Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas Review & Ship Tour

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that I just spent seven incredible nights onboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas as a guest of the brand. During our Caribbean cruise, we docked in Labadee in Haiti, Falmouth in Jamaica and Cozumel in Mexico.

Each of the ports was a little slice of tropical paradise, but that’s not what surprised me about my Royal Caribbean cruise. What really blew me away is that I had just as much fun on sea days as I did in any of our destinations on land! The ship is so vast – almost like a city at sea – that it’s impossible to get bored.

I know a lot of people, especially in our twenties and thirties, have a preconceived idea of what cruise holidays (and the type of travellers who enjoy them) are like but I’ve found that the stereotypes aren’t necessarily true. I learned that the cruise line you choose has a big impact on the type of holiday you have, because they all cater to different types of travellers.

You can easily see how much fun I had on my Instagram highlight, so I thought a tour of Harmony of the Seas and full review of Royal Caribbean with lots of pictures of the ship and my views on Harmony’s facilities, food and drink, rooms and entertainment would be the most useful way to share my trip here. If you’re thinking about booking a cruise holiday, this should help you make up your mind.

My cruise review: Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas

A few years back I went on a Christmas Markets cruise which was more of a relaxing holiday, whereas my Caribbean cruise on Harmony of the Seas was all about new, unique experiences and making memories onboard. I enjoyed my first ever cruise with Royal Caribbean more than I expected to!

Harmony of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class ships which means it’s among the world’s largest, with a mammoth 16 decks and more than 20 restaurants. Compared to traditional cruise ships, the focus is on thrills and experiences rather than just relaxation.

We checked in via the app a few days before our cruise to speed things up so our embarkation process in Cape Canaverel, Orlando was quick and easy. Once we boarded and found our rooms, we got our SeaPass cards which we used to pay our way around the ship. The brand’s app was really handy for planning out our days.

Balcony Stateroom review

I had a balcony view stateroom on the 7th floor, Aft. It was more spacious than some hotel rooms I’ve slept in! The bed was very comfortable (I had read other people saying it was too hard for them but I slept well) and there’s also a sofa that pulls out. The dressing area was great with enough plug sockets and the bathroom was surprisingly roomy.

Oh, and that balcony…

I learned on my first cruise to never choose a room towards the aft or forward end of the ship, because you feel every wave and are more likely to get seasick. Thankfully, even without a midship room, I barely felt the motion of the ocean – and this is coming from someone who gets very seasick. Motion sickness is definitely a deterrent for me booking cruises but on a ship this gigantic, it just wasn’t an issue.

The stewards do an amazing job and work so hard. My guy, Lulu, is a star!

If you want to save a little bit of money on your cruise, Harmony of the Seas is one of those cruise ships where you can probably get away with booking an inside room with no balcony, purely because there’s plenty to do onboard so you probably won’t spend much time in your room.

Harmony of the Seas’ indoor & outdoor facilities

There are ‘neighbourhoods’ on Harmony of the Seas that genuinely make you forget you’re on a ship in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. I’d like to meet the person whose job it is to dream all of this stuff up, honestly!

I’ll show you around some of my favourite areas on Harmony of the Seas. Be warned: this is a picture-heavy post, but I know that if you’re considering a cruise you’ll want to see as much as possible!

The Boardwalk is magical and feels Disney-esque. There’s a carousel there and it’s where the Ultimate Abyss (the tallest slide at sea) ends.

From the Boardwalk, you can see the climbing walls (yes, there are climbing walls onboard Harmony of the Seas) and the AquaTheater, where they show movies as well as hold the incredible water show (more on that later).

Central Park just blew my mind. This lush green space is an open-air garden at sea and it’s just as atmospheric during the day as it is after dark. It’s one of the most elegant areas of the ship. Royal Caribbean literally has a Head of Horticulture to take care of this oasis!

Solarium is an adults-only haven, located at the front of the ship. (Do I mean Forward? I still can’t get onboard with all the nautical terms, sorry!) There were always plenty of available beds in this area. It was our favourite spot for sundowners; watching the sun set on the horizon from one of the comfy bali beds or in the jacuzzi is pure bliss.

This area was usually very peaceful, except for when the White Party took over and we danced all night!

The Solarium on Harmony of the Seas has viewing platforms with glass bottoms on each side, so you can stand there and see the water beneath your feet – if you dare.

The Royal Promenade is kind of the ship’s central hub, with guest services, various bars, restaurants and shops.

This area felt like a shopping mall in a big US city rather than a vessel in the Caribbean!

There are multiple parades and parties on the Promenade, which you can view from the balconies above with a drink in your hand. They had a 90s party during our cruise.

There are four pools and a handful of jacuzzis dotted around the ship and we never struggled to get sunbeds together. The pools did get a little busy on one particular sea day when it was super hot, but I think everyone just had the same idea at once and needed to cool off.

Typhoon, Cyclone and Supercell are the trio of water slides.

Harmony of the Seas is the brand’s most family-friendly ship. Fortunately for me, since I’m allergic to children, through clever design most of the kids’ attractions are located at the back of the ship, while the adult area, Solarium, is at the front. I thought that was a really wise idea because I never felt like screaming kid (or rowdy adults) were ruining my holiday.

I didn’t bother with the gym or the sports areas (there’s a sports court on Harmony of the Seas!) but some of the people on my press trip were fitness influencers and they seemed impressed with the facilities. I’ll take their word for it…

Entertainment on Harmony of the Seas

I fully intended to try as many classes and shows etc as I could when I saw how much was going on but I couldn’t possibly do it all.

I may or may not have set my alarm for 7am yoga every single day, and then proceeded to sleep in every single day… 

The aqua show was my standout entertainment experience. It’s a mix of synchronised swimming, diving, dancing, acrobatics and tightrope walking. Breathtaking! If you see one show on Harmony of the Seas, make it this one. Just don’t sit in the splash zone if you don’t want to get soaked…

Grease in the Main Theatre and the ice show on the ship’s ice skating rink are also worth catching.

I also noticed there were niche things like guacamole or sushi making classes at an extra charge,  plus shopping events and the usual fitness and spa stuff on offer. 

Where to eat on Harmony of the Seas

For breakfast, I usually ate in the Solarium as it’s a bit less hectic than the Windjammer Marketplace buffet. I found that even the buffet restaurants were high quality on Harmony of the Seas, which surprised me.

Lunch was typically at Park Cafe in Central Park. I loved their made-to-order panini and salad bar. Plus, they had grab-and-go salads, wraps, fruit cups etc so I often just took something up to the top deck with me to nibble on from there when I sunbathed.

There are buffet options for dinner on Harmony of the Seas that are included in the cost of your cruise or you can eat a la carte at the Main Dining room, Silk, at no extra cost. Their French Onion Soup is gorgeous.

You could easily skip the specialty restaurants all together but I definitely recommend splashing out on the ones we went to! 

Chops Grille is a must for carnivores, while Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine offers a wacky experience. The food there is all very experimental – but also tasty! I loved the decor too.

Most of us on the press trip agreed that our favourite specialty restaurant on Harmony of the Seas was Izumi, the sushi place. In fact, it was so good we went twice! I had some incredible sushi and a ramen that I’ll be fantasising about when I’m hungry for a long time. Oh, and try the strawberry flavoured sake cocktail.

Snack-wise, Sorrento’s pizza and the Dog House on the Boardwalk were my got-to eateries for quick snacks. If I wanted something more virtuous, I’d pop into the Vitality Cafe at the spa for a fresh pressed juice or smoothie. There are also wraps and other bites available at Cafe Promenade, along with iced coffees.

I found the app really handy for finding places to eat at various times of the day. You can tap ‘Hungry now’ and it shows you a list of restaurants or snack bars that are open.

I couldn’t possibly have sampled all of the restaurants on Harmony of the Seas in seven days. The ones I can’t comment on are Johnny Rockets, Jamie’s Italian, Vintages (a wine and tapas bar), Mini Bites, 150 Central Park, Sabor (Mexican Food), and Coastal Kitchen (just for suite guests)… see, told you the ship was ridiculously huge!

Best bars onboard

If you know me, you’ll know I did my best to try all of the bars on Harmony of the Seas for you. All in the name of research, of course.

Of course, I have to mention the now famous Bionic Bar first. You place your order on a  touchscreen (and you can literally make any drink you fancy, even if it’s not necessarily an advisable concoction), then the robot bartenders mix it up for you. So cool!

Our usual hangout for a pre-dinner drink was Schooner. Their Old Fashioned menu is dangerously good! So are the Habanero & Grapefruit Daquiris.

Rising Tide is totally unique: a moving bar that ascends and descends across three floors. I didn’t go because I was worried I’d need the loo and not be able to get off! I hear they serve a mean espresso martini though.

The Trellis Bar in Central Park had a really elegant feel and was a romantic place for a pre-dinner drink. 

Surprisingly, we had a brilliant night in the karaoke bar one night too! The Jazz Bar had a cool vibe and there were a few others we didn’t make it to. Not for want of trying, though.

There were a few late nights in the Casino and various other bars onboard Harmony of the Seas, but we made a pact that what happens at sea stays at sea so I won’t go into detail about that!

It’s hard to find anything negative to say about my cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas but if I was pushed to find something to focus on, I’d say that the lifts got a bit hot sometimes. That’s it. That’s all I got.

The verdict

So, would I cruise with Royal Caribbean again? 100%, absolutely. It really is in a category of its own and I love that the Harmony of the seas caters to different age groups and allows you to choose the type of holiday you want to have. I’ve spoken to my mum AND my partner about potentially planning a cruise holiday together soon, because they were both really jealous while watching my Instagram Stories during my trip!

If you want to fully experience the onboard facilities on Harmony of the Seas, a seven night cruise might not be long enough. I found myself wishing for a few more sea days towards the end of our cruise, which took me by surprise. I thought I’d be desperate to get my feet on dry land!

If you want to see all of my updates posted from the ship, you can follow me @danniellelily and check out my ‘Royal Caribbean Cruise’ highlight.

You can follow my UK trips and find out about far-flung destinations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also subscribe to my Youtube channel.

The long flight time from UK to Orlando for this Caribbean cruise was definitely a downside, but the good news is that if you’re keen to experience a Royal Caribbean cruise for your next holiday, you’re in luck.

Harmony’s sister ship, Allure of the Seas, is sailing around the Mediterranean in Summer 2020! So, do you wanna hop onboard? Check out their offers online and let me know if you book!

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, I was a guest of Royal Caribbean UK. Views are my own.

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