As an influencer, I am lucky enough to get invited on press trips from time to time. One such trip took place last November (y’all might remember from Instagram and Snapchat), aboard the world’s largest cruise ship Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas. This trip was great fun for two major reasons: 1) I love cruises. Forget what you’ve heard, they’re not just for 80-year-olds. I’ve been on quite a few over the past couple of years, so getting a chance to check out the Harmony of the Seas kind of felt like hitting the motherload. 2) Joe Jonas and DNCE performed during the second sailing of the cruise which was AMAZING, but more on that later.
The Food
While on the cruise, I got to try out several of the on board restaurants including Wonderland, Sabor Taqeria and Tequila Bar, Izumi, and 150 Central Park. But the most amazing meal had to be the Friendsgiving feast hosted by DNCE. The culinary team really rolled out the red carpet for us and created such a decadent meal. I pretty much lapsed into a food coma immediately after. Macarons, steak, giant prawns, you name it – I ate it!
The DNCE Concert
The DNCE concert was amazing. I was never a crazy Jo Bro fan by any means. But Cake By The Ocean is catchy, and I always love a concert, so regardless I was excited. I’m not sure if it was the amazing setting (I mean we were in the middle of the ocean listening to Cake By The Ocean for crying out loud!), the fact that Bethany and I got to be front row, or the open bar, but I walked away in awe of the band’s collective talent and a huge crush on JinJoon Lee, the gorgeous girl guitarist. The whole thing was wildly entertaining, and I would go see them again!
The Staterooms
We also got to tour all of the guest room accommodations, including the suites. It was sort of like an Open House, except way better. Forget what you’ve heard about tiny cruise quarters — some of the rooms were bigger than my apartment, others even have multiple bedrooms and jacuzzis. The perfect option if you are traveling with a bigger group or extended family. One room even had a Keurig. A KEURIG people!
The Waterslides
I am a bit of a sissy when it comes to any kind of a ride or waterslide, but solely for the sake of research for this post, I indulged Bethany and Christian in a few runs down the boat’s two of the THREE water slides. For the two I did go down: I didn’t lose my bikini and they were actually really fun. My favorite had to be the Cyclone. It basically shoots you out into a giant bowl that your spin around in circles until you reach the end. The best part for me wasn’t even riding it, but watching the people in front of me shoot around. I barely would make one rotation, while Christian on the other hand got around 3 times!
The Bahamas
On the first sailing Bethany, Christian, and I decided to get off the boat in the Bahamas and explore around downtown Nassau for a bit (see post here). We ultimately ended up at the Atlantis Resort for a little shopping and gambling. The property was even more spectacular than I could have imagined, which is why I was so thrilled to get to go back and stay at The Cove a couple weeks ago (more on my stay later this week).
The Final Review
It was such a large boat and trying to explore every last feature was quite a daunting task for such a short trip, but I definitely feel like I got a good sense of the vibe. In a nutshell, I love the modern decor of the staterooms, the food options are endless especially if you opt to try the specialty restaurants, I even begrudgingly loved the water slides and the Caribbean couldn’t be a better destination. I love Royal Caribbean Cruises because they have a fun young vibe, but still are family friendly. Have y’all ever been on a cruise? What was your favorite one?
^^CLICK PLAY for a clip of the DNCE concert – we had the best view on the boat!
This loft stateroom was by far my favorite. The outdoor deck space was to die for!
Even though I tested out a few of the water slides, I drew the line at the crazy Abyss slide. Let’s face it, peeing my pants at my age is a little undignified.
This band left such an amazing first impression of Nassau! They were so festive and fun.
MADEWELL denim jacket | c/o LILLY PULITZER white lace dress | c/o MINISTRY OF STYLE maxi dress and off the shoulder sweater | c/o KAYU pompom straw tote | BP aviator sunglasses | ZARA swim cover up (similar) | OLD NAVY fringe sandals | KAREN WALKER sunglasses
This looks like such a fun cruise! Tons of actives and tons of food, it sounds like the cruise for me!
xx Kathryn
http://www.chicandshimmer.com