A short review of Thanksgiving 2021 Harmony cruise with food pics

[poocher]

Thank you so much!  The food porn was, well I’m wiping the drool off the screen.  Glad for the heads up on the stroganoff.  I usually like it but pickles?  102 days til we sail her!!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 minutes ago, poocher said:

Thank you so much!  The food porn was, well I’m wiping the drool off the screen.  Glad for the heads up on the stroganoff.  I usually like it but pickles?  102 days til we sail her!!

I know!

I gave it my best shot and tried to be open minded, thinking - well, maybe, it's some kind of an innovative idea, but it was truly a no for me. 🙂

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, poocher said:

Thank you so much!  The food porn was, well I’m wiping the drool off the screen.  Glad for the heads up on the stroganoff.  I usually like it but pickles?  102 days til we sail her!!

 

We were on Harmony back in September and DH didn't care for the stroganoff either, although he didn't mention pickles.

[Luckynana]

Thank you for the wonderful food porn pictures!!!  Two more months before I can partake of these beautiful entrees!

[MissDaisyofTexas]

I love the photos! We are excited to try Harmony in March.

[mirgloin]

Thanks so much for the review! Can't wait for more. You mentioned/replied above that the Windjammer was not usually too busy when you were, but I was wondering if you needed to make reservations.  I've seen mention of reservations for the WJ, but things change (and probably will again a few times before our Jan. cruise. 🙂)

 

Thanks again, 

M.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

11 hours ago, mirgloin said:

Thanks so much for the review! Can't wait for more. You mentioned/replied above that the Windjammer was not usually too busy when you were, but I was wondering if you needed to make reservations.  I've seen mention of reservations for the WJ, but things change (and probably will again a few times before our Jan. cruise. 🙂)

 

Thanks again, 

M.

no reservations necessary. You scan the card(s) upon arrival, do washy-washy (by the way, the water was VERY hot, so the kid was reluctant to wash his hands at the buffet - he washed them in our cabin instead). When you are done eating, you exit right across from the first food station and scan your card upon leaving.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

As promised, Daily Cruise Compasses for Harmony

Day 1

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Day 2 compass

 

 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Day 3 compass

 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Day 4 compass

 

 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Day 5 compass

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Day 6 compass

 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Day 7 compass CocoCay

 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

We recently achieved a Platinum status and got the following coupons attached to our cards (you HAVE to ask to apply them to your purchase - they are not applied automatically):

 The adults:

 

We used our 50% off coupons off of a Heineken and a soda can for DS. We aren't big on drinking, especially if the mixed drinks are $13+ and sodas are $3.50.

 

I did enjoy a fancy icy coffee drink for 50% off from the Promenade cafe: it had a funny name - Creamice Mocha. Essentially, a Frappuchino with chocolate fudge sauce and whipped cream - quite delicious. I was afraid that it would be chockfull of sugar and asked, but the lady assured me that it wasn't all that sweet. She was right - I actually had to add a packet of Truvia to it to make it fit my taste.

 

We don't do Starbucks at home, so it was definitely a fun experience for me. BRING YOUR OWN PLASTIC STRAW!!!! the carton one melted in seconds and became useless. I had to drink directly out of the plastic cup (the horror!).

 

The 50% coupon math didn't add up, though, but I'll live. The menu board said it was $4.75. The barista rang it up at $5.50, "applied" the 50% off coupon, and lo and behold, my $4.75 drink was now a $3.25 drink (total price with 18% tip). 

 

the kid:

We didn't use any of his coupons, and "daily drink vouchers" are only for Diamond+ members.

 

Disembarking procedure:

 

 

My parents and I had linked reservations. I scanned the QR code on one of the daily compasses to request a specific time for our disembarkation for all 5 of us (as late as possible, since our flight was at 3 pm). We received number 39 for 8:30 am, and my parents received #25 for 8 am. So much for linking the reservations. I simply gave one of our luggage tags #39 to my parents.

 

By 8:15 the TV was no longer showing any disembarking group numbers (the roster was blank), so we just got up and walked off the ship. There was NO waiting at the exit. However, there is a long walk down to the luggage pickup. The elevator is hidden and you have to ask about it (for my dad). Picked up our luggage, went through facial recognition scanners and we were done. 

 

UberXL on the way back from the port to MCO was $122+tip.  This time we got a very spacious Suburban and it easily fit all 5 of us with luggage. Nice. The driver offered us to remove our masks in his vehicle, but we refused. 

 

I will try to only sail from Port Everglades and POM from now on, the MCO uber prices are unreasonable (to me personally).

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Excursions...

 

We were limited to ship excursions. RCI had to whip up St Kitts excursions on a very short notice, since Antigua was changed to St Kitts literally 2 days before the cruise.

We chose a Carambola Beach break at St Kitts. RCI stuffed us into buses like sardines and we rode to the beach for about 15 minutes.

The beach was nice, the staff gave us bottled water for free and we rented 2 umbrellas for $10 each.

 

The weather was great, the sand was super hot and the water was nice and warm. I didn't even appreciate how beautiful St Kitts is until I saw the pictures we took.

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrity Apex was right next to us.

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

St Thomas

 

We purchased the Secret Sands beach break. The beach itself was nice, kind of like Sapphire beach we went to a couple of years ago. We rode in an open air bus, and it rained cats and dogs on the way to the beach. The sky was grey and heavy, and we were concerned....

 

 

 

 

But it got better, and we had a wonderful time! We even managed to sunburn a bit during those brief moments the sun actually came out. That's despite SPF50.

It was just us on the beach (the tour from the ship). I'd say - 3 buses of about 25 people each?

Some local families joined at the end of our trip, since it's a public beach.

 

 

The "tour guide" Karim was wonderful, so if you pick this trip - bring a couple of bucks with you for tipping. 🙂

We enjoyed our trip very much.

 

Back at the port:

 

The iguanas were everywhere!!!

 

 

That was definitely a cherry on top of a lovely excursion.

 

 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Coco Cay!!!!

 

Yay! We didn't do the thrill park, mostly because I am not paying $100 for what is available for free on the ship, and my kid doesn't like water rides because they won't let him use goggles and a nose clip. He hates water in his eyes and nose... So, we went to the beach instead.

 

The water was freezing cold! We went to the Chill Island beach first, but it was super crowded since everyone just kind of goes there first and stays. The small lagoons were full of people, and it was EXTREMELY windy there, which, when combined with cloudy weather, made it for a very cold beach break. When the sun came out, it was super hot and burning, but then it would hide and it would be very cold. Weird.

 

Chill island lagoons

 

 

 

 

 

 

DS and grandma snorkeled behind the rocks and saw a ton of different sea life. They loved it! We use full size face masks for $20 off amazon so they can breathe easily.

 

So, while they snorkeled, my DH went farther up the beach and found that Breezy Bay part of the Chill Island wasn't breezy at all - still water, no wind, still had some chaises available. We relocated there and didn't regret it for a second. Fewer people in the water, a very short walk to the Snack Shack and bathroom.

 

Breezy Bay

 

 

 

 

Wow, the Snack Shack. I must say - I didn't expect the food to be good. We are spoiled by Princess food on the ships (Regal Princess), but their Princess Cay buffet is far from desirable. We loved the Snack Shack deluxe chicken sandwiches - kind of like Popeyes, with lettuce and tomato, grilled veggies, mozarella sticks, fries and funnel cakes. In fact, we loved the funnel cakes so much that we had 2 each. I had one while floating in the bay in an inflatable ring - what a pleasure!

 

Then we got some buns and fed the fish in the water. That was fun! Seagulls decided to join in on the fun, but we shooed them away. We fed them later on the beach. Noisy bunch. 🙂

 

 

Both Harmony and Independence were at Coco Cay that day. That's why it was so crowded.

 

 

Just look at the size of Harmony compared to Indy! We were supposed to be on Indy in Nov 2020, but L&Shifted to Harmony 2021. We loved them both!

 

[Mapleleafforever]

Entree photos are a reminder why we always order a plate full of only veggies (whatever they're serving that night is fine) when dining in the MDR. 2 or 3 small pieces of broccoli is laughable really. 

 

 

[Ozark_Kid]

Thanks for sharing the journey.  Looks like you had a great time.  I bet it was hard fitting into the Highlander with 5 and all the luggage, a challenge.  We really enjoy Harmony.  I like spending time on the water slides.  I get my exercise climbing the steps.  😆 

Being a retired CPA I just had to try to figure out the drink charge. 😝 I think this is how it goes.  $4.75 x 18% gratuity = $0.86  $4.75/2 = $2.38.  $2.38 + $0.86 = $3.24. 
We have not visited St Kitts but seeing it pop up on cruises we are considering.  Was the water warmer there than Coco Cay?  I don’t enjoy cold water.

Glad you had a safe and fun cruise.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Being a retired CPA I just had to try to figure out the drink charge. 😝 I think this is how it goes.  $4.75 x 18% gratuity = $0.86  $4.75/2 = $2.38.  $2.38 + $0.86 = $3.24. 

I would have thought the same, but I saw the price breakdown when I signed the slip and it started with $5.50... Not $4.75. 🙂

So, I am thinking, she charged me more to begin with. It's not a big difference to me, but may add up for them if customers don't pay attention or ignore the difference. 🙂 In any case, it was delicious - I was more afraid of paying and not enjoying this coffee drink because I am very particular about how I like my coffee. I will try another on our next RCI cruise, especially if it comes with a 50% coupon.

 

The water was definitely warmer at St Kitts AND St Thomas (even on a cloudy and rainy day) than at Coco Cay. It was icy at Coco Cay. We were there for several hours and I couldn't make myself dip. So, I mostly floated on the inflatable ring. It was a lot of fun! I don't remember the last time I used one - it's usually our kiddo who definitely puts them to good use.

 

We really-really had a great time! It was my parents' first time with RCI and they had a blast as well. 

[Arzeena]

Would you happen to have a picture of the show schedule sheet?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

17 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Would you happen to have a picture of the show schedule sheet?

we were not given one. You can find all the shows on the last page of each daily compass. 

We had a couple of last minute show changes anyway (a cancellation/reschedule and a change).

[queenL]

Hi,

 

Greetings fellow Atlantan! We will be on the Harmony next month.  I have a few questions. The low sodium dinner options for your parents....did they offer the same dining choices with less salt or did they give them completely different dining options?  I was toying with asking for the low salt diet but I don't want them to give me a salad every night! 🙂  You mentioned different places and things for unvaxxed guests.  I thought everyone had to be vaxxed except young kids? Was it really $100 for the Thrill park in Coco Cay? Did you notice whether there were taxi tours once you get off the ship?  Will we be required to take a ships tour now due to Covid?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

11 hours ago, queenL said:

did they offer the same dining choices with less salt or did they give them completely different dining options? 

yes, the menu was the same, and my parents made their choices for the next day.

 

So, the next day, we (DH, DS  and I) would order as usual, while my parents' choices were already pre-ordered and cooked without the added salt. All were brought out at the same time, as usual. Do ask the headwaiter or your own waiter for assistance with that. Ours were most accommodating.

 

11 hours ago, queenL said:

You mentioned different places and things for unvaxxed guests.  I thought everyone had to be vaxxed except young kids?

correct, everyone over 12 had to be vaccinated. We had an unvaxxed 10 yo with us, so we were limited to venues with E status when he was with us.

 

11 hours ago, queenL said:

Was it really $100 for the Thrill park in Coco Cay?

 it was $97. The day before the cruise the price dropped to $76, but we could no longer purchase anything.

 

11 hours ago, queenL said:

Did you notice whether there were taxi tours once you get off the ship?  Will we be required to take a ships tour now due to Covid?

 since your kids will be fully vaxxed, this will depend on the ports of call and the locally imposed rules. We were in St Kitts where unvaxxed people were limited to ship only excursions, while vaxxed people could walk around the port OR opt for a govt approved tour available for booking right there at the port. In St Thomas vaxxed people were NOT limited to ship only excursions. Coco cay was free for all.

The list of rules for ports of call is available on RCI's website and changes frequently:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise 

under Going ashort in Ports of call section.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Itchy&Scratchy