The Harmony is a beautiful, almost new ship very similar to the Allure and the Oasis. We had an inside room for the first time ever since no oceanfront balconies or junior suites were available when we booked. The room had lots of storage and a small but well-appointed bathroom with a great shower. The room was small by comparison to what we are used to but not unbearably so. The beds were not wonderfully comfortable but were adequate. The entertainment was enjoyable and the food was excellent. We just sailed on the Empress of the Seas last week and the menus, and the food, on the Harmony were substantially better but the service was better on the Empress. The Windjammer was VERY crowded but offered a wide variety of good food. Buffets are not of interest to us so we went there only on boarding day, us and sooooo many others. We dined in the Vitality Cafe which was great and even had a hot dog in the Boardwalk area. The rest of the time we dined in the regular main dining rooms and did not use any of the specialty venues since the cruise was so short. Room service is interesting - there are many charge items and hardly any free items but the a.m. continental breakfast is great. We ordered a full breakfast once for $3.00 per person and the food was served hot and well prepared. The dining rooms have menu service as well as buffets during breakfast and lunch.

It takes at least 25 minutes to get Guest Services to answer the telephone so that issue needs work. This is not a ship for the mobility impaired as getting space on an elevator for a motorized wheelchair or a mobility scooter is not easy, particularly at peak times. We could not get a handicapped room and were no allowed to leave the scooter outside the room so we had to surrender it at night and request a return time in the am. That return time was never honored and we could NOT get through to Guest Services for a very long time and, once we did, it took a long time to get the scooter returned to us so we lost a lot of our limited cruise experience time. This kind of problem would only be endemic to those with mobility aids not in handicapped rooms so consider this carefully as we had a big problem with this. Boarding was easy but there was a huge computer glitch after we boarded that held things up for hours so there were some frustrated cruisers. We departed at 6:30 a.m. carrying our own luggage so that worked well. We seldom felt crowded except pre and post entertainment venue, at the Windjammer and the safety drill.

Overall, this seems like a floating resort or hotel and one has to seek out the water to feel as though you are on a cruise ship. We prefer smaller ships but this is a great choice for families with children as there is so much to do. Book your entertainment early or before you board because it is difficult to get into the different shows etc. Consider carefully if this is a good choice for you if you have an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter if you probably cannot get your unit into your cabin unless you have a handicapped room or possibly a premium suite. Read more