Symphony of the Seas vs. Harmony of the Seas

[cravingthis]

Hello everyone,
 

We haven't been on vacation since our first cruise in 2011 - Oasis of the Seas.

This will be a big one for us - 25th anniversary!
 

1.  Symphony being new, is very pricey, are their huge differences between her and Harmony?

2.  We prefer the cooler months.  Our last (which was also our first) was in the month of February and I found it quite warm (Eastern), so wondering if October, November or December 2020 would be slightly cooler (Eastern or Western), but then it's hurricane season?

3.  Is sailing out of Port Canaveral better than Miami?  We will fly in 2 days prior

 

Thanks for your help!

[Clarea]

There is not a huge difference between Harmony and Symphony.

 

February is winter, Oct/Nov are fall.  Winter is normally cooler.

[Ourusualbeach]

No pool in the Solarium on Harmony if that’s an issue.

[cravingthis]

6 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

There is not a huge difference between Harmony and Symphony.

 

February is winter, Oct/Nov are fall.  Winter is normally cooler.

Thank you so much!

[cravingthis]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

No pool in the Solarium on Harmony if that’s an issue.

Oh, that's good to know, thank you!  I remember there was so much to do on Oasis, we were exhausted and did not enjoy as much.  This time we have to slow down!!!  We went to the hot tub in the solarium on the last night of our cruise, so I doubt we'll even make it there again ..lol

[Mason9]

16 hours ago, red-dragon said:

Hello everyone,
 

We haven't been on vacation since our first cruise in 2011 - Oasis of the Seas.

This will be a big one for us - 25th anniversary!
 

1.  Symphony being new, is very pricey, are their huge differences between her and Harmony?

2.  We prefer the cooler months.  Our last (which was also our first) was in the month of February and I found it quite warm (Eastern), so wondering if October, November or December 2020 would be slightly cooler (Eastern or Western), but then it's hurricane season?

3.  Is sailing out of Port Canaveral better than Miami?  We will fly in 2 days prior

 

Thanks for your help!

Port Canaveral is so much better than Miami.

[cravingthis]

3 hours ago, Mason9 said:

Port Canaveral is so much better than Miami.

Thank you, good to know!!  Is this due to traffic or busy on-boarding?

[Clarea]

14 minutes ago, red-dragon said:

Thank you, good to know!!  Is this due to traffic or busy on-boarding?

 

Much less traffic in the Port Canaveral area.

[cravingthis]

5 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Much less traffic in the Port Canaveral area.

Thanks again!

[Sherri914]

We always cruise in November.  While that's technically still part of hurricane season, it's the tail end.  We've never had weather issues cruising in November, and fares tend to be lower the first three weeks of November compared to December (Holiday cruising).  Less children on the ships has been our experience for November as well.  And the Caribbean - both Eastern and Western - are still nice and warm, but nowhere near as humid typically as in summer months.  We have snorkeled and enjoyed many beach excursions during our November cruises.  

[cravingthis]

3 minutes ago, Sherri914 said:

We always cruise in November.  While that's technically still part of hurricane season, it's the tail end.  We've never had weather issues cruising in November, and fares tend to be lower the first three weeks of November compared to December (Holiday cruising).  Less children on the ships has been our experience for November as well.  And the Caribbean - both Eastern and Western - are still nice and warm, but nowhere near as humid typically as in summer months.  We have snorkeled and enjoyed many beach excursions during our November cruises.  

 

Oh that's great to hear.  November was my second choice.  I am looking at Feb 2020 now, fingers crossed!! 

Summer would be way too hot for me ...lol  

Thanks!

[elaineb]

21 hours ago, red-dragon said:

3.  Is sailing out of Port Canaveral better than Miami?  We will fly in 2 days prior

 

Hotels are much cheaper and some have free shuttle to cruise port.  I also LOVE the Kennedy Space Center which is also in this area.  You would need to fly into Orlando and take a shuttle to Cocoa Beach.  We used Cocoa Beach Shuttle.  

[crewsweeper]

31 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Much less traffic in the Port Canaveral area.

Also,  several good hotels are very close to port.  Royal is often the first shuttle stop. Usually not difficult at all to get into the terminal. 

Your issue with PC is that you either fly into Orlando (MCO) or Melbourne (MLB) and will either need a shuttle to PC (can be expensive) or rent  a car (often cheaper).  Easy drive from either airport. No one way charges in FL and agencies are close with shuttles to and from pier. 

[cravingthis]

24 minutes ago, elaineb said:

Hotels are much cheaper and some have free shuttle to cruise port.  I also LOVE the Kennedy Space Center which is also in this area.  You would need to fly into Orlando and take a shuttle to Cocoa Beach.  We used Cocoa Beach Shuttle.  

 

Thank you!  We stayed in Plantation for 2 nights prior and they had a free shuttle!  It was so long ago, so I have to start my cruise planning and research all over again since a lot has changed since then!

 

21 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Also,  several good hotels are very close to port.  Royal is often the first shuttle stop. Usually not difficult at all to get into the terminal. 

Your issue with PC is that you either fly into Orlando (MCO) or Melbourne (MLB) and will either need a shuttle to PC (can be expensive) or rent  a car (often cheaper).  Easy drive from either airport. No one way charges in FL and agencies are close with shuttles to and from pier. 

 

Thank you!  Our first cruise was Oasis out of Port Canaveral.  We were thinking of booking another itinerary out of Miami, but we're sticking with Port Canaveral now.  I'm in Canada, so we flew in 2 days prior, and will do the same this time around.

[gatour]

Since this is a special event type trip.

 

As to timing, I would recommend February, second choice would be early to Mid November  (avoiding having to travel the weekend before US Thanksgiving.)

 

Since you are arriving two days before hand not sure what are your thoughts about how to get around between arriving and the actual cruise, plus other interests you may have.

 

For Port Canaveral, you will most likely fly into Orlando (MCO).  You then have a choice of getting a rental car and staying in that area for the two days, or immediately traveling to Cocoa Beach (Port Canaveral) and staying at a hotel there.  If you are doing the rental car route you can rent in Orlando and return near the port which includes shuttle service to the ship.

 

For Port of Miami, you will most likely fly into Miami International.  If you are going the rental car route, obviously  you can do a pickup at the airport, but am not sure how the return would work.

 

Traffic wise, getting to Port Canaveral is easier than Port of Miami, but it depends on how you are attempting to get to the port.  i.e. self driving a rental or relying on a taxi, or Uber/Lyft.  If it is the latter then that their headache.

 

Between the two ports. I found the check-in process equal for both ships you are contemplating.

 

As to the two ships, I prefer the Symphony over the Harmony.  We sailed on Symphony during May of this year and sailed on Harmony during May of last year.  Almost exactly one year apart.

 

Why I liked Symphony over Harmony.

 

1.  Broadway show:  Symphony has Grease while Harmony has Mama Mia (I don't like ABBA)

2.  Ice shows:  Liked the themes on Symphony better

3.  A somewhat pool in the Solarium on the Symphony instead of no pool on the Harmony.

 

Wash:

 

The aquatic theater shows.  They are different, but enjoyed them all for different reasons.

 

Having said all of this.

 

I don't think you can go wrong in either decision on which ship and port of departure you choose.  Figure out what is important to you and book accordingly.

[Nolefan95]

19 minutes ago, gatour said:

Since this is a special event type trip.

 

As to timing, I would recommend February, second choice would be early to Mid November  (avoiding having to travel the weekend before US Thanksgiving.)

 

Since you are arriving two days before hand not sure what are your thoughts about how to get around between arriving and the actual cruise, plus other interests you may have.

 

For Port Canaveral, you will most likely fly into Orlando (MCO).  You then have a choice of getting a rental car and staying in that area for the two days, or immediately traveling to Cocoa Beach (Port Canaveral) and staying at a hotel there.  If you are doing the rental car route you can rent in Orlando and return near the port which includes shuttle service to the ship.

 

For Port of Miami, you will most likely fly into Miami International.  If you are going the rental car route, obviously  you can do a pickup at the airport, but am not sure how the return would work.

 

Traffic wise, getting to Port Canaveral is easier than Port of Miami, but it depends on how you are attempting to get to the port.  i.e. self driving a rental or relying on a taxi, or Uber/Lyft.  If it is the latter then that their headache.

 

Between the two ports. I found the check-in process equal for both ships you are contemplating.

 

As to the two ships, I prefer the Symphony over the Harmony.  We sailed on Symphony during May of this year and sailed on Harmony during May of last year.  Almost exactly one year apart.

 

Why I liked Symphony over Harmony.

 

1.  Broadway show:  Symphony has Grease while Harmony has Mama Mia (I don't like ABBA)

2.  Ice shows:  Liked the themes on Symphony better

3.  A somewhat pool in the Solarium on the Symphony instead of no pool on the Harmony.

 

Wash:

 

The aquatic theater shows.  They are different, but enjoyed them all for different reasons.

 

Having said all of this.

 

I don't think you can go wrong in either decision on which ship and port of departure you choose.  Figure out what is important to you and book accordingly.

 

 

You have it backwards and are wrong in certain respects.  Harmony has Grease and Symphony has Hairspray.  I have been on both (just having recently sailed on Symphony) as well as Allure and Oasis.  I liked Harmony much better and it was my favorite Oasis class ship.  Symphony for some reason felt more crowded (I sailed the same week on both - last week of June).  That was strange.  The shows were better on Harmony (I liked Grease better than Hairspray and thought The Fine Line was the best show I have seen at sea).  Now maybe RCCL just changed the menu's but I didn't think the food was that good on Symphony (including MDR and the buffets in comparison).  It was just ok. I did like the sports bar on Symphony instead of the Mexican place but they didn't really seem to be in tune with ongoing sporting events (i.e. during the women's world cup when the USA was playing, they instead were showing a replay of a men's soccer game on all the TVs or baseball - same game on all TV's).  If I was going to sail again on an Oasis class ship, Harmony would be my choice.               

[cravingthis]

38 minutes ago, gatour said:

Since this is a special event type trip.

 

As to timing, I would recommend February, second choice would be early to Mid November  (avoiding having to travel the weekend before US Thanksgiving.)

 

Since you are arriving two days before hand not sure what are your thoughts about how to get around between arriving and the actual cruise, plus other interests you may have.

 

For Port Canaveral, you will most likely fly into Orlando (MCO).  You then have a choice of getting a rental car and staying in that area for the two days, or immediately traveling to Cocoa Beach (Port Canaveral) and staying at a hotel there.  If you are doing the rental car route you can rent in Orlando and return near the port which includes shuttle service to the ship.

 

For Port of Miami, you will most likely fly into Miami International.  If you are going the rental car route, obviously  you can do a pickup at the airport, but am not sure how the return would work.

 

Traffic wise, getting to Port Canaveral is easier than Port of Miami, but it depends on how you are attempting to get to the port.  i.e. self driving a rental or relying on a taxi, or Uber/Lyft.  If it is the latter then that their headache.

 

Between the two ports. I found the check-in process equal for both ships you are contemplating.

 

As to the two ships, I prefer the Symphony over the Harmony.  We sailed on Symphony during May of this year and sailed on Harmony during May of last year.  Almost exactly one year apart.

 

Why I liked Symphony over Harmony.

 

1.  Broadway show:  Symphony has Grease while Harmony has Mama Mia (I don't like ABBA)

2.  Ice shows:  Liked the themes on Symphony better

3.  A somewhat pool in the Solarium on the Symphony instead of no pool on the Harmony.

 

Wash:

 

The aquatic theater shows.  They are different, but enjoyed them all for different reasons.

 

Having said all of this.

 

I don't think you can go wrong in either decision on which ship and port of departure you choose.  Figure out what is important to you and book accordingly.

Thank you for the detailed info.  We were on Oasis in 2011 so we flew in 2 days prior and stayed in Plantation.  We will do the same, fly in 2 days prior, but haven't thought about where to stay this time around.  

 

We are almost booked for February, just need to confirm the dates with my spouse!  

 

The aquatic show was very nice.

 

Thanks again for your response!

[cravingthis]

9 minutes ago, Nolefan95 said:

 

 

You have it backwards and are wrong in certain respects.  Harmony has Grease and Symphony has Hairspray.  I have been on both (just having recently sailed on Symphony) as well as Allure and Oasis.  I liked Harmony much better and it was my favorite Oasis class ship.  Symphony for some reason felt more crowded (I sailed the same week on both - last week of June).  That was strange.  The shows were better on Harmony (I liked Grease better than Hairspray and thought The Fine Line was the best show I have seen at sea).  Now maybe RCCL just changed the menu's but I didn't think the food was that good on Symphony (including MDR and the buffets in comparison).  It was just ok. I did like the sports bar on Symphony instead of the Mexican place but they didn't really seem to be in tune with ongoing sporting events (i.e. during the women's world cup when the USA was playing, they instead were showing a replay of a men's soccer game on all the TVs or baseball - same game on all TV's).  If I was going to sail again on an Oasis class ship, Harmony would be my choice.               

 

That's good to know because Hairspray was on during our Oasis cruise, and for me personally, we fell asleep and left after 10 minutes, or it could have been because we were exhausted.  A different show would be fantastic!

 

I remember the food on Oasis was great, but then again, that was almost 10 years ago!

 

We are very close to booking Harmony as of today, so I'm glad we made the right choice!  Symphony is just too expensive for us, perhaps next time.

 

Thanks so much.

[Mason9]

3 hours ago, red-dragon said:

Thank you, good to know!!  Is this due to traffic or busy on-boarding?

Both.

[squick64]

I've been on both--Symphony in April and Harmony in July (I got back a couple of weeks ago). The differences were insignificant. For the most part, it wasn't really noticeable. The Starbucks is in a different location, as if that matters...Symphony has a neat Mexican buffet on one of the top decks (16?) and a more closed-off solarium. The solarium has a pool on Symphony, but it's not a proper pool--just a big "cold tub" with a glass front so other people can see your legs. It's kind of disturbing, actually.

 

The shows are similar but different--Grease versus Hairspray, 1777 versus 1877 (or whatever), water shows, stuff like that. Other differences are more sailing specific--I preferred the comedians we had on Symphony to the ones on Harmony, but of course, those change out. Harmony involves a long-ish trek out to the port and Miami doesn't, if that matters.

 

If I were you, I'd go with whichever best fits your needs (schedule, price, ease of getting to the port, etc.). There's nothing you're going to miss by going for one over the other that really matters.

[Judyrem]

1 hour ago, gatour said:

Since this is a special event type trip.

 

As to timing, I would recommend February, second choice would be early to Mid November  (avoiding having to travel the weekend before US Thanksgiving.)

 

Since you are arriving two days before hand not sure what are your thoughts about how to get around between arriving and the actual cruise, plus other interests you may have.

 

For Port Canaveral, you will most likely fly into Orlando (MCO).  You then have a choice of getting a rental car and staying in that area for the two days, or immediately traveling to Cocoa Beach (Port Canaveral) and staying at a hotel there.  If you are doing the rental car route you can rent in Orlando and return near the port which includes shuttle service to the ship.

 

For Port of Miami, you will most likely fly into Miami International.  If you are going the rental car route, obviously  you can do a pickup at the airport, but am not sure how the return would work.

 

Traffic wise, getting to Port Canaveral is easier than Port of Miami, but it depends on how you are attempting to get to the port.  i.e. self driving a rental or relying on a taxi, or Uber/Lyft.  If it is the latter then that their headache.

 

Between the two ports. I found the check-in process equal for both ships you are contemplating.

 

As to the two ships, I prefer the Symphony over the Harmony.  We sailed on Symphony during May of this year and sailed on Harmony during May of last year.  Almost exactly one year apart.

 

Why I liked Symphony over Harmony.

 

1.  Broadway show:  Symphony has Grease while Harmony has Mama Mia (I don't like ABBA)

2.  Ice shows:  Liked the themes on Symphony better

3.  A somewhat pool in the Solarium on the Symphony instead of no pool on the Harmony.

 

Wash:

 

The aquatic theater shows.  They are different, but enjoyed them all for different reasons.

 

Having said all of this.

 

I don't think you can go wrong in either decision on which ship and port of departure you choose.  Figure out what is important to you and book accordingly.

Symphony has Hairspray,  Allure has Mamma Mia and Harmony has Grease, it was excellent BTW.

I am not a fan of Hairspray, sorry I am not.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Judyrem

[cravingthis]

1 hour ago, squick64 said:

I've been on both--Symphony in April and Harmony in July (I got back a couple of weeks ago). The differences were insignificant. For the most part, it wasn't really noticeable. The Starbucks is in a different location, as if that matters...Symphony has a neat Mexican buffet on one of the top decks (16?) and a more closed-off solarium. The solarium has a pool on Symphony, but it's not a proper pool--just a big "cold tub" with a glass front so other people can see your legs. It's kind of disturbing, actually.

 

The shows are similar but different--Grease versus Hairspray, 1777 versus 1877 (or whatever), water shows, stuff like that. Other differences are more sailing specific--I preferred the comedians we had on Symphony to the ones on Harmony, but of course, those change out. Harmony involves a long-ish trek out to the port and Miami doesn't, if that matters.

 

If I were you, I'd go with whichever best fits your needs (schedule, price, ease of getting to the port, etc.). There's nothing you're going to miss by going for one over the other that really matters.

Thank you so much for explaining everything, and giving me peace of mind.  Cruising is just so expensive since we also have to pay for airfare and hotel.

Edited July 31, 2019 by red-dragon

[squick64]

I'm guessing not... It's not part of the drinks package, I know that. The ship has its own coffee shop (Cafe Promenade) that does lattes and a couple of frapps, and that IS covered on the package (and even if you don't have the package, it's presumably a bit cheaper than Starbucks).

[John&LaLa]

You'll feel right at home in Pt Canaveral in February. Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach is practically Ontario South that time of year.

 

[cravingthis]

2 hours ago, squick64 said:

I'm guessing not... It's not part of the drinks package, I know that. The ship has its own coffee shop (Cafe Promenade) that does lattes and a couple of frapps, and that IS covered on the package (and even if you don't have the package, it's presumably a bit cheaper than Starbucks).

The Cafe has lattes and frapps free of charge? Or do you mean the drinks package?
I was only there once for the tiramisu, again 10 years ago ...lol