The day is finally here. We allotted 5 hours to get everything done and arrive at our 12-12:30 check in appointment at the ship. We ran a little bit behind leaving the campground at 9:15, but the drive was simple with little to no traffic. We easily dropped off Tony, we even got to see him on video before we left when he was interacting with different dogs. GPS is a good thing and we found the parking without a problem. It was a surprisingly small parking establishment but they did have a double spot for us and the van was just waiting to take us to the ship. When they dropped us off they also showed us where we should wait to be picked up. We call them and stick the yellow sticker they gave us on our shirt. Seems easy enough.
There were throngs of people milling all around but even so it was very well organized. We got in the "Diamond" line which is very short. Then it's up to the next floor where we queue again, also very fast for Diamond. It is more crowded for others. We are ON the ship and having some pizza by noon, which was our appointment check in time. So, all of that was great. The floors are closed off and rooms will not be ready until 1p. Also something different is you use your boarding pass paper as you Sea Pass until you get to your room because your Sea Pass card is waiting at your room.
The first day of a cruise is not the best IMHO. You need to "find" all the right things you desire and some are not too clear. We couldn't get any ice for our room and room service on this ship is very different than other ships we have been on. Maybe RCCL has changed their room service menu on all ships or just this one? Of course there's the Muster - at least we don't have to carry the life vest all around with us, in fact we don't even have one in our cabin. Apparently they are provided at our station if needed. They changed the times of our excursions and we were not notified until we got to our room and saw the tickets. The internet seems very good and instead of buying minutes, now you buy days. Once I figured it out, it works pretty well. In addition, you can use the Royal iQ ap for your phone and you don't need to use internet to use it on board.
At least two ships left port before us and two more after us. It is a huge port and can accommodate more than five ships. The Harmony of the Seas is beautiful, so fresh and modern. The decor is all nicely coordinated. For instance, the hallway carpets complement the cabin carpets the design of the cabin carpet is followed through on lamps, the pulls for the drawers and closets. All subtle colors of grays in our cabin with tasteful blue and gray shades in the hallways. Numerous electronic billboards keep you up to date on different thing happening throughout the ship. On the upper class ships you can now purchase a WOW band (worn like a Fit Bit) that is also your Sea Pass to open your cabin door or make all purchases. This band is $4.99 and is re-programmable on your next cruise, provided your ship has that capability.
We stopped on the Promenade to see the Bionic Bartender - It draws quite a crowd. We'll try it later.
We had dinner at Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar. at the Boardwalk Neighborhood. Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars. The menu is not large, staff is friendly, guacamole was fabulous, main courses are on the small side (fine for us but most people would want more. I thought you paid one price for whatever you ordered like other specialty restaurants, but each item is separately priced. Neither of us had the tacos, which seemed to the main item on the menu. I don't think we would try it again. There is a carousel, Johnny Rockets, Starbucks, a hot dog place, a kids play space, and much more in the Boardwalk neighborhood. Far aft is the Aqua Theater.
We had reservations for Grease tonight, it was very well done. Even though the shows are complementary you must have a reservation to get in. If you are not there 15 minutes before the show is to start they cancel your reservation and there is open seating for anyone then.
Diamond benefits seem slightly different than presented in the past. Now the complementary happy hour can be done two ways. You can go to the Diamond Lounge 5-8:30p and have all the drinks you want from the select menu - and/or - you can go to any bar between 5-8:30p everyday and have 3 drinks per day, also from the select menu. These three drinks are loaded on your Sea Pass card. Your complementary drinks can not obtained at the Bionic Bar or the Rising Tide Bar. Instead of getting a coupon book there is just a sheet of paper in your cabin that lists the perks you will get.
I'm sure there much more to share but my mind has gone blank.
