PACrew

RCCL is pushing pricing and service cutbacks just like Disney. Until demand slows, Royal has no reason to stop. For me, Royal is diluting the whole cruising experience. Food and cruising has been synonymous. Service too. I don’t need/expect 5 star but I do want value and Royal is not giving it. To charge for pizza is a slap in the face IMO. If you want to cut waste, limit slices a person. If someone eats it all, they can get more. People can live with that. For our next cruise, we (9 guests) are trying MSC. For the price, it’s worth the try (royal is double the $$$ on the same week and identical itinerary). I see value here with MSC and willing to try.

As a parent with 2 young kids in the room, trash can accumulate. Having extra trash service (2xs a day) would be great and also having the stewards open and close the beds should be given. I dont need a full cleaning 2xs a day (nor do a I need new towels twice a day) but having trash and beds made is something I miss. I think Royal (and other lines) need to figure out a balance that pleases everyone.

Great assessment @Marleycruiser. We were on Harmony back in April. My review was identical. The nickel/diming is ridiculous. My main complaint was the cabin service. While I dont have a problem with with once a day, it would be wise to have a trash removal and if its a 4 person room, to have the bed returned to couch/vice versa. Love royal but at its current pricing, we may explore different lines.

I agree with the OP on the room situation. These stateroom attendants appear to be working harder than before. Ours on our Harmony cruise (4/1-4/8) was nice but the guy never stopped and looked stressed to get it all done. I also think that if there is 4 in a room, they should make it a standard practice to open/close bed.

Bar is on port side only on Harmony.

There must be a reason. I assume hublot and the finer retailers lease the space. I don’t know though. I just think it’s a lost revenue opportunity, especially with all the kids.

Really was. Shopping was terrible. I don’t know who would buy a Hublot watch on a cruise. I don’t understand the retail strategy. A store selling stuffed animals, candy and ice cream would kill on that ship.

If I didn’t have 4 kids, I would have done UDP. It was a good deal IMO

Very True.

Agree on the JR. Although it is convenient for breakfast.

Let me be clear, it wasn’t bad. I just expected more. maybe my expectations were off. My wife and I both said next time we would just order the chops steak in the mdr if we were craving steak. (The Ny strip in the mdr is dollar tree steak). Would I go again, not at current prices. I would spend the money and go to Izumi, Jamie’s, 150, wonderland. maybe it was an off night. I wouldn’t cancel your reservation. Have fun!

They dont serve breakfast but next time, we will grab some pastry/bagel from the WJ and head off ASAP. Be the first in line for lunch at 11.

I think you were right on the aqua show. That can be the only logical explanation. It was relentless. I dont need a full blown cleaning but it would be nice to have the trash done and old towels removed. I had 2 kids in the room and while we kept the room pretty tidy but there was a good amount of trash in the morning. I will say that by 1pm, seats were opening up all over. Totally agree. I realize the ship has to hustle back up to coco cay but we were there early as you know by 2 hours. I think for the price we are paying, a couple extra hours in St. Thomas is warranted.

Didnt request ice as it wasnt a big deal. Just something I miss. I also didnt see it on any of the housekeeping carts.

I noticed a lack of Harmony reviews so I figured I would put one out there for future cruises. We were a party of 9 with 3 boardwalk balcony cabins. Ship: Harmony is in great shape. Sure there are some items that need a maintenance call but overall, its looks great. Everything was working and clean. Pools were great. Cabins: 3 Boardwalk Balcony on Deck 10, starboard side above the carousel. The rooms were ready at 2pm. Room steward was great. Plenty of storage even with 4 people (2A 2C in the room). I am not a fan of the 1/day housekeeping. I would prefer either 2/day or a light second (remove trash, replace towels). We chose morning housing keeping so that the pull out bed would be stowed for the day but it would also have been nice to have the steward open it and set it up at night. I do miss the ice buckets and additional glasses in the cabin. The chiller was fine and kept everything cool. Now, as for the location, kids loved it. It was noisy though. Everyday there was rehearsals in the aqua theater…all day. It got old after day 3. I understand the need to practice but the blaring music all day from the “Fine Line” show was just annoying. Also, a night, you could definitely hear the show with the slider closed. Luckily the kids were so tired it didn’t bother them. I wont book a boardwalk balcony again. Again, kids loved it but the constant rehearsal noise really make the balcony unusable. Retail/Shops: I really think Royal missed the boat on the retail portion of this ship. Given that Royal caters to families, the retail experience is not. I think that having an Ice Cream store or Sugar Beach would be great. Not that I want my kids spending $$ in there, but we certainly would have allowed them to get something. Hublot, Kate Spade – I just don’t see people buying anything in those shops. Seems like a missed opportunity. Specialty Restaurants: Ate a chops one night, it was fine. Nothing over the top and I wouldn’t eat there again. It certainly wasn’t bad but not worth it IMO. I also wonder why SABOR is still there. I watched this place all week (boardwalk balcony) and it was always empty. Really need a playmakers here or hooked. MDR: Ate there 3 times but service was still 90 min – 100 min. With 4 kids, this wasn’t great. I also think the appetizer selection was weak. It was the same 3-4 every night with 3-4 rotating. Loved the Maine Lobster, way better than Caribbean. Overall, food was fine with hit or miss items. I really miss having a wine menu at the table as well. Wine appears to be an after thought in the MDR Windjammer: Generally the food was good. Sure, there are some hit or miss items but overall, we were satisfied and always found something. I do think the quality has gone down. Deserts are really not great. Didn’t bother after the second time. The cold section has no variety. Always Caesar salad. Burger were ok but Celebrity does a way better job on this. Overall, it was ok. Honestly though, if you are going for food, RCL isn’t your line. Choose Celebrity or Virgin. Embark/Dis – 20 min from curb to ship. 15 min from ship to curb. Easy as pie. I think they have this down to a science. We did self disembark and were at MIA by 8:15am for our 10:20 flight. Entertainment: Shows were great. RCL does a great job in this department. Activities: standard fare. Spa: fine but the upselling is a joke. Its really off putting. I feel like im at a time share presentation. After spending hundreds on couples’ message, I don’t want your $200 look younger cream. Stop jamming it down my throat. I think this is our last time using the spa because I was less harassed on the beach in St. Maarten by ladies looking to sell crap. Not going to review the ports except Coco Cay: We were in port with the Odyssey and by 10:30, there were simply not lounges anywhere on the island. It was packed on the beaches. You really need to be off early if there is another ship there. 10k people were there and it showed. Our fault for not getting off early enough but if you want a good seat by the pool, beach – get off ASAP. I would even forgo breakfast and eat on the island. Overall, the kids loved it though. The pool is essentially a Vegas Pool party all day. The splash away bay was great. The food on the island was some of the best we had all trip. Hopefully the expanded adult section will help alleviate the crowding when it comes online next year. Crew: never had an issue. All were helpful. The hotel director is a nice guy. He was all over the ship and at the gangway when getting back from ports. Overall – great cruise. I did notice the cost cutting and the food is not what it was (except Coco Cay). However, because I have 4 young children, I will be on RCL again. The ships, activities, entertainment cannot be beaten. If my wife and I were cruising, we would probably be on Celebrity or Virgin. Either way, you will have a great time. Any questions - ask away.

I also just got off Harmony. I will write a review in a few days. A few notes about the food: - I thought the quality in the Windjammer was pretty good. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner there. - I thought there was a lack of selection especially with respect to salads and cold items. It was caesar salad most days. There was a good hot food variety I thought. Some days better than others. Like others have said, the same 3 rolls all week. - I thought the MDR quality was good. The appetizer selection was poor. Always escargot, french onion, ceasar salad and 3-4 rotating. I understand the point was to quicken service but ours still ended up being 90-100 min each night. - Ate at Chops one night - it was good. Nothing spectacular. To me, similar to outback steakhouse frankly. RCCL isnt a foodie cruise line. I will go on RCCL for the activities, entertainment, ships, etc. I have 4 kids and will continue to cruise RCCL because there is plenty to keep them busy and its just plain fun on the ships. If I want better cuisine, Ill go on Celebrity.

Crazy on disembark. I was in Harmony right in front of you. They were boarding by 10:30 on embarkation day. On disembark, we self assisted and walked off at 7:20, through customs and curbside at 7:30. RCL really has the embark/disembark down to a science.