It’s been a while since I last posted but I’m now officially on cruise countdown and I suspect this one will be well worth the wait!

Next Sunday we’ll be boarding the inaugural Harmony of the Seas cruise from Southampton to Barcelona. Royal Caribbean’s new flagship is the biggest cruise liner in the world, a whole 6 inches wider than its sister ships Oasis and Allure. We sailed on Oasis of the Seas in 2012 and love the Oasis class although some may find the size overwhelming. It can also limit where a ship as immense as Harmony can dock but this cruise is definitely about sampling the things Royal Caribbean are great at rather than the itinerary.

As I’ll soon be celebrating my 45th we’ve splashed out and booked a Crown Loft Suite, a double height cabin with floor to ceiling windows, a dining area, a couple of bathrooms and a large balcony. Additional perks include free wifi, concierge lounge, VIP sun deck, show seating and a dedicated suite restaurant. All in all far more impressive than those we enjoyed on P&O Britannia last Christmas.

I originally booked the three of us on what was to be Harmony’s first ever sailing however RCI subsequently announced three earlier departures, a 2 night travel agent and loyalty club voyage followed by a 3 night and  4 night mini cruise. At first I was a bit disappointed about it but I’ve actually loved being able to read all the early reviews and watch the Periscope and YouTube videos that were being uploaded over the weekend. Fingers crossed it’ll also mean they’ll have ironed out any early issues before we board : )

I’m looking forward to the neighbourhood concept on Harmony as we loved exploring all the distinct areas on Oasis. My favourite was probably Central Park with it’s trees and gardens, a beautiful place to have a glass of red in the sunshine!

Our 8 year old son Finn can’t wait to explore Adventure Ocean, a whole deck of kids heaven with a science lab, theatre, art zone and age appropriate rooms and entertainment. RCI do kids clubs brilliantly and I just know we’ll struggle to get him to actually spend some time with us!

We’re all excited to check out the ship’s art and loved the ‘small wonders’ (a kind of telescope you peer into to see amazing things inside) that were dotted around Oasis. There’s also large scale artwork wherever you turn and Harmony has an incredible piece by Czech artist David Cerny, a huge three dimensional head that rotates in layers and is sure to be a talking point on board.

Update: RCI have been checking out the blog and sent this link to their video about the art on board if you’re interested.

After a few months pre cruise dieting I’m especially looking forward to sampling the food on board as it’s generally some of the best we’ve had at sea. We’ve booked Jamie’s Italian, Wonderland and the suite restaurant Costal Kitchen but if I’m honest the thing I’m looking forward to most is breakfast at Johnny Rockets. This is unique to Oasis class ships and we can’t wait to sample it again although I’m not sure I’ll be taking the 10 story Ultimate Abyss slide to get there!

Thanks to our free wifi I’m planning to write a few blog posts while we are away and share a bit of the atmosphere of sailing on Harmony. I’ll also post a round up review and add photos when get back home. If anyone has any questions or wants to know anything specific do get in touch…

5 sleeps and counting!