I Lost Ten Pounds on a Transatlantic

[Morecruisesplz]

19 minutes ago, loman said:

Sounds like the OP picked the wrong ship and cruise line to their liking. 

RC is no longer meeting their needs.

RC seems to be catering to a younger demographic anyway.

Fortunately, there are many other lines to chose from.

Not sure about that "younger" thing. We are just back from a 14 night TA,  Barcelona to FLL. There were a fair share of younger people and more children than I would have expected on a 2 week cruise with only 3 port days.  I think Royal appeals to all ages.

[Mum2Mercury]

5 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

My grandmother still insists on taking a “brisk” walk for 30 minutes a day and she’s 97.

I suspect taking the walk every day is why she's able to take the walk every day. 

That was oddly worded, but you know where I'm saying.  

[taglovestocruise]

5 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

 

The ship is way too big (long) for "guests" over 25 years old and obviously designed for playtime.  Takes a long time to get to a venue from just about anywhere.  Our cabin was on the hump of the forward.midship elevators and the last 5 days we did not go aft of the after elevators except once to eat at Giovannis.  Terrible layout designed only to accommodate the play yards.  First 2/3rds of the transit we did attend enrichment lectures in 270.  A crazy place where the large windows let the sun in right in your face.  Uncomfortable seating, as well.

 

 

We are 74 and 70.  50+ nights on Oasis Class, mostly transatlantic.  Oasis Class is by far our favorite. Last year we did 17 nights on Quantum/Ovation and found those ships to be to small for us.  We always book on deck 12 forward hump on Oasis Class and love it.  I will agree 270 has a terrible layout, but Vintages on Quantum class is our favorite bar and it was our go to spot after every show. 

[Morecruisesplz]

11 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

 I don’t care for the inward facing mega ships full of attractions. Celebrity.

So book an outside balcony! No need to rush to the "old people's cruise line" before you have to. We enjoy aft Boardwalk balconies to be able to see the activity below, watch kids master the climbing wall and to be able to watch Aqua Theater shows from our balcony. Oh, and aft cabin means that its easy to get your steps in. At least half the time we are walking the entire ship when we go to the cabin.

[SoloAlaska]

2 minutes ago, Morecruisesplz said:

So book an outside balcony! No need to rush to the "old people's cruise line" before you have to. We enjoy aft Boardwalk balconies to be able to see the activity below, watch kids master the climbing wall and to be able to watch Aqua Theater shows from our balcony. Oh, and aft cabin means that its easy to get your steps in. At least half the time we are walking the entire ship when we go to the cabin.

I’m not one to sit in my room all day but I enjoy seeing the water when I’m having a drink at the martini bar or enjoying dinner etc. I wouldn’t call Celebrity “old people line” but it’s more of a mellow/adult vibe. 

[edrussell]

As we age our tastes and preferences change.  From the food we eat, to entertainment, people we associated with etc.  Stands to reason that our tastes in vacation will 100% change.  HOL definitely has the well known reputation for catering to a particular demographic.  Seems to me that you value in a cruise line has indeed changed and it is time to change lines.  Most of your complaints appear on the surface to be slanted towards personal preferences (of course that can be said about most gripes) rather than deep seeded ship problems.  My only question would be was it a surprise to you how regarding the ship layout?  That information is readily available to anyone and with your status the way that most RCCL are laid out as well as their amenities surely was well known.  All the best in whatever line you do decide to cruise on.  You and your wife have certainly earned it!

 

[BND]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

OP says over 80. Big difference for over 60 and over 80. Let us know in 20 years if it's still as easy. Hard to predict.

 

I can understand how someone in their 80s thinks it's hard to get around. .. having been around my folks at that age. 

Nope.  This is what I was referring to.  "The ship is way too big (long) for "guests" over 25 years old and obviously designed for playtime. "

[ONECRUISER]

4 hours ago, sjb317 said:

We were also on the Odyssey TA and we loved it!  This was our first cruise on a Quantum class ship, wasn’t sure I was going to like it but I was totally impressed.  I think it may be my favorite Royal ship now.  Very clean, I liked the design a did not find it to be a long walk to most of the places I wanted to go. 
 

I wish I had lost 10 lbs on this cruise.😂  This was our 6th cruise for 2023 and we thought  the food was the best we have had since the new menu.  Chops, Giovanni’s, and the MDR were all very good in our opinion.  Prior to this cruise, I had found myself becoming more and more negative regarding the decline in Royal’s food.
 

I agree with you the theater was not very comfortable, also, balcony seating had very obstructed viewing, especially on the sides.  I thought seating in 270 was pretty comfy.

 

We are planning to book another cruise on this ship.

 

Sherri🙂

 

 

 

 

 

My Daughter and her Families Favorite Class. Me, will stick with the smaller Ships til they are gone

[lovesthebeach2]

We were on the same TA and have a totally different view of the cruise, and the ship! Loved it! And this was not our first or last TA on Odyssey. It’s probably our favorite ship.

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by lovesthebeach2

[lovesthebeach2]

54 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

My Daughter and her Families Favorite Class. Me, will stick with the smaller Ships til they are gone

Radiance is our favorite class and we mostly cruise just on those ships…..except when we do TAs. 

[sjb317]

1 hour ago, ONECRUISER said:

My Daughter and her Families Favorite Class. Me, will stick with the smaller Ships til they are gone

I, too, was always a fan of the smaller ships but since we resumed cruising after the pandemic, the smaller ships just seem old and not very well maintained.  I was on Grandeur for a week this summer and it was the first time I have ever felt bored on a ship. Not much to do after 5pm.  I ended up spending more time than usual in the casino which is something I typically don’t do.
 

Sherri🙂

[bretts173]

I can understand not liking something but complaining the ship was too big when it's still the same size as when you booked it. You need to understand the difference between things being bad and things not being to your taste.

[Jetdriver787]

From Southampton, we lose thousands of pounds on every Transatlantic cruise! 🤷‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🛳️

[MommaBear55]

We are in our 70's, technically on the same cruise, yet had a totally different experience. We certainly  found the 10 pounds you lost! Our dinners in Chops were amazing, we changed our reservations away from Giovanni's because of the poor quality food there. I would agree with you on the Solarium Bistro. 

 

The ship is a good size for us, but we're used to walking 15,000 steps a day. We love everything about the 270. Never noticed problems with the seats in the theater, at 5' 8" we find them comfortable.

 

We also had to go to medical 4 separate times because we got the respiratory crud running amok on the ship and the care was excellent on each visit. The cost, when compared to the US system, was a bargain.  

 

I really hope you find what you are looking for. My husband and I certainly discuss what our options will be when we just cannot keep up any more. I've heard good things about the Cunard ships, but they just go back and forth. Good luck on HAL. 

[3yorkies]

Good luck on Holland.  It has the most bland tasteless food I have ever eaten.   I accused them of forgetting to even put salt on the ship.   And if you can find a restaurant on land where you can get a filet for $20.00 good luck.    I love the Chops and Giovannis lunch, as they have almost the same food for half the price.  

[Dan83]

We were also on the Odyssey TA. I found your 10 pounds. I should have turned them into guest services but I decided to take them home. I was just going to post here on cruise critic and offer to mail them to the rightful owner. 
 

In all seriousness though. We had a good time and opted to switch next Fall’s Oasis TA to the Odyssey TA. I still like the Oasis class ships a little better but the Odyssey is a nice ship. I don’t think it disperses the crowds as well as an Oasis ship does. I don’t think I would sail Odyssey on a holiday sailing at max capacity. 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Dan83

[HBE4]

5 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I suspect taking the walk every day is why she's able to take the walk every day. 

That was oddly worded, but you know where I'm saying.  

 

A body in motion stays in motion. 

 

[fizzywm]

Gotta love when someone on CruiseCritic posts a critical review and basically gets told it’s their fault. Sure, you can and should research the size, layout, and amenities of a ship before you board. But I think a D+ member has a good idea of what to expect from the food. Some ships/sailings do have worse food than others. I think I’d be upset about the treatment from the medical center as well.

 

For what it’s worth I almost always lose a couple of pounds. I’ve never found the food to be particularly great, but on a couple of sailings I could barely even fill up.

Edited November 17, 2023 by fizzywm

[bethco]

I too had a very different experience on this transatlantic.  I only put on 3 pounds!  I made new friends, played a lot of trivia,  found the hot croissants in the WJ, and just had a darn good time.  This cruise was the most fun I have had in a lot of cruises.  The food, to me, was the best I have had on a ship in years.  No, it wasn't always the best food I have ever eaten, but I never went hungry.

[lovesthebeach2]

11 hours ago, Dan83 said:

We were also on the Odyssey TA. I found your 10 pounds. I should have turned them into guest services but I decided to take them home. I was just going to post here on cruise critic and offer to mail them to the rightful owner. 
 

In all seriousness though. We had a good time and opted to switch next Fall’s Oasis TA to the Odyssey TA. I still like the Oasis class ships a little better but the Odyssey is a nice ship. I don’t think it disperses the crowds as well as an Oasis ship does. I don’t think I would sail Odyssey on a holiday sailing at max capacity. 

we’re booked on the TA next year as well! See you there!

[vacationlover_mn]

I know OP was talking about the Odyssey, but on a related note…

While my DH and I LOVE the big ships, I am a little worried, my mom (78) will get worn out on the oasis.  It’s not really her age, but she is a bit out of shape and has asthma.  I made sure we got a somewhat central room by the elevators and stairs, so hopefully that helps 🙂.  But, I’m 100% sure she will be blown away by how awesome everything is 🙂

[happy cruzer]

Reviews that complain about things like the rock climbing walls, flow riders, etc. always lose me.  Those things are in addition to the traditional venues.  Things do change and sometimes go missing - that could be worth a moan.  But having additional new items even that have a few associated don't really affect the rest of the cruise.

 

Love the big ships with lots to see including people watching on the "play things".  But do realize that someday mobility issues or personal preferences may mean changing to smaller ships.

[BND]

43 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

Reviews that complain about things like the rock climbing walls, flow riders, etc. always lose me.  Those things are in addition to the traditional venues.  Things do change and sometimes go missing - that could be worth a moan.  But having additional new items even that have a few associated don't really affect the rest of the cruise.

 

Love the big ships with lots to see including people watching on the "play things".  But do realize that someday mobility issues or personal preferences may mean changing to smaller ships.

I can't do rock climbing or flowrider as I injured my knee and broke my fibula 4 years ago but we still go on ships with these things, we just don't do them.  No reason to change to smaller ships.  We do smaller ships frequently due to the port (we live an hour from Baltimore) not because we can't do some things on the newer ships.  I think OP is looking at this backwards.  Enjoy what you can and don't do what you can't.  All ships have crowds at certain points/places.

Edited November 17, 2023 by BND

[The Fun Researcher]

4 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

I know OP was talking about the Odyssey, but on a related note…

While my DH and I LOVE the big ships, I am a little worried, my mom (78) will get worn out on the oasis.  It’s not really her age, but she is a bit out of shape and has asthma.  I made sure we got a somewhat central room by the elevators and stairs, so hopefully that helps 🙂.  But, I’m 100% sure she will be blown away by how awesome everything is 🙂

I had this same concern with my parents last summer on the Allure.  The massive size of the ship had me really concerned that it would just be overwhelming for them.  They were 76 and 75 at the time.  They are relatively healthy.

 

My worries were completely unfounded.  They easily found their way around the ship on their own, finding their favorite spots for morning coffee, breakfast, etc...  I was happily surprised just how easily they adjusted to the massive Allure.  After a couple of days (8 night cruise) they were pro's.  Their only other cruise prior was almost 20 years before on a MUCH smaller Celebrity ship (Summit) to Alaska.

 

Hopefully things go just as well for your mom.  Happy sailing

[cruiseboy89130]

On 11/16/2023 at 2:55 PM, Ride-The-Waves said:

This was our last/final time on an RCI ship.  We are Diamond-Plus, but is not an incentive to spend time on a horrible ship and suffer terrible overpriced service.

They will sure miss you!🥲