Harmony of the Seas ~ Sept 1-8, 2018 ~ A Kid-Free Anniversary Cruise

[vtroper]

Lisa,

 

Thanks for posting the dailies. We’re sailing on the Harmony in December and this allows me to plan every minute of my week 4 months in advance.

 

Interested to hear your thoughts on Wonderland. We’re doing it as part of the BOGO package. People seem to either really like it or really don’t. It appears you guys are in the latter group.

[PirateGal]

On a fun note, there's a bar/lounge in the hotel called the Wreck Bar that has live mermaid shows on Friday and Saturday nights. We made a point to catch part of the early show before dinner. How often in life does one get to see a mermaid show?!?

 

Fun Fact: We sat next to this mermaid's parents at the bar!

 

!

 

We saw the mermaid show on Saturday night before sailing on the Allure! It is a fun show!

[LisaLisa87]

Were your drinks included at Sabor?

 

No, but we had the drink package, so we didn't pay for them. For the $20 cover charge, we each got a starter, a side, and an entree. Our server talked us into getting two proteins each with the make your own tacos, and that was way too much. I had the pork and the shrimp, and I liked the pork better. Next time I'll just get the pork. Dessert is included as well, but we were really full so we shared an order of churros (which weren't bad!).

[LisaLisa87]

Lisa,

 

Thanks for posting the dailies. We’re sailing on the Harmony in December and this allows me to plan every minute of my week 4 months in advance.

 

Interested to hear your thoughts on Wonderland. We’re doing it as part of the BOGO package. People seem to either really like it or really don’t. It appears you guys are in the latter group.

 

Happy to help -- I'm a big planner as well! We really liked Wonderland. I'm going to try to get that review up shortly as I'm finally caught up at work!

[LisaLisa87]

We saw the mermaid show on Saturday night before sailing on the Allure! It is a fun show!

 

Yes, it was fun and different! We went to the early show, but apparently there's a "burlesque" version later. I wonder what that entails??

[LisaLisa87]

Wonderland

Our last dinner was at Wonderland. We had considered going there for our anniversary dinner, but decided we wanted a more traditional experience that night. Even after reading numerous reviews of Wonderland, I still wasn't sure what to expect. I think that's part of the fun.

 

We started with cocktails. I can't remember what DH got, but I had the Rolling Stone. I really liked it, which was a relief because I had ordered the Helios in the Sand when we visited the bar early in the cruise and didn't care for it at all. The waiter had placed our menus on the table, along with paintbrushes and a small bowl of water. We took a few moments to "paint" our menus:

 

Wonderland Menu by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Our waiter told us that everything on the menu through Liquid Lobster was considered a starter, and that we could choose 5 of those to share. From the Halibut down were the entrees, and we were each to choose one. Based primarily on his recommendations, we went with the Reconstructed Caprese, Oceanic Citrus (tuna tartare) for DH/Crispy Crab Cone for me, the Buffalos Chicken Eggs, the Shrimp Kataif, and the Liquid Lobster. I liked the Buffalo Chicken Eggs and the Shrimp Kataif the most, and the Reconstructed Caprese the least. DH didn't care for the eggs as they had a very smoky flavor, which tasted artificial to him. He really enjoyed the tuna tartare.

 

Buffalo Chicken Eggs by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Liquid Lobster by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Crispy Crab Cone by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Oceanic Citrus by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

For our entrees, I chose the Terroir of Beef and DH went with the Berkshire Pork Belly. Both portions were quite large. I liked mine, but didn't love it. It reminded me of DH's grandmother's pot roast! It came with two sauces, both of which I thought were just okay, and some mini potatoes, which were meh. I would definitely choose something different next time. DH really enjoyed the pork belly. I tried a bite and was surprised to learn that I liked it too. I'm normally not much of a pork belly person.

 

I knew going in that I wanted to try The World for dessert, and our waiter encouraged us to try the Dream Sundae as well. I'm a big peanut/peanut butter fan, so I LOVED The World. It was so, so good. I didn't really care for the Dream Sundae, but DH thought it was good and ate most of it. I'm going to try to post a video of The World, but I'm not confident it will work!

 

[LisaLisa87]

Plowing right ahead...

 

DELUXE DRINK PACKAGE

 

This was our 10th cruise, but our first with drink packages... Despite the fact that we routinely run up an $800-900 beverage bill. We figured that since we were traveling without DD, this was the time to give it a whirl. I checked the Cruise Planner regularly, and prices for the Deluxe package ranged from $47-52. I read here about others getting $42 for an Oasis class ship, but we weren't that lucky. I booked at $47 and felt great about that price when we boarded and saw that they were selling the package onboard for $63/day (and there were plenty of takers). Total cost for us was $776.44, including the 18% gratuity. Here's what's included along with a summary of where our money was spent:

 

 

• Cocktails / Spirits / Liqueurs / Beer - Not surprisingly, this is the most expensive category and is where we spent most of our money. We drank more than our share of cocktails, frozen drinks, and beer over the course of the week.
  
• Bottled still and sparkling water - We're not sparkling water people, but we drank tons of bottled still water. As many here do, we ordered 1 or 2 bottles with each round of drinks. We tried to make sure we always had a couple in the fridge in our room, which was handy in the evening and for the gym.
  
• Wines by the glass - We drank wine with most dinners, and we found that many of the wines we were interested in cost more than the $13/drink max imposed by the package. Generally, we paid from $1 to $4 extra per glass to get what we wanted (and we are not wine aficionados).
  
• Fresh squeezed juices - We went to WJ for breakfast one morning specifically to get fresh-squeezed OJ. Juices and smoothies at the Vitality Spa are included as well, and we made a point to get fresh-squeezed juice after working out at the gym (3x over the course of the week).
  
• Non-alcoholic cocktails - We didn't bother with these.;);)
  
• Premium coffees and teas - We went to Cafe Promenade for lattes several times. We also got cappuccinos after a few of our dinners.
  
• Fountain sodas/Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages - We're not soda drinkers and never even unwrapped our cups.
  
• Milkshakes at Johnny Rockets - We might have made a point to go to JR for milkshakes, but I forgot until now that they're included!
  

So now to the Big Question: Did we get our money's worth? 100% yes. What we drank would definitely have cost more than $776. Would we have had as much to drink without the package? Almost certainly not. We both felt the "We paid for the package and we need to make it pay off" mentality. Still, we would have spent more than we paid for the packages. Aside from a strict dollars-and-sense standpoint, though, having the packages encouraged us to be more experimental than we usually are. And abandoning a drink that I didn't like was much easier knowing that I could simply order something else. I only did that twice the whole week: once at the bar at Wonderland (Helios in the Sand, which sounded great on paper, but which I couldn't stand) and once at Sabor (the Royal Paloma, which was unexpectedly sour). Here are a few of my faves from the week:

 

 

Jalapeno-Cucumber Magarita by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

Jalapeno-Cucumber Margarita from Sabor

 

 

Mudslide by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

Mudslide from the Solarium Bar

 

 

Labadoozies by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

Labadoozies... on Labadee

 

 

Rolling Stone by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

Rolling Stone at Wonderland

 

 

Next up: Ports, starting with Labadee...

[cruzincanuck]

Thank you so much for posting the compasses. We booked today for the Harmony in Jan 2019 and I am a bonafide plan freak so I was able to review the entertainment schedule & figure out which show- what night :D That is provided that the schedule remains the same or close enough :)

[IzznOll17]

Great review! .. i simply don't have the patience to sit down long enough to compose one ha ha

 

It was lovely to meet n chat with you on the beach at Labadee!

 

Best Wishes

 

The Honeymooners

[LisaLisa87]

PORTS

 

Labadee

Our first stop, on day 3, was Labadee. The weather for our first full day at sea had been mostly cloudy as we sailed through a tropical disturbance, so we went to bed on Sunday night hoping for the best. We woke up to sunshine and blue skies, and the weather stayed that way all day. We were happy to get so see Labadee in all her glory, as the only other time we were there it was cloudy for most of the day.

 

Sept 3, 2018 @Labadee by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

We had ordered room service the night before and enjoyed a very relaxed breakfast in our room before disembarking. I wanted to get off the ship fairly early since we had booked a bungalow at Columbus Cove. I booked it through the Cruise Planner months before the cruise at $223. I checked regularly but never saw the price that low again. We walked to Columbus Cove, and when we got to the bungalow area, we were told we could choose the one we wanted. I had seen photos of the bungalows here and knew I wanted either 4, 5, or 6. Only one other bungalow was taken when we arrived (#3). After getting the lay of the land, we decided on #5, which was just about in the middle and seemed to have a bit more space on either side than some of the others.

 

Beach Bungalow #5 by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

The bungalow was stocked with towels, a cooler with 6 large bottles of Evian, 2 floating mats, and 2 lounge chairs. We ended up moving our lounge chairs closer to the water -- or I should say that one of the attendants did this for us. We were perfectly happy to do it ourselves, but he insisted! We spent most of the day either in the water or in our bungalow. I had brought a tiny bluetooth speaker, and we played some music when we were in the bungalow. Our beach attendant (Regis) was amazing. He was always on hand when our drinks were low. We met a lovely couple who had recently been married and were kind enough to share their champagne with us. Thanks again, if you're reading!

 

Columbus Cove BB5 by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

View from BB5 by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

All in all, we had pretty much the perfect day at Labadee and were among the last to head back to the ship. This was the best money we spent all week and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Great day at Labadee! by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

I'm going to try to embed a video. I hope someone will let me know if it doesn't work!

 

[LisaLisa87]

Thank you so much for posting the compasses. We booked today for the Harmony in Jan 2019 and I am a bonafide plan freak so I was able to review the entertainment schedule & figure out which show- what night :D That is provided that the schedule remains the same or close enough :)

 

You're welcome! Always happy to help my fellow planning freaks. :)

[LisaLisa87]

Great review! .. i simply don't have the patience to sit down long enough to compose one ha ha

 

It was lovely to meet n chat with you on the beach at Labadee!

 

Best Wishes

 

The Honeymooners

 

Hopefully my review is helping you to relive your week! We enjoyed meeting the two of you as well. It must have been hard going home after 2 weeks on Harmony!

[APDMOM]

That view from Columbus Cove.... Love it!

[MzShae]

Liking your review. Following

[LisaLisa87]

That view from Columbus Cove.... Love it!

 

Yes -- I miss it. The view from my office isn't nearly as good!

 

Liking your review. Following

 

Thanks for following! I hope to post the next update later today.

[JaniceB]

No, but we had the drink package, so we didn't pay for them. For the $20 cover charge, we each got a starter, a side, and an entree. Our server talked us into getting two proteins each with the make your own tacos, and that was way too much. I had the pork and the shrimp, and I liked the pork better. Next time I'll just get the pork. Dessert is included as well, but we were really full so we shared an order of churros (which weren't bad!).

Thank you!

[IzznOll17]

Hopefully my review is helping you to relive your week! We enjoyed meeting the two of you as well. It must have been hard going home after 2 weeks on Harmony!

 

 

Very much so! But as most do, we booked again (Italy/Sicily/Malta and Greece) on the Jewel so the countdown clock is running!

 

Have fun!

[LisaLisa87]

Very much so! But as most do, we booked again (Italy/Sicily/Malta and Greece) on the Jewel so the countdown clock is running!

 

Have fun!

 

Yes, it always helps when you have another cruise to look forward to! That Jewel itinerary sounds amazing. Our next one will be on MSC Seaside, which is new and different for us, to celebrate my 50th!

[zencruisers]

Great review and pictures! Your day at Labadee looked perfect. BTW. Happy Anniversary!

[katiel53]

I am enjoying your review of Harmony as we are sailing on her in January, albeit, we are not going to the same ports as we have done them on Allure.

 

I had really wanted to go to Wonderland, but my sister, who is my traveling companion on this trip didn't want to go there. After reading your review, I'm not so sad now that we aren't going.

 

I am interested in going to the Solarium Bistro one night for dinner as we have a 5 night package plus the first night at Jamie's. We were left with one night to decide where to have dinner and I think we might like the Bistro. On Allure we loved Samba and wish they had that on Harmony, but we will be fine.

 

I just wanted to mention that you said you paid tax on the room service order. It's not tax that you paid, it's an 18% gratuity for the room service. It's automatically billed.

 

I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. Thanks for posting.

[LisaLisa87]

Great review and pictures! Your day at Labadee looked perfect. BTW. Happy Anniversary!

 

Thank you! It really was a great day.

 

I am enjoying your review of Harmony as we are sailing on her in January, albeit, we are not going to the same ports as we have done them on Allure.

 

I had really wanted to go to Wonderland, but my sister, who is my traveling companion on this trip didn't want to go there. After reading your review, I'm not so sad now that we aren't going.

 

I am interested in going to the Solarium Bistro one night for dinner as we have a 5 night package plus the first night at Jamie's. We were left with one night to decide where to have dinner and I think we might like the Bistro. On Allure we loved Samba and wish they had that on Harmony, but we will be fine.

 

I just wanted to mention that you said you paid tax on the room service order. It's not tax that you paid, it's an 18% gratuity for the room service. It's automatically billed.

 

I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. Thanks for posting.

 

We enjoyed the whole experience of Wonderland, but it isn't something we'd do every cruise. And we definitely wouldn't take our daughter, who is a fairly picky eater. I recommend Solarium Bistro, especially since it's free! They recommend making reservations in advance, but it wasn't very crowded either of the two times we were there. We liked Samba on Allure as well, but I prefer the price at SB!

 

Regarding the room service charge, you are 100% right. I actually remember thinking at the time how odd it was that we were paying a gratuity on top of a service charge. And we still tipped an extra $2 in cash each time!

[LisaLisa87]

PORTS, CONT'D

 

Falmouth, Jamaica

This one wasn't technically a port day for us as we didn't get off the ship. Well, we actually did get off very briefly about an hour before all aboard time to buy some Blue Mountain coffee. I'll keep this one brief. We had breakfast at WJ, walked around the ship a bit, and then headed to the gym. The gym had been very crowded the first time we went (on the first sea day), but it was almost empty this time. Once we finished we stopped at Vitality Cafe for some fresh-squeezed juice and then returned to our room to get ready for a day on the pool deck. We were happy to see that the pool deck was not crowded at all -- I expected more people to stay on board, but it seemed as if by far the majority of people got off. It was nice to have lounge chairs close to the pool!

 

Beach Pool on Jamaica Day by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Beach Pool by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Solarium on Jamaica Day by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

It was a pretty laid-back day. I went down to Park Cafe at one point and got salads to go. We stayed at the pool for several hours and then called it a day. As I mentioned, we decided sort of last minute that we wanted to get off the ship and buy some coffee in the port area. We got a couple of raised eyebrows as it was less than an hour until all aboard time, but we promised we'd be quick! Incidentally, the coffee was terrible. DH stayed in Jamaica years ago and said he was fairly certain that what we bought was not authentic Blue Mountain coffee.

 

Cozumel

We went to Nachi Cocum with DD when we were on Allure last spring break and loved it, so it was a pretty easy decision to go back. Last time we had a fairly long wait for a taxi, but this time there were very few people in line. The couple in front of us was going to Nachi as well, so we ended up sharing a ride. The cost was $18 for the 4 of us, and it took about 15 minutes. We had a beautiful day and asked for a palapa in the shade as we knew we'd only be able to take so much sun! Compared to the last time we were there, service was a bit slow. It seemed as if maybe they were short staffed. That said, we definitely had our fill of food and beverages while we were there. For those who aren't familiar with Nachi, the $55/person price comes with unlimited beverages (including bottled water) and a generous lunch. Each person is allowed to order one starter, one soup or salad, one entree, and one dessert. We were told last time that we could order one course at a time, and that's what we did this time as well. We started with guacamole and nachos, then DH had the fruit salad and I had the veggie salad, and finally DH had the grilled grouper and I had the grilled shrimp. We skipped dessert. The food was very good.

 

Nachi Cocum - View from our Palapa by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

The water at Nachi Cocum by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Nachi Cocum by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Once we got back to the port, we walked around the shops to find a souvenir for DD. I wanted to get her a trinket of some kind, but DH was set on getting her a pair of pearl earrings to replace a pair that he inadvertently lost (long story). I was skeptical about buying real jewelry there, but DH insisted. When we got home, he was really excited to give them to her. She was equally excited to receive them and went right into the bathroom to clean them and put them on. Wouldn't you know it... the "pearl" fell off the post as she was putting the first one on.

 

Next up, entertainment on the ship.

[Tahina cruising]

PORTS, CONT'D

 

Falmouth, Jamaica

This one wasn't technically a port day for us as we didn't get off the ship. Well, we actually did get off very briefly about an hour before all aboard time to buy some Blue Mountain coffee. I'll keep this one brief. We had breakfast at WJ, walked around the ship a bit, and then headed to the gym. The gym had been very crowded the first time we went (on the first sea day), but it was almost empty this time. Once we finished we stopped at Vitality Cafe for some fresh-squeezed juice and then returned to our room to get ready for a day on the pool deck. We were happy to see that the pool deck was not crowded at all -- I expected more people to stay on board, but it seemed as if by far the majority of people got off. It was nice to have lounge chairs close to the pool!

 

Beach Pool on Jamaica Day by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Beach Pool by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Solarium on Jamaica Day by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

It was a pretty laid-back day. I went down to Park Cafe at one point and got salads to go. We stayed at the pool for several hours and then called it a day. As I mentioned, we decided sort of last minute that we wanted to get off the ship and buy some coffee in the port area. We got a couple of raised eyebrows as it was less than an hour until all aboard time, but we promised we'd be quick! Incidentally, the coffee was terrible. DH stayed in Jamaica years ago and said he was fairly certain that what we bought was not authentic Blue Mountain coffee.

 

Cozumel

We went to Nachi Cocum with DD when we were on Allure last spring break and loved it, so it was a pretty easy decision to go back. Last time we had a fairly long wait for a taxi, but this time there were very few people in line. The couple in front of us was going to Nachi as well, so we ended up sharing a ride. The cost was $18 for the 4 of us, and it took about 15 minutes. We had a beautiful day and asked for a palapa in the shade as we knew we'd only be able to take so much sun! Compared to the last time we were there, service was a bit slow. It seemed as if maybe they were short staffed. That said, we definitely had our fill of food and beverages while we were there. For those who aren't familiar with Nachi, the $55/person price comes with unlimited beverages (including bottled water) and a generous lunch. Each person is allowed to order one starter, one soup or salad, one entree, and one dessert. We were told last time that we could order one course at a time, and that's what we did this time as well. We started with guacamole and nachos, then DH had the fruit salad and I had the veggie salad, and finally DH had the grilled grouper and I had the grilled shrimp. We skipped dessert. The food was very good.

 

Nachi Cocum - View from our Palapa by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

The water at Nachi Cocum by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Nachi Cocum by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Once we got back to the port, we walked around the shops to find a souvenir for DD. I wanted to get her a trinket of some kind, but DH was set on getting her a pair of pearl earrings to replace a pair that he inadvertently lost (long story). I was skeptical about buying real jewelry there, but DH insisted. When we got home, he was really excited to give them to her. She was equally excited to receive them and went right into the bathroom to clean them and put them on. Wouldn't you know it... the "pearl" fell off the post as she was putting the first one on.

 

Next up, entertainment on the ship.

I'm glad Nachi Cochum looks so much nicer than we went a few years ago!! The water was brown. I never wanted to go back even though the food and drinks were great. Now that I know that wasn't normal, I can't wait to try it again! I can't wait to read the rest of your review!

 

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[LisaLisa87]

Posting one more photo of Nachi Cocum so people won't keep seeing my DH's big mug when they're scrolling through posts!

 

ETA: That doesn't seem to have worked. Oh well.

 

 

 

Nachi Cocum 2 by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

Edited September 18, 2018 by LisaLisa87

[LisaLisa87]

I'm glad Nachi Cochum looks so much nicer than we went a few years ago!! The water was brown. I never wanted to go back even though the food and drinks were great. Now that I know that wasn't normal, I can't wait to try it again! I can't wait to read the rest of your review!

 

 

 

What time of year were you there? We've been in April and September and the water was crystal clear both times. I'd definitely give it another try! Thanks for reading.

 

 

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