I get it. This is a huge mega-ship with a zillion activities. But for me that is not the ship I enjoy.
This ship was very loud. There was a pool deck and there was the indoor promenade. They always had loud music blasting or enthusiastic entertainment staff talking and there was no peaceful place to escape and sit by the ocean, read a book and have a snack or get a drink.
They did offer the Solarium which was beautiful and quiet - but it was not a place to sit and watch the ocean.
This ship was great if you enjoy a land based resort because none will come close to this experience. But the energy level was raucous. I didn't like it. It was a loud non-stop party from boarding to going home. And I missed the experience of sitting and watching the ocean.
This system is giving my cruise a 4.4 rating, but I would give it a 3 star rating.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very easy to board the Harmony of the Seas. The process from arriving at the port at 1030am went so quickly I was on board by 10:50am.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was simply OK. They gave fancy menu names to some very basic dishes. For example, the Heirloom Tomato Salad was simply cut tomatoes with dressing - regular store bought grocery tomatoes, not heirlooms. Pizza in Sorrentos was like an excellent frozen grocery store pizza. There was nothing wrong with it, but also nothing special or particularly good about it.
The drinks were weird. If you ordered a frozen alcoholic drink, you received a frozen virgin drink and they poured a shot of alcohol on top of the drink instructing you to stir it in.
Again, there was nothing wrong with the food, but it was just plain basic food.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The ship offers many things to do from Rock Wall Climbing, zip-line, 10 story slide, escape room, swimming pools, carousel, casino, and I'm probably skipping over a hundred others.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Huh? I went to see the musical Grease performed on this ship. One of the biggest hits in, was it the 1980s? But I walked out of the performance on the ship. And there was no orchestra! It was canned music! For my taste I'd rather see a live orchestra and a video of people singing. This was stupid. I can't believe it. It was supposed to be a musical!
The Ice Show was excellent. Very skilled skaters. But again, it was canned music. But the show was beautiful.
The Aqua Show was half-and-half. It was about an hour long. To be polite, they built up slowly. The first half of the show was boring. But there were exciting acts in the second half. I'm glad I didn't walk out of the show because it turned very good.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service was exceptional. All they wanted to do was give you perfect service and they kept checking to make sure you were satisfied.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
This was NOT the ship for me. While it was quite new, spotlessly clean, huge, and had a zillion things to do - I was missing some things important to me.
I enjoy sitting out on deck watching the ocean, looking for flying fish, hearing the ship cut through the water. It was possible to do this on the running track around the outside of Deck 5, but there were very few places there to sit and there was no service there, no coffee, no snacks, no beverage service. Just a few chairs. On most other ships I've been on, the sea was the star of the cruise central and foremost to taking a cruise instead of being in a land resort.
The Harmony of the Seas, while and excellent land resort, a huge land based shopping mall, a beautiful hotel, did not offer me a cruise ocean experience. It was the reason I chose a cruise and the Harmony of the Seas left me wanting.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I had a solo studio oceanview cabin on Deck 4. I loved it. 5 stars for no single supplement, 2 stars if I had to pay full oceanview prices.
It measured quite small (approx 8x12) but it was just right for 1 person. The 8x12 included the bathroom, closets, etc., so the space was quite small. As I lay on the full-size bed I was able to touch both walls at the same time.
But given that on this cruise, this studio had no single supplement and was half the cost of a standard outside cabin, it was perfect for what it was. The window was, in my guesstimation, 5 feet diameter right beside the bed.
My only negative observation is that all - every one - of my wash clothes were threadbare. The towels were great, everything else was great, but the wash clothes were well worn and ready for rags.
I love Cape Canaveral and I recommend people visit here. There are so many things to do and many places to eat and swim, and watch the ships. Great place to visit.
Ours was Harmony of the Seas 1st visit to the New Coco Cay. Normally I don't care for a private island visit so my expectations were low. But when I saw this place I was blown away! It was amazing, They made this place into a beach paradise. They had every type of beach - ocean, lagoon, calm water - plentiful good food, beverage service, shade, a tram to go from pier to beach. The ship docks here, no tenders. Amazing place.
I've been visiting St Thomas for 50 years, I must love it. My best advice is to look through a list of all the ship's excursions, pick one you like, but then walk off the ship and get a taxi to go there. You'll go to the very same place at a small fraction of the cost.
Specifically Philipsburg... You can get off the ship and take a free (tip only) shuttle down the pier to the ferry. The ferry costs $7 for all day come and go service. It goes to the town and beach right where the ship docks. The beach is beautiful, there are excellent places to eat or get a drink. It is a beautiful way to spend the day.
I had bought "The Key" After a very nice breakfast, I walked up to Deck 5, told them I had "The Key" and I was off the ship. My bags were right in front of Customs. From breakfast to taxi took around 10 minutes.
We just got off the ship yesterday. I couldn't wait to leave. Sailed Oasis 2 years ago, it was wonderful. I was so excited to sail on Harmony. It was quite a disappointment. I actually felt like I was on a carnival party ship. The music in whatever venue you are in is so loud, you have to shout to have a conversation. The ship is beautiful and the staff were very nice. I got really aggravated with the lack of elevator etiquette from 6,000 passengers. Especially the younger generation. When the doors open, they don't wait for anyone to get off. It's just push and shove your way on. Lots of unattended smaller children running around. They made an announcement that the lifeguards weren't there to babysit, and for the parents to watch your children. Hard to enjoy a balcony room when everyone is partying on the balconies. Very loud. No room in the adult pool. Children diving and swimming in the hot tubs. Found dirty underwear from previous guest under my bed. I will be finding a new cruise line.
If you want a quiet place to watch the ocean, you really need to just get your own ocean view balcony room. But like others have said, there are other quieter spots on the larger ships, you just have to find them. I love all the Oasis class ships, but I get that they’re not for everyone.
I have sailed in the Harmony twice and loved it! My husband and I are in our mid 60's. We did have an oceanview balcony. Never did we think it was too noisy or loud. Everyone is on vacation and having fun!
As stated earlier maybe a balcony room would have been a better fit if you were looking for that quiet time to watch the waves. While I personally prefer larger ships and disagree with some of your points, I understand that everyone’s taste is different. I appreciate your honest review.
I have found plenty of places on the mega ships where you can find a quiet spot to sit usually on the running track towards the back there are places to sit all around the track usually very quiet during the afternoons and evenings and you can sit there and watch that beautiful blue water go by don’t give up on cruising I love to cruise
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