Ship was rushed before ready. Needs a lot of fine tuning. Has potential to be a great ship after issues are fixed in dry dock. Would consider trying again in a few years.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Royal does a nice job of putting you in groups so you board by loyalty level. However on Harmony when they called a color a mad dash ran and didn’t board in an orderly fashion as they have on previous Royal sailings.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was ok. I thought the buffet selection in the Windjammer was better than on Oasis. Mini Bites was a huge disappointment. Website lists mini bite size favorites like grilled cheese and corn dogs. It was hotdogs, hamburgers and tortilla chips. Park Cafe was serving Royal beef sandwiches instead of roast beef. It tasted like corned beef. Was extremely salty and fatty. Cafe Promenade did not offer sweets at night like I’ve gotten on other Royal Ships.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Had a hard time finding an activity we were interested in. They listed a lot of activities but there was little variety.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Hated Grease. Was a mashup of the stage show and movie so made no sense and was all over the place chronologically. My son and husband fell asleep and I barely made it I was so bored. Headliner was ok but wouldn’t see him again. Comedians were not funny and Columbus ended up being nothing like we expected.
Children's Programs
2 out of 5
Staff was rude and plain mean. I explained my younger son had Aspergers and sensory issues. Explained if he gets overwhelmed may need to sit by himself to calm down. Director understood and was nice. After initial open house never saw him again. However the staff that was there was horrible. One day I went to pick the kids up. They had them in the theater finishing up a movie. The parents waited. When they brought them to the room got pickup I could tell my son was having a hard time. He went up to a counselor to tell him I was there and was told to “sit down & shut up”. They then signed kids out alphabetically. Our last name starts with W. My son was curled up in a ball crying because it was so loud. I asked if they could please let him be signed out. They told me no wait. Now my older son was given permission the first day to sign himself out. I signed their required form. He asked to leave on numerous occasions and was told no he had to wait for a Parent. He told them he had permission in the system. Said didn’t matter they don’t have to follow parent instructions.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our room steward was phenomenal. She’s the reason I gave it 4 Stars. The rest was more like a 2. Anything we needed Glenda was there immediately. Our waiters in the main dinner no room were ok. Our assistant waiter wasn’t even there the last 3 nights. Even though we had family time dining the kids rarely got there food in time to be picked up and would end up having to grab something from Sorrentos or room service. Room Service took forever, like 2 hours sometimes. It got to the point that Glenda would just put in s standing order for 8pm so the kids had food.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I did love the decor. I liked the teal and charcoal gray. Central Park was a little sparse but I think that was because the ship is new Anc foliage didn’t have time to mature
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
I liked the split closet and there was more storage. However I booked an interior balcony so I could see and hear the ocean without getting all the heat I usually get when I have a balcony room. There was so sound. I inquired why and was told. It was built to have sound, is advertised to have sound but Royal decided to not connect it. The beds were hard and lumpy and the pillows were so flat even with 6 of them I couldn’t sleep. All you heard all night was water rushing through the pipes in the ceiling. The septic kept clogging on our hall so toilets wouldn’t flush.
Ship tip
Do your research and ask past cruisers their experience. I hope I was an isolated experience but I’ve talked to a ton of other people who sailed Harmony and they had the same issues. I understand everyone is different. While I had a less than expected experience my other Royal experiences have been great and I’d consider trying Harmony again, maybe after dry dock when it can correct any issues they’ve found.
I didn’t do excursions but I stayed at the embassey suites which was close to the pier. Everything was close by for food. Short ride to the pier. Terminal gets you checked in fast.
We are booked for March - first time, can't wait!! I am considering staying on the ship in St Thomas just to enjoy the Harmony experience. Any comments?
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