Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Just off Harmony - Sep. 22 -29

RoperDK

By RoperDK,
in Royal Caribbean International

 Share

Recommended Posts

RoperDK

RoperDK

Posted
Posted

I don't do reviews, but wanted to offer my thoughts on our cruise and answer any questions you might have.

 

1.  We were in a JS on the hump on deck 8. Loved the cabin and balcony and the location on deck 8. Convenient to the Trellis Bar and Park Café. We were able to book the Coastal Kitchen for dinner at whatever time we wanted as long as we wanted a table for 2.  We had to adjust a bit for a table for 4, but still were able to get reservations. We really enjoyed our Coastal Kitchen dinner experience and ate there for 5 nights.  

 

2.  This cruise was rerouted from Eastern to Western due to Tropical Storm Karen.  I much prefer the Eastern route, but after 30+ cruises it really doesn't matter to us.  The weather and seas were great, but HOT doesn't even begin to describe it.  It was the first time I didn't spend much time on the balcony, it was brutal.

 

3.  We aren't big eaters, so we have one big meal a day and snack for the others.  We enjoyed a lunch at Chops and recommend that.  We also did the Solarium Bistro for dinner one night and really enjoyed that.  We ate one lunch at Windjammer and it was mediocre at best.  We enjoyed Mini Bites, The Dog House, Park Café, and Sorrentos.  Those venues were fine and served their purpose.

 

4.  Ports.  I am nursing a broken foot and we only got off the ship at Coco Cay.  It was very windy and they cancelled many activities.  We were just planning on looking around and I think it is a very interesting port and maybe next time we can participate in some activities.  Lunch was good, but drink service was sub par.

 

5.  We did Escape the Rubicon and had a blast! We had a good group and made it out with 2 minutes to spare.  We've never done an escape room before and didn't know what to expect.  It isn't easy and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

 

6.  We had the drink package.  We've always thought it was a great option.  The drinks were watered down big time!  What a disappointment.  Even when the bartenders weren't aware of whether you had the package or not, the drinks were extremely weak.  On prior cruises, I had to watch myself to not over indulge.  Not this time.  Everyone in our group had the same experience.  We only had "good" drinks at the Coastal Kitchen and The Rising Tide bar.  I like cosmos and to fill up the glass they would add Roses lime juice to make a full glass. Really?!  I asked for a dirty martini and the amount of olive juice was overpowering.  I love chocolate martinis and they added the frozen ice cream mix to make it a full drink.  I know the recipes for these drinks and they were basically cheating to fill up a glass. It took me a while to figure it out, but once I watched how they did it, well, I wasn't happy to say the least. I would be upset to have to pay full price for what we got, the drinks are not cheap. 

 

7. Elevators were slow.  Workable, but slow.  With my broken foot, stairs were not an option.  Other people in our group would take the stairs, but I was stuck.  

 

Overall we had a great cruise.  We love Oasis class!  The only big negative was the watered down drink package and it was enough for our group to reconsider an RCCL cruise in the future.  Wake up RCCL!!!  

 

            

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Snit13

Snit13

Posted
Posted

And what did the bartender say when you called him/her on the watered down drinks?  I would have given drink back and asked for a properly prepared drink since you said you know how the drinks you ordered should be prepared.  I seldom drink what I call fancy drinks so sort of hard to water down Jack and soda with twist.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
sellwingri

sellwingri

Posted
Posted

I was also on this cruise and while every cruise is good, this one wasn’t at the top of my list.  Elevators were horrible; not synced and one was broken the entire cruise which isn’t good for a sold out cruise.  Our cabin was on 14 and had to wait 15 minutes at times.  May sound trivial for a reason to negatively rate a cruise but it was worse than I’ve ever seen it.  We were on Allure 6 weeks before and had no problems so it wasn’t an Oasis class ship problem.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RickAinley

RickAinley

Posted
Posted (edited)

We were on that sailing too. We didn't have the drinks package and from past experience in places where alcohol flows quickly, I watched them like a hawk on my cocktails. Seemed ok. 

 

We mostly ate in the MDR, WJ and Mini-Bites, as I never have high expectations I wasn't let down. Mass catering will never equal cuisine imho. We enjoyed it, somethings good, some bad. Only issues I had the WJ burgers, couldn't get hot ones..... We did debate Chops one night but we met a party coming out of there as we meandered and they did not like it. 

 

We were disappointed about losing the eastern caribbean but better than people's heads stuck in barf bags. 

 

Oddly enough, we did not get off in CocoCay, the kids wanted to stay on the pool deck and they had more or less sole access to the slides. They loved it. Also, we found it cool compared to Atlanta. Really enjoyed our balcony.

 

My biggest complaint was some of the passengers. Rude staff get fired, sometimes rude passengers should be made to walk the plank. Most were happy, but boy, quite a few surprised at the number of kids and made it perfectly clear. One moaned at me in the elevator right in front of my kids. Shut him down... 

 

The elevators - yes, that is one design flaw. We did get the piano man in there one night!

 

Enjoyed it, will be back one day.

 

Edited by RickAinley
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RoperDK

RoperDK

Posted
  • Author
Posted
12 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

That's sad to hear as we will be on harmony in a couple of weeks. Was it any particular bar or all of them? Looks like I may be drinking whiskey neat.

I think the casino bar was the biggest offender.  There were very few servers around the slots and my husband had to ask the host at the tables to get service. I just went up to the bar to get my drinks. I've always had good drinks from the casino bar in the past.

The Boot and Bonnet Pub was also a big disappointment.  We love to hang out there and people watch and while the servers were friendly and fun, the drinks were very weak.

The Solarium Bar was also sub par.  Not our normal experience at all.

I agree with trying to figure out a way to not have a mixed drink. Ordering liquor neat is the way to go.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RoperDK

RoperDK

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 hours ago, Snit13 said:

And what did the bartender say when you called him/her on the watered down drinks?  I would have given drink back and asked for a properly prepared drink since you said you know how the drinks you ordered should be prepared.  I seldom drink what I call fancy drinks so sort of hard to water down Jack and soda with twist.

Most of the time our group had screwdrivers, bloody Mary's, rum and sprite, vodka and cranberry.  We also didn't sit at a bar when ordering most of the time and since all of our prior experiences with the drink package were positive it took us a while to figure out that the drinks were weak. Kind of hard to tell if the pour is weak in those types of drinks. Don't get me wrong, we don't like to be blotto all day and a light drink here or there is not a problem.  It took me until the last day to figure out the martini situation.  The Coastal Kitchen and Rising Tide were on point and that is where I had most of my martinis. It was at the casino bar where I actually watched them add the extra ingredients to the drinks and that is where I figured out why they didn't taste right at certain places throughout the week.  I didn't make a fuss and just left the drink on the bar.  The chocolate martini with the added ice cream mix tasted okay, but I wouldn't want to pay full price for it.  I definitely made comments on the after cruise survey.  I just want people to be aware of what we experienced.         

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mickeygirl78

mickeygirl78

Posted
Posted

I'm traveling on the Harmony on 10/13.  Thank you for taking the time to review.  Disappointing to hear about the slow elevators.  I don't mind taking the stairs but traveling with my uncle who is in a wheelchair so we will need to wait for elevators for him.  What was your favorite item from your Chops lunch?  We have the unlimited dining plan, so we'll be hitting chops up for lunch and dinner. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Artemus

Artemus

Posted
Posted

Thank you for your report. I was on Harmony a month ago and loved it overall. I totally agree with you though about the elevators being really slow. All of the elevators were working (I think) during my cruise, it’s hard to imagine one being down‼️

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RoperDK

RoperDK

Posted
  • Author
Posted
7 minutes ago, mickeygirl78 said:

I'm traveling on the Harmony on 10/13.  Thank you for taking the time to review.  Disappointing to hear about the slow elevators.  I don't mind taking the stairs but traveling with my uncle who is in a wheelchair so we will need to wait for elevators for him.  What was your favorite item from your Chops lunch?  We have the unlimited dining plan, so we'll be hitting chops up for lunch and dinner. 

You will need to allow some extra time for the elevators for your uncle in the wheelchair.  We had to squeeze in to a full elevator most times.  We were near the aft elevators and I think they are more congested because of the dining rooms.  You might try the forward elevators whenever you can.

For Chops lunch I would recommend the filet. It was great.  The mushroom soup was great, too.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrsKC08

MrsKC08

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, RickAinley said:

Actually my other complaint was for what is deemed a "family" ship, making the headline entertainment show, Grease,  "Suitable for mature audiences only". Plenty of West End/Broadway shows they could have picked.  

This is one of the shows that we love on Harmony (sailing here again in a few weeks). Cats on Oasis really needs to go because no one seems to stay past intermission!

There are several other shows and entertainment options for "families" onboard and to be honest, most kids could care less about the shows anyways, in my experience.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ryano

ryano

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, sellwingri said:

  May sound trivial for a reason to negatively rate a cruise but it was worse than I’ve ever seen it. 

 

For a ship that already has many complaints of crowded elevators, as someone totally confined to a wheelchair and now knowing one of the elevators was not working and hasnt been for some time, Im kinda glad I cancelled for 9-1-19 because of Dorian and took the credit.   That would definitely not be "trivial" to me. 

 

One thing Ive learned to do is just get on ANY elevator that has room no matter which way its going.  

Edited by ryano
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Artemus

Artemus

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, ryano said:

 

For a ship that already has many complaints of crowded elevators, as someone totally confined to a wheelchair and now knowing one of the elevators was not working and hasnt been for some time, Im kinda glad I cancelled for 9-1-19 because of Dorian and took the credit.   That would definitely not be "trivial" to me. 

 

One thing Ive learned to do is just get on ANY elevator that has room no matter which way its going.  

I can’t tell you how many times I took the down elevator in order to go up and visa Versa (sp?)  it got to the point that I pressed the up and down buttons regardless of which way I was going‼️

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kathimac123

kathimac123

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 10/4/2019 at 2:17 PM, ryano said:

 

 

 

One thing Ive learned to do is just get on ANY elevator that has room no matter which way its going.  

Yep.  Go up to go down or vice versa.  We were also on this sailing.  My son and two of his friends had the drink package and got their money's worth.  They hung out in the casino bar nightly, tipped the bartenders the first night, and have absolutely no complaints about any drinks they got.  And they got EVERYTHING!  Just not all at once.  I enjoyed a tequila shot with them one evening, and it was waaaay more than a shot. . .more like 3.  The chocolate martini was a favorite for one of the boys.  Amaretto sour (I know, chick drink) was a nightly drink.  I was just told that every martini they tried was delicious.  

 

Really enjoyed this sailing except for the first night in the MDR.  We had MTD, and a month or so ago, they decided to add another early seating in the American Icon Dining room, pushing those of us with MTD reservations to later times.  This was an absolute cluster.  We have never had a problem showing up at our time and being seated.  There were at least 50 to 60 people blocking the entrance to the dining room every night.  Our first dinner, our wait staff completely forgot about us. . .leaving us sitting for 30 minutes between clearing our plates and delivering the next course.  We finally left without dessert and said something at the door.  The next night, we were seated in a new station with probably the best team we have EVER had.  Donald, Ijero, and Head Waiter Stefan were amazing.  I think they were concerned when we were first moved to their station, and I'm sure we are on some kind of list, but honestly, we NEVER complain about anything.  EVER.  And we were fairly calm this time. . .just terribly disappointed in our first dining experience on Harmony.  Every other night was a dream.

Edited by kathimac123
Adding text
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
DivaMI

DivaMI

Posted
Posted
On 10/3/2019 at 7:29 PM, RoperDK said:

I don't do reviews, but wanted to offer my thoughts on our cruise and answer any questions you might have.

 

1.  We were in a JS on the hump on deck 8. Loved the cabin and balcony and the location on deck 8. Convenient to the Trellis Bar and Park Café. We were able to book the Coastal Kitchen for dinner at whatever time we wanted as long as we wanted a table for 2.  We had to adjust a bit for a table for 4, but still were able to get reservations. We really enjoyed our Coastal Kitchen dinner experience and ate there for 5 nights.  

 

2.  This cruise was rerouted from Eastern to Western due to Tropical Storm Karen.  I much prefer the Eastern route, but after 30+ cruises it really doesn't matter to us.  The weather and seas were great, but HOT doesn't even begin to describe it.  It was the first time I didn't spend much time on the balcony, it was brutal.

 

3.  We aren't big eaters, so we have one big meal a day and snack for the others.  We enjoyed a lunch at Chops and recommend that.  We also did the Solarium Bistro for dinner one night and really enjoyed that.  We ate one lunch at Windjammer and it was mediocre at best.  We enjoyed Mini Bites, The Dog House, Park Café, and Sorrentos.  Those venues were fine and served their purpose.

 

4.  Ports.  I am nursing a broken foot and we only got off the ship at Coco Cay.  It was very windy and they cancelled many activities.  We were just planning on looking around and I think it is a very interesting port and maybe next time we can participate in some activities.  Lunch was good, but drink service was sub par.

 

5.  We did Escape the Rubicon and had a blast! We had a good group and made it out with 2 minutes to spare.  We've never done an escape room before and didn't know what to expect.  It isn't easy and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

 

6.  We had the drink package.  We've always thought it was a great option.  The drinks were watered down big time!  What a disappointment.  Even when the bartenders weren't aware of whether you had the package or not, the drinks were extremely weak.  On prior cruises, I had to watch myself to not over indulge.  Not this time.  Everyone in our group had the same experience.  We only had "good" drinks at the Coastal Kitchen and The Rising Tide bar.  I like cosmos and to fill up the glass they would add Roses lime juice to make a full glass. Really?!  I asked for a dirty martini and the amount of olive juice was overpowering.  I love chocolate martinis and they added the frozen ice cream mix to make it a full drink.  I know the recipes for these drinks and they were basically cheating to fill up a glass. It took me a while to figure it out, but once I watched how they did it, well, I wasn't happy to say the least. I would be upset to have to pay full price for what we got, the drinks are not cheap. 

 

7. Elevators were slow.  Workable, but slow.  With my broken foot, stairs were not an option.  Other people in our group would take the stairs, but I was stuck.  

 

Overall we had a great cruise.  We love Oasis class!  The only big negative was the watered down drink package and it was enough for our group to reconsider an RCCL cruise in the future.  Wake up RCCL!!!  

 

            

If you had the deluxe drink package you could have told the bartender how to make your drink and what liquors to put in it and how much. I love Bloody Mary's so I will tell them extra spicy and extra Titos. They will accommodate.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...