Harmony of the Seas Food Review: Why We Rated the Included Food 3/10

Food was the weakest part of our five-night Harmony of the Seas sailing. We are not talking about one disappointing dinner: across the included food we tried, the recurring problem was blandness.

Worth It Rating

Included food: 3/10

💰 Value: 5/10 because the food is included, but inclusion does not make bland food satisfying

🍽️ Variety: 6/10

😋 Flavor: 3/10

✅ Paid-food bright spot: Playmakers tuna nachos

THE VERDICT: Harmony’s included food would not be a reason for us to book the ship again.

The problem was not selection — it was flavor

We could find things to eat. The issue was that the included food repeatedly tasted bland. After several meals, it stopped feeling like an isolated miss and became one of our main impressions of the cruise.

Playmakers showed the kitchen can do better

We paid to eat at Playmakers and ordered the tuna nachos. They were delicious. That meal stood out precisely because it had the flavor the included food was missing.

Why Utopia changed our expectations

We did not buy specialty dining on our Utopia sailing, yet we rated its food around 7/10. On sail-away day, the buffet included lobster and crab, and the overall included-food experience felt noticeably stronger. That made Harmony’s 3/10 food feel less like a Royal Caribbean-wide limitation and more like a ship-specific weakness on our sailing.

Would we pay for more specialty dining on Harmony next time?

Probably, if we sailed Harmony again. But that is also part of the value calculation: when the included food disappoints enough that we feel pushed toward paid venues, the true cost of the cruise starts climbing.

Worth It verdict

We would not choose Harmony because of its food. If food is a major part of your cruise vacation and Utopia is similarly priced, Utopia is the stronger choice based on our two experiences.