Activities charges and reservations on Odyssey

[cruisincuzz]

Hi all, we are sending my son and DIL on a delayed honeymoon at the end of this week.  They are sailing on the Odyssey out of Fort Lauderdale on April 3rd.  I have read conflicting reports about extra charges for activities such as the North Star,  Ifly, bumper cars, etc.  Apparently, some times are free and some times you have to pay for.  Money is going to be tight for them and they'd like to get an idea of what they are going to have to spend on board for these kinds of things.  My son is an adrenaline junkie, so is going to want to do anything fun/dangerous.  Also, I can't get a clear picture of how these reservations are made, as we haven't sailed since covid.  Do all reservations have to be made on board the first day or can some of them be made on the app?  They've never cruised before so I am responsible for guiding them through this, and despite searching the RCI website (as well as this one), I am still confused.  Also, they have a free dinner - do they have to wait until they are on  board to book it? Thanks for any clarification you can give on this.

Edited March 28, 2022 by cruisincuzz
Misspelling

[Biker19]

Just now, cruisincuzz said:

Also, they have a free dinner - do they have to wait until they are on  board to book it?

Yes.

 

The free version of Ripcord and Northstar are only available on port days and booking for that only opens around 8AM on that day - you have to keep refreshing the app after 8AM.

[msuspartabigten]

6 minutes ago, cruisincuzz said:

Hi all, we are sending my son and DIL on a delayed honeymoon at the end of this week.  They are sailing on the Odyssey out of Fort Lauderdale on April 3rd.  I have read conflicting reports about extra charges for activities such as the North Star,  Ifly, bumper cars, etc.  Apparently, some times are free and some times you have to pay for.  Money is going to be tight for them and they'd like to get an idea of what they are going to have to spend on board for these kinds of things.  My son is an adrenaline junkie, so is going to want to do anything fun/dangerous.  Also, I can't get a clear picture of how these reservations are made, as we haven't sailed since covid.  Do all reservations have to be made on board the first day or can some of them be made on the app?  They've never cruised before so I am responsible for guiding them through this, and despite searching the RCI website (as well as this one), I am still confused.  Also, they have a free dinner - do they have to wait until they are on  board to book it? Thanks for any clarification you can give on this.

Hi, I'll be on the ship with them! They can very easily not spend a dime on the ship. Like mentioned above...northstar and ripcord have fees on sea days. You can get free reservations if you do it on a port day. All reservations need to be made when you get on the ship using the app. The virtual reality also has a charge, but never has a free time. There really shouldn't be anything else that has a charge outside the normal items (alcoholic drinks, specialty restaurants, excursions, arcade).

[cruisincuzz]

Thanks guys.  So what are the charges for Ripcord, Northstar and VR on sea days?  How hard is it to get a ressie on a port day?  And are you only allowed to do them once?  Are there any other activities that have a charge?  

[msuspartabigten]

9 minutes ago, cruisincuzz said:

Thanks guys.  So what are the charges for Ripcord, Northstar and VR on sea days?  How hard is it to get a ressie on a port day?  And are you only allowed to do them once?  Are there any other activities that have a charge?  

Northstar is $29 per person last I heard. You do get a longer ride and you do go over the side of the ship. The freebie is only straight up.

Virtual reality is $18 per person. I am not sure what the ripcord cost is.

 

[Russ Lomas]

29 minutes ago, msuspartabigten said:

I am not sure what the ripcord cost is.
 

$29 for a two minute flight I was told

48 minutes ago, cruisincuzz said:

How hard is it to get a ressie on a port day?  And are you only allowed to do them once?  Are there any other activities that have a charge?  

Get them booked immediately when you step on the ship. I saw people at 3 o’clock in the afternoon who are very frustrated because they were trying to reserve it then and they’re free sessions were booked for the entire week already.  One free session per person per cruise. You may get lucky if somebody does a no-show and you happen to be standing there and they let you take their place. Rock climbing, bumper cars, Flowrider, And the sky pad are all free and you could have as many turns is your lake. First come first serve if you just stand in line and wait.
 

1 hour ago, msuspartabigten said:

All reservations need to be made when you get on the ship using the app. The virtual reality also has a charge, but never has a free time. 

Reservations for North star and Ifly can be made by going directly to the desk where the iFly is located and booking them in person as well.  For zone zero, the virtual reality thing people are referring to, they were having you book it either in person or on the app the day of the activity that you wanted to do. They did not release it multiple days in advance
 

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

The free version of Ripcord and Northstar are only available on port days and booking for that only opens around 8AM on that day - you have to keep refreshing the app after 8AM.

Not entirely true. The minute we boarded the odyssey two weeks ago we went directly to IFly and booked our free sessions for that week in person. You do not have to use the app and in fact it’s so much easier and quicker to go directly to do it at Ifly the second you get on the ship. The app always tended to either lag and the spots were grab by somebody else or failed to book for us.

[nelblu]

Are these fees/charges applicable on Anthem.  Prior to the pandemic they were free.

[leaveitallbehind]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Yes.

 

The free version of Ripcord and Northstar are only available on port days and booking for that only opens around 8AM on that day - you have to keep refreshing the app after 8AM.

 

26 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Are these fees/charges applicable on Anthem.  Prior to the pandemic they were free.

 

Agree with @nelblu that this must be new post-pandemic because we were on Ovation in 2019 and did both activities on sea days with reservations made in advance at no charge.  Same with the bumper cars. 

 

Charging for any and all activities on board was historically never done by RCCL in the past.  Hope this is not a new trend as I think it is just wrong.  I have heard that NCL is charging for certain activities now - if so I guess RCCL just think they need to keep up with their key competition.  Sad.  Just one more reason to reinforce our first RCI family choice as Celebrity.  Much better cruise experience.

Edited March 28, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[Biker19]

32 minutes ago, Russ Lomas said:

The minute we boarded the odyssey two weeks ago we went directly to IFly and booked our free sessions for that week in person.

The Ripcord staff can do a lot of things, including allowing a second free ride, just realize that’s not the norm. 

[Biker19]

30 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Are these fees/charges applicable on Anthem.  Prior to the pandemic they were free.

Yes, things have changed since the restart- anyone’s guess if the pre-pandemic rules will ever return. 

[Biker19]

7 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Agree with @nelblu that this must be new post-pandemic because we were on Ovation in 2019 and did both activities on sea days with reservations made in advance at no charge.  Same with the bumper cars. 

Yes, as mentioned above, rules have changed since the restart, but as with everything in the COVID era anything and everything could change at any time. 

[Tee & Chilli]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Yes.

 

The free version of Ripcord and Northstar are only available on port days and booking for that only opens around 8AM on that day - you have to keep refreshing the app after 8AM.

Does the restaurant reservations also open at 8 am?

[Biker19]

Just now, Tee & Chilli said:

Does the restaurant reservations also open at 8 am?

 No, those should be available all the time. 

[Tee & Chilli]

Just now, Biker19 said:

 No, those should be available all the time. 

For the UDP?

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, Tee & Chilli said:

For the UDP?

I assumed we are talking about things that are bookable in the app (like MTD) - initial UDP reservations usually are not  - you have to go to a speciality venue to make those. 

[cruisincuzz]

Thanks, everyone.  Yes, I told them all activities were free and now I feel like a sh****ad telling them that they may have to pay for some of them.  We can blame covid, but it's really just good old-fashioned corporate greed.  JMO.

[josprince]

North Star entertainment for me is when we are ln port. Not as interesting looking at waves, more to see overlooking a landscape. My frequent rides were sailings on the Anthem, free then, and often there were openings for walkups. For those feeling a bit uneasy about going up, in port you are closer to a trauma center.  

[Russ Lomas]

11 hours ago, cruisincuzz said:

Thanks, everyone.  Yes, I told them all activities were free and now I feel like a sh****ad telling them that they may have to pay for some of them.  We can blame covid, but it's really just good old-fashioned corporate greed.  JMO.

It has always been that way. The Flowrider is free as well, but those who have the money and want more turns can rent it out privately for hundreds of dollars. Just the same with ifly where you pay for an extended turn and the same with Northstar where you pay for the extended session. Do not even get me started on the key program, where you can pay for loyalty perks that most people earn through taking many cruises. It is the same as all the theme parks charging for fast passes. Those who have money can buy their way to the front of the line and do not have to wait patiently for their turn like other individuals. 

[CruisingSince1982]

18 hours ago, msuspartabigten said:

Northstar is $29 per person last I heard. You do get a longer ride and you do go over the side of the ship. The freebie is only straight up.

Virtual reality is $18 per person. I am not sure what the ripcord cost is.

 

Ridiculous pricing! 

[nelblu]

18 hours ago, msuspartabigten said:

Northstar is $29 per person last I heard. You do get a longer ride and you do go over the side of the ship. The freebie is only straight up.

Virtual reality is $18 per person. I am not sure what the ripcord cost is.

 

What is virtual reality?

[msuspartabigten]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

What is virtual reality?

Welcome to Virtual Adventure Zone. The first fully immersive 4D virtual reality experience at sea transports you to dimensions you never dreamed existed. Untethered, you’re free to roam, explore, and physically interact with the environment around you. Your adventure begins at the interdimensional headquarters known as Zone Zero. So gear up and get ready, this is an all-new adventure unlike anything on this planet—or any other. You’ll need teamwork to unlock the secrets of this dimension, defeat evil hordes and complete your mission. If you’ve got what it takes, you’ll save our reality and every other world with it. Only on Royal Caribbean® —debuting on the new Odyssey of the Seas℠.

 

Basically a video game....I've heard it's really fun though for all ages.

[Biker19]

20 hours ago, msuspartabigten said:

I am not sure what the ripcord cost is.

It was $49, but on Anthem that has dropped to $29 - don't know if that's true on Odyssey.

[msuspartabigten]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

It was $49, but on Anthem that has dropped to $29 - don't know if that's true on Odyssey.

 

I think they just charge per cruise what they think they can get away with lol

[Biker19]

Just now, msuspartabigten said:

 

I think they just charge per cruise what they think they can get away with lol

It didn't seem that way on Anthem - I talked to the Ripcord staff quite a bit (a customer who has been aboard since early Dec has sorta started working there) and it seems this is the new price.

 

While RCI has certainly been using a lot of dynamic pricing, even they haven't started to use that for Ripcord or Northstar - and there's certainly room for that in certain locations, like Northstar glacier viewing on the Alaska runs.

[zanydoc]

“The minute we boarded the odyssey two weeks ago we went directly to IFly and booked our free sessions for that week in person. You do not have to use the app and in fact it’s so much easier and quicker to go directly to do it at Ifly the second you get on the ship. The app always tended to either lag and thespots were grab by somebody else or failed to book for us.“

Completely agree with @Russ Lomas on this one. Trying to book the IFly and Northstar on your app once aboard was practically impossible on Odyssey 2 weeks ago.Just have them go directly to the sports deck reservation area right when they board and make the port day rezzies with the staff. Followed by reservation for “The Book” and The Effectors on the App, direct dining reservations at any of the specialty restaurants, and finally muster check in. We’ve done this routine on our last 3 cruises and it was a bit of a pain, but worked out great.