We were thrilled to get going on our much-anticipated adventure on one of Royal Caribbean’s biggest ships. What stops could they pull out to make our holiday totally unforgettable? The answer is lots… and then some!
We were off to a great start with our Ocean View porthole cabin. It was more than worth the little extra spend to have our own view of the fantastic destinations we were visiting – without going all out for a balcony! It was spacious for two, and comfortable, with everything we needed for our trip.
Harmony is a large ship, and is packed with stuff to do: there is more on offer onboard than we could possibly have done in a week, especially with our full itinerary! We did however manage activities such as the climbing wall and the Ultimate Abyss slide, as well as a go on the carousel and lots of time in one of the many jacuzzis! Harmony is beautifully and often elaborately decorated, with a modern style and many quirky features just waiting to be found. There was always something to look at!
Harmony is an Oasis class ship, which tend to be what Peter & I think of as ‘inward-facing’: they have a hollow centre where shops, restaurants, bars, activities and even cabins can be found. We were interested to experience this ship structure, having never tried it before. While it was very enjoyable, on the whole we prefer the ‘outward-facing’ style of ship, which tend to have promenade-type decks lower down, and more ocean-facing spaces dotted around the ship. One of our favourite activities onboard is sitting in a quiet bar with a drink, staring out at the sea and taking in the amazing part of the world we are visiting, and this was harder to find on Harmony.
It was the dining options and nighttime entertainment that really made this ship special for us. We were blown away by our experience at the Wonderland restaurant. Themed around Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, it features disappearing menus, incredible décor, and themed food and drinks, often in elaborate shapes and colours to delight the senses. It is an extra cost restaurant, but in our opinion well worth it, for the sheer fun of never knowing quite what you were going to get next!
Our first experience of the ‘bionic’ bar, where two robotic arms mix and serve your drinks, was a delightful novelty, as was the Rising Tide bar, which raises and lowers between several decks of the ship, giving drinkers an unusual vantage for people-watching and views of the ship. We made a habit of always stopping here for a drink and a lift!
At the stern, the Aquatheatre hosts truly spectacular shows, with a mix of high diving, acrobatics and dance, while the shows in the main theatre contained all the high quality spectacle you would expect from Royal Caribbean. An ice-dancing performance had us gasping in amazement at the skill of the dancers (it wasn’t always a smooth voyage!), and we even enjoyed an escape-room style mystery activity, and a silent disco!
Overall, Harmony was a truly amazing ship to call home for a week, and we would definitely choose to cruise on her again.