Cruise Spotlight
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Harmony of the Seas vs Seaside
The Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas was built in 2016. It's 1 year older than the Seaside, which was built in 2017.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Harmony of the Seas is considered an extra large size ship. Coming in at 1,188 feet long and 216 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.3 football fields, as wide as 4.1 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 16-story building. Compared to the MSC Seaside, the Harmony of the Seas is 48% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas holds about the same number of passengers as the Seaside based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Harmony of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Seaside. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
The Harmony of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Oasis | Seaside |
| Gross Tonnage | 226,963 | 153,516 |
| Length | 1,188 | 1,060 |
| Beam/Width | 216 | 135 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,497 | 5,084 |
| Crew | 2,200 | 1,513 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 30 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Harmony of the Seas has 26 different dining options like Sabor, Solarium Bistro, and Sorrento's Pizza. Of those options, 14 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 12 options have an additional fee.
The Seaside has 10 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet, Marketplace Buffet, and Ocean Cay Restaurant. 8 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 8 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Harmony of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 63% more dining options than the Seaside.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 26 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 14 | 8 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 12 | 8 |
| % of Included Options | 54% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas has 2 more bars than the MSC Seaside. The Harmony of the Seas has 20 bars like Suite Sun Deck Bar, Vintages and Wonderland. On Harmony of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 18 different bars such as Garage Club, Shine Bar and Sports Bar.
| Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas | MSC Seaside |
|---|---|
| •Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • Dazzles • English Pub • Mast Bar • On Air Club • Pool Bar • Rising Tide Bar • Sabor Bar • Sand Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Suite Lounge • Suite Sun Deck Bar • The Attic • Trellis Bar • Vintages • Wipeout Bar • Wonderland | •Aurea Bar • Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • Garage Club • Haven Lounge • Jungle Bar • Marketplace Bar • Miami Beach Bar • Miramar Bar • MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar • Seaside Bar • Seaview Lounge • Shine Bar • South Beach Bar • Sports Bar • Top Sail Lounge • Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar • Wine & Cocktails |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Harmony of the Seas and the Seaside below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas has a total of 3 pools and 10 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only.
MSC Seaside has more pools than the Harmony of the Seas and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Seaside. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 10 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 8 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Harmony of the Seas, 77% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Seaside, only 57% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adventure Trail | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✗ |
| F1 Simulator | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Glass Bridge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✗ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Theater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean and MSC are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more | $46 - $85 |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day | $17 - $27 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
We sailed aboard the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas
Follow along on our sailing on the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Harmony of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Fort Lauderdale
Harmony of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Harmony of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Costa Maya
Harmony of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Cozumel
Harmony of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Sea Day
5 Hits and Misses on Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas
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