Odyssey of the Seas

My friends and I were fortunate enough to take a quick cruise before Christmas this year. We spent six nights on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. This was my fifth cruise (all with RC), and I am addicted. You will quickly realize my love for cruising, but this will be about our time on the Odyssey. Our stops included Perfect Day at Cococay, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. Let’s jump right into the planning.

Planning

We decided to book this cruise right after we got off of the Harmony of the Seas, some reasons I wanted to book this specific cruise was because it included ports I have not been to, the class of ship was one that is hard to find in Florida, and it was essentially a holiday cruise for half the price. The six night “obstructed” balcony cruise (our rooms were far from really being obstructed, we had a very clear view of the ocean) costed us $950 per person. This is a good price for the type of ship, time of year, and room type in my experience. We had an excursion for both our main ports (Cococay is Royal Caribbeans private island). When booking I used TripAdvisor and really recommend it, have yet to have a bad experience and the reviews are very helpful. This was one of the nicest boats I have been on and the service was the best I have ever had. The boat was very spacious, but with the cruise so close to Christmas there were lots of kids and anything kids could do had a line. Let’s get into the trip.

The Trip

Day 0

The couple days leading up there was a lot to get done. Florida had a tropical storm move through, I had to get everything ready that I needed for Christmas, and my grandparents were coming to visit. We wanted to leave as early as possible, but I did not even get to packing until the morning of. With the storm finally calming down the morning of our trip we decided to leave a tad later and this let me finish my packing. I highly recommend using a checklist to ensure you don’t forget anything, because I forgot a couple things (nothing super important, but nice to have).

Day 1

It is boarding day, the vibes are as high as can be and we are all ready to go. I finish up my last minute packing, and we hit the road towards Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale). It is about a three hour drive and we are able to park right at the port. We go check in and hop right on board. There are a couple things on the Day one I like to get for maximum relaxation. We first check out our table in the dining room, if you need anything different it is easier to get it changed the earlier you ask. We then grab our room keys and do our muster drill (takes five seconds). We then take a tour of the ship, this is a tradition of mine. Finally its lunch time and we head over to El Loco Fresh. After a wonderful lunch, we change into our swimsuits and head up to the Flo rider (surf simulator). Embarkation day is one of the best days to do things on the boat as most people are exploring and not jumping into the activities. You also don’t have access to you bags until later in the day and most people don’t bring a swimsuit in their carry on. After a couple hours on the Flo rider it was time to get ready for dinner. We went to The Book before dinner and it was a good show, lots of singers and dancers preforming. Really showed the technology in the Two70 lounge, which is absolutely amazing. We then went to dinner, we originally had the 5:30 dinner time and got it switched to 8:00 because we like to eat later in the night. This made our first night at a different table then where we would eat for the rest of the week. After dinner we went to the headliner comedian, it was really good and we had a great laugh. We then headed up to silent disco (everyone should try this at least once) and enjoyed some time dancing. Followed up silent disco with the club on the boat. Night one is one of best nights for the club as a lot of people like to get out night one. We enjoyed singing and dancing until it was time to get our suits back on and hit the hot tub. We then headed to bed as we arrived in Cococay the next day.

Day 2

Woke up bright and early for Cococay, I ate a quick breakfast in the Windjammer (great buffet that is open most of the day) and headed out on the island. We had another ship docked with us (Wonder of the seas), so we had to get out early as the island would be busy. The ocean was pretty cold, not unbearable, but not relaxing. I spent about 30 minuets in the ocean before I was too cold and the water was very murky from the storm the days prior. We ended with great weather for the day and ended up at the snack shack for lunch. After lunch we spent some time at South Beach where you are able to play a variety of sports and games. We took on some ping pong, volleyball, basketball, and Jenga. After a couple hours of games we headed to their Oasis Lagoon where they have a swim up bar. Spent a little bit of time in the cold water and then decided to head back to the boat where the pool was heated and hot tubs awaited.

I wasn’t expecting the water to be as cold as it was, nevertheless we still enjoyed ourselves. Once back on board we had a snack at El Loco Fresh (you can eat 9 meals a day if you are not careful). We then headed to the Solarium (18+ pool area) and spent the late afternoon relaxing. Headed up to change for dinner early, this gave me time to do a little shopping in the Promenade. On my way there I saw the stowaway (on Royal Caribbean ships there is a piano player who you can find at random times around the ship, mostly in elevators). He actually stopped me as I had some UCF gear on. He was a graduate and it was cool to see how he ended up working on cruise ships. After a little singing and then shopping I headed to dinner. We got to meet our servers for the week; Ralph and Denver who would live up to be the best servers I have had yet. After dinner we went to the casino (I don’t condone gambling), this place gives you adrenaline like no other. Played a little bit and went up, so it was time to leave. The longer you are in a casino, the more time you have to lose it all. We then headed up to watch one of the singers on board Bryan James. This guy was phenomenal and at one point he asked for someone to come up and sing with him after we asked for “Something in the Orange”, by Zach Bryan. Ryan had said the week prior he really wanted to sing this song during Karaoke, so this was a golden opportunity. He sang it beautifully and we watched him until about 1 AM. We then headed to the hot tub where we would end our night.

Day 3

Woke up this morning and it was a seaday, so time for a laid back day. I hit the onboard gym. After my workout I went to Cafe Two70 for brunch. As I was leaving brunch I saw the Stowaway again, so I had to stop for a song. Since we had a seaday I spent some time doing some of the games on board. We played giant chess, shuffleboard, and ping pong. I then headed to rock climb for a little and this is where we saw Jake; one of the workers from a past cruise we have been on. It was awesome to get to see someone we met on a previous trip. After catching up we headed to relax in the Solarium. After getting ready I wanted to see a show before dinner. It was all about the technology in the Two70 lounge (forgot the exact name, maybe Inside the Revolutionary Two70) . It was amazing, the screens they have are something I have never seen before. My camera could never do it justice, so here is a link. The show was fantastic and you learn a little too. We went to dinner where Denver and Ralph served us a wonderful dinner, after dinner we hit a quick casino trip (I like playing all or nothing) and then hit the onboard club. After the club we hit the hot tub for a little bit before bed, since we would wake up in the Caymans!

Day 4

We woke up in Grand Cayman, this was my first ever tender port (you have a small ship take you ashore). We went to the dining room (MDR) for breakfast and I had to grab our tender tickets halfway through. The breakfast burrito is so good (might be the fact we are on vacay, but it is delicious). We then headed up as we had a day of snorkeling and Stingray City. After breakfast the whole crew met up and we departed to meet our tour guide. We ended up being off the boat early, so we got some extra time to shop before. Our excursion was with Captain Marvin’s Watersports. We went with the second tour option they offered, Stingrays and a snorkel stop. For $60 per person you could not beat it. You were on a boat with a small group (max 45 people, but we had around 30) and it was perfect. They had a jug of water on board (I recommend you just bring your own) and snorkel gear for everyone. Our first stop was Stingray City, this was an experience unlike any other. We were able to feed the stingrays and we held them to take pictures. Definity a must do if your ever in Grand Cayman. After about 30 minuets we boarded the boat and headed to snorkel. The reef was pretty cool and there was a lot of colorful fish. We had a pretty rough day, not suitable for super young kids. If the water is calm then anyone could do it. We had another 30 minuets to snorkel and then it was time to head back. I think this is plenty of time for people as you are treading water most of the time.

Overall the excursion was a great highlight of the trip and I highly recommend Captain Marvin’s. After we got back to town we went to try some local drinks (They were very good, 0 clue on the name). Spent some time walking around shopping and grabbed a snack. We headed back to the boat (after some pictures of course) to enjoy some time before dinner. We headed to the flo rider first (where I got my stand up band) and then hit the solarium. It was Hawaiian night theme for dinner (my favorite), so we had to head up early to get ready for that. After dinner we went to watch The Effectors (Royal Caribbean’s own super hero team). The show was phenomenal, a must see on the Odyssey. We then spent some time in the Casino before we headed up to the Crazy Quest show. This show is so much fun and super funny (18+ recommended). It is a must do. After our Crazy quest it was time for our normal hot tub run followed by bed.

Day 5

Back to back port days is always fun, and today was Jamaica! Took another early start as we had another excursion to get to. We booked Dunn’s River Falls & Ocho Rios Excursion with Jamaica Shore Excursions. For $50 you could not go wrong. We got our own van (could leave stuff in it during the excursion, although I would never leave anything expensive) and had a tour guide for the falls. Our falls entry was included and it was really cool. Our driver was supposed to bring bottle waters and did not, but that was the only thing that was not perfect (I always bring my own water anyways). The drive to the falls was quite long and our driver had great knowledge of the area. Once at the falls it is a two hour experience. The tour was awesome, they advise you hold hands, but they are very lenient. We were also able to take our own photos without any lash back (They were also taking photos which we purchased, but it was nice to get our own without being bothered). The falls group was also bigger, but having a guide was nice as they knew the lay of the falls. Once the tour ended you have to walk through local shops; they are very persuasive and unless you plan on buying things I would just say thank you and keep walking (Nothing is free, even if they say it is, it is not). Definitely some of the most aggressive sales I have seen, so just be prepared (maybe leave your money in the car). After we drove back to port we stopped for souvenirs and I got some Jamaican patties (very good). We then headed back to the boat for lunch.

Hit up the Windjammer for lunch and then everyone headed to the solarium. I had Ifly (a skydiving experience) booked, so I got geared up to do that. A must do on the Odyssey, you get a minuet of skydive simulation and it is similar to the real deal. Not the same, but similar (I have done both in the past). It is free on port days, so book early and towards the end of the afternoon and it is free. After skydiving I watched my friends try to get their stand up bands on the flo rider, then I went to change and get ready for dinner. Went to the Schooner Bar (my personal favorite on the RC fleet) and had a couple drinks before laser tag. We then enjoyed a round of laser tag (I won of course) and headed over to dinner. Jamaican themed dinner was fantastic. I went back to watch some football (I am in my fantasy playoffs) and wind down as these were a long couple of days.

Day 6

This was our last full day on the boat, the whole ship ends up depressed by nightfall. I hit the gym early for one of their classes and then headed to Two70 for brunch. Followed that up with an advanced flo rider session. I then went to wake up everyone so they could get a start to their day. We went to the Christmas party for a couple hours. They had different sports games lined up. We then went to the North Star (big glass sphere you can go up in). This is available on all Quantum Class Royal Caribbean ships. We got a great view of the ship and ocean from up above. We then went to the flo rider where we spend most of our time until dinner. We participated in the best of the best competition (got destroyed), and then we got ready for dinner. We had a wonderful meal and then said our goodbyes to Denver and Ralph. After dinner it was time for the adult comedy show (one of the best shows consistent through the Royal Caribbean fleet). We enjoyed our last show and then headed to the casino for one last time. Had a great session and then headed to pack. Once packed we went to bed as you have to be off the boat early.

Day 7 (Wrap up)

We woke up early to get one last breakfast. After breakfast we grabbed our luggage and took off. I had a flight leaving out of Orlando to visit my dad, so it was going to be a long travel day. The Odyssey is one of the nicest ships I have been on. By far some of the best service I have received. There is so much to do on board and this was another amazing cruise done by Royal Caribbean.

Travelers

Will Howard – Mason Smith – Conner Smith – Lucas Aquino – Luis Vega – Vale Caceres – Ryan Alfano