Harmony of the Seas Gave Me a Reality Check

Harmony of the Seas is ten years old and fresh out of a Royal Amplified refit. Matthew took his family, plus some extended family on their first Royal Caribbean cruise, on a four-night sailing from Port Canaveral. The question he set out to answer: was the refit enough to make a 10-year-old ship feel new?

His short answer, from the opening: parts of it landed, and parts of it left him wondering where the money went. The long answer is the video. This page follows it chapter by chapter.

The sailing was a four-night Bahamas cruise with a sea day, Nassau, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, per the video description. Matthew had sailed Harmony of the Seas before the refit, so this is a before-and-after. Everything below is one family’s week. Your mileage, and your toddler, may vary.

Chapters

These are the chapter marks in the video description.

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:54 The embarkation process
• 3:31 The spaces worth checking out
• 5:45 Our ocean-view cabin
• 7:20 The food options on the ship
• 13:36 The entertainment and activity options
• 17:24 So should you book Harmony of the Seas in 2027 and beyond

What the refit was

Royal Caribbean’s 2025 announcement promised a Caribbean-style pool deck, a refreshed adults-only Solarium, Playmakers, El Loco Fresh, Samba Grill, and the largest Casino Royale in the fleet. Cruise Industry News reported the ship back in service on 21 May 2026, after work at Navantia in Cádiz.

The numbers do not all agree. The video calls it a six-week dry dock and says around 90 new cabins. Cruise Industry News called it a five-week refit and counted over 100 new staterooms. The video description says about six weeks and about 100 cabins. Pick your favorite. The ship is the same either way.

Embarkation at Port Canaveral (0:54)

Port Canaveral is the family’s home port. They showed up at their assigned time and still had to wait outside the main terminal. Not for long.

From handing bags to the porter to standing on the ship took no more than 20 minutes, Matthew says. Then the muster drill, where their toddler got an ID wristband. Then straight to Adventure Ocean to register her for the kids club. At 3 years old, she no longer costs extra.

Rooms were ready by the time they left Adventure Ocean. Lunch was El Loco Fresh. Then the sail-away party.

Takeaway: Arrive at your scheduled time, not early. Book kids club on day one.

The spaces worth checking out (3:31)

The Pesky Parrot. Matthew’s new favorite, and in his view one of the best themed bars at sea. It replaced the Bionic Bar, which he will not miss. Try the peanut butter piña colada. He insists. We are only the messenger.

The casino. Bigger, with more tables and slot machines. In the video’s words, it now takes up Deck 4. Royal’s announcement called it the largest Casino Royale in the fleet. The trade, per Matthew: the comedy club went, and a craps table came in. Our watch-along on what Royal Caribbean is testing covers the smoke-free casino push across the fleet.

The Solarium. The biggest letdown. He hoped for more whirlpools or a plunge pool. What he and his wife found looked like new tile and new seating. If you have sailed other Oasis-class ships, he says, some have a better Solarium than refreshed Harmony. The Solarium Bistro now turns into Samba Grill at night.

The ocean-view balcony cabin (5:45)

They booked an ocean-view balcony for the extra space. With a little one, that room helps.

Nothing special, Matthew says, with real upsides. Lots of cabinet space. Comfortable beds. A Pullman sofa, where he slept most nights.

Two misses. The shower had no body wash and shampoo dispenser. Guest services was puzzled, then sent tubes. It turned out the previous guests had ripped the dispenser off the wall. And the premium Wi-Fi, in this cabin, was close to unusable.

The room steward was great. Towel animals for the toddler, and quick to help.

The price was about $1,300 for four nights. Matthew calls that a great deal on a newly amplified ship.

Takeaway: If you need to work on board, test the Wi-Fi in your cabin on day one, and ask for help early.

The food (7:20)

Matthew calls the food the best thing this refit did. He tried every new venue and paid à la carte, because the dining package price was too much for this trip.

Included:

• El Loco Fresh. Think Chipotle on the pool deck. Tacos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas, and a salsa and guac bar. A good way to dodge the Windjammer crowd.
• Park Cafe. Not new, still loved. Fresh fruit, overnight oats, and very strong horseradish.

Extra charge:

• Chops. “Fine.” The first-time cruisers in the group got cold appetizers and cold mains. The head waiter fixed it, and the group got a complimentary dinner at Giovanni’s the next night.
• Giovanni’s. A hit. The caprese, and the signature pizza with pepperoni, ricotta, and hot honey. It is a 12-inch pie billed as personal size. Limoncello before dessert. Matthew calls the tiramisu the best he has ever had. The almond dessert with a licorice note was not his favorite. His tip: ask for all the desserts.
• Playmakers. NFL games, including ones on streaming services like Prime Video. Jalapeño poppers, Buffalo wings that were crispy but not that hot, and a smash burger. The main event is the Campfire S’more Cookie in a skillet, with vanilla ice cream and a glass of milk.

The main dining room. Great servers. The food did not reach the level they hoped. Service was fast. Appetizers, mains, and desserts landed within 20 minutes, so they made the ice show.

Next time: Samba Grill, the Brazilian steakhouse. It is extra and it was fully booked on this sailing.

Takeaway: Price the extra-charge meals before you board. Book Samba Grill early if you want it.

Entertainment and activities (13:36)

The activity list stays packed. The trick is finding what you enjoy.

• The Fine Line, the AquaTheater show. Matthew ranks it the lowest of the AquaTheater shows he has seen on Icon, Star, and other Oasis-class ships. The soundtrack did not land, and at times it felt more like a light show. He is clear the performers are incredible.
• The ice show. Same issue with the soundtrack. Still worth trying both, he says.
• The Love and Marriage show ran in the afternoon on a sea day, so the theater was not as packed.
• Karaoke every night for teens, adults, and kids.
• Royal Promenade parties: a decades party, balloon drops, a salute to heroes, a Royal birthday bash, and a duck hunt. Most of the ducks were found before the hunt started. One by their daughter.
• The rock wall. Few people were climbing it. Matthew aimed to climb the 43-foot wall in 60 seconds. It took closer to 2 minutes.
• Waterslides. Pretty basic, with short lines, including a bowl slide.
• The pool deck. Splash pads and Splashaway Bay for little ones, and lots of pools. He misses an adults-only pool like Icon’s, and understands why a smaller ship does not have one.

Takeaway: Go to the AquaTheater and ice shows, with expectations set. Hit the rock wall and the slides early, while lines are short.

The verdict (17:24)

Yes, book it, Matthew says, for 2026 and beyond.

Some updates underwhelmed him. The changes are not enough to take away ten years of age. He does not see that as a bad thing. What Harmony did well, it does better now. His extended family never ran out of things to eat, do, or just sit and enjoy. He calls it a ship for anyone from 4 to 84.

His hedge, in his words: “if you can find Utopia or an Icon class ship for around the same price, then do those.”

What you can do

Price Harmony against Utopia of the Seas and an Icon-class ship on your dates. If Harmony wins on price, book it, and budget for the extra-charge restaurants you want. If you need Wi-Fi to work, test it in your cabin on day one. For the bigger-ship comparison, see Icon Class vs Oasis Class.

The video points you next to Matthew’s Virgin Voyages reality check, written up as Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady: The Real Cost After the Gratuities Change.