Harmony of the Seas is huge! You will see lots of crowds. But Royal Caribbean is efficient in getting people where they need to go. If the weather gets bad, the crowd on the Boardwalk will be massive. Head to Central Park or the Solarium for some quiet.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We saw on the website that online checkin began three days before departure. On Saturday, the day before departure, we tried to check in online but the website said checkin was closed? They made up for this with a very efficient checkin process at the ship. Good start!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Things to know: GO to breakfast early if you are headed to the Windjammer. But better yet, skip it and head to Johnny Rocket's. Get the omelet, skip the pancakes (McDonald's frozen). In the Main Dining Room, don't do "my time dining". It really means "their time dining" - we waited an hour for a table one night. Also know that anything goes in the dining room - they don't enforce the dress code of "no shorts, tank tops, or caps". This irritated me to no end; either enforce it or don't say it! Food in Main Dining Room was good, but some portions were small. Food on the buffets was, well buffet food. Nothing special.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Good fitness center, although you will walk past the Spa sales people every time. Just over two laps to make a mile on the track - but lots of people who don't understand what a running/walking track is for. Be careful if it's wet. Pools are good, but avoid the one near the smoking section. Tough to get a good chair on sunny sea days.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We were impressed with the quality of the entertainment on the ship. Make a reservation before you get there for the Royal Theater events - they will be full. "Columbus the Musical" - very funny.
Children's Programs
We didn't have kids with us - but there were plenty on board, mostly well mannered and guided by parents - and they seemed to have plenty to do.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward Roy was awesome. Always took the time to talk to us in the passageway, and the towels were always fresh. Restaurant waiters hit and miss. If you are in a hurry (or just not in the mood for a two hour dinner) tell them and the service will speed up.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Staff did a great job keeping it clean. Very efficient design. We had a cabin on 6th deck - which we thought was perfect (after big events on Decks 4 and 5, the elevators are jammed - but we could just walk up!).
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Exactly Midship, just above the life boats. Efficient setup that didn't feel cramped. Tough to keep it warm enough for us Floridians; even on highest setting, A/C took the temperature down to 71 or 72. We left the door open to warm up.
Ship tip
All inclusive cruising is a thing of the past. It's easy to double your cruise price if you aren't paying attention. The Internet sucks; don't expect to do much more than check email or maybe post a photo. Do expect to have to reconnect a lot.
We did the Kon Tiki excursion. It was OK. The "glass bottom" was a disappointment - no fish. Two beach bars for lunch or snacks. It didn't leave us time to see the town.
We did a city tour - informative and just the right amount of time (2.5 hours). Good shopping stop at open air market. Also went out to Maho Beach - incredibly crowded for a September afternoon. Flights are not frequent if you are hoping to "fly the fence". The destruction from Hurricane Irma (2017) is still obvious throughout the island.
Listen for your number, and don't hit the gangway until it's called. Have your passport with you in case the facial recognition doesn't work. Overall, very efficient.
Glad you had a good cruise. Thanks for the great review. I agree with you, it irritates me to no end that they don't enforce the dress code in the MDR.
I just want to say.... I'm glad they don't enforce dress codes as it is our vacation and were paying good money for it! However, no swimming suites I agree on- leave those for the pools!
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