Harmony of the Seas - 6/23/18 sailing - Things I wish I knew before we went...

[Gators77]

We just got back from our 7 day Eastern Caribbean sailing to St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. We had a oceanview balcony on the 10th floor aft starboard side. I wanted to share our experience of things we wish we knew before sailing.

 

First off, we were very happy with the Starboard side. We had the best views at all 3 ports compared to the Port Side of the ship(they just looked at water), we got to see the towns and water. I'll start with the ports. St. Maarten still looks heavily devastated, we took the advice we read on here to go to Mullet Bay with our kids, ages 5, 11, and 14. What a MISTAKE! Mullet Bay is a horrible choice for young kids. There are so many rocks at the beginning of the water's edge. There's a steep cliff from where you can get beach chairs to where the water is. The waves were very strong and big that day. Thankfully we didn't waste money on an excursion, just grabbed a taxi, $18 per person roundtrip. Beach Umbrella and 2 chairs - $15. A smarter option would have been to just take the water taxi at the port for $7 per person roundtrip to the beach that you can see from the port. It certainly couldn't have been any worse and would have been cheaper. Maho Beach is deff not for kids. There are no beach chairs, and minimal beach area. Older teens and adults may go for the thrill of the planes and for drinking, but deff not a family atmosphere.

 

San Juan was very enjoyable. We walked from the ship to one of the forts. We enjoyed seeing the town, buying some souvenirs and visiting the fort. Definitely get there for when it opens at 9, as it gets crowded.

 

Labadee surprised us. After reading so many negative reviews on here, it pleasantly surprised us. Their beach was so much nicer than St. Maarten. Nellie's Beach is by far the best beach to with kids. We hopped on the tractor trolley at the 1st stop and takes you right there. Across the way is the kids splash area that is enjoyable as well. The water was so calm, no rocks to have to deal with to get in and out of the water, and beach chairs were free. We got some in the shade and were set. We rented a float for $20 that the kids loved to float on.

 

Now moving on to the ship experience. By far the #1 disappointment was the food, especially the main dining room. We had 1st seating reservations. The first night, nobody was at the door greeting you and helping you find the table. You had to seek out someone for direction. While the servers were nice, they were nowhere to be found at the beginning of the meal sometimes. It also took over an hour some nights just for dinner to appear. But we did find if we told them we had a 7:30pm show to make, they expedited things for us. The quality of the food was very disappointing. My son's children's menu has something they call a "Minute Steak". It is literally the exact same cut of meat served on the adult menu for their Steak Diane, Beef Strip Loin, and NY Strip Steak. The piece of meat is about 1 cm thick. The night we were hoping for Filet Mignon, beef tenderloin, it was served as 3 thin sliced pieces of tenderloin. They couldn't even afford to serve a piece of Filet Mignon for dinner one night. If you wanted that, apparently you have to pay the $16.95 upcharge. One adult in our party tried it one night, and it deff was not worth the money. Had much better at steakhouses back home. We've sailed both Princess and Disney before, and both of their dinner menus surpass RC and it's not even close.

 

Pool slides close at 7pm. That was another disappointment as the kids hoped to use the slides in the evening/night. Our Fine Line show we had tickets to was stopped 5 minutes into it due to "technical difficulties". When we went to see it another night during the cruise, the sound system was so bad it kept cutting and fading in and out.

 

We definitely recommend getting a balcony as there are very few parts of the ship(other than the pool area or buffet) that you are frequently on where you can see the ocean. We were very glad we had a oceanview balcony room.

 

As far as the pool areas go, if you want a chair in a prime location, I recommend throwing a towel on it at 7am like everyone else does. They do not enforce their "30 minute policy". All the good chairs are gone by 9am. When we questions a worker on the pool deck, they stated their policy, but nothing was done about it. You have to just "play the game" apparently.

 

We picked the Harmony because of all the amenities the ship has on it for both kids and adults. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to the hype, and the overall service and friendliness of the staff on board didn't match what we've previously received on both Disney and Princess.

[SP4]

What cabin were you in? Thanks

[Gators77]

What cabin were you in? Thanks

 

10692, easy access to aft elevators too!

[CapeGal]

Wow! We were just on the Harmony last month and it's almost like listening to the description of another ship. Sorry it was not as fun or edible as you were hoping. We had a great room, steward and MDR team. We even got pictures with Shrek and Fiona! I hope you give Royal another try.

[lovelife]

Thanks for your review of Harmony. It's a shame you were disappointed in your cruise. I too am surprised as we also had an entirely different experience and service was superb. I have sailed Princess and Disney also and I don't recall their food being any better or worse than RCCL (but food is subjective). We enjoyed Harmony so much we have two more sailings booked on her!

[caseyb12]

I am sorry for your unfortunate experience. We were also on this sailing and did not find the same issues. However, we rarely eat in the main dining room as my children prefer other choices. Of the two nights we did eat in the main dining room one was better than the other as far as the service was concerned. The cabin steward was amazing and we enjoyed our cruise immensely.

[Gators77]

I am sorry for your unfortunate experience. We were also on this sailing and did not find the same issues. However, we rarely eat in the main dining room as my children prefer other choices. Of the two nights we did eat in the main dining room one was better than the other as far as the service was concerned. The cabin steward was amazing and we enjoyed our cruise immensely.

 

The cabin steward was very good. But nothing over the top that gave a "wow" factor. The main dining room on night 6 was excellent and night 5 with the Lobster tails was very good. My kids also preferred Windjammer to the MDR. The Boardwalk dogs was a disappointment as well as Sorrento's Pizza as they both just served the exact pizza and hot dogs that you could get at Windjammer. They did have some extra sausage options.

 

Also bringing water bottles on board is no problem at all. The drinks at Windjammer especially their Iced Tea tasted terrible. The lemonade was below average as well.

[Gators77]

Thanks for your review of Harmony. It's a shame you were disappointed in your cruise. I too am surprised as we also had an entirely different experience and service was superb. I have sailed Princess and Disney also and I don't recall their food being any better or worse than RCCL (but food is subjective). We enjoyed Harmony so much we have two more sailings booked on her!

 

It's been a while since we've done Princess but we remember their food being the best of the 3. The shows on Disney were much better than RCL too. We didn't care for Grease or the Headliner Show at all. The Fine Line was good, but the sound issue was really distracting and disapponting.

[Gators77]

I am sorry for your unfortunate experience. We were also on this sailing and did not find the same issues. However, we rarely eat in the main dining room as my children prefer other choices. Of the two nights we did eat in the main dining room one was better than the other as far as the service was concerned. The cabin steward was amazing and we enjoyed our cruise immensely.

 

Did you guys visit a beach in St Maarten? Curious to know how your experience was and which one you went to. We loved Labadee over St Maarten hands down and we definitely thought it would be the other way around.

[caseyb12]

Did you guys visit a beach in St Maarten? Curious to know how your experience was and which one you went to. We loved Labadee over St Maarten hands down and we definitely thought it would be the other way around.

We were scheduled for Sea Trek. However, it was cancelled and since we had been to St. Maarten before we just stayed on board. I agree that the beach at Labadee was nice.

[Merion_Mom]

It's been a while since we've done Princess but we remember their food being the best of the 3. The shows on Disney were much better than RCL too. We didn't care for Grease or the Headliner Show at all. The Fine Line was good, but the sound issue was really distracting and disapponting.

If it has been a while, you may find that Princess' food is not what you remember, unfortunately.

 

Who was your headliner?

 

Did you go to Columbus?

 

How about the ice show?

[Gators77]

Headliner I believe was Earl Turner. 1887 was OK, we actually enjoyed iSkate better. And Columbus was average. We never left any of their shows and were like "wow". The Fine Line was good, but their sound system left a lot to be desired.

[Loucat]

If it has been a while, you may find that Princess' food is not what you remember, unfortunately.

 

Who was your headliner?

 

Did you go to Columbus?

 

How about the ice show?

 

Interesting comment on Princess. Your signature reflects two Princess sailings and multiple RCL. Any recent Princess sailings to comment on related to food quality? That would be helpful if something has changed. Always looking for recent information.

 

I am to the point on an RCL sailing we will not eat in the MDR. We pay for specialty restaurants as the food is of such low quality over the last years.

We have found Azamara far better than RCL (I know they own Azamara) and other lines, including Princess for MDR fare.

[JamesEM]

I was recently on the Harmony and agree about the food, after the first night we ate rest of our meals in the Windjammer.

[Gators77]

I was recently on the Harmony and agree about the food, after the first night we ate rest of our meals in the Windjammer.

 

Their "free" beverages included with cruise fare are almost undrinkable as well. That had to be the worst tasting Iced Tea and Lemonade I've ever had, especially the tea. And the fake orange tang that they try to pass as OJ. 🤢

[racerxspeedy]

I am sorry to hear your cruise did not meet your expectations. I do agree that the Starboard side may offer a slight view advantage in these ports.

 

We were at Mullet Bay recently and it was wonderful, the couple next to us had a newborn baby in the water with them and the water was not wavy (other than boat traffic). Yes there is a drop from the chair area down to the waters edge, but this is the case on many beaches. There are rocks in some areas, but I have always walked down a ways and found a great spot.

 

Yes - it is hard to get a prime seat near the pool, lots of chair hogs on most ships.

 

We always order extra entrees in the MDR to assure we have more options, and occasionally order extra tenderloin since this is one of the better beef offerings.

 

Yes the MDR experience is slower, not "Disney" or "Princess", but its still a good meal. You can usually get the head waiter to help if you are unhappy with what is being offered or presented.

[Gators77]

I am sorry to hear your cruise did not meet your expectations. I do agree that the Starboard side may offer a slight view advantage in these ports.

 

We were at Mullet Bay recently and it was wonderful, the couple next to us had a newborn baby in the water with them and the water was not wavy (other than boat traffic). Yes there is a drop from the chair area down to the waters edge, but this is the case on many beaches. There are rocks in some areas, but I have always walked down a ways and found a great spot.

 

Yes - it is hard to get a prime seat near the pool, lots of chair hogs on most ships.

 

We always order extra entrees in the MDR to assure we have more options, and occasionally order extra tenderloin since this is one of the better beef offerings.

 

Yes the MDR experience is slower, not "Disney" or "Princess", but its still a good meal. You can usually get the head waiter to help if you are unhappy with what is being offered or presented.

 

The head waiter can't change the quality don the food being served tho. It's nice to know ahead of time that on beef tenderloin night, you need to ask for 2-3 enteees if you want the equivalent of a filet mignon. Lobster tail night we knew they were tiny and to ask for 2, same for the Tiger Shrimp entree.

 

Mullet Bay definitely wasn't like that next week, and I wouldn't waste the money or time in traffic to go there where you can go to the beach that the water taxi will take you to. It's much closer, less expensive, and includes chairs and umbrella.

 

The overall service on the ship is far from outstanding. Drink refills are few and far between for tea and lemonade. The sink washing area at the buffet is not kept up as well as it should be. Drinks and cups left by guests in elevators. Yes you can blame disgusting guests for these things, but it's up to the staff to be on top of these things and they are not.

 

They cut corners on the quality of food and drinks they serve you. Perhaps as an attempt at getting you to eat at their specialty restaurants. But even then, the Filet Mignon at Chops is far from superior. We ordered it once for an upcharge at the MDR.

[newtampagirl]

We were on this sailing with our 13 year old grandson. We had MTD and the service was slow sometimes, especially on the second formal night (lobster night) where we left before our desserts arrived because our wait staff disappeared for close to half an half. Our waiter told us the next day that the galley was backed up and ran out of plates. This was also the worst meal of the week, the prime rib looked like Salisbury steak.

 

The Fine Line was cancelled because of issues with the aerialist's harness and I can completely understand that safety comes first. I agree that the rescheduled show's audio was bad and distracting but the performance was still awesome.

 

We sailed the Harmony last September and everything was much better but it was not in the Summer where it was a full ship with over 1500 kids. This trip was for our grandson and he had a great time in the teen's club and met many new friends. There was a dedicated time for the flow rider, rock climbing, ice skating, and slides for their age group. He enjoyed a lot of the teen's planned activities, Grease, Fine Line and 1887. We checked the Daily Compasses from a previous post so we were aware that the sports venues were only open during certain times.

 

Bottom line, we went with the flow and our grandson had the time of his life and hasn't stopped talking about it.

[nhraformula00]

My neighbor is a Princess snob exclusive but went on the Harmony in early May with his wife and 14 year old. They loved everything about the ship. His only complaint was the upsell places to eat. His wife thought the food was better than Princess on some nights and the same on most. He cruises twice a year and this was their first on R.C.

[Gators77]

We were on this sailing with our 13 year old grandson. We had MTD and the service was slow sometimes, especially on the second formal night (lobster night) where we left before our desserts arrived because our wait staff disappeared for close to half an half. Our waiter told us the next day that the galley was backed up and ran out of plates. This was also the worst meal of the week, the prime rib looked like Salisbury steak.

 

The Fine Line was cancelled because of issues with the aerialist's harness and I can completely understand that safety comes first. I agree that the rescheduled show's audio was bad and distracting but the performance was still awesome.

 

We sailed the Harmony last September and everything was much better but it was not in the Summer where it was a full ship with over 1500 kids. This trip was for our grandson and he had a great time in the teen's club and met many new friends. There was a dedicated time for the flow rider, rock climbing, ice skating, and slides for their age group. He enjoyed a lot of the teen's planned activities, Grease, Fine Line and 1887. We checked the Daily Compasses from a previous post so we were aware that the sports venues were only open during certain times.

 

Bottom line, we went with the flow and our grandson had the time of his life and hasn't stopped talking about it.

 

The wait staff definitely always seemed to be working hard when we saw them, problem is they were never at our table when we needed them. Disney and Princess had much better service in the MDR. I don't know if that's because they assign each pairing less tables or what.

 

I know they say to allow 2 hrs for dinner but it seemed really slow some nights. If they want to be right on par with MSC and Carnival then great, but they are nowhere near Princess or Disney IMO.

[newtampagirl]

We had MTD reservations every night at 5:30 or 5:45 and service started out well but once the huge tables came in it went downhill. I can only imagine how busy it got as the night wore on. We were seated in one of the those central balconies in the MDR and ironically, last January on the Allure, we were in the same type of balcony. The waiters seemed very rushed then too. Our waiter told us he had too many tables. RCI needs to hire more wait staff if that is a recurring problem. We sailed Princess eons ago but are ready to explore other options.

[Gators77]

We had MTD reservations every night at 5:30 or 5:45 and service started out well but once the huge tables came in it went downhill. I can only imagine how busy it got as the night wore on. We were seated in one of the those central balconies in the MDR and ironically, last January on the Allure, we were in the same type of balcony. The waiters seemed very rushed then too. Our waiter told us he had too many tables. RCI needs to hire more wait staff if that is a recurring problem. We sailed Princess eons ago but are ready to explore other options.

 

I definitely do not think any of service problems in the MDR are the actual wait staff's fault. It's definitely a corporate driven issue of assigning too many tables to the staff, yet again cutting corners, thus making it virtually impossible for superior service to be given.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed filling out by RCI survey they just emailed me about my latest cruise. Not that they probably really care or will do anything about it to improve.

[Merion_Mom]

Interesting comment on Princess. Your signature reflects two Princess sailings and multiple RCL. Any recent Princess sailings to comment on related to food quality? That would be helpful if something has changed. Always looking for recent information.

 

I am to the point on an RCL sailing we will not eat in the MDR. We pay for specialty restaurants as the food is of such low quality over the last years.

We have found Azamara far better than RCL (I know they own Azamara) and other lines, including Princess for MDR fare.

My Princess comment was more based on the fact that posters on every board bemoan the decline of the quality of the food. (my last Princess cruise was November 2015) (btw, my signature is a list of the ships that I have cruised on. It does not say how many times. :D :D :D) (but my 2006 Princess cruise definitely had better food in the MDR than my 2015 cruise. Service had seriously slipped, too)

[racerxspeedy]

The head waiter can't change the quality don the food being served tho. It's nice to know ahead of time that on beef tenderloin night, you need to ask for 2-3 enteees if you want the equivalent of a filet mignon. Lobster tail night we knew they were tiny and to ask for 2, same for the Tiger Shrimp entree.

 

Mullet Bay definitely wasn't like that next week, and I wouldn't waste the money or time in traffic to go there where you can go to the beach that the water taxi will take you to. It's much closer, less expensive, and includes chairs and umbrella.

 

The overall service on the ship is far from outstanding. Drink refills are few and far between for tea and lemonade. The sink washing area at the buffet is not kept up as well as it should be. Drinks and cups left by guests in elevators. Yes you can blame disgusting guests for these things, but it's up to the staff to be on top of these things and they are not.

 

They cut corners on the quality of food and drinks they serve you. Perhaps as an attempt at getting you to eat at their specialty restaurants. But even then, the Filet Mignon at Chops is far from superior. We ordered it once for an upcharge at the MDR.

 

Agreed - the head waiter cannot perform miracles, but on Harmony he brought us a huge cheese plate that was not on the menu without even asking. If you are not happy I suggest letting the head waiter know. There are other offerings not shown on the menu.

 

The beach in town is ok, but its not as nice as Mullet. Yes there is traffic, but it was interesting to see the island after the hurricane.

 

 

Yes - people are lazy and messy. The crew did a great job both times we were on Harmony, but it can be hard to keep up.

 

Agreed - drink refills, bar service is limited many times, but we don't let it ruin our vacation. If were very unhappy we would ask to move to another table where the service was able to keep up.

 

Thanks

[big al]

It's been a while since we've done Princess but we remember their food being the best of the 3. The shows on Disney were much better than RCL too. We didn't care for Grease or the Headliner Show at all. The Fine Line was good, but the sound issue was really distracting and disapponting.

 

Everything is relative & subjective..we were recently on both the Regal Princess ( 2x) & Crown Princess & found both MDR's pretty mediocre..entertainment nowhere near as good as RCI, Disney or NCL...average age was death & we are 65 & 63..ships closed down pretty much by 10 pm..I hear Grease is terrific, so everybody has a different take..for MDR food, I find 85% of my 36 cruises have MDR food as "OK".."not bad".."nothing great"..only Disney, Celebrity, and NCL have had pretty good MDR food....RCI is hit & miss for many & most seasoned cruisers have admitted MDR food has gone down hill the last 10 years..not easy to cook for 6000+ guests...we eat a lot in the specialty restaurants..Palo on Disney superb..Cagney's , Teppanyaki & Le Bistro on NCL also very good ( you get 3 free specialty venues on all NCL cruises)..I've eaten in Chops probably 15 times, and never had a bad meal...NCL Getaway last Nov '17 every meal was either decent or outstanding...it IS certainly subjective...did you go to the ice skating show and the diving show? I think the diving shows are simply spectacular....hope you try RCI again..for kids, stick to Oasis class or Freedom class ships...more to do & best pools for kids...

 

Big Al