Odyssey of the Seas Jan. 15, 2022 - Not Live Recap

[twangster]

54 minutes ago, ptf2009 said:

Twangster, I may have missed it, but did you find out how many passengers are on your Jan 23 cruise? I read where 2500 were reserved, but perhaps many decided to cancel?

 

Any info about the estimate for our cruise next week, Jan 29?

 

Thank you again for updating all of us on your cruise with valuable info!

2,350 was thrown out by a crew member but I figured the Captain will be the best source at Top Tier.  

[emory2001]

You are a Review Rockstar! 🤩 This is amazing, and I can’t wait to be on this same itinerary in March. It will be our first Diamond cruise, and we’re doing the Sunset Cocktail Cruise in Aruba, and caves w/distillery tour in Curaçao.

[twangster]

During the B2B as we stepped off the ship they collected our cards promising they’d be returned to us.  This morning they were.  

[shelpt]

@twangster Your review is awesome! We will be on Odyssey Feb 6th. We are in cabin 13692, it's aft and starboard.  I took it because it was the last oversized balcony when we booked. There are several open now to switch to. I saw you are on deck 13 now. What are your thoughts on that deck and accessibility to popular areas? We have no mobility issues but would like to be in a convenient location.

I have never been on a Quantum class ship, only Serenade and Oasis. 

Thanks and excited to keep reading! Happy sailing!

[twangster]

North Star time lapse.  Complimentary version of the ride.  
 

 

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, twangster said:

North Star time lapse.  Complimentary version of the ride.  
 

 

 

How many rides per minute does it do🤔🤣🤣

[Scottee25]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

 

The Flowrider surface had large ridges along the seams that some referred to as "speed bumps".  It made for difficult entries and exits off the sides.  Guests complained.  Royal talked to the vendor and a new mat was produced.  As you can imagine these are custom made with the logo and all, they aren't something you can drop by any flowrider store and buy off the shelf.  Then they had to coordinate with the vendor to get vaccinated contractors to schedule a date for installation.  That all takes time.  I don't know if that captures all the details and nuances, but it's a condensed version.

 

The Sportsplex floor I imagine is something that is done on a routine or periodic basis.  I guess they saw an opportunity with a lower guest count cruise so they took the opportunity to get it done.  I've not seen anyone else discuss it so it's one of those things that if I wasn't there we'd never know.  

 

I did notice something with the forward end display that had the picture using only the upper half of the screen.  Some sort of electronics failure.  That's also been fixed.  

 

Ship happens.

 

Thank you very much for the explanation. Was more curious than anything since I am scheduled to be on the Transatlantic aboard the Odyssey in April.

[twangster]

23 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

How many rides per minute does it do🤔🤣🤣

 

The operator had lots of coffee today 🙂 

 

Each ride is ~ 15 minutes.  Guess I should have included that...  

[DonnaK]

Thank you for sharing your experience with us!  I thoroughly enjoyed your review.

 

When we sailed with Royal back in November, all vaccinated passengers had to wear a wrist band.  Is that still the case?  If so, are the wrist bands issued on Odyssey the slip on/off silicone type, or the fabric one that ties on?  

[vacationlover_mn]

8 hours ago, TwinMamainMN said:

@vacationlover_mn - no, she's not local. She's in Toronto. Hubby and I cruised in Feb/March 2011 on a Carnival sailing. Our table mates in the MDR were a couple from Toronto and super nice. Fast forward a few years, and she becomes a TA. We've kept in touch thanks to social media, so now we use her for cruise stuff. She's successfully moved our payment dates out a few times waiting for FCC to be applied, among other things. If you want her contact info, you can DM me. I just got a message from her today, and she's currently sailing (on Liberty, I think).

Ugh- it appears the DM feature is still turned off 😞

[twangster]

Just now, DonnaK said:

Thank you for sharing your experience with us!  I thoroughly enjoyed your review.

 

When we sailed with Royal back in November, all vaccinated passengers had to wear a wrist band.  Is that still the case?  If so, are the wrist bands issued on Odyssey the slip on/off silicone type, or the fabric one that ties on?  

 

Fabric version.  

 

As soon as they hand me the vax band but before putting it on I pull the band all the way through the black clip so the band and clip separate.  The black clip has teeth that only allow it to tighten so you have to pull the band in what would be the tighten direction until the entire band slips through the clip.  Do this before putting the vax band on your wrist.

 

I set the black clip aside and use my watch band to secure the vax band.  

 

 

With my watch band open I lay the two ends of the vax band across and under the excess of the watch band before I place the watch band closed.  

 

 

Then I fold the ends of the vax band under the watch band between the watch band and my skin.  This secures it so it doesn't fall off.

 

 

In this way I can take off the vax band to shower so it doesn't get wet.  The black clip is gone so it isn't in the way as I type on a keyboard or do anything with my hand and the tails of the vax band are tucked away so they can't dangle into my dinner.

 

[John&LaLa]

19 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

The operator had lots of coffee today 🙂 

 

Each ride is ~ 15 minutes.  Guess I should have included that...  

 

Just sent request to concierge for our reservation.  Laura wanted Aruba late morning 

[vacationlover_mn]

Are wow bands still a thing?  Are they on odyssey?  If so, I wonder if grand suite has them for free?

[vacationlover_mn]

Just now, John&LaLa said:

 

Just sent request to concierge for our reservation.  Laura wanted Aruba late morning 

The concierge will reach out to us a few days before the cruise, right?

[twangster]

1 minute ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Are wow bands still a thing?  Are they on odyssey?  If so, I wonder if grand suite has them for free?

 

Wow bands were never implemented on Odyssey.  The app has a digital key much like some hotel apps.  It's been as flaky as hotel digitals keys have been for me so I don't use it. 

 

The app on Odyssey can control the cabin TV.  In JS and above the app can control more such as the A/C.   

[twangster]

Perfect Day

 

[Knee Deep]

We're onboard next month and will not be purchasing VOOM. Odyssey is not an available choice for the ship-to-shore (888) 724-7447 service. Is there an alternative for family members to contact us in an emergency?

[jagsfan]

@twangster
I’ve seen all of your wonderful photos except post 164. Anyone else faced with a blank rectangle, and any idea why? 
Edited to say I went back and looked again, and surprise! a great video!

Edited January 24, 2022 by jagsfan

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, vacationlover_mn said:

The concierge will reach out to us a few days before the cruise, right?

 

We heard 1 week out. This past Saturday

[John&LaLa]

59 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Wow bands were never implemented on Odyssey.  The app has a digital key much like some hotel apps.  It's been as flaky as hotel digitals keys have been for me so I don't use it. 

 

The app on Odyssey can control the cabin TV.  In JS and above the app can control more such as the A/C.   

 

Yea, I saw a video on the OS. Looking forward to annoying my wife 🙂 

[derorim]

42 minutes ago, twangster said:

Perfect Day

 

 

Wow.  How did you do this? 

[Oceansaway17]

On 1/22/2022 at 4:38 PM, John&LaLa said:

We do this on 29th

 

Now I don't need to take pictures🤣🤣

what - you are going again so soon.  Poor Belle.

I agree on photos as Twangster's are wonderful.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

As soon as they hand me the vax band but before putting it on I pull the band all the way through the black clip so the band and clip separate.  The black clip has teeth that only allow it to tighten so you have to pull the band in what would be the tighten direction until the entire band slips through the clip.

 

So the entire loop will fit through the clip?

[John&LaLa]

2 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

what - you are going again so soon.  Poor Belle.

I agree on photos as Twangster's are wonderful.

 

Bella lives large in our absence. 😉

[Oceansaway17]

On 1/23/2022 at 11:07 AM, twangster said:

I like all ships. I don’t know that Q class is my favorite but only because I don’t have a favorite.  I like moving between classes and finding the differences in each that are unique to that class.  
 

I like that Q class is different from other ships but I also like the new ship feel and modern decor that all Q class have.  
 

I like the cabin layout and on sea days showering with a clear view out the balcony.  
 

In terms of Odyssey I love the open MDR compared to the closed in MDR on the non-ultra sisters.

 

I like that deck 5 is a convenient way to avoid the Esplanade when it’s busy.  I wish there was a similar Promenade bypass on O class.  
 

I like North Star.  In bucket list destinations it’s really nice but even around the Caribbean it’s nice to get up high and see the port area.  
 

I like the touch less elevator buttons on Odyssey.  Some have issues but they simply work for me.  
 

The Music Hall is better on Q class than the O class that have one.  
 

I like the Windjammer on this class.  Unfortunately Odyssey doesn't have outdoor WJ seating like her older sisters.  Not a fan of the Oasis WJ.  
 

I like Cafe270 breakfast and lunch items, more than Park Cafe on O class.  

Aft views from Two70 on sea days are pretty great.  
 

I love the shows on Odyssey.  Fantastic entertainment.  Most technologically advanced theaters on this ship, even better than Spectrum.  

 

I’d get tired sailing the same class over and over.  I like sailing something different.  

 

 

And I bet you still miss the small Empress of the Seas that was sold.  I enjoyed your review of her.

I was on Ovation on that famous May 2019 cruise.  I am scheduled to go on Odyssey early April so I am looking forward to seeing the changes.  I guess seaplex is noisier now.  And I still wish they had that 2nd pool covered because bad weather can happen in the Caribbeean too.

I am most excited to see the new shows too.  Getting tired of the same shows on Anthem (done 3 times now).

 

So the connecting doors you showed were Junior suites right?