Cruiser Formerly Known As Cheapo Dad's Trip Report on Odyssey of the Seas Sailing to A Minus B Plus C Plus H Islands

[Mom*3]

Harry, we just returned from our 6 night Odyssey cruise. We had a wonderful cruise and your review was so helpful in our planning. My family agrees with your assessment of the Two70 venue, we loved that area. We had a late afternoon flight and ended up at Hollywood Beach after our cruise. When we walked by one of the bike rental vendors, I knew we had to do it. My family was definitely rolling their eyes, but they agreed it was so much fun!
 

[Mom*3]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:49 PM, T-2 said:

Your cruise compass was quite an eye opener, I learned quite a lot, for one- there is a Lot more things that will be scheduled than the enticements we now see on the cruise planner app- because your cruise compass was massive for things that will be happening. And they seem to move things around even though our 2 sea days are also day 2 and 6, but I see several things different- our Two70 experience is day 5 not day 6, ours does not show any laser tag like yours but ours only ever had one and it was for the 18+. So lots of excitement yet to come, we will try to see if they have any last bookings on boarding and try the standby line if all else fails, however it works out, I know its going to be an amazing time, thanks for all the help you have given all of us!!! Keep traveling, we'll be watching for more adventures with Harry We've traveled a lot of the world but never NY, I bet you're going to inspire me. :0)

 

@T-2 Are you on the March 24th, 6 night sailing? We just got off the March 10, 6 night. Here is the Shows at a Glance schedule. Don't worry about not having a reservation for The Book. I was prepared to reserve it in advance, checked the app regularly for it to open on the first of the month before our cruise (Feb 1). I reserved it the first day it opened. I chose the Night one, 7pm showing, since it worked better for us. But, they ended up canceling the Night one showings due to technical difficulties. They told us not to worry, they added another showing on Night 4 at 7pm, and that our reservation would automatically transfer. Which was so nice of them, except we had a reservation for Teppanyaki for 7:45 pm (reservation made pre-cruise). So, we waited in the Standby line on Night 3 for the 7pm show. I think everyone in the Standby line got in, in fact they opened up the center balcony area reserved for The Key members, so that’s where we sat. Enjoy your cruise! I can try and answer any specific 6 night questions.

 

 

[T-2]

Yes, we are on the 23rd, slightly different ports but would have had 2 sea days also. We're waiting to see if they make Labadee another sea day or there was another port they could substitute. I think we'll try for the day 1 standby, some people may decide its just too much after all the traveling and boarding, we're a family of 4 but maybe we can split up if we can't find 4 together or we get lucky and they open that last area. Thanks so much for the tip!!

[Calvin]

Thanks so much for the review and the pictures!  I also posted a review on my 15-day Odyssey of the Seas experience, where I enumerated the pros and cons of the ship. I haven't posted much at all since, because a few MORONS decided to flame me.  I guess they believed they owned RCI and wanted desperately to defend it. I was shocked because I posted both the good and the bad.

 

One of the things I love about today's cruising is that we have so many, like yourself, who post reviews of various ships, so we can get a feel for it without sailing.  In the old days, 😁, we would have to grab a static brochure and use our imaginations.

[harryfat1]

5 hours ago, Mom*3 said:

Harry, we just returned from our 6 night Odyssey cruise. We had a wonderful cruise and your review was so helpful in our planning. My family agrees with your assessment of the Two70 venue, we loved that area. We had a late afternoon flight and ended up at Hollywood Beach after our cruise. When we walked by one of the bike rental vendors, I knew we had to do it. My family was definitely rolling their eyes, but they agreed it was so much fun!
 

Hi,

 

Thanks for reporting back.  I'm glad you guys had a great vacation.

 

Yeah, the 270 venue is very different than other RCI venues with comfortable seating as well as a great Aft view and close access to the cafe next door.

 

I like the style of your bike, looks more like a sports car whereas ours looks more like an SUV. I agree that the experience at first glance is touristy as heck, but many people were doing it and it's a lot of family-together fun time.  

 

It's not something you'll want to do on every visit but something you will remember for a long time and that's what family vacation is all about.

 

 

[harryfat1]

5 hours ago, Mom*3 said:

 

@T-2 Are you on the March 24th, 6 night sailing? We just got off the March 10, 6 night. Here is the Shows at a Glance schedule. Don't worry about not having a reservation for The Book. I was prepared to reserve it in advance, checked the app regularly for it to open on the first of the month before our cruise (Feb 1). I reserved it the first day it opened. I chose the Night one, 7pm showing, since it worked better for us. But, they ended up canceling the Night one showings due to technical difficulties. They told us not to worry, they added another showing on Night 4 at 7pm, and that our reservation would automatically transfer. Which was so nice of them, except we had a reservation for Teppanyaki for 7:45 pm (reservation made pre-cruise). So, we waited in the Standby line on Night 3 for the 7pm show. I think everyone in the Standby line got in, in fact they opened up the center balcony area reserved for The Key members, so that’s where we sat. Enjoy your cruise! I can try and answer any specific 6 night questions.

 

 

 

Oh, yeah, I have this type of schedule as well.  Here is the 8-day version in case anyone needs one

 

[harryfat1]

2 hours ago, Calvin said:

Thanks so much for the review and the pictures!  I also posted a review on my 15-day Odyssey of the Seas experience, where I enumerated the pros and cons of the ship. I haven't posted much at all since, because a few MORONS decided to flame me.  I guess they believed they owned RCI and wanted desperately to defend it. I was shocked because I posted both the good and the bad.

 

One of the things I love about today's cruising is that we have so many, like yourself, who post reviews of various ships, so we can get a feel for it without sailing.  In the old days, 😁, we would have to grab a static brochure and use our imaginations.

Haha, now I'm curious about what you say that got the people all riled up?

 

Did you say "Only morons would sail on RCI?" or "You must be dumber than Biden/Trump (insert the political figure you dislike the most) to want to be on the Odyssey"?

 

Barring any real personal attacks, I don't see why people would feel offended.

 

Many people are too insecure in their liking.  They want to read good reviews to validate that they made the right choice in selecting/selected the right ship/cruise line.  Any negative comments from reviewers are deemed a personal attack on their selection.

 

They don't have enough self-conviction to believe they made the right choice in selecting their cruise ship/line and will get upset at any negative comments.

 

I have contributed to other boards like Disney and Edmunds car selections.  People get very upset about any negative reviews on their favorite products as if the reviewers are criticizing their kids' bad piano recital.

 

What these people don't realize is that a "bad review" can be a good thing such that if you are a good social media influencer and 100 people read your negative comments about the Odyssey/RCI and then they tell 100 friends and those people tell 100 friends, in no time, there will be a million people who know that the Odyssey is a bad ship/RCI is a bad cruise line.  

 

As such, people won't book future sailings on the Odyssey/RCI for the next few years. Then RCI will be forced to dramatically decrease the prices on all the cabins such that cheapo dads of the world can get an Owner's Suite for $100/night due to your "negative reviews".  So that becomes a good thing.

 

You just need to explain the economics of cruising to the "Morons"...🤪

 

 

[harryfat1]

Here's an addendum nobody asked for but I will share it anyway as we went to dinner for a family dinner the other night.  These are the big set dinner banquet-style Chinese food you only find in the bigger cities so I thought I would upload few photos:

 

Table for 13.  Chinese only sits in round tables for dinner at restaurants for large groups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

 

I wanted the pictures of the two lobster heads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know you are in a Chinese region when birthday cakes are in Chinese

 

 

 

 

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, harryfat1 said:

Here's an addendum nobody asked for but I will share it anyway as we went to dinner for a family dinner the other night.  These are the big set dinner banquet-style Chinese food you only find in the bigger cities so I thought I would upload few photos:

That food looks delicious.  You may have to share the restaurant name.  I may want to take the family when we are in the Bay Area in June, to pick up my grandson for the summer. 

[rncruiser]

Harry, maybe you can keep posting addendums and this thread will go on for months, or even years. You can keep us informed on your planning for NYC, and then of course post your detailed trip report here. I doubt that those of us who have been following along will mind. 

[harryfat1]

On 3/17/2024 at 5:02 PM, h20skibum said:

That food looks delicious.  You may have to share the restaurant name.  I may want to take the family when we are in the Bay Area in June, to pick up my grandson for the summer. 

Mark,

 

The name of the restaurant is Ming Yuan in Daly City.  The address is 209 Southgate Avenue, Daly City.  It’s about 20 minutes from SFO so you can go there after you arrive in the Bay Area.

 

You saw this place back on post #730 onward in this trip report as it was the Chinese New Year Dim Sum place I mentioned previously.  This is my in-law's favorite restaurant so we go there on special occasions.

 

You can check out the pictures I took of the menu on post #732.

 

Now it depends on when you are going there.  If you go during lunch, you can have either the Dim Sum food in the #731 as we had on Chinese New Year or a regular lunch.  So if you want to try the chicken feet on #734, lunchtime is the only time you can get that menu.

 

The “regular” menu on post #732 is lunch and dinner for people who don’t want Dim Sum exclusively for lunch.

 

Depending on the size of your party, if you have 10 or more, you can opt for the set dinner like the ones I just posted in #1358/1359.

 

Here is a picture of the menu for the set dinner.  It’s the $398 dinner (feeds 10 people).  Since we had 13 people in the super max-sized table, we added a few extra items on top of the set dinner as that was only enough for 10.  But assuming you don’t have that big of a group, you may not need the set dinner menu but you can order some of the items a la carte.

 

 

 

Besides the “set dinner menu” for 10 people the “regular menu” and the lunch-only “dim sum” menu, they also have the “special seasonal” menu that changes periodically (I know, confusing as heck).  This special menu can change seasonally, depending on what stuff is in season.  

 

Keep in mind this is served Chinese family style as they put the stuff in the middle and you share whatever.

 

 

 

 

If you decide to go to this restaurant, the tip is to set the Google map to the Home Depot nearby as the parking at the restaurant is nearly impossible to find a spot right in front of a very busy street.  There’s a lot more parking at the Home Depot parking and you can just walk one block to the restaurant.

 

Home Depot, 303 Lake Merced Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015

 

The final suggestion is if you are parked at Home Depot, there’s a Chinese bakery next door called Sheng Kee.  They have 11 stores in the Bay Area. You can drop in and pick up some Chinese pastries/cake after your meal to take back to your son’s place.

 

526 Westlake Center, Daly City, CA 94015

 

https://www.shengkee.com/collections/cakes

 

This picture were taken inside the bakery over the weekend:

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

22 hours ago, rncruiser said:

Harry, maybe you can keep posting addendums and this thread will go on for months, or even years. You can keep us informed on your planning for NYC, and then of course post your detailed trip report here. I doubt that those of us who have been following along will mind. 

Thanks for the encouragement. I don’t think people is that interested in what I do to drag this thread that far into next year.  My life is pretty boring, but my wife’s family are more foodies so I can post occasional pictures if we have special events later on. 

 

At least the NYC info might be helpful for future readers sailing on the Odyssey out of NJ in the Fall/Winter season in case they are in town to see NYC pre/post cruise.

[luvtoride]

@harryfat1Wow, that food looks amazing.  Which specialty restaurant was that at on Odyssey of the Seas??  

When you come to NYC, there are obviously some great Chinese restaurants in and around Chinatown where you can feast like that.  Let me know if you research any that you would like me to check out for you before you come.  

[harryfat1]

6 hours ago, luvtoride said:

@harryfat1Wow, that food looks amazing.  Which specialty restaurant was that at on Odyssey of the Seas??  

When you come to NYC, there are obviously some great Chinese restaurants in and around Chinatown where you can feast like that.  Let me know if you research any that you would like me to check out for you before you come.  

Hi Brian,

 

These pictures were taken in the San Francisco area.  Same restaurant as the one I shared back last month.  I just thought I shared these pictures as it was a special dinner.

 

Thanks for the offer for NYC Chinatown.  I have been watching YouTube channels recently (now that I don't have my nightly trip report to write), I saw that there's a bigger Chinatown out in the Queens area called Flushing.  That looks like it's more for the newer immigrants whereas Manhattan is the older crowd.

 

Similar to LA and San Francisco where the older generation stayed in the traditional Chinatown but the newer folks moved out to the suburbs.  Not sure if we will have time to make it to Flushings on this visit but just an FYI to anyone interested in wanting to experience other Chinese cuisines, they can head out there as well as Manhattan Chinatown. 

[rncruiser]

10 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

Hi Brian,

 

These pictures were taken in the San Francisco area.  Same restaurant as the one I shared back last month.  I just thought I shared these pictures as it was a special dinner.

 

Thanks for the offer for NYC Chinatown.  I have been watching YouTube channels recently (now that I don't have my nightly trip report to write), I saw that there's a bigger Chinatown out in the Queens area called Flushing.  That looks like it's more for the newer immigrants whereas Manhattan is the older crowd.

 

Similar to LA and San Francisco where the older generation stayed in the traditional Chinatown but the newer folks moved out to the suburbs.  Not sure if we will have time to make it to Flushings on this visit but just an FYI to anyone interested in wanting to experience other Chinese cuisines, they can head out there as well as Manhattan Chinatown. 

I live in Queens, not far from Flushing. There are many authentic Chinese restaurants there. My family goes to a great hot pot restaurant called Spring Shabu Shabu. We’ve been to a couple of others but this one is the best we have found. Unfortunately it is not too close to the subway. 

[harryfat1]

On 3/26/2024 at 5:18 AM, rncruiser said:

I live in Queens, not far from Flushing. There are many authentic Chinese restaurants there. My family goes to a great hot pot restaurant called Spring Shabu Shabu. We’ve been to a couple of others but this one is the best we have found. Unfortunately it is not too close to the subway. 

Thanks for the info on the hot pot restaurant.

 

If you like hot pot, I saw one place in the Flushing Chinatown area accessible via the subway, it's called Xiang Hot Pot and BBQ and has decent reviews online:

 

https://xianghotpot.com/

 

It's located inside the New World Mall in Flushing.  Per Google Maps, we can get to Flushing in 35 minutes via the #7 train starting from Grand Central Terminal in Midtown.   

 

Not sure if we will go there as Hot Pot in the summer heat doesn't sound that appealing at the moment but there are many places to eat in Flushing Chinatown if we have time to venture out there.

 

I'm really looking forward to the Halal food trucks as all reviews on YouTube/Google gave the Halal food rave reviews.  I read Adel's Halal food truck is supposed to be very good and they are open until 4 AM on weekdays (crazy hours). We don't have anything like that on the West Coast so that's a must-eat for me

[JamesEM]

Several years ago I was visiting SF on business and our group visited a Dim Sum restaurant in China Town where the food was placed on a conveyor belt and you just picked the items you wanted.  That was a great unexpected experience, chicken feet and all. 

[topanga49er]

On 2/15/2024 at 1:02 AM, harryfat1 said:

Thanks for the subway tip and MOMA suggestion.

 

The reason we want to see the Guggenheim is not for the exhibits but more for the architecture as I am a fan of buildings/structures as evidenced by my cruise ship and building pictures of Curacao.  I want to see the inside of the Guggenheim to see and appreciate the structure.

 

I’m not an art person.  Couldn’t tell the difference between any painting or any artist.  My favorite artwork is the picture of the dogs playing poker so that tells you the depth of my art knowledge or lack thereof.  The closest thing I have to actual art appreciation is Escher's artwork.

 

Let me show a few Internet pictures of the buildings we hope to visit for folks who are not familiar with what interests us.

 

Guggenhiem museum structure:

 

 

Oculus Center

 

 

The Vessel (It has the Escher feel to it but I believe they don't allow people to go inside anymore due to the high number of suicides with people jumping off the top)

 

 

Here's Grand Central Terminal.  More classic structure.  Seen in many movies

 

 

NYC Public Library

 

Hi If you are still looking at this, Thank you for your review of Odyssey.  As a lifetime NYer, if you love architecture you cannot miss the Woolworth Building.  It's down near the Freedom tower, oculus, etc.  Woolworth building is also called "the Cathedral of Commerce".  You can see gargoyles of the people that built it using nickles and dimes.  The upper floors are now residences, but the lobby is one of the most beautiful anywhere.  Here is a short video about it:  https://nylandmarks.org/explore-ny/the-woolworth-building/

 

[harryfat1]

On 4/7/2024 at 10:25 AM, topanga49er said:

Hi If you are still looking at this, Thank you for your review of Odyssey.  As a lifetime NYer, if you love architecture you cannot miss the Woolworth Building.  It's down near the Freedom tower, oculus, etc.  Woolworth building is also called "the Cathedral of Commerce".  You can see gargoyles of the people that built it using nickles and dimes.  The upper floors are now residences, but the lobby is one of the most beautiful anywhere.  Here is a short video about it:  https://nylandmarks.org/explore-ny/the-woolworth-building/

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for the info.  I will add this to the list of buildings to check out while we are in NYC.

 

Per the link you provided, it says the lobby is closed to the general public and they no longer offer tours so we can only see what’s outside.

 

I am old enough to remember going to the Woolworths stores when I was young. Doubtful the younger generations even heard of the name.

[topanga49er]

On 4/8/2024 at 2:03 PM, harryfat1 said:

Hi,

 

Thanks for the info.  I will add this to the list of buildings to check out while we are in NYC.

 

Per the link you provided, it says the lobby is closed to the general public and they no longer offer tours so we can only see what’s outside.

 

I am old enough to remember going to the Woolworths stores when I was young. Doubtful the younger generations even heard of the name.

You can walk in the lobby, look around and tell them you are an architecture buff from out of town they'll let you wander around the lobby.   They may not be doing any formal tours but it is gorgeous to walk through...

 

[NHProud]

How are your plans coming along for New York City ? 
 

It’s the same for the Chrysler building .  I was stopped from entering. 
 

If you are ever in LA the Bradbury building lobby is very interesting. I was , again, stopped from going in . I saw the interior on a Perry Mason episode. Perhaps, you can talk your way into taking a look in these off limit lobbies. 

[harryfat1]

On 4/15/2024 at 9:58 PM, NHProud said:

How are your plans coming along for New York City ? 
 

It’s the same for the Chrysler building .  I was stopped from entering. 
 

If you are ever in LA the Bradbury building lobby is very interesting. I was , again, stopped from going in . I saw the interior on a Perry Mason episode. Perhaps, you can talk your way into taking a look in these off limit lobbies. 

Thanks for checking up on our travel plans.

 

We might end up going earlier than originally anticipated as we are trying to get to NYC before the oppressive August heat sets in.  So now I had to cancel the original hotel and flight that was booked for August and looking to book on a revised date.  That’s been taking up more of my time that should be used for planning instead.

 

That being said, we have an overall idea of what we like to do.  Will be seeing major tourist sites like the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, Central Park, and so on. Doing what all other tourists will do.  Most likely will be buying an I love NY shirt and a cheapo mini-replica of the Statue of Liberty when we visit the uncle in prison.  

 

The thing about planning is that when you are at home in perfect condition, you will want to do everything but when you get there, if it’s too hot or rainy or you are too tired, then you have to change/curtail the activities so we will unlikely end up doing everything from the plan. But at least there's a plan...