The Harmony of the Sea is a beautiful ship but it is to large. There are to many passengers and they are not organized to handle in an orderly fashion. I felt like we had to fight for seating for meals, shows and lounge chairs. I will not duplicate.

Item: Harmony of the Seas
Rating: 3.5
Author: jansanso1

Harmony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

jansanso1

Contributor Level: Cruise Director

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 6

Helpful Votes: 158

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 27, 2018

Ship: Harmony of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11643

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Ship is to large and did not enjoy having to battle 6500 other passengers for things that are necessities.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

The specialty restaurants like the Italian and Johnny Rockets were great. The buffet food was honestly better than the main dining room in my opinion.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

There were very few onboard activities even on days at sea.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

You were ably to win a few dollars the first two days of the cruise, at least enough to keep playing. The last three days of the cruise, you could see it was impossible to win. We just stopped visiting the casino even though that is an activity my husband and I enjoy.

Children's Programs

We had no children traveling with us

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

We had reservations to see Grease night 2 of our cruise. It was cancelled due to rough seas and rescheduled on day 4. On that day there was no organization to allow guests to enter the theater in an orderly fashion. It was like a bull fight with everyone rushing the doors when they opened.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The room was nice, had a comfortable bed and plenty of closet space. The only problem was that music would play on the pool deck and it was very loud in your room until about 5 o'clock in the evening.

Ship tip

I have cruised 30 + times with different lines. I did not like the Harmony of the Seas. The ship is beautiful but it is to large and to many passengers. You felt like you had to fight for everything, ie a place to sit for breakfast or lunch at the buffet. You had to fight to get into the theater for events that you have already made reservations for. You had to get up early to find a seat on the pool deck on sea days. I would not duplicate this ship or another one this size.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

3 out of 5

The port is still rebuilding

Thumbs Up 0

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5

The port is still rebuilding, many stores are still boarded up.

Thumbs Up 5

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

3 out of 5

It is not enough staff there to help with chairs and it is hard to find a shady spot. It would be great if Labadee had some huts to provide shade for those who need it.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

3 Comments

mmichalski59 6 years ago

There are just flat out inaccurate statements in this review. There are MANY onboard activities on this ship. MANY. Labadee has cabanas for rent to get out of the sun and there are other places with shade like Columbus Cove. You are also able to bring a small tent or cabana of your own. Check out the following thread. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2570432 There are so many places to eat that I am not sure why you had to fight anyone. The buffet is always a zoo on any ship. Some people are OK with it.. Some are not. Go to the main dining room for meals if you don't like the large number of people. Finally, a cruise is NOT a necessity nor is anything on the ship. It is all a luxury.

Thumbs Up 1

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MyHadley 6 years ago

I've been on the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas, with the Oasis of the Seas at Max Capacity with 6500 people. We never felt crowded except maybe when is show would let out and you had to get to catch an elevator. The Promenade might get a little busy on sea days, but otherwise that, you never feel like you're on board with that many people.

Thumbs Up 3

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jcole0903 6 years ago

Don’t cruise. Just saying

Thumbs Up 3

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