Harmony of the Seas Nov 2016-Gene

SHIP:

The ship was amazing!. Laid out very well and of course, lots of activities. The ship was almost full so was able to feel the same experience my clients would on this cruise.

Each deck had an interactive map that made it VERY easy to find your way around the ship.

Gorgeous pool areas, loved the public areas such as Central Park, Royal Promenade and the Boardwalk.

STATEROOMS – So many wonderful choices:

We were in a Superior Ocean View Balcony which was very nice. Good closet space, typical size of stateroom and bathroom and small balcony. Not many bath amenities in these staterooms. Combo shampoo/conditioner and just little bars of soap. Had to ask for lotion. I would recommend you  advise clients to bring their own bath products so they are not disappointed.

Sound proofing not good. Very noisy as people walking o their staterooms.

Completed site inspections:

Jr. Suite with Balcony:

Good choice if more space is needed

Royal Loft Balcony, Four Bedroom Family Balcony, Sky Loft Balcony, Aqua Theater with Balcony, Owner’s and Grand Balcony Suites were all amazing! Something for everyone.

DINING:
Had dinner in the Solarium Bistro which is adults only. Combination of buffet and menu dining. Both had very good  food choices and the food was excellent. Breakfast here was not as good; very few choices and quality just average.

Buffet dining in the Windjammer was very good. We had breakfast there and lunch one day and I was VERY impressed with both. Excellent food choices and great quality.

Main dining restaurant, Silk was good but just typical cruise main dining; nothing special. I did have lobster which was just o.k.

SHOWS:

Attended the 1887 Journey in Time ice skating show and it was very good.

The Fine Line Aqua show was amazing and outstanding!. Divers, swimmers, aerial high wire acts and dancers; very exciting.

FITNESS CENTER:

State of the art and has every machine you can imagine. It was totally full when we did our inspection.

SPA & SALON:

Beautiful, offering full services.

WIFI:

Was excellent; very fast and dependable.

CREW/SERVICE:

Overall, I did not find the crew on this ship as helpful and interested in giving good service  as on my many other cruise experiences. I would say the service was average, at best.

MOVEMENT OF GUESTS:

I had a few  complaints. At times, it was very difficult to get around. There were times there were throngs of people waiting for elevators and not very happy. Became a mob mentality and was not good. The same in the public areas such as bars; often backed up and hard to get served.

SMOKING:

Probably the most annoying thing was the location of  smoking areas. There was a large area right in the middle of the main pool area that had many chairs and ashtrays for smoking. Anyone trying to walk  around the pool was subjected to lots of second hand smoke. On most cruise ships they have this area in a corner away from the main area which is way less offensive .The casino was also really bad as many smokers went there to smoke even when not using the casino so you were walking through the casino in a dark haze of smoke. Very bad policy.

It was also at times VERY noisy in the public areas with so many people on board.

Port, Nassau:

Lots of great changes since I was there 12 years ago. New high ends shops; jewelry, clothes and nice restaurants right in the port are. Straw Market is also there to buy local wares, gifts and junk and they love to bargain. We took the bus to the hotel area on the beach which was only $1.25 USD each way. Stopped at the Melia and saw the lobby, pool and ground area. Very lovely property. The hotels have built beautiful parks across from their hotels which has REALLY made the area very beautiful.

OVERALL:

This ship is a wonderful option for families with children and active adults who would enjoy all of the fantastic activity choices on-board. Qualifying the client is  VERY important. If the client does not like crowds and organized chaos, this is NOT the cruise option for them. In addition, there is a LOT of walking required due to the size of the ship which can be good or bad, depending on your view point.