Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas – a review with kids

On board Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas – a review with kids.

When Royal Caribbean launched their new ship, Harmony of the Seas we were onboard and discovered it is one really fun experience from start to finish.

We spent two days on Harmony as part of its pre-inaugural sailing to check out everything it has on offer for all the ages.

On board Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas

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Harmony is set in different zones or neighbourhoods which for me really work. There is always somewhere to go and feel like you’re getting a different experience from the last.

Central Park – Harmony of the Seas

My favourite of these area was Central Park. A green and leafy middle centre of the ship which is open to the elements and filled with living plants.

It was easy to forget you were on a cruise ship here as you wander through the paths. With plenty of places to stop and relax.

And some of the high end boutique shops on board as well as cafes and restaurants.

I loved the feel that you were walking through a downtown neighbourhood that was friendly and inviting.

Boardwalk

The children’s favourite zone on board was definitely Boardwalk. And who could blame them?

This has a really fun, fairground feel with a carousel in the middle and the slides from the Ultimate Abyss (the tallest slide at sea) at the end.

This Coney Island inspired area is also open to the elements which is a great way to take in that sea air. And there are coffee shops, Johnny Rockets diner, a Mexican restaurant, hot dog stand, indoor arcade game and the fun Lucky Climber wall that the children loved.

Royal Promenade – Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas

Inside there is Royal Promenade which has the feel of an American high street from yesteryear.

There are shops and restaurants and the perfect place to wander through.

It is also home to the wonderful bionic bar that will stir and mix the drink of your choice, including your own creation, to your requirements.

For families there are some really well kitted out kids clubs and we loved the cinema showing films for all the family to enjoy.

Up on the top deck there is a whole world of fun with access here to the Ultimate Abyss slides, a zip line across the top of the ship, table tennis, basket ball, two surfing pools and a really fun crazy golf.

The swimming pools on board Harmony of the Seas are brilliant with everything from lane pools for serious swimming to hot tubs and a great kids pool with water slides.

Adults needn’t feel excluded though as there are some huge, twisting water slides that the grown-ups can also enjoy.

Evening entertainment

Evening entertainment is provided with the stage show Grease, a wonderful looking Aquatheatre for spectacular shows and also an ice rink where there are rotating performances.

We enjoyed the ‘1887’ production where the skaters dance through stories of Jules Verne with scenes set on the River Seine in Paris, an underwater sequence and a journey to the centre of the earth.

It’s a spectacular show filled with spins and twirls.

As with all of Royal Caribbean’s ships Harmony of the Seas has way more than it’s possible to experience on a weekend on board.

And there are plenty of other activities such as a huge climbing wall, live music throughout the ship and Dreamworks characters popping up for meet & greet sessions.

Food on board Harmony of the Seas:

The food on Harmony of the Seas is of a really high standard.

Windjammer

Breakfast was a huge spread in the all-inclusive Windjammer restaurant. With fresh fruits, pastries all made on board, egg stations for freshly made eggs and pancakes, plenty of hot items and pretty much anything you could think of that you might fancy.

There are lots of other options as part of the cruise price and the standard of food was really high with special diets well catered for including vegetarian and gluten free.

Johnny Rockets – Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas

I am a big fan of Johnny Rockets in the US and so absolutely love being able to have it on board a number of the Royal Caribbean ships.

There’s nothing better than a veggie streamliner and a large glass of rootbeer and the kids love their milkshakes.

Hot dogs

I wish the hot dog stand had a vegetarian option as these looked great all loaded up with onions and relishes.

Other dining options – Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas

We also loved stopping in some of the cafes around the ship for a coffee and slice of cake. And the children loved the ice cream and frozen yoghurt on the top deck which they happily helped themselves to at very regular intervals.

There are also a number of dining options you can pay a little more to dine at.

One of these I would love to give a try is Izumi Hibaci & Sushi. The sushi restaurant is quite small and sounds lovely.

We did dine at Jamie Oliver’s Italian which is situated in the Central Park area. And it felt we had just wandered through the park to this cosy restaurant when we visited.

The food at Jamie’s included many of the wonderful options you get in any other Jamie’s Italian across the world. Including their pasta which is made fresh every day on board and their great sharing platters of cheeses and vegetables (or meats if you’re not veggie).

It felt like a real treat to eat out here and I would definitely recommend it if you’re going to be heading on to Harmony. It’s particularly family orientated and the food is delicious (try the Amalfi lemon meringue cheesecake…oh and the truffle spaghetti).

Cabins on board Harmony of the Seas:

When it’s time to head to your cabin on Harmony of the Seas families will be very pleased.

As a family of five we usually find the need to pay for two cabins so we were really excited to find cabins on Harmony that very comfortably sleep five.

We were really happy in our junior suite stateroom which by day had a large double bed, sofa, chair and lots of space to relax.

And by night, while we were at dinner, the sofa was magically transformed for us into a single bed with another single that pulled out underneath. And then a bunk bed coming down from the ceiling which our nine year old absolutely loved.

There was still plenty of space in our cabin to relax.

The cabin also boasted a walk in wardrobe and a great bathroom with lovely L’Occotaine products.

It was great to find a bath here which while a little small for me (although I still had one during our time on board) was perfect for the children to have a splash about in the evening in the quiet of our room.

We also had a really nice sized balcony to sit out on and enjoy the salty air.

Our conclusion

Harmony of the Seas is a wonderful experience for all of the family. This is one fun ship with so much to do that two days, two weeks even, wouldn’t be enough to properly see it all.

One of the things that really shone out for me was the staff. Polite and friendly but most of all full of wonderful characters who made you just want to spend more time with them all. They couldn’t have been more genuinely helpful and welcoming and we can’t wait to return.

You can watch our video here to see some of our time on board Harmony of the Seas.

Find out more about Harmony of the seas here and check out our ultimate guide to cruising with kids for lots more features and inspiration.

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