If you have been on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, then you likely are well aware of the impressiveness of this cruise ship. From stern to bow, she is packed with wonderful experiences. To create a ship this alluring, Royal Caribbean spent a lot of time planning and designing it, and we have a look at seven really interesting anecdotes that make Harmony of the Seas stand out from the rest of the fleet (and cruise industry).
7. First Royal Caribbean ship built with water slides in its design
Royal Caribbean has long been the leader in creating exclusive first-at-sea experiences. Harmony of the Seas does not disappoint in continuing to uphold that longstanding, revered position. Harmony of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean ship to be designed with water slides in mind.
Royal Caribbean tested water slides by adding them to Liberty of the Seas in January 2016. This gave the company an opportunity to test the slides on a ship, before implementing them on Harmony.
The Perfect Storm water slides were designed by Aquatic Design & Engineering. The slides were designed to be part of the ship's design and blend it with the style of the ship.
6. Offers the tallest slide at sea
Royal Caribbean commissioned Spark Cooperative to push the envelope of what a cruise ship can offer, and build on the cruise line's innovative reputation with a brand new, thrilling experience. They came up with The Ultimate Abyss slide.
The Ultimate Abyss is a pair of side-by-side 100 ft- high slides that guests can ride down multiple decks of the ship. Spark worked to offer a slide experience that offered multi-sensory channels, including spontaneous audio effects, bespoke ride mats and custom uniforms and accessories. The attraction is designed to thrill guests while maintaining a sense of heart-pumping anticipation.
The Ultimate Abyss towers 150 feet above sea level at the aft of Harmony of the Seas and offers a 100 foot drop.
5. Harmony of the Seas has Royal Caribbean's first original musical production
Royal Caribbean built a reputation in the cruise industry for offering some of the best onboard entertainment, and that reputation continues with its original musical on Harmony of the Seas, Columbus, The Musical.
Columbus, The Musical! is a new Royal Caribbean original production that tells the tale of Christopher’s luckless distant cousin, Marvin, on a madcap voyage to the Caribbean. The musical was created in the spirit of “Spamalot” and “Something Rotten."
The story is fun, the cast energetic and the music perfect to sing along with. Columbus is at the very top of our list of favorite shows we have seen onboard any Royal Caribbean ship.
4. Only Wonderland restaurant that is two decks high
Royal Caribbean introduced a new specialty dining experience, Wonderland, on its Quantum Class ships, and they have been a huge hit with guests. It was no surprise Royal Caribbean wanted to add Wonderland to Harmony of the Seas, but on this ship, they designed a brand new space for it that encompasses two decks.
The striking two-story restaurant is a must-try sensory experience and serves whimsical meals that will delight and inspire from beginning to end.
3. No pool in the Solarium
No one is quite sure why, but Harmony of the Seas does not have a pool in its adult-only Solarium.
Sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas all had pools in their Solarium, but with Harmony of the Seas, the cruise line decided to replace the pool with a walk-through mister intended to cool off guests.
2. Harmony of the Seas hosted a rock concert
As part of Harmony of the Seas' celebration of its arrival in North America, Royal Caribbean held a rock concert in the AquaTheater that featured multi-platinum-selling band DNCE.
The concert was part of Royal Caribbean's "Friendsgiving" event onboard, with the group performing their best known songs.
1. Its art collection is inspired by the wonders of our world
Art has always been a focal point for Royal Caribbean, with its cruise ships serving as floating galleries of many kinds of art. On Harmony of the Seas, the ship's 3,000 piece art collection is centered around the theme of, “The Wonder of Our World, The World We Live In,” from artists spanning 60 countries.
The collection explores wonder from four perspectives— people, places, what we do and what inspires us —through an array of media. Many of the works were created specifically for Harmony of the Seas and designed to bring joy to all who sail.
Episode 229 is available for downloading, in which Matt and Billy share three wishes they would make if they were in charge of Royal Caribbean.
