Harmony of the Seas

DVC Doctor

Member since 2001
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Joined
Mar 19, 2014
I just got off a week cruise with Harmony of the Seas and I am happy to answer questions. I have been on Freedom, Liberty, Independence, Oasis, Allure, Disney, etc.

I loved the room layout of Harmony of the Seas the best as it is really the most efficient room layout of all the RCCL ships. It just feels much larger as the layout is super efficient.

The new Wonderland restaurant was absolutely incredible.
The robot bar is cool, but they charge a tip (service fee) on top of drink.
The slides are a great addition and are fun.

My major complaint is the level of smoke in the casino ruins your clothes whenever you walk into the casino. I am sensitive to the smell and I don't understand how RCCL can spend $1 billion+ on this ship and NOT be able to improve the ventilation of the smoking side of the casino.
 
Thanks! I'm going on Harmony in August, so am always interested in people's opinion of the ship.

Did you do fixed or My Time dining, and how did you find the staff? How would you rate the shows? Did you do Jamie's, and how would you compare it to Giovanni's?
 
We did fixed dining, but if I had to do it again, I would do my time dining as the service was faster. With fixed, you have the same staff and table, with my time, you get someone different every time.

The shows were very good, the water shows were better than Oasis/Allure, the Grese show was excellent, the Columbus show and comedian were very good.

We did Jamies for lunch and it was about equal to Giovanni's other than the sign outside.

The Internet speed was acceptable, but only 2 to 3 mbps

The Solarium is now three levels and much larger, the glass floor on one of the wing viewing platforms was a little creepy.
 
I actually wouldn't mind MTD, but I'm in a 13-person group, and my dad likes the fixed dining and wait staff.

I've heard good things about the Columbus show. I've read that Grease may not be the most "kid friendly" show - can you confirm? Not that I'm against that - I remember that Chicago on the Allure (when they had Chicago that is) was also not "kid friendly".

Glass floor sounds interesting. I still remember doing the glass floor at the CN Tower and I imagine that this will freak me out in a similar fashion.
 


I actually wouldn't mind MTD, but I'm in a 13-person group, and my dad likes the fixed dining and wait staff.

I've heard good things about the Columbus show. I've read that Grease may not be the most "kid friendly" show - can you confirm? Not that I'm against that - I remember that Chicago on the Allure (when they had Chicago that is) was also not "kid friendly".

Glass floor sounds interesting. I still remember doing the glass floor at the CN Tower and I imagine that this will freak me out in a similar fashion.

Fixed time is better with a large group

Grease is not that bad, as you probably have seen the show or movie, but there is smoking, sex talk, etc. The only shows that are not kid friendly are the comedian and the Quest

The CN tower glass floor is way more freaky than the ship....as there is water below you in case the glass breaks. :)
 
I just got off a week cruise with Harmony of the Seas and I am happy to answer questions. I have been on Freedom, Liberty, Independence, Oasis, Allure, Disney, etc.

I loved the room layout of Harmony of the Seas the best as it is really the most efficient room layout of all the RCCL ships. It just feels much larger as the layout is super efficient.

The new Wonderland restaurant was absolutely incredible.
The robot bar is cool, but they charge a tip (service fee) on top of drink.
The slides are a great addition and are fun.

My major complaint is the level of smoke in the casino ruins your clothes whenever you walk into the casino. I am sensitive to the smell and I don't understand how RCCL can spend $1 billion+ on this ship and NOT be able to improve the ventilation of the smoking side of the casino.

This may be a dumb question but online it lists one slide as a "slide" and the other as a "water slide". Is one of them just a slide? Also, it says there are more than 20 different dining choices. How many of these do you need to pay extra for? I am thinking about a 7 night eastern Caribbean. We have been on 3 other RC cruises and one Disney. Thanks for info!
 
This may be a dumb question but online it lists one slide as a "slide" and the other as a "water slide". Is one of them just a slide? Also, it says there are more than 20 different dining choices. How many of these do you need to pay extra for? I am thinking about a 7 night eastern Caribbean. We have been on 3 other RC cruises and one Disney. Thanks for info!
The Abyss is not a water slide

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You should be able to compare complimentary vs specialty dining on their website http://www.royalcaribbean.com/harmonyoftheseas/dining/
 


This may be a dumb question but online it lists one slide as a "slide" and the other as a "water slide". Is one of them just a slide? Also, it says there are more than 20 different dining choices. How many of these do you need to pay extra for? I am thinking about a 7 night eastern Caribbean. We have been on 3 other RC cruises and one Disney. Thanks for info!

as mjprincess said, the abyss is not a water slide - you go down it on a mat - but harmony also has 3 waterslides, two enclosed tunnels and one that's a "toilet bowl" type (i don't know what they are really called :) ).

included venues are the main dining room, sorrento's pizza (fast food), promenade cafe (small sandwiches and snacks), park cafe (soups, salads, sandwiches, and snacks), solarium bistro (healthy main meals), windjammer buffet, and mini bites (hot dogs, burgers, snacks). i may have missed some. then there are 7 or 8 specialty restaurants that cost extra. there is plenty of included food to cover you for 7 nights. food opinions obviously are subjective, but we found the MDR and park cafe to be better on harmony than oasis or allure.
 
This may be a dumb question but online it lists one slide as a "slide" and the other as a "water slide". Is one of them just a slide? Also, it says there are more than 20 different dining choices. How many of these do you need to pay extra for? I am thinking about a 7 night eastern Caribbean. We have been on 3 other RC cruises and one Disney. Thanks for info!

Abyss is a dry slide (wear clothes) and the three others are wet water slides (bathing suites)

20 dining choices must count every little place to get food, but there are about 5 or so restaurants that you have to pay extra for.

I 100% LOVED Wonderland and really enjoyed that dining experience.

The sushi restaurant was also outstanding and the Mexican restaurant was also very good.
 
Hi! My husband and I are booked on the Harmony in May for our 25th anniversary, but we have only been on 1 other cruise and that was for our 3rd on Carnival. So naturally I have a few questions! We are thinking of the 3 night dining package - how does that work? Do I get to pick the restaurants? I really want to go to Wonderland on our anniversary night, are the 3 nights in a row? Do I book them on the ship and will I have trouble with availability? What is the difference between my time dining (what our dreams agent has booked for us) and fixed? Has anyone done the swimming with dolphins in St. Maarten? and lastly any tips and tricks and things we need to know as basically first time cruisers? Thanks in advance for this folks, I know how to research Disney, but am finding the RC site less than helpful on some of these questions!
 
Just wondering how the lines were during sea days for the slides, rock climbing walls, zipline, etc. I know the aquaduck line can get extremely long but just wondering because of more options if the lines aren't as bad?
Thanks!
 
Hi! My husband and I are booked on the Harmony in May for our 25th anniversary, but we have only been on 1 other cruise and that was for our 3rd on Carnival. So naturally I have a few questions! We are thinking of the 3 night dining package - how does that work? Do I get to pick the restaurants? I really want to go to Wonderland on our anniversary night, are the 3 nights in a row? Do I book them on the ship and will I have trouble with availability? What is the difference between my time dining (what our dreams agent has booked for us) and fixed? Has anyone done the swimming with dolphins in St. Maarten? and lastly any tips and tricks and things we need to know as basically first time cruisers? Thanks in advance for this folks, I know how to research Disney, but am finding the RC site less than helpful on some of these questions!

RCCL is far superior to Carnival and has advantages over Disney

100% make your anniversary dinner at Wonderland as it is very cool

I did not buy the 3 night dining package so I can't comment on that package

I would advise getting reservations for all dinner BEFORE you get on the ship

Fixed means you go to dinner the same time and location every night and My Time means you can go whenever you like, but will get a different table and servers each time

Consider the Drink package as it can be worth it if you know what I mean

Get the Passport app for your phone to make clearing customs easier and faster

My favorite place to hang out is the solarium at night on a lounge chair
 
Just wondering how the lines were during sea days for the slides, rock climbing walls, zipline, etc. I know the aquaduck line can get extremely long but just wondering because of more options if the lines aren't as bad?
Thanks!

Actually not too bad, other than the Flowrider as that gets long on sea days.

Lines for the slides are no where as long as Disney on sea days for the aquaduck.
 
My major complaint is the level of smoke in the casino ruins your clothes whenever you walk into the casino. I am sensitive to the smell and I don't understand how RCCL can spend $1 billion+ on this ship and NOT be able to improve the ventilation of the smoking side of the casino.
We felt the same way on Oasis. There is no way to avoid smelling like smoke even if you just go near it. Gross! Even the elevator that goes down to the Casino reeked all the time. They need to ban smoking in the Casino like they do in any other indoor area on the ship.
 
Hi! My husband and I are booked on the Harmony in May for our 25th anniversary, but we have only been on 1 other cruise and that was for our 3rd on Carnival. So naturally I have a few questions! We are thinking of the 3 night dining package - how does that work? Do I get to pick the restaurants? I really want to go to Wonderland on our anniversary night, are the 3 nights in a row? Do I book them on the ship and will I have trouble with availability? What is the difference between my time dining (what our dreams agent has booked for us) and fixed? Has anyone done the swimming with dolphins in St. Maarten? and lastly any tips and tricks and things we need to know as basically first time cruisers? Thanks in advance for this folks, I know how to research Disney, but am finding the RC site less than helpful on some of these questions!

We just got off of the Harmony yesterday. We booked specialty dining as soon as we got on the ship. This was the first cruise (I've been on 16) that we never once ate in the main dining room. In terms of food, this was my favorite cruise :)
 
We just got off Harmony yesterday. I thought Deck 15 (pool area) was very crowded on sea days starting at about 11 am. I avoided that area completely. The early bird catches the worm!!! On the last sea day, my husband and son rode the slides back to back, but were up there by 9:30 am. Rock climbing was never bad in terms of lines. The flow rider always had a line, but it was fine.

My daughter has celiac and we received excellent service in all the restaurants! My son says it was the best cruise he has ever been on. We've done Disney, RC, and Princess. I had fun, but there were a lot of people :)

We always had something to do, and had a great time. If you like puzzles/games, check the Compass for The Royal Mystery. It is kind of like an escape room puzzle without being locked in a room! That was probably one of my favorite activities!
 
Hi! My husband and I are booked on the Harmony in May for our 25th anniversary, but we have only been on 1 other cruise and that was for our 3rd on Carnival. So naturally I have a few questions! We are thinking of the 3 night dining package - how does that work? Do I get to pick the restaurants? I really want to go to Wonderland on our anniversary night, are the 3 nights in a row? Do I book them on the ship and will I have trouble with availability? What is the difference between my time dining (what our dreams agent has booked for us) and fixed? Has anyone done the swimming with dolphins in St. Maarten? and lastly any tips and tricks and things we need to know as basically first time cruisers? Thanks in advance for this folks, I know how to research Disney, but am finding the RC site less than helpful on some of these questions!

Just got off Harmony last week. The problem with the dining package is that you can't make advance reservations. And they pick the restaurant and time for you on the first night. I'd suggest booking the restaurants you want on the nights you want them. Then when you get onboard, see if you can purchase the package and get your prepaid fees refunded. I've done that a couple times, when I've made specialty dining reservations pre-cruise and then discovered that I could get a lower price onboard with my Diamond Plus discount.

With My Time Dining you won't have the same server or table every night. Due to the show schedule on Harmony, I think My Time actually works better. You want to book your shows first, and then schedule your dining time for each night. On the nights you have specialty dining, you don't have to make reservations in the main dining room. Also Wonderland is an "experience" and I recommend eating there at least once, but for a romantic anniversary dinner, I'd suggest 150 Park....it is excellent!
 
We just got off Harmony yesterday. I thought Deck 15 (pool area) was very crowded on sea days starting at about 11 am. I avoided that area completely. The early bird catches the worm!!! On the last sea day, my husband and son rode the slides back to back, but were up there by 9:30 am. Rock climbing was never bad in terms of lines. The flow rider always had a line, but it was fine.

My daughter has celiac and we received excellent service in all the restaurants! My son says it was the best cruise he has ever been on. We've done Disney, RC, and Princess. I had fun, but there were a lot of people :)

We always had something to do, and had a great time. If you like puzzles/games, check the Compass for The Royal Mystery. It is kind of like an escape room puzzle without being locked in a room! That was probably one of my favorite activities!

Bridget, we were on the cruise after yours, and I was really disappointed in the crowds and long lines! This was my 6th time on an Oasis class ship, and all of the other cruises were either in peak summer time, spring break or New Years, and I've never seen the ships so crowded!
 
Thanks! I'm going on Harmony in August, so am always interested in people's opinion of the ship.

Did you do fixed or My Time dining, and how did you find the staff? How would you rate the shows? Did you do Jamie's, and how would you compare it to Giovanni's?

We did Jamie's Italian on Anthem last December, and loved it. I wasn't impressed with the menu on Harmony. But you can check out the menu in your Cruise Planner.
 
This may be a dumb question but online it lists one slide as a "slide" and the other as a "water slide". Is one of them just a slide? Also, it says there are more than 20 different dining choices. How many of these do you need to pay extra for? I am thinking about a 7 night eastern Caribbean. We have been on 3 other RC cruises and one Disney. Thanks for info!

They recommend wearing long pants and long sleeved shirt on Abyss. I can definitely second that. I leaned too far to one side, and have a huge oozing, bleeding mess on one of my arms. I left quite a bit of DNA on that slide...
 

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