The ship was overcrowded and the majority of the trip is spent waiting in line

Harmony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

FamilyFun1234

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 10

Overall rating:

2.4 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 23, 2018

Ship: Harmony of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

We were excited to cruise on this large kid/teen friendly ship and looked forward to the various activities however the lines for the activities were unbelievably long. Some examples: line for rockclimbing - 2 hours line for ziplining - 2 hours line for waterslide 1.5 hours line for Abyss - 1 hour Line for flowrider - 2.5 hours There were also long lines getting on and off the ships at Port with waits of more than an hour. This was especially upsetting in San Juan where the ship was only docked for five hours so almost half the stop was spent on line. Lines to get drinks were 45 minutes long - I think they did this to try to curb people who had the drink packages from getting as much alcohol. Forget getting on an elevator unless you had more than an hour to wait and we did not take photos because the lines were between 1 to 2 hours on formal night. The pools were so overcrowded (very hot in June) that people just stood side by side in the water as there was no room to move around. Many of the staff were cranky and non-responsive especially at Guest Services! On the second sea day the staff made announcements for a specific guest to come and settle their bill every ten minutes from 6:20 am to 7:00 am with no regard to waking up the entire ship on vacation. This made for some very cranky children. When we complained about the announcements the staff shrugged their shoulders and said "We are working and it is convenient for us now". They could have waited until later - after all we were at sea and the guest could not go anywhere. The food was poor, even in some of the specialty restaurants. At Chops our meat was so bad we had to send it back twice. At Jamies they took our order and after an hour the waiter came back to tell us that what we had ordered was no longer available and we had to start the ordering all over again with a much more limited menu (they had run out of 5 of the man entrees listed and had only the vegetable plank). The food in the main dining room was of very poor quality and my kids said the items on the children's menu were "gross". It was hard to believe they could mess up macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese so badly that kids would refuse to eat it. Food at the Windjammer was left out longer than it should have been with cheese curdling and fish drying out. On the positive side the rooms were big, the balconies great, the showers had good water pressure and the service from the room stewards was impeccable! The kids club programming and teen lounge/programming was excellent and our kids enjoyed. The shows were great with very talented performers. Reserving ahead of the cruise is a must (as we did). Would not recommend this cruise - save your money and go somewhere where you can enjoy yourself rather than wait in line.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Children's Programs

4 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

2 out of 5

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

3 out of 5

San Juan, Puerto Rico

1 out of 5

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

3 out of 5

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

29 Comments

dreams008 5 years ago

If you went in July, you're asking for crowds. Though the ship is always full, summer time is the last time I would consider when going on a cruise.

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familiabuscape 6 years ago

Why people who had different experiences label this as a fake review? Is it only what you lived that is the true? Among thousands of passengers not everyone think and act the same! What is fine for one person is horrible for the other! Let's respect other's opinions!

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dawkfive 6 years ago

Was on Harmony July 14th, never a long wait for any restaurants. The Windjammer is not large enough to accommodate 6500 passengers, but we found other places to eat and it was excellent. Our shop steward, Clifton was awesome, one of my bags did not arrive with the others and I began to panic...Clifton said, no worries, I will bring it to you and no more than 15 minutes later I had my bag. I rode the abyss twice while we were at sea, and I did not wait long at all. I was busy making memories by talking to other cruisers, the wait was 10 minutes tops.

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devilchops 6 years ago

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BASSON61 6 years ago

Just got off harmony July 14 never had to stand in line for anything except for the bathroom in my cabin waiting for my daughter and wife to get ready so I can get in there I love the harmony of the seas a beautiful ship enjoy your cruise I love to cruise

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MikeAnc1975 6 years ago

Lol this review is hilarious! I’ve been on all these Oasis ships during thanksgiving and never have waited this long for anything. Also why wait in line for anything, you’re on vacation and can come back at anytime for 7 days! Review is fake anyway

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wdwrkr28 6 years ago

I just got off that ship Saturday, I think your review is gross exaggeration and/or total bull$hit.

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GumboK 6 years ago

We got back 6/23, with a group of 24, and we all had a wonderful experience. Granted the pool was crowded on sea days, but that was a small annoyance. If the elevators were crowded and we were only going a few decks, we took the stairs.

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Pinkys 6 years ago

Fake review 🙃

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CruisingGs 6 years ago

Fake review I went on this ship on spring break (NEVER AGAIN) and although it was Jam packed none of this happened none of these wait times are accurate This isn’t just a fake review it’s a bad fake, lol

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yammie10256 6 years ago

We had 2 great trips. Fake review?

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cruisefreaks 6 years ago

I think the offseasons is the way to go. In Oct we had only 2 kids from 15-18 our friends kids had no one to hang out with, and no lines. I have had to send steak back at chops, but never seen them run out of anything.

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captainsteve68 6 years ago

I don't believe any of it!!!!

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kknorr0320 6 years ago

I've been on Harmony and Oasis and never waited in long lines other than the Windjammer at peak hours, which was my mistake for going at that time. I'd also be surprised if they paged someone at 6 am over their bill.

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cceatl72 6 years ago

Bogus review.

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fossetti31 6 years ago

Fake news.

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mgvist 6 years ago

Not sure if I believe this review. We were on the ship June 16-23 and never experienced a line more then 10 minutes. Getting off and on the ship was a breeze. There were 6500 passengers on board and never felt crowded the entire week. It is a great ship with activities for everyone to enjoy.

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seasquirt 6 years ago

Where are your photos was there a line for your camera lol

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captainsteve68 6 years ago

Pattycake I can't believe that guys review....they were out of all the food? And I went down the water slides and it was maybe a 10 minute wait. ...the food in windjammer was great...

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pattycake70 6 years ago

I also came off may 19th it was wonderful cruise food very good shows were great. Booked harmony again May 2019 and September 2019.

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captainsteve68 6 years ago

I have been on 6 oasis class ships ...never anything like that

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captainsteve68 6 years ago

I just came off May 19...it was awesome...the food was great ...never had lines that were long...crew and ship was amazing!!!

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cruisinthelight 6 years ago

that is why it is best to sail off season...when all school and college students in school and there families wait for summer or christmas break to vacay. Would never ever book a trip during peak season :(

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lovetheislands 6 years ago

This has to be fake review. I have been on several of royal Caribbean‘s largest ships never had an issue.

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TXatsea 6 years ago

Been on numerous Oasis class ships and have never experienced anything like this.

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JefffromMaine 6 years ago

What a disaster, I would have given then no stars. I was on the Harmony in April and there was virtually no wait for anything. Our Chops experience was perfect. We were a group of 28 and don't think anyone had a bad vacation. We had such a good experience that we re-booked for next March.

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disneynina 6 years ago

Oh poo! We are sailing on Harmony in Sept. hope we don’t have those issues!

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disneynina 6 years ago

Oh poo....we are sail

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harleychick421 6 years ago

Thank you for your review!

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