DandA

Wow, I don't know how you live bloggers manage to keep up. Its been a hectic two days. Let me try to catch up with Day 1. Cruise Day 1: Embarkation from Port Canaveral: I woke up early and drove to the port to watch Harmony come in before daybreak. It was amazing how effortlessly she came into port, turned and slipped into the dock. Had a bit of panic set in, somehow my trunk popped open after returning to the hotel and before breakfast. The front desk called to let me know my trunk was open; with most of my bags in the trunk I flew down four flights of stairs worried that my bags were gone. Was relieved to find all was safe. Once my heart returned to a normal beat, we were off to eat the complimentary breakfast. It was pretty much standard free hotel breakfast. They had fixings to make a breakfast burrito, waffles, cereal, bagels and such. I dropped the bags off at the porters around 9:45 and went to return the rental car. Entered the terminal at 10:10 and seated in “The Key” area at 10:20, no sooner had we sat down they started boarding. The Key boarded right after B2B, Suites, and Diamond +. Once onboard we stopped to make our specialty dinner reservations, then off to Bolero’s for WOW bands while the DW ordered our cruise starting Kracken Lava Flows. With drinks in hand, we dropped the carryon bag at the MDR to be delivered to the room and set about exploring the ship a bit. Lunch was the Chops Lunch in the MDR which is part of “The Key”. Started with the shrimp cocktail, 6 oz. fillet mignon and we shared a warm chocolate cake. Steak was tender and cooked to order, although I would have seasoned the meat. Tried the peppercorn sauce, wasn’t my cup of tea, I generally cook my steaks at home with a little salt and pepper and that’s it. It was a larger lunch than we normally have but it was a nice relaxing way to start the cruise. The rooms opened up before we finished lunch so we checked out our room. My carryon bag was in the room and I spotted one of my suitcases down the hall. After unpacking the carryon and hanging clothes suitcase; went back down the hall and my other two bags were there. Tonight’s supper was in the MDR, a dance or two in the Promenade and then to the showing of “Grease”. Seating for Key guests was on deck 4 in the balcony, better seats were available 30 minutes before the show on deck 3 center. We enjoyed the show and it definitely is not for children, yet many were in attendance. The gestures were very explicit, much more than I remember in the movie. After “Grease” we went back to our room to change shoes around 10:15pm, only to find out the doors on all of deck 6 were malfunctioning no one could get into their rooms. After waiting a bit and talking to several ships’ crew members, Security came with the key and lets us in. Doors were working again around 11:45 pm but we had decided to call it a night.

Pre-cruise Day: We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson which is the closest hotel to the port. The room was pretty nice and the bed was comfortable; however the hot water was so-so sometimes warm and other times okay.

Pre-cruise Day: We flew from Dulles International Airport to Orlando on a morning flight on Southwest Airlines leaving the cold freezing weather behind. Arriving in Orlando it was a long trek from the Southwest gate to baggage claim. Played the baggage claim musical chairs, first bags are coming out at one carousel the no it’s over here, no we were just kidding back to the original location. Collected our rental from Alamo it was quick and painless and we were off to Disney Springs for lunch. Walked around Disney Springs a bit then headed to the hotel. A couple of days earlier, I realized I scored a rental car bonus by renting from Alamo. I’m not loyal to one brand over the other usually going with the best rate, but I was happy that the return location is like a 10 minute walk to the ship.

We only have two more nights at home before we fly out to Orlando and the pre-cruise packing panic is setting in. Just like Santa, I’m making a list and checking it twice. Am I packing everything I need; do I really need that? Can I get everything in two checked bags or do I need a third? Tomorrow is turning into a busy day; I had surgery on my foot in December and have one final check with the surgeon in the morning, the store for any last minute items, and get some cash from the bank. I have one final check in with my elderly parents to make sure they are set for me to be gone. Then we have a formal dance for Valentine’s Day. I’ll finally take a breather once we are wheels up on Saturday morning.

LOL I've followed along on both of your reviews, and enjoyed them all.

They are usually out between 5:00 and 8:30 each night in the Promenade, waiting times are around 15 minutes or so. The also wander around the MDR on the first night and formal nights. I've seen them wandering on the pool deck taking candid photos. They also will be on the dock when getting off at ports. If you purchased the photo package I'd suggest getting in as many of the backdrops as you can.

We learned about Lava Flows from this forum and it was our first drink on our first cruise, so it's our tradition to officially start each cruise with a Lava Flow. And they are mighty refreshing also.

Not very light packers so we usually have a large roller and a folding garment suitcase and sometimes a mid size roller that I leave the the porters, we always have a small carry on and electronics/camera backpack that stays with us. Boarding the ship I hand them off to the porters and give them $1-2 per bag; once I used a porter help me thru customs and out to the rental car shuttle so I gave him $20. As Matt said that $20 was the best money I've spent.

Thank you ! I can get a bit wordy in my descriptions. Thank you ! My scheduled check in time is 1:30-2:30; but we always arrive early. I hope to start my check in around 10:00; I don't mind waiting in the terminal to board. Won't be in a hurry to get off, the plan is for breakfast in the MDR around 8:00. I have heard that your luggage is placed in a special section. We normally just grab a lite lunch when boarding, but looking forward to trying the Chops lunch menu.

Harmony of the Seas – February 16 to February 23 – Semi Live Review I have always enjoyed reading the cruise reviews for their information and entertainment value. They also make the time between cruises a bit more bearable. I have done three post cruise reviews, but this will be my first attempt at a live review. In fact this is my first time with the internet on the ship, not sure how it will go but I will try my best to post in between enjoying the cruise. I’ll also try and answer anyone’s questions that they may have. I fancy myself as an amateur photographer so there will be lots of pics. We are a mid-60s couple, and I would describe ourselves as pretty easy to please and we are more inclined to roll with the flow. On our past cruises dining has been in the MDR, café promenade/compass deli and the windjammer in that order. The buffet would be my least favorite place to eat. We don’t spend a great deal of time in our cabin and the only thing I expect from our room steward is to make the bed, replace the towels and fill the ice bucket in the evenings. We enjoy listening to music and attending the various shows and lounging in the sun/hot tub during sea days. On port days, we like to do a bit of sightseeing. Background: We booked this cruise three days into our very first cruise on Oasis of the Seas in April 2018. I retired in November 2017 and after hearing about Royal Caribbean cruises from a co-worker I decided to finally take my DW on a cruise, something she had wanted to try for a long time. To say that we fell in love with cruising is an understatement. In addition to this cruise we have three others booked. Harmony is our fourth cruise, with Oasis, Grandeur and Majesty being number 1, 2 and 3. All have been great experiences. We have an ocean view balcony, and first seating Traditional Dining. We are not foodies and the MDR and other included venues have been fine with us in the past. The only specialty dining we have experienced so far was Chops Brunch on Grandeur of the Seas and we were not that impressed with that one. But because we wanted to experience Wonderland, I purchased the three night dining package for this cruise, when it went on sale for $99pp. Our plans are to eat at Chops, Wonderland and 150 Central Park. We were also lucky enough to get the great UBP glitch of 2019, so there will be no problem breaking even on this cruise. I have the digital photo package so we will be jumping in front of a ship’s photographer as much as I can. At the last minute, we purchased The Key as prices went down, so I will try to do a somewhat live review this time. The Plan: We started taking ballroom dance lessons this past September and hope to find opportunities to dance the night away. The pre-cruise events starts off with a formal Sweetheart Dance on February 14 put on by our local dance studio. With only a few hours of sleep we fly from DC to Orlando Saturday Morning. So here is our itinerary for this cruise. Pre-Cruise Day -2: Final packing and attending the Sweetheart Formal Dance. Pre-Cruise Day -1: Flight to Orlando, spend the day checking out Disney Springs and/or Universal City Walk before checking into Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. Cruise Day 1: Kraken Lava Flow, specialty dinner reservations and then Chops lunch in the MDR. Cruise Day 2: Coco Cay-this is our second time at Coco Cay, but the first time at Perfect Day. Plans are for a relaxing beach day with time in the pool, beach and exploring the island taking photographs. Cruise Day 3: Sea Day-this is a do nothing but enjoy the ship day. Cruise Day 4: Puerto Costa Maya-this is our second time here. On our first visit we took a Royal excursion to the Mayan ruins at Kohunlich and Dizbanche, this time the plans are to explore the port and visit the Aviary. Cruise Day 5: Roatan, Honduras- we will be doing the adults only Sol y Mar Beach Club. Cruise Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico-this will be our third time here, previously we did the Mayan Ruins at San Gervasio and Chocolate Factory Tour and explored downtown San Miguel. This time we have Trikes Cozumel reserved for a tour around the island, followed by some time downtown before heading back to the ship. Cruise Day 7: Final Sea Day-hoping to enjoy the ship and drink our sorrows away as this cruise comes to an end. Cruise Day 8: Will be dragged off the ship kicking and screaming, once the shock wears off we’ll be off to explore Cocoa Beach area. DW does not like rushing off the ship to the airport so we will spend another night in Florida before heading home. Post-Cruise Day: It’s back to the cruel cold winter with a flight from MCO to IAD.

We used them last year before all the changes, i don't think they survived the Perfect Day Remodel. I have seen that it appears there is one umbrella for every two loungers, going there on Harmony next week so I'll be sure to check it out.

Your welcome, I too over plan, always make a plan then have a backup. :) Enjoy your cruise. If you are doing self-departure, they will tell you what time to start lining up (never done this); from what I heard they will start letting people off by 7:30. It shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes to get thru customs and be outside waiting on your ride. Hopefully someone that has done self-departure at Port Canaveral can chime in with their experience

No its a paid event, if it's available it will be on your cruise planner.

We went on the Oasis last year and attended the prohibition party. Lots did dress (we did) it was a lot of fun, they had a little skit that set the mood as well as a jazz band that played. They had some finger food out but we didn't sample any of it, the drinks flowed freely but quite frankly I didn't care for them they were to sweet for my taste.

I've only sailed out of Port Canaveral once, we weren't in a hurry to get off but I think we left the ship around 8:30 am. I grabbed a porter in the baggage claim area and he put our luggage on a cart and escorted us thru customs and to the pickup location for the rental shuttles. There is a parking garage in front of terminal 1, the ground floor level is where the rental shuttles are as well as private vehicles picking up passengers. If you are facing the terminal there is a restroom building to your right, we didn't notice any places to sit but there may have been some benches. The last day, they will leave luggage tags in your room, I have been told that if the time doesn't work for you you can request different tags from guest services. I have been told that you need to get off the ship in what ever order you are given as that is when your luggage is taken to baggage claim. Most everyone will be off the ship by 9:30, hope that helps you in scheduling your ride.

I used Budget car rental, picked it up at MCO and dropped it off in Cocoa Beach, did the reverse when we returned. If you drop your bags before returning the car, when you enter the garage/terminal area there will be cars picking up passengers, there are people directing traffic tell them you are dropping off luggage and they will put you in the correct lane. Look for the luggage carts and the porters will help you unload and take your bags. If you are traveling with family you can drop them off at this time. There is a public restroom outside of the terminal doors if they need to use them. When we returned I used a porter to help me with the bags and get thru customs (best $20 tip I ever spent), he took us to where the rental car shuttles pick up and left us and our luggage there. Had a short wait till the next Budget shuttle arrived.

You won't be the only one, some will be carrying on much more, rooms won't be ready till around 1 pm. We normally drag our bags to get something to eat and then find a place to have a drink until the rooms are open. Did do the hot tubs once before the room was open just put our bags on a chair.

I dropped my luggage off around 9 and returned the car, the shuttle driver said we were to early but we jumped on along with another family and he took us to the terminal. They hadn't opened the doors yet but there was already a line forming so we got inline and they opened the doors about 9:45. Maybe 15 minutes thru security and checking in then we sat in the terminal until boarding began, we were onboard with drink in hand by 11:15.

I carry on my camera/kindel/computer in a backpack and medicine/papers/swimwear/change of clothes in a rolling carry on size suitcase.

It's a good chance your luggage will be delivered before dinner, you may have to look down the hallway and grab it as soon as you see it. I've only been on three cruises and perhaps I have been lucky but I've been able to grab/find my bags shortly after rooms open at 1:00 and be unpacked before muster drill. Make sure you don't pack any contraband in your bags. If all your bags don't arrive before dinner, the MDR will allow you eat in everything but a wet swimsuit.

This will work on any night in the MDR, although some have said shorts and a t-shirt will be okay. The cruise compass says no shorts in the evening, so if that is what you wear you risk the possibility of being asked to go change into more appropriate attire.

I have the gopro hero 8 black; the gopro software sucks for editing, I purchased Corel Videostudio and use it for editing. Videostudio is on my desktop computer, so I just store the image files on my laptop till i get home. I purchased mine for our upcoming Alaska cruisetour, but have been practicing using it at home and during our car club shows and cruises as well as one extended weekend vacation. I plan on taking it on the Harmony next month. I don't get the ships internet so any editing will wait till I get home. I also will take my DLSR and laptop.

If you have an ocean view balcony, we enjoyed taking a night cap back to the room and sitting on the balcony listening to the ocean; Central Park listening to the music; and late night soak in the hot tub.

Traveling in the Mideast has been dangerous since well since the Crusades; recently sailing the gulf has had threats from Somalia pirates and the Iranian Navy. There are dangers anytime we leave our houses, we have to stay aware of our surroundings and everyone has to make decisions based on their own comfort level. Frankly the gulf was dangerous before the last situation and while it may have increased a bit, the US Navy will be even more vigilant in protecting the sea lanes. I'm positive Royal doesn't want to lose a ship and will make a decision as soon as they have the information they need. As I type this Iran has launched missiles at military bases in Iraq and I full expect a swift response to this. This latest action may cancel some cruises.

I seem to forget about time until were around day 3 or 4 and then it all of a sudden time speeds up way to fast.