Fantastic voyage, felt like two cruises in one. First 8 days at sea crossing the Atlantic on an amazing ship. Excellent dining, enrichment lectures, activities, and relaxation. Then visits to Spain, southern France, and Italy with perfect weather!

Odyssey of the Seas Cruise Review to Transatlantic

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 23

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Odyssey of the Seas

14 Night Transatlantic - Eastbound (Ft. Lauderdale To Rome)

Sail date: April 22, 2023

Ship: Odyssey of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 7521

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Trans-atlantic cruise that was two trips in one. Probably not a good choice for first timers or anyone prone to sea sickness as we had 8 days at sea to start. Also note that traveling east you lose 1 hour per day for 6 straight days, and that makes it very hard to adjust to time zones. Seemed like EVERYONE (crew and guests) were tired that first week as a result. But a GREAT value as evidenced by the large number of very experienced cruisers on board.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Scheduled arrival 1 hour before all aboard, absolutely no one in line we went from curbside to cabin in 20 minutes flat.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Near endless options from casual grab and go pizza to elegant 5 course meal with wine pairings at the Chef's table.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Fitness center was well equipped and top deck forward gives a great view while working off those calories

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Pretty wide variety on a 14 day cruise. Don't miss out on the High Seas Orchestra, excellent musicians playing everything from jazz standards to big band classics.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Many of the crew spoke to us candidly that Royal has a legitimate HR function and they feel heard and appreciated in comparison to other lines they had worked on previously. Happy crew means happy cruise!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Everything is well appointed. In the cabin, all the doors and drawers have hinges that control the closure rate. No slammed doors/drawers, no pinched fingers, and no problem if there is motion in the ocean!

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We upgraded to a balcony in cabin 13130, excellent access to the Solarium. Its a big ship so you will get your steps in daily. And if you use the steps, 10 decks up from main dining room and full length of the ship is a bit of exercise! Under 3 laps on the track to make a mile gives a sense of size

Ship tip

Get a mid deck, mid ship cabin if possible to make the distance walking less daunting.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5
Surprised not to see more damage from flooding the week prior. Easy access from airport to ship

Malaga, Spain

5 out of 5
We went on a kayaking excursion and loved it.

Valencia, Spain

4 out of 5
Would like to return to visit the museums. AMAZING architecture. We picked the wrong excursion unfortunately. (If your tour mentions a Sky Bar, chose a different tour).

Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

5 out of 5
Really interesting island, easy to see why a number of rich/famous people call it home.

Marseille (Provence), France

5 out of 5
We got a transfer to Aix and self toured. Really pretty with outdoor markets everywhere

La Spezia, Italy

5 out of 5

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
We did self assist and walked off in minutes. Almost too easy. In fact no one checked our passport, which became a point of concern to the border control in Spain when we flew to Barcelona. After spending a night there and returning to the airport we had to provide our passports and there was no stamp showing entry into the EU which caused some concern.
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