Costa MAYBE
February 19, 2026
Costa Maya, Mexico
We're still smiling...
Morning
I woke up to a very loud noise that seemed to be the anchor dropping at 6:45AM. The ship had been rocking all night and we could feel the wind in the sways most of the early morning. I got ready for the day and then went to the Windjammer to meet the boys and Natalie stayed in bed a little while longer. We did not book an excursion for Costa Maya as in the past we have not had great luck in porting so we just planned on getting off and going to our favorite Costa Maya spot- The Mayan Healing Spa for a massage on the beach.
How is it already Thursday?
As I made my way to the Windjammer on Deck 16, it seemed as if we parked at the port. However, as I began to get food the Captain came on the announcements to say that we would have to skip Costa Maya due to weather and winds. I mentioned above that we could feel the winds... I could certainly see the wind as I walked to the Windjammer. The boos were loud from the passengers in the Windjammer but this was not uncommon in our experience with Costa Maya. We had to skip Costa Maya on Adventure of the Seas 2023 due to weather and this allowed us to port overnight in Cozumel. Unfortunately, this did not happen again this cruise and we had anther day at sea.
After breakfast, Chris and I went to the Solarium Hot Tubs and pretty much had the whole thing to ourselves for over an hour before Luke was done with the FlowRider and joined us. TIP- The FlowRider filled up fast as the announcement was made but Luke was able to get 3 sessions (fairly long ride times too) before the line became 10+ people deep.
I decided to wake Natalie up at 10AM and let her know the cancelation before meeting Chris at Boots and Bonnet Pub for live music and drinks. The ship was honestly not too crowded just yet and I was shocked that we did not "feel" the 6K passengers even later in the day, which is truly surprising.
We all decided to meet in the Main Dining Room for lunch to see if the menu would be the "Option #1" or a new menu. The MDR menu was good and different than that of Sea Day #1 but the service was atrocious. This seems about right since most of the restaurant waiters were expecting a day off and not having to wait hand and foot on all the passengers. I didn't really mind the terribly slow service knowing how hard these wait staff work.
The MDR Option #3 Lunch Menu
We enjoyed slowing down and all eating together.
Salmon "A La Plancha"
Kellie- 3.0, Luke -2.5
Carrot Cake
Chris- 4.0 and Kellie -3.5
Afternoon
After lunch we met up with the kids in the Boardwalk and we did some people watching before Chris went back to the stateroom to take a nap and the kids went to Deck 15 to play table tennis and other activities. They ended up going down the Ultimate Abyss 5-6 times this afternoon and they loved it. I spent most of the afternoon in the Solarium but the wind was something fierce and the temperatures were a little chilly without a jacket or blanket so I opted to go back to the Boardwalk to Johnny Rocket's to get a shake and watch the kids. TIP- Johnny Rocket's shakes are free with the Deluxe Beverage Package and are delicious. This particular time I had to wait about 10 people deep but it was worth the wait and calories.
We loved getting these shakes for an afternoon snack!
We all met at the Schooner Bar in the later afternoon to play cards and listen to the live music from the piano player. We taught the kids Blackjack and a few other casino games at the bar. Afterwards we all went to the Bionic Bar in the Royal Promenade to get a drink from the AI machines. This also helped cross off another bar on our Bar Crawl on the Harmony of the Seas.
The Bionic Bar is a neat thing to try, especially if you have the DBP, but we didn't frequent this bar very often.
I will say this... My drink was very strong.
You've gotta try this at least once!
The Drink of the Day- The Blue Wave
This was SO GOOD!
Hello from the Casino Bar!
This bar just seemed a little small for the size of the Casino!
We waited until after the afternoon Wine Tasting to go to Vintages and this worked out well as they had small tapas plates available for us to try. Unfortunately, these were not as extensive as those we had while sailing on the Allure of the Seas 2023 but still enjoyed them. Ursula and crew took great care of us and we enjoyed our pre-dinner drinks. She was an incredible bartender and really focused on service- one of the best we have ever had!
Evening
We all went to the Royal Promenade outside of the Pub to listen to live Big Band music from the Harmony Orchestra. I personally LOVE this type of live music and these musicians were phenomenal. Even the kids were singing and "dancing" along!
Maybe when I retire I can go and play my saxophone on a cruise ship!
We opted to have dinner in the Solarium Bistro as we have heard wonderful things about this "Upscale Buffet" offering nicer buffet food with a Mediterranean theme. This was a swing and a MISS to say the very least. The food was nothing impressive and to be honest not even warm and the atmosphere was a buffet atmosphere; albeit there was a very large European party exiting as we just sat down so maybe that played into our very low rating but none of us enjoyed this evening and we would not recommend this as a dinner option. After we picked at our food for a good 20 minutes we all decided to leave and go to the Windjammer as it was Mexican Night. This menu in the MDR is nothing to write home about, especially since we live in the Tex-Mex Capital of the world, Houston, but we wanted to check it out.
We are not really "buffet" people but this seemed a little upscale so we wanted to try it out!
This "buffet" had a menu and everything!
But in the end, it was literally just another buffet all "fancied up".
This was not at all our thing and we would not do this again!
The Solarium Bistro... We gave it a try but it is not for us!
The Windjammer options were actually very plentiful and to be honest the food selections themselves were delicious. So much so, that I may actually do a Windjammer dinner on the next 7 day cruise on Mexican night. I was actually impressed and so were Chris and the kids. The buffet is still not our "jam" and we prefer the service of the Main Dining Room but this was good overall. The Solarium Bistro, on the other hand, was AWFUL and just not our thing!
After dinner we went back up to Deck 15 so the kids could play table tennis and while they were doing that, we were able to see the last part of the Aqua Theater Show from Deck 15 which was really cool.
During a walk through the Solarium we were able to definitely see the Harmony showing her age and needing a cleaning... to say the very least!
And to be honest, these tables were never really crowded or the kids had to wait!
A view of the Aqua Show from Deck 15.
She really is a GORGEOUS ship!
Luke opted to go to bed early as he was tired but Natalie went to the Royal Theater to watch "Wicked for Good" while Chris and I enjoyed live music and drinks in the Pub. The 3 of us ended the night talking to our favorite bartender, Xue, most of the night before going to bed right around midnight.
The day may not have turned out like we planned and I was certainly missing the massage on the beach we planned in Costa Maya, but overall the day was a success and we enjoyed more time exploring the Harmony of the Seas.
Despite missing Costa Maya, it was a GREAT DAY!
Did you miss Day 4- Roatan "Monkeying Around"?
Up Next... Snorkeling in Cozumel!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
