A different perspective on the Odyssey

[crewsweeper]

Just  curious, but doesn't the spa have showers and locker rooms?  I know the other Oasis class ships have them.  That's where I go after the gym and to get ready for dinner.    Also early morning gym user.  Usually right when they open. 

Are the rowing machines the crappy LifeFitness things with poor monitors or have they staid with the C2s?

So glad to hear the Solarium Bistro is open.  And thanks for the tips on the Wine Bar.   We're UDP but probably making those 2 places our choice for dinner on a couple of nights.   Can't wait to try 270 for breakfast and lunch.   

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

20 hours ago, joand452 said:

We’ll be taking DH’s walker with us for the first time next month. We have an aft balcony cabin on Celebrity Apex (almost same ship as Odyssey), and we’re worried about the distance to the elevator. After a day or so, he’ll be okay and leave it in the cabin. Fortunately, we’re on Harmony the following week and are very near the elevator. 

Yep, I suspect distance to the elevators would be crucial on an Oasis class! Even on Odyssey, I was usually ready to sit down & stretch by the time we got back to the cabin. I only used the walker once while onboard but I was sure glad to have it just in case.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

10 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Just  curious, but doesn't the spa have showers and locker rooms?  I know the other Oasis class ships have them.  That's where I go after the gym and to get ready for dinner.    Also early morning gym user.  Usually right when they open. 

Are the rowing machines the crappy LifeFitness things with poor monitors or have they staid with the C2s?

So glad to hear the Solarium Bistro is open.  And thanks for the tips on the Wine Bar.   We're UDP but probably making those 2 places our choice for dinner on a couple of nights.   Can't wait to try 270 for breakfast and lunch.   

The spa did have a locker/changing area, but no showers that I could see. 😕 They also seem to have gone out of their way to make it inconvenient for people to just walk in and use.

 

DH says they are C2 rowing machines.

 

And yes, I was super happy about the Solarium Bistro! It only opened one cruise before ours so that was a very pleasant surprise. 🙂 I hope you enjoy Café 270 as well!

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Activities

DH definitely took advantage of the Quantum class perks!  He did the iFLY skydiving simulator, bumper cars, Zone Zero virtual reality game and rock climbing wall. None of that was an option for me, but I did do the North Star without him. 😉

 

iFLY

This was what he was looking forward to the most, and it didn’t disappoint, although he did say that it’s an awful lot of prep time for one minute of flight! But it was lots of fun for him, and lots of fun for me to watch (and film!). The instructor also did a pretty cool acrobatics demonstration when everyone in the group had finished. The only bummer was that while they do have ship photographers taking pictures, they’re not included in the photo packages. DH decided that he really didn’t need to spend $50 on pictures of himself with wind tunnel cheeks. 😁  Reservations are required, and can go pretty quickly for the complimentary sessions on port days, so it should be one of the first things you do when you board.

 

Bumper cars

No reservations required, and while the line can get pretty long at times, it moves quickly since 10-15 people go at a time. Pretty typical age/height/weight restrictions.

 

Zone Zero

This was probably his favorite of the activities. Reservations also go SUPER fast for this. You work as a team, and it’s essentially being inside of a video game. The cost was $18, and the game itself lasts around 15 minutes.

 

Rock climbing wall

Since this is kind of “old news” with all the new bells & whistles, it wasn’t open all that often. Consequently there were sometimes longish lines, but three people can go at once so that line moves pretty fast too.

 

North Star

This was the only time I broke out the walker while on the ship, since standing in place is much harder than walking. Unfortunately, I discovered that you can’t bring your own devices into the pod—you have to transfer to a wheelchair that they strap into place. So while I got great views of the pool deck right in front of me, that was all I could really see since everyone else was lining the windows to the left and right. Oh well. It was still fun. And please enjoy the one picture I was able to get! 😊

 

 

Games

We only did two games: a Friends trivia contest, which had a good mix of difficulty in the questions, and had the typical keychain as the prize. 😁

 

The other was called the Royal Mystery Puzzle Challenge. The logo in the app was a jigsaw puzzle, so we probably would have skipped right over it if I didn’t already know that it was an escape room type of game. You had 45 minutes instead of an hour, and it was pretty tough. Only one group finished, in fact. So if you’re super competitive, you’ll definitely want to create your own group (up to ten people) and play to each member’s strengths. For example, DH is a suduko whiz, but the group “captain” (whom he had just met) randomly handed out the puzzles so he didn’t get that one. But if you just want to have some fun and enjoy the 270 view on a sea day, it’s a great way to spend an hour!

 

In the next installment: entertainment.

[LuCruise]

Great hearing your thoughts on the activities.  Am glad too to hear the description of puzzle break. I noticed it being offered as well on Anthem (looking at the app) and wondered what it was.  Sounds like fun.

Cool picture from the North Star!

[crewsweeper]

Appreciate your updates on activities.

Hadn't thought of doing Zone Zero, but iFly and North Star are on our lists. as is bumper cars. Lots of sea days to enjoy these.  Knees and wife will keep me away from the Rock Wall.😒  And looking forward to using those C2s as I finish out the C2 year edging ever closer to the 20 million meters mark.👍

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

11 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Appreciate your updates on activities.

Hadn't thought of doing Zone Zero, but iFly and North Star are on our lists. as is bumper cars. Lots of sea days to enjoy these.  Knees and wife will keep me away from the Rock Wall.😒  And looking forward to using those C2s as I finish out the C2 year edging ever closer to the 20 million meters mark.👍

Heh heh ... glad your wife is looking out for the well-being of your knees. 😄 

 

And WOW, 20 million meters--that is impressive!! Maybe you should celebrate by going on a cruise or something. 😉 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Entertainment

We saw The Book, The Effectors, the Two70 Experience, the virtual symphony concert, and two headliners who probably aren’t onboard anymore so I won’t waste your time reviewing them. 😉

 

Now … as we all know, if there’s anything more subjective than good food, it’s good entertainment! 😁 So I’ll try to focus on information that might be helpful as you decide whether or not a given show would be a good fit for you.

 

The Book

This is probably the most polarizing of the Odyssey entertainment lineup. If you go in expecting to find a plot or a cohesive thread, you’re sure to be disappointed. Fortunately I already knew that, so I quite enjoyed what it was: a series of distinct vignettes with a wide variety of musical styles, impressive technology and a good dose of surreal whimsy. But it did get off to a rather slow start, so if you decide to try it, just don’t leave in the first few minutes thinking that’s all there is!

 

The Effectors

Also not much of a plot—basically a series of dance numbers set to pop songs, loosely constructed around comic book-style heroes defeating a villain and his minions—and once again, very impressive technology.  BUT … oh my goodness it was L O U D. 😳 Fortunately I had been warned and came equipped with ear plugs, because I wouldn’t have made it through two minutes otherwise. Granted, I have noise sensitivity issues, but DH does not and it was borderline uncomfortable for him.

 

Two70 Experience

I hesitated over grouping this with the entertainment, because a lot of it was a demonstration of the technology. But it also had some entertainment aspects, and I quite enjoyed them. So if you’re a techie person you would probably love it.

 

Virtual symphony

I was actually surprised at how much I liked this! With the size of the screen and the quality of the audio, it really did feel like a live performance. There was definitely a pop culture emphasis—a medley of John Williams movie themes, West Side Story, Rhapsody in Blue, a couple of Aaron Copeland pieces—so if you’re expecting a classical repertoire you might be disappointed, but we both enjoyed it a lot.

 

In the next installment: ports.

[Kathscof]

On 2/28/2022 at 6:51 PM, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

 

The Italian dishes are a bit more hit-or-miss and seem to depend more on the chef. The lasagne al forno tends to be closer to Italian than American-style, and the Bolognese sauce is sometimes surprisingly close to the real thing—or at least the Apulia version of Bolognese, which admittedly is not where Bologna is located. 😉 The antipasti appetizer has always knocked it out of the park, and while nothing can touch an insalata caprese made with fresh Mediterranean tomatoes, I do enjoy the ship’s version too. I tried the cheese tortelloni once, but was not impressed.  

I’m always like “that’s not how it tastes in Campania!” And then I also remember that.....maybe Campania does it wrong, or I guess....they do it their “own” way......like how Rome thinks they have good pizza HAHHAHAHAHA

[flamingos]

59 minutes ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

If you go in expecting to find a plot or a cohesive thread, you’re sure to be disappointed.

Yeah, there was that.  I loved each scene indeed, but it would have been so easy to have it wrap up in the theme.  They missed the boat on that one, so to speak. 

 

The Effectors was fun, but it was indeed loud.

 

 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

34 minutes ago, Kathscof said:

 I guess....they do it their “own” way......like how Rome thinks they have good pizza HAHHAHAHAHA

🤣 😂 😂 Ohhhh thanks for that laugh!! There are many things I love about Rome. Their pizza definitely ain't one of them. 😁

[Kfamilycruise]

On 3/3/2022 at 7:16 PM, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

Activities

DH definitely took advantage of the Quantum class perks!  He did the iFLY skydiving simulator, bumper cars, Zone Zero virtual reality game and rock climbing wall. None of that was an option for me, but I did do the North Star without him. 😉

 

iFLY

This was what he was looking forward to the most, and it didn’t disappoint, although he did say that it’s an awful lot of prep time for one minute of flight! But it was lots of fun for him, and lots of fun for me to watch (and film!). The instructor also did a pretty cool acrobatics demonstration when everyone in the group had finished. The only bummer was that while they do have ship photographers taking pictures, they’re not included in the photo packages. DH decided that he really didn’t need to spend $50 on pictures of himself with wind tunnel cheeks. 😁  Reservations are required, and can go pretty quickly for the complimentary sessions on port days, so it should be one of the first things you do when you board.

 

Bumper cars

No reservations required, and while the line can get pretty long at times, it moves quickly since 10-15 people go at a time. Pretty typical age/height/weight restrictions.

 

Zone Zero

This was probably his favorite of the activities. Reservations also go SUPER fast for this. You work as a team, and it’s essentially being inside of a video game. The cost was $18, and the game itself lasts around 15 minutes.

 

Rock climbing wall

Since this is kind of “old news” with all the new bells & whistles, it wasn’t open all that often. Consequently there were sometimes longish lines, but three people can go at once so that line moves pretty fast too.

 

North Star

This was the only time I broke out the walker while on the ship, since standing in place is much harder than walking. Unfortunately, I discovered that you can’t bring your own devices into the pod—you have to transfer to a wheelchair that they strap into place. So while I got great views of the pool deck right in front of me, that was all I could really see since everyone else was lining the windows to the left and right. Oh well. It was still fun. And please enjoy the one picture I was able to get! 😊

 

 

Games

We only did two games: a Friends trivia contest, which had a good mix of difficulty in the questions, and had the typical keychain as the prize. 😁

 

The other was called the Royal Mystery Puzzle Challenge. The logo in the app was a jigsaw puzzle, so we probably would have skipped right over it if I didn’t already know that it was an escape room type of game. You had 45 minutes instead of an hour, and it was pretty tough. Only one group finished, in fact. So if you’re super competitive, you’ll definitely want to create your own group (up to ten people) and play to each member’s strengths. For example, DH is a suduko whiz, but the group “captain” (whom he had just met) randomly handed out the puzzles so he didn’t get that one. But if you just want to have some fun and enjoy the 270 view on a sea day, it’s a great way to spend an hour!

 

In the next installment: entertainment.

Thanks so much for your review. I've heard Zone Zero is very hard to reserve. Did you go to the location of the game itself on embarkation day to reserve?

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

47 minutes ago, Kfamilycruise said:

Thanks so much for your review. I've heard Zone Zero is very hard to reserve. Did you go to the location of the game itself on embarkation day to reserve?

Yes, the reservations definitely go fast! We stopped by the location on embarkation day but there was nobody there, then we got distracted, and by the time we checked the app they were all sold out. DH lucked out later in the cruise, though--either somebody canceled or they added another session, and he was the lucky one who snapped it up. 🙂 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Ports

This would be a good time to mention that DH and I are relative newlyweds, and the bulk of my cruising history was in my “past life.” 😉 Fortunately I cruised on several different lines, so I was only Diamond—if I was Pinnacle, I would have wondered about his motives in marrying me! 🤣 But it does impact some of our cruising choices, particularly while in port, since he is somewhat of a newbie and I am not.

 

Coco Cay

This was the one port where I most desperately wanted to replace some memories. We tried once before, but Hurricane Dorian had other plans. 😥 So I was delighted that this was the ONE port in our original itinerary that did not change!

 

First, accessibility: I knew that my walker wouldn’t be an option, but everything worked great! The trams that take you up & down the pier were pretty much constantly arriving, so I didn’t have to wait. At the terminal where you switch to the island loop tram, there were beach wheelchairs just sitting outside. I’m accustomed to having to formally check such things out and leave an ID or something, but then again, how exactly would you steal such a thing?? 😁 DH says they worked surprisingly well on the sand, but were a bit harder to push on the sidewalks. So I walked as much as I comfortably could while going to get food etc.

 

However, there are a couple of things to be aware of if mobility is an issue. First, the tram loop doesn’t take you everywhere on the island, and it doesn’t go anywhere near Chill Island, where our day bed was located. Also, the snack shacks (which I HAD to go to, since I was craving mozzarella sticks and funnel cake 😋) are quite a hike. It worked for us since I am semi-independently mobile, but would have been problematic if I were more dependent on the wheelchair.

 

Now for the day bed, which was simultaneously our favorite part of the day and the biggest disappointment!  Pros: it was SUPER comfortable, with wedge pillows and throw pillows which I also used for back support on the provided loungers. The cooler with four cans of water was a very nice touch as well, and while we didn’t end up using the floating mats, it was nice to know we could. 🙂 Most of all, it was nice to know that we didn’t have to worry about staking out prime real estate with the Odyssey and the Oasis both there. And, come on … when this is your view, how can it not be pretty much a perfect day??

 

 

The reason it was a disappointment for us may or may not apply to you. For me, shade is a big deal, and we didn’t get nearly as much as I had hoped. I had subconsciously equated warm weather with summer, and a sun trajectory with the sun directly overhead at noon. Yeah, that doesn’t happen in February. 😉 So we never got much shade from the roof, and none at all from the curtains--the wind was pretty brisk and anytime we untied them, they were flying all over the place.  So my visions of spending a few hours in a shaded, semi-private space with a perfect sea view didn’t quite materialize. Would we book the day bed again? I’m not sure… but if we did, I would take into account the sun’s trajectory based on the time of year, and come equipped with lots of clothes pins for the curtains! 

 

Costa Maya

Since DH had never visited any Mayan ruins before, but I did a couple in my pre-walker days, I didn’t want him to miss the chance. So he booked the Chacchoben ruins tour and had a great time. FYI, they do charge a fee if you want to take videos of the site, but it only applies to Go Pros or anything more professional than that. If you’re snapping pics on your phone and you get a video snippet as well, that’s not a problem. Nice bathroom facilities, with an attendant and tip jar, and a small tourist shop. He brought two bottles of water with him and used every drop, even though it wasn’t extremely hot. Bring good shoes, water, sunscreen and bug repellant!

 

After he returned from his excursion, we went together to check out the little port area, but that was a bit of a bust. While not exactly cobblestone, it was pretty rough & uneven. My walker gave me enough jolts that it did more harm than good. So we pretty quickly turned around and went back to the ship, but … I hadn’t been to Costa Maya before, so now I can say that I have! 🙂

 

Cozumel

Unlike Costa Maya, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been to Cozumel. 😉 We were quite content to just enjoy the ship with half the crowds. And I took one of the greatest video clips of all time: I scanned over the port in front of us, then focused in on DH’s phone showing the current weather in our hometown: 20 degrees and snowing! 😁

 

In the next installment: miscellaneous tidbits and final thoughts.

[Magicat]

I have asked this on another thread with no response, but did you notice if the panel between balconies could be opened?

[CaroleC]

On 2/28/2022 at 1:36 AM, flamingos said:

I haven't gotten a massage on Royal ships for 20 years because the upsell is sooooo annoying.

Exactly the reason why I stopped getting them. Massages used to be one the highlights of a cruise for me but it gradually got to the point where I felt it just wasn’t worth it because of the upsell pressure.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

1 hour ago, Magicat said:

I have asked this on another thread with no response, but did you notice if the panel between balconies could be opened?

I'm afraid I didn't notice, sorry.

[islandercruiser]

On 2/28/2022 at 5:37 PM, flamingos said:

Same.  I really love having the same waitstaff every night.

We are the same.  To me it’s all part of the cruise experience.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Miscellanea

 

Drinks

As I mentioned, I’m a water and herbal tea kind of gal. The water from the bars and our Diamond amenity was plastic bottles, but the water provided with our Coco Cay bed was aluminum cans.

The herbal tea selection is pretty sparse—most places just had chamomile and mint, but the Promenade Café also had some very tasty raspberry. All Bigelow brand.

 

I did however try two mocktails: one virgin lava flow at Coco Cay, and the signature drink at the Lime & Coconut made with club soda instead of rum. I didn’t try that one until the last night, which is probably a good thing because MAN was it delicious!! I could easily have gone through a dozen more of those. 😉 And I can confirm that with the new voucher system for Diamond drinks, you aren’t presented with anything to sign, so you need to come prepared with cash for tips. Which leads me to the next issue …

 

ATM

We went through more tip money than expected, for a couple of reasons. I know that tipping is a loaded issue and I don’t want to stir the pot. But our perspective is this: if we can afford to cruise, and it isn’t a once in a lifetime thing that requires us to save for years, the value of a $1, $5 or $20 bill is much different for us than it is for the people who make our cruises so amazing. That has always been true, but especially since they were all unemployed for a year & a half. 😕

 

Anyway … on our final day we realized that our remaining cash didn’t match what we wanted to put in certain envelopes. But unfortunately, the ATM was not working. It didn’t say it was out of service or anything, it just got down to the final step and then printed out a receipt saying “Transaction denied.” We tried four different debit and credit cards and got the same result. 🤨 I was even willing to brave the casino to buy chips and cash them in, but you can’t do that anymore—you have to actually play first. So we just used the cash we had and wrote them notes of appreciation, but I won’t make the mistake again of relying on the ATM!

 

Overall impressions

In a nutshell: the Odyssey rocks! 😄 She isn’t quite brand-new anymore and some of that “new ship smell” has worn off, but I loved virtually everything about this ship—with the exception of the spa and fitness center issues I mentioned earlier. And while each class of ship has their pros and cons, I think the Quantum class might be that Goldilocks “just right” for us.

 

In this phase of my career, cruises can’t be longer than a week, or happen more than once every year or two. So I don’t currently have the luxury of booking “tide me over” cruises that I’m not super excited about—they really need to pack a punch. And this cruise definitely delivered. 😊

 

Happy to answer whatever questions I can!

[FionaMG]

Thanks for sharing your cruise. I found your report to be very interesting. As a non-drinker, I may just give the mocktails you mentioned a try. We board Odyssey in 62 days! 😊

[cruizzing]

On 3/5/2022 at 2:17 PM, Magicat said:

I have asked this on another thread with no response, but did you notice if the panel between balconies could be opened?

Previous cruisers reported yes.

[perfect match]

Thanks for your report. I’ve enjoyed seeing her from your point of view. Hope we get to see her for ourselves soon. I just need to find a way to fit another cruise into our schedule. I’m highly motivated, but it may be a while. However, we will get there! 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

2 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Thanks for sharing your cruise. I found your report to be very interesting. As a non-drinker, I may just give the mocktails you mentioned a try. We board Odyssey in 62 days! 😊

My pleasure, I'm glad you found it useful! I hope you enjoy the ship as much as we did. 🙂

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

11 minutes ago, perfect match said:

Thanks for your report. I’ve enjoyed seeing her from your point of view. Hope we get to see her for ourselves soon. I just need to find a way to fit another cruise into our schedule. I’m highly motivated, but it may be a while. However, we will get there! 

You're very welcome, and I hope you get the first-hand experience as well! You know what they say, where there's a will, there's a way. 😄

[livingonthebeach]

5 hours ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

...Anyway … on our final day we realized that our remaining cash didn’t match what we wanted to put in certain envelopes. But unfortunately, the ATM was not working. It didn’t say it was out of service or anything, it just got down to the final step and then printed out a receipt saying “Transaction denied.” We tried four different debit and credit cards and got the same result. 🤨 I was even willing to brave the casino to buy chips and cash them in, but you can’t do that anymore—you have to actually play first. So we just used the cash we had and wrote them notes of appreciation, but I won’t make the mistake again of relying on the ATM!

 

If you go to any slot machine in the casino you can charge any amount to your cabin and then immediately cash out. Take the cash out voucher to the cashier and collect your cash. There is no fee for this like the ATM machine. The cash amount gets charged to the credit card on file and no extra fees from the CC company either. Best way to get cash that I've found.