My View: Family of the Seas takes on Harmony...again (Semi-live)

[lake show cruiser]

Thank you for the great review! We board tomorrow so we are all very excited. 
thanks again!

[APDMOM]

On 11/15/2019 at 8:48 PM, red-dragon said:

 

 

Do you have to purchase anything to get the complimentary items?

 

Thanks again for taking the time from your precious cruise vacation to post!  Your pictures are stunning.  I have a Nikon as well.  I'm thinking of bringing it on the cruise with me, but it's so heavy.  What lens are you using.  I'm thinking of purchasing new ones since I'm only using the standard ones that came with the camera, but are not very good.  

 

(I colored my questions to make it easier for you ...lol)

No, you can ask for the free items just like at Promenade Café.

 

I had the same thoughts as you when I was using the D40x.  I only had the two basic lenses and wanted to upgrade.  When I saw what a new lens would cost, I went back to the drawing board and did my research in Superzoom cameras.  That is how I came upon the P900.  It is not an SLR, so it is easier for me to travel with.  Go look at one at your local Best Buy and look at reviews.  I absolutely love the camera.  I love it so much that I gave my “older” P900 to my sister and bought it again for myself in August this year.  Look at what it can do with the moon... 🙂

[APDMOM]

Picture of the Moon... Thursday night from my balcony on a moving ship

 

[APDMOM]

11 hours ago, lake show cruiser said:

Thank you for the great review! We board tomorrow so we are all very excited. 
thanks again!

Ooh!  Enjoy!  Wish we could stay another week!

[APDMOM]

On 11/15/2019 at 8:49 PM, indie said:

Thanks for this review. Doing this same itinerary Thanksgiving week. When is 2nd formal night?

Fun!  Enjoy the Thanksgiving cruise!  Second formal night was day 5 (Roatan). So, it will be perfect for you if you like dressing up, as it will be Thanksgiving day. 🙂

[APDMOM]

Regretfully, this semi-live review is dead 😬

 

I will close up the review when I get home.  We just had so much fun spending time with my parents that the review has been on the back burner.  
 

Stay tuned for the rest of the Cruise Compass, our so-so day 5 in Roatan, our unforgettable day 6 with Trikes Cozumel, and our jam-packed geeky day 7 at sea... Until tomorrow after I put the first load of laundry in the wash. ❤️

[indie]

23 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Fun!  Enjoy the Thanksgiving cruise!  Second formal night was day 5 (Roatan). So, it will be perfect for you if you like dressing up, as it will be Thanksgiving day. 🙂

Thank you for this info!

[perfect match]

Since you’re coming home, I just want to give you a heads up that it’s not so warm here in Central Florida! 🥶I know that any northerners reading this will laugh at me for saying it’s cold when the temps drop to the low to mid 50’s but it’s been in the 80’s to 90’s here until recently, so for us this is cold! 

[Ren1216]

2 hours ago, APDMOM said:

I will close up the review when I get home.  We just had so much fun spending time with my parents that the review has been on the back burner.  

Family is far more important!  Hope you all had a wonderful time together.  Looking forward to you finishing when you get home and settled.  We'll be here  🙂

[LuCruise]

9 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Regretfully, this semi-live review is dead 😬

 

I will close up the review when I get home.  We just had so much fun spending time with my parents that the review has been on the back burner.  
 

 

This is my motto...We never get internet so can disconnect and spend time together as a family. Then can come home and write out the trip afterwards.  It also helps with post-cruise withdrawal. 🙂

Happy to hear you had such a great time.  Look forward to hearing about it.

[Califonria cruiser]

Enjoy vacation and will look forward to seeing more when you are doing your laundry! It's like a show and I'm only halfway through... Looking forward to the next episode.

 

Jenn

[AlohaBoundHK]

Just got off Harmony this morning...we were along for the ride with ADPMOM.  Thanks for your posts...awesome to review after our trip!!

Just wanted to pitch in and help...WJ chocolate buffet was evening of Day 6 (Cozumel).   We got there later and they were starting to run out of items...but it was great!   We were also able to reuse WOW bands at no charge...they were from Symphony...no muster station.

[APDMOM]

Thanks to everyone for reading along and for your kind comments!

 

Also thank you to @AlohaBoundHK for info added.  

 

Unfortunately, we did not find a seafood buffet, but we did find a Mexican night also on Cozumel evening.  Of course, we got there right at 5:30 p.m., saw the chocolate buffet and sprung for dessert first... Priorities, you know 😂

[APDMOM]

My View:  Day 5 - Roatan, Honduras

 

[APDMOM]

Early morning views of the port:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

My View:  Royal Caribbean All-In-One Tour (Bilingual) 

 

We have been to Roatan 3 times, but every time we only stayed around Mahogany Bay.  Since this was a new are of the island and we had never done a tour, we decided to venture out with a Royal Caribbean sponsored excursion.  We were very disappointed with the quality of the tour.  As a geeky family, we enjoy hearing about the culture, island history, interesting facts, etc.  A majority of our driving time, the tour guide was silent, only commenting from time to time, and unable to answer some of the questions.  They also tried to up-sell us to a paid beach for $10 each, as opposed to visiting West End with the free beach.  At first, they made it sound like it was the only option, but when I asked and clarified that I understood the beach was supposed to be free with optional rental gear, they agreed that the original tour includes a beach, but the beach they are offering is nicer.  Fortunately, everyone in the van declined and we went to our original destination.  The chocolate tasting was a joke.  There was no actual chocolate to taste. It was just about 2 ml of powder that was quite bitter.  The tour of the chocolate ‘factory’ itself was interesting, but we never saw actual chocolate being made.  

 

We stopped at this cute shop that recycles materials to create all kinds of souvenirs, jewelry, and crafts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting...

 

 

[APDMOM]

At our second stop, the highest point, we were told that we would cross the street to climb up an old lighthouse.  After we crossed a busy and dangerous street (almost being run over by a taxi that did not heed traffic laws and passed illegally), we were told that it is $5 per person to go up the lighthouse.  None of us had heard the tour guide say anything about a charge, and we believe it was presented to make us think we could just climb up for free.  When we turned to walk away, the price dropped to $2 per person.  We were still not ready to pay, so the price finally dropped to $1 per person.  I think that was worth the views, so we were a bit happier than when we first arrived.   

 

Views from the old lighthouse:

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Views of West End:

 

Very quaint and photogenic village!  We enjoyed an hour here, walking through the little shops and walking along the beach.  If you visit this area, be prepared for pushy sales along the street (massages, jewelry, hummingbird ornaments, etc).  We did contribute to the local economy and found the crafts were cheaper here than at the port.  E.g. hummingbird for $8 as opposed to $11 at the port.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back, we stopped at this sign for a souvenir photo:

 

[APDMOM]

Back on the ship... They are currently building another pier.  If you have a child who is crazy about diggers and front-loaders, it is paradise from a starboard balcony!  😁

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

I forgot to mention the Rum tasting.  We found some very delicious rum, but found it a bit too expensive at $29.99.  I wish I had bought a bottle, because it was $34 at the ‘duty free’ shop.  I will have to find a good and creamy rum like this somewhere in the US.  Suggestions welcome!

 

Tip:  If you want to buy the rum, it is cheaper at the store than at the port.

 

[APDMOM]

DH and DS had a bit of family drama when they thought our son had lost his seapass card on the way to the ship.  Fortunately, it was just tangled up in the towel that he was holding.  My mom and I missed all the sports, as we continued our price-checking in the port - just making sure we got a great deal as a good, professional shopper like her should do.  😂  (My dad says she has a black belt in shopping)

 

Overall, our day was beautiful (minus the haggling that is apparently as strong in Roatan as it was in Labadee).  

 

We were on our balcony for sail away when we noticed a suitcase being rolled off the ship.  We left 30 minutes late, apparently minus one passenger.  Before long, we saw a man coming to the security guards - obviously the missing passenger.  We felt so sorry for him.  Our son got so anxious that the man might have family onboard, he started praying for them.   Shortly after, we saw the workers on the dock whistle and wave down the pilot, with the result that the passenger caught a lift to the ship.  It was quite awesome that they did this, especially when we noticed the man’s arm had been wrapped up from an injury, possibly the reason for his delayed return to the ship.  

 

To the passenger involved, if you see this, we have video you may want to have to share your unexpected adventure on a pilot boat.  🙂

 

 

[Califonria cruiser]

Gotta tell you your post is answering all my questions! I thought I was attention to detail, type A planner but you are the real deal : ) Thanks for sharing.

 

Jenn

[APDMOM]

Evening Entertainment:  Columbus, The Musical

 

As geeks who are also fans of slapstick, we LOVE this show.  I think the more you see it, the funnier it gets.  Of course, Marc “Bing Bong” added to make this show even more hilarious by joining the final scenes with a characteristic “Bing Bong”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Cruise Director Marc and his many talents:  Singing in the 80’s party live!

 

[APDMOM]

My Favorite View:  End of Day 5 - Roatan

 

My mom and I with our own ‘slapstick’ pose