⚓️⚓️⚓️The Most INNOVATIVE Ship At Sea⚓️⚓️⚓️
Odyssey of the Seas Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 6
Helpful Votes: 175
8 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 29, 2022
Ship: Odyssey of the Seas
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 8640
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
Odyssey of the Seas and this Southern Caribbean itinerary go very well together⚓️⚓️⚓️ WE got the very best of both worlds, sailed on a beautiful ship as WE headed to the Southern Region of the Caribbean⚓️⚓️⚓️Embarkation
We arrived at the Port Everglades Terminal and the whole embarkation process went off without a hitch⚓️⚓️⚓️
The Port Agents were visible and knowledgeable when questions were asked of them, they kept passengers moving in the right direction according to the arrival time OR where they fell in Royal’s Loyalty Program OR if they were a Suite or Key Guest⚓️⚓️⚓️
Ship experiences
Service and Staff
The Staff and Service WE experienced aboard the Odyssey Of The Seas was Over the Top⚓️⚓️⚓️
OUR Main Dining Room waiter Jhudiel and his assistant Jannet were The BEST⚓️
They were very personable with US & paid attention to how WE liked to dine and WE truly appreciated that⚓️⚓️⚓️
OUR stateroom attendant, Neil, also very personable and took very good care of US⚓️
On embarkation day he stopped in and introduced himself, made sure WE had received OUR luggage, and wanted to know if WE had any special needs he needed to be aware of⚓️
OUR stateroom was kept very tidy & WE never had any complaints ⚓️⚓️⚓️
***For the record WE did engage with other ship personnel throughout OUR sailing and can honestly say Everyone WE encountered were professional, courteous, and genuinely pleasant to interact with***
Ship Quality
The Odyssey Of The Seas is a BEAUTIFUL ship⚓️⚓️⚓️
In OUR opinion her layout is very open and her design Screams INNOVATION⚓️
From the remote window treatments ~ to being able to gain entrance via OUR personal cellphones, WE were nothing short of IMPRESSED⚓️
AND the ship’s decor throughout matched the innovative approach that had been taken with Odyssey Very Well⚓️
The ENTIRE ship was well~maintained and kept IMMACULATE ⚓️⚓️⚓️
Cabin / Stateroom
WE stayed in Junior Suite ~ 8640 and it was the Most INNOVATIVE JS WE had stayed in to date⚓️⚓️⚓️
From electronic access ~ remote window treatments ~ electronic thermostats, OUR stateroom simply had all the imaginative bells and whistles at sea⚓️
On the Quantum Class ships the JSs have the 1 1/2 bathroom concept; in the category of JS we stayed in we had both the tub and glass enclosed stand up shower along with a sink in “FULL” bathroom and the 1/2 was the typical toilet and sink combination⚓️
The stateroom and the balcony size was typical of Junior Suites throughout the fleet, VERY open and airy as WE have grown to Love⚓️⚓️⚓️
Ship tip
Whichever shows you have on your radar to attend, arrive at least 45 minutes or MORE before it begins ⚓️⚓️⚓️
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
WE had no excursion booked for this embarkation / disembarkation port, but WE did arrive a day early and began MY birthday celebration once we touched down in Ft. Lauderdale⚓️⚓️⚓️
WE stayed at the Hyatt Centric on Las Olas Boulevard and it is an AMAZING Pre Cruise hotel, centered in the Entertainment District and walking distance to many eateries⚓️
WE stopped at The Galleria of Ft. Lauderdale ~ I was Surprised with a Birthday Celebration at Morton’s the Steakhouse ~ We Hung out on Las Olas for the remainder of the evening and had the most AMAZING Date⚓️⚓️⚓️
***WE would definitely RECOMMEND this property***
This was OUR first time visiting Aruba 🇦🇼 and WE had a BLAST⚓️⚓️⚓️
WE did a ship sponsored sightseeing tour via Land and Sea⚓️
The Sea portion of the excursion was carried out on a very nice catamaran with an open bar⚓️
OUR guide was very engaging and knowledgeable and the entire crew was entertaining ⚓️⚓️⚓️
The Land portion showcased key landmarks of the island via open air bus with enough time for stops and photo opportunities ⚓️
OUR guide for this portion of the tour was also very engaging, knowledgeable, and entertaining⚓️⚓️⚓️
Since Aruba was a late departure, WE still had plenty of time to venture off on OUR own and have an AMAZING lunch at one of the local Hotspots⚓️⚓️⚓️
Curacao 🇨🇼 is a beautiful Island⚓️⚓️⚓️
No fault of No One, but WE don’t think WE chose the BEST excursion for OUR personality⚓️
This was also a ship sponsored sightseeing and beach tour that resulted in more time, than WE would have liked, spent at the beach⚓️
BUT WE did get the opportunity to tour the Curacao factory and taste different flavors of their signature liqueur which was an AWESOME experience⚓️
From there WE did some brief sightseeing of the island as WE headed to Mambo Beach⚓️
Since the majority of OUR time was spent here, Hubby and I found an AMAZING outdoor restaurant overlooking the beach and enjoyed OUR time with a beautiful view and island vibe⚓️
After leaving the beach WE did get more time for sightseeing as WE were returning back to the port, some cruisers did get off in town to venture off on their own⚓️
WE opted to head back to the ship because WE did have activities scheduled onboard for that afternoon ⚓️⚓️⚓️
***Again No Fault of No One, WE do prefer more sightseeing than beach time, but WE still had a BEAUTIFUL time and this is why this port gets the five star rating they deserve***
Disembarkation
OUR disembarkation experience was well structured and very organized⚓️⚓️⚓️
WE left OUR stateroom and headed to the MDR for OUR last breakfast aboard Odyssey and from that point WE began OUR disembark process⚓️
The line moved efficiently and WE were off the ship and back in the terminal in NO TIME⚓️⚓️⚓️
***PASSPORT carrying passengers exit through the terminal was just as EFFICIENT due to Port Everglades utilizing the innovative Facial Recognition program***
🙁*One amenity that was ABSENT from the Odyssey and disappointing to US, the Luggage Valet service had NOT been implemented*🙁