Harmony of the Seas from a DCL addict

[Sleepyluke]

We are 9x DCL cruisers and love the laid back atmosphere and kids activities. BUT, the constant price increases have gotten over our heads now. I have seen the DCL is double the price of RC for a while but never found significant savings for times we were looking. Well fast forward to October 2025, DCL week is over $6k while RC is under $3k with the current deals. While I know it won't be Disney, will we be disappointed? We are not fans of a Vegas atmosphere and really want to relax and disconnect for week. I know there are tons of kids activities, but is it non stop lights and glitz?

Also, some love it or hate it, but can you still tell you are on a ship? i love the rocking motion of the ship and don't want to turn into a floating Vegas if that makes sense. Nothing wrong with it, millions of people love it, but that is not what I want to cruise for.

 

[OKW Lover]

We sail both DCL & RCL (plus Celebrity and Viking). On DCL we are Platinum with 19 cruises. On RCL we are Diamond+. In general we are quite happy with RCL where we almost always sail in concierge class. We are fans of relaxed sailings and find that you can avoid most of the Vegas atmosphere on RCL if you want to. Similarly on DCL you can avoid most of the Character atmosphere if you want to.

Tell us a bit more about the RCL ship and itinerary that you are considering.

 

[sam_gordon]

We sailed Harmony in July. Have never been on Disney. I don't think I've ever felt a ship rock (all RCL- Oasis, Freedom, Mariner, now Harmony). Maybe I'm just not sensitive enough.

If you're out on deck and look outside, you'll know you're on a ship (surrounded by water). You can relax or be as active as you want.

 

[eeyorefanuk]

We did harmony when it came out and we loved it then

Harmony is oasis class which has Central Park. When we were on the allure just before covid it was so peaceful and lovely. They even pipe in bird sounds it used to be of the country you were in

I prefer the RC food for breakfast and lunch buffet. So much choice and I love they have different food choices around the ship which eases everyone in the same area

 

[oakleycat]

We switched to RCL a couple years ago when our kids became teenagers and have really enjoyed it. We have been on Harmony and Freedom. Oasis class is huge and definitely has more going on. I enjoyed both but actually preferred Freedom and found the size more comparable to the Disney ships (keeping in mind I've only been on the older ships - Magic/Dream/Fantasy). I can feel the ship movement more on the smaller ships too.

 

[peacefrogdog]

aside from the casino, I don’t feel there is anything Vegas like about Harmony of the Seas.
Re: rocking motion. We have done both Disney Fantasy and Harmony during December. I was more aware of the rocking motion on the Fantasy

 

[hedberg1661]

Having only done DCL and now recently RC (on Utopia) I have to say I am really sold on what RC is offering. There is plenty to do (or not by choice) on the ship. The food and drinks were good and I enjoyed the evening entertainment options. Having recently come back from my Utopia sailing I have researched, priced, etc. everyday in order for me to get back on another RC ship soon.

CocoCay is also another selling point for RC. The island is great and has something for everyone.

 

[Frozen2014]

I haven't been on Harmony yet (have her booked for next Christmas) but have been on other Oasis class ships (Allure, Oasis, Symphony and Wonder) and to me, these ships are a "wow" and have something for everyone. Central Park is beautiful and relaxing, with nice restaurants (one cafe included), Boardwalk is fun, Promenade is nice, and other different neighborhoods. They have an ice show, Broadway show Grease and it's own in house show, plus the Aqua shows are really unique to Royal on Oasis class. Entertainment is fantastic. Lots of included restaurants, and also specialty restaurants for an additional cost. They have multiple pools, and things like zipline, rock wall, dry slide and waterslides. There is tons of trivia, game shows, live music, etc. And of course, you can go to activities or relax and you want. I've been on one Disney cruise and obviously you won't have Mickey characters and theming, but Royal Oasis class is a very family friendly ship. (Utopia may have more the party atmosphere as it runs 3 and 4 night cruises). Also if worried about motion, try and book lower and central.

 

[peacefrogdog]

I agree with the last post. I've been on four of the Oasis class ships and find I enjoy different parts of them more than before. For example when my kids were younger, we liked the Boardwalk and pool areas/slides the most, and enjoyed the show.s When we cruise now by ourselves, we value the serene environment of Central Park and other more quiet areas but also the live music in the pub and music halls. While at a much different scope, for us it's somewhat like how there is so much to do in Disney World that we can pick and choose different things to do ranging from theme parks, to just chilling elsewhere on the resort.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We've sailed on Harmony.

We felt the ship rocking at times, but you must consider the location of our room.



We were staying in two connecting rooms around that little red circle up front. From what I understand, this part of any ship is going to have much more potential to feel movement. In fact, the theater is in this same section of the ship on a lower deck and it's the only other part of the ship where I really felt rocking. When we went to see Grease, the screens on stage were tilting back and forth as the ship rocked. That being said, my parents' were staying in a room where that arrow is pointed and I could not feel any rocking from their room.

Beyond that, I have never cruised DCL, but I have been to Vegas many times and the only area that felt *a little bit* like Vegas was when I was standing near the casino entrance (which is very well tucked away) and I could smell the smoke.

There are lots of ship tours you can take virtually on YouTube to help gauge the vibe.