LIVE from Odyssey 1/6/24 8-night Southern Caribbean

[Betsynh]

It’s just after 6:30am on our last sea day and we woke up early to try to get a decent spot in the Solarium... lo and behold, all of the “basket chairs” have already been claimed. Plan ahead (or sleep up there) if you want one of those for the day. The towel station doesn’t open until 7am, so these folks hoarded towels from yesterday in order to start reserving chairs. In fairness to the basket folks, they are actually using the chairs so they qualify as early birds rather than chair hogs...

As you can probably tell, I love to analyze everything, and was processing our vacation with hubby. We’ve had a fantastic time, but I probably wouldn’t book the Odyssey again... will explain.

We sailed Anthem in 2018 and I’ve maintained that it was my favorite RCCL ship so I was really excited and looking forward to four sea days to enjoy all the ship has to offer. Being older now though (we’re 56/63) once onboard, we weren’t enthralled with the idea of Flowriding again, doing iFly again, etc. So here we sit on a ship with amazing amenities that we’re not using... that also leads to a younger demographic so the pools have been packed the whole time, as well as the dance floor for late night music. We’re not casino people.

On the Anthem, our cabin was near the back of the ship so we spent most time between the Flowrider, the Two70 lounge and cafe, and MDR, and ventured forward for shows. this trip, our cabin was in the front of the ship and we had a completely different experience using the Crown Lounge (Diamond now), Solarium and Bistro, Royal Theater, Schooner Bar, etc. We found ourselves trying to hide from the crowds — and we found some great quiet spaces — but dodging the crowds on the dance floor and avoiding the pools became commonplace.

In addition, we really enjoy having early dinner and then catching a production show prior to heading out dancing for the night. Given the high end tech in Two70, there were only two shows that were production cast (very talented performers). The rest of the Royal Theater shows had single acts — comedian, magician, singer/entertainer, a 4- piece rock band... I guess we’re old school — yikes! We enjoyed all of the performances (didn’t catch the magician), but would’ve liked more Royal Theater cast show vs. The Book which we didn’t understand. Again the talent was amazing...

The staff on board have been great, Bogdan the Crown Lounge concierge has been awesome, the pub singer off the charts talented and the orchestra was really good, too. So we literally have NOTHING to complain about... I’m thinking we’ve aged out of

 active, fun ships — we’re busy people back home and want to relax on our cruises. Older, smaller ships seem to attract older folks that aren’t always in the pool or on the dance floor so maybe there’s more room for us. Lol... Will share final thoughts as the day continues. 
 

Thanks for sharing our journey!

[Betsynh]

Forgot to mention the 11:45pm virtual fireworks last night in Two70. Very cool! 

[Ocean Boy]

11 hours ago, Betsynh said:

Tonight —day 7 — was our second formal night and lobster night! Lucky for me hubby doesn’t like lobster so I got his, too, while he had steak. Lol. The waiters sang happy birthday and presented me with a warm GF chocolate lava cake! Made my whole trip! 
 

We did get lunch in Cafe Two70 and they have GF buns for almost every sandwich and a dedicated panini maker so it was really good. Wish I’d found that sooner. 
 

Lots of people dressed up for 70’s night. The trivia was a hoot and then 70’s line dancing. Anyone else remember the Hustle?

I really like Cafe Two/70. I stopped there often.

 

Interesting to read your summary above. I have a bit different perspective as I would book Odyssey when I'm looking for a more relaxed cruise. There is plenty to do but my FOMO didn't kick in. When I'm on an Oasis class ship I am constantly getting up to go see what is going on around the the ship. I don't get much down time.

[Betsynh]

Booked a delicious lunch at Chops for our last day at $29.99 vs dinner at $64.99. Fabulous meal overall and ended with the gluten-free warm chocolate lava cake. I remembered a pic today! 

[Betsynh]

After lunch we wandered around to explore the areas we hadn’t yet experienced. Watched some Dodgeball competition in the SeaPlex and saw the bumper cars parked alongside. We caught the tail end of the Sexiest Man Onboard. Posting video to give you a sense of the crowd. There’s also a teen social area and grabbed a pic of today’s daily schedule. 

[Betsynh]

A few more fun things to report: we summon an elevator to head to dinner and there was a piano and singer serenading us on the way to deck 4. Hilarious!

 

We also had fun collecting towel animals and adding accessories for Samson our steward. Took pics of the menagerie. 
 

My work friend booked this ship starting tomorrow so I left her a little treasure hunt. Will know soon if she finds what I left! 🥰😂

[perfect match]

2 hours ago, Betsynh said:

A few more fun things to report: we summon an elevator to head to dinner and there was a piano and singer serenading us on the way to deck 4. Hilarious!

I think I must be one of the only people who don’t like the roving piano player. I have  replacement knees and hips which work very well for me most of time - until they don’t and stairs are not an option for me. Inevitably, that’s when the piano player is in  the elevator just when I need it the most. It’s bad enough having too wait for an elevator hen it is full of other passengers as they often are, but having to wait or be crammed in or wait got the piano player is not ok with me. Besides, the elevator is not exactly the best venue to listen to piano music. Moi also don’t like the piano player blocking narrow, congested hallways during high traffic times. 
 

16 hours ago, Betsynh said:

I’m a big chicken so I’ve only done it when we’re docked! 

 

DH and I are both thrill seekers so going on the North Star while the ship is moving is no problem for us. Besides, with my mobility issues eliminating many thrills for me it is something I can still safely do.

[Betsynh]

We had bag tag #6 and disembarked at 7:41. It’s 8:27am now and we’re already at our gate at FLL. I was worried about an 11:15am flight. No problem! 
 

Have a wonderful time if you’re sailing soon! My feedback is a reflection of my age and personality rather than anything about the ship. She’s a beauty and the staff were great. Safe travels! 

[Ocean Boy]

9 hours ago, perfect match said:

I think I must be one of the only people who don’t like the roving piano player. I have  replacement knees and hips which work very well for me most of time - until they don’t and stairs are not an option for me. Inevitably, that’s when the piano player is in  the elevator just when I need it the most. It’s bad enough having too wait for an elevator hen it is full of other passengers as they often are, but having to wait or be crammed in or wait got the piano player is not ok with me. Besides, the elevator is not exactly the best venue to listen to piano music. Moi also don’t like the piano player blocking narrow, congested hallways during high traffic times. 
 

 

DH and I are both thrill seekers so going on the North Star while the ship is moving is no problem for us. Besides, with my mobility issues eliminating many thrills for me it is something I can still safely do.

I agree about the piano player. Even if I was the only person in the elevator I would rather be in there by myself. I just don't get the attraction.

[Ocean Boy]

50 minutes ago, Betsynh said:

We had bag tag #6 and disembarked at 7:41. It’s 8:27am now and we’re already at our gate at FLL. I was worried about an 11:15am flight. No problem! 
 

Have a wonderful time if you’re sailing soon! My feedback is a reflection of my age and personality rather than anything about the ship. She’s a beauty and the staff were great. Safe travels! 

Thanks for this thread and your thoughts. I'll be aboard again in about three weeks.

[khm1]

Thank you for the information on gluten free cuisine. My DS (26) has been GF for the last 1.5 years and it can be a real challenge traveling with celiac disease. I’m glad there are options for him. He has yet to cruise since he has changed his diet.