Mother-Son Cruise: Oasis of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas or Harmony of the Seas?

[LuCruise]

31 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I wouldn't want a neighborhood balcony. You are always watching the people across from you, and they are watching you. No peace.

Everyone is different but we quite enjoyed the Boardwalk Balcony on Symphony and have it booked again in a few weeks on Oasis.  Just bring ear plugs for night if end up getting it and close curtains when changing.  Not a big deal..

 

Haven't been on these specific ships (yet) so can't comment, but I would think they are mostly similar with a few differences (no pool in solarium on Harmony, 1 flowrider on Wonder, Hairspray on Harmony, Cats on Oasis, Royal's own production show on Wonder).  I'd also vote Harmony based on guarantee balcony price, unless Orlando is easier to get to vs Miami.

Edited February 22, 2023 by LuCruise

[mikefromny]

One thing that came to my mind. If it's just you and your teenage son when you're getting ready to go out one of you can sit out on the balcony and give the other some more room and privacy to dress. You can't do that with an interior. One of you would have to leave the cabin.

[Cayman1]

41 minutes ago, mikefromny said:

One thing that came to my mind. If it's just you and your teenage son when you're getting ready to go out one of you can sit out on the balcony and give the other some more room and privacy to dress. You can't do that with an interior. One of you would have to leave the cabin.

 

This is actually a very good call out, in case it matters to them.

 

 

[Starry Eyes]

2 hours ago, mikefromny said:

One thing that came to my mind. If it's just you and your teenage son when you're getting ready to go out one of you can sit out on the balcony and give the other some more room and privacy to dress. You can't do that with an interior. One of you would have to leave the cabin.

One of them would not absolutely “have to leave the cabin” if they booked an inside.  They could change in the bathroom.  Or they could bring magnetic ceiling hooks to hang a privacy drape.  That said, people who book inside cabins often say they are only in the cabin to sleep and shower; being out and about is a joy.

[Sigyn]

5 hours ago, mikefromny said:

One thing that came to my mind. If it's just you and your teenage son when you're getting ready to go out one of you can sit out on the balcony and give the other some more room and privacy to dress. You can't do that with an interior. One of you would have to leave the cabin.

We would just go to the bathroom to change. But when we were in the cabin with three of us in December and someone was in the bathroom, he just goes behind the closet door, or says, "mom, look the other way." I'm mom. he doesn't freak out. 🙂🙂

Edited February 22, 2023 by njsmom

[Sigyn]

helpful info from everyone, thanks! 🙂

Edited February 22, 2023 by njsmom

[Sigyn]

Cruise is booked! I opted for Harmony of the Seas. For just a moment this afternoon I looked at MSC and thought, oh, it's cheaper. But then I watched videos of Harmony of the Seas and realized it's really the ship for us. I opted for a Guaranteed Balcony and it was just $2,900 with a promo code, so a great deal all in all. Thanks for everyone's input!

[Sigyn]

It's rather ironic that I fussed and worried about a few hundred bucks here and there on a cruise fare, and in the end, despite looking at airfares as well prior to booking, I ended up spending $2,000 on two flights to Miami. Two-thirds the cost of the cruise! The fare jumped by $200 a person in literally two hours this morning as I was booking. Ack. Crazy airfares these days. I had hoped to use my frequent flyer miles on Delta for one of the tickets, but everything except first class was booked on the return for all but 6 am flights, so I had to switch to American Airlines. Again, there were plenty of return tickets when I last checked three days earlier. Things move so fast with airline tickets. 

 

I'm happy it's all booked, however, despite not intending to pay $5K for a bonus vacation with my son. I did recently change the room on my upcoming Celebrity cruise to Alaska with my husband from an Aqua Class cabin to a regular balcony cabin when it suddenly came open, saving us $3,000. Now I'm extra glad I did - it literally bought me an extra cruise with our son. (Not counting airfare!)

[ShillyShally]

20 minutes ago, njsmom said:

It's rather ironic that I fussed and worried about a few hundred bucks here and there on a cruise fare, and in the end, despite looking at airfares as well prior to booking, I ended up spending $2,000 on two flights to Miami. Two-thirds the cost of the cruise! The fare jumped by $200 a person in literally two hours this morning as I was booking. Ack. Crazy airfares these days. I had hoped to use my frequent flyer miles on Delta for one of the tickets, but everything except first class was booked on the return for all but 6 am flights, so I had to switch to American Airlines. Again, there were plenty of return tickets when I last checked three days earlier. Things move so fast with airline tickets. 

 

I'm happy it's all booked, however, despite not intending to pay $5K for a bonus vacation with my son. I did recently change the room on my upcoming Celebrity cruise to Alaska with my husband from an Aqua Class cabin to a regular balcony cabin when it suddenly came open, saving us $3,000. Now I'm extra glad I did - it literally bought me an extra cruise with our son. (Not counting airfare!)

That's how it always seems to go but it's booked - enjoy this "bonus" that will be more than worth it for the memories!!!  

[Sigyn]

5 minutes ago, ShillyShally said:

That's how it always seems to go but it's booked - enjoy this "bonus" that will be more than worth it for the memories!!!  

Absolutely! My husband is the budget-minded one in our household. Before I booked, he asked me how I was going to redistribute funds to pay for this trip since it's above and beyond the $1,000 a month we save for travel. I decided to eliminate my $400-a-month GrubHub/DoorDash orders and my $300-a-month clothing-for-me budget for a few months. And a fancy wine dinner we were doing in early March for $250. Disposable income redistributed. Fiscally responsible husband happy. And it didn't affect his golf club membership or new golf clubs or garage remodeling plans. 🙂

Edited February 23, 2023 by njsmom

[bigque]

Where did you copy these from? Prices seems high for some. Keep in mind that cruises leave from Port Canaveral and not Orlando. Also the ships that sail from Miami ends in Miami not Orlando (Port Canaveral). 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 hours ago, njsmom said:

I decided to eliminate my $400-a-month GrubHub/DoorDash orders and my $300-a-month clothing-for-me budget for a few months.

dang, since we spend neither $400 a month on grubhub, nor even $300 a year on clothing, we can go cruising so much more often!

Glad you chose Harmony. You are gonna love it!

Edited February 23, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Sigyn]

1 hour ago, bigque said:

Where did you copy these from? Prices seems high for some. Keep in mind that cruises leave from Port Canaveral and not Orlando. Also the ships that sail from Miami ends in Miami not Orlando (Port Canaveral). 

Where did I copy the cruise prices, or the airline prices? They were from the cruise websites, and the airline websites. And yes, clear on the locations. We sailed out of Port Canaveral in December. Thanks for the reminder, tho, because I'm sure some people don't realize that Port Canaveral is an hour away from Orlando. I miswrote things in my initial post, starting in Miami, ending in Orlando, etc., etc., but too late to change it now. All is good. 🙂

 

21 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

dang, since we spend neither $400 a month on grubhub, nor even $300 a year on clothing, we can go cruising so much more often!

Glad you chose Harmony. You are gonna love it!

LOL. I work from home, get tired of working all day and don't feel like cooking at home, too (I'm a marketing executive) love to just click, click, click and order food sometimes. And I love clothes. And purses. And shoes. So I will put my expenditures on hold for a few months to pay for this extra cruise without causing us to resort to credit cards. hate those! 

Edited February 23, 2023 by njsmom