Not the Cruise if u want to relax

Harmony of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

2 out of 5
Harmony of the Seas

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 02, 2016

Ship: Harmony of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 10175

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

I was so excited to take this cruise. First of all, this ship is huge! I was expecting a beautiful ship inside, but it wasn't anything special since I've been on a Princess and Carnival cruise. RC got a couple of things right. Getting on and off the ship was easy and stress free. Entertainment shows were alright, the performers were really good. The bad: unless you paid extra to pay at one of the specialty restaurants, the buffet and other food that came with the price of the cruise were the same every day. Thank God they had a Starbucks. I just wish I had filled my Starbucks gift card with more money before I got on board.  Everything on the ship cost extra. Each picture you took on formal nights were $20! That was way overpriced and they didn't have a great package to purchase pictures. Sharing a cruise with 6000 other people was not really a vacation. It was so crowded in the buffet that it took a while to find a table. I got bumped a couple of times and maybe just one or two people would apologize. They need to work on their buffet and their main dining room. The first day I found a table but the waiter for the section told me I couldn't sit there because it was a table for four! OMG! I should be able to sit where I want! On another occasion, I saw one waiter argued with a group of other workers. I didn't understand what they were saying, but I could tell they were telling him off right by where we get our beverage. That was not cool! It is cool that this ship accommodates everyone, but it's not ideal. I saw one guy's foot get run over accidentally by a lady's wheelchair when she got on the elevator. Ouch! Lots of entertainment and areas for kids. They have an area for the smokers too. I love the Solarium area and Central Park. I'll remember if I ever go again on a cruise to just turn off my phones since internet is so expensive! I got charged $50 for using data while sailing and I didn't even sign up for data on the ship! This ship is good if you don't mind crowds and bumping into other people and spending lots of money for just about everything! Everyone was really nice on the ship, but some just didn't really help you out. I'd go to Guest Services and the person that helps me out while I'm in line didn't really help answer my questions, but as soon as I got to someone behind the guest services counter, they were more willing and nicer and helped answer my questions. I was hoping RC would win me over with this ship/cruise, but I think it did the opposite. Also, their spa and spa staff sucks. I tried to take some classes and got there early, but none of the spa staff knew what I was talking about. Cmon.....if you work in the spa, you should know!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Did not participate but it looks like they had a variety

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5
did not use

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
for an inside cabin, it was roomy and very nice. You'll need your phone to make sure you keep track of time cuz there's no clock there. And they don't have animal towels when they clean the room the way they do from other ships. Too bad cuz I like those. Housekeeping was accommodating.

Ship tip

Don't use your cell phones at all unless you buy internet on the ship cuz it'll cost you from your cell phone provider. Be ready to spend big bucks. Make sure you do what you can to stay healthy. A ship with 6000 people also means all kinds of germs.

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 41

25 Comments

OllieTreg    7 years ago

Nothing special inside. Are you off your bloody nut. It's incredible

nlcepiclover    7 years ago

1. U Should Have though and turned ur phone off 2. Do not even dream about complaining about Royal Caribbean International as they own the sea thanks to their 3 enourmous oasis class ships along with 23 other ships 3.drink peach and lemon ice tea on all cruise ships

kknorr0320    7 years ago

We were on Harmony and it never felt anymore crowded than any other ship. We always found seats by the pool. We never ate in the Windjammer since there are so many options. The ship is designed to minimize crowding.

raybrina    7 years ago

We love RC. But RC is not for all people. Some folks just like carnival, princess and closed in places.

funtimes1010    7 years ago

Let's not clobber the reviewer to bad. They are allowed to make their own observation. My only question. Prior to booking the cruise did you equate "largest cruise ship in the world" to the amount of people it would most likely be carrying? This is the common complaint I see in most of the reviews I have read thus far. If u don't want to be around a lot of people on a cruise ship, I advise not booking a cruise on the largest cruise ship in the world. Just my 2 cents.

charleneweston    8 years ago

Really?! A freaking 2 star review for real? You complain about the crowds but bitch that you couldn't sit at a four seat table cause you should be able to sit where you want?! This was SUCH a horrible experience that you wish you hadn't gone on this cruise? Wow... pretty messed up.

manos    8 years ago

We are life time RC cruisers , have cruised several times the ALURE and only one time the Oasis , we can ,t wait to board the Harmony on it,s first cruise here Nov 12 2016. There is always some thing to complain on tense mega ships ,but you have yo understand that these cruise are dealing with passengers from all over the world , it is almost impossible to please every ones taste , .

General1010    8 years ago

I've taken the oasis and allure and I can't wait to try the Harmony on nov 12 I can't say enough about these 3 ships it's a unbelievable vacation and experience , you can't put a price on fun , food , and making great memories , the staff on board work so hard so we can enjoy our vacation !!!!

bradner3    8 years ago

I've said it before, going to say it again. This is RC'S 3rd mega ship. They have it down. Obviously not for you. Just accept the fact and move on. This review is beyond belief. A seasoned cruiser would know how to navigate crowds regardless of size as well as cell charges.

ryanaubin    8 years ago

The fact there was a comparison between HotS and anything carnival offers is simply laughable. Your phone company charged you for data, not RCI. Your review seems very anecdotal, with micro instances of your own inferences leading your bias. Don't mean to be rude, but you appear to just be looking for things to call out and place unnecessary blame.

raybrina    8 years ago

I'll take it to dinner and take pictures. After that we put it on lock down. When we're cruising we like to be free...hands free. We've been cruising for years and we have always turned the phones off and locked them in the safe. Now, when we get off the ship we take our phone.

twangster    8 years ago

And it's water resistant! Perfect for a cruise ship. Safe? Heck no.

twangster    8 years ago

Why do you lock it in the safe? It's has a good camera! I have the 7 plus. It took great pics last week on Oasis. Would have been a shame to lock it in the safe the whole cruise.

raybrina    8 years ago

I have an iPhone 7...

twangster    8 years ago

@raybrina - feel free to leave your flip phone in the safe, today's smartphones have really good cameras that many of us to take pictures.

raybrina    8 years ago

You're on vacation. The cell phone should be locked away in the safe.☺️

twangster    8 years ago

Have sailed both lines and understand your review. RC Mega ships are a very different experience for sure, we did a suite on Oasis because of this. I found the same food experience on RC, suspect that is to encourage specialty dining. We avoided Windjammer. RC's mega ships are different and fun, but not for everyone, or for every cruise. Even an RC pinnacle we met prefers smaller RC ships.

wilsail67    8 years ago

Sounds like a carnival ringer we've sailed both lines not even in the same ball park; -)

insurancewizard1850    8 years ago

8x10 photos have cost $19.95 forever! that's not new.

kristen83    8 years ago

Not Royal's fault you left your phone on... stay on Carnival, please!

ddno1    8 years ago

Thank you for an honest review. We spoke to our phone service and he warned us about the expensive charges. He recommended putting our phones in airplane mode. We cruise in July 2017. I hope RC figures how to handle that many people by than.

fourpcon    8 years ago

20.0 for formal night photos is new Usually all your photos foto a pakg or you can Buy just 1.

fourpcon    8 years ago

Shouldn't you be Able to shut the wi fi off and use your phone for photos ??

kknorr0320    8 years ago

Your phone company charged you for data? If you've cruised before you should know better than to leave your phone on.

briarpatch    8 years ago

Yes I think another cruise line is the thing for you..... such pettiness. Get over yourself. Seriously.

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