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Harmony LIVE ~ 6/30 & 7/7 ~ Eastern/Western Caribbean


Joe01

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90's night was fun.  Some great songs. I prefer the 80's night as a production but this still worked.

Love and Marriage was hilarious! Marc's hosting blows BB thoroughly out of the water and even beats Abe Hughes. What happens at L&M stays at L&M, but as expected, the old couple won.

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Had a quick visit to the Bridge this morning. Really interesting and high-tech bridge on HM. I didn't realise that she has visited so many ports - a lot of plaques on the wall.

Went to Belly Flop contest at 12.30pm. Should have been held at AquaTheater instead of pool TBH, but yet another event which was made even better by Marc. People wonder why I care so much about CD's - the answer is simple. These events wouldn't be as fun without a dynamic CD.

Seems to be another formal night tonight. Am I the only person that never dresses up and instead opts for the Windjammer?

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Marc is still onboard until July 14th but is behind the scenes next week.

Yay at being stuck with Dennis...I've seen videos of him and he seems like a John Blair type. One of the main reasons I chose HM was Marc. Not happy that I got lied to both times that I inquired regarding CD.

Ah well, could be worse - could have been going home. 

Been on a quick tour of the galley this morning. Again, it was really enjoyable. The smell of the rolls being made in the bakery was divine.

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Just been to the 1pm showing of iSkate.

Definitely check the show out. It's a show that seems to be choreographed by the Ice Cast themselves. It's more captivating than 1887. It seems to be a variety of numbers featuring their favourite songs. A lot of tricks. It also showcases the strengths of each of the cast members. Definitely recommend if you sail HM.

On a completely unrelated note - mudslide cookies and apple crumble at the Windjammer during lunch today. Two of my favourites.

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On 7/4/2019 at 9:08 PM, Joe01 said:

2nd Fourth of July party in a row that I have walked out of.

Too loud for me. The Cruise Directors on both SY and HM did their best but it is too chaotic. 

Am I the only person that loathes the 4th of July party? 

90's night and L&M still on the agenda.

Could be your still being Under the Crown ?

was in grand cayman for Constitution day on the first and joked with our cab driver that if they needed help we wrote the book 200 years ago, screwing it up now though. 

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1 hour ago, Joe01 said:

Just been to the 1pm showing of iSkate.

Definitely check the show out. It's a show that seems to be choreographed by the Ice Cast themselves. It's more captivating than 1887. It seems to be a variety of numbers featuring their favourite songs. A lot of tricks. It also showcases the strengths of each of the cast members. Definitely recommend if you sail HM.

Yes, that was really good on Symphony also.

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Been to The Fine Line.

Amazing production. Another recommended show, but some of the stunts are really scary. Impressed that they are talented enough to pull them off.

Don't sit in the front row - you will get wet.

A message to the CD - please don't shout so loud in your post show stage announcement. I can hear you perfectly fine with a microphone (I don't even have amazing hearing and often struggle in the AquaTheater).

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Bing Bong is a great CD......I cant tell you the name of any others but he always stands out...something about him.

 

I am so glad to see he's on Harmony now.....cant wait till November..its been quite a few years since I have cruised with him as my CD now..

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Just now, monctonguy said:

Bing Bong is a great CD......I cant tell you the name of any others but he always stands out...something about him.

 

I am so glad to see he's on Harmony now.....cant wait till November..its been quite a few years since I have cruised with him as my CD now..

You won't be disappointed. There sure is something about him that makes him stand out. Make sure not to miss his Love and Marriage show.

He's still on the ship this week but not front of house. Wish he was still the CD. It's early in the cruise and there is always time to warm to his style but I'm not impressed by Dennis so far.

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Hello all.

Day at sea. Feeling a bit under the weather today. Not got much of interest to talk about.

Having a good time, but dare I say that it might be time for a break from cruising? I love it but the novelty has worn off a bit.

One thing that I want to mention is stateroom attendants. Why do they need to clean the room twice a day? I almost feel like an inconvenience to them. I feel sorry for them working so many long hours and wish that they could reduce their hours which would be a win-win for us both.

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27 minutes ago, Joe01 said:

Why do they need to clean the room twice a day?

Hi Joe...hope you feel better very soon. Yup, the stewards do work extremely hard. I'm pretty sure you can tell him/her to skip either the morning or evening cleanup/turn down. I'm sure they'd appreciate it. 

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Happy to announce that I am back in business! Feeling much better as of this evening, although staying cautious, so no pool tonight.

Took a quick visit to Costa Maya. Nice area around the port, however it was extremely crowded and warm.

We were unexpectedly accompanied by Empress in port today. Great seeing another member of the RCI family. Also with Carnival Fantasy, in need of extreme maintenance.

L&M tonight! ?

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2 hours ago, Cruising to Retirement! said:

I definitely second that!  Please don't overdo it.  Pace yourself a bit.  What has been your favorite port experience so far, Joe?

Happy Thursday!  Michelle

Favourite port has to be CocoCay. Was always a Labadee fan and was excited to see the upgraded CocoCay. Didn't disappoint - the offerings are great. 

Not really a fan of much other Caribbean ports - a lot of the time, they are taking you to developing countries that are just a bit run down.

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Roatan was another shopping area, less crowded than Costa Maya. I was surprised that Harmony could barely fit into the port. Highlight of Roatan was seeing the planes coming in from the aft of the ship.

Today we are in Cozumel. Liberty is across from us. I feel as if I could jump over. Getting hungry for a return to the Freedom Class, it's been over 7 years since I was on the Independence. I keep saying that I need a break from Oasis Class yet we keep returning.

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23 hours ago, Joe01 said:

Favourite port has to be CocoCay. Was always a Labadee fan and was excited to see the upgraded CocoCay. Didn't disappoint - the offerings are great. 

Not really a fan of much other Caribbean ports - a lot of the time, they are taking you to developing countries that are just a bit run down.

Great to hear about Coco Cay.  We will be there in September on Harmony as well.  We are hoping that by getting off the ship early we can get chairs and an umbrella.  Husband must be in shade more than I do with skin cancer issues of the past.  

Did you or anyone else who has been to Cococay have some advice.  It would be much appreciated.  We always could find chairs over where the floating bar used to be and we could move our chairs under the trees with no problems since we would get off the ship early enough.  This is going to be quite the different (but great) experience than in the past!

I've asked you your favorite ports but what has been your favorite shows?  We loved Grease and I remember Harmony's aqua shows as either my fav or second fav to Allure.  Can't decide since I've been on Allure 3 times and 2 times were after the Harmony.  I think I'm just a tad more partial to Mama Mia but I'm just going to give them both first!  Ha!  Michelle

 

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Just now, Cruising to Retirement! said:

Great to hear about Coco Cay.  We will be there in September on Harmony as well.  We are hoping that by getting off the ship early we can get chairs and an umbrella.  Husband must be in shade more than I do with skin cancer issues of the past.  

Did you or anyone else who has been to Cococay have some advice.  It would be much appreciated.  We always could find chairs over where the floating bar used to be and we could move our chairs under the trees with no problems since we would get off the ship early enough.  This is going to be quite the different (but great) experience than in the past!

I've asked you your favorite ports but what has been your favorite shows?  We loved Grease and I remember Harmony's aqua shows as either my fav or second fav to Allure.  Can't decide since I've been on Allure 3 times and 2 times were after the Harmony.  I think I'm just a tad more partial to Mama Mia but I'm just going to give them both first!  Ha!  Michelle

 

I'm not sure where the old floating bar was but the area around the new floating bar had plenty of deck chairs available. There is a lot of space on the island so you probably won't have any problems.

Favourite show was iSkate. FineLine and 1887 were decent, still not seen Hideaway Heist. Not seen Grease or Columbus, I'm not really a fan of musicals. I find things such as dancing, acrobatics and skating much more impressive than singing or acting. And with all due respect, the Aqua and Ice casts are much more decorated in their respective fields than the majority of the Theater cast.

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6 minutes ago, Joe01 said:

I'm not sure where the old floating bar was but the area around the new floating bar had plenty of deck chairs available. There is a lot of space on the island so you probably won't have any problems.

Favourite show was iSkate. FineLine and 1887 were decent, still not seen Hideaway Heist. Not seen Grease or Columbus, I'm not really a fan of musicals. I find things such as dancing, acrobatics and skating much more impressive than singing or acting. And with all due respect, the Aqua and Ice casts are much more decorated in their respective fields than the majority of the Theater cast.

Thank you so much!  Just trying to find spots with a bit of shade or a place that has chairs with a few umbrellas.  Hopefully getting off early will help!  Talking about this gets me even more excited to see the "new" island! 

We love love the ice shows too!  How could I forget them!  Most of the time we go see the main ice show twice and the additional ice show not requiring the reservations, too!  The ice skating is my personal favorite on the winter olympics too!

Thanks!  Michelle

 

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Found a NextCruise flyer for Anthem 2020 Southampton sailings in the cabin. Do you think it's coincidental that they are trying to advertise Anthem sailings to us?

No chance! Why do they think that we would be interested in Anthem after Harmony? Wish that they would stop trying to flog sailings on her. If we wanted to sail Europe, it is only a 2.5/3 hour flight to Barcelona for the highly superior and soon to be amped Allure.

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Morning all. 10am update from the bridge of Joe.

Left the ship around 7am in the morning. I feel like a rejected orphan at the end of the cruise. Staff are always so friendly until the last morning when it couldn't be clearer that they don't care at all about you and just want you away.

Had nosebleed in the Port Canaveral terminal - always fun (not).

Then took an Über to the airport and through a rather long TSA line. Pancakes for breakfast at Ruby Tuesday's (very nice) and now sitting at the gate for our 737 to Newark.

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Hello all. In Newark airport, waiting for flight to Edinburgh. Hate 757's, hate United and REALLY hate overnight flights, so wish me luck!

Went against advice and took trip to NYC. Time was tight and we got 2 hours for lunch (John's Pizzeria in Times Square - highly recommended) and a bit of shopping. Managed 3 states in one day! ?

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Hello all. Can confirm that I am home safely - arrived home around 10am.

Not too bad of a flight. We were slightly delayed due to catering issues (they should have just left without their rubbish food IMO). For the first 2 hours, I watched a movie called "5 Feet Apart" which was in theaters/cinemas back in Spring (mainly watched for the delightful Cole Sprouse). Great movie, might make some cry.

Managed to then sleep for the majority of the Atlantic stretch which impressed me, never done that before. Fell asleep around Newfoundland and woke up near Ireland. Arrived in Edinburgh around 8.20am.

There was some guy taking photos and autographs with kids at the baggage claim. I've tried searching to see which celeb we were sharing the flight with but no luck as of yet.

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1 hour ago, Joe01 said:

 

There was some guy taking photos and autographs with kids at the baggage claim. I've tried searching to see which celeb we were sharing the flight with but no luck as of yet.

Scotland's favourite son, Colin Hay?

?

 

Glad you made it home safely!  

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2 minutes ago, Floski said:

Scotland's favourite son, Colin Hay?

?

 

Glad you made it home safely!  

Thanks.

Never heard of Colin Hay, but this guy was a 20-something American with a backpack and dark hair with a few lighter dyed strips. Clearly appealed to kids judging by who was getting autographs.

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36 minutes ago, ellcee said:

Overkill is one of my favorite songs, ever. Had no idea he was born in Scotland though, I had to look it up!

 

Glad you had a good cruise, Joe!

Wait, the lead singer from Australian band Men At Work is originally from Scotland?!? Learn something new every day!

And yes, Overkill is one of their best.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

Well, what a trip this was. Probably one of the longest that we've taken (18 days in total). I enjoyed every minute (almost) of it. From Orlando to the Harmony to New York.

Plenty to talk about in due course, but the first question I will answer is:

Would you sail Harmony again?

Yes!, Harmony is a great ship with a pretty awesome crew and a great lineup of shows. I've enjoyed consistently returning to her. However, I don't think that I would do another B2B on her. I feel that doing 2 weeks on a ship that isn't new to you can get a tad stale by the end. I don't believe that Harmony will be my ship for 2020. I kind of want a break from Oasis Class but all of the Freedom Class are offering lacklustre Caribbean itineraries, and the only good Voyager Class option is Explorer out of Civitavecchia and they are having a charter during one of the weeks that we would sail so she is ruled out. So, probably yet another year on Oasis Class, but hoping not another one on a 2nd gen. Maybe a return to the 1st gen? Both Oasis and Allure will be amped by our next cruise, and both NJ and Barcelona are great departure ports for us.

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