Blondie511

Love this forum!  I have one cruise under my belt now, yeah!  We booked one for next year on Adventure of the Seas.  We reserved My Time Dining for our family of three.  If my teen son meets a friend that week, can he spontaneously ask his friend to join our table in the MDR?  Is that allowed?  Also,  part two of my question:  since we are a party of three, will they add people that we do not know to our table to “round it out”?  (I was kind of hoping not to have to socialize with people we do not know, call me crazy....LOL).  P.S.  the people on this forum are so much nicer than other forums..the others get a bit snippy with each other!

Love this forum!  I have one cruise under my belt now, yeah!  We booked one for next year on Adventure of the Seas.  We reserved My Time Dining for our family of three.  If my teen son meets a friend that week, can he spontaneously ask his friend to join our table in the MDR?  Is that allowed?  Also,  part two of my question:  since we are a party of three, will they add people that we do not know to our table to “round it out”?  (I was kind of hoping not to have to socialize with people we do not know, call me crazy....LOL).  P.S.  the people on this forum are so much nicer than other forums..the others get a bit snippy with each other!

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!!!!
   

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.  

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!  

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!  

Just off my very first cruise on Harmony of the Seas!  I was on the 10th floor, room 10709, a boardwalk balcony.  I was right above Johnnny Rockets.  I could see the Fine Line show on my left and the carousel was on my right.  It was very noisy, which surprised me, even when the balcony door was locked fully.  That darn bell ringer at the carousel!  Late at night sometimes groups of people on the Boardwalk would yell and scream, just having a good time, but I prefer quiet to sleep.  If you want a quieter inside balcony, please choose a Central Park inside balcony, it was very peaceful, very green, MUCH quieter.  My parents had the oceanvie balcony across the hall directly, room 10708.  It was absolutely perfect!  It was very quiet, great unobstructed view.  In each port, they had the ultimate view , each port had the view on THEIR side of the ship, starboard side.  We all gathered on their balcony as we went into each port, watching them tie off the ship and the guests going on and off the gangway.  I did not realize how COOL it was to have a view of pulling into ports and having this side of the ship to see it from.  Hope this advice helps you when choosing a room!  ?

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!  

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!  

OK, I recently asked you all about Next Cruise.  Well, this past week was my first ever cruise, on the Harmony!  My Mom and I went to Next Cruise to get some prices on Day 2.  You all were right, prices are all set, no haggling is done.  My price that was quoted is the exact one quoted on their website and same as my travel agent, BUT the OBC is where it changes.  My travel agent AND the website offer $25 OBC for an inside room.  next Cruise gave me $150 OBC!  That might not be a big deal to some of you, but I was very excited and I booked it!  Just wanted to let you all know.  Oh, and Next Cruise was VERY busy all week every time I passed through the Royal Promenade!

Just off my very first cruise on Harmony of the Seas!  I was on the 10th floor, room 10709, a boardwalk balcony.  I was right above Johnnny Rockets.  I could see the Fine Line show on my left and the carousel was on my right.  It was very noisy, which surprised me, even when the balcony door was locked fully.  That darn bell ringer at the carousel!  Late at night sometimes groups of people on the Boardwalk would yell and scream, just having a good time, but I prefer quiet to sleep.  If you want a quieter inside balcony, please choose a Central Park inside balcony, it was very peaceful, very green, MUCH quieter.  My parents had the oceanvie balcony across the hall directly, room 10708.  It was absolutely perfect!  It was very quiet, great unobstructed view.  In each port, they had the ultimate view , each port had the view on THEIR side of the ship, starboard side.  We all gathered on their balcony as we went into each port, watching them tie off the ship and the guests going on and off the gangway.  I did not realize how COOL it was to have a view of pulling into ports and having this side of the ship to see it from.  Hope this advice helps you when choosing a room!  ?

Yesterday, around noon outside the MDR, I was washing my hands in the ladies bathroom.  Someone had left a pretty gold ring with a few diamonds and colored stones on the sink.  I turned it in to guest services.  Hey, maybe the person who lost it reads this!  I guess just call the cruise line to claim it?

Yesterday, around noon outside the MDR, I was washing my hands in the ladies bathroom.  Someone had left a pretty gold ring with a few diamonds and colored stones on the sink.  I turned it in to guest services.  Hey, maybe the person who lost it reads this!  I guess just call the cruise line to claim 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!  

Holy cow!  This was my one and only cruise disembarkation this morning, but WOW how easy!  My party of five did self carry at 6:45am.  No wait for the elevators at ALL!  Walked off, showing our passports to one guy.  From the time I walked out of my stateroom until I was calling for Uber was maybe five minutes!  When we come back to the airport from another country at the Philadelphia airport, it has taken us up to two HOURS to do that process due to long lines, etc.  I was FLOORED!  We walked through without having our bags looked at, not even a scanner for them, not even a metal detector, just poof, walk off in minutes start to finish!  It took longer getting off and on the ship in the ports that we visited!  Needless to say, I got to the airport four hours early so I am on this board to kill time now!!   Oh, we all did the mobile passport app on our phones too, so maybe that helped, but we never even showed it to ANYONE!  You can only fill it in within four hours of departure time for it to be valid, so don,t bother filling it out the night before.  

Yesterday, around noon outside the MDR, I was washing my hands in the ladies bathroom.  Someone had left a pretty gold ring with a few diamonds and colored stones on the sink.  I turned it in to guest services.  Hey, maybe the person who lost it reads this!  I guess just call the cruise line to claim 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!  

Just off my very first cruise on Harmony of the Seas!  I was on the 10th floor, room 10709, a boardwalk balcony.  I was right above Johnnny Rockets.  I could see the Fine Line show on my left and the carousel was on my right.  It was very noisy, which surprised me, even when the balcony door was locked fully.  That darn bell ringer at the carousel!  Late at night sometimes groups of people on the Boardwalk would yell and scream, just having a good time, but I prefer quiet to sleep.  If you want a quieter inside balcony, please choose a Central Park inside balcony, it was very peaceful, very green, MUCH quieter.  My parents had the oceanvie balcony across the hall directly, room 10708.  It was absolutely perfect!  It was very quiet, great unobstructed view.  In each port, they had the ultimate view , each port had the view on THEIR side of the ship, starboard side.  We all gathered on their balcony as we went into each port, watching them tie off the ship and the guests going on and off the gangway.  I did not realize how COOL it was to have a view of pulling into ports and having this side of the ship to see it from.  Hope this advice helps you when choosing a room!  ?

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!  

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!  

Just back from a week on the Harmony.  I am a marathon runner, so I was excited to try out the running track.  It is completely out of the sun, and has some stellar views of the water, one water fountain, and some “secret” lounges hidden along the track for prime ocean viewing too.  We even found the small area for dogs to do their business, but that is a different story.....anyways, running was HARD!  After three laps, I called it quits, not sure if it was the humidity, the heat, or what but i could not get my laps in.  I ran into other marathon runners all week, and they all said the same thing, so it is not just me.  Some parents let their kids run the opposite direction on the track, which is just rude, dumb, and dangerous.  The gym opens at 6:00 am and will be half full within half an hour.  By 8:00, good luck finding equipment!  There are no gym showers, but decent music plays throughout the gym, great modern equipment, and it is about 80 degrees there, so a bit warm to me.  Kids under 12 are not allowed in the gym.  Kids 13-15 need a parent to sign a waiver allowing them to use it all week, and then they get a wristband to wear all week.  Hope this helps any gym rats!

Just back from a week on the Harmony.  I am a marathon runner, so I was excited to try out the running track.  It is completely out of the sun, and has some stellar views of the water, one water fountain, and some “secret” lounges hidden along the track for prime ocean viewing too.  We even found the small area for dogs to do their business, but that is a different story.....anyways, running was HARD!  After three laps, I called it quits, not sure if it was the humidity, the heat, or what but i could not get my laps in.  I ran into other marathon runners all week, and they all said the same thing, so it is not just me.  Some parents let their kids run the opposite direction on the track, which is just rude, dumb, and dangerous.  The gym opens at 6:00 am and will be half full within half an hour.  By 8:00, good luck finding equipment!  There are no gym showers, but decent music plays throughout the gym, great modern equipment, and it is about 80 degrees there, so a bit warm to me.  Kids under 12 are not allowed in the gym.  Kids 13-15 need a parent to sign a waiver allowing them to use it all week, and then they get a wristband to wear all week.  Hope this helps any gym rats!

There is a more expensive option that is all you can eat and drink, alcohol included, but we do not drink alcohol (I am still fun, don’t judge??). And the food credit was more than enough for all of us.  If you book with resortforaday they only offer the more expensive all inclusive option.  We walked right up to the desk to Buy day passes.  They gave us orange wristbands.  Love your pictures!

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.  

Just off my very first cruise on Harmony of the Seas!  I was on the 10th floor, room 10709, a boardwalk balcony.  I was right above Johnnny Rockets.  I could see the Fine Line show on my left and the carousel was on my right.  It was very noisy, which surprised me, even when the balcony door was locked fully.  That darn bell ringer at the carousel!  Late at night sometimes groups of people on the Boardwalk would yell and scream, just having a good time, but I prefer quiet to sleep.  If you want a quieter inside balcony, please choose a Central Park inside balcony, it was very peaceful, very green, MUCH quieter.  My parents had the oceanvie balcony across the hall directly, room 10708.  It was absolutely perfect!  It was very quiet, great unobstructed view.  In each port, they had the ultimate view , each port had the view on THEIR side of the ship, starboard side.  We all gathered on their balcony as we went into each port, watching them tie off the ship and the guests going on and off the gangway.  I did not realize how COOL it was to have a view of pulling into ports and having this side of the ship to see it from.  Hope this advice helps you when choosing a room!  ?