Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas Ship Review, Part 1: Food

Just last week, I went on my first cruise of the year. After some hectic drama of pre-cruise testing, we were so thankful to be on board this mega ship for a week, completely disconnected from reality.

This was my second time on this family of ships. I previously sailed on Allure of the Seas, Harmony’s sister ship back in 2019. An almost carbon copy of Allure and Oasis, Harmony did have some new features that I did not experience in 2019. New restaurants, new slides, and new shows were some of the highlights.

As a part of a mini series, I will be doing deep dives into the ship itself. Giving you the good, the bad, the ugly, and all the tips in between.

But ofcourse we want to kick it off with the food. Like any cruise ship, Harmony did not disappoint when it came to the amount of food and the options you had.

Below is a breakdown of all the food options onboard.

Complementary Restaurants

• 3 Main Dining Rooms
  • Serving sit down breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  • Prior to boarding you have the option of anytime dining or 2 set dining times at 5 and 7.
  • I recommend anytime dining, especially if you will be planning excursions or staying on land until all aboard.
  • Pro Tip: When you arrive on board, head down to the main dining room to make your anytime dining reservations for the week. They tell you to use the app, but there are far less choices than if you go to the dining room hostess early on in your sailing.
    • If you do not want to make reservations the walk ins seem to have no problem getting seated. But if you are a large party, it may be more challenging.
• Windjammer Buffet
  • Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  • Lines can be long here, especially with the new sanitizing protocol.
  • We hate here once and were not overly impressed. Then again, we are not buffet people.
  • I will say the dessert section was great!
• Sorrento’s
  • A by the slice pizza place opened throughout the day and late into the night.
  • No additional charge
• Café Promenade
  • Open 24 hours a day
  • Serving pastries, desserts, and sandwiches.
  • All food here is free as well as basic coffee and tea.
  • Specialty drinks are at an additional cost.
• Boardwalk Dog House
  • Open for lunch and dinner
  • Located in the boardwalk neighborhood, right next to the carousel.
  • Serving hot dogs, bratwurst, and chicken sausage with various toppings.
  • No additional charge.
• Vitality Café
  • Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  • Located in the spa and provides light snacks. Perfect for after a workout at sea.
• Park Café
  • Open for Breakfast and lunch
  • Located in the Central Park district
  • Great spot to avoid crowds in the buffet for breakfast and lunch.
  • Selling bagels and quick eats for breakfast and sandwiches and soup for lunch.
  • Pro Tip: stop by the Park Café at lunch before a port day and grab bags of chips to have as snacks while you are exploring the island.
• Mini Bites
  • Opened for lunch
  • Great alternative to the buffet and located on the sports deck
  • Serving quick lunch bites like hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, and empanadas.
• Solarium Bistro
  • Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  • Located in the Solarium
  • Great alternative to the buffet as the selection is the same but limited to one line.
  • Perfect if you are staying in the front of the ship.
  • My go to spot for breakfast
• Coastal Kitchen
  • Only opened to suite and Pinnacle members of Royal’s loyalty program.
  • Only opened for dinner and offering a fusion of Mediterranean and Californian farm-to-table cuisine.

A La Carte Restaurants and Specialty Dining

• Izumi Hibachi
  • Sushi and Hibachi
  • When you book you choose a standard dining experience or the Hibachi Experience
  • Pro Tip: I highly recommend the Hibachi Experience. The food was the best I had on board and the entertainment was equally as fun. You get more food than you can handle so come hungry. Included in your meal is fried rice, veggies, choice of 2 meats (chicken, beef, scallops, or lobster), and dessert.
    • Be sure to book prior to your sailing as this sells out easily.
• Sabor Taqueria and Tequila Bar
  • Open for lunch and dinner
  • Serving up all your favorite Mexican favorites
  • This is pretty easy to get into so no need for advance reservations prior to your sailing.
• Johnny Rockets
  • Open for breakfast and lunch.
  • Just like your favorite Johnny Rockets on land, expect a range of hamburgers and milkshakes.
  • Pro Tip: Breakfast is free of charge and provides all your favorite diner breakfast food.
• Starbucks
  • Coffee lovers rejoice, you can get your favorite drink at sea.
  • Located at the Boardwalk
• Chops Grille
  • Harmony’s steakhouse located in Central Park.
  • 3 course meal included in the price.
• 150 Central Park
  • Choose from 2 dinner options
    • Standard 3 course dinner or premium 4 course with 2 appetizers and wine pairings.
• Jamie’s Italian
  • A very popular spot located in Central Park
  • Open for lunch or dinner
  • Multi course meal providing some of your favorite Italian dishes
• Wonderland
  • An impressive Alice and Wonderland theme, this restaurant is for foodies who have an imagination when it comes to food.
• Chef’s Table
  • Located in Chops Grille and offering a dozen or so spots.
  • This is prix-fix formal dining experience.
  • 5 course menu with whine pairings and requiring advanced reservation

Recommendations

• Eat breakfast at the Solarium Bistro. Less crowds and same food. Plus if your stateroom is in the front of the ship, the commute is much easier.
• If you have time on sea days have a lunch or 2 in the dining room. Far less chaotic than the Windjammer.
• If you want to spend a little extra I highly recommend the specialty dinning, the quality of the food is far better than the dining room.
  • I would recommend Chops or Izumi
• If you want a basic “ball park” lunch like hamburgers and hot dogs, skip the buffet and go to Mini Bites.
• Port days will often find you back to the ship during weird hours. Most options will be limited to Sorrento’s if you need a bite to eat between lunch and dinner.