Florida Friends joined us for one sailing; a new friend (Nikiwe) was made in the pub.

August 22 (7) nights and August 29 (5 nights) - 2026

• #10229 - Central Park View Balcony
• Same cabin entire 12 nights
• Loved the spacious balcony and view of Central Park
  • We’ve done similar cabins on other Oasis Class ships; this one was a little nosier during the day, with upper deck poolside activities (e.g., belly flop and Caribbean music) drifting down - but we adjusted our schedule to take advantage of the great balcony seating and pleasant breezes.

September 10-15, 2026

• #14562 - Oceanview Balcony - big location change; also enjoyable
• Our concern about being underneath the 15th deck jacuzzi was unfounded; only on occasion did we hear some deck chairs being moved, presumable for a once daily mop up or cleaning (see photo); the overhang provided a very nice umbrella during once downpour
• Just one deck below the Solarium, it was a quick trip upstairs for breakfast and observation, although we had plenty of viewing available from our balcony
• Apparently, the sink just inside the Solarium needed some repair, as we heard the “chipping away” on a couple mornings.

September 15-19, 2026

• #8108 - Oceanview Window - Forward facing with an unusual cabin design (large slanted window overlooking the helopad), we enjoyed the space and light, despite no outside access.
• The 4-night cruise was the shortest of our 4 August/September Harmony cruises, making an interior or window cabin manageable (for our senses).
• Our cabin steward made sure that our special requests from the previous cruise (9/10-15) were communicated to the next steward, so our new location had the mattress topper in place, along with our hot water kettle - and, our luggage along with clothing on hangars magically moved from the 14th to the 8th deck, allowing us to relax and settle in long before the majority of new passengers boarded this last voyage.
• The location makes for a mostly quiet experience, although each cruise is greatly impacted by one’s neighbors.  Ours were fine.  On once side, a crew storage room got noisy once a day as equipment was moved or re-organized, but never more than a few minutes, and not during sleep hours.

Central Park

On Deck 8, this is a feature of all Oasis Class ships (of which there are six).

• We’ve had cabins on deck 8 of a few ships with Central Park(s); there’s never been a downside, and it’s super convenient to enjoy  the space, walk through the park as an alternative to the Promenade, catch some live music, and grab a bite at the CP Cafe (Note: you can be served oatmeal rather than dip your own, and there are bananas here even when they occasionally cannot be found at the Windjammer.)

Crowded?  Kid Friendly?

While I’m pretty sure that our (4) cruises were during the school season, there seemed to be plenty of kids missing class.  Compared to summer, the majority of children were pre-school age, but again - some significant truancy was in play.

• That said, the number of children was only a minor issue.  Just like land-side, some cruise parents have difficulty controlling their kids.  It was not a factor that impacted our enjoyment.
• One surprise was the occasional crowds.  Some folks posted online evidence of lengthy lines to access the Windjammer, mid-morning.  We experienced this once, but just went to the Central Park cafe to avoid lines and have our late breakfast - fewer alternatives than a buffet, but we did not go hungry.

Entertainment

Options abound.  Highlights we have enjoyed include:

• Opening night (and one other night)  Production Show “Voices!”  This high energy production kept us engaged from start to finish (just 45 minutes), and looking forward to seeing it again.  That’s a rare endorsement from someone who does not watch any movies a second time.  The music was upbeat, somewhat familiar rock/pop songs, featuring a few soloists and nearly two dozen dancers.
• Music at multiple venues, including a pianist in the Schooner bar, guitar and vocal artist at the Boot & Bonnet pub, jazz band in Central Park.
• A comedian - sadly, only on one of our four Harmony sailings
  • One headliner - Jonathan Burns - brought some humor to his performance, but did not meet the usual definition of a standup comedian, which we always enjoy.
  • The “usual” comedy was provided by Joe Yannetty, who did some crowd work and picked on certain US geographical regions - this is not uncommon and seemed pretty tame to us, but if you have strong feelings about NY v. Boston citizens, and don’t want to hear the perspective from a Boston comic, it might be best to avoid Joe.
• We love ice skating shows, but the “1887: A Journey in Time Ice Spectacular” was the least enjoyable we’ve experienced (opinions varied, so you should still give it a chance - skilled performers still provided nice moments).
  • An “iSkate Ice Spectacular” was a late addition on one voyage, and showcased individual skills in the best way
• ”The Price is Right” is a fairly new offering on some RC ships, and we’ve enjoyed it twice!  The crowd gets involved and (be aware) you can pay to have a chance to win a car.

In addition, consider Family Karaoke, Game Shows, Trivia, and some shows we couldn’t get to in July (but have seen in the past):  the Aqua Theatre Show, Ice Show and Quest (definitely 18+).

Venue Issues

• Surprisingly, due to the ship coming out of drydock so recently, there were some issues - on multiple legs of our 4 sailings
  • The “Fine Line Aqua Show” could not be performed in its entirety due to non-working platform(s); there was at least one cancellation, along with an abbreviated show which focused on non-water dancing
    • More than one person commented that some strange dancing (a man with a skirt costume which was twirled for several minutes) was neither interesting, entertaining, nor in any way related to the Aqua theme
• ”Columbus, the Musical” required the crew to rotate a ship on stage that was not mechanically operating - in fairness, we thought that the “broken” aspect was part of the play - and funny.  Musicals can be an acquired taste; this one met our expectations for a brief, unique shipboard activity.  This one focused on Christopher Columbus’ distant cousin - Marvin.

Miscellaneous - Around the Ship