses, and cups.

 

There are two of these on the port side, forward, in the Windjammer. However, when the crew cleans and sets up the tables and chairs, they don't leave openings for the passengers to walk from the serving kiosks to the tables next to the windows, so everyone short cuts through the crew work areas.

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Trainman-2

Trainman-2

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RCI has made a corporate decision to to reduce costs by reductions in staffing and purchasing less costly food.

 

Personally we would prefer to pay a little bit more for a cruise than to endure the reductions that we see everywhere. They are all little things, but they do add up.

 

That said:

 

 

The Harmony of the Seas is without a doubt, the best RCI ship that we have ever been on!

 

 

But it is a family ship, with a major orientation towards kids!

 

 

We are old and there was way too much noise and commotion for us. The next time Ally & Lyric sail on the Harmony, we will be there with them, but to sail with them, not to enjoy the ship. In the meantime, we will continue to sail with RCI but on the older, smaller ships for longer cruises which tend to reduce the number of kids on the ship.

 

 

Our next cruise will be for 11 nights in the Southern Caribbean on the Serenade of the Seas, sailing on 4 December 2017

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floatel_lvr

floatel_lvr

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RCI has made a corporate decision to to reduce costs by reductions in staffing and purchasing less costly food.

 

Personally we would prefer to pay a little bit more for a cruise than to endure the reductions that we see everywhere. They are all little things, but they do add up.

 

That said:

 

 

The Harmony of the Seas is without a doubt, the best RCI ship that we have ever been on!

 

 

But it is a family ship, with a major orientation towards kids!

 

 

We are old and there was way too much noise and commotion for us. The next time Ally & Lyric sail on the Harmony, we will be there with them, but to sail with them, not to enjoy the ship. In the meantime, we will continue to sail with RCI but on the older, smaller ships for longer cruises which tend to reduce the number of kids on the ship.

 

 

Our next cruise will be for 11 nights in the Southern Caribbean on the Serenade of the Seas, sailing on 4 December 2017

 

 

Jim,

Thanks so much for your review. Always fun to sail along with you. My DW and I both agree with the cutbacks in the food. We would not hesitate to pay a little more and keep the quality where it was (even just a few years ago). However, we do always enjoy our cruises and wind up eating in specialty locations more often.

Regards,

Rich

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Trainman-2

Trainman-2

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That's all for this live report from the Harmony.

 

Check in with my "Farm BLOG" in the Friends of Cruise Critic Section here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=846

 

I am currently posting in "Our Country Home - the Fifth Year"

 

We continue today with getting Judith's "Straw Bale Garden" going and then I will start building my "Out Door Model Railroad."

 

DSCN0849_zpsfjuaopez.jpg

 

 

Thanks for cruising along with us!

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prekteacher

prekteacher

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Thank you for another wonderful sailing! We too noticed the decline in Windjammer offerings when we were on Freedom. Loved that turkey as well. Our family is one that loves the big ships and even with the above said and kids all over we find plenty of things to do and enjoy as a couple. It's wonderful sailing with family! I look forward to your Serenade cruise. Best wishes to you both until then!

Barbara

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