Harmony of the seas vs. Celebrity Equinox...can anyone help?!

[maggie12321]

My boyfriend and I are 30, no kids, are fairly adventurous but love to relax in the sun. We are trying to decide between Celebrity Equinox (key west, costa maya, Cozumel and grand cayman) and The Harmony of The Seas (Nassau, st. Thomas, Basseterre). We have both been to the Cozumel, Nassau and st. Thomas ports before...the itinerary is not necessarily “make or break” for us, but we will be traveling in August and I am definitely a sun worshiper!!

 

We have both traveled Carnival, Norwegian and we sailed on the Oasis of the Seas a few years ago. We loved the Oasis (which I know is similar to the Harmony)i. We loved the variety of nighttime entertainment (esp. the comedy shows) and we purchased and enjoyed the unlimited drink package. I also LOVED the onboard Starbucks. We did not love how insanely crowded the pools/pool deck were (I even woke up early to secure seats). I understand this is true for any cruise ship, but it seemed to be pretty bad on the Oasis. Also, there were a TON of children onboard. I do not dislike children and I understand RC caters to families, but it was almost overwhelming at times.

 

I have heard a few people say they loved Celebrity and are fans for life. I am curious as to how it compares/differs from RC? Specifically the Celebrity Equinox vs. Harmony of the Seas? The Celebrity Equinox is a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the Harmony (we usually get a balcony).

 

Can anyone help compare these two ships for us?!? Thank you so much in advance!!

[39august]

At your age I think Harmony would be a better fit, especially since you enjoyed Oasis. There are certainly many fewer children on Celebrity ships, but the whole cruise experience is pretty laid back. Nothing like the go-go attitude and things to do on Oasis class ships.

[gerelmx]

Harmony it is an amusement park in the sea, Equinox is a cruise. You will not find in the Equinox ice rink, zip line, wave simulator, climbing wall, horse carousel, etc. That is why children and adolescents are few. For the itinerary I also chose the Equinox, I do not like Nassau and I prefer Grand Cayman. On both boats there are ample sunbathing areas next to the pool and in the solarium, the food and theater is much better at the Equinox. Bon Voyage

[whitshel]

I posted on you Celebrity thread too:)

 

We've done both, Equinox and Oasis. It's hard to which I liked better, just a different experience. Love the quietness relaxed feeling of the Equinox, but also love the hustle and bustle of the Oasis class.

 

Now I know this may sound weird, but I would probably go with the Equinox just because Capt Kate is on board. She is awesome as a captain and makes it fun.

 

I did "Live" reviews of both my Oasis and Equinox cruises from last year (Oasis more extensive) but check them out in my signature.

[FLSteve11]

Harmony it is an amusement park in the sea, Equinox is a cruise. You will not find in the Equinox ice rink, zip line, wave simulator, climbing wall, horse carousel, etc. That is why children and adolescents are few. For the itinerary I also chose the Equinox, I do not like Nassau and I prefer Grand Cayman. On both boats there are ample sunbathing areas next to the pool and in the solarium, the food and theater is much better at the Equinox. Bon Voyage

 

At 30 they probably liked the amusement park aspect of the ship on Oasis (I'm past that and I do as well, I've sailed Oasis and Equinox and enjoyed the Oasis more) There are more things to do, and splits the crowd up nicely. I would say I like the Equinox itinerary better as well. Nassau is a bit of a dud to me, especially after being there a few times. The food on Equinox is definitely better as well. But the theater??? Shows on the Oasis class are light years ahead of anything on Celebrity.

[champagne123]

If you love great service, ambience, wonderful dining experiences, peace, calm and great people....LOVED the Equinox. Was our favorite cruise so far. Yes, we have been on the Oasis class and loved it for different reasons. Keep in mind, you would be in the minority as far as age goes....but would meet fabulous people and crew.

[happicruzer]

Have Equinox booked and chose that over RCI product mostly to avoid the hoards of children who will be on RCI during August.

 

We love the Celebrity product, more than RCI, the adult atmosphere but do stay on the balcony as the pool scene isn’t us. Pool towels are to be found without checking in or out. There are chair hogs but notice seats are usually available.

 

Recommend you consider Aqua class as prices are good due to a fairly large inventory of cabins available. Blu is the quieter and a bit more upscale restaurant than the RCI MDR as well.

 

If this is your first Celebrity, be sure to provide your RCI C&A number. There may be a status match although your Celebrity points do accumulate from zero.

 

A cruise on Celebrity is a nice experience.

[KMagz]

On my recent Harmony cruise I loved ** LOVED ** the adult Solarium area. Though there is no pool in the Solarium (unlike Oasis?) the upside is there were many available lounge chairs thanks to the extra space. I never had a problem, any time of day, even on sea days, finding prime lounge chairs. This was a great escape from the kids at the pools.

[lovelyr]

My boyfriend and I are 30, no kids, are fairly adventurous but love to relax in the sun. We are trying to decide between Celebrity Equinox (key west, costa maya, Cozumel and grand cayman) and The Harmony of The Seas (Nassau, st. Thomas, Basseterre). We have both been to the Cozumel, Nassau and st. Thomas ports before...the itinerary is not necessarily “make or break” for us, but we will be traveling in August and I am definitely a sun worshiper!!

 

We have both traveled Carnival, Norwegian and we sailed on the Oasis of the Seas a few years ago. We loved the Oasis (which I know is similar to the Harmony)i. We loved the variety of nighttime entertainment (esp. the comedy shows) and we purchased and enjoyed the unlimited drink package. I also LOVED the onboard Starbucks. We did not love how insanely crowded the pools/pool deck were (I even woke up early to secure seats). I understand this is true for any cruise ship, but it seemed to be pretty bad on the Oasis. Also, there were a TON of children onboard. I do not dislike children and I understand RC caters to families, but it was almost overwhelming at times.

 

I have heard a few people say they loved Celebrity and are fans for life. I am curious as to how it compares/differs from RC? Specifically the Celebrity Equinox vs. Harmony of the Seas? The Celebrity Equinox is a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the Harmony (we usually get a balcony).

 

Can anyone help compare these two ships for us?!? Thank you so much in advance!!

It depends what you are looking for on a cruise. Harmony and the other mega ships have plenty of venues every night and lots going on during the day. The equinox, my personal favorite, it more laid back. There is a show at night, not a big musical, and then a couple of more evening things like the silent disco or some game show activities. The people on the equinox tend to be older (over 50). Food aboard celebrity is far superior to RCCL. The main dining room is excellent. Ship had 3000 people. Sunny days as on Harmony there are chair hogs but a little further than around the immediate pool area there are plenty of seats.

the free drinks perk is worth a whole lot to us as well

[Marie51]

I was on Equinox last June and I would choose that again in a heartbeat. There were people of all ages on board but not overwhelmed with kids like a RC ship will be. Never had a problem getting a chair at the pool or at the buffet. The year before I was on the Oasis....too much for me...not doing that again.

Also loved Costa Maya, had an awesome beach day there at Tropicante.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Marie51

[maggieq]

We just returned yesterday from the very cruise you are looking at. Our choices for this week were the same as yours. Our perks received with celebrity won us over...couldn’t refuse them as we would have to buy drink packages, internet and no obc if we went with the harmony. We did miss the entertainment but the cost overall was too good to make harmony the choice this time.

[Andy C]

Been on both. Wife and I are 40 and 42 respectively. We went on Reflection, Solstice and Equinox in our 30s. One of our favorite was a 10 day on the Equinox. All 3 were in concierge balcony cabins. Would do Solstice class in a heartbeat again if we didn't have kids. We love drinking martinis and being able to listen to ourselves without all the noise or the massive crowds. Solstice class are much more sophisticated ships crowd wise and architecturally. As an earlier poster stated they are actually cruise ships.

 

We went on Harmony last August with our two toddlers in a Grand Suite. We are traveling again with our toddlers on Harmony in a Grand Suite in September. We loved Coastal Kitchen and the suite lounge. It allowed us to stay away from the huge crowds and have cocktails and conversations with more mature, sophisticated people. If I were not traveling in a suite I would skip the floating Disney World and travel on Equinox again hands down, no questions asked.

 

Don't get me wrong, Harmony is beautiful but we don't party until 2 am nor do we care for loud, obnoxious crowds.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Andy C