16 HARMONY OF THE SEAS - PART 1


Travel News January 2022


HARMONY OF THE SEAS: A LAST EUROPEAN ADVENTURE WITH ROYAL CARIBBEAN


Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas in Port Civitavecchia, Rome


Come onboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas with NI Travel News’ Journalist Sarah Pickering, who spent three days onboard exploring, taste-testing and relaxing on the World’s second largest cruise ship...


Day 1: Arriving onboard Harmony of the Seas


2am start on a Thursday morning is not normally met with smiles and happiness, that is unless, you’re getting up for an early morning flight to board the world’s second largest cruise ship! The sleepy-eyed trip to Dublin was a smooth one and as I passed the toll gate, the nervous feeling in my stomach began to awaken. At last- back in an airport at 4am awaiting a flight


A


is one of the many delights in this world and more so now than ever after the Covid-19 pandemic, so i settled down with a meal deal (of course!) and awaited the gate calling. To make the trip that much sweeter, i got to experience the luxury bestowed upon the Largest plane within the Aer Lingus fleet, the A330- The theme of this trip is go big or go home after all! As I relaxed into my seat watching an old classic on the built-in tv screens, I caught the first glimpse of the Majestic Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas docked in port at Civitavecchia as i flew into Leonardo Di Vinci Airport in Rome. A quick pit stop in the airport for a Caffe Latte and I was fuelled for the first introduction to the Harmony of the Seas. The airport transfer weaved through the small streets towards the port and before we knew it, we were sat at the stern of Harmony of the Seas. The Royal Caribbean staff were armed and ready with a smooth check in, a quick antigen test (the second of 3 for this trip) and once on board, the safety briefing for the amazing ship. Royal Caribbean hosted this short 3 day cruise of which the small team of travel media industry personnel were well looked after- The lovely touch of a balcony stateroom made for the next few hours of free time a delight. Watching the world go by from the balcony didn’t last long as my typical journalist nosiness came into play. From my stateroom on Deck 7, I made my way back to the greeting point of entrance, where the deck is gifted with an array of eateries, pubs, bars and a fabulous carnival-styled hobby horse merry-go-round- A burst of quick action ,showcasing much what the rest of the ship has to offer. Still in complete awe at the dazzling show Harmony


of the Seas puts on for its guests, I headed back to the stateroom for a quick freshen up and it was time for welcome drinks. Hosted in the fresh- feeling Central Park, located in


the centre of Deck 8, i wondered through the greenery to Vintages; This dark and warm bar shone with orange ambience as we were greeted by Royal Caribbean Vice President Ben Bouldin. A couple glasses of white wine and the chat was flowing with the group after being deprived of these meetings for what felt like years- the ideal start to the short cruise! With a few hours of chat now under our belts, we went our own ways and waited dinner for the evening. During this time, i took it to explore further throughout the ship to get a firm grasp of wahat Royal Caribbean were offering to guests, young and old alike- so, what did i find?


Deck Guide for Harmony of the Seas From Deck three, guests will experience what the


ship has to offer, with the lower level of the Royal theatre located here. The conference centre is also located on this lower deck, surrounded by multiple state rooms which leads the way to the lower level of the main dining room . Deck four is a creation of night time favourites, with the upper level of the royal theatre located here, alongside the Attic’ comedy room , the diamond club for diamond customers and the “jazz on 4” for the ultimate jazz night. It is also home to the Ice rink located in studio B which showcases the ice performance, 1872. The art gallery, where guests can purchase pieces is also located on this deck beside the casino and main dining room.


Deck five is where the party begins at sea; the first


thing guests are greeted by is the marvellous hustle and bustle, home to an abundance of bars, pubs, restaurants, retail , main dining room and vitality spa. Moving into deck 6, the upper area to the greeting


place for Harmony, it includes more bars, eateries, retail and stunning views of the excitement on the lower level. Towards the back of Deck six, i was pleased to find the impressive Aqua theatre and rock climbing facilities, again, alongside further bars and casual eating establishments. Personally, I found the higher you ventured throughout the ship, the more impressive the areas became, giving that constant feeling of wow as you go about your day. Deck seven held the majority of staterooms which


kept guests very close to the action, but far enough away for peace and quiet and deck 8 was much the same apart from the inclusion of Central Park- The structure is displayed to encourage the mind to believe you are completely outside which is a mere luxury when onboard a cruise ship to say the least! Again, this area is lined with bars and restaurants, less causal than those that can be found on deck 6. Like Deck 7 and 8, Deck 9, 10, 11 and 12 hosted further staterooms- After all ,the ship needs somewhere to host all 6,780 guests! Further staterooms are located on Deck 14, with the


lower level of the adult only Solarium and kids corner with nursery, explore corner and puzzle break included. Deck 15 is where guests reach the open levels of


the ship and its where you will find the most glorious sunsets in the evenings. 6 pools are located on this deck, which range from whirlpools to the Spalshaway bay for children, and the arcade and sports facilities are weaved in-between from both ends of the ship. The stunning bistro and upper levels of the Solarium will also been found here. Deck 16 hosts the solarium bar, the mast bar and the Windjammer Marketplace- guests are spoilt for choice when it comes to wining and dining on the top desks of the ship. For the adventurous traveller, deck 16 holds the surfing flowrider’s, zip line and the longest waterslide as sea- the Ultimate Abyss. Just watching guests fly down the slide was enough for me. The luxury Crown Loft suites are found on deck 17 which hold beautiful baths, private balconies and have


Venison at 150 Central Park


two levels for comfort. There is also the coastal kitchen and suit lounge steadfast in the centre of the desk, with the suite sun deck, bar and lounge hosted at the front of the ship. And Finally, peaking at the very top level of the ship,


deck 18 holds the perfect storm waterslides which slip and slide (literally) throughout the ship! This walk around the ship was more than enough to


work up an appetite as the ship is an impressive 1,188 feet long and so I headed back to my stateroom to watch the Harmony of the Seas disembark Rome and take off on her adventure to our next stop, Naples.


Dinner at 150 Centra Park Dinner for the evening took the group back into the


Central Park area of the ship, where dinner was hosted within 150 Central Park; The beautifully decorated small restaurant presented a homely feel as we were greeted with dimmed lights and dark, modern art work. The comfy plush seats mellowed my tired body as i awaited a fest, whilst sipping on another glass of white wine ahead of the meal. The array of choice on show


at 150 Central Park was world class and made for hard choosing, despite the hungry tummies. The speciality cucumber martini was a presentation, not only for the eyes, but for the taste buds as well just as the appetisers arrived. To start, after a long debate, I opted for the chef’s choice of braised short rib on a bed of mash and it did not disappoint- melt in your mouth and cooked to perfection, nothing more could have been expected from the excellent piece of meat. For the main course, the dining options tickled a multitude of tastebuds with a long list of cultural delights- A stunning plate of Venison appeared before me, perched on horseradish paste and surrounded by a thick gravy: warm, hearty and decadent- much needed after the long day of travel. Of course dessert is seen as the most important part of any meal and this rang true once in the presence of 150 Central Park’s tasty menu- Another chef’s choice, A fried cheesecake with popcorn and flavoured cream, called my name as we tucked into the last element of this dining experience.It was fair to say not a plate was left unclean as the food was just that good. With a calm evening over and a warmth in my stomach ( this could have been all the wine!), it was time to explore the evening entertainment onboard Harmony of the Seas.


Entertainment at Studio B Gliding down the elevator to deck 4, music rang


Braised Short Rib at 150 Central Park


out from Studio B and I knew this was the spot for the evening. Inside the darkened theatre, guests were introduced to the large ice rink centre stage and home to a vast programme of ice shows. On this particular night, 1887 was the show on view for the guests within the arena and oh what a magical night it was. The performers on board the ship are of such a high standard that you totally forget you’re at sea and are instantly transported to broadway due to the level of professionalism and ability these fantastic performers have and show daily. The ice show was well presented, calming, yet interesting due to the skill used throughout and is definitely one for the whole family, much like the majority of activities on board Harmony of the Seas which was a pleasant surprise. A much as i would have loved to stay up and explore the nightlife onboard the ship, sleep was calling due to the early start and therefore this had to be left for another night.


Continued on Page 17...


Fried Cheesecake at 150 Central Park


‘1887’ gets underway at Studio B at the Ships Ice Rink


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