8 most impressive things about Harmony of the Seas

SOUTHAMPTON — You’ll never look at cruise ships the same way again. This is what TODAY discovered as we set sail last Friday (May 20) onboard the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, for its preview voyage around the English Channel ahead of its maiden voyage on May 29 to Barcelona.

Measuring 66.5m wide and 361.8m long and weighing 227,000 tonnes, Harmony of the Seas, which cost more than US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) to construct, is more than a mega resort.

It is practically a floating city, accommodating over 7,000 guests and crew members over 18 decks. That is a ship-load of people, although it didn’t feel congested, thanks to its massive size.

Here are eight other things you should know about being onboard Harmony of the Seas.

1. THERE ARE SEVEN NEIGHBOURHOODS ONBOARD

Remember what we said about it being a floating city? Harmony of the Seas carved out seven distinct neighbourhoods on board, including a greenery-filled Central Park (a live music destination); the Royal Promenade, and the Boardwalk, an open-air space to watch outdoor movies, aquatic performances, sip tea at a cafe, or just to hop onto the carousel. For the young and active, there are pool and sports zones to get your adrenaline going.

2. THERE ARE GOOD VIEWS

Porthole living is of the distant past in the quarters of this cruise ship: More than 60 per cent of Harmony’s 2,747 Staterooms have balconies which look out to the sea or the leafy Central Park neighbourhood. The suites are even more impressive, some with wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows. Other cabins don’t miss out on the views either — real-time views are ported onto screens that double up as a virtual balcony to the outside world. No more cabin fever.

3. YOU’RE ENSURED OF AN ‘ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY VACATION’

For a ship of this size, the crew of Harmony of the Seas are dedicated to proper waste management — every crew member on the ship has been trained to separate waste properly. Food waste becomes fish food, water in the air-conditioning systems is used for laundry, excess steam is used to generate electricity, and grey water is “recycled” using reverse osmosis, among other waste management techniques. Royal Caribbean Cruise’s (parent company of Harmony of the Seas) Environmental Officer, Peter Roy, believes this is one of the “most environmentally-friendly vacations”.

4. YOU GET TO RAISE THE BAR FOR CHILLING OUT, LITERALLY

Rising Tide Bar is aptly named: it is a bar platform that moves up and down between three decks, from The Promenade to the Central Park neighbourhood. The oval-shaped bar can hold 35 people, and takes less than three minutes to move between the decks. This might very well be the best spot for cruise-city-citizen-watching.

5. COCKTAILS ARE MADE BY ROBOTS

Stiff drinks are part of the robotic arm bartenders’ repertoire at The Bionic Bar. The machines — named Mix and Mingle — can muddle, stir, shake and strain up to 120 drinks per hour, using 16 mixers and 30 spirits. They look graceful doing it too, as the movements of the robots are modelled after Roberto Bolle, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Unfortunately, Mix and Mingle don’t serve drinks at the tables.

6. THE TALLEST SLIDES EVER BUILT ON A CRUISE SHIP

The Ultimate Abyss is a pair of dry slides sitting at 45.7m above sea level. In ship terms, the journey starts at deck 16 and ends at deck Seven. It isn’t the steep plunge that’s nerve-wracking — it’s the journey up into the anglerfish entrance, onto the glass-bottomed waiting platform that will send your knees knocking. Once you’re in the tunnel, the thrilling journey is over in a blink (and a few screams).

7. WATER FUN EVERYWHERE

Once you’ve conquered The Ultimate Abyss, adults can graduate to The Perfect Storm, a trio of water slides. Individually named Typhoon, Cyclone and Supercell, the slides weave above and under each other, across decks. On the other side of deck 15 is Splashaway Bay, an aqua park with with sea creature water cannons, slides, and a giant drench bucket designed for kids and toddlers.

8. SOAR HIGH AT SEA

Forget Jack and Rose from the movie Titanic. This is the only place you can feel like you’re really flying at sea, with a zip line that soars through the air nine decks above ground. Need we say more?