If you are new to cruising, or just new to Royal Caribbean, you might have heard about one particular ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet that is getting a lot of attention but were not sure why. This post is intended for people like you.
Alternatively, this might be a post you share with someone that you want to go on Harmony of the Seas, but need to explain the significance of this ship.
In short, this post is a primer for what Harmony of the Seas so darn intriguing and a compelling cruise ship to book.
It's big (like, really big)
Royal Caribbean has a well-deserved reputation for building large cruise ships in the industry, and Harmony of the Seas follows that tradition by being the largest passenger cruise ship in the world.
Harmony of the Seas first debuted in May 2016, and she is 226,963 gross tons in size. How big is that, exactly? If she were to be stood upright, she would be 361 meters tall. The Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall and Big Ben is only 96 meters tall.
Harmony of the Seas can handle 5,497 guests at double occupancy, is 66.4 meters wide and has 2,747 staterooms.
While this size sounds impressive, what it means for guests is there is plenty of space onboard for Royal Caribbean to offer some truely unqiue and fun activities. Harmony of the Seas is the kind of ship that was designed to be a destination in of itself, with lots to see and do onboard.
Being onboard Harmony of the Seas, it feels less like a boat and more like a city, with different neighborhoods and things to do throughout the day.
First rate shows
Royal Caribbean prides itself on the entertainment it offers onboard its ships, and Harmony of the Seas offers guests brand new shows that are great performances.
First and foremost, guests can see the classic Broadway show, Grease, onboard Harmony of the Seas. Admission to Grease (and all shows) is included in your cruise fare. This fun love story features a soundtrack of crowd favorites such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Born to Hand-Jive,” “Beauty School Dropout” and more.
Royal Caribbean also developed its own musical, Columbus, The Musical!. This production created in the spirit of “Spamalot” and “Something Rotten,” recounts the imagined history of Marvin Columbus, Christopher’s fictional, down on his luck, distant cousin. Combining smart, nuanced humor and breathtaking set design, Columbus is the kind of family show you will really love to see.
Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis-class ship, which means it features at the aft of the ship an open-air ampitheater with a large pool in the center, known as the AquaTheater. The Aquatheater has two 10-meter high platforms and a hydraulic-floored pool, the largest and deepest freshwater pool at sea.
There are two different shows to see in the AquaTheater. The Fine Line is a 360° immersive entertainment show, revelers will be wishing for eyes in the back of their head to take in all the action happening around them. Hideaway Heist is a new comedy dive show, that jumps into the world of the 1950's holiday resort and tells the story of a detective pursuing a crafty burglar.
You might be thinking just these shows are enough to impress you, but there is much more enteratinment onboard. There are two ice skating shows, held in the ship's indoor ice skating rink; An escape room experience, where guests try to solve a riddle by deciphering the clues in the room before time runs out; Special dance parties throughout the cruise and much more.
Slides!
If you prefer to spend time onboard getting your adrenaline going, try one of the many slides available. Royal Caribbean's addition of water and dry slides to Harmony of the Seas is a big deal, because Royal Caribbean never really did slides before this ship. With this ship, there are plenty to choose from and that means fun for the entire family.
Beginning with the water slides, Royal Caribbean added what it calls, "The Perfect Storm" water slides in the center of the ship. These are three slides that twist and turn down to the pool decks below. One slide features a champagne bowl that swirls riders around as they approach the end of the slide. The other two water slides are racing slides that are meant to see just how fast guests can rocket to the bottom.
Families with younger children will love the new aquatic adventure park, known as Splashaway Bay. This play area features slides, water cannons, waterfalls and more for kids to run around and enjoy to their heart's content. Royal Caribbean describes Splashaway Bay as, "a vibrant waterscape for kids and toddlers with sea creature water cannons, winding slides, a gigantic drench bucket and a multi-platform jungle-gym to keep everyone entertained for hours."
There is still one more thrill ride on Harmony of the Seas that anyone with the courage to do can try, the Ultimate Abyss.
The Ultimate Abyss is a 10-story dry slide that is the tallest slide at sea and a the biggest thrill ride to date for Royal Caribbean. The Ultimate Abyss is more than 150 feet above sea level and offers side-by-side slides that send guests down 10 decks at a rate of 9 miles per hour.
Launching onto the ride from a glass platform, guests climb onto a customized mat and then descend into a tunnel filled with spontaneous audio effects that create a multi-sensory thrill.
Lots and lots of dining
When Royal Caribbean built its first Oasis class ship, Oasis of the Seas, the cruise line re-defined how many dining options could be offered on a Royal Caribbean ship. Harmony of the Seas continues in that vein, with a wide assortment of dining options that are sure to please everyone.
Harmony of the Seas dining options are a mix of complimentary and specialty restaurants. Complimentary restaurants are included in your cruise fare, while specialty restaurants have an additional cost to them. It is at your discretion if you choose to dine at a specialty restaurant, but there are lots of choices across many different price points. All of the dining options offer very delicious food that you are certain to enjoy quite a bit.
At the heart of the complimentary dining is the beautiful main dining room. Guests on Harmony of the Seas can dine here each evening with the elegance and traditionalism that the cruise industry wass built on. Each evening there is a different menu, with creative, classic and contemporary choices to enjoy.
All around Harmony of the Seas are a number of complimentary eateries that offer grab-and-go options and sit down choices. Park Cafe is home to the famous Kummelweck sandwich, and the Windjammer buffet is where you can go to get pretty much everything.
If you want to try a specialty restaurant (or four), there are so many great choices. Harmony of the Seas features two specialty restaurants that are new to the Oasis-class. Jamie's Italian is the creation of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, which features rustic Italian dishes made from seasonal ingredients and tried and true recipes. Wonderland is an imaginative take on specialty dining, where the experience is just as important as the food offered. While Wonderland is on a few other Quantum-class ships, on Harmony of the Seas, this is the first two-story Wonderland restaurant in the fleet.
There is also Johnny Rockets, a 1950's inspired diner that serves up burgers, hot dogs and milk shakes; Chops Grille, the high-quality steakhouse that offers dry-aged steaks in addition to its menu of quality cuts of meat; Sabor Tacqueria & Tequila Bar offers some of the best Mexican food we have ever had, with favorites like tacos, quesadillas and margaritas, as well as contemporary Mexican dishes; Izumi Hibachi and Sushi offers fresh and flavorful Japanese cuisine, including teppan-style dining.
In short, there is a lot of dining choices on Harmony of the Seas, and that means you have a large variety of choices available for you to choose from.
When Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas arrives in her new home of Port Everglades, Florida, the cruise line is planning a celebration with multi-platinum-selling band DNCE.
In a spin-off of Thanksgiving, Royal Caribbean is celebrating "Friendsgiving " by throwing, "the Ultimate Friendsgiving party onboard".
On the November 10-12 Harmony of the Seas VIP sailing, Royal Caribbean will hold the Ultimate Friendsgiving celebration. In addition to custom Friendsgiving menus and cocktails, the party will culminate with an exclusive live performance by multi-platinum-selling band DNCE, fresh off their win for “Best New Artist” at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. They will be performing songs from their highly anticipated self-titled debut album, which will be released on Nov. 18.
Consumers are invited to attend the Ultimate Friendsgiving experience by following @RoyalCaribbean on Instagram and Twitter and RoyalCaribbean on Snapchat. Those on land can also tune in live on Thrillist Facebook to on Friday afternoon, Nov. 11 for an inside look at adventures onboard Harmony, plus some tips and tricks from Royal Caribbean on how to take Friendsgiving celebrations to the next level this year.
With their unique flavors and spectacular presentation, the culinary creations at Wonderland are as imaginative as they are delicious. Royal Caribbean’s talented culinary team collaborate to dream up everything from completely transparent tomato gazpacho to a melt-away chocolate dessert surprise. These interactive dishes combine gourmet cuisine and art inspiration for a dazzling culinary experience.
Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is packed with offerings for guests of all ages, and families will find the most options Royal Caribbean has ever included in one cruise ship. To demonstrate that fact, Royal Caribbean has released a new infographic that showcases it all.
Harmony of the Seas spans 16 guest decks, encompasses 226,963 gross registered tons, carries 5,479 guests at double occupancy, and features 2,747 staterooms.
Royal Caribbean is planning a first of its kind meet up, with all three of its Oasis class ships coming together in one spot, and they are inviting you to join them (virtually) for this momentous meeting.
On November 4, 2016, Oasis of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will convene off the Florida coast, with plenty of photo and video being taken of this historic event.
Royal Caribbean will live stream this incredible event on its Facebook page, and is inviting the public to join them for this celebration.
The live stream will begin at approximately 5:00pm eastern time on November 4, and will also feature an opportunity for Royal Caribbean fans to submit their questions about the Oasis class ships to Royal Caribbean's CEO Michael Bayley.
The meeting of these three vessels coincides with Harmony of the Seas' arrival at its new homeport of Port Everglades, Florida. Harmony of the Seas is currently on a 13-night transatlantic voyage, with this event culminating an already fun-packed voyage.
What questions would you want to ask Michael Bayley about Harmony of the Seas, or any of its Oasis class sister ships? Share your questions in the comments!
Towering over 150 feet above sea level, the Ultimate Abyss launches thrill seekers into a serpentine of twists and turns on the world's biggest ship. Guests climb to the slide's glass platform, taking in the view from the top of the tallest slide at sea. From there, sliders launch into 216 feet of tunnels, whizzing past multi-sensory effects and blast onto the Boardwalk 10 decks below. Get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the adventure that is the Ultimate Abyss.
With today being Halloween, Royal Caribbean is celebrating this spookishly fun holiday across its fleet, including onboard the brand new Harmony of the Seas.
Many blog readers ask about how Royal Caribbean celebrates a holiday like this, and today we have some fun photos to share from some lucky guests onboard.
Photos by Emmy Schaffer
Photo by Anna-Carin Littson
Royal Caribbean created a Haunted House in the On Air Club, and Anna-Carin Littson shared with us photos of this venue.
From Harmony of the Seas' extensive lineup of entertainment on for the whole family to kid-friendly spaces onboard, Royal Caribbean's newest and most innovative ship has something to offer guests of all ages. Young cruisers can enjoy Splashaway Bay waterpark or get active on the Lucky Climber, while teen have their own dedicated spaces such as a disco and lounge with video games and foosball.
Watch a timelapse video of the world's largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, sail away from Malaga Spain.
Captain Gus Andersson briefs his team on the bridge as Harmony of the Seas sets sail on a historic transatlantic crossing, clearing the Strait of Gibraltar for the homestretch to her new home in the U.S.
A historic journey is underway as the world's largest cruise ship starts her epic transatlantic voyage. Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest and most innovative ship, leaves Barcelona, Spain, to venture across the Atlantic to her new homeport of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Hear from Captain and crew about what it takes to make this epic journey.
Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International
