Blondie511

Just off a week on the Harmony. We purchased a Voom package for the week, but other people in our party did not, so we had to get the Royal IQ app to communicate with them all week. Yes, we had to buy a Voom package AND the Royal IQ app, which is $7.95 per week for the entire stateroom. The Royal IQ lets you text and call others who also have the app. Thank goodness it was cheap, because it sucked! We would get a text hours after it was sent. Phone calls rarely went through, it would say “unable to connect” all the time. We finally resorted to putting Post It notes on each other’s doors to say, “ at the Windjammer 7:00am for breakfast”. Royal Caribbean does not give you paper and a pen in your room, so my advice is to pack one with you!

On the Harmony of the Seas all week, and my family was in Falmouth, Jamaica, and we did Dunn’s River Falls. I had no idea what a challenging experience that would be, and I do not remember reading anywhere that it would be hard to do??? I am 40 years old and VERY athletic- I run 30 miles a week and do CrossFit and lift weights, in other words I am NOT a wimp! What surprised me was how hard it is - very steep in some places, very slippery in some places, sometimes the water is rushing down so fiercely that it is like swimming out to the ocean when a strong tide is forcing you inwards! Some places you can not see where to place you foot or how deep it is! The guides are GREAT, but one guide for a group of 30 some people means holding hands is critical and advising the person beside you! I have a bunch of bruises, as well as my hubby, my Dad ( who is 69 years ) broke two toes! One nice lady in our group, in her 40s perhaps, tore her ACL! She screamed and they had to get a board to lift her out! ( she had an X-ray and an MRI on board the Harmony, if that makes you feel more confident about medical care onboard). Has anyone else ever heard of injuries on Dunn’s river falls, or was my group just very unlucky????

Just wanted to share the BEST option for Cozumel that we experienced this past week. We were on the Harmony of the Seas and exited the pier and walked two MINUTES to the left to El Cid Resort. No reservations are needed and it costs $21 per person. It includes a $12 food and beverage credit to buy any food, alcohol, or drinks for lunch. We had a party of five and had a $60 food/drink voucher, and we covered an entire table with food, so your money goes a very very long way! We got chips, salsa, guacomole, jalapeño poppers, chicken fajitas, cheese quesadillas, shredded beef tacos, and Oreo cheesecake! You will each also get a code for free WiFi! You can use their loungers, chairs, and pools too. The beach is VERY small, it drops off with some stairs straight into the blue blue water, but that is the best part - the SNORKELLING! The snorkelling is amazing! Very very easy with lots of fish! There is a large submerged airplane to see as well. We talked to some Americans staying at the resort and they had paid for special excursions to snorkel around Cozumel, and found that it was far better just at their resort!!! The ships literally dock right in front of the resort, so if you want to stay close to the ship, skip any taxis, and snorkel choose this resort! Tip: if you use Google Earth, you can search for the resort and you can see just how close it is to the port and how BLUE the water is in front of it!!!!

In am returning right now from Harmony of the Seas. It was our first cruise ever! My hubby and I took our14 year old son, and I just wanted to share his first time with the teen club, which was VERY important to us on our vacation. The first night, there was a meet and greet in the club, and he said that it was PACKED! The kids seemed to exchange Instagram addresses, phone numbers etc. the first night and then arrange to meet up throughout the week in groups of 5-30 kids. He had a blast! The kids met for lunches, dinners, Flowrider sessions, and the late night dance parties were amazing he said. The Hush silent dance party with the headphones was the best party of his life he said. They had games like Battle of the Sexes, which was a boys vs girls very competitive game, karaoke, and many other events. They had an ice skating party, which required long pants, so pack those too! My son is pretty outgoing and had no problem making lots of friends and tearfully told us this morning that he had the best week of his life........ my hubby and I felt like we had a “date” with it being just the two of us for the majority of the week, so keep that in mind parents! To sum it up, have no fears about your teen making friends and finding lots of kids to do fun things with all week! Have a great trip!

On the Harmony of the Seas right now. Two days ago, we were in Cozumel. I had brought a muffin, few cookies, and a bagel in a Ziplock baggie into port for my beach day. I had read not to bring any fruits or veggies into ports! My family has a hobby that when we visit a beach in a different country, we hunt for beach glass, which we display in vases or make into jewelry back home. When we were going through port security to return to the ship, all of our sea glass was confiscated , and we were told that “it was forbidden”. They also took the bagel, cookies, and muffin because that was forbidden too. We had spent all day collecting beach glass, so we asked for a supervisor to confirm that taking beach glass was not allowed, and the supervisors said it was forbidden as well. Since we have collected beach glass from a dozen countries, this was new to us. Just wanted to share my story.

I apologize if my question has been answered before. I will take my very first cruise next week and I have heard that Next Cruise is a great place to get a good deal. Am I allowed to ask them to “sweeten the pot” or add something to my booking? For example, asking them to throw in one free soda package or add $50 on board credit on top? Just bought a new car last week and we were able to talk the guy into free floor mats LOL! I know this forum is full of kind advice. Has anyone ever requested and received a deal better than what was originally offered at Next Cruise, or is that not possible????