Stealthdog

Chops Dinner Menu The menu is much larger than the lunch menu. I think we have had just about everything on the menu by now. We haven't had a bad meal on the ship - specialty restaurants, el loco fresh, the cafes, and Solarium bistro have all been good. We have only been to MDR once for breakfast and haven't done the Windjammer, so really no comments on those two venues. Chops is our favorite restaurant on the Odyssey. For reference, Central150 was our favorite on the Symphony - we think Chops on Odyssey is very good, but a step below the Oasis Class Central restaurant.

Day 7 Daily

Day 6 Daily

Day 5 Daily

It was ok to good for complimentary, depending on your taste for mexican food. We aren't mexican foodies and we enjoyed it. It may be more closer to American style Mexican food than authentic Mexican. We got the quesadillas, but they have a variety of other things. There is also a really nice selection of hot sauces. I'll take a few pics today for you to show you what is offered.

Last two sea days before we get back to Fort Lauderdale. I'd like to get caught up today with everything through Day 7, so there is one day left for people to ask questions for me to look at. Things I'll get posted today: The rest of the Dailys through Day 7 The Chops Dinner menu Pics from Izumi Review of the Book Review of the Magician show Pics of the Seaplex Thoughts on the gym/spa Review of Royal Caribbean excursion in Aruba (halfday snorkle) Pics of Curacao Pics of Two70 Pics of El Loco Fresh If anyone has anything else they want to hear about, let me know and I'll track it down before tomorrow night.

The answer is yes/maybe. There is a large block of reserved seating in the middle section of the upper balcony (great location for the book btw). You can access from Deck 6, or from Deck 5 and go up the stairs. A staff member stood guard over the area until the show started. It didn't fill up until about 5-10 minutes before the show started. There was a sign that had a list of categories that could sit there - I saw Pinnacle and Key. There were a few others listed, but I didn't notice what they were. If it is anything like the reserved seating in the theater then D+ is probably one of them. So, I think the answer is probably yes, but I can't say with 100% certainty because I didn't see D+ specifically.

BecciBoo already answered. We went yesterday for lunch. I'll take a few pictures and post for you so you can see whats there.

Looks like there was a medical emergency on board now at Curaco. Local ambulance and first responders in hazmat picked up a passenger. Looked like it is COVID, but that is speculation. Havent heard any announcements - just happened to be looking over the side of the boat to find a spot to watch for pier runners. Im not going to post pictures of the passenger to protect her privacy. Her and her companion looked like a couple we saw in Chops last night - she was coughing alot. Thoughts and prayers to her.

Some other random, unrelated thoughts before we get ready to head into Curacao. We found out yesterday at 7:30PM that our tour was cancelled today because of weather, with instructions to go to Shore Excursions to book another tour with 15% off.....which of course we couldn't do because Shore Excursions was closed. So, we will just walk around the downtown area - Curacao is one of our favorite stops to just do on our own, so the refunded excursions will just pay off my Casino charges. Speaking of the Casino....it is not big enough for a ship this size. We have seen smaller ships with bigger casinos. If you try to go between the hours of 7-10PM, the place is going to be packed and every slot machine will probably be occupied. There is only 1 craps table - most ships have 2. And like the Symphony, the Royal Casino doesn't allow you to fully back up odds in your bets. If you do want to go to the Casino, mid-day or late night (after 10PM) seem to be the best times. They do have a wide variety of fun slot machines and the standard poker, blackjack, roulette, and slot tables. Two70 is our favorite location on the ship. A secret tip that apparently only Bette and we know about is you can go the Two70 cafe for coffee/breakfast and sit in Two70 to get an awesome panorama of everything outside the aft of the ship, with the floor to ceiling windows covering most of the venue. Its definitely nicer eating breakfast there than in the MDR or elsewhere. A few other hidden tips for Two70: - The library is located on the 2nd floor of Two70 (deck 6). We couldn't find it on any of the deck maps on the ship and stumbled upon it while exploring. They have the standard puzzles, card decks, and other activities, and you can get the same stunning views looking out the windows at Two70 while you play. - There is an unmarked door at the very end of the aft cabin sections on deck 6. This door leads into the 2nd floor of Two70. If your cabin in the aft portion of Deck 6, you don't have to go all the way to the center of the ship to go down the stairs, just to walk all the way to the aft again. We are very proud of this discovery but be warned you will need a lot of strength to open those doors. 🤣

Some pics of the jogging track - there are a lot of activities to do. There is soccer pool, several shuffleboard locations, and chess. They use every inch to make sure there are a variety of activities and not to waste any space. Very well done on the outdoor decks.

Pics from the Chef's Table. If you have the UDP, they take 50% off the cost. The table is limited to a max number of passengers (It looked like 12-14). We had one seat empty. The venue is inside of Chops in a private room in the side. Just like the rest of the restaurants on Deck 5, if you look out the windows you get a nice view of white and yellow life boats. 🤣 The meetup point is the bionic bar on Deck 5. The Bionic Bar has been out of order for our whole crruise - I guess something broken that is difficult to fix...... At the meetup point you get a nice drink in a champagne glass. The Chef's Table itself is a 5 course meal, each paired with another wine. The courses: Scallops Carpaccio, Roasted Tomato Soup, Branzino, Lobster, and Filet The wines: Pino Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Conundrum (white blend), Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon (Decoy) The desert there was a chocolate globe (like in Wonderland) that they melt down, paired with an espresso martini. It was the best meal on the ship. The Chef said it was the same filet as Chops, but it was noticeably better - best filet on the ship. The lobster was probably the 2nd best course - it had a very interesting vanilla seasoning that I have never tasted with lobster before. If you are looking for something for a special occasion or to splurge on a dinner, it is worth it. You will spend 2+ hours at dinner, so make sure you don't have any other plans.

We couldn't hear it. There was an iron gate that blocks access to the area, with a security officer inside the gate to make sure guests did not access

Day 4 Daily We did not make the comedian on Day 3 (Don Gray) - we finished up at Chops for dinner after his early show started and we lost track of time at the casino and missed the late show. It looks like that was the only time he was performing, so a bit of a bummer. Last night (Day 4) we were at the Chef's Table for dinner. I will post pictures and thoughts about that later. Today is Aruba day - off to go snorkeling! A few things I want to post about in the next few days are the Casino, the Solarium, the Seaplex, and Two70.

Day 3 - Labadee Labadee is a great stop! The area is easily walkable, and the beaches are clean with tons of umbrellas and chairs. I don't know if its normal, but the water was really murky and not clear like other locations in the Caribbean. I'll post of a picture of the map later (have to transfer it from my phone to laptop). There are 5 different beach areas, the huge zipline is a blast to watch, and there are plenty of places to eat/drink. The food at Labadee is basic compared to CocoCay, and there aren't as many sporting activities, but we could spend a whole day there just laying on the beach. The Dragon's Breath Lookout Point was closed because of tides and waves, but the security lady was kind enough to allow us to take a few pictures. In typical fashion, you will be greeted at the end of the pier with music and local dancers. We did walk through the market on the way back to the ship, and yes the vendors are pushy and a little aggressive, but not as bad as other port stops.

I need a little help with this one - I found this yellow duck on the top of a painting frame hidden behind by an emergency exit sign. I've seen reference to these, but never really read those threads. What do I do with this? I don't use facebook, so won't post it on the "cruising duck" page. Do I just re-hide it somewhere else?

Some pics of the North Star. As mentioned earlier, its free for the Basic Experience on port days, with 30 minute bookings. Bookings can be made on the Royal Caribbean app. On sea days, they have an extended version that can be reserved for a fee. Then entrance is the side of the Lime and Coconut. The globe takes you up around 300 feet above the ship and does some rotating to give you great views - the views of Labadee were awesome. With a max capacity of 14 passengers, there is plenty of room to look around 360 and get some great pictures. It does get hot - it doesn't seem the fan or AC that they use is very effective.

Day 3 Daily Note - didn't mention it before, but on the Odyssey just ask your stateroom attendant for the paper copies and he/she will deliver it to your room the night prior. No need to go to guest services.

Day 2 dining - Brunch MDR; Lunch Chops; Dinner Giovanni We went to the MDR for brunch of Day 2. Its nice to be able to sit down and get a meal, but it just took too long for service and the food wasn't any better than what we got in the cafes on Day 3 and the Solarium on Day 4. If you like to just sit and enjoy a meal, you may like the MDR. The MDR is beautiful - is spans 2 decks and has an open ceiling concept makes it seem alot bigger (a pic of the MDR below from the 5th deck). Chops (Menu below). Chops is probably going to be our favorite restaurant on the ship. Wonderland and Chops are the only two specialty restaurants that have a "classy" feel to them. The other restaurants have a much more laid back, and casual feel. If you like casual, then you will probably prefer Giovanni's. Can't comment on Central Kitchen because we haven't seen it. The Chops lunch menu is more limited to its dinner menu. I'll post the dinner menu when we go back in a few days. The mushroom soup and the filet were the highlights during lunch for us. Giovanni's dinner menu is exactly the same as its lunch menu, with the exception of veal and filet being available at dinner. We are trying the non-veal/filet options for lunches and got the veal and filet for dinner. Both were really good. The deserts at Giovanni's are also fantastic. One critique in general to the ship is all the specialty dining on Deck 5 have window seating and all you can see out the windows are the ugly white and yellow life boats. For me, that is really bad planning in the ship design. You really want people to have an experience and enjoy the atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant, especially when they are paying extra. Seeing a big yellow boat while you eat your filet mignon is a big planning error IMHO.

Day 2 Entertainment - Went to see the Effectors in the Theater. The kids will love it. It was cute and fun. If you are looking for something a little more mature, you may not enjoy it. The concept, performers, and music choices are good, the projection of the story seems to be lacking. I think it would have been better if each hero was limited to 1 song/set piece, and the rest of the show was typical group production telling the story. As it is now, it felt like 4 mini shows, and writers realized they had to hastily finish telling the story in the last 5 minutes. The special effects were great, with interesting lighting, holograms, and the use of the drones. I would go back a second time, but with some work Royal Caribbean can make it a much better and polished show. Recommendation - sit in the theater's 2nd floor balcony seating. If you sit in the first floor, you will miss some of the special effects and lighting.

Reposting the Entertainment Schedule with the description that was on the back of the flier.

I should have asked the Roll Call for someone to bring one. I checked 4-5 different dollar stores and couldn't find one. 😞

We went to Chops for lunch on Day 2 and Giovannis for dinner, and saw the show The Effectors. I'll post the reviews for those later because we need to get moving to our First Lunch now.

Day 2 - Veteran recognition After the Top Tier event, Royal Caribbean held a Veteran Tribute in Two70. Royal Caribbean also does a fantastic job with the vet tributes. There were about 50 vets (active duty and vet military and first responders) in attendance. A Ukrainian member of the band played taps. Funny story - my partner was wearing his US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps shirt (he is active duty) at the event and the Cruise Director (Anna) stopped us as we were leaving. She said he is the first one she has seen at these Veteran events and was glad he came. She normally only sees them when they are doing health inspections of the cruise ships. We were getting some awkward glances by several cruise staff throughout the day and was wondering what was going on. I told my partner he needed to take my notebook into the buffet, have a scowl on his face, and pretend he was jotting notes down as he walked through the buffet stations. He declined because he didn't want to terrorize the staff! 😉

Day 2 - Top Tier Event Staff at the Top Tier Event told us that there were about 4250 passengers on board, ~300 of them children. We heard that the previous cruise had about 1,000 children on board. 😮 One of the singers from The Book was the highlight entertainment at the Top Tier Event in Two70 (I'll post more about Two70 later). She was fantastic and great advertisement for The Book. We have reservations on Day 5. The band was also great. Love these Top Tier events - Royal Caribbean does a better job with these than other cruise lines....and who would turn down the free champagne and mimosas! Cruise Critic's own @Bette And Bill were honored at the Top Tier Event for being such awesome Royal Caribbean cruisers!!!!