Lovely accommodations

Harmony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 109

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Harmony of the Seas

3 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 09, 2019

Ship: Harmony of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 1752

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Loft Suites are wonderful balcony cabins, but too expensive for us to do it again on Harmony. Scaling back to a Junior Suite still provides a nice balcony but is much more affordable. Given the high level of service on Harmony, any cabin you choose should make for a pleasant trip.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Very smooth. Only drawback was they took our ID picture in an area with insufficient lighting. This became a problem because any personnel viewing our ID picture on Royal Caribbean's computers could not clearly see our faces.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Considering they're cooking for about 7,000 people every day, they do a reasonably good job. Lots of variety in specialty dining venues. "Wonderland," in particular, is quite different, but don't go unless you enjoy an adventure in dining.

Mini Bites

3 out of 5

We went with the hope of having the mini grilled cheese bits, but all that was offered was the usual fast food items (burgers, dogs, various salads). Turkey burgers were tasty but unremarkable.

Park Cafe

4 out of 5

Food is good. The staff struggles to keep up with cleaning and sanitizing tables. I noticed all staff in this venue had stressed expressions and demeanor. I realized they are probably worn down by the incredible level of noise. Hard surfaces amplify chair scraping, plate/cup/silverware noises, passenger conversations (especially with kids present), cooking sounds, and overhead music. You actually feel relieved when you exit the restaurant.

Windjammer Marketplace

4 out of 5

Nice variety. Oddly, the main courses are contained in one island and not repeated elsewhere, causing patrons to jam up.

Johnny Rockets

5 out of 5

Always good. Keep in mind there's an $11 cover charge. Then you can order as much as you want. NOTE WELL: milkshakes are extra.

Wonderland

5 out of 5

Quirky and cool. You need to be open-minded to enjoy this venue's unusual food presentations. So, if you don't want anything more adventurous than a steakhouse, don't go here.

Solarium Bistro

5 out of 5

Delicious food. Keep in mind the menu never changes (meaning, it's the same every night). It's FREE, so try it out. We very much appreciated that the music was low enough to enjoy conversation with one's table mate(s)!

Schooner Bar

4 out of 5

Enjoyed their "tropical" spin on traditional cocktails. As with nearly every bar on the ship, the music was too loud to make the waiter understand what you want without having to scream. We left after one drink and never went back.

Sabor

4 out of 5

Food was very tasty. We were having a wonderful time until the Aqua Theatre show started. The music was so ridiculously loud that we couldn't converse with each other or the waiter. Finally just gave up and left.

Main Dining Room

4 out of 5

We hadn't visited the MDR in a while, so we were surprised at how RCCL has intentionally made things a bit less formal. Still very nice.

Coastal Kitchen

5 out of 5

Tasty food and large portions. I'm very fond of the Baked Alaska, which is only served on formal night.

Cafe Promenade

3 out of 5

Surprisingly small and limited, especially compared to sister ship, Oasis.

Boardwalk Dog House

5 out of 5

Tasty sausages of varying types. Reasonable choice of toppings. Fresh buns. And it's FREE!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Fitness center has good variety of machines. We don't usually partake of other activities (surfing, zip-line, slides, pools, arcades, escape room, etc.), so I can't offer an opinion on those. I've been on the carousel on Oasis (same size as the one on Harmony) and found the circuit to be so "short" that I actually felt dizzy.

Suite Lounge

4 out of 5

Lovely panoramic view. Nice hors d'oeuvres. Two complaints: 1) coffee machine is not properly programmed to brew decaf. 2) We were Loft Suite guests and, therefore, entitled to visit this lounge. However, Pinnacle guests are so snobby and obnoxious that their glares made us feel like intruders.

Royal Promenade

4 out of 5

Lots of shops, several bars, and some quickie eateries. Gets very crowded during the parade, so either exercise patience or stay away. At night, the music from one venue will bleed into other venues, creating a cacophony of noise.

Diamond Club

4 out of 5

Mostly pleasant. However, there are no windows, so no view to enjoy. It is the only lounge where you can get decaf coffee (Suite Lounge machine didn't seem programmed for decaf),which I appreciated greatly. I wish they would adjust the ambient music volume to make it quieter when there are only a handful of passengers present.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
The "Columbus" stage musical was terrific. The Jazz Club venue is very nice; loved the music and atmosphere. The music everywhere else is typical of cruise ships, i.e. so extremely loud that you cannot have a conversation with your partner. The loud music of one area frequently overlaps loud music of other areas, basically creating an overwhelming cacophony of noise. We avoided these areas, even to the point where we took long detours.

Central Park

4 out of 5

We love it on Oasis because it's so serene. However, on Harmony, you constantly hear rushing water from the kiddie pool area, to the point where it overwhelms Central Park's "natural" bird and cricket sounds, as well as drowning out the nightly musician unless you're within 30 feet of him.

Royal Theater

5 out of 5

Only show we attended was "Columbus." Very enjoyable musical comedy, and it only lasts 50 minutes, giving you plenty of time to explore other entertainment venues.

Jazz on 4

5 out of 5

Nice space. Good music. Only complaint is how loud music from the Promenade bleeds into the venue to the point you can't hear the jazz quartet. So obnoxious. A passenger would typically get up and close the door to block the sound. The cocktail server is an odd duck; he won't make eye contact with you or come by to ask if you want anything. Oddly, you have to wave him over.

Card Room

5 out of 5

Lots of tables. Adequate selection of board games.

Children's Programs

No children accompanied us on this trip.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Ship staff is consistently courteous and helpful.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Staff work non-stop to keep all areas very clean. We saw nothing broken/malfunctioning.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Loft Suites are two-stories. Huge two-story window opens into a nice balcony. Furnishings were comfortable and clean. It was wonderful having two bathrooms.

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida Did not visit port

We live here and therefore did not book any excursions.

Nassau, Bahamas Did not visit port

Since we have visiting Nassau many times, we chose to stay on board this trip.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
As guests in a Loft Suite, we had an expedited departure, so it's an atypical experience for the average passenger.
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