danp2482

Day 3: Sea Day

We awoke the morning of day 3 to sunny skies! The further south we sailed, the better the weather was getting. Temperatures were still only mid 70s but better than what we left behind! Today would be a great day for the pool and the upper decks! As you can see, others agreed with us!

We started out with breakfast at cafe 270 and then made our way to the pool! We spent a good amount at the pool during a lot of days. Unfortunately, the little one was still a bit too little for things like bumper cars and stuff at the sea plex. After some pool time, I went for a walk to explore a bit and Nichole and the "fish" stayed at the pool.

I made my way to the sea plex first. I love this concept in fact, I think every ship should have one of these as opposed to a sports court! When I walked into explore there was pickle ball and corn hole going on but the whole complex including playmakers was awesome!

In addition to the sports complex and playmakers, this is where the arcade games are and there also looked to be some comfortable seating areas around the upper deck too!

After checking out the sea plex, I head into the ship. This sculpture in one of the atriums was impressive!

After a bit more exploring I head back to the pool to see the girls. I think we spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool but I wouldn't let Ericsson get me into trouble! Tonight was formal night and Chefs Dinner for the adults!

Mom headed to the room to get ready and I brought the little one down to Sorentos for some pizza. On our way down I snapped a picture of the Royal Esplanade. Finally a picture of the inside of the ship!

To give some sense of orientation. I am looking forward on deck 5, ahead on 5 is IZUMI and below it on 4 is Crown and Compass. To my left is bionic bar, to my right is wonderland. Behind me is the atrium with Giovannis Kitchen and wine bar as well as 270.

I took the little one for pizza and we headed back to the room for me to get ready.

Day 2 continued:

We headed for dinner in the Main Dining room. The MDR on Odyssey is very modern and beautiful. The entrance is flanked on both sides by digital moving art. I really liked how all the levels are open from 3 to 5. On 5 is an atrium that has some shops and Giovani's Kitchen and Wine Bar. There is a really nice chandelier hanging from deck 5 down into the dining room.

Our serving team Juan and May took great care of us all week! They were so sweet with the little one, very attentive to all of us and very hard working. Of course Ericsson aka trouble was there as well! 

As I mentioned before I was a bit out of practice on the food reviewing side but I did manage to get Nichole and I's entrees. I had the beef stroganoff and Nichole had the pork chop.

After dinner, the little one, Nichole and I headed to 270 for "The Book".

When we got to 270 it was packed! Because this was a non vaccinated seating, every other row of seating was blocked and ushers were blocking seats between parties as well. I think we managed to get the last seats in the place up on deck 6.

My disclaimer about onboard shows is that these are my opinions only. I never want anyone to not see a show or do something because I didn't enjoy it. 

I didn't enjoy the book! I thought it was disjointed and I really couldn't follow it. There was no story line at all and there was separate sections of the show "chapters" but none of it was actually connected. Don't get me wrong, there were some talented dancers and the technology in 270 is crazy but the production itself just wasn't great. Nichole thought it was entertaining but agreed that she couldn't follow it. The little one seemed to enjoy all the dancing.

After the show, we headed up to bed! There was some serious motion the first 2 nights but nothing that made anyone uncomfortable. When we made it to the room the little one's dog had made a friend!

Next up: Day 3 Sea Day and hopefully warmer weather!

Day 2 Continued:

We made it back to the solarium! As we stood at the sunshine bar for a drink, our Adventure Ocean phone began ringing...Little one missed us and was crying...sadly, this was basically the first and last time we saw the solarium the entire trip...insert sad face. We headed back to Adventure Ocean and it turns out the little one got upset after another kid was teasing her. It wasn't that she didn't want to be there, she was upset that he had teased her and couldn't snap out of it. She told us she would go back tomorrow, so off to the pool we went!

We headed to the room to get the little on changed and there was a surprise waiting for us! The director of restaurants strikes again! Cupcakes for the princess and chocolate dipped strawberries for mom and dad!

Now off to the pool! As I mentioned, the weather was a bit chilly but not absolutely unbearable. The water in Splash Away Bay was actually pretty warm and the little one had fun! We obviously spent a good amount of time in Splash Away Bay this trip. I will say, I think Royal missed the mark on this ship. Odyssey being one of the latest and greatest, aimed at a Caribbean market, you think the would've invested a bit more into the Splash Away Bay Area. The area on Odyssey is dwarfed but other ships like Freedom, Spectrum & other Oasis class ships. I get the oasis class ships are bigger but Spectrums Splash Away Bay is like 3 times the size of Odyssey. You'd think the market this ship was designed for and the fact that it was newest, that it would have a Splash Away Bay that blows others away, not the other way around. Another observation is that Splash Away Bay needed some serious repair. None of the water features were working correctly, some were not working at all and others appeared to just have some seriously low pressure. Little one still had fun but just some observations (ones that I would never have had until I cruised with a toddler).

As little one and mom played at the pool. MIL, Bert and I headed to Ripcord for our reservation there! (Nichole wasn't interested in going)

This was another complimentary reservation because it was a port day. Fee based reservations are held on sea days. The difference between the two is the complimentary is 1 minute of flight and the fee based is 2 minutes of flight. The fee is $49. I will say, this was intimidating but a lot of fun too! There is a safety briefing, instructions and a bunch of safety procedures. The reason it is so intimidating is just the thought of messing up but if you follow the instructors directions, its easy and a lot of fun! Don't miss it!

Once we finished up our flight, we went to Lime and Coconut for a celebratory shot! The rest of the afternoon was mostly pool time, it was during this pool time, that we connected with Ericsson. Ericsson was a bartender/server on the main pool deck but we realized that day that he was also our beverage server in the dining room. Ericson was trouble! He kept your drink full and when he noticed it was getting low, he was right there to get you another. We joked with him and called it the 5 minute rule. He'd always come back in 5 minutes. Sometimes with another round!  Ericsson worked hard and liked working for Royal. You could tell he liked to be busy and was always on the move. He took good care of us all week and we took care of him!  Despite Ericsson's efforts, we stayed out of trouble, wrapped things up and started getting ready for dinner!

Day 2 continued:

We headed to the windjammer for breakfast. The windjammer on the Odyssey was beautiful! I liked the layout  a lot. It was also very clean and modern looking. The front had a bread counter, there were individual stations in the middle and then another chef manned counter on the other side, where the featured entrees would be. The food stations were all flanked by ample tables and seating that surrounded the entire windjammer. There was also a specialty coffee counter and bar which were separate from each other.

These sculptures were made of chocolate!

I will make one comment, as much as I love the layout, which is similar to the Oasis class ships, it creates a bit of chaos when getting food. People are just walking all over the place. The windjammer layout for the Freedom and Voyager classes is a bit more orderly. If you've read my previous reviews. I really enjoy the new buffet protocols with the staff helping the guests with the food. Having completed 3 cruises this way, it feels normal now! I've seen some stuff at cruise buffets that made think twice about following specific people.

After breakfast, we brought the little one to Adventure Ocean. Mom and Dad planned on heading to the Solarium and we had a North Star reservation later in the morning. Drop off at Adventure Ocean was easy. They took her temp, gave us a phone and off she went. We headed to the solarium.

The solarium on Odyssey is completely enclosed. On a day like our day 2 this was perfect! The temperature in the solarium had to be high 70s but not uncomfortable and it didn't have any indoor pool smells either. Having sailed multiple Royal Ships, this was by far the best and most beautiful solarium amongst all the ships. The sunshine bar is on the top level and then there are cascading infinity pools, 3 levels I think down to a reflection pool that had water chairs. The whole solarium just screamed that it was an oasis!

We grabbed a couple chairs and headed to the North Star and checked in for our reservation.  After about 5 minutes, our group was admitted to the North Star and we were high above the Odyssey and Nassau!

I am not positive. I think the complimentary ride was 12 minutes and if you chose to pay it was 15 minutes. The fee required rides are during seas days. Port days offered a large selection of complimentary rides. Only one complimentary reservation per guest per sailing. There is also a height requirement of 42 inches (we couldn't figure out why). Once our ride was complete, we headed back to solarium for a little relaxation!

Day 2 Nassau:

Day 2 originally was supposed to be a sea day I believe. Due to covid the port day at Grand Cayman was cancelled and Royal changed the itinerary to Nassau. We were holding on hope for Coco Cay but that didn't happen. Honestly, it didn't matter anyway because the cold snap reached all the way down to the Bahamas and the temperature was 68 degrees, with clouds and wind.

I got up and headed upstairs to get a quick run in on the track. As I made my way around, I stopped and snapped a few pictures of the North Star doing its thing.

I also noticed it was a good time to snap a few pictures of a basically empty "resort style" pool deck!

I was up there pretty early but it was more empty because it was of the weather vs the time. After I finished up my run, Nichole and I traded the little one and Nichole got her run in. Once we all got cleaned up, we headed for breakfast. No need to rush to the pool today!

We just hung around a bit and then headed to our room to get ready for dinner. Having an unvaccinated child requires you to do a fixed seating, either 5:30 or 8. Obviously 5:30 was our seating which actually worked out because I am not sure Lilly could've made any later even if it was My Time Dining. As we were getting ready, we began sail away. Lilly had a blast standing on the balcony, waving at the people on shore that were waving back.

We headed to dinner. My food review game wasn't on point the first night but I promise to get better as the review goes on. I did get my entree which was prime rib and it was perfect!

After dinner we headed to Schooner for a quick drink after dinner. It was an early night. I think we were all in bed before 9! (so unlike us, but this was a different kind of trip)

Next Up: Day 2, Nassau

10 minutes ago, msuspartabigten said:

Did you only do the minimum for the royal up bid? Or did you bid higher?

We went a but not by much. Can't remember specifics. Thing the minimum was like $100 PP and we bid like $160 PP because we really wanted it.

After getting unpacked, we headed back out into the ship. Nichole and I always have a tradition of taking a shot the second we get onto a ship. Although it didn't happen immediately after getting on, it did happen before we had any other drinks. I honestly can't remember where it was or what it was but Nichole, Debbie, Bert and I kept up the tradition! We got muster taken care of and then we headed to guest services to get an issue with a chefs dinner reservation taken care of.

Long story short, Nichole booked the 4 adults to the chefs table to celebrate MIL's birthday. The week before sailing, MILs entire cruise reservation was cancelled by a glitch on the Royal system. They obviously got it taken care of but when the reservation was cancelled, it cancelled everything onboard tied to them as well. Now the dinner appears to be full. Not being able to rebook in the app, we took to the phones the week before. After, 4 hours of different calls, disconnections, etc...we were told he best we could do was take all of our confirmations and receipts to the ship and try and get it squared away on board. We weren't optimistic. When we got to guest services, there was a line. Since the dinner wasn't till night 3 we figured we'd come back later that night to try and figure something out.

The 5 of us sat in Schooner bar for a bit to just relax after a busy morning and afternoon.

As we sat in the Schooner Bar, an officer came over and started talking to Lilly. She was shy as usual but he was really nice to her and patiently kept trying. He then introduced himself to all of us. His name was Richard and he was the director of restaurants. He mentioned if there was anything he could help us with, just mention it. I explained the whole Chefs Dinner debacle and he asked our room numbers. He got on his phone and then said he'd be looking into it and he'd get in touch with me. I thanked him and though to myself, we'll check in with guest services later and see if they can do anything.

5 minutes later, Richard, the head of chops (where Chefs Table is on Odyssey), the sommelier from Chops are all standing at our table. Richard is filling them in, they said their only concern was what we do with Lilly. Once I informed she'd be at Adventure Ocean, Richard pointed to both of them and get this booked. I was amazed. Thanked them all so much and they were so humble saying no problem at all. All of us were floored with the level of customer service these 3 men just displayed!

Staterooms were ready around 2pm so we headed to deck 10 to check out our home for the next 8 days! We had booked an interior stateroom initially. If Nichole and I cruise alone together, our cruising habits always had us in interior staterooms because we just never spend much time in the room. Our last few Freedom 3 day cruises, we royal upped to ocean view balconies and we actually enjoyed some time on the balcony. Traveling with Lilly, we knew they'd be nap times and earlier bedtimes so we wanted to have a place to go and relax, maybe have some drinks as she slept. When we got the royal up offer, we jumped on it and luckily got it for a 3rd time in a row! Our new stateroom was 10148.

The room was very modern, spacious, had great storage for suitcases and clothing for 3. There were also plenty of outlets and usb charges for devices. We never had to unplug anything and were able to charge 2 iPhones and 2 apple watches every night in addition to our white noise machine. Our bags had also arrived before rooms were even opened so after snapping these pictures, we got unpacked.

One of our first stops was going to be Adventure Ocean. We had heard mixed things about the kids clubs based upon the sailing so we wanted to make sure we got in there to make the now required reservations.

Currently the way Adventure Ocean works is that you go on day 1 and make reservations for guaranteed time. Each family is allowed 8 guaranteed hours per sailing. This is due to occupancy regulations in the club. We were informed that this sailing only had about 100 kids total so after our guaranteed 8 hours, we could drop in and see if there was availability. The one time we dropped in, there was plenty of availability. Only 2 other children in the club. I am not sure how it used to work but the club is only open in blocks. 9-12, 2-5 or 7-10. They didn't open 1 second earlier than the posted time, I'll explain how I know that. On a side note, I had read things about kids only being allowed to stay on a circle on the floor and not move around freely. We didn't see anything like that. Lilly did mention, that they weren't allowed to freely share toys. They attempted to clean everything between the kids. We scheduled our 8 hours and off we went to check out our cabin.

We weren't seated for very long, maybe 10 minutes, when they called our row to go up to board. We had an 11:30 boarding time. We had arrived at the correct testing at 11:15. When all was said and done and we were being called to board, it was about 11:50-12:00. We got up to the podium for them to check us through and Lilly's negative result was checked a 3rd time... Then we were allowed to head up the gangway! It was hilarious watching Lilly, she was jumping up and down saying "look at that big ship!" very excited for her first cruise!

A combination of excitement, hunger, watching Lilly and being preoccupied to book the North Star and iFly reservations as I got on the ship caused me to forget to snap first impression pics! My first impression was that the ship was gorgeous! New, modern and very impressive. We headed to Cafe 270 for a quick lunch. Cafe 270 has similar offerings to Park Cafe on the Oasis class ships. Sandwiches, salads made to order, paninis, wraps, etc... As we sat and ate lunch, I got the North Star and iFly reservations taken care of. On a side note, wasn't a fan of the whole having to make reservations thing. I mean I get it but after hearing how quick it all books up, the pressure to get that done took something away from my initial moments on the ship.

After lunch we headed out to the to explore. Despite the fact that we had narrowly escaped the 2 feet of snow that was falling at home, embarkation day had record cold in Florida. I believe the high was 56. It was ok though, this was our first Quantum/Quantum plus sailing so we were learning a new ship throughout the cruise. Cool weather on the first day was a great excuse to get the lay of the land.

As I mentioned, it had been awhile since we've sailed out of Fort Lauderdale. Once we were passed the check in desk, we headed upstairs and were directed to around the waiting area where they checked Lilly's negative result again. Then we were directed to a seat. This process seemed a bit unorganized but it was only my perspective. I didn't think they were keeping track of who was sitting where and how long they were sitting but they actually had a good handle on it. They were sitting parties together and leaving seats in-between for social distancing...

10 minutes ago, wolfcathorse said:

who's the captain! Hope you're planning on posting lots of pictures! Inquiring minds want to know!

Captain was Per Kristopherson. I took over 500 pics so it's safe to say, ill be posting a few!

We parked at the Park N Go just outside of FLL. Bert set it up. We parked, the bus driver helped load our luggage into the van and off to the port we went. When we arrived at the port, it was a bit chaotic. It's been awhile since I've sailed out of FLL. Miami just seems a bit more organized. After checking our bags with the porter, we asked a uniformed agent where to take Lilly for her test. I had heard that the testing was not past the check in line and that it was not well marked. We were directed down the length of the building and around the corner. As other have described, there were no signs and it was not well marked. There were a few others waiting for a test and that is the only reason we "knew" we were in the right place. When we were let in, they informed us Lilly can't be tested where we were. That we had to go back to check in and there would be testing post check in and security.

As we headed towards the line had now formed. Another uniformed agent grabbed us and told us to "follow her" she brought us right to the front of a different line. All test results were checked, passports were checked and we were brought to the testing line for the unvaccinated children. There were multiple stations set up but only one other family. Lilly sat for her test and they told us to wait and we would receive results within 15 mins. So we sat and wait to see if we continue on our adventure or if it ends before it begins!

As we were waiting, an agent came over and told us they'd start checking everyone in and then when the results came we could just show the negative to be admitted. As we were all being checked in and having pictures taken for sea passes, the email came through! Good to go! We were on our way!

We headed down to FLL. MIL lives in Coral Springs which is about 25 mins out of Fort Lauderdale so we'd be staying the night there and heading to the port the next morning. The trip down was fine. No issues getting down at all. Once we got there, all flights north were being cancelled due to the upcoming blizzard but if all went well, that didn't matter for us at all!

I will say not only did all the rebookings and the weather make this a stressful preparation but the protocols in place for the unvaccinated toddler also made things a bit stressful! Protocol are protocols and I am not saying that they don't exist for good reason it was just super stressful worried about a positive test at the port. Nichole and I completed our tests 2 days out and were good to go! Lilly's PCR was good to go but still flying down to FLL and not knowing till getting if we were going till we got to the port wasn't exactly building excitement like usual.

We awoke the next morning, I was tempted to home test Lilly prior to heading to the port just so we could be prepared for her (and our) disappointment but I remembered that Royal said the reason that you PCR day of was because the test at the port could be affected. Didn't want to take any chances of me causing the issue. Nichole and I got a quick run in and then it was off to the port.

Hi everyone! If you've read any of my other reviews, you can just skip to the last 3 paragraphs! If not, please read on and thank your for taking the time to join along in the review of our adventure!

I have used many reviews here to gather information about certain ships, certain cruises and get excited for upcoming cruises of my own. I have written a few other reviews and really enjoyed reliving my vacation here! I also really enjoyed the dialog with other forum members and being to provide information as well as help you all get excited for a cruise you might have coming up! The enjoyment I get from writing the reviews helped me decide to write reviews after as many cruises as I can.

If you haven't read any of the other reviews,  let me give you a bit of background! If you have followed along before, feel free to skip to the next post! DW (Nichole) and I have been really fortunate to have completed 14 cruises! We both work hard but love to vacation and try to do it as much as we can! (Always have to have something to look forward to!) Our vacation tastes range from numerous Vegas and Disney trips (both world and land) and multiple cruises. People frequently comment on the fact that we travel to repeat destinations or same style vacations but I guess when you know what you like, you just keep going back for more. I can imagine that I'm amongst like minded individuals here!

In 2014, we decided that we were going to give cruising a try. We had always been interested in trying it out and seeing all the new entertainment and offerings of modern ships continued to build our interest. Not knowing if we would enjoy it and both of us being worried that Nichole may have some some sea sickness issues, we chose a 4 day cruise. Not only did we love it, but 4 days was not long enough and we found ourselves booking another cruise. The rest is history and as I've mentioned, we've been fortunate enough to complete 14 cruises across 3 cruise lines. We've landed on Royal Caribbean for our last 9 and currently really enjoy RCI and their fleet of ships.

This trip was 2 years in the making! We originally booked an 8 day Southern Caribbean on the Odyssey back over Christmas weekend in 2019. I honestly can't remember what the original sail date was supposed to be but it was being set up as a family trip, myself, DW (Nichole), DD (Lilly), my mother in law and her husband. The trip was being booked to celebrate my MIL 60th birthday. Well we all know what happened next...covid essentially set this cruise back 2 years but it wasn't only that! Ironically, we also had cancelations due to the ship production being delayed and then cancellations due to the ship being relocated to Israel (which didn't actually happen).

Well after all the rebookings and the cruise industry starting up again. It looked like it was going to actually happen this time. We planned on the same group. Myself, Nichole, Lilly (3yo DD), Debbie (MIL) and Bert (MIL Husband). First omicron started changing ports and protocols and then the week before the cruise, the weather for our area started to forecast a major storm if not a historic blizzard that would be occurring right around our departure to Florida. As our departure grew closer, it appeared that the storm was coming in for the day after we left so there was a little less to worry about! Travel day arrived and we were on our way to FLL.

Boston area as well. I have been watching this storm for a few days. A bit of a weather nut (snow lover) when it comes to winter weather and winter storms. It's still a little early to tell the exact track but at this point, all the models and ensembles are predicting a big hit and some are predicting a 40N/70W benchmark storm which can result in a historic snowstorm. Not exactly the news you want to hear I know... The timing seems to be an arrival, predawn on Saturday, so any flight Saturday is going to be tough. Although, as poocher said, these things have a way of fooling many and the meteorologists just claim that "this one is real difficult nail down". I think at 48 hours you'll know. If things stay they way they are modeled right now and you can't get out Friday, you might need to cancel 48 hours out....

I don't know if they ever would've been able to take you on at Coco Cay but even at a regular port, because of Covid, they have suspended that practice and you need to embark on the first day.

One more quick opinion question for everyone! We have an upcoming sailing. We put in Royal Up bids over a month ago. We had our credit card compromised and had to change numbers. Another party traveling with us submitted their royal up long after us and received their royal up a few days ago but we haven't been lucky enough yet. We're concerned that the change in credit card number has effected our Royal Up bids. Has anyone heard of a changed credit card number effecting Royal Up? Do they reach out if it's declined or do they just move on? A follow up to this is the only option to change our credit card number is to cancel and resubmit. If we cancel and resubmit, does it hurt our chances against others at all?

1 hour ago, cruise4fam said:

Tonight is a formal night. Not sure when the next one will be. 

Night 3!! Thank you!!

Sounds great! Hoping to be onboard the 29th! Could you tell me which days are the formal nights? Have a great trip!

6 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

I’m guessing there was an inventory issue, and they weren’t able to upgrade you….yet.  Doesn’t mean it won’t still happen

Thanks. I thought it was odd. Another party we're traveling with got upgraded to an Ocean View Balcony yesterday fro interior but nothing for us. Wife said the FB group for our sailing had a bunch of upgrades Friday and yesterday. That's what has her looking...

Hi everyone. I'm hoping some of you can help me out with some info. We are on the Odyssey Jan 29 sailing. We're currently waiting on a Royal Up from interior to Ocean View Balcony or Large Ocean View Balcony. We've had successful royal ups in the past but never even knew you could see status of them. The other day, my wife noticed that the large ocean view balcony had gone expired and ocean view balcony was pending, which seems like a promising thing but now yesterday, the pending ocean view balcony went unavailable and the expired large ocean view balcony went back to pending? Any help would be appreciated.

Hey everyone. We've never sailed an 8 day cruise before. I know formal nights are typically 2 & 6 on the 7 night cruises. Can anyone help me out and tell me when the formal nights are on 8 night cruises or what they have been on the 8 night Odyssey cruises? Thanks for the help!

2 hours ago, retire2cruise55 said:

@danp2482 Thank you for sharing!  What time did the ship let passengers off to disembark?  Also, what speciality restaurants were open for lunch (saw Playmakers & Giovanni - embarkation).

Playmakers and Giovannis were the specialty restaurants open for lunch on embarkation day. Playmakers was the only one open for lunch on day 2 and 3. As far as disembarkation, I believe express walk off started at 07:30.

On 8/26/2021 at 3:40 PM, Royal_Echo said:

I am sooooo siked to have read your extensive review of the Pandemic Freedom Experience... I am sailing the Freedom November 19th as a newly WED on my honeymoon, and your review has put me at ease!! I am really happy to read your review of Andy at the Schooner as my first cruise had be addicted to the sing alongs on Navigator of the Seas at the end of 2019. I am thinking the Compass will be similar for my cruise, and am writing to see if you can add the Day 3 Compass Itinerary. I am a freaky, type A, plan nut, and all of the secrets surrounding cruise planning is DRIVING ME NUTS, Lol!!! AGAIN, Thank you sooooo much for this review!!!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I am a planner too, thats why I always try to include things like compasses in my reviews. I scour the boards looking for info prior to a sailing. Forgive me for asking but what exactly do you need? The compass for Day 3 was posted at the beginning of Day 3. Our sailing itinerary was Day 1 Miami, Day 2 Coco Cay, Day 3 Nassau, Day 4 Disembark.