I discovered that the mega ships are not to my taste. There is so much going on, so much noise, and so many people - all the time! There are way too many guests who stop to have conversations in main thoroughfares and meander along without any sense of their surroundings.This is frustrating when you are trying to get around such a large ship. I was appalled at the guests who rushed on to elevators with no consideration for people on scooters who had been waiting longer and not had a chance to board the elevator.
Overall, Harmony is a beautiful ship with a great crew. It can be overwhelming and it not really the ideal for a peaceful cruise. There is a lot of activity and excitement to appeal to a wide variety of tastes. Harmony is not my favorite ship and I don't expect it ever will be. It is the perfect ship for people who enjoy all the slides, and "amped" activities as well as non stop entertainment. As for me, I will find a ship more relaxing and peaceful.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation through Port Canaveral is a breeze. If you have your set sail pass done and passport, the process is VERY fast.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We didn't do any specialty restaurants. Our experiences in the dining room were okay. The service was great. The food was acceptable, but not up to the previous standards. It seems that the food taste, quality and variety have gone down in recent years. Great service in the bars, especially in the Casino.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
There are a lot of activities on the ship. I didn't do any of them. My focus was more on the entertainment and the Casino.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Some of the shows were wonderful! I especially liked the I Skate show. I was less impressed with the 1887 Ice show. I was not thrilled with Grease. While the actors are very talented and have great voices, I found the interpretation of Grease to be a huge disappointment. None of the characters had redeeming qualities and it left me feeling like I had wasted my time. It was also raunchier than it needed to be and that didn't contribute to the story. The show Columbus was also a disappointment. It lacked cohesiveness and felt like a waste of the talents of the actors. We did do the Escape Room and that was interesting. I had never done one before and found it an interesting case study for interpersonal communication or lack thereof. The biggest problem I usually have on the ships is the rudeness of the other guests, and the Escape Room was no exception. The crew members who supervised the Escape Room were wonderful. The Aqua show is not to be missed. If you have a chance to see it more than once, do so. You will find you missed a lot the first time. We didn't get to see the Big Daddy Aqua show because of rough seas, so plan your aqua show times as early in the cruise as possible so you have options to try again if the weather creates difficulties.
Children's Programs
No children traveling with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We did experience great service wherever we went on the ship. The only blip was the Windjammer where the staff was working furiously to keep up with all the guests cycling through there, they didn't have the opportunity to provide the usual beverage service.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
the ship was clean and very well maintained. There was a lot of wasted space, but that may be a design necessity. Did NOT like having so many musical venues near each other without appropriate sound barriers or distance so that the music didn't all mingle together in a loud and unpleasant din.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin wasn't set up as ideally as I would have liked, but it was more suited to a couple sharing the room. The bed juts from the left wall as you enter the room, with a seating area past the bed. The bathroom is a standard size with the swinging glass door for the shower enclosure. There is a lot of storage space in the room and we had space leftover after we unpacked. Our stateroom attendant was wonderful, took care of us and kept everything beautifully clean.
Ship tip
Harmony is a very big ship. It is unlike anything you may have experienced on below Freedom Class. I found that Harmony is too big for my taste. Freedom class appears to be my limit.
The day we leave the ship is always a bad day. We have to return to relatity and that is a huge difference from the pampering we enjoy on the ship. The tunnel vision of the guests and the lack of common courtesy makes the process more difficult and unpleasant than it needs to be. Overall, it was relatively quick, and we had a great porter help us take our bags to the car.
I agree Oasis class is a HUGE ship. Funny that everyone has different tastes. I prefer the big ships but completely agree with all the reviews here. I find the rudeness of some cruisers unacceptable. I also realized that alot is cruisers are from other countries and cultures. I'm sure that has some impact on how we interact with each other. Liking smaller ships is in no way a bad thing. I'm new to cruising, but the more I do it I can see myself looking at smaller ships in time. I was on Navigator and there was this obscenely rude man at muster station! We hadn't even left port yet! It was embarrassing.
I totally agree. We sailed Harmony back in Winter '17. It was our first and last Oasis class. I love the larger ships and have even sailed some during spring break, but the amount of people on Harmony was unbearable. However, I think everyone should sail one at least once.
We loved the Allure, weren't sure we would because it was so big. There are so many great size ships, hopefully next time you will find one you like more.
Some might claim that you do not notice there in 9000 plus passangers and crew on a Oasis class ship but I doubt that. You will see it in boarding, common areas, dining, pools, elevators, in ports and deboarded at end of cruise too. We booked a cruise on a Oasis class in future because it was dirty cheap on a one day sale just to have cruised one but I have no plans for future cruises on that ship class at any price. We prefer the ones with much less people on them.
The Oasis class ships have MANY out of the way spaces to get away from people if you like. Harmony and Symphony both have nice quiet spaces on both sides of the running track towards the bow. Also back by the rock climbing wall, 1 deck above the aqua theater, and the walking track seat on the fan tail, and the seating just above the infinity Hot tubs are always quiet spots. For those who say its too busy or too many people... Your not looking. Lol As for some rude people.... Ive seen that on every ship and cruise line Ive sailed.. all part of the modern life unfortunately. Since schools nor most parents teach manners anymore. Lol
I must say I am in agreement with you on almost everything in your reviews. Especially the rudeness of a lot of people, with emphasis on the elevators. I can only imagine how hard it must be for someone with mobility issues. The only thing I might say that could be considered negative is in regards to the people stopping and talking in the passages. It's a vacation, relax. I absolutely loved the friendliness of our fellow passengers, and enjoyed stopping to chat with people. Of course we did try to be courteous to others and not block traffic.
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