Harmony Questions

[ADK]

I’m traveling in a large group of people and it’s my (and I think the others’) first cruise. We’re on Harmony of the Seas, May 2018. Some questions have been answered by travel agents, cruise lines, but some have not and wondering if anyone has answer to these... (thank you in advance to anyone who sticks around to read all of this!)

1. Voom - I asked RC if there was any option to purchase Voom for only a few select days and they said once on board to inquire about a daily service option. But no details given re: price and what level of service/speed it is. Anyone use this and know details?

 

2. Royal IQ - Not all in our group will have Voom and we need to communicate and considering giving IQ a try (although it seems it’s inconsistent - any tips/insight appreciated) Question: once device is registered, is there any way to block incoming calls from shore? I only want passenger to passenger communication and don’t want to pay for incoming calls from shore/back home. RC did not answer this question;

 

3. Embarkation Day Questions - 

Can you check-in, get your SeaPass and then leave the ship to explore the port before the ship sets sail?

Our party has several arrival times and there are items (including bottles of wine & other items they don’t want to fly with) that we’re planning on me picking up in town the night before. Is there any place for me to leave the items in the terminal - like customer service or will call - for the other passengers to pick up as they arrive (before check-in, security, etc)… or can I meet them (as the wine has to be with them at check-in)?

 

4. Solarium’s clamshell/cabanas - do you reserve those or is it first come first serve?

 

5. Kids - are the kids/teenagers able to order drinks, etc. and charge to the room without an adult present? Do they need some kind of card or pass to do this?

 

6. Vegetarian meals - are there going to be a decent selection in complimentary dining areas other than salad and one pasta dish? RC says there will be but other resorts have said this and I’ve been disappointed.

[Matt]

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

1. Voom - I asked RC if there was any option to purchase Voom for only a few select days and they said once on board to inquire about a daily service option. But no details given re: price and what level of service/speed it is. Anyone use this and know details?

You can, but the daily price is higher than the daily price if you just bought it for the duration of your cruise.

You can login onboard and buy a 24 hour pass (so it's 24 consecutive hours, not a calendar day).  

I believe the 24 hour pass onboard for Voom Surf and Stream was $29.99 at last check.

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

Question: once device is registered, is there any way to block incoming calls from shore? I only want passenger to passenger communication and don’t want to pay for incoming calls from shore/back home.

Put your phone in airplane mode.

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

Can you check-in, get your SeaPass and then leave the ship to explore the port before the ship sets sail?

Yes, but it's a pain with security and whatnot.  It's not awful, but everytime I've considered it I decided it was not worth the hassle.  Plus, there's so much going on during day one, I'm usually busy.

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

Is there any place for me to leave the items in the terminal - like customer service or will call - for the other passengers to pick up as they arrive (before check-in, security, etc)… or can I meet them (as the wine has to be with them at check-in)?

Your best bet is to meet them.  From a pure security standpoint, there's not a place or means to leave random things.  The days of lockers or holding is largely past us it seems.

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

Solarium’s clamshell/cabanas - do you reserve those or is it first come first serve?

First come, first nap

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

Kids - are the kids/teenagers able to order drinks, etc. and charge to the room without an adult present? Do they need some kind of card or pass to do this?

They can, but you have the option to disable their charging privileges. You can define this at check-in.

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

Vegetarian meals - are there going to be a decent selection in complimentary dining areas other than salad and one pasta dish? RC says there will be but other resorts have said this and I’ve been disappointed.

I'm no vegetarian, but I think you will find plenty of selection.  If you find the selection lacking (or you just want to mix things up), speak to the head waiter and they can arrange special dishes for you.  I've done this many times and had great success.

[ellcee]

On 4/6/2018 at 7:14 PM, ADK said:

6. Vegetarian meals - are there going to be a decent selection in complimentary dining areas other than salad and one pasta dish? RC says there will be but other resorts have said this and I’ve been disappointed.

My closest friend is a vegetarian and has cruised multiple times on RC  - she's very happy with the selection. She does eat fish though, so I'm not sure if that counts for you.

[melski94]

See my response in RED

On 4/6/2018 at 6:14 PM, ADK said:

I’m traveling in a large group of people and it’s my (and I think the others’) first cruise. We’re on Harmony of the Seas, May 2018. Some questions have been answered by travel agents, cruise lines, but some have not and wondering if anyone has answer to these... (thank you in advance to anyone who sticks around to read all of this!)

1. Voom - I asked RC if there was any option to purchase Voom for only a few select days and they said once on board to inquire about a daily service option. But no details given re: price and what level of service/speed it is. Anyone use this and know details? I haven't done this but was on Harmony a few weeks ago.  They considered the internet packages a daily deal on Day 4 (so I don't know if other days would have been the same or higher). The Surf package was $15.99 and the Surf and Stream was $19.99 per day.  The surf and stream shows on your cruise planner at a pre-cruise price of 15.99 per day. I had purchased prior to my cruise and never checked the retail price. 

 

2. Royal IQ - Not all in our group will have Voom and we need to communicate and considering giving IQ a try (although it seems it’s inconsistent - any tips/insight appreciated) Question: once device is registered, is there any way to block incoming calls from shore? I only want passenger to passenger communication and don’t want to pay for incoming calls from shore/back home. RC did not answer this question;  Put your phone in airplane mode to block incoming calls.

3. Embarkation Day Questions - 

Can you check-in, get your SeaPass and then leave the ship to explore the port before the ship sets sail?  You don't get your Sea Pass card until you have access to your room at 1.  Before that you have a piece of paper.  There is so much to explore on the ship and the lines are low for the Abyss, zip line, slides, etc.  Lowest lines you'll see the entire cruise unless you stay on the ship during a port day.  

Our party has several arrival times and there are items (including bottles of wine & other items they don’t want to fly with) that we’re planning on me picking up in town the night before. Is there any place for me to leave the items in the terminal - like customer service or will call - for the other passengers to pick up as they arrive (before check-in, security, etc)… or can I meet them (as the wine has to be with them at check-in)?  Wine has to be with them when you go through security which is the first thing you do.

 

 

 

5. Kids - are the kids/teenagers able to order drinks, etc. and charge to the room without an adult present? Do they need some kind of card or pass to do this?  They use their SeaPass card to charge to the room.  No adult necessary to charge.

 

 

 

[Katiel53]

Regarding the question of getting the wine to the others, I am confused.  If I am understanding correctly, you want to get off the ship to give your friends/relatives wine that you purchased for them the night before.  There is no place to leave it before YOU board if you are carrying it, how do you plan to get the bottles onboard to take back off?  Or, am I missing something here, which is possible.