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Review of Harmony cruise 1/19-26


ChrisK2793

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I want to start off by saying that this was definitely one of our TOP 3 best cruises on RCCL. We had a GREAT time!

A few days before the cruise, we were Royal Up’ed from a Grand Suite to Crown Loft Suite # 1758.  Before this, the Owner’s Suite was our favorite Suite, but now it’s the Crown Loft!  
 

BOARDING - We got to the port at 10:15.  They’d just started boarding and we were on the ship very quickly.  We went right up to the 17th floor and noticed that the doors to the Crown Loft hallway were already opened, we saw our keys on the door to our room and peeked in ....... it was already totally cleaned and setup, so we put our carry-ons in the closet and went to explore the ship.  We had lunch in CK when it opened at noon and after lunch, our luggage was already outside the door to our cabin.

COASTAL KITCHEN / SUITE LOUNGE - We ate breakfast daily in the CK and had a few lunches there as well. We had the UDP, so we only ate dinner at CK one night when Izumi was a disaster.  The food and service in the CK were EXCELLENT.  
 

*EDITED* - due to incorrect info

 

Jamie’s Italian - We had dinner here on our 1st and 5th night.  Both times we had Mohamed as our server.  The food and the service was EXCELLENT.

150 Central Park - We had originally planned to have dinner her on just the 2nd and 6th night, but also ended up having dinner here on the 7th night as well.  Everything was EXCELLENT, but I’d highly recommend the short rib and scallops appetizers and the lobster Thermidor and Tenderloin for 2 entrees.  Their Urban Garden Martini was also one of my favorite drinks on the ship.  This was our FAVORITE restaurant on the ship.  Our server we had all 3 nights was excellent as well.  I can’t remember his real name but he had us call him Jay.  The day we left the cruise, he was also leaving the ship to go back to India for 3 months.

Izumi Sushi - We were supposed to eat here on the 3rd and 7th nights.  The first night we had a reservation, we were seated quickly and it all went downhill from there.  When we sat down, we could hear the 2 tables on either side of us complaining about how slow the service was.  About 20 minutes in, a server finally came to take our drink and food order.  About 10 min later, the drinks came out for us and the 2 tables on either side of us ..... out of 6 drinks across our table and the 2 others, FIVE of the drinks were totally not what any of us ordered.  Fast forward to 1 hour and 10 minutes after we were seated ...... we still had no drinks, no appetizers, no food.  We decided to walk out.  I stopped by the host stand to let them know we were leaving and why.  The family of 2 adults and 3 kids at the table next to the host stand also started complaining and telling us and the host that they’d been there 90 minutes and still had nothing but water.  The host’s excuse was “well we only have 1 server for the entire restaurant”.  With all the workers on the ship, how do you schedule 1 server for a packed restaurant that also had a line out the door of reservations waiting for a table?  Talking to other people on the ship, it seems like everyone had terrible experiences at Izumi this cruise and the ones that endured the long wait for food said the food was the worst tasting they’d ever had at an Izumi.

We went up to CK and the host there was able to seat us immediately even though we didn’t have a reservation.  They also changed our reservation from Izumi on night 7 to 150 Central Park at our preferred dining time.

Wonderland - We’d never tried Wonderland before and were very apprehensive about trying it before the cruise, but decided to give it a shot.  We had a great time there.  We both loved the food and the experience.  In the end we were glad we decided to give it a try.

Chops - We had lunch here on day 7.  Both the Filet and the Salmon that we had were excellent.  The filet was seasoned and had great flavor.  I’ve had experiences on Oasis and Navigator in Chops where my steak tasted like they threw it on the grill with no seasoning at all.  So I was very happy at how well seasoned and delicious the filet was here.

Sabor - We had lunch here on day 3 which was a sea day.  Sabor is included in UDP for all dinners, but on Harmony is only included for lunch on sea days.  The service was excellent.  The guacamole and cerviche were very good.  We didn’t have any entrees because we weren’t very hungry that day and just wanted a snack for lunch.

OVERALL - The shows we’re great, had a great time at the British Pub, On Air watching karaoke, the pools were never super packed even on pool days. The only thing we missed on Harmony was that there was no Playmakers.  All in all we had a great time, we just missed our 8yo son who wasn’t on this cruise with us.  I wish he could have come on this cruise, the first day they made an announcement that there were just over 1,200 kids on the cruise.  We’re looking forward to going on Oasis with him the week of 2/9 in 12 days when he’s on winter break from school for a week.  It will be his first time staying in a Crown Loft and he can’t wait to see a 2 story cabin.

 

 

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1 minute ago, ChrisK2793 said:

I do have to say that I DO NOT get why everyone is “so excited” about the Ulitimate Panaramic Suites coming to Oasis class ships.  When we were on Oasis over Thanksgiving, I couldn’t figure out why the CK and Suite Lounge seemed so small and cramped compared to when we were on Symphony 2 months earlier.  This time, being back in a full size CK and Suite Lounge, I realized what the problem was and I compared the deck plans of Oasis, Harmony, and Symphony ......... RCCL had to take a HUGE chunk out of both sides of the CK / Suite Lounge on Oasis in order to create the 2 Ultimate Panaramic Suites ......... so basically, Royal created 2 new Star Class cabins that will make them a ton of extra money on every cruise, created more suite passengers, and in turn is TAKING AWAY 30% of the CK / Suite Lounge to create just 2 rooms.  So ya, I don’t get why everyone is so excited about these 2 rooms that most people will stay in, when they’re taking so much away from the CK / Suite Lounge that all of us in suites have access to.

I'm confused about this..aren't the Ultimate Panoramic Suites the ones above the bridge at the front of the ship?  I didn't think that was anywhere near the CK/Suite Lounge on Deck 17.  

Mind you, I haven't been in the CK/Suite Lounge on Oasis or Allure but I think them feeling smaller has more to do with layout of the bar area and that that area wasn't originally intended for that purpose..I don't know why but I always thought Coastal Kitchen was added later to Oasis and Allure.  

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6 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

I'm confused about this..aren't the Ultimate Panoramic Suites the ones above the bridge at the front of the ship?  I didn't think that was anywhere near the CK/Suite Lounge on Deck 17.  

Mind you, I haven't been in the CK/Suite Lounge on Oasis or Allure but I think them feeling smaller has more to do with layout of the bar area and that that area wasn't originally intended for that purpose..I don't know why but I always thought Coastal Kitchen was added later to Oasis and Allure.  

No ..... they took a chunk out of both sides of the CK / Suite Lounge to make the 2 suites ..... see pic below of Oasis Deck Plan ...... when you are actually in the CK / Suite Lounge on Oasis, they’re actually much smaller now than even that diagram makes them seem .......... the area is MUCH more spacious on Harmony and Symphony without those 2 suites ...... Allure is getting them now too.

 

9D338F39-8E49-48CD-BC7E-08B89E08DC3B.jpeg

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The Grand and Owner's Panoramic Suites have always been on Oasis and Allure.  The reason that the CK/SL on those 2 ships are smaller than on Harmony and Symphony is b/c the CK/SL was created out of the old Viking Crown Lounge.

With Harmony and Symphony, they eliminated the Panoramic Suites and made the CK/SL bigger.

The Ultimate Panoramic Suites are being created far forward above the bridge and are nowhere near Deck 17.

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20 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Allure already has these according to the current  deck plans.  

allure.png.ced2ae3d9bae74c27440e0d44fe2bbd4.png

The new suites are actually the ones in orange on 14:

oasis.thumb.png.8be4373878d30c0bdb0ccb243240a40a.png

 


‘OH OK ....... I guess I got confused by the names ....... I’m VERY GLAD to know then that they won’t be making the CK / Suite Lounge smaller on Symphony and Harmony when they get refurbed like I was thinking ........... I LOVE the way they are on H and S ..... not so much on Oasis lol

 

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Just now, WAAAYTOOO said:

The Grand and Owner's Panoramic Suites have always been on Oasis and Allure.  The reason that the CK/SL on those 2 ships are smaller than on Harmony and Symphony is b/c the CK/SL was created out of the old Viking Crown Lounge.

With Harmony and Symphony, they eliminated the Panoramic Suites and made the CK/SL bigger.

The Ultimate Panoramic Suites are being created far forward above the bridge and are nowhere near Deck 17.


So glad to hear that!  I love the way the CK / Suite Lounge is setup on H and S and was afraid they’d be changing them in a refurb!

 

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Just now, ChrisK2793 said:

‘OH OK ....... I guess I got confused by the names ....... I’m VERY GLAD to know then that they won’t be making the CK / Suite Lounge smaller on Symphony and Harmony when they get refurbed like I was thinking ........... I LOVE the way they are on H and S ..... not so much on Oasis lol

LOL just don't get the names mixed up if you're ever booking..although the new panos on 14 are Star Class but don't require the nonrefundable deposit...guess you have to give up a balcony for that ?

 

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