Discovering that Bigger is Better Absolutely in this Case (Harmony of the Seas)

First time going through the new Royal Caribbean Cruise Terminal in Galveston and it could not have gone smoother. I had a later check in time and while there were long lines, they moved along at a quick pace. The only hold up I experienced was in the terminal when I was in line to be checked in by an agent, her ipad was low on battery, so I had to wait several minutes while she went to go retrieve a new ipad. Overall, the whole embarkation process probably took 20 minutes from arriving at the terminal to stepping on to the ship. My tip would be to arrive at the time you scheduled to go through embarkation, so the staff can manage the flow of the crowd.

For this cruise, i never ended up eating in the main dining room. Having just been on a cruise last November, where I mostly ate in the main dining room, I wanted to try other options on this bigger ship. WINDJAMMER: For me, the biggest surprise of the cruise. I didn't have a bad meal in the Windjammer, the variety in the buffet kept every meal I had there interesting and enjoyable. (My only issue is that as a solo cruiser, every time I would get up from my table to get something else to eat, I would come back to a completely cleaned off table. I started grabbing an extra set of silverware every time I would get up, just in case I would need it.) JAMIE'S ITALIAN BY JAMIE OLIVER: By far the best meals I had were at his Italian restaurant. Do yourself a favor and get the Cheesecake for dessert. Also I recommend the Aperol Spritz as a drink for dinner, it just helps to set to whole mood for a perfect Italian meal. SABOR: I was really disappointed by my dinner here. I was a big fan of this restaurant from previous cruises on different ships, but this time it was just an uninspired Mexican meal. Although they claim the chips and tortillas are made in house, they didn't taste like it. Also the shrimp for shrimp tacos came breaded and covered in melted cheese. Not good, and it didn't taste fresh. Overall, I would say skip this place. JOHNNY ROCKETS: If you have ever eaten at a Johnny Rockets before, don't bother with eating at a Johnny Rockets on the ship, it won't be as good, and you'll wonder why you paid to eat here. Honestly, Royal Caribbean should consider ending this partnership and rebranding the restaurant to a general 50's style dinner with upgraded food. Then I would be excited to eat here. SORRENTO'S: It may not be the best pizza on the high seas, but for a late night snack it is damn good. Plus, they had a Caribbean pizza with pineapple and jerk chicken that was amazing. Unfortunately, they only made that pizza on certain days. DOG HOUSE: Located in the Boardwalk neighborhood, this dog stand was open during the day and served pretty good hot dogs. They had a fair variety of hot dogs that were all pretty tasty. This place was good for a mid-afternoon snack. VITALITY CAFE: Had some great fresh squeezed juices here. Great for a quick healthy breakfast in the morning. BIONIC BAR: Of the many bars on the cruise ship, this one was one of my favorites for trying out different drinks. Once you use the ipad's in the bar to put your drink order in, it's fun to watch the robot arms mix up your drink. Plus, every time I would put a drink order in, there would always be a crowd of people that would materialize to watch the drinks being made.

POOLS: With four different pools, you could always find a seat around a pool. My favorite pool was salt water based and had a sloped entrance into the pool. WALKING TRACK: This ship has a walking/running track that is nicely laid out so that as you go around it there are various motivational messages to keep you running/walking. Plus it has two areas off each side of the ship with chairs and amazing views that made a great area to go read when I wanted to get away from all the people. MINI GOLF: The mini golf course was fun and nicely laid out for a quick round of mini golf. THE ABYSS SLIDE: It seems intimidating when you walk up to it and so tall. But it is really fun when you do it. Think water slide, without the water and not quite as fast going down. CASINO: As a non-smoker it was a delight to have a nonsmoking casino onboard. It was smaller, but still fun. I set myself a small daily limit so I could waste time on the slot machines and they did not disappoint. I somehow managed to end up $60 ahead at the end of cruise, so I consider that a win. Try the German Octoberfest themed slot machines. They had the best bonus games with full on Octoberfest theme songs and lyrics across the screen for singing along. CRUISE PORT SHOPPING TALK: I know you have probably been to some of these ports multiple times, so you don't need to learn how to shop at them. Same, I hear you, but attending the Cruise Port Shopping Talk at the start of the cruise is a good way to potentially get some free stuff. They always give away items at the talk, and with few people attending the talks, your chances are pretty good. I attended the Cruise Port Shopping Talk on a previous cruise and ended up winning a free pair of color changing sunglasses, and a cut crystal necklace that I gave to my Mom post cruise. ART AUCTION: Go to the Art Auction. You get a free glass (or two) of Champagne and get to see some interesting works of art up for sale. I went for the first time and ending winning (for free) a set of prints and an exclusive work of art along with some additional coupons that I could use for other services around the ship (like $50 off spa services). I didn't bid on any art, but still had fun just attending the event.

I went to both broadway style shows (Grease and Columbus) and was not disappointed. If you like a good musical, go, you will have a blast. I also recommend going to the shows in the Aqua Theater. They were so much fun and unlike anything you will see anywhere else. I could give you a full breakdown of all the shows I saw, but honestly, it's just best to go experience them yourself. Do go to the shows in the Ice Rink. Their sound system is maybe a tad too loud and could use some tweaking, but because the venue is kind of small, you can see everything from any seat and it very much draws you into the performance. It's important to note that for the Aqua Theater and the Ice Rink, the actors are all Olympics qualified athletes and their performances show it. My tip is to reserve tickets to the shows as soon as you can through the Royal Caribbean App. Also, show up at least 30 minutes prior to the show to be able to get good seats for the broadway and Aqua Theater show.

Never had any bad service anywhere on the ship. Everyone was always very friendly and after a couple of days several servers around the pool deck recognized me and always made sure I was with drink in hand. If you have purchased the beverage package, it doesn't hurt to bring a stack of dollars with you for extra tipping, especially if you meet a server you particularly like.

It takes a couple of days to get the layout of the ship planted in your brain for navigating around from venue to venue. My suggestion is on the first day of your cruise just walk around everywhere, taking it all in. Let yourself get lost and then start paying attention to the signs. There are plenty of signs all around the ship to help you get from point A to point B. One of my favorite spots was the Central Park area. I would get a drink at the Trellis Bar and then just sit and take in all the plants surrounding you in the fresh Caribbean air. So relaxing.

It served its purpose as an interior cabin, a place to sleep at night and hold my clothes and souvenirs. There was plenty of storage from the closet to drawers to shelves. I was able to put all my stuff away and have designated drawers for dirty clothes. Always remember to stow your suitcases under your bed. My only issue was because I move around a lot when I sleep I was constantly moving enough to separate the two mattresses and would end up in a divet in the middle of the bed in the morning.

Disembarking from the cruise ship is easy. The more annoying part is navigating what you do to leave the cruise port. They don't do a good job of telling you that if you are being picked up or waiting for an Uber you need to go to the other side of the building. Otherwise you end up beign mixed in with the crowd of those arriving to start their cruise or use a shuttle service.