Day 1 – Embarkation

We kicked off our Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas cruise with a smooth embarkation, a tasty lunch at Jamie’s Italian, and our first night of Casino Prime renewal play. Here’s our full Day 1 trip report.

Embarkation – Smooth and Stress-Free

We were on the ship by 11:10 a.m.—a smooth start to our adventure! Check-in wasn’t until 11:30, so we were a little ahead of schedule. We did miss the Express Lane, which would have saved us a few extra minutes, but overall the process was quick and painless.

Since our suite lounge days are behind us for this sailing, we headed to The Attic to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the Windjammer. With lunch reservations at 12:30, it was the perfect quiet spot to wait away from the hustle and bustle of the Windjammer Cafe – which can get a little crazy on Embarkation day.

Lunch at Jamie’s Italian on Harmony of the Seas

We did splurge for the Unlimited Dining Package this cruise – the first time we’ve done this. The description is a little deceptive as it’s not truly ‘unlimited’. There are some eateries that still require a coverage charge that isn’t included, like Johnny Rockets. But it did cover all our dinners for the places we wanted to go and a few lunches. It was more food than we could eat for sure!

Our first meal of the cruise was at Jamie’s Italian, and it set a great tone for the week.

• Starter: Bruschetta – fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious.
• Main: Shrimp linguini – tasty, though the purple hue of the sauce was unexpected. A little more char on the shrimp would have made it made it more visibly appealing – but it was still delicious.
• Rob’s choice: His go-to chicken sandwich, a reliable option, though we noticed the portion size seemed smaller than on past cruises.
• We ended lunch by taking a slice of cheesecake back to the stateroom for an afternoon treat.

Exploring Harmony of the Seas

After lunch, we walked around Harmony of the Seas to get the lay of the land and check out the casino. This may be our first sailing on Harmony since her 2021 refurbishment, and everything looked refreshed, clean, and well-kept. I was surprised to learn that she’s already scheduled for another dry dock in March 2026 as part of the Royal Amplified program, which will bring new bars, updated restaurants, and upgraded pool areas. For now, though, the ship feels polished and the staterooms are very well maintained.

When we returned to our stateroom, our luggage had already been delivered. We unpacked, got organized, and even fit in a quick nap before dinner.

Our Stateroom Upgrade – Large Balcony

We upgraded to a Large Balcony stateroom for $30 total, and it turned out to be an excellent decision. The balcony was noticeably more spacious, and my favorite detail was the higher railing. Normally, when I sit in the lounge chair, the railing cuts off the horizon view—but not this time. From this balcony, I had an unobstructed view of the ocean, which made the upgrade absolutely worth it. Short-girl approved!

Dinner at Chops Grille

That evening, we dined at Chops Grille, and as always, it delivered a fantastic meal.

• Starter: Crab cake – a bit salty, though likely my taste buds more than the dish itself.
• Salad: Wedge salad – crisp and fresh.
• Main: Filet mignon – perfectly cooked.
• Dessert: Chocolate cake – rich and indulgent.

I paired dinner with a glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, my new favorite wine. Rob loved his steak as well, and Chops once again set the tone for a delicious cruise.

Casino Report – Day 1 Prime Renewal Play

After dinner, it was time to start our Casino Prime renewal play. Before we started, we established our target point total and set our daily budget limit. Each day we’d evaluate our progress toward our point goal compared to how much we had spent and made sure to stop when we either hit our daily point goal OR our daily budget. We of course hit our daily budget limit much quicker than our point goal.

GOAL: Total of 984 points with a $300 daily limit

Despite sailing just four months ago, we had both forgotten the PINs needed to pull money from our SeaPass cards. Even with the hints right on the screen, nothing clicked until we finally asked the hostess—turns out the code was simply our MMDD birthdate format.

💡 Travel Hack: Did you know you can fund your casino play through your SeaPass account and have it charge to your rewards-earning credit card? That way you’re stacking casino points + credit card miles/points for the same spend. Just make sure your card codes cruise purchases as travel (not cash advance) so you avoid fees.

👉 We’ll be writing a step-by-step guide on how to maximize casino play with credit card points soon — stay tuned! [Read more here] (link coming).es.

Rob’s card still wouldn’t transfer funds, so we started with $40 cash while I managed to get my personal banker feature working. I transferred $100 to my machine, cashed it out, and handed it to Rob (note to self: never do this—future lesson learned!).

⚠️ Casino Tip: Never transfer funds from your SeaPass, cash out immediately, and walk away without playing. The casino system tracks your play-through rate, and if you don’t play at least ~60% of the money you transfer, your account can be flagged. In some cases, they’ll even lock your card from future transfers until it’s resolved.

Once we got the hang of it, we committed our daily budget of $300 plus the $40 unplanned cash deposit. A couple of hours later, we finished the night with just $0.27 left and 184 points earned. Clearly not a great start – it might prove to be a very long cruise!

✅ Overall, Day 1 was the perfect kickoff to our cruise, despite making an F in our casino play. Smooth embarkation, a balcony upgrade that was absolutely worth it, great meals at Jamie’s and Chops, and the first step toward our Prime renewal in the casino. Tomorrow, we’ll be sharing more dining highlights, exploring the ship, and diving deeper into how we choose slot machines for point churning without burning through our bankroll.