Just off Odyssey - Rome to Greek Isles

[uvadover]

For those who might be interested, I wanted to give a quick recap of our recent cruise on Odyssey of the Seas - 7 night cruise from Rome to the Greek Isles, Turkey, and back via Naples.  I am sure there are more comprehensive reviews out there, but wanted to hit on some memorable items off the top of my head.  This was a family trip, and we had 2 connecting balcony staterooms as our accommodations.  My wife and I have probably been on 10-15 cruises together, and this was the 3rd with the kids.  In no particular order...

 

Odyssey is a beautiful ship, and it is kept immaculately clean.  Common areas were always beautiful, the public bathrooms were absolutely spotless, and I love the new-era ships with handwashing stations outside of the dining areas like Windjammer.

 

The standard balcony cabin was great - the best configuration of a comparable cabin that I can remember.  Tons of storage, the bathroom uses the space extremely well, and the beds were extremely comfortable.  Once a day cabin service was plenty - we opted for evening, so that things were made up during dinner and we came back to a perfectly kept room for our sleep.

 

The ship felt very very crowded in spots.  I think the ship was built for both warm and cold weather, so the outdoor spaces felt particularly cramped - the two pools were literally overflowing with people throughout the day, and deck chairs close to the pool were nearly impossible to get.  That said, there were quite a few deck chairs farther away - some with good shade, so not all bad.  The Windjammer was perpetually packed, and your best chance at getting a table was toward the back of the venue.  There were plenty of bars, so always an opportunity to find a good spot.  I loved the Two70 venue, and only wish that they would keep the windows/shades open more during sail-aways.  Too often, they were converting things for the shows later in the evening.  Bar service was extremely slow here, even though there were rarely many people there.

 

We did specialty restaurants most nights, and thought they were great.  Chops Grille was it's typical solid self - just miss the seafood towers of the past!  Izumi is small, but the food was well done - and a nice change from the Italian food we had enjoyed the week before in Rome.  Teppanyaki was an awesome experience.  The teriyaki sauce was way sweeter than I like, but the focus was "the show" and it was great - the crew made it so fun, and the family had a blast.

 

We had a few treatments at the Spa.  The woman at the reception desk was strangely rude, and the other staff members were hit or miss.  Our appointments often started late and finished early, capped with the typical sales pitch for overpriced lotions.  If I were to go again, I would skip the spa altogether.

 

The cruise itinerary was outstanding - first day at sea, Santorini and Mykonos were great, and Kusadasi was a stunningly cool surprise.  "The Key" was huge in Santorini, as I heard it took some people 3 hours to get off the ship via tender.  On the first tender off, we were able to get on the cable car quickly and get to the top of the hill.  From there, we got an expensive taxi to the beach.  The return trip "down" Santorini was a bit of a mess, so we simply walked down the donkey pooped-on trail for a memorable view of the ship.  Mykonos docks in a random distant port, so we paid a bunch for an Uber to get us to the beach ASAP.  We took an RCL excursion in Kusadasi to Ephesus and it was absolutely amazing.  What a beautiful part of the world - we cannot wait to go back.  The excursions offered in Naples were underwhelming, so we booked via a third party to visit both Pompei and climb Mount Vesuvius - what an amazing final day of our cruise.

 

The Key allowed us to book a good time for the iFly, which we thoroughly enjoyed - it was so cool.  The lines for the Flow Rider were typically long, and the Bumper Cars were borderline ridiculous.  People lined up around the SeaPlex for a 1 minute ride - total waste of time.  Nearby, there is an arcade with crappy, overpriced video games.  My kids wasted a ton of money there on Night 1, then quickly had their privileges revoked!

 

Embarkation in Rome was quick and easy.  We had "The Key" but we definitely didn't need it to get onboard without delay.  Disembarkation in Rome was a complete clown show.  If you don't pre-book one of the overpriced transfers, prepare to be held hostage by the taxi cartel.  There are very few cabs available, Uber isn't an option, and it's all controlled by a few sleazy "strongmen" - the first offer to bring us to the airport was 500 Euros for 5 people and 4 pieces of luggage.  When I approached the RCL and port staff about a more reasonable way to get to the airport, they basically laughed at me - paraphrasing "you dummy, what did you expect."  It was pure robbery, and a sour way to end an otherwise great cruise.

 

Beyond the cruise, my goodness Rome was CROWDED.  The Vatican was almost impossible to enjoy, and you're best to arrive at other tourist sites as early in the morning as possible.  Still, paying up to "skip the line" is inevitably worth it, if you only have limited time in this great city.  We did an awesome e-bike tour after dark, which I highly recommend.

 

Again, sorry to the disjointed nature of my feedback.  Just wanted to provide what's top of mind to help those considering the trip, and happy to field other questions you might have.  Despite some of the negatives, we did put down a NextCruise deposit, so thinking about where our next RCL cruise might be.

[cruiseboy89130]

1 hour ago, uvadover said:

the first offer to bring us to the airport was 500 Euros for 5 people and 4 pieces

Most people take the train for about €12 pp all in

[little britain]

For future reference:

CivitavecchiaCabService is €120 for whole van 🚐 to airport. 
 

Mykonos is a ferry to town €2pp

 

 

Did you get to experience anything hosted by Kevin in the Entertainment team.. he is soooo good! 

Edited August 23, 2023 by little britain

[lovesthebeach2]

Last time we took the train because we weren’t going to Rome or the airport, but in the past we have always used the RCL transfers because of the distance to the airport.

 

[voyager70]

Appreciate the review. Considering this itinerary next year.

[MrsHFQ]

Useful, thanks. We are on a 9 night on the Odyssey in September.

We have booked an RC excursion for Santorini as we think that should bypass the long wait to get a tender off the ship.

We have booked our taxi from the port back to the airport and just hoping (!) that it turns up as we are fairly tight timewise for our flight (booked by our TA so we assume he knows what he's doing!).

Looking forward to our pre cruise stay in Rome - we have booked 'skip the line' tickets for the Vatican and the Colosseum - just hoping it won't be quite so busy as it's (just) into September!

[GCS2000]

Thank you for this info.  My wife and daughter are on this actual cruise in 14 days so its good info to read.  They are spending time in Paris next week and 2 days in Rome before the cruise departs.  They have tours booked in both cities via The Tour Guy so hopefully they will all go well and avoid some of the lines.  They are on RC excursions for all ports (especially Santorini due to my wife not being able to do the cable car and RC's excursion supposedly brings you by bus to and from the Athinios port) except Athens as we were able to find what appears to be a better one with shore excursion group and it was about $200 less than RC.  Hopefully this will help with some of the line skipping you mentioned.

 

Pretty sure they will be experience big crowds same as you especially since the ship appears to be fully booked (not many rooms left available and no suites at all).

[EllieinNJ]

Thinking about booking the Odyssey when she comes to NY in 2025.  Did you see any shows at night?  How were they?   

[uvadover]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:10 AM, EllieinNJ said:

Thinking about booking the Odyssey when she comes to NY in 2025.  Did you see any shows at night?  How were they?   

 

Only show we saw was in the Main Theater - the Magic Show/Illusionist who had appeared on England's Got Talent.  Great show, typical cruise ship shenanigans, and well-liked by all.  We peeked into the production show with cartoons/lasers and it wasn't quite our thing.  Also popped into "The Book" at the Two70 one night - some cool visuals, but not quite up our alley.  Frankly, thought the Two70 venue would be much better suited always as a bar/venue with amazing views.

[little britain]

On 8/23/2023 at 4:10 PM, EllieinNJ said:

Thinking about booking the Odyssey when she comes to NY in 2025.  Did you see any shows at night?  How were they?   

The Showgirls show is one of the best I have seen on any RCI ship.

 

Effectors is very visual with drones etc

 

The Book has no story - collection of tunes- but the graphics in the aft screen/glass wall are very clever ( think Harry Potter with the portraits moving)

[ARandomTraveler]

On 8/24/2023 at 11:47 PM, little britain said:

The Showgirls show is one of the best I have seen on any RCI ship.

 

Effectors is very visual with drones etc

 

The Book has no story - collection of tunes- but the graphics in the aft screen/glass wall are very clever ( think Harry Potter with the portraits moving)

100% agree about Showgirls. I saw this on the Spectrum a couple weeks ago and was really impressed. I didn't realize it was shown on other ships too, which answers my question about why it wasn't the signature show on The Spectrum instead of "Silk Road" which I found pretty cheesy.

[kwokpot]

I was on this cruise July 23-30 and can agree on many of the conclusions in this report. It was our first time sailing in Europe during the summer, usually we're there either Spring or Fall, and I was taken aback at the amount of families with kids on this cruise. NEVER again will I sail the summer in Europe. The biggest negative of the hoards of people was on the pool decks. It was just mobs of people everywhere. Luckily I was able to find a lounger in the Aft section either Port or Starboard side every time I wanted to sit outside. 

 

Food and service in the MDR was very good to excellent. Our cabin, a balcony, was beautiful, large, with tons of storage. 

 

The Ports of call were great EXCEPT for Santorini. Not a direct fault of Royal but the hoards of tourists, especially in Oia, were unbearable. We did enjoy the sunset in Fira and we walked down the path to the tender area in the dark. Best advice is carry a flashlight or use your cell phone light and keep it on the pathway the whole way down. The pathways are wide and it's a gradual slope down so it's not like climbing a stairmaster in a gym. You just need to watch the donkey poop and amazingly no one in our group got any poop on our shoes!

 

Best advice for Mykonos is to go onshore early but not TOO early (shops don't open until 10) so say 9:00am. Go to see the windmills FIRST, then walk the town's winding streets and shops, try some snacks and coffee, and then if you're a beach goer go to the beach of your choice. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by kwokpot

[sgmn]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

I was on this cruise July 23-30 and can agree on many of the conclusions in this report. 

Best advice for Mykonos is to go onshore early but not TOO early (shops don't open until 10) so say 9:00am. Go to see the windmills FIRST, then walk the town's winding streets and shops, try some snacks and coffee, and then if you're a beach goer go to the beach of your choice. 

Another easy DIY idea for Mykonos is to catch the boat over to Delos from the main harbour. You can buy your tickets at the booth there.

At Delos you purchase tickets to enter the ancient mythical birthplace of Apollo and major archaeology site.  There's  a cafe and museum on the island and depending on your port hours you should still have plenty of time to wander Mykonos and have lunch in a taverna 

[kwokpot]

On 8/22/2023 at 11:50 PM, uvadover said:

The Windjammer was perpetually packed, and your best chance at getting a table was toward the back of the venue.

I will add although it was always packed we were able to get a table large enough for 9 towards the from on the right side (Facing aft). We felt the food in the Windjammer was repetitive with the same choices every day with just a slight variation and the food quality just average to soso. 

[cruiseboy89130]

On 8/25/2023 at 7:47 AM, little britain said:

The Showgirls show is one of the best I have seen on any RCI ship.

We sure did not like that one at all!

 

On 8/25/2023 at 7:47 AM, little britain said:

The Book has no story - collection of tunes- but the graphics in the aft screen/glass wall are very clever ( think Harry Potter with the portraits moving)

THAT is the best show Royal has!

[little britain]

37 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

We sure did not like that one at all!

 

THAT is the best show Royal has!

The Book is as bad as The Gift on Anthem!!

 

Showgirls is fabulous!!

 

YMMV! 

[cruiseboy89130]

5 minutes ago, little britain said:

The Book is as bad as The Gift on Anthem!!

No just NO! Fabulous show!

No comparison to the Gift at all - the Gift was just as bad as Showgirls!🤢

 

5 minutes ago, little britain said:

Showgirls is fabulous!!

Totally outdated and 😴😴😴

[The peanuts gang]

Hi,

Thanks for this review. We are going in the summer with our grandkids. Could you tell me which off the ship tour company you used for Pampeii and Vesuvius? Thanks 

[uvadover]

44 minutes ago, The peanuts gang said:

Hi,

Thanks for this review. We are going in the summer with our grandkids. Could you tell me which off the ship tour company you used for Pampeii and Vesuvius? Thanks 

 

Shore Excursioneer - Naples Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius Hike with Lunch or Wine Tasting Excursion   Did Pompeii in the morning before it was very busy, then Vesuvius in the afternoon which never gets particularly busy because it is quite a strenuous walk.

[AUgirl]

Thank you for this review and I'm so glad it got pushed back up to the top. We're sailing the same itinerary in May on the Odyssey. Could you please tell me more about The Key onboard - did it provide special time slots for iFly and for the North Star? How/when did you go about booking those? Did The Key help any with bumper cars or the Flowrider, etc? Thanks again!!

[TeamCan]

On 8/26/2023 at 10:11 AM, sgmn said:

Another easy DIY idea for Mykonos is to catch the boat over to Delos from the main harbour. You can buy your tickets at the booth there.

At Delos you purchase tickets to enter the ancient mythical birthplace of Apollo and major archaeology site.  There's  a cafe and museum on the island and depending on your port hours you should still have plenty of time to wander Mykonos and have lunch in a taverna 

We did this except we took the 1st ferry over and had time to see the windmills without the crowds.  We then went on our Delos guided tour…amazing!  Afterwards, we had plenty of time for lunch and explore the town before catching the ferry back to the ship

[onthewater51]

45 minutes ago, TeamCan said:

We did this except we took the 1st ferry over and had time to see the windmills without the crowds.  We then went on our Delos guided tour…amazing!  Afterwards, we had plenty of time for lunch and explore the town before catching the ferry back to the ship

Ditto this...

 

In 2018 we did the Greek Isles...Thoroughly enjoyed the Delos tour.  I'm not a history buff like my wife (Delos was her idea), but something about that place has stuck with me even today.  Just a fascinating place and history.

 

 

[lovesthebeach2]

On 8/23/2023 at 1:01 AM, cruiseboy89130 said:

Most people take the train for about €12 pp all in

I was about to say the same thing….the train

[lovesthebeach2]

Last October we did the “modified” Holy Land cruise that stopped in Kusadasi and we also did the Ephesus tour! That was probably the highlight of the whole cruise, way better than we ever could have anticipated! We loved Turkey! 

[TeamCan]

4 hours ago, onthewater51 said:

Ditto this...

 

In 2018 we did the Greek Isles...Thoroughly enjoyed the Delos tour.  I'm not a history buff like my wife (Delos was her idea), but something about that place has stuck with me even today.  Just a fascinating place and history.

 

 

Lol… great minds think alike… Delos was my idea too😉 DH and our 2 friends also thoroughly enjoyed Delos as well.