Harmony of the Seas--cabin layout questions, and port vs. starboard questions

[Katems75]

Hello, I've only cruised one time, four years ago on Oasis of the Seas.  Back then I was on deck eight in an ocean balcony room, and the bed was next to the closet and bathroom, with the couch next to the balcony.  I assumed all rooms were like that but in booking this new cruise on Harmony I'm seeing TONS of photos that show the bed next to the balcony.  For the life of me I cannot figure out why the ship designers would do that as it would be so frustrating to walk from the seating area, around the huge bed, to the balcony, and back.  To me it just makes so much sense to have the balcony and seating area be all together.  Any idea why they vary?

 

SO!  How do I find out which cabins have the bed where I want it??  I am currently booked in room 8210, port side, but I've not been able to find any information on it regarding the room layout.

 

Also, is there any notable difference between booking a port side vs. a starboard side?  I read one review that said "being on the port side there was cigarette smell."  I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke and if this is an issue with port side on Harmony I'd really like to know.

 

Thank you!

[Ken at the beach]

6 hours ago, Katems75 said:

Hello, I've only cruised one time, four years ago on Oasis of the Seas.  Back then I was on deck eight in an ocean balcony room, and the bed was next to the closet and bathroom, with the couch next to the balcony.  I assumed all rooms were like that but in booking this new cruise on Harmony I'm seeing TONS of photos that show the bed next to the balcony.  For the life of me I cannot figure out why the ship designers would do that as it would be so frustrating to walk from the seating area, around the huge bed, to the balcony, and back.  To me it just makes so much sense to have the balcony and seating area be all together.  Any idea why they vary?

 

SO!  How do I find out which cabins have the bed where I want it??  I am currently booked in room 8210, port side, but I've not been able to find any information on it regarding the room layout.

 

Also, is there any notable difference between booking a port side vs. a starboard side?  I read one review that said "being on the port side there was cigarette smell."  I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke and if this is an issue with port side on Harmony I'd really like to know.

 

Thank you!

In 8210 the bed is by the balcony.

 

There are a couple reasons why this is done.  One is that bathrooms are kept beside each other so one cabin has bathroom on the right and the other has it on the left, this saves ace and makes routing for plumbing much easier.  Because of that the location of the bed has to change.  Also the wall between the two cabins is not straight so one part of the cabin will be about a foot wider than the other.

 

Balcony cabins on Oasis follow a set pattern.  Bed by balcony, bed by bath, balcony, bath, balcony, bath etc...

 

Cabins that hold 4 guests will always have the bed by the bath while cabins for 2 can have the bed by bath or bed by balcony.

 

If you find a 4 person cabin then it will have the bed by the bath and the cabins on either side of it will have the bed by the balcony....follow the pattern up or down the hall.  Another way to figure it out is to find a pair of connecting cabins.  Looking at the pair form the hallway the cabin on the right will have the bed by the balcony and the cabin on the left will have the bed by the bath.  Follow the same pattern.

 

On Oasis and Allure many people, myself included prefer to have the bed by the balcony because it is difficult to access the closet in the bed by the closet configuration.  Different design on HM, SY and WN has eliminated that problem with the closet.

 

If 8220 0r 8224 were available you could switch to those as they both have the bed by the bath.

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, Katems75 said:

Also, is there any notable difference between booking a port side vs. a starboard side?

Welcome to CC.

There should be no diff.