Harmony only has 59% customer satisfaction?

[Sun Lover]

I was reading reviews on Cruisecritic & I noticed Harmony only has a 59% rating while Oasis & Allure have 76 & 78%. Does anyone know why this would be, seeing as though they're very similar? I've been on Oasis & Allure and liked both of them very much and was thinking of booking Harmony next but it makes me a little hesitant as to why the rating would be so much lower. Thoughts?

[champagne123]

I don' t think that's bad at all. The Anthem started off as 42%.:D:D:D I find that new ships always start low...and over the years get better ratings.

Edited March 19, 2017 by champagne123
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[Thorben-Hendrik]

Harmony is build cheaper ( e.g lots of plastic where her sisters have glass panels ) and has ( had?) MANY service issues...I am not surprised

[crosby99]

Harmony is build cheaper ( e.g lots of plastic where her sisters have glass panels ) and has ( had?) MANY service issues...I am not surprised

 

Agree over finish.

The first cruises did not help and I think European reviewers tend to be a bit more critical.

[Paulette3028]

One thing that many cruisers find unsatisfactory is to have 'misters' in the solarium instead of a pool. They have hot tubs, but no regular swimming pool. This will not be remedied with more time. Service issues can be corrected....a bad choice in design cannot. They turned one of the regular pool an adult only pool, but it is not the same as having a pool IN the solarium.

 

The solarium would have been much nicer with a pool.....that is my opinion and other than that we very much enjoyed our sailing on Harmony this past February.

[Cinders411]

I also agree that part of the rating may well be due to no pool in the Solarium. When my DH heard that, he simply said he did not want to cruise on the Harmony. Maybe I can change his mind at some point in the future. No Solarium pool is not a deal breaker for me but, I am disappointed.

[Paulette3028]

I also agree that part of the rating may well be due to no pool in the Solarium. When my DH heard that, he simply said he did not want to cruise on the Harmony. Maybe I can change his mind at some point in the future. No Solarium pool is not a deal breaker for me but, I am disappointed.

 

We previously had sailed on Allure and even though it had a pool in the solarium, it was broiling hot, because they did not have 'open' glass slats to let the heat out in the solarium.

 

The overall design of the solarium on Harmony is much better, but lacking a cool water pool, it misses the mark for me.

 

Water misters are nice if you are 4 years old and like to run through the sprinkler back home on a hot day....NOT me.

[Tapi]

I've seen this every time that a new ship is inaugurated. The first few sailings have a few kinks so they are not representative of how the experience will truly be once those kinks are ironed out.

 

Another thing to consider is not the ship, but the passengers. The first few sailings attract more repeat passengers, many in the top loyalty levels. Also many travel professionals will come onboard to get a taste of the new ship. This will skew reviews negatively since these cruisers are normally not as forgiving and will be quicker to provide a negative review if things aren't quite up to par with what they've experienced before, or if something fails to meet their expectations, or if something is not quite up to speed yet.

 

Give the ship a few months. Skip the older reviews and focus on the newest ones. If after a while you see improving reviews, then you know that it may have been just the first few sailings. If they remain negative, then there may be a more serious problem.

 

 

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[Thorben-Hendrik]

One thing that many cruisers find unsatisfactory is to have 'misters' in the solarium instead of a pool. They have hot tubs, but no regular swimming pool. This will not be remedied with more time. Service issues can be corrected....a bad choice in design cannot. They turned one of the regular pool an adult only pool, but it is not the same as having a pool IN the solarium.

 

The solarium would have been much nicer with a pool.....that is my opinion and other than that we very much enjoyed our sailing on Harmony this past February.

The noisy foil-roof ( instead of glass ) in the solarium is not helping the atmosphere there either....

[BecciBoo]

Pools back on Symphony so we're booking her instead. Hope they keep the little creek too, I loved that on Allure! Little finches were always hopping around in there:hearteyes:

 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

I've seen this every time that a new ship is inaugurated. The first few sailings have a few kinks so they are not representative of how the experience will truly be once those kinks are ironed out.

 

Another thing to consider is not the ship, but the passengers. The first few sailings attract more repeat passengers, many in the top loyalty levels. Also many travel professionals will come onboard to get a taste of the new ship. This will skew reviews negatively since these cruisers are normally not as forgiving and will be quicker to provide a negative review if things aren't quite up to par with what they've experienced before, or if something fails to meet their expectations, or if something is not quite up to speed yet.

 

Give the ship a few months. Skip the older reviews and focus on the newest ones. If after a while you see improving reviews, then you know that it may have been just the first few sailings. If they remain negative, then there may be a more serious problem.

 

 

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The ship has been in service for about 1 year.....how much longer does the ship need to improve?:o

[Thorben-Hendrik]

Pools back on Symphony so we're booking her instead. Hope they keep the little creek too, I loved that on Allure! Little finches were always hopping around in there:hearteyes:

 

I would not count on the pool being back on Symphony!

[setsail]

Funny, cc #'s. That's about 1% of the people that sail her

 

She will sail full regardless of cc#'s

[rodenboy]

I think that Harmony skips out a few of those extra touches that make Allure and Oasis better , in order to have some more "wow" features like the Abyss and the water slides. Features such as the Solarium, which have been mentioned.

 

Then there is also the fact that European cruisers are, by nature, much more critical.

 

Having sailed both, if I was given the option to sail one or the other again, I would choose Allure. For me, the service, food and overall experience were much better on Allure, but Harmony did have some outstanding aspects. We would not turn our noses up to the opportunity of sailing Harmony again though.

 

 

 

 

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[racerxspeedy]

We have sailed all three recently and could not find anything to justify a lower rating on Harmony. We enjoyed the new cabin layout, new restaurants, new entertainment and had no issues with service. It is good to read the reviews to see what people didn't like, but I am no longer concerned with the overall score. I would score our Harmony cruise right up there with the others.

[Paulette3028]

We have sailed all three recently and could not find anything to justify a lower rating on Harmony. We enjoyed the new cabin layout, new restaurants, new entertainment and had no issues with service. It is good to read the reviews to see what people didn't like, but I am no longer concerned with the overall score. I would score our Harmony cruise right up there with the others.

 

Your point is well taken.....not to be concerned about an overall score. Reading what people like and dislike is of much more value.

[Sun Lover]

Are the cabin layouts different for regular cabins or only suites? From what I've read, it looks like Harmony has more choices as far as entertainment and restaurants and that's why I was thinking of booking it. We wouldn't be cruising until next Jan. so I would think any kinks would definitely be worked out by then. Thanks for your help.

 

We have sailed all three recently and could not find anything to justify a lower rating on Harmony. We enjoyed the new cabin layout, new restaurants, new entertainment and had no issues with service. It is good to read the reviews to see what people didn't like, but I am no longer concerned with the overall score. I would score our Harmony cruise right up there with the others.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I would not count on the pool being back on Symphony!

 

according to the deck plans of RCI's site there is a pool in the solarium.

 

Of course time will tell.

 

Bill

[suspaul]

We were recently on the Harmony and have also been on the Allure and Oasis. The Harmony made us swear off of any more big ship cruises, we really disliked it. Food was mediocre, the ship is like being at Disney, but the cabin was very nice. Way too many people and can only say, it's not our cup of tea.

 

 

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[Big_G]

We don't rely on reviews to pick our ships so we'll find out for ourselves in September. I've never been a fan of the solarium on Oasis Class although they have nicer bars than other classes. Can't wait.

[Ken at the beach]

Are the cabin layouts different for regular cabins or only suites? From what I've read, it looks like Harmony has more choices as far as entertainment and restaurants and that's why I was thinking of booking it. We wouldn't be cruising until next Jan. so I would think any kinks would definitely be worked out by then. Thanks for your help.

 

The cabin layouts are different foe all cabins. There is a lot more storage and it us easier to access, also a much more modern decor not only in the cabins but throughout the ship.

 

There is only one extra restaurant on Harmony which us Wonderland.

 

The entertainment is different but the same number of shows as both Allure and Oasis with the exception of the Puzzle break escape room ($8.99 fee) that is in Harmony.

 

We were on last week and had great meals and service at the specialty restaurants. We didn't find any kinks. Great cruise and wouldn't hesitate to book Harmony again.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We were recently on the Harmony and have also been on the Allure and Oasis. The Harmony made us swear off of any more big ship cruises, we really disliked it. Food was mediocre, the ship is like being at Disney, but the cabin was very nice. Way too many people and can only say, it's not our cup of tea.

 

 

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Did you find these problems on the Allure and Oasis too or just on the Harmony?

 

Bill

[racerxspeedy]

The cabin layouts are different foe all cabins. There is a lot more storage and it us easier to access, also a much more modern decor not only in the cabins but throughout the ship.

 

There is only one extra restaurant on Harmony which us Wonderland.

 

The entertainment is different but the same number of shows as both Allure and Oasis with the exception of the Puzzle break escape room ($8.99 fee) that is in Harmony.

 

We were on last week and had great meals and service at the specialty restaurants. We didn't find any kinks. Great cruise and wouldn't hesitate to book Harmony again.

 

Correct there is only one additional restaurant (Wonderland) , but Harmony does have Jamies in place of Giovonni's (and a better version of Wipe out cafe (Mini Bites). We enjoy the new experiences - good or not so good.

[ONECRUISER]

Agree over finish.

The first cruises did not help and I think European reviewers tend to be a bit more critical.

Agree, wonder if all the negative ratings from Europe is reason they overall ratings low. Had to at least be a part... Know my Kids & Grands love the Harmony a little more then Allure/Oasis...

[Hoopster95]

The overall design of the solarium on Harmony is much better, but lacking a cool water pool, it misses the mark for me.

 

Totally disagree

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=52067987&highlight=solarium#post52067987

 

MAJOR design flaw. Any poor weather or wind, you may as well just be out on the helipad being blown around. After all, you're at the same front of the ship as the helipad with little protection from winds.Compared to all ships with a true covered Solarium.... Vision, Radiance. and Quantum Classes + Oasis/Allure... I rank Harmony as the very worst of them all. Now add no pool.