Sabor on Harmony

[jp2746]

We recently went on Symphony and LOVED it!!  Since she will be in Europe this summer we are trying to decide between Harmony and Wonder.

 

What we loved about Symphony were the good amount of specialty restaurants to choose from and watching baseball at Playmaker.  I know that they do not have Playmaker on Harmony but will they put a baseball game on at Sabor if we ask them?  The little league world series was on during the Symphony cruise and we asked at Playmakers if they could see if it was on.  They searched and changed one of the TV's for us.  Is this possible at Sabor?  It looks like Sabor is part of the dining package but can you just go have chips and guacamole and watch a game?

[Biker19]

16 minutes ago, jp2746 said:

Is this possible at Sabor? 

It kinda depends on the staff there at the time.

[poocher]

I was on her during March Madness & the bartender was very accommodating even though I think he really wanted to watch the cricket match!

[Mikew0805]

I just ate there in early August, and I do not remember that many TV's in Sabor. I will say I was not looking for them either, so I may have just missed them. Apparently I was oblivious to this. I was there alone, and in this particular case, I was in a bit of a hurry, to get back to the casino. (UGH)

[OCSC Mike]

8 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

I just ate there in early August, and I do not remember that many TV's in Sabor. I will say I was not looking for them either, so I may have just missed them. Apparently I was oblivious to this.

 

They're there, unless they magically disappeared between June and August.

[Mikew0805]

12 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

They're there, unless they magically disappeared between June and August.

Ok, then I was just not observant. 

[topnole]

17 hours ago, jp2746 said:

We recently went on Symphony and LOVED it!!  Since she will be in Europe this summer we are trying to decide between Harmony and Wonder.

 

What we loved about Symphony were the good amount of specialty restaurants to choose from and watching baseball at Playmaker.  I know that they do not have Playmaker on Harmony but will they put a baseball game on at Sabor if we ask them?  The little league world series was on during the Symphony cruise and we asked at Playmakers if they could see if it was on.  They searched and changed one of the TV's for us.  Is this possible at Sabor?  It looks like Sabor is part of the dining package but can you just go have chips and guacamole and watch a game?

In my experience these are always 50/50 scenarios.  I guess if it is the same broadcaster (espn I assume) and your ship is in an area where the licensing for it is still valid, they can probably find it for you.  I’ve been on trips where they couldn’t get some really big college football games for varying reasons.  When ever I cruise I just assume I’ll have to miss a given sporting event I love and if I can see it I view it as a bonus.   

[topnole]

17 hours ago, jp2746 said:

We recently went on Symphony and LOVED it!!  Since she will be in Europe this summer we are trying to decide between Harmony and Wonder.

 

What we loved about Symphony were the good amount of specialty restaurants to choose from and watching baseball at Playmaker.  I know that they do not have Playmaker on Harmony but will they put a baseball game on at Sabor if we ask them?  The little league world series was on during the Symphony cruise and we asked at Playmakers if they could see if it was on.  They searched and changed one of the TV's for us.  Is this possible at Sabor?  It looks like Sabor is part of the dining package but can you just go have chips and guacamole and watch a game?

Btw.  I may be in a small minority, but I like Sabor.  I really love sitting in the area closest to the middle and the aqua theater enjoying the outdoors, a nice beer, good Mexican food, a partial view of the ocean, and the activities of the boardwalk.   I suppose the bar is wether the TVs are, but there may be tables with a view too.  

[island lady]

I had read great reviews about Sabor, so was excited about finally trying it ourselves as my birthday lunch.   

 

The service was soooo bad it was almost laughable...almost.  🧐 Food was OK for half of us, mine was terrible.   Then the waiter got our check messed up, gave us someone else's sea pass card, giving them ours, which he had to catch as they left.  

 

It was late May, so it was very hot out there, and extremely noisy.  

 

 

[OCSC Mike]

4 minutes ago, island lady said:

I had read great reviews about Sabor, so was excited about finally trying it ourselves as my birthday lunch.   

 

The service was soooo bad it was almost laughable...almost.  🧐 Food was OK for half of us, mine was terrible.   Then the waiter got our check messed up, gave us someone else's sea pass card, giving them ours, which he had to catch as they left.  

 

It was late May, so it was very hot out there, and extremely noisy. 

 

Crazy how experiences can differ. We've had this conversation before, of course, but we had a great dinner there with amazing service on the same cruise as you.

[island lady]

4 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Crazy how experiences can differ. We've had this conversation before, of course, but we had a great dinner there with amazing service on the same cruise as you.

 

I remember that...and I think that was one of the reasons we went as well.   Ah well...just hit it at the worst time I guess.  Not sure if we will ever try it again...it was that bad for us.  At least on Harmony anyway.  

 

Trying Taste of Royal for lunch on Harmony for the first time for us, next week.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by island lady

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

I remember that...and I think that was one of the reasons we went as well.   Ah well...just hit it at the worst time I guess.  Not sure if we will ever try it again...it was that bad for us.  At least on Harmony anyway.  

 

Trying Taste of Royal for lunch on Harmony for the first time for us, next week. 

 

My BIL/SIL escaped the family for Taste of Royal on that May cruise. As expected, I think they said they liked certain items and disliked others.

Edited September 16, 2022 by OCSC Mike

[coaster]

We just wanted a snack at Sabor on Allure and some of our diamond drinks. We were told you can't pay for any food a la carte there. Told you had to pay a flat price of I believe $25 pp. We left and never went back. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by coaster

[OCSC Mike]

14 minutes ago, coaster said:

We just wanted a snack at Sabor on Allure and some of our diamond drinks. We were told you can't pay for any food a la carte there. Told you had to pay a flat price of I believe $25 pp. We left and never went back. 

 

As is the case with most specialty restaurants, especially older ones like Sabor.

[jp2746]

Thanks for the responses!  We have decided on Harmony even though we love Playmaker.  It will be fun to try something new.  

 

We will be getting the dining package.  After getting it once, we were sold.  It was so fun for our son going from restaurant to restaurant trying everything.  That was the highlight of his trip! (16 year old boy whose life is food at this time!)

[topnole]

33 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

As is the case with most specialty restaurants, especially older ones like Sabor.

In the early days it used to be a la carte.  Not anymore.  

[molly361]

I also had a not so  great lunch at Sabor on Harmony in May.  I was so looking forward to it since it was not open when I was onboard in January.  The cerviche was not the same as I remembered it. Maybe my expectations after waiting so long to try it again were too high  Will try again when I am onboard a ship that has it

[OCSC Mike]

FWIW, what we really enjoyed there was the guac, the chicken popper type appetizer, the calamari appetizer, the churros and the dessert chimichangas. We re-ordered the apps for the table several times, which turned out to be a good thing because the entrees were the weakest part for us.

 

I also liked the jalapeno margarita there... pleasantly surprised how spicy it actually was.

[Ret MP]

5 hours ago, topnole said:

Btw.  I may be in a small minority, but I like Sabor.  I really love sitting in the area closest to the middle and the aqua theater enjoying the outdoors, a nice beer, good Mexican food, a partial view of the ocean, and the activities of the boardwalk.   I suppose the bar is whether the TVs are, but there may be tables with a view too.  

Totally 💯% agree.  I don't think, in my opinion, that Playmakers is anywhere near as good as Sabor is.  I know that the Symphony and Wonder have the new Mexican buffet, El Loco Fresh which is a buffet type eatery.  But, I prefer a sit down and order type/full service restaurant, not the buffet style and I like to order and be served frozen Margaritas.   I really liked the Guac at Sabor, too.   

[OCSC Mike]

5 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Totally 💯% agree.  I don't think, in my opinion, that Playmakers is anywhere near as good as Sabor is.  I know that the Symphony and Wonder have the new Mexican buffet, El Loco Fresh which is a buffet type eatery.  But, I prefer a sit down and order type/full service restaurant, not the buffet style and I like to order and be served frozen Margaritas.   I really liked the Guac at Sabor, too.   

 

I enjoyed both Sabor and Playmakers quite a bit and I'm sure I'll enjoy El Loco Fresh given that it's an included venue. They all offer different things at different prices (including free) so it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

[island lady]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

I enjoyed both Sabor and Playmakers quite a bit and I'm sure I'll enjoy El Loco Fresh given that it's an included venue. They all offer different things at different prices (including free) so it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

 

Haven't tried El Loco fresh yet...though I loved the look of those burritos when we walked through on Odyssey.  Still need to try it.  😋

[OCSC Mike]

Just now, island lady said:

Haven't tried El Loco fresh yet...though I loved the look of those burritos when we walked through on Odyssey.  Still need to try it.  😋

 

Walking through a free food venue and not grabbing something is blasphemous to me!

 

I knew Mini Bites was pretty terrible on Harmony but when I took my niece for a walk after lunch on embarkation day while her mom was unpacking and self-sanitizing their cabin, I still ate something from there, lol.

 

This thread is making me so hungry! Is it dinner time yet?

[island lady]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Walking through a free food venue and not grabbing something is blasphemous to me!

 

I knew Mini Bites was pretty terrible on Harmony but when I took my niece for a walk after lunch on embarkation day while her mom was unpacking and self-sanitizing their cabin, I still ate something from there, lol.

 

This thread is making me so hungry! Is it dinner time yet?

 

We did grab some sort of Chicken mini wrap at Mini bites...it wasn't bad!  

 

I promise not to pass up the walk through tasting the next time we are on a ship with El Loco Fresh.  🙂 

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, island lady said:

We did grab some sort of Chicken mini wrap at Mini bites...it wasn't bad!  

 

That might have been what I had. It was edible. If it's what I'm remembering, it was like a mini burrito missing most of the good stuff.

[Ret MP]

53 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

I enjoyed both Sabor and Playmakers quite a bit and I'm sure I'll enjoy El Loco Fresh given that it's an included venue. They all offer different things at different prices (including free) so it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

I've been to El Loco Fresh on the Symphony and I really liked the food a lot,  Afterall, it is Mexican, right! But, it is still buffet style and no bar.  All food venues are included in my fare so I'm not to concerned about it if it is included or not.  I like the full service and the atmosphere of Sabor a lot more than Playmakers.  Full disclosure, I'm not a big professional sports fan anymore, especially the NFL and I've never been a NBA, MLB, et al, fan, therefore, the sports atmosphere is not a draw for me.  I'm a big fan of Sabor, Izumi Hibachi (no I don't do bait/sushi) and the English style Pub with live entertainment.  

 

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Ret MP