Not great for a 5 year old
Harmony of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean
7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)
Sail date: August 28, 2016
Ship: Harmony of the Seas
Cabin type: Oceanview
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
We bothered to do the lengthy online checkin but was almost all worthless as most repeated on arriving at port.
Stupid soft drink machines that require personal cup to be carried around. You allow people to throw thousands of plates of uneaten food away every day, but are so penny pinching on a glass of coke that you need this ridiculous system?
5 year old was so bored at kids club that she didn't want to go back, but staff weren't interested in letting her move up to the higher group. She told us she couldn't make friends as the staff wouldn't let them talk to each other (an exaggeration but symptomatic of how the sessions were too formal and not enough fun). As a 5 year old she had to sit through "abc" sessions when she can already read and write.
Where is the general shop? Every decent hotel in the world has a shop with a fridge full of drinks and personal items for sale. My wife had to wait for the sick bay to open to purchase some sanitary pads after asking multiple crew who couldn't help. Most hotels have them in the bathrooms or available from the front desk.
Overzealous height limits on the water slides. How can it be safe for my 44" daughter to ride the Ultimate Abyss but not a simple water slide? Luckily she was just taller than the ridiculous limit on the slides in the splash park (she's been going on water slides like that since she could walk!).
Overall a nice ship with good food and shows, but simply not enough for a 5 year old to do, especially when she doesn't want to go to kids club any more. We had to push to get the crew to let her on the ultimate abyss, but such a shame she couldn't do the other water slides (which she would be allowed on at every other water park we've ever visited). In the end she went on the carousel literally about 30 times in the week as that's all she could really do other than the splash park and arcades.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
3 Comments
HSVcruiser01 7 years ago
I was thinking exactly the same ! Was this the first cruise that you took ?? Sounds like it. There are rules and regulations everywhere for a reason ! They may be not understandable in some places, but IF something happens, who is the first to scream "Lawyer" ?
We cruised Harmony Transatlantic in October and we liked the ship. I have seen happy children in the Kids Club and with the staff all over the ship.
Maybe Disney Cruises are a better choice for you !
HSVcruiser01 7 years ago
I was thinking exactly the same ! Was this the first cruise that you took ?? Sounds like it. There are rules and regulations everywhere for a reason ! They may be not understandable in some places, but IF something happens, who is the first to scream "Lawyer" ?
We cruised Harmony Transatlantic in October and we liked the ship. I have seen happy children in the Kids Club and with the staff all over the ship.
Maybe Disney Cruises are a better choice for you !
noname111 7 years ago
Thank you for posting your review. Here are a couple thought on your comments...
Check-in:
You will find this is the standard for all of the popular cruise lines. There are customs regulations that require passenger information be cleared ahead of sailing. Once in port, the agents must verify identity of all cruisers, general health status, and other particulars before allowing one to board. If this irritates you so much, another cruise may not be in your future.
Soft drinks:
The "stupid" cup is what triggers the soft drink machine to work. None of the cruise lines are in the business of giving things away. If it is that objectionable to you, don't participate.
Childrens programs:
The kid programs work on chronological rather than intellectual age. It is what it is.
Mercantile shop:
It is not fair to compare a cruise ship to a brick and mortar hotel. Most people who cruise bring along the items that they can foreseeable need during a voyage. Perhaps more care taken when packing will help avoid a repeat of this unfortunate episode. BY THE WAY, there is a small area in the general mercantile shop of every ship we've ever cruised that carries convenience items, including feminine hygiene products. This would be the first and only ship not to do so.
Overzealous height limits:
This was not an actual problem. Were you looking for things to complain about?
The issue of children on cruise ships that do not focus on children seems to be a repeating theme recently. If you want to cruise so your child has a fulfilling experience, look at Disney rather than any of the other popular lines. Disney definitely offers a more kid and family focused experience.