In May, Royal Caribbean will be launching the Largest Cruise Ship in the World. The Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis Class Cruise Ship and joins its sister ships, the Oasis and the Allure of the Seas. It was floated out in June 2015 and has been undergoing construction in France at the STX Shipyard (location shown below). According to sources, the cruise ship cost $1.4 Billion!!!
When launched in two months, she’ll start sailing around Europe until coming to the States in November 2016.
The Harmony of the Seas will weigh in at a total gross tonnage of 227k. To put this in perspective, here’s how the Harmony stacks up against the Allure of the Seas (previously the largest cruise ship in the world) and the Splendour of the Seas (Royal Caribbean’s smallest vessel in operation).
Tonnage
- Splendour of the Seas: 69k
- Allure of the Seas: 225k
- Harmony of the Seas: 227k
Length
- Splendour of the Seas: 264 meters
- Allure of the Seas: 362 meters
- Harmony of the Seas: 362 meters
Passengers
- Splendour of the Seas: 2,074
- Allure of the Seas: 6,296
- Harmony of the Seas: 6,410
Crew
- Splendour of the Seas: 761
- Allure of the Seas: 2,384
- Harmony of the Seas: 2,300
If you’d like to see how this ship compares to all of the rest of the fleet, check out our previous post: Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships by Size.
The Harmony of the Seas will have many of the same features as its sister ships, like the Flowrider, Aqua theatre, Central Park, and more.
For this piece, we wanted to highlight the three features that we find the coolest.
1) Ultimate Abyss & The “Perfect Storm” Water Slides
The “Ultimate Abyss” wins the award for biggest “WOW factor” on this new ship. This new attraction marks the first water slide added by Royal Caribbean to any of the ships in their fleet.
Here’s what some insiders have to say about the behemoth.
“Between the flowrider you step out on a really high, really see-through glass platform. And then you go on a mat and you slide all the way down to the boardwalk.”
– Alison Frazier, Director of Entertainment & Guest Activities.
“You’re going to have to be a little bit brave to go on the Abyss. I’m not sure all of our guests are going to have the courage to jump down a tube 10 flights above the landing area.”
– Nick Weir, VP of Entertainment,
“You literally rotate and rotate down on the slide more than 100 feet, by far the tallest slide at sea where you open up and finish on the boardwalk.”
– Mark Tamis, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations for RCCL
In addition to the 10-story, 150-foot drop, you’ll also be dealing with audio effects piped through the slides. This auditory stimulation adds to the amazing, multi-sensory experience.
If you’re too scared to dive right into the Abyss, the Harmony will have three other water slides to use as a “warm up.” Each slide is three decks high. Together, the trio has been named, “The Perfect Storm.” Separately, they’re called Cyclone, Typhoon, and Supercell.
Between the massive Ultimate Abyss, the three Perfect Storm slides, and the children’s water park, the whole family will be entertained for hours!
And, once you get bored of the death-defying water slides, there’s plenty more to do in the Harmony of the Seas Water Park area as shown below.
2) Bionic Bar
The Bionic Bar is not new to Royal Caribbean. We’ve seen it on the Quantum and Anthem of the Seas. But, we still had to include it as Harmony’s Top 3 Coolest Features.
Let’s face it – a drink is a drink. Your Bahama Momma isn’t going to taste much different coming from a robot or a nice Filipino bartender. But, it’s the overall experience that is really special. And at the Bionic Bar, the experience starts with the order. Rather than fighting to get some attention, you simply walk up to a smart tablet. Once you enter your birth date, you’re given a few options.
- Choose a Drink
- Create a Drink
- Order History
See… it’s already more fun.
If you’re not feeling creative, you can simply choose a drink. You’ll find all of the classics like a Mojito, Bloody Mary, Rum & Coke, etc. You’ll also find some of Harmony of the Seas’ signature cocktails if you’re feeling adventurous.
Creating a drink is for the more daring. Remember as a kid when you’d mix every fountain drink and call it a “suicide.” That doesn’t work out as well in this scenario. Trust us. Also – your price goes up with each additional boozy ingredient, so be careful. You’ll get to pick from 30 different spirits and over 20 mixers. You’ll also get to tell the robot bartender when to shake, muddle or stir your new creation, which is really fun. Finally – once you have your frankenstein drink finished, you get to name it. Actually, feel free to use “Frankenstein.”
Just like your wife, this robotic bartender knows everything you’ve drank throughout the cruise! But unlike your significant other, it’s quick to serve up another from your Order History. You can use this list for efficiently ordering your favorite creation throughout the week.
The fun doesn’t stop after picking your drink. Once you submit your order to Mr. Robot Bartender man, your drink gets displayed for all to see on the Harmony’s high-tech drink wall. Also displayed you’ll find everyone else’s concoction, the most popular drinks, and your waiting time. Note: judging your fellow passengers by the drinks that they order is a great way to pass the time until your order is ready.
But, don’t miss the show. Two Bionic robot bartenders will be whizzing and purring away. The mechanical arms act in perfect harmony (ehh… see what I did there?) to produce two drinks per minute. You can pull out your stopwatch and time them if you really want to make the robots nervous.
And the best part… no tipping necessary.
3) Wonderland Restaurant
Due to its amazing ambiance, the Wonderland Restaurant doesn’t take a foodie to appreciate. The dining venue is themed after the iconic hit, Alice in Wonderland. In the movie, Alice gets taken on a mysterious adventure and the lines are blurred between imagination and reality. Not only are you taken to this imaginary world visually; your taste buds will go through a similar out-of-body experience. You’ll find all kinds of exotic dishes like these below.
- Tempura Caviar
- Liquid Lobster
- Truffled Egg in the Shell
- Duck Liver Fritter
- Crispy Tempura Kim Chee Leaves
This is how Royal Caribbean describes the Wonderland Restaurant on the Harmony of the Seas.
Based on a new post-modern style of cooking and categorized by theme rather than course, Wonderland features a variety of flavors, textures, temperatures and portion sizes, each presented in a non-traditional, progressive and creative fashion.
If you’re planning to go on this journey, make sure to get your reservations well in advance. Also, know that it’ll cost you an extra $45 per person!
If you’re curious how much it cost to sail the largest cruise ship in the world, check out our Harmony of the Seas pricing widget below.
Are you planning to sail the Harmony of the Seas? If so, what features are you most excited about?
Let us know it the comments below what you like / hate about Royal Caribbean’s newest ship.
And make sure to “Share” this with other RCCL lovers by using the button below!
Sailing on harmony in oct looking forward to everything she has to offer
Have an amazing cruise, Judy – Harmony looks like an unbelievable ship!
Pingback: Largest Cruise Ship in the World – here’s the 3 Coolest Features. Would you do #… | Cruise Ship Expert - Largest Cruise Ship in the World - here's the 3 Coolest Features. Would you do #...
My concern with all of those people on board is that the public places, especially the buffet, have not been “sized up” proportionately, and will be a giant crowd, unable to find seating easily. Found this to be exactly true on my last RC cruise, on Oasis