dogchopper Posted January 12, 2018 #1 Share Posted January 12, 2018 My husband and I and my sister and her husband were booked on a carnival cruise for this coming April but we had to change the date. We has booked this cruise many months ago and had a great price.. since we had to change dates we noticed the prices have went way up so we stumbled on the latest sale on RC and got a great deal on a 7 day cruise on the Harmony. I've been on the freedom of the seas several years ago but we mostly cruise carnival. I'd love some tips from seasoned RC cruisers. I know they do not have 24 ice cream :(, that saddens me.. what are the hours it's open? Is the internet package something you can get only on a few days or is it an all or nothing deal. Are there smaller packages ?? Formal nights? How formal are they. I usually like to dress up but my sister and her husband, not as much.. Water.. on carnival you cannot bring it onboard but they will sell it to you pretty cheap if you order it pre-cruise.. Does RC also do that? Dining times and shows, I am a big fan of shows and want to go to all of them, so is the 5:30 dining time good for that? Any info, pictures advice... bring it on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted January 12, 2018 #2 Share Posted January 12, 2018 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/royal-caribbean/harmony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted January 12, 2018 #3 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Ice cream hours vary, maybe 11am to 6pm, give or take. Bottled water is expensive to buy, but they will usually let you bring it on. Minimum internet is 24-hours for $26. Wear whatever you like, no dress code is enforced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPCRUISER2 Posted January 12, 2018 #4 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Thought you might be blown away until you mentioned you had been on freedom. Yet, Harmony bigger and you will experience the neighborhoods. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 12, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Thanks..I will bring some water on board then, that helps.. I'll have figure out what to do about internet. Don't need much but would like to keep in touch with family in case of emergencies. It's gonna be a great cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted January 12, 2018 #6 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Thanks..I will bring some water on board then, that helps.. I'll have figure out what to do about internet. Don't need much but would like to keep in touch with family in case of emergencies. It's gonna be a great cruise �� Keep checking your Cruise Planner for promos on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 12, 2018 Author #7 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Keep checking your Cruise Planner for promos on the internet. Oh thanks for the tip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go fish 44 Posted January 12, 2018 #8 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Do not forget to book all your shows once you have made final payment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 12, 2018 Author #9 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Do not forget to book all your shows once you have made final payment. I shall sit down this weekend and figure that out.. seems like I need a calendar to figure this all out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET TO SAIL Posted January 13, 2018 #10 Share Posted January 13, 2018 You may want to book the diving show in the Aqua Theater early in your cruise. This show is susceptible to weather; so if your show gets cancelled, there will be plenty of time to reschedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 13, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted January 13, 2018 You may want to book the diving show in the Aqua Theater early in your cruise. This show is susceptible to weather; so if your show gets cancelled, there will be plenty of time to reschedule. I never thought of that!, thanks for the tip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted January 13, 2018 #12 Share Posted January 13, 2018 After you cruise I would love to hear your thoughts comparing the two cruise lines. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 13, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted January 13, 2018 After you cruise I would love to hear your thoughts comparing the two cruise lines.Keith I may do that..I've been a loyal carnival cruiser for a while but they have definitely slipped on their quality and service over the last few years. The prices havent gone down, just up but the quality has, which is why when we saw a cruise on this huge new ship as the same price as the carnival sunshine we jumped at it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briar Patch Posted January 13, 2018 #14 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Be sure to see Grease, and don't miss Columbus the musical. We almost didn't go to Columbus, and now believe it to be one of the best shows at sea. Oh how we loved Harmony. Get internet package online when it is in sale. (30% off) Harmony is very hi tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scootch Posted January 13, 2018 #15 Share Posted January 13, 2018 We converted to RC after 5 Carnival cruises and we have never gone back...not that we had any complaints w/ Carnival, RC is just offers so much more and I love the ambiance with RC. We said Harmony in April, this will be our 6th cruise on the Oasis class. We prefer the larger ships. Enjoy and happy sailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N2DFIRE Posted January 13, 2018 #16 Share Posted January 13, 2018 The harmony of the seas will knock your socks off. Especially compared to carnival sunshine Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 14, 2018 Author #17 Share Posted January 14, 2018 We converted to RC after 5 Carnival cruises and we have never gone back...not that we had any complaints w/ Carnival, RC is just offers so much more and I love the ambiance with RC. We said Harmony in April, this will be our 6th cruise on the Oasis class. We prefer the larger ships. Enjoy and happy sailing. We are sailing April 7th. I've been on 11 carnival cruises 2 RC. There are many things I love about carnival and a few I didn't love about RC . But I'm gonna enjoy this cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 14, 2018 Author #18 Share Posted January 14, 2018 The harmony of the seas will knock your socks off. Especially compared to carnival sunshine Sent from my iPhone using Forums I sailed the sunshine before it was the sunshine, it was the destiny. I don't like the way it feels chopped up, and they didn't change that. So I wasn't thrilled with the idea of going on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogchopper Posted January 14, 2018 Author #19 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Be sure to see Grease, and don't miss Columbus the musical. We almost didn't go to Columbus, and now believe it to be one of the best shows at sea. Oh how we loved Harmony. Get internet package online when it is in sale. (30% off) Harmony is very hi tech. I will keep looking for that sale. I hope to see all the shows :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHN__S Posted January 14, 2018 #20 Share Posted January 14, 2018 I am following this thread. May switch things up for the next cruise Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted January 14, 2018 #21 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Do not forget to book all your shows once you have made final payment. The opportunity and ability to book shows is not tied to making final payment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbcruiser Posted January 14, 2018 #22 Share Posted January 14, 2018 A couple of tips that may or may not be helpful: I'm not sure which ports you will be visiting, but most of them have an internet café that doesn't cost much within walking distance of the dock. (If you are visiting a hurricane damaged island, this might not be available currently.) Some may also be call centers or coffee shops with computers. Just ask around if you don't come across one fairly quickly. At least you should be able to check and send emails if this would be enough "connecting" for you. For a REAL emergency, you should leave the number to call the ship with someone. When we were on a cruise once, our college aged daughter became ill, fainted, upon her revival she called our ship. (Pricey per minute charge.) ( Even though we weren't in our cabin, the call went to the purser's desk. When we got back to our cabin, we had a message from the desk, and we were then able to return our daughter's call and find out what the situation was.) Most cell phone service providers offer one or more temporary int'l. plans for a modest charge. These pkgs. give you various connection abilities without adding on pricey fees in most foreign countries. If you don't buy a ship's pkg., keep your cell phone on airplane mode, or better yet, don't turn it on unless you are off the ship getting free wifi someplace. Some restaurants (some even on the beach) will have free wi fi. All you need to do is sit down to order a drink or snack and they will let you have their password. Your provider can tell you what phone settings you should use and what temporary pkg. you need to get service yet avoid pricey extra fees and/or roaming charges. As for the show reservations: I agree that you should try to plan and reserve ahead of time. However, you can always just go and hope someone doesn't show up because most of them allow non-reserved guests to fill vacancies in the last few minutes prior to the show's start time, and there usually always are some. Having said that, getting into the Comedy Club shows is often next to impossible if you didn't make a reservation because the venue is smaller. Good luck with your planning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kctwinmommy Posted January 14, 2018 #23 Share Posted January 14, 2018 I wrote up a Pros/Cons comparison for RCI and Carnival. It's in my signature. We enjoyed our RCI cruise, because I believe it's always what you make of it. And we've enjoyed our Carnival cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now