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

[Gators77]

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

 

It'll be interesting to start hearing feedback on how Symphony MDR food and service is. I'm curious to see if it's on par with all the other Oasis class ships. And just overall keeping on top of cleanliness on the ship.

[ohbuckeye]

I was also on this sailing and agree with OP about service in general. We did not eat in MD as we had jr suite and ate in coastal kitchen 3 nights and ate in chops 2x, Wonderland and 150 Park. Ate lunch in Jamie's on embarkation day and service was so horrible (were there for 1hr 45 minutes and passed on dessert so we could get to cabin, waiter extremely slow to take our order then got it wrong). We took a catamaran to Mullet Bay-confirm that waves were high and there was a very very steep hill to get from beach to water. I'm only chiming in because it seems when anyone posts their experience there are about 10 others stating it wasn't the same experience for them on another day.

The worst for us were the kids running down the halls at all hours of day and night, including 2 am. Also, we ordered a photo on Thursday morning that was supposed to be ready Friday afternoon- we went back multiple times only to be promised the worker would bring it to our cabin and put it outside by midnight. DH had to stand in another long line at 6:30 am disembarkation morning to finally get photo.

[LBumb]

thank goodness I'm not a foodie.

I believe the quality and selection in the mdr has decreased but so has the price of cruising with rccl

[cruiseguymfr]

Was the second formal night day 5 or day 6? Getting conflicting information on this bit of information.

[Gators77]

Was the second formal night day 5 or day 6? Getting conflicting information on this bit of information.

Second formal night was night 5, lobster! Night 6 was not but was one of the better MDR menus for the entire cruise.

[Gators77]

I was also on this sailing and agree with OP about service in general. We did not eat in MD as we had jr suite and ate in coastal kitchen 3 nights and ate in chops 2x, Wonderland and 150 Park. Ate lunch in Jamie's on embarkation day and service was so horrible (were there for 1hr 45 minutes and passed on dessert so we could get to cabin, waiter extremely slow to take our order then got it wrong). We took a catamaran to Mullet Bay-confirm that waves were high and there was a very very steep hill to get from beach to water. I'm only chiming in because it seems when anyone posts their experience there are about 10 others stating it wasn't the same experience for them on another day.

The worst for us were the kids running down the halls at all hours of day and night, including 2 am. Also, we ordered a photo on Thursday morning that was supposed to be ready Friday afternoon- we went back multiple times only to be promised the worker would bring it to our cabin and put it outside by midnight. DH had to stand in another long line at 6:30 am disembarkation morning to finally get photo.

 

At least future cruisers can't say they weren't warned, I wish someone had warned me but nobody posted any truthful reviews apparently. Anyone who thinks Mullet Bay did not have bad waves or a steep incline is living a dream. Deff not a beach for young kids. Save your time and money!

[NewSalt]

We’ve done one or two cruises a year on RCI for the past five years. There was a very noticeable decline in the MDR on our last cruise on Serenade in February. There were about half as many options as in the past. I wouldn’t fault that if it was an effort to do a few things well, but that was not the case. Salmon was offered on the first night and never thereafter. The fish offerings were obscure species and every one I tried was dry and over cooked and oddly favored. Everyone at our table stopped ordering fish by the third or fourth night. One night I chose a scallops appetizer, and the waiter very apologetically brought two portions because each consisted of three very small bay scallops.

 

I found the food on Celebrity to be better in general, but always thought RCI did a decent job. The MDR meals on this last cruise were significantly worse than those we had in the recent past.

[racerxspeedy]

It'll be interesting to start hearing feedback on how Symphony MDR food and service is. I'm curious to see if it's on par with all the other Oasis class ships. And just overall keeping on top of cleanliness on the ship.

 

We'll be doing this same itinerary on Allure in a few weeks and then Symphony Eastern in Nov. It will be interesting to compare these two ships (MDR, service, conditions...etc). I am concerned that Symphony will not be worth the added expense.

 

Our experiences on Harmony were similar/slightly better than Oasis and Allure.

 

Sorry, that your Mullet trip fell on a rough sea day. We have been to Mullet numerous times with no issues and will probably be back 2 more times this year. FYI - you can take the local bus from downtown Philipsburg to Mullet for $2 pp.

[riclop]

Thanks for the report.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

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.

My friends are Princess addicts (but only Regal and Royal) because of the food and the free on demand TV. To them Princess food tops it all (they tried RCCL, Celebrity, Holland and Princess). But their kids go to kid's club and the parents are free to do whatever they want.

 

We do love Princess food and think it's better than RCCL, however, I just booked RCCL after a long break because our kid doesn't go to kid's club, and Princess doesn't offer anything for kids to do other than the kid's club. We want to have fun with our kid!

 

We sailed with RCCL from 2009 to 2014 and loved the activities, but got more and more disappointed with the food over time, and we sailed Princess from 2015 to 2017 and loved the food, but disliked lack of family friendly activities.

 

I booked the Allure, and I truly hope we are not disappointed. :)

[MyNameIsGermy]

We are going on the Harmony in November and really looking forward to it. We love Royal and have been loyal to it for many years but will admit, the MDR food and service aren't very good anymore. The last few cruises we've done with them, we've only dined in the restaurants and have been happier with that experience, even though it's an upcharge.

 

We did the Carnival Dream last summer (not my choice!!!) and while the cruise line itself sucks rocks, their MDR food and service was significantly better than what we've experienced on Royal.

[acegolfer25]

We (4 including 12 & 8 yo girls) were also on the same cruise. This was our 5th RCCL cruise, in addition to 1 princess + 1 disney.

 

In St. Marrten, we took Bernard's SXM Tour 2, where we spent 90 minutes at Grand Case beach. The guide said this beach was in a better shape than other beaches in the island after Irma. The day we visited, it was excellent. Shallow clear water with no waves. I agree that Maho beach is not for kids.

 

In San Juan, we walked to the Castillo El Morro (fort) around 10. Took about 30 minutes. We were exhausted in heat, when we got there. My advice, go early or get a taxi. Kids liked the experience.

 

At Labadee, we took the 1-way boat and then walked to Columbus Cove (the farthest beach from the ship). There's a reserved beach area at the very end. We grabbed 2 beach chairs (free) and placed them under the palm tree right next to the reserved area. Best decision ever. Being next to the reserved area, it was the least crowded area. No rocks and clear water. We found lots of fish (hand size) swimming. Over time, as more people arrived, the water got murkier. Turns out this is also where cruise ship entertainers hang out. We saw dozens of ice skaters, drama actors, aqua theater team relaxing in the beach.

 

If anyone wants top quality food, go to specialty restaurants. Being on several cruises before, we didn't have high expectation on MDR food. We ordered several dish/desserts and shared among 4 ppl. Sometimes, we ordered 5. We liked trying out different new dish that we haven't tried before. Unlike OP, we did MTD. We didn't like our wait staffs and requested a different table on the following day. Much better service so we stayed with them the rest of the trip. If you want a table by the window (nice water view on deck 4 MDR), you can make reservation with the maitre, unless they are all booked. (Note, obstructed view on deck 5)

 

I agree pool, slides closing at 7 was disappointing. If you are early time dining, then too late to use them after dinner. If you want to use slides, when less busy, then I recommend late dining time. After 6 pm, the slide line is almost non-existent.

 

We went to the Aqua theater 3 times to finally watch the entire Fine Line show. 2 got cancelled during the show because of weather, technicalities. If you don't have reservation, you can still sneak into the theater from Deck 5 (running track) or 7 (rock climbing).

 

This is our 1st cruise where we stayed in inside cabin. I learned that the ocean view excitement wears off after the 1st day. And the chair in balcony is not comfortable for seating long. To enjoy the ocean view, we went to Deck 5 running track forward. They have 10+ beach chairs with large windows. Went there to read books almost every day with my kid. Chairs always available. Being close to the sea level, the splashing water sound was also relaxing. The temperature is just about right.

 

Correct, empty chairs on the pool deck were hard to find. If you want one, claim one early.

 

The cruise planner only shows 1 type of show for Aqua theater, ice rink and main theater. But note that each theater also provides another production show (6 total). Including comedy, headliners, you can enjoy new shows everyday, which are entertaining.

 

Having been on RCL cruise 4 times including Allure before, I was not disappointed at the ship/crew/food/shows, Even if there were 6k+ passengers, I didn't feel too crowded compared with other ships. Pro tip: Always use forward gangways to get off at the port. There are 2 gangways in the forward vs. 1 in the back and less people use forward elevators.

Edited July 5, 2018 by acegolfer25

[poncho1973]

I'm sorry you had such a disappointing cruise. We took this exact trip in December and had almost a polar opposite experience.

 

I'm not a fan of MDR food on any cruise line (although BBQ night on DCL holds a solid First Place ribbon in my book) I don't hate it either. It's just mass-produced banquet food. I believe the days for cruising for food are long past on mainstream lines. I go to plenty of wonderful restaurants back home. This is just a meal.

[MacMarauder]

OP, thanks for the tip on starboard vs port, I'm debating rooms on Harmony for a similar itinerary in 2019 and was curious which side to go with. Also, I agree 100% with the following, it's my only gripe about Oasis class ships.

 

 

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.

[SweetieBelle]

Thank you you for your report. We will be on Harmony in October, same itinerary. I would really appreciate seeing your Cruise Compasses if you have time to post them. Thanks!