Great ports, ship not so much…

Item: Odyssey of the Seas
Rating: 4
Author: daveandbunny

Odyssey of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

daveandbunny

Contributor Level: Purser

18 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 25

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

8 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 04, 2021

Ship: Odyssey of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8262

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Love the ports. Food was great except for MDR. Rooms and theaters too cramped. Pubs and entwas great, Don’t miss the comedy shows. Outdoor activities were good too. I won’t choose this ship again unless it is going to ports I can’t get to on another ship. I hope they discontinue the Odyssey class of ships.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Horrible, only two people at customs checking in thousands of people. Having to show your documents 3 times before you get on. No personnel around you are cleared to go on board to tell you where to go. Don’t bother purchasing the KEY, you end up in the same line anyways. No advantage at all either on board.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Main dining rooms we just ok, not up to RC standards pre Covid. We avoided them. Specialty restaurants were excellent. The buffet which was never RC’s strong suit, was better than average. It stinks having to be served and a totally unnecessary precaution. We were really looking forward to spending a lot of time in playmakers, but it’s a duel purpose room meaning that you are not going to be able to go there and enjoy a burger and beer and have conversation. Much too loud due to the activities going on at the sports floor. With the commotion going on combined with the announcers voice over the loud speakers you have no chance to watch your team or any sporting event and hear the commentary. Horrible set up.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Pools are always too cold, they could heat them like they do in the Solarium. A smaller ship means that you struggle for chairs if you want to sun bathe, and that was with less than 3000 people on board. Another casualty is the running track, the ship is too small to provide anything more than a true walking area. You’ll have to hit the treadmill in the gym. On the days we went to the rock climbing wall and the flow rider they was almost no wait that was a great experience.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

We saw all the shows, and they were worth seeing. The “BOOK” was technologically very nice but no storyline of actually any spoken words. It was so confusing that the cruise director came out AFTER the show to explain what you just watched. The comedy performances were the best I’ve seen on the season some time. And both shows were different so I’d make sure you’d book both asap. All the shows you had to get their earlier than usual if you wanted a good seat, Royal Theater the seats are comfortable but they have half the aisles closed! Probably a Covid thing again, and there is not much leg room unless you are in the first row near the glass. I thought the drink holders were poorly designed forcing you to hold your drinks until you were finished. The wait staff really had a hard time serving you if you were in the middle of the row. The musicians and music in the the pubs were all very good and you had some nice choices for different types of music.

Children's Programs

No kids

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Our service was good. The waitstaff in the pubs was efficient. Our room steward was attentive. We were all frustrated by the lack of knowledge of the ships general workings. The staff you interacted with couldn’t answer simple questions about the ships workings or programs. Are the pools heated? Is there an up charge for certain items on the menu? When will the towel stations be open? Every question had to be answered by a person in a white shirt. Where is this ….. located? Over all it was frustrating being on a new ship, usually it’s RC’s most experienced staff. Certainly not up to RC’s usual standards.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ship very clean! It’s new of course it is. They did a nice job on the outside decks. The pool area is nice but, they have to fix the smoking area. They need to get them away and seclude them it’s a shame that you can smell that smoke over a good portion of the pool deck. And depending on the wind it drifts up the stairs near the North Star. The Casino also needs to have the smoking machines walled off. At least out the away from the table games. The variety of machines was lacking. Rows of the same games, just not interesting.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Poor layout and design, IE too small. Shower bathroom area seems like it was the smallest I’ve ever been in. The bed almost hit the wall and you had to turn sideways to get past. This room was an “extra large balcony “ and was a huge waste of money. The ship being smaller meant the life boats are on the outside of the ship blocking your view of the gangway’s and oceans when at sea. Typically the best decks are 7-8-9 cause most indoor things are on the lower decks. I wasn’t happy at all though with this room. I will say the bed was comfortable, that was probably the most important thing.

Ship tip

This is not one of RC’s better designed ships. I imagine the things that can be improved will be in the next year or so. 1. Don’t bother with the KEY until the Covid protocol is over. 2. Stay away from the rooms with the angled balconies. 3. Keep your room selection mid or aft on the ship location. The design of the ship for the front allows a tremendous amount of wind, more than usual. 4.if you must sail this ship, consider a JS grade room, it will be worth it for the extra room you get. 5. Book your shows early as you can. 6. Have lunch at both Chops and Giovanni’s it’s wonderful. The English Pub was our favorite venue, with a great Musician and great bar staff, Dennis there really took care of us.

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