Live: Harmony of the Seas 6/23 Queens on the High Seas Summer Extravaganza!

[senrab]

2 hours ago, cruisinfromtampa said:

Back to Day 3...

 

After the slot pull, I took a much deserved nap. Before dinner, we went and sat on Rising Tide for a bit. It has become our go to bar on board. The bar tenders know us by name, and start making our drinks the moment we walk through the doors. They’ve been wonderful. 

 

Dinner tonight is at Wonderland! I have been wanting to eat here since I learned it existed. As I’ve made abundantly clear, I love food. And I love pushing the boundaries of what food is and can be. Peculiar flavor profiles, and unexpected things are my favorite. 

 

Our view wasn't too bad. 

 

 

 

When seated, you are given a picture in a frame and a paint brush.

 

 

 

Once you release your inner child, and “paint” to your hearts content, the menu magically appears. 

 

 

 

The menu is elemental, with Sun, Fire, and Ice  comprising the appetizer course(s), and Earth and Sea the entrees. Your waiter will ask about food allergies, and then they usually will pick some from each of the top 3 to bring out. We were very specific about ones we did not want, and she picked from what was left. 

 

Mad Hatter’s Purple Potted Shrimp. I could eat 20 of these. The shrimp was cooked beautifully, and was perfectly tender. The wrap was tantalizingly crispy. The foam was light and airy, and a great spark of heat from the pepper. DH doesn’t eat seafood, and I was not upset when she brought out two. 

 

 

 

The Bird’s Nest. They were good. I’d eat them again. But it was a simple deviled egg, just spicy. The smoke, however, is what changed the whole bite. They fill the dome with smoke, which flavors the space once it's released. You can smell it, and you can taste it. That’s what makes the dish special. 

 

 

 

Crispy Crab Cone. I’m not a huge avocado fan, so that was a little much for me. The crab was good, tasted fresh, and the wonton was crispy. The wasabi is a stronger hit than I was expecting, but it changed the flavor profile in a nice way. This could very easily go south, but it was a tasty bite. 

 

 

 

Tomato Water. This dish is pretty mind blowing. It really just looks like clear water with orange bubbles floating on top. I was apprehensive about it, simply because gazpacho is not a go to for me. I was more than pleasantly surprised. It tasted great, and it makes your mind work. 

 

 

 

Wonton Soup. DH got this. The broth was flavorful, and he enjoyed the wonton. The noodles were unexpected as well. On a cold day, I could have a bowl of the broth and be completely satisfied. 

 

 

 

Liquid Lobster. Great bite. Could eat 10. Lobster melted in your mouth. The bisque like soup was flavorful. No complaints. 

 

 

 

DH got the chicken, and loved it. For someone not really into food, he mentioned it multiple times. It was crispy, tender, and juicy. I enjoyed the bite I stole with the sauce that came with it. He just had the chicken and potatoes, which he also liked. 

 

 

 

The Rib T Luscious Short Rib. Beautifully tender. Fall apart and melt in your mouth. The sauce was a bit too salty for my palate, but DH liked it. I wanted to like the beets so badly, but I just can’t get there. I try them every few months but to no avail. They still taste like dirt. I’d order this again. 

 

 

 

Halibut Cooked in Clear Paper. This was the only disappointment of the night. The fish was obliterated. Completely over cooked, and barely flaking. The liquid and mushrooms on the bottom were tasty, but the fish deserved better. 

 

 

 

The World. Scrumptious. Delicious. Delightful. Tantalizing. Superb. I have nothing bad to say, other than I wish we had each gotten our own. Having to share was a crime against humanity. 

 

 

 

Forbidden Apple. Not a fan. Mousse had a nice flavor, but strange texture. Too firm. And the mound of coconut in the bottom was overpowering. Wouldn’t order again. 

 

 

 

I ordered peppermint tea, and the honey came in its own demitasse. Sometimes it’s the little things. 

 

 

 

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. So much in fact, that we changed our reservation for Night 6 to come back rather than going to 150 Central Park again. I think Wonderland is a must do one time for everyone. It’s just plain fun. 

THANK YOU FOR THIS! I've been waiting with bated breath for your thoughts on Wonderland, and this review (especially the pictures) sold me!

[VaTech8912]

What apps did your husband get other than the soup and deviled eggs? I am curious as I too do not eat seafood.  Thanks much.

[vpat48]

Nice pics of Coco Cay and even better food review ;)

 

Keep it coming. Hope you are having fun.

[Nimbus]

Thank you so much for the fabulous reviews - we will be on Harmony in January and this is soooo tantalizing!

[perfect match]

On 6/25/2019 at 10:13 AM, cruisinfromtampa said:

😂 My mother doesn’t even have it! 

 

I can provide a picture of it though...

 

 

 

Just let me know the next time you’re making this cake! I’ll drive down to your house! We’re only about 90 minutes away! 😱

 

Great review, btw! I will continue to follow along. We just got off Symphony about 2 months ago so I’m re-living that cruise, and Harmony out of PC is one of the next cruises I’m planning to book. 😀

Edited June 29, 2019 by perfect match

[DISFANS3]

Cool pics..

[Palmfam]

On 6/23/2019 at 8:37 AM, cruisinfromtampa said:

 

 

 

 

Well...that’s a start. Plenty more to come. If you want more content, feel free to follow us on FB and Instagram. Our page/profile on both is queensonthehighseas

 

Thanks for following along! 

 

 

LOVE the review!! Love them so much, I went back and read ALL your reviews!

I already sent an email to see if I can get this amazing template. 

babypalma2005@yahoo.com

[Palmfam]

On 6/23/2019 at 8:37 AM, cruisinfromtampa said:

 

Edited June 29, 2019 by Palmfam
duplicate

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

I hope the rest of your cruise was fantastic & this finds you home safe & sound. Thank you for sharing. I hope you will let us know about the rest of your adventure. This turned out to be my guilty pleasure of the week.😉

[GEORGIEGIRL]

Very nice review of your cruise. We will be sailing on her for the 2nd, time in December. Could you please email me a copy of your spreadsheet. kgmarshall@juno.com

 

Thanks:

[cruisinfromtampa]

45 minutes ago, RazorbackIslandGirl said:

I hope the rest of your cruise was fantastic & this finds you home safe & sound. Thank you for sharing. I hope you will let us know about the rest of your adventure. This turned out to be my guilty pleasure of the week.😉

 

We walked in the door 20 minutes ago. We made great time! First load of laundry is already going! Sitting down now to continue. 

[cruisinfromtampa]

Finishing up Day 3...After our meal at Wonderland, we headed to Studio B for the  ice show, “1887: A Journey in Time”. 

 

I have mixed feelings about the show. They are without a doubt incredibly talented, it was visually pleasing, and the choreography was great. But...it just didn’t make sense. Maybe I missed something, but following the plot was not really possible for me. Was there a plot? The world may never know. 

 

Definitely worth the time though. Some pictures below. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back to the room, we stopped by the casino and played on a slot. I successfully cashed in our winnings. #notajoke 

 

[cruisinfromtampa]

On to Day 4: St. Thomas! 

 

St. Thomas is one of our favorite islands. It’s on the list of places to go back for a land vacation. Others include St. Maarten, Aruba, and Bonaire, just to give an idea of what we like. I can’t put my finger on a specific thing that draws us to it, but we just live it every time we go, and want to explore more. 

 

We had had a late arrival, which gave us a chance to sleep in and grab breakfast. We walked around the pool deck for a bit while we waited for clearance. The Solarium was crowded when we walked through, and so hot. My glasses fogged up, and sweaty is an understatement. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did the “Villa Botanica and Mountain Top” excursion. It was roughly 4 hours long. Some highs, and some lows. 

 

Villa Botanica was perfectly lovely, but 90 minutes was far too long to spend there. I would rather they had split the time evenly between it and Mountain Top. The view from Mountain Too was great, but our driver neglected to stop along the way for us to take pictures of the ship docked in port, which is one shot I was really

hoping to get. We saw the other buses stopping, and that was frustrating. The highlight of the trip was the minor traffic accident we had. On the way down the mountain, there wasn’t enough clearance for us and another truck to pass, and we made contact. Both vehicles became wedged together between the others parked on the side. Nobody was hurt, or even close to getting hurt, but it was still unsettling, as anything could have happened. We went to GS just to let them know it happened. The manager from Shore Excursions called us later that night to talk about it. Apparently nobody else mentioned it, and they were grateful to know. 

 

View from the Villa. 

 

 

Termite mound that survived Irma and Maria. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View from Mountain Top. 

 

 

 

Iguana were everywhere. 

 

 

Overall, a relaxing day. St. Thomas is beautiful. 

 

Edited June 30, 2019 by cruisinfromtampa

[cruisinfromtampa]

Dinner Night 4 was at Sabor. 

 

 

Beef Empanada. Surprisingly tasty. Could have used more filling, but the pastry was light and crisp, and not greasy. The dipping sauce was a nice addition too. Be warned...they come one to an order, and we were sharing it. That was a mistake on our part. We should have ordered 3. 

 

 

Condiments for my tacos. 

 

 

The tacos are build your own. You can have soft flour tortillas, or hard corn shells. I prefer soft, so that’s what I went with. They weren’t bad. I chose short rib and shrimp. The short rib was a bit greasy, but flavorful and tender. The shrimp were light and crispy, but not over cooked. I would have liked the cheese on the side so I could have added it to each taco myself. Same with the slaw on the shrimp. We’re they great tacos? No. But they were good enough and I had no issues finishing it. 

 

 

DH got the chicken quesadilla. Again, he’s picky, so finding peppers in them was an unexpected disappointment, as it was not listed on the description. He also struggled to find the bacon, and by struggled I mean it wasn’t there, and it was listed. His review: It was ok. Personally, I feel like you have to try to make just an ok quesadilla...flavorful meat, good cheese, crispy on the outside is all you need for a good one, and this one fell short. 

 

 

Banana and Chocolate Chimichanga. This and the empanada were probably the best parts of the meal. The filling was flavorful, and the outside was perfectly crispy. Mixed with the ice cream, a tasty bite. 

 

 

In the end, the meal was just ok. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. If we were to do UDP again, I’d consider it for lunch if they’re open, but not dinner. And I definitely wouldn’t pay for it separately. 

 

After dinner we walked around the shops for a bit. New water vessels were added to the collection. 

 

 

The evening entertainment was Mo5aic, which is a 5 member a cappella group. Overall a great show. The beat boxer is definitely the highlight. His talent is out of this world. 

 

They really shine in their instrument impersonations. However, having an “electric guitar” take a solo during “Take 5” was sacrilege, and I’m offended! 😂

 

If they're on one of your sailings, definitely go. You won’t regret it at all. 

 

Up next, Day 5: St. Maarten!

 

[bobmacliberty]

Was the souvenir store with the daiquiris still there on Mountain Top?  Thought I heard that it was destroyed by the hurricanes.  

 

Completely agree with your ice show thoughts.  I always figured that the "plot" was just a theme to be able to loosely tie together the performances.  Looks like you had good seats.

[cruisinfromtampa]

4 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

Was the souvenir store with the daiquiris still there on Mountain Top?  Thought I heard that it was destroyed by the hurricanes.  

 

Completely agree with your ice show thoughts.  I always figured that the "plot" was just a theme to be able to loosely tie together the performances.  Looks like you had good seats.

 

It was! It may have been destroyed, but you wouldn’t have known. And the banana daiquiris were tasty! 

 

I’m glad I’m not the only one! Yes...our seats were great. Roughly 4th row up, dead center on the front side. 

Edited June 30, 2019 by cruisinfromtampa

[SanzD]

Did they happen to sell the drink card at anytime during the cruise?

Edited June 30, 2019 by SanzD

[rs45thompson]

Following 

[perfect match]

I would be thrilled with your casino winnings! Usually I end up with nothing! Or, more likely, I’m in the hole. That’s why I don’t play very often.

 

I agree with you on favorite islands. We had a land trip planned to St Thomas. Then Irma and Maria happened. The resort we had planned to go to was completely destroyed. Needless to say, our plans for that trip had to be changed. Hopefully, we will get another opportunity to go on a land trip there soon.

 

Your pictures from the garden are beautiful!

 

I’m not telling my DH about your bus accident. He hates the narrow, winding roads in St Thomas. If I tell him about your bus accident, there goes my land trip to St Thomas! 😱

 

 

 

[Bem15963]

We saw Mo5aic two years ago on Oasis.,  They were really good - we went twice .....  Hope they are on the trip next week.

 

[mchin]

I love reading this.  While we just returned from Freedom this past Sunday, we are booked on Harmony for June of next year.  Very excited to try Harmony to see how she differs from her sisters, Oasis and Allure.

[tianni]

We were on the same cruise.  I am reliving it through your posts.  Keep them coming!  

[cruisinfromtampa]

Good morning all! Sorry for dropping off. I’m currently sitting on a plane about to be bound for Detroit. I’ll have internet during the flight, and 3 hours between flights to get finished. I also brought the cruise compasses with me, and will get those posted as well after I finish Days 5-8. 

 

Once were airborne, I’ll get writing. But for now, I’ll enjoy my pre-flight cocktail and prepare my thumbs for typing. 

 

[cruisinfromtampa]

Day 5: St. Maarten 

 

I think I mentioned it before...St. Maarten is one of our favorite islands. I’m a plane nut, and Maho Beach was #1 on my bucket list from the time I was 15 until I was able to go two years ago. I’m such a dweeb that I wept while standing on the wall watching the first plane land. It was completely overwhelming for me. 

 

We first visited in 2017, and this was kid first time back since. While I fully expected to still see damage from the hurricanes, I thought it would be on the outskirts. It’s mind boggling to see how much is still left, especially in the heavily trafficked tourist areas. I cannot imagine what it looked like afterwards. 

 

Some of the damaged boats still in the harbor. 

 

 

 

 

Ww booked the Maho excursion through the ship. I have a hard time booking outside. The anxiety of possibly being left gets to me. After this though, I may change my tune. The excursion was fine. They took us to Maho, dropped us off for a few hours, then took us back. There was nothing inherently wrong with it. Other than the waiting in line to board a bus, and the $108 it cost us. We should have just taken a cab. Would have been much cheaper, and gotten us there faster. 

 

That said, I love Maho. We snagged a great table and just ate and drank while the planes came in. It was a great day, and I’m happy with the photos and videos I was able to get. They’ll tide me over for a couple of years as DH requested we do something else on our next visit. 

 

The beachbis  is significantly more narrow than I remember it being. 

 

 

The flight schedule while we were there. JetBlue #1 was almost 40 minutes late, Delta was 40 minutes early, and I believe American was on time. 

 

 

We were able to grab the corner table. Unobstructed  view of the beach, and the planes as they landed. If you asked me, I’d say it’s the best table at the place. Highly recommend if you can snag it. 

 

 

Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, which is also what I’m currently flying on. 

 

 

JetBlue Airbus A-320

 

 

American Airlines Boeing 757-200

 

 

Ship docked in port. 

 

 

Well...it’s time for breakfast. Photos are taking forever to upload. You can’t have everything at 37,000 feet.  The rest of Day 5 after I eat. 

 

 

 

 

 

[luv2sailAgain]

Glad you are back!  We leave on Harmony in 1.5 weeks! Our St. Maarten excursion will bus us over to the French side and then a ferry to Pinel Island.  It has been years since I have been to SXM and am wondering about the damage.  

 

It is a love/hate relationship with ship excursions for me as well. Too afraid to book them outside. But when I am on the cattle herding excursions, I start changing my mind.  The anxiety of being left behind wins out though.

 

Thanks for the report!!