Odyssey or Wonder?

[MD_Dan]

DW and I are in our early 60s.  We've enjoyed sailing on Symphony and Allure.  We're planning a Fall cruise and it comes down to these two wonderful choices.  Please advise!

 

I have to say that the Odyssey cruise is a 8-day Southern Caribbean (Aruba and Curacao).  But just focusing on the ships, which would you choose?

 

Thanks!!

Dan

[basenji56]

Try Odessey. It’s a different but excellent experience. 

[bajathree]

Odyssey and that 8 night southern is a favorite.

[smokeybandit]

Flip a coin. Or go with the better itinerary/cost.

People put too much effort into deciding between ships

[msuspartabigten]

We just did that Odyssey southern cruise over Thanksgiving and we're doing Wonder in 3 1/2 weeks. We have done Allure in the past though. 

I think that both are unique enough that it's really tough to compare. I loved Aruba and Curacao though. Our Wonder cruise has (imo) not desirable ports but we're doing to for the ship.

My kids loved Odyssey (actually did it twice in 2022) but personally, I prefer the Oasis class. 
Bottom line is I'm really no help lol but you can't go wrong with either. 

[Cruise a holic]

As long as both are Oasis class, look at price and itinerary.  chose which works best for you.  We really didn't enjoy the Quantum of the Seas- poorly laid out ship- Will not sail on that class of ship again.

 

 Enjoy

Edited January 25, 2023 by Cruise a holic

[crewsweeper]

The Odyssey seems a bit cramped in shoving specialty restaurants on one deck and shopping was limited, unless you wanted to compare watch prices😁.   But there's a lot to do.  Us "ole foks" enjoyed the bumper cars, the  iFly, Ripcord, 270 shows, and NorthStar.

 

We're awaiting our Wonder cruise.  

[JCDCA]

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

Uhhh...having just returned from two weeks on Wonder, and experienced first hand all of the design changes, Wonder is functionally and aesthetically quite different from any oasis class ship. RCL actually classifies it as an "Ultra Oasis" class ship. BTW, there are numerous oasis class features that have disappeared.

Well it’s got a lot of the same big, fundamental features - thinking the various neighborhoods, aqua theatre, ice rink and so forth.  

[GlasgowCruiser01]

I love the Oasis Class and have done all 5, with several on the Harmony in particular. I can't quite put my finger on why but for me, Wonder did have a very different vibe to the other 4 and I didn't care much for the layout changes. Had a good time but after going back to the Oasis, it kinda reaffirmed that I feel more at home on her sister ships.

 

For the OP - I'd recommend Odyssey. Since you've already done Symphony & Allure, Odyssey would give you something a bit different whilst still having plenty to do. I enjoyed my Odyssey cruise a lot. Key thing is to set your expectations accordingly - Quantum & Oasis Class are chalk and cheese and offer completely different things so I wouldn't go on Odyssey expecting much from an Oasis Class.

Edited January 25, 2023 by GlasgowCruiser01

[orville99]

5 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

@orville99 Sorry you had a bad experience on the Wonder.   But as a DeSantis Republican, I still find your statement in poor taste.  Doesn't matter what market any ship was originally designed or or planned for.  Nothing I've see picture wise or review wise has indicated the ship isn't suitable for Caribbean markets.

Just don't expect to be able to enjoy the solarium unless you plan on losing weight as it is completely enclosed with no air flow or AC, and don't expect to experience any connection between the ship and the sea or enjoy the sea breezes unless you are on deck 16 (which now dead ends at the solarium), or at the vue bar which replaced one of the cantilevered hot tubs (and closes once the sun goes down), or be able to find a deck chair anywhere near any of the pools in the sun, because the spaces they would have been in are now oversized wading pools filled with art deco foam loungers that are impossible to sit on, and if you want to open any of the windows on the pool deck be prepared for the fact that they only open about 6 inches. Sitting at the pool bars and looking out at the ocean is also out, as the view is completely blocked by the big blue Crown and Anchor sign on the sides of the ship. And, if you are a non-smoker, prepare to always exit the WJ on the port side of the ship because the smoking area extends from the exit doors on the starboard side all the to the beach pool.

[island lady]

55 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

As long as both are Oasis class, look at price and itinerary.  chose which works best for you.  We really didn't enjoy the Quantum of the Seas- poorly laid out ship- Will not sail on that class of ship again.

 

 Enjoy

 

Odyssey is not an Oasis class.   It is a Quantum class...quite different.  In fact it is one of two "Ultra" Quantum class ships.  

[Cruise a holic]

Then I surely wouldn’t sail on odyssey.  Keep the “ultra”. 

[island lady]

3 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Then I surely wouldn’t sail on odyssey.  Keep the “ultra”. 

 

Tough to have a real opinion on a ship until you try it.   We did, not sure I was going to enjoy it from the different layout, but ended up loving it.  

 

We mix it up with all the class of ships.  

[lovesthebeach2]

We would choose Odyssey hands down over Wonder, especially since you’re in your 60s. There will be lots of children on Wonder, not saying that’s a bad thing, but it was so crowded anywhere we went. Strollers were everywhere, again, not saying that’s a bad thing….just an observation.

We just loved Odyssey 🤷🏼‍♀️

[orville99]

1 hour ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

Perfect example of hyperbole. Wonder is an Oasis class ship, that’s a fact. And the soot problem was an issue for some when it first started sailing, but I haven’t heard any complaints lately. 

DW had two outfits ruined by the soot last week, and the miniature golf course, basketball court, and kids play area were covered in sooty oil. Housekeeping supervisor told us that they get dozens of requests for cleaning clothes each week from passengers in boardwalk balconies and aqua theater seats. Had a conversation specifically about the soot issues with Captain Rob after the captain's corner, and he explained in detail that they were aware of the problem and because of the way the scrubber systems were designed and installed and the fuel they were able to purchase, they had no solution to the perpetual soot issue.

[orville99]

14 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

If you wanted to use any of the beautiful lounges, you had to put down a layer of towels.  It’s such a shame it’s like that. 

We used one of the day beds on the suite sun deck almost every day, and watched the deck attendants power wash the deck, the glass walls and every  lounger and wipe down all of the railings every morning. By afternoon, everything was covered in soot again. 

[lovesthebeach2]

6 minutes ago, orville99 said:

DW had two outfits ruined by the soot last week, and the miniature golf course, basketball court, and kids play area were covered in sooty oil. Housekeeping supervisor told us that they get dozens of requests for cleaning clothes each week from passengers in boardwalk balconies and aqua theater seats. Had a conversation specifically about the soot issues with Captain Rob after the captain's corner, and he explained in detail that they were aware of the problem and because of the way the scrubber systems were designed and installed and the fuel they were able to purchase, they had no solution to the perpetual soot issue.

 

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

We used one of the day beds on the suite sun deck almost every day, and watched the deck attendants power wash the deck, the glass walls and every  lounger and wipe down all of the railings every morning. By afternoon, everything was covered in soot again. 

Not good news for this beautiful ship with no corrective action available 

[orville99]

24 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Tough to have a real opinion on a ship until you try it.   We did, not sure I was going to enjoy it from the different layout, but ended up loving it.  

 

We mix it up with all the class of ships.  

Our oldest son and his family recently sailed on Odyssey and loved it, and they are usually very difficult to impress.

[orville99]

24 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

 

Not good news for this beautiful ship with no corrective action available 

One thing that Captain Rob said that struck me about their inability to find a workable solution for the soot issue was that it was one of the reasons they were moving to LNG on all their new builds.

 

Probably the most disappointing thing for us is that we really wanted to enjoy this ship (to the point that we had 14 additional cruises booked on her through 2024). By the time we docked in San Juan on day 5 of the first leg and had AT&T on our cell phones, we called C&A and had them move all of them to other ships (and gladly ate ~$2,800 in change fees just to be able to switch).

Edited January 25, 2023 by orville99

[bajathree]

4 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

As long as both are Oasis class, look at price and itinerary.  chose which works best for you.  We really didn't enjoy the Quantum of the Seas- poorly laid out ship- Will not sail on that class of ship again.

 

 Enjoy

I also didn't like Quantum when I sailed on it when it very first came out....however I love Odyssey. Odyssey is an "Ultra" Quantum class ship.

[island lady]

55 minutes ago, bajathree said:

I also didn't like Quantum when I sailed on it when it very first came out....however I love Odyssey. Odyssey is an "Ultra" Quantum class ship.

 

And indeed neither one are an Oasis class.  

[Cruise a holic]

1 hour ago, bajathree said:

I also didn't like Quantum when I sailed on it when it very first came out....however I love Odyssey. Odyssey is an "Ultra" Quantum class ship.

What is the difference?

[bajathree]

28 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

What is the difference?

 There are a number of differences. Most notably on Ultra Class they went back to a unified main dining room where Quantum Class had the dreaded separate dining rooms from when Royal was going through their period of toying with doing away with traditional main dining....that flopped and died very fast. Ultra is slightly larger. Ultra added the sky pad with glass floor walkway around it. Ultra class added a dedicated Teppanyaki. Odyssey also did away with the indoor family pool making it open air.

Edited January 25, 2023 by bajathree

[FlatFooted Freda]

4 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We would choose Odyssey hands down over Wonder, especially since you’re in your 60s. There will be lots of children on Wonder, not saying that’s a bad thing, but it was so crowded anywhere we went. Strollers were everywhere, again, not saying that’s a bad thing….just an observation.

We just loved Odyssey 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yep. I’d say I agree with that. 
On the Wonder now. Was on Odyssey in fall 2021. That was still pandemic era , so perhaps not a fair comparison. But way more kids on board this ship, and it seems to be geared more for families. 
Half way thru this week, I think I’d give a slight nod to Odyssey. 
Wonder does have beautiful Central Park, but for us it’s just a quick stroll. Had a bagel from Park Café this morning. Can’t say it was anything really special. 
Cost of Wonder was also maybe double, but that may be more of a 2023 vs 2021 thing. 
Overall though, don’t sweat that decision. They’re both great. 

[crewsweeper]

4 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We would choose Odyssey hands down over Wonder, especially since you’re in your 60s. There will be lots of children on Wonder, not saying that’s a bad thing, but it was so crowded anywhere we went. Strollers were everywhere, again, not saying that’s a bad thing….just an observation.

We just loved Odyssey 🤷🏼‍♀️

DW has opined about the Odyssey and Carnival's Mardi Gras that there were too many scooters and wheelchairs everywhere!😮😆  Full disclosure: we're both in our 70s!