Food
Park Cafe
As mentioned previously, we started our cruise on deck 8, at the Park Cafe in Central Park. This is a great place to grab lunch on embarkation day since most everyone heads up to the Windjammer Buffet on deck 16. There was a very short line to get the famous roast beef sandwich as well as a nice salad. We were able to find a table outside and enjoy the wonder of Central Park. We did get interrupted by a quick downpour of rain but found shelter in a covered area of Jamie’s Italian (more on specialty dining later). Park Cafe was a great complimentary venue for breakfast and lunch, serving lighter options like oatmeal, breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and fruit as well as salads, wraps, and sandwiches for lunch. We grabbed many meals here during our cruise!
Windjammer Marketplace
Windjammer buffet was enormous on the Harmony of the Seas! We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at this complimentary venue. The selections were always diverse, and the food fell in line with all of the buffets that we have experienced while on cruises. Breakfast items were consistent, with all of the typical American breakfast options like eggs, pancakes, french toast, etc. There was also a nice selection of fruit and yogurts, as well as cereals both hot and cold. Lunch and Dinner seemed to introduce a good amount of regional food which was great to experience. Much more than hot dogs, chicken fingers and fries! Flavor was excellent, and I think we all left full! One thing that I have always experienced was that desserts typically are lacking at buffets. The Windjammer did have some tasty cookies, and the boys enjoyed the jello, however, the cakes an pastries always seem a little bland. My only complaint is that the Windjammer was always crowded and finding a table at all times of the day was a challenge for our group of 6.
Main Dining Room
We selected My Time Dining for our dining time, however, I ended up making reservations (as suggested by Royal Caribbean) around 5:30 for every evening. It would have been just as easy to select early dining for the entire cruise rather than making reservations. We had the same waitstaff for all but one evening. Service was bordering on a little slow on some evenings, but we thoroughly enjoyed all of our meals. They were very well prepared and tasted great! Between the 6 of us, we all felt that our meals were top notch all of the way through the dessert course. We appreciated the pleasant service and great food!
Wonderland
“Venture down the rabbit hole and ask yourself: What is real and what is imagined? At Wonderland, chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes to invent an elaborate dreamscape of never-before-seen fare.
Based on a new post-modern style of cooking and categorized by theme rather than course, Wonderland features a variety of flavors, textures, temperatures and portion sizes, each presented in a non-traditional, progressive and creative fashion.”
We left the kiddos with Grandma and Grandpa so that we could enjoy an evening meal at Wonderland. It was an incredible experience. The meal followed the theme of wonder and selections from Sky, Sea, Wind, Ice, Earth, Fire and Dreams. We let our waiter make our selections, and we thoroughly enjoyed EVERY dish brought to us. We were just amazed by the creatively, flavor and execution of all of the dishes.
Wonderland is a must eat on the Quantum and Oasis-class ships!
Quick Bites
There are numerous complimentary food opportunities and venues all throughout the ship in the form of quick bites and grab and go. Some of the snacks and meals that we enjoyed:
-Pizza from Sorrentos
-Snacks, desserts, and sandwiches from Cafe Promenade
-Frozen Yogurt from machines on deck 16
-Hot snacks from “Mini Bites.”
-Solarium Buffet
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