Royal Caribbean Blog

Today is our second day onboard the Harmony of the Seas and we are docked in Nassau from 12pm-6pm. We started our day with some breakfast at Johnny Rockets. I know you must be thinking, did you not have dinner there last night? But on Oasis Class ships they offer free breakfast at Johnny Rockets, so off we went.

I ordered an omelet with a side of bacon. There are a few reasons I recommend having breakfast here. One, they are very fast so if you are looking to get in and out this place is perfect. Two, the food is really good, much better than the windjammer if you are looking for eggs. 

After breakfast we changed for some slides action, well on Harmony they have a total of 5 slides. There are 3 poolside, and the 2 large 10 story dry slides called Ultimate Abyss.

We did the dry slide first, Abyss and it was fast few seconds down to the boardwalk deck. The views from the boarding platform are unbelievable; the floor is all glass so you can see straight down. I wish I had taken my camera with me, but you cannot slide down with it, so I left it in the cabin.

After we went down we headed to the pool deck where I rode the water slides 4 more times. I know I shared my thoughts on them yesterday, but I just could not get enough of them.

If you are taking kids on this ship, they are going to love them! 

Cabin Crawl 

Since this is a special media sailing, they had one of every cabin type open for viewing. I have never seen the loft suites in person, so those are the only type I went to see.

The Royal Loft Suite was the most amazing cabin I have ever seen. The balcony alone was amazing, from the full bar set-up to the hot tub. I also went into the standard loft suite cabin, which felt a little smaller than I was expecting but there were 20-30 people in there viewing it also. 

Escape the Rubicon 

 On Anthem of the Seas they introduced their first escape room, and that transferred to Harmony. However, on Harmony they have a full room for the game and our host talked about on Anthem they just kind of added it in.

Needless to say, I did not want to go at all, but I had so much fun. You work together as a team to find clues in the room to ensure you escape within 1 hour. I am happy to report my team finished with 1:07 still on the clock! If you get the chance to play the game you will love it, I am sure just think out side the box is the only hint I will give you. 

Nassau, Bahamas 

 I had originally planned to stay onboard in Nassau since I was recently just here, and we only had 2 days onboard Harmony.

I just couldn’t resist not going to my favorite pub in Nassau Pirate Republic. It is the only craft brewery in Nassau and it is the very first bar you see once you get off the ship.

We only stayed for an hour since it was 3pm when we arrived. The beer was just as enjoyable as always, they have 3 – 3oz flights for $8. We headed back to the ship a little after 4:30pm. 

 Afternoon onboard 

 Once we got back onboard I noticed they had the ship decorated for Frindsgiving with balloons all blown for a party tonight. Really nice set-up, and I am sure they will use some of the footage for social media on Thanksgiving.

I ended up at the Pub back onboard and my girlfriend took a nap. They only offered a select type of beers, but I was happy Stella was one of them. I made good conversation with the bartender about their last few months in Europe. 

 Evening Onboard 

 Tonight we decided to spend most of our evening in Central Park. Usually when I sail on Oasis class ships it is late spring or summer and the park is extremely hot. But on our sailing Central Park felt so nice in the evening and I wanted to be outside enjoying the evening.

We had a few classes of wine in Vintages and again it was packed. I have never seen Vintages standing room only like this before, but it was tonight. They have self serve wine stations that you just tap your sea pass card up to and it pours wine.

I have seen this on other ships across the fleet, but never this many. 

 Dinner 

 Well I am sad to report our dinner tonight was at Sorrento’s Pizza. I was started to feel very tired at this point and did not want to eat in the main dining room. We went up toe the made to order pizza station and both got a personal pan pizza. They only take 10 minutes to bake and it was really good. If you ever want to wait for a snack get the made to order pizza, and it is complimentary too! 

 After dinner I decided to take a little nap before our evening, I should have known better but I never woke up. I guess all the non-stop action finally caught up to me and I enjoyed a full 11 hours of sleep. 

 Wrap Up 

 Thanks for follow along during my 2 day adventure on Harmony of the Seas. She is a great ship and I really cannot wait to get back on this ship in March. The décor onboard is very modern and really makes her stand out in my mind as the best ship in the fleet. But that does not mean I will abandon my small favorite ships.

If you had one day on any cruise ship, it stands to reason many would subscribe to the theory of making the most of their time, and I certainly endeavored to do just that.

Today is our only full day aboard this quick Harmony of the Seas sailing, and I had plenty planned.  I woke up nice and early and headed up to the pool deck to see the morning sun reflecting on the ship.  A beautiful start to our day!

For breakfast, I grabbed a breakfast Panini from Park Cafe in Central Park, which was a great choice. Quick, simple and very tasty.  Definitely a winner.

We had the opportunity to have a question and answer session with Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley and Harmony of the Seas' Captain.

It was an unique opportunity to pick these gentleman's collective minds about many facets of the cruise industry and Harmony of the Seas.

Today I was actually making my own lunch, by attending a pasta making class in Jamie's Italian (note, I cheated and ate a quick lunch at Mini Bites because I get hangry when I do not eat on time).

This was a really fun experience, where the chef took the group through the steps of creating pasta from just flour and eggs. It was educational and a lot of fun.

Speaking of fun, the highlight of my cruise came next when I tried to the Escape the Rubicon escape room experience.  

It is located up on deck 14 near Adventure Ocean.  I had done an escape room game on Anthem of the Seas, but this was very different.  Unlike on Anthem of the Seas, Royal Caribbean designed this space with this experience in mind and it was extremely fun.

If you are unfamiliar with escape room games, essentially you are "locked" in a room for an hour and have to solve a number of puzzles and riddles to come up with the secret equation/phrase that allows "escape" from the room.

It was really, really fun and I relished the experience.  The most fun I had that afternoon!

Next up was a mixology course in Wonderland.  The mixologist took us through how the hand crafted beverages in Wonderland.  It provided an interesting look at how drinks were made, as well as an opportunity to try very unique drinks.

For those keeping score at home, we were actually docked in Nassau, Bahamas today.  We docked at around noon, but I decided to stay onboard the ship.  I will be back in March on Anthem of the Seas, so I felt my time was better spent onboard.  Every hour counts!

By far the big event of today was the special concert by pop band, DNCE.  If you do not know who DNCE is, it is that band that played that song you likely hummed along to all summer, "Cake by the Ocean".  

It was a pretty spectacular show, and the band brought a lot of energy.  Royal Caribbean branded the event a "Friendsgiving" celebration, with Friendsgiving referring to a fun, informal get together alternative to Thanksgiving.

I cannot say I am the world's biggest DNCE fan, but I do enjoy hearing a hit song played live.

After the show, we got changed and headed down to the Royal Theater to see Columbus, The Musical again. I think it was better the second time around, and it is my favorite stage production on any Royal Caribbean ship.

For dinner, we had the opportunity to try out Wonderland.  I had dined at Wonderland on the Quantum class before, but Royal Caribbean reimagined the venue for this iconic restaurant on Harmony of the Seas.

Other than the location, there were some small differences between the two, but Wonderland continues to live up to its billing as an eclectic and unique restaurant, where the experience is just as important as the food.  My picks for the two best things I ate there are the terroir beef and whatever that chocolate globe thing is.

I rounded out my evening with some music, drinking and (awful on my part) dancing.  A fun end to a really great experience.

I will definitely miss Harmony of the Seas, because it completely exceeded my expectations.  Harmony of the Seas is not just another Oasis class ship, and incorporates so many new features that it is almost a sub-class in of itself.  I will be returning to Harmony of the Seas in September 2017 on the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise, but I admit I wish my return was much, much sooner.

Thank you to Royal Caribbean for hosting me on this sailing, and to the amazing crew and staff onboard that helped show off how impressiveness of this ship.  Can I go back again?

Stray Observations

• The Stowaway piano player has been spotted! I actually saw him twice, but today was the first time I saw him across the 5-nights I had been onboard.
• Those Greek salad rolls from Cafe Promenade are super addictive. 
• Time for my favorite anything on the ship...
  • Favorite thing I ate: Aloo Ghobi curry in Windjammer and roast beef sandwich from Park Cafe
  • Favorite spot onboard: bridge wings
  • Preferred stateroom I stayed in: Oceanview Balcony
  • Preferred stateroom I toured, but will likely never stay in: Crown Loft Balcony
  • Number of slices of pizza from Sorrentos I ate: 4ish
  • Number of Izumi sushi samples I ate: I ran out of fingers
  • Favorite entertainment: Columbus, The Musical
  • Favorite water slide: Supercell (the champagne bowl slide)

Thank you for following along all the fun.  My next live blog will be on Navigator of the Seas in February 2017!

My cruise on board Harmony of the Seas is finally here, my excitement level kept building watching Matt for three days. Since I live in Florida, I decided to fly into Ft. Lauderdale this morning for a short 35 minute flight. I landed around 9:45am and took a short $22 taxi ride over to the port. I know I could find better options getting to the port, but I was just looking for the fastest way over. 

We had to wait around an hour before we could board at 11am and maybe it was just me but that was a long hour! 

 Boarding Harmony of the Seas 

 At 11:00am we were able to board the ship, and when I first walked on board it kind of felt the same as her sister ships. That is until I noticed robot bartenders in place of the Champagne bar. This new bar is called Bionic Bar, and they have two robot bartenders, which you order a drink on an iPad. If you have never seen this in person this is a must try. 

I have been craving Sabor recently seeing everyone eating there on their cruise, so I went straight to the boardwalk and they were closed for lunch. But not to worry, they are usually open for lunch at 11:30, but because we are on a special media sailing they were just doing samples. So I was a little sad, but let’s just say I tried my samples. 

I decided to head up to the Windjammer for lunch and it was hands down the nicest windjammer I’ve ever seen. When you first arrived you walk into a side room where you wash your hands, similar to Quantum Class or Empress of the Seas. Lunch was uneventful and fast due to excitement to go explore the ship. 

 Afternoon on board 

 Our rooms were ready really fast at 11:45AM and since had some bags we headed to our cabin. I had a Central Park cabin on deck 14. If heard about these water slides for well over a year now, so I was excited to go try them out. 

Well my friends, a little over an hour later I went down them 11 times! I just couldn’t stop, and since most of this sailing is media there were zero lines. 

If you have kids coming on this ship, plan on likely not seeing them all day, because they will ride them over and over. It was getting close to muster time, so we decided to get out and just go explore the flowriders. Royal Caribbean’s social media team had some unique cameras that take 10 pictures of you all at once to form one shot. 

 Naming Ceremony 

 Today was a special day because it was the official naming ceremony for Harmony of the Seas. All the top excutives and CEO’s were on board talking about the history of the cruise line, history of Oasis class, and how Harmony came out. They made a comment that they thought about calling Harmony her on class of ships, but stuck with Oasis Class – which I’m happy they did. 

The new Godmother of the ship, Brittany Affolter was on board and got the honor to push the “button” to cause the champagne bottle break. She is a local School teacher in Miami, FL and was voted by many to become the Ship Godmother, what an honor. This event was extremely special to be apart of, and I couldn’t be more honored to see it in person. 

 Dinner 

 Since this is a unique sailing all the specialty resturants are closed to invite only. We didn’t really feel like spending 2 hours in the main dining room, so our options were Windjammer, Park Café, or Johnny Rockets. 

I decided to head for some burger and fries, why not! The meal was very fast as the venue was not that full, but they were still dancing for us. The food was great as always here, and if you have read my live blogs before you know I love their Apple Pie here. 

Evening on board 

We had about an hour to kill before we saw the Aqua Show, and that took us to the Rising Tide bar. This is very similar to the one on her sister ships, but this one looks a little more modern with her décor. 

We took it down and then back up, each way takes 15 minutes from waiting period to actual rising/lowering. 

 The Fine Line – Aqua Show 

Tonight was the Fine Line aqua show at 10:30pm, and if you recall from my preview post this was one of my top 3 things I wanted to try. I actually thought after the show how I was doing to describe it. 

It’s very different from the other two shows on her sister ships, but in a good way. There is more people flying around then diving but I really enjoyed the show. I’m actually really excited to see it again in March. 

 Late Night 

 At 11:30pm – 1am they hosted a 90’s street parade that quickly changed into 80’s party. But I’ll take it, 90’s music is slowing working it’s way to Royal Caribbean. 

After a few pints at the pub, I called it a day – and what it day it was! So action packed from the moment we stepped on board. Tomorrow we are in Nassau from 12-6pm, but I plan to stay on board and enjoy our last day.

I am back onboard Harmony of the Seas and it feels great!

Today, began our two-night Harmony of the Seas adventure.  After a quick, but busy two day respite, my wife and I hopped in the car bright and early to head to Port Everglades.

This is a two-night sailing, where Royal Caribbean invited members of the media, travel agents and other VIPs to preview this new ship.  As a guest of Royal Caribbean, I was looking forward to meeting and chatting with the people in the company that make everything work.  I have been on these sort of media sailings previously, including Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.  They are great opportunities to not only see the ship, but meet the folks in charge.

We arrived in Port Everglades by about 9:45am, and were in line for security rather quickly.  One difference with this embarkation process was we were given boarding groups, although we were still seated according to our Crown and Anchor Society status.  We were in boarding group 1, so we were onboard a bit after 11am.

Once onboard Harmony of the Seas, it was time to explore. We started out with lunch in the Windjammer, a Hochberg family tradition.  Great spread, as always, and I got to enjoy another lovely lunch on Harmony.

Being back onboard, I did feel a great sense of relief that I was not trying to see the entire ship at once.  That being said, there would be plenty to do onboard today.

During these preview sailings, there are various staterooms open for guests to see. I saw some of the loft suite rooms, which are stunning.  I am not certain I will ever have the opportunity to stay in one of those kinds of rooms, but I can certainly dream about it!

Our stateroom was ready rather early, and on this sailing, we are staying in an ocean balcony stateroom.  

We are on deck 10, very close to the elevators.  My wife loves ocean facing balcony rooms, and I have to admit having the ocean breeze while you sit on the balcony is quite lovely.

Inside, the room is nearly identical to my Boardwalk balcony room in terms of layout and size. A great room, although I plan on being in it for very little time on this sailing!

I took my wife on an exploration of the ship.  Within an hour, she was asking when we can go on Harmony of the Seas again and how soon.  She and I both like Harmony a lot, and rank her even ahead of her Oasis class sister ships.

Following our muster drill, I spent a few hours doing a video shoot for a small project that will make its way to the blog later on, so stay tuned for it!

On this sailing, there was the official naming ceremony that coincided with the ship's Christening and a spectacular fireworks display!  The fireworks were quite impressive and no amateur display.

My wife saw 1887, the ice skating show onboard, and reported it is the best ice skating show she has seen on any ship.  She indicated that she liked there was a more coherent story to the performances, compared to other ice skating shows.  Plus, the bubble performer is quite amazing.

The projection technology incorporated into 1887 is also particularly good.  It is amazing how Royal Caribbean continues to push the bar with their shows, and innovation with their ice shows is a great example of that.

Dinner this evening was in the main dining room.  We were in American Icon Grill, and it was essentially My Time Dining.  Another fabulous night in the main dining room!

Tomorrow we will be in Nassau, but I will spending a great deal of it engaging in a number of immersion sessions, interviews and shows.  It will be a very busy, but exciting day ahead!

Be sure to follow the fun on Instagram, Periscope and Facebook! We do regular live broadcasts from the ship on Facebook and Periscope, so do not miss out!

Stray observations

• The Voom internet is really fast this evening. It is open to everyone on this sailing.
• I mentioned on this past weekend's Harmony of the Seas sailing there were lots of flowers onboard, and they are definitely in full bloom now because the ship smells amazing.
• It was much warmer today than last weekend. There was profuse schvitzing occuring throughout the day.
• I can really get used to cruising twice per week!

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 171 is available for downloading, which shares an inspirational story of a man who has run a full marathon on 25 Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

In this episode, Joe Church talks about his amazing accomplishment of running a full marathon on almost every single Royal Caribbean ship. Not only does Joe have a great story to tell, but he shares running tips for anyone that wants to walk, jog or sprint while onboard.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 171. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Hi Blog readers, it’s time for another Live Blog from Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Harmony of the Seas. I know, you must be thinking we already read the live blog preview for Harmony? Well for the first time in Royal Caribbean Blog’s history, we will have two live blogs on the very same ship in action.

Matt and Michael on board together sharing our experiences from completely different views, and doing different things. 

The Cruise

This cruise is a special 2 night sailings that Royal Caribbean invites travel agents, media, contest winners (Ticket to Adventure), and top tier members from their Crown & Anchor society.

On this sailing they will have some special events taking place to help promote the ship. The main event-taking place Thursday afternoon is the naming ceremony. If you recall a few weeks ago Royal Caribbean hosted a contest to name the new Godmother of Harmony of the Seas. I have watched these events take place over the years, but it will be my first time to experience it live. 

A week ago, Royal Caribbean announced another contest “Friendsgiving Celebration” with a live performance by DNCE. The band will be hosting a concert on board, so you never know what you might see when I go live on Periscope. I am hopeful they preform in the Aqua Theater, and I’ll enjoy it from Sabor. 

Stateroom 

For only my second time ever, I’ll be sailing in a deck 14 Central Park balcony cabin. My last time was in 2011 on Allure of the Seas.

Personally, I enjoy the boardwalk balcony cabins better. The only reason I prefer one to the other, is because you have a view of the ocean and the boardwalk. With that being said, I’m sailing with my girlfriend, so I’m really excited for her to experience the central park balcony cabins. 

Itinerary 

This cruise is only 2 days, so you might be surprised to see we do have a stop planned. On Friday, we will dock in Nassau, Bahamas from 12-6. I was here a month ago, so I likely won’t get off the ship and continue to enjoy the ship. I might get off to just take pictures from the pier and jump right back on board. 

Top 3 things I’m looking forward to 

 3. Bionic Bar 

 When Quantum of the Seas came out she was the first ship at sea with robot bartenders. Ever since then I’ve been very curious about the experience and taste of those cocktails. I’ve heard mixed feelings about removing the Champagne bar from the Harmony of the Seas to make room for Bionic Bar. However, I welcome the change and really excited to finally be able to see it in person. 

 2. The Fine Line 

 Generally when I cruise I don’t see any shows unless I’m on an Oasis Class ship, because you just can’t miss those. My all-time favorite show I’ve seen is on Oasis of the Seas – Oasis of Dream’s Aqua show. I really enjoy the story line and the divers in the Aqua Theater. So I’ve made reservations to see The Fine Line Aqua show night 1, and I can’t wait! 

 1. The Ultimate Abyss 

 The biggest change and most noticeable when you look at Harmony of the Seas is the new Ultimate Abyss 10 story slide. Sure other cruise lines have slides on their ships, but none of them have one that’s 10 stories down. I can actually picture myself now on deck 16, taking it down to deck 6 for Sabor. Do you plan on trying this slide? 

Well friends next time I join you, I’ll be on board Harmony of the Seas sharing my short journey with you. If you have any questions please feel free to comment below and I’ll jump in and respond. Do you have any cruises booked on Harmony of the Seas?

Our last full day on Harmony of the Seas mostly consisted of something I have never done on any Royal Caribbean cruise - I worked from sea.

Rather than taking a vacation day, I decided to work today like any other day. Since my day job affords me the ability to work remotely, I woke up like any other day of the week and logged onto my computer to do my day job.  I have gotten many questions about how reliable Royal Caribbean's Voom is to handle things like a VPN connection, but I can tell you it was flawless.

My VPN connection held up throughout the day, without any disconnects, and I was able to get my work done with no issues.  Sure, the internet slowed down during the afternoon, but it was still quite useable.

I have to say, having a coffee break at Cafe Promenade and my lunch at Windjammer made for the best day of work ever!

I do not have much to report from my day, but once I "clocked out" for the day, I headed immediately down to the Schooner Bar for the final trivia event of the cruise. Sadly, I did not win, but I had a great time.

Following trivia, I headed up to the bridge wings to see the sunset. It might not have been the best sunset I have ever seen, but it was really beautiful and the ship slowed down considerably, making for an even better view.

Some readers asked me about the Concierge Lounge and Coastal Kitchen, so Royal Caribbean Blog reader Dan helped me out with some photos of this great area.  Dan noted the layout is different than on other Oasis class ships, but it worked out quite well. Essentially, the Concierge Lounge is on the starboard side, with Coastal Kitchen on the port side.

For dinner, I headed back to the Windjammer and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was the best spread of this sailing and I really enjoyed the offerings.

I spent some time in Central Park while enjoying my Diamond drinks for the evening, and the earlier sunset (thanks daylight savings time) made for a very lovely evening.  It is still my favorite spot onboard.

After a while, I headed down to the Boardwalk and was able to use my Boardwalk neighborhood balcony perk of complimentary Johnny Rockets for a quick bite to eat.  Royal Caribbean offers certain neighborhood balcony benefits, and the Johnny Rockets option is for lunch, but they were happy to let me dine there for dinner.

My evening entertainment was 1887, which is the ice skating show in Studio B. I love the ice skating shows in general, and this show did not disappoint. Fabulous choreography and very impressive performances all around.

I spent the rest of my evening walking around the ship and enjoying the entertainment.

Tomorrow, my sailing comes to an end and I disembark, but, I return to Harmony of the Seas on Thursday for another quick 2-night cruise. In fact, we will have our very first ever dueling live blog, where myself and Michael Poole will be LIVE blogging every day from Harmony of the Seas.  So instead of wrapping up my live blog, I will simply remind everyone to tune back in for the thrilling conclusion to our Harmony of the Seas live blog!

Stray observations

• Last night, there was some serious motion in the ocean.  There was a lot of rolling and even vibrating from the waves.  Nothing remotely scary, but certainly not what I expected.  As the day progressed, it got smoother and smoother.
• They actually ran out of ripe avocados and margaritas at Sabor. To say that is odd and surprising, would be an understatement.
• I will be doing self-disembarkation tomorrow, but some of the luggage tags are for times well beyond 10am.  That is super late!
  
• I saw new characters from the Dreamworks film, Trolls!, for meet and greet today.
• Remember that coffee thermos I won at trivia? Well, everyone got one in their rooms! I do not feel that special anymore.
  
• To whomever sent me vanilla bean cupcakes, thank you! This was a great mid-day snack during my work day!
  
• For those keeping score at home, I was actually denied entry to the Diamond Lounge today because I was wearing flip flops.  The rule is clearly written, and the attendant was very kind in informing me that I was not properly dressed. I was totally good with the situation, and in fact happy they were enforcing the rules.  I was told someone else wore flip flops and a guest complained, so when I came in, I was told I could not enter.  They did offer to grab me a drink for me.
  
  

• 

• I enjoyed my Boardwalk balcony stateroom. While I may prefer the ambiance of the Central Park rooms, the Boardwalk rooms offer so many opportunities to see what is happening onboard and the fact I was 4 rooms from the end, provided a great view of the AquaTheater.
• I may have had the best stateroom attendant in recent memory. Big shout out to Barry on deck 9!
• 3-night cruises go by very quickly. I am glad for the experiences, but the 7+ night cruises are still the best bang-for-the-buck.
• I cannot wait to return again on Thursday!

Royal Caribbean's partnership with DreamWorks Entertainment has provided opportunities for guests to meet characters from the popular films on its cruise ships, and we spotted on Harmony of the Seas two new characters that guests can meet from the newest film, Trolls!.

Guests were able to meet Poppy and Branch from the new animated film, prior to the 3D movie premiere in the Royal Theater on the ship.

In addition to the characters, guests could pose for a photo in one of the cutout head displays to make themselves look like a troll.

With a sail away celebration befitting the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s brand new ship, Harmony of the Seas, departed on her maiden voyage from her new permanent homeport of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The world’s most adventure-packed ship was fêted with an adventurous take on the traditional flotilla send-off, complete with a team of 16 jetboard and jetpack riders from the world-renowned Aquafly Hydroflight Sports Performance Team leading Harmony out to sea and performing a show of extraordinary stunts.

My first full day on Harmony of the Seas coincided with waking up earlier than I expected to full take advantage of this fabulous day.  

Today we are docked in Nassau, Bahamas, although I had no intention of leaving the ship.  It was going to be a great day, with plenty to see and do onboard.

I decided to have breakfast in American Icon Grill (AKA the main dining room).  I wanted a custom made omelet, and I really enjoy the main dining room experience.  The breakfast features a fixed menu, plus a buffet option in the center of the dining room.  You can opt for either or both.

Following my meal, I went up to Cafe Promenade to take advantage of my Diamond-level Crown and Anchor Society benefit, which on this sailings gives us complimentary premium coffee (not Starbucks).  This is Seattle's Best coffee, and I went for a latte.

With my coffee in hand, I spent some time working on a few blog posts from the comfort of Central Park, and then headed over to the Schooner Bar for morning trivia.

I met a nice family from South Florida to play general knowledge trivia. We did not win, although I was quite intrigued to see the prize for the winning team were travel coffee mugs.

Next, it was time to try my hand at the water slides.  I was very excited to try them out ever since they were announced. I tried to bring my phone in a water proof case, but the crew informed me you cannot bring anything with you.  Just you and a bathing suit.

There is one line for all three slides.  Near the top, the attendant asks guests which slide they want to ride.  At worst, I waited perhaps 10 minutes I think.  First up was the champagne bowl slide.  It is a regular water slide that empties into a large, circular bowl area that you swirl around in until exiting in the middle.  Myself and a few of the other older guys seemed to get stuck right at the end, although a quick push and I was on my way.

Next were the two racer slides.  When it was my turn, they grabbed a kid who was also riding alone, and the 12-year old wanted to race.  Fine, bring it kid!

I was so dead set on showing this kid who was boss, but I ended up getting stuck a few times in the slide.  I would essentially slow down until I came to a stop, which in the racer slides is a bit nerve wracking because most of the slide is in the pitch dark! I managed to scoot a few times to get going.  At the bottom, I spoke to a crew member that told me the more clothing you have, the slower you will go. I was wearing board shorts and a rash guard shirt, so clearly that did not work well.  Oh well, it was still a fun experience!

I got back to the room and showered and changed and was ready for lunch.  I had hoped to eat lunch in either Sabor or Johnny Rockets, but neither opened until 2.  I decided to try lunch in the Solarium Bistro instead.

I am not certain if I have ever eaten in the Solarium Bistro before, but I really enjoyed it.  It is complimentary and offers a nice selection of salads, main courses, side dishes and desserts.  Plus, the ambiance of dining in the restaurant or just outside is quite lovely.

After lunch, it was down to Starbucks for an afternoon pick me up. Man cannot subside on regular coffee alone (or at least, not this man).

I did some more exploring of the ship and eventually stumbled upon the main dining room, which was still open at about 2pm.  I glanced at the menu and saw the lasagna from the dinner menu was available so I figured eating two lunches in one day is totally acceptable, right?

Like breakfast, there was a fixed menu and a buffet area in the center of the restaurant.  The buffet also had a chopped salad area, where you can specify the ingredients to put in your salad and the crew member will prepare it for you.

I also tried something brand new for me in the afternoon, by doing a "Total Request Live" Periscope broadcast.  Basically, I went on Periscope and offered to go anywhere onboard (within reason) that the people watching wanted me to go.  It was a lot of fun, and I even got to see much more of the ship than I had before.  Might have to do this again sometime!

Afternoon trivia came around and it was another general trivia session.  This time, our team did extremely well and won!  Not only that, they had inaugural season coffee cups as a prize! 

It is formal night tonight, so I went back to the room to relax a bit and then get dressed. Originally I was not planning on dressing up, but I had brought a pair of khakis and a polo shirt. I promise to dress up significantly more for the next sailing!

As the day turned to night, I wandered to the Boardwalk and finally lamented for a quick jaunt to my favorite restaurant, Sabor.

I went in with the idea of just getting guacamole, but ended up also getting tuna tacos.  I would love to rationalize it for all of you, but the truth is I just decided to indulge a bit.

Needless to say, Sabor was wonderful and remains a must-eat specialty restaurant on any Royal Caribbean ship that offers it.

This evening it was rather pleasant outside, so I decided to take a few photos from up on deck to see the ship lit up.  

Next up was The Fine Line show in the AquaTheater.  It is hard to describe what the show is, but it is a combination aerial acrobatic show that happens to be set in a rather unique pool.  

What makes The Fine Line different from other AquaTheater shows, such as OceanAria, is the added element of aerial stunts with the aid of high-tension wires.  There is quite a bit of "flying" and tight rope walking involved, and it is another really incredible show to watch from a pure performance standpoint.  The coordination and skill involved is quite extraordinary.

During the show, it began lightly raining and I ended up retreating to a Boardwalk balcony room that some fellow Royal Caribbean Blog readers (hi Tim and Kim!)offered to watch the rest of the show.  My room is 4 rooms away from the AquaTheater, but their room is the first room away, and had a nearly unobstructed view (and no rain).

I returned to my stateroom to discover all guests were given complimentary Harmony of the Seas inaugural hats! Thank you Abe!

I also received this nice gift from my travel agent to enjoy.  Red velvet anything is right up my alley!

Tomorrow is a sea day, but I will actually be spending the day doing my day job from sea.  I know it may seem odd to be doing work from a cruise ship, but doing my work on a ship is far better than doing the same work from anywhere else. Thanks Voom!

Stray Observations

• There are a lot of amazing fresh flowers all over the ship.
  
• I spoke to the water slide attendants for a bit about crowd pattern.  They recommend the least lines are when they first open, as well as during the evening when it is meal time.
• Multiple water slide attendants told me that if you want to go the fastest down the slide, a Speedo is the way to go.