Harmony of the Seas, LIVEish: May 13, 2017

[CGTLH]

After some thought, and a nap, the next section will be main shows/entertainment.

Fine Line: Held in the Aqua Theater, still an amazement at sea. Amazing aerial work plus tightrope action. Didn't seem as repetitive as the other aqua shows. For those that like use if the trampoline, none that I recalled.

Headliner: Some comedic juggler, don't recall the name. Nothing memorable, seemed more talk than anything.

Comedy Show: Comedians were fine, once again don't recall their names. They were both fine, but not side splitting funny. The first one I want to recall he was on one of the Oasis sailings.

1887: That was an ice show? I mean that in a good way. So far the best ice show I've seen at sea. Wasn't repetitive in the sense of same routine with different props/settings. Another amazing thing was the use projectors to "hide" the ice making it more as part of the scene versus a surface. Other memorable parts was the bubble guy. Hard to explain, but was interesting.

Hideaway Heist: Fun, no reservations, show. For those that were missing trampoline action this is show. The high line wasn't used, but one just above the pool was used in the opening.

Columbus: Very energetic show, plenty of known songs. Silly at times. Ending was some what of a miss due to it feeling like it was an advertisement. Ship set piece is amazing, from what I recall it is three feet smaller than the Pinta.

Grease: Wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. Just seemed lacking for what ever reason. I mean I didn't hate it. For some reason it felt short. Guess I'm use to the other showe where an intermission occurred. Singing, acting, and dancing was fine. Now I will admit it was more of sea worthy show that Cats... At least Grease has some action and upbeat.

Street Parties: Had a 50s/60s and 90s street parties. For some reason they didn't catch and hold me within the first 5 minutes or so. On the 90s I had to leave right after it started for Columbus.

Bonus: Stow Away piano player, just loved the random popups. Saw from a distance him playing in the elevator. Did a scope of him playing outside of Cafe Promenade one night. Had to cut it short due to the Comedy Show. Not sure if the piano is his creation. Loved the popup props from the top. Also had a side drawer with treats for kids.

iSkate: No comment, didn't see it.

Quest: Hate to say it, missed it as well.

 

That is it for now. Will need some more thought for the next section. Not too sure what more needs to be covered. Not going to do a port segment, nothing was really done.

[CGTLH]

This section will be a few things, won't really know those things until I post.

Beverages/bar: Never has any issues getting a drink onboard. Then again as a disclaimer I never hung around the pool, so no clue how that service was. Windjammer has a full service bar, not necessarily a fully stocked one. Before any of the shows they were plenty of roaming servers. Not dining in the MDR, no clue about that service. Coastal Kitchen I'm sure our server would have gotten anything from the bar. Drinks at the speciality restaurant were quick. Threw a twist and Wonderland they could never get right, the Moscow Mule I feel in love with on Oasis. At Rising Tide no issue finding a seat. Bionic Bar was a fun novelty that made horrid martinis (who muddles lime or lemon in one). But was fun making augmentation for my iced Americano (three parts vodka, one part Kalua, ice, and strained). Cafe Promenade had a poor flow, complementary stuff prior to the register to order something. The major complaint I have was the lack of the "blue menu", the new one that was released back in January. I'm the kind of person that looks to browse a menu for ideas. Otherwise I'll end up seeking what I think that bar can do. Most of the time it wound up being a spirit on the rocks, most commonly Bourbon. Don't know why I have a kick for it now. Sure I had copies of the new menu handy but I really don't feel like pulling out my phone all the time to browse them. Plus I didn't want to play the game of trying to explain something I have no idea how to make. Heck I crack when trying to explain what an espresso martini was. Had no clue off the top of my head what the ratios were.

Room: As previously mentioned I was in a L1 Crown Loft Suite 1754 (did a scope, check my signature for my Periscope account). Swear I've become spoiled by them. Had originally a Grand Suite booked, did get the chance to see one. The Lofts are in a great central location, quiet hallway. The loft is tended to by a team of two loft attendants. They keep every thing neat and tidy. Only one minor issue, one night they forgot to make the sofa bed. Next day they did apologise and said I could have called. Simple response, I wasn't going to bug them at 1 in the morning. I never said a word to them, they must have put two and two together when they saw the cushions piled up in the chair. Getting to some more details, in the first level bathroom is a shower. The second level has a tub. To me the shower felt like it was larger that those in a standard room. Plenty of room to keep things, ton of drawer space, plus the dining table downstairs was decent size.

Boarding/check in: Once the security line opened the check in process was quick. I had only registered a credit card, no photo taken in advance. Photo process might have delayed thing about 30 second (yes, I know it adds up when factoring in thousands). The one thing that speeds up the process is not being given you SeaPass card at check in. Remember to keep your stamped SetSail pass out, this is checked prior to heading upstairs. When boarding they need to scan the  barcode at the bottom. Once onboard I would say most places asked for the room number when getting a beverage (same thing later in the cruise when getting a tub beverage in Windjammer).

Slides and "waiver" activities: Never had a chance to do the slides. Nor did I do the rock wall, zip line, or Flow Rider. Still trying to figure out what the heck I did do that killed all my time.

Final Thoughts: To say I had great time is a given. I really never ran in to any major faults that put a hamper on my enjoyment. Ran in to only two issues, both taken care of quickly. First was trying to get an additional discount on my beverage package. Speaking with four people, one being a bar manager, I was told I'd get a 10% OBC of what I paid for the package. Come to find out I was charged again for the package with a discount from the onboard rate. After speaking the next day with the concierge in the Suite Lounge, Raj, one phone call the extra and online pacakges were refunded and purchases was the discounted onboard price. For those wondering, pre cruise was $48 and onboard was $61 per person per day and add 18% for the gratuity. For the record, the Diamond Plus benefits sheet had no mention of 30% off. The person outside of the pub knew about it, someone at Boleros was clue less.

Other than that, not much more stood out as an issue. I'm sure I noticed some cutbacks in the back of my head, but never really bothered me.

On a scale of 10, this would have rated around an 8. Never felt I've had a 10 cruise. My Aslaksa tour then cruise would be a 9. For the 9, was more about the actual stops versus cruise/ship only.

So folks, that is it until Anthem at the end of August 2017. Thanks again for following along. Hope to see y'all on the Symphony group cruise in 2018.

I'm still around and get notices about new posts, so ask away. Also, the email account is still up if you have a question you would like to have answered off the record.

[Matt]

Great live blog Michael! Thank you for sharing it all with us.  I know I enjoyed reading it every day