This Ain't Homer's Odyssey - A Live B2B2B on Odyssey of the Seas (8/22/2021-9/11/2021)

[JessyCruises]

Come along with us as we embark on our first B2B2B onboard RCL's newest ship Odyssey of the Seas!! I know I am a little early as we do not sail until next weekend, but this week is going to be nutty here and I wanted to get the preamble out of the way so I can focus on the fun stuff when we board.  Hopefully I am not jinxing myself and will test negative so I an actually TAKE the cruises. 🙄

 I was on the fence about doing a live thread, but after following along to some of the great ones at the beginning of the start-up and the lack of reviews coming from the first sailings on the Odyssey, I decided to go for it.  I have done a few others previously.  Please excuse the potentially boring preamble that is to follow.  I imagine I run the risk of oversharing, but I am so excited to finally cruise that I feel the need to share LOL.

 

I will try to give as much information as I can about this new ship and will hopefully be posting lots of pictures including menus and cruise compasses and videos.  We have sailed on both the Anthem and Ovation previously so are familiar with Quantum class.  My husband just recently signed up for Cruise Critics as @Shadow_the_Shichon so he might post too if he can figure out how (If I were you I could not hold my breath)! 

 

If you have any questions you would like answered, please let me know and I will do my best to answer.  If I don’t know, I will try to find the answers!

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[GalwayGirl03]

I will be on the first week with you can't wait!

 

[JessyCruises]

My name is Jessica (Jess or Jessy works too) (45) and my husband Paul (46) and I will be travelling from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.  You may have stopped here as a Port of Call on a NE/Canada Sailing.  We actually just moved into a 1600 sq. ft condo in the city from a 3600 sq. foot house in the suburb of Quispamsis last fall.  It has been an adjustment.  Our condo is actually directly across the street from the cruise terminal here so if you did stop here on a cruise, you will definitely have seen our building. Here it is for reference.

 

 

 I am looking forward to finally having some ships block my harbourview next Spring/Summer.  

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10165112103060587

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[JessyCruises]

Our first cruise was on a Windstar Cruise in the Virgin Islands in 2006.  Paul’s employer at the time booked the whole ship as an incentive trip. It was beautiful but it was not my thing.  Next up was a 7 night Carnival Liberty sailing in 2007 that we won in a draw from a travel agent we had used to book an all-inclusive.  I really do not remember a thing about it, aside from thinking that I thought the ship was gaudy and I liked the piano bar.  We have been Disney Vacation Club members since 2005.  Most of our vacations since then were to WDW until 2015 when our son became a teen and lost interest.  

 

We have sailed on Disney once when we got a great deal on the Disney Wonder out of Long Beach CA in 2012 that we began with a trip to Socal and Disneyland.  We loved the Disney ship, but Paul and I are both Casino people so we were very bored at night. We then tried a few more short Carnival sailings which were booked as add-ons to some WDW vacations, but they were all on smaller ships and I was not really a fan.  I really thought cruising was just not for us.

 

That changed in November 2014 when we convinced ourselves to give Royal Caribbean a try.  We decided that we needed to try something that was bigger, more tastefully decorated and with more entertainment options.  We were WOWed and have not stopped sailing with RCL since.  We have now been on 21 RCL cruises since November 2014 . All of our sailings have been on Oasis, Freedom or Quantum class, except for one sailing that I did solo on the Empress to make sure we got to Diamond Plus by our son’s 18^th birthday so he could retain the status into adulthood.  We squeaked into D+ with 176 C&A points by his 18^th Birthday on 3/1/2020.  That also happened to be the day we boarded the Anthem of the Seas on our last cruise before the world changed forever. 

 

We spent the day before boarding (2/29/2020) walking around Times Square and went to see Jagged Little Pill that evening. We knew about the virus of course and were using hand santitizer constantly, not touching railings, etc. We jumped onboard the next day and had a fantastic cruise, but little did we know that when we stepped foot back in Bayonne on 3/7/2020, the whole world would was about to change. We drove home to Canada that day (Sunday).  By Wednesday, the province was completely shut down and schools and stores were all closed, as was the border to the US.

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[ticketsunlimited]

We are on her in January.  Looking forward to your play by play!!!

[JessyCruises]

12 minutes ago, GalwayGirl03 said:

I will be on the first week with you can't wait!

 

You also put in for a Royal Up right?  Have you heard anything about yours?  I know we will not likely hear anything until Thursday or Friday, but I am impatient 🤣

[JessyCruises]

6 minutes ago, ticketsunlimited said:

We are on her in January.  Looking forward to your play by play!!!

thanks!

[GalwayGirl03]

3 minutes ago, JessyCruises said:

You also put in for a Royal Up right?  Have you heard anything about yours?  I know we will not likely hear anything until Thursday or Friday, but I am impatient 🤣

We only did it on the 2 bedroom and Im not holding my breath b/c there are only 2 on the ship and i think someone on the FB page as one of them!

 

[JessyCruises]

Just now, GalwayGirl03 said:

We only did it on the 2 bedroom and Im not holding my breath b/c there are only 2 on the ship and i think someone on the FB page as one of them!

 

You never know!  I heard on a FB group that there are only 600 passengers expected next week.  My fingers are crossed for you! 

[JessyCruises]

Lets talk about vaccines...

 

I am not trying to get into a political discussion.  I personally think everyone who can get them should get them, but to each his/her/their own.  I just wanted to share our experience.

 

We are fully vaccinated.  NewBrunswick/Canada did things a little differently than the US I believe.  We basically wanted to make sure that everyone in the general public got their first dose before letting them get their second.  They broke down the seniority by age/medical conditions/professions.  We both work from home, are only in our 40s and are healthy (knock on wood) so we were not eligible to get our first dose in mid-May.

 

Paul always said he wanted to get whatever the 1^st vaccine available to us was.  I was not having that.  I wanted MRNA – no way did I want AstraZeneca, and was willing to wait for one if I had to.  We did not have to wait long and the big day was 5/13/21.  We could have chosen Modena or Pfizer but chose Pfizer because of the research that was available at the time. As it became time to be eligible to book dose 2, Canada and the province of New Brunswick announced a shortage was on the way of Pfizer and based on guidance from the Federal government began pushing mixed doses.  They wanted everyone to get their second dose as soon as possible, even if that meant getting Modena as the 2^nd dose. I was not having that either.  I did not want to risk any additional potential side effects. I had also heard from various sources that mixed vaccines could be a problem for international travel.  There was no way I was going to risk not being able to cruise an I am stubborn as hell so I convince Paul he was being dumb and got him on my side of the fence (turns out I was right BTW!!)  I managed to get us both appointments with local pharmacies after trying for a week or so to find ones that would DEFINITELY give us Pfizer.  Paul got his 2^nddose 6/21/21.  I got mine 6/23/21 – best 45^th birthday present ever!!!

 

I thought that was that until the whole hullabaloo about mixed vaccines and days between vaccines.  There was a brief period of time where there seemed to be some confusion if your doses were 42+ days apart.  My second dose was on Day 42 (if you count the 23^rd) so there was a brief moment in time where I was nervous, but that was quick assuaged because RCL confirmed the 42 day limit did not count for those with the same vaccine for both doses and even if it was in effect, my dates were still good.  Phew!  

 

In case you are interested, this is what the vaccine record for New Brunswickers looks like.  It is a full size 8.5x11 sheet.  I went to the dollar store and bought us a plastic sleeve folder to store it in.  Now we have to add these to the do not lose/damage or else stash. I did just find out from another NBer here on CC that we can also access a record online, but this original paper one is still the "official" record according to the government.  I have heard some provinces did not even provide paper records so not sure how that will work for Royal’s policy.  I guess people will need to get some kind of documentation from their GP or try to use the one from our provincial site. The site is not perfect, however.  My 19YO son only shows on the site as having 1 dose, but he definitely has 2.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[JessyCruises]

Like all of you, we have had lots of cruises be cancelled in the last year and a half.  I have honestly lost count at some point but it is over 15.  Almost all of our cruises have been comps from the casino over the last few years.  Almost every time we have had a sailing cancelled because of the global suspension or change by the cruise line, we were either able to lift and shift it or had a replacement offer from the casino.  We currently have 15 sailings booked through May 2022.  

 

We are so excited to be on one of the first sailings of Odyssey of the Seas, although that was never really the plan.  This 8/22/21cruise was originally booked by us on the Independence of the Seas.  To be honest, we never really even intended to take the cruise.  We were already booked on a B2B2B on the Explorer out of Galveston in early September 2021.  We only booked Indy because Paul got a free offer from the Casino, and we have been basically booking every offer we get because we did not know when cruising was going to restart or where it would be restarting from if it was a slow roll out and wanted to have our bases covered. We were planning on eventually cancelling the Indy sailing, but low and behold RCL made the decision for us.  

 

Our Explorer cruises (4/5/4) were cancelled and we were offered a variety of replacements which eventually turned into a B2B2B on the Allure (6/7/6) in November.  At the same time, they decided to move the Indy to Galveston and they moved our reservation on the Indy to the Odyssey.  I think those are two damn good swaps!  We subsequently decided to use 2 of our annual Casino Prime Tier Cruises to book the 8 night on the Odyssey 8/28/2021 and the 6 night 9/5/2021 so now we are on a B2B2B on RCL’s newest ship just a few weeks after its inaugural cruise! That is a vacation win-win for us after a year and a half of vacation loss-losses.

[JessyCruises]

Paul and I are both Prime members in the Casino. We take advantage of all of that has to offer – complementary drinks in the casino, an annual 7-night cruise each, and additional offers as they come up. 

 

As mentioned above,  we are now Diamond Plus.  We do normally enjoy spending some time every evening having some beverages in the lounge and snacking on appetizers (for some reason I am obsessed with them – they are my favourite food group).  On most evenings were would have 2 or 3 drinks in the lounge and then grab a drink on the way to dinner.  If we were not in the casino, we would use the 3 diamond drinks at a show or some other venue.  Ocassionally we would come across a bartender who would give us an unopened Strongbow.  If that happened we would just bring it to the room and drink it at the pool the following day.

 

With free drinks in the casino and the diamond benefits, we had not really been getting drink packages for the last several cruises (the exception was the $18 one I snagged on our 3/2020 cruise on Anthem.  Man THAT was awesome!!).  As a result, we do not generally drink at the pool or during the day unless we are gambling.  With all of that being said, I really do love the idea of the 5 drinks available every day, anywhere and we are no longer limited to a few select drinks options. I am looking forward to drinks at the pool and at that swim up bar at Coco Cay. 🙂

[NSnewcruiser]

 Fellow Maritimer following along as I will be curious about your experience travelling to cruise and cruising. We don't sail till November on Harmony so I'm sure things will be different by then but some things will be the same I'm sure. Must be nice to live so close to port to see the ships come visit. We live in Halifax and always enjoyed going to the waterfront to see the ships that come in.We have missed that the last 2 years. Can't wait till next year when Oasis finally visits after not coming here the last 2 years.

[JessyCruises]

Because we are not retired, we will need to work at times during the cruise – this allows us to cruise more often.  We are both very lucky that we can work virtually so this is an option for us.  I am still trying to figure out if will be better to buy our Wi-Fi ahead of time or wait until we board to get it with our Diamond + or Casino Prime discounts.  I am erring on the side of caution and Prepurchased a 2 device Surf & Stream package for the 8/22 cruise at $28.49 a day ($170.94 total for the 6 days).  If it is less expensive onboard, I will just cancel when we board and rebuy it. I will decide what to do for the other cruises once we board on 8/22.  From reports I have heard from onboard, I think the price I already have is better.

 

As far as other Pre-purchases go, I have booked myself a soda package @ $8.99 a day for the 8/22 sailing. I am a big Coke Zero / Diet Coke drinker and don’t want to waste my Diamond drinks on a pop.  I will see how much I use it then decide if I want it for the other 2 sailings.  We have also booked the Unlimited Dining on the 8-night 8/28 cruise.  At the time, it was not showing in the cruise planner online and I had to call to book it.  The price per person was $248.  It did eventually pop up online on the cruise planner and it was on sale during the last cruise planner sale for $224 so I cancelled and rebooked. I also managed to save $0.50 a day on the pop package during that sale.  $4 is $4...

[Tee & Chilli]

Thank you for the detailed start. Looking forward to your Odyssey review.

[JessyCruises]

We are still undecided about what to do on 8/21 in Fort Lauderdale.  Normally we would rent a car and go shopping at Sawgrass Mills to get our shopping fix.  This is the tentative plan for now.  I get a really great corporate rate through my company at Enterprise so we have a rental car booked and a room at the Sheraton Suites.  We are a little freaked out about the recent surge in cases in Florida, however, so we have a backup plan to just stay at a Marriot with an airport shuttle. We would forgo the car and just hang out at the hotel and hopefully we able to order in some good food. 

 

Canada has been very diligent (or at lease New Brunswick has) about Covid Protocols and it shows.  New Brunswick has had low case counts and deaths, relatively speaking.  As a result,  our province finally lifted its Covid protocols on 8/1/21.  This means masks are no longer required and most Covid restruictions have been lifted, but Paul and I are still wearing masks when out and about.  We do NOT want to get ourselves sick and end up with a positive test and not be able to travel.

 

Speaking of testing, confusion briefly reigned about testing protocols.  We knew we required a test taken no more than 3 days before our flight but on 7/29/2021 RCL announced that even vaccinated passengers required a negative test no more than 3 days before boarding the cruise.  We had to figure out the logistics of a test that would hopefully serve both purposes.  Testing is free here in New Brunswick (gotta love socialized medicine). We are shooting to get a test on 8/19 which should be 2 days before the flight and 3 before the cruise.  If for some reason the province of New Brunswick does not get us our results before we fly on the morning of the 21^st, we will need to grab an antigen test at the airport in Montreal where we have a 3 hour layover.  Fingers crossed we will not have an issue and will not need a test in Montreal!!

 

There was also confusion about the test on the way home.  Canada requires a negative Covid test taken no more than 3 days before the flight back as well.  We are flying home on 9/11/21.  RCL previously told me we could take a test on board, but it turns out the test they were likely to provide was an antigen test, which is not accepted by Canada for air travel.  RCL has confirmed they will provide PCR tests for those travellers that need it.  They also said it would be covered as would the antigen tests they are going to require between our B2B2B sailings.  I think it is very generous of them to be providing these tests to us at no cost.

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[Sea Dog]

Thank you Jess for taking us along to what will be a great experience aboard Royal's brand new ship. looking forward to seeing some great pics and your experiences. Say hi to Chris Wong in the casino and tell him thanks for all his videos.

[JessyCruises]

When we travel, we normally drive across the Maine border and fly from either Bangor or Portland.  It is normally WAY less expensive.  That was not an option this time because the land border is closed so we cannot drive across.  Luckily we have lots of Aeroplan points due to not being able to travel for so long so it was a little less painful.

 

We ended up being able to grab some good pretty good flights from our crappy little airport.  For a little perspective, this is the size of the Saint John Airport. I think we technically have 2 gates. 

 

We have to connect through either Toronto or Montreal if we want to go anywhere in the US when flying from this airport.  We can normally get a half decent arrival time in Florida, but the return is always atrocious. The times of these flights was pretty good with a return time of 21:27.  With that being said, I think the flight times have changed at least 5 times since we first booked our flights so they may change again.  I cannot remember the last time I arrive home before midnight. The return is now at  22:17 and it will be a miracle if it sticks.

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[JessyCruises]

5 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Thank you Jess for taking us along to what will be a great experience aboard Royal's brand new ship. looking forward to seeing some great pics and your experiences. Say hi to Chris Wong in the casino and tell him thanks for all his videos.

Thanks - I definitely will!

[JessyCruises]

There have been itinerary changes do to ship changes, civil unrest and other reasons.

 

These were the original itineraries and the current ones

 

Original 8/22/21 on Indy

 

Current 8/22/21 on Odyssey

 

Original 8/28/21 on Odyssey

 

Current 8/28/21 on Odyssey

 

Original 9/5/21 on Odyssey

 

Current 9/5/21 on Odyssey

 

The stops in Labadee, Falmouth and Nassau have all been cancelled and we are now going to Coco Cay on all three cruises.  I am happy with all of the changes.  We generally sail for the ship experience, not the ports and we were not actually planning to get off the ship anyway except to visit the private islands because of Covid.  We felt it was really not worth the risk at this time, especially because we are B2B2B and need to be tested between sailings.  RCL at least has control over covid protocols on the private islands so I trust the cleanliness, covid protocols etc.  The fact that we can now go to Coco Cay 3 times and use our Diamond+ drinks seems like a good thing to us.

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[JessyCruises]

Hey – I warned you about oversharing right?

 

This is the first time I am travelling with Invisalign.  I always hated getting my photo taken because of my smile and felt it was something I needed to do now to make myself more comfortable in my own skin.  No one should ever be afraid so show their happiness with a smile 😁 

 

I started my treatment in September 2020.  My first set was 38 trays and the difference is already night and day.  I was lucky and did not need elastics with the 1^st go around.  Unfortunately, I received my second set of trays on 8/12/21 and the changes needed now require more hardware so elastics it is.  I have 32 new trays and I am still getting used to the elastics.   I am sure it will not interfere with my ability to enjoy the cruise.  If you see a 40+ year old woman with brace face and a Tinkerbell tattoo on her back, that will be me 🙂 

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[JessyCruises]

I think that is all for now and again I apologize for the oversharing!  I have a year and a half of built up vacation energy and apparently it in manifesting in journaling our first cruise adventures since the pandemic started.

 

I did do some Royal Up bids on one of the sailings so I will report back once I hear anything on that front 🙂

 

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions!!

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by JessyCruises

[barbeyg]

Following along, thanks for sharing! 

[JessyCruises]

BTW if there is anyone else who will be on these sailings, please feel free to post as well!

[CanuckCruizer]

JessyCruises - looking forward to your report!  We are on the Odyssey next year in Europe so we are anxious for info.😀

 

I don't think you said what type of cabin you are in? (sorry if I missed it).

 

We are Diamond Plus too, so wondering about the "Concierge Club" (still says on the Deck Plans & several agents have said it is not a Suite Lounge, but a Concierge Club, but you know how that goes...) and whether it is now a Suite Lounge etc. We normally get a suite, but they were sold out (and we wanted to book this sailing to coordinate with our X B3B) so we are in a Junior Suite with large balcony, so wondering what Coastal Kitchen is like etc.

 

Hope you get all your packing done & have a safe flight.

Cheers,

Canuck