My mini Harmony review

[intotheblue6980]

Just off a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Harmony of the seas just some positives and negatives from my experience

 

Positives

 

The Ship and its amenities. Truly a spectacular ship with many activities especially for kids. It is a beautiful ship and the sheer size is breathtaking, although some may view that as a negative.

 

The wait staff in the Grand dining room were absolutely great.

 

The Fine line water show is really awesome

 

Grease show is good if youre into that kind of show

 

Jamie Olivers Italian restaurant interestingly was really really good. Actually some of the best Italian food I've ever tasted at sea or land. Meats just right, homemade pasta al dente and hot and sauces great. The charcuterie board outstanding. And i say interestingly because i dont comprehend how it could be so polar opposite on the rest of the ship.

 

Nice kids camp program. My daughter always had great things to say about it.

 

Unfortunately thats the extent of the positives

 

Negatives

 

By far the least happy (i.e. rude) staff I've ever come across on a cruise ship. Half the time you walked past a crew member and forget about smiling they wouldn't even say hi.

 

Outside of Jamie Olivers, the food was just plain awful. Even the pay restaurants were not good. The food was consistently cold. Chops Grille touts "prime" beef. These steaks might not even be choice they were so bad. One night i was alone on a casino table and mentioned to the dealer how bad the food was and he said I'm not supposed to tell you this but the crew members all lose weight when they come on this ship bc the food is so bad. One late night we were hungry and made the mistake of ordering food service. Not only did it take exactly one hour and 10 minutes but it was cold and literally inedible. Full trays went on the hallway floor. The food on Labadee was also terrible. I literally could not tell what material the "beef burgers" as they called them consisted of. They looked like a mix of silly putty and clay. Hands down worst food I've ever eaten on a cruise, which really surprised me.

 

Casino players program is subpar compared with other ships. My wife is a fairly big player and they completely dropped the ball repeatedly. She plays blackjack and pretty much only 100 dollar hands and higher. On the 4th night of the cruise she asked what her average bet was and they come back 20 mins later and tell her 73 dollars!! We told the pit boss that was not possible and with a nasty attitude her response was "it is what it is mam". We asked them to review the cameras for the last couple of nights and come back to us. Next day they apologized and said her average bet was actually 145 dollars. That makes a huge difference in terms of future comps. Needless to say we're not in a hurry to go back on an RCI cruise as gaming is a big part of why we cruise and the treatment in the NCL casinos is head and shoulders above RCCI

 

In general it felt crowded for a ship that size. Seemed like we waited long periods of times for an elevator unless it was 1 am and when it arrived we always packed in like sardines.

 

Drink prices are insane for a cruise! 11-13 bucks a drink which just seems excessive. And if you dont drink 5-8 drinks a day which we dont, the package does not make any sense.

 

This one is pretty much par for the course on most ships, but the pools are like human soups. You literally had people inches from you if not closer if you were brave enough to enter the pools. And forget about securing a lounger unless you got there very early.

 

The spa is an absolute joke. No robes no slippers. When i finished my massage and got passed the pushy therapist trying to sell me products for 10 minutes i was looking forward to getting a shower and a shave. Off to the mens locker room i go to find essentially a mens restroom with a couple of shower stalls. No soap, deodorant, No toiletries Nothing! seriously? just paid a couple hundred bucks for a massage and you can't even provided toiletries?? there wasn't even shampoo in the showers! even the crappiest spa I've been to has some basic supplies in the locker rooms. On this ship you're lucky to get a towel!!!

 

Went to Schooners bar to relax, hear some guitar music and get a pre dinner cocktail, Except, you couldn't even hear the guitar music being played because it was drowned out by the blasting music coming from the royal promenade open area which is just underneath. Just a bad use of space. Perhaps the schooner bar, a place to chill, should have been situated on a quiet part the ship not the loudest and most hectic area.

 

debarkation process was a nightmare. Took close to an hour in line from the moment we set foot on the port to getting out. Lines were ridiculous. I understand its 5k people but surely they can devise a better system. Ive been on countless cruises out of port of miami and I've never waited more than 10-15 to get thru customs. I know part of the blame falls on customs but surely Royal can devise a system to expedite this process.

 

These are just a few of the highlights and lowlights that come to mind. Obviously the negatives outweigh the positives. Ive noticed there are lots of people on here that are quick to get offended if someone speaks negatively about RCI. However, these are MY opinions and takeaways from my cruise last week. While we enjoyed ourselves as we always do, we probably won't be back on RCI anytime soon. And i do understand that one particular experience on one particular ship may not be representative of the entire fleet. NCL ships may not have quite the grandeur of the Harmony but in my view the service, food and casino programs are far superior consistently and that to me is much more important.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback. We also feel the location of Schoonar Bar on Oasis class could be better. On both Oasis and Allure the sound from the fountain under the rising tide bar interferes with the trivia and music in Schooner.

[sngl4good]

Appreciate the feedback. We also feel the location of Schoonar Bar on Oasis class could be better. On both Oasis and Allure the sound from the fountain under the rising tide bar interferes with the trivia and music in Schooner.

 

We also were on the Harmony last week( May 27-June 3) and we were disappointed as well. The fountain under the rising tide is not even there on the Harmony. When talking to another passenger they were asking what rising tide meant, I explained on the Oasis and the Allure there is actually a water fountain under the bar but not on Harmony. They said that made more sense and they should change the name of it to the "up and down bar " as that is all it did, lol. Personally my mom and I enjoyed the Allure of the Seas over the Harmony. There were some helpful crew members,. but the rude and mean ones out numbered the nice ones. I was a little surprised by how many crew members were rude and didn't want to help the guests. Again, this is my opinion and I am not giving up on RCCL , just giving up on the Harmony for now.

[Peeker28]

We also were on the Harmony last week( May 27-June 3) and we were disappointed as well. The fountain under the rising tide is not even there on the Harmony. When talking to another passenger they were asking what rising tide meant, I explained on the Oasis and the Allure there is actually a water fountain under the bar but not on Harmony. They said that made more sense and they should change the name of it to the "up and down bar " as that is all it did, lol. Personally my mom and I enjoyed the Allure of the Seas over the Harmony. There were some helpful crew members,. but the rude and mean ones out numbered the nice ones. I was a little surprised by how many crew members were rude and didn't want to help the guests. Again, this is my opinion and I am not giving up on RCCL , just giving up on the Harmony for now.

 

WOW!! I can't believe that there isn't the fountain under the Rising Tide Bar, very disappointed

[Cruisegirl6]

We found the Harmony to have the best friendliest crew out of all RC ships we been on! Everybody talked to us, we became friends with so many whether they were servers, bartenders, specialty restaurant staff, etc. The best, maybe its just my personality who knows, I like to make friends especially on cruises and mostly with the staff, makes the cruise a lot more fun for sure.

 

I loved the fact no water noise from the Rise and Tide Bar, in fact, I didn't see any sense having the water, it was a waste of electricity and to maintain it. I am going on the Oasis in October, would love it if they can just stop that water.

[Clarea]

... I am going on the Oasis in October, would love it if they can just stop that water.

The do stop the water when it's important, such as during the muster drill. However, it's usually going full blast when they have music and trivia in Schooner.

[NewfieGuy1972]

Thanks for the review...

 

I'm also a casino player (also a black chipper +), it appears as though future comps are important to you, so I would recommend that in the future you tell you wife to ask what her avg bet was after EVERY session, this way there is no surprise!

 

Cheers

[jll583]

Thank you for the mini review. We are planning on booking the Harmony on our Oasis cruise this summer. I'm wondering if we should rethink our decision. I will say our kids will be with us next summer and prefer a ship they will enjoy so we can enjoy our vacation too :)

 

We haven't sailed RC in over ten years and now we are planning on going two years in a row. We loved it ten years ago, certainly it has to be better now? Right? :)

 

 

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[RenaeG]

WOW!! I can't believe that there isn't the fountain under the Rising Tide Bar, very disappointed

 

 

My thoughts too!

 

 

Aussie Cruiser

[NewfieGuy1972]

I had to retype my response sooo many times...Here's what I came up with after about 10 iterations:

 

If 90% of the reviews about the harmony were negative then my recommendation would be to not book it, but because of one thread...(things that make you go hmmmmm)

 

 

Thank you for the mini review. We are planning on booking the Harmony on our Oasis cruise this summer. I'm wondering if we should rethink our decision. I will say our kids will be with us next summer and prefer a ship they will enjoy so we can enjoy our vacation too :)

 

We haven't sailed RC in over ten years and now we are planning on going two years in a row. We loved it ten years ago, certainly it has to be better now? Right? :)

 

 

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[SilkySal]

We found the Harmony to have the best friendliest crew out of all RC ships we been on! Everybody talked to us, we became friends with so many whether they were servers, bartenders, specialty restaurant staff, etc. The best, maybe its just my personality who knows, I like to make friends especially on cruises and mostly with the staff, makes the cruise a lot more fun for sure.

 

I loved the fact no water noise from the Rise and Tide Bar, in fact, I didn't see any sense having the water, it was a waste of electricity and to maintain it. I am going on the Oasis in October, would love it if they can just stop that water.

 

Thank you for posting your comments! Our family (8 of us) will be on the HOS this October for our anniversary and the OP's negative comments had me wondering if I made the right decision!:rolleyes: Your comments relieved some of my worries!!:* Looking forward to a new experience on the Harmony!:hearteyes:

[BamaGuy44]

Thank you for posting your comments! Our family (8 of us) will be on the HOS this October for our anniversary and the OP's negative comments had me wondering if I made the right decision!:rolleyes: Your comments relieved some of my worries!!:* Looking forward to a new experience on the Harmony!:hearteyes:

 

Yeah you have to take the reviews with a grain of salt. Plenty of people are having great positive experiences on Harmony. My family had a great time in May. I agree with some of OP's complaints, like the drink prices and the noise in Schooner bar.

 

But while the crew wasn't the friendliest I've ever seen, I'd say they were average for the cruises we've been on. Obviously that can vary between sailings.

 

Our disembarkation was very smooth, but again it varies. I highly recommend you taking advantage of the mobile passport option if you're a US citizen. The lines for mobile passport were MUCH shorter then the regular lines, we breezed through in under 5 minutes. :cool:

[Shippy]

So sad to hear your review..

We have had nothing but positive experiences on the Oasis & Allure.

The only reason we will be on the Harmony in September is that the Oasis moved away from Fort Lauderdale.

[ffrencher]

Yeah you have to take the reviews with a grain of salt. Plenty of people are having great positive experiences on Harmony. My family had a great time in May. I agree with some of OP's complaints, like the drink prices and the noise in Schooner bar.

 

But while the crew wasn't the friendliest I've ever seen, I'd say they were average for the cruises we've been on. Obviously that can vary between sailings.

 

Our disembarkation was very smooth, but again it varies. I highly recommend you taking advantage of the mobile passport option if you're a US citizen. The lines for mobile passport were MUCH shorter then the regular lines, we breezed through in under 5 minutes. :cool:

 

Totally agree. We had a great time last month, but I am sure some didn't enjoy themselves as much.

 

We had great interactions with the crew. Many stopped to talk to us (including officers) and there were many who even remembered my 3yo's name when they saw us again.

 

Definitely endorse using the mobile app. We were outside in less than five minutes after getting our luggage while others were in very long lines throughout the terminal. I asked our porter do many many use it and he said unfortunately they don't. I imagine that has to do with the fact that he said he has to wait in line with the people.