Looking for tips for Oddysey of the Seas

[cpl100]

This will be our first huge ship but have been on many ocean cruises before COVID.
 

Have you cruised on this ship?  Do you have any do’s, don’ts, tips or tricks for this ship regarding:

 

cabin choices/locations (balcony preferred)

initial booking

specialty dining (or other special) plans

first day must do and don’t 

anything else

 

Thanks for your help!

[Hoopster95]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ovation+of+the+seas

 

 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

2 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ovation+of+the+seas

 

 

Curious as why you would suggest watching Ovation videos ... yes, both ships are Quantum class (technically the Odyssey is Quantum Ultra), but there are significant differences. 

 

To the OP: I suspect that Hoopster95's point is that some background research is a good place to start. 🙂 Your questions are perfectly reasonable, but they can be hard to answer without knowing your preferences, budget, cruising style etc.  But here are a couple of general tips: most of the entertainment on the Odyssey doesn't require advance reservations, but the ones that do can sometimes go fast. As a general rule, you can reserve shows around the first of the month preceding your cruise date (e.g. May 1st for a June cruise). Also, if you want to do things like the skydiving simulator or the North Star, the complimentary sessions can go fast so you'll want to snag those reservations right away too.  Another thing I particularly enjoy about the ship is Giovanni's Wine Bar. It has my favorite dishes from Giovanni's Kitchen, but you can buy them a la carte and you don't need a reservation. My husband and I will split a margherita pizza and the Nutella/banana dessert and it's just the perfect amount of food for us.

 

The Odyssey is among my favorite Royal Caribbean ships and I hope you enjoy!

[Hoopster95]

1 hour ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

Curious as why you would suggest watching Ovation videos ...

To the OP: I suspect that Hoopster95's point is that some background research is a good place to start. 🙂

 

Ooops....

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=odyssey+of+the+seas

 

The point is it takes 2 seconds to type "Ovation of the Seas" into a youtube search

Edited February 24 by Hoopster95

[marchand28]

She is currently our favorite ship. She is a large ship with all of those bells and whistles but has the feel of a more intimate smaller ship. The one thing we don’t like is the location of the pub and the lack of seating outside the pub. I love to people watch. Love Playmakers location and layout, but can’t believe they didn’t put a bathroom close by. Some people don’t like the location of Izumi but not a big deal to us. We sail for the 3rd time in a few weeks.

[The sea calls my name]

The Show "The Book" in Two70 is amazing.  Two tips, the venue is small and IMHO the seats are uncomfortable so we got there about 45 minutes before the show. to get a good seat Second, my advise is don't try to understand the plot. The first time we saw it I got very frustrated trying to understand it and missed the magic of it, our next cruise on her I just enjoyed the show.

I concur that Giovanni's wine bar is a wonderful venue and we also enjoyed eating at Giovanni's kitchen a couple of times.. The Teppanyaki restaurant is not only delicious but is in a great location with beautiful views of the ocean.

The Solarium is awesome. It is climate controlled and a great place to hang out.  I hope you enjoy it as much as  we did. .

 

 

[Coralc]

@harryfat1 Is presently doing a review. (an excellent one, BTW). It might have some tips for your sailing, especially about 270. Link: 

 

[Merion_Mom]

4 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Ooops....

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=odyssey+of+the+seas

 

The point is it takes 2 seconds to type "Ovation of the Seas" into a youtube search

 

And it's a lot easier to spell Ovation correctly than Odyssey, apparently.  😄 😄 😄

[perfect match]

2 hours ago, Coralc said:

@harryfat1 Is presently doing a review. (an excellent one, BTW). It might have some tips for your sailing, especially about 270. Link: 

 

@Coralc, you beat me to it! 😂

[allie3490]

Just off the Feb 11 sailing. Overall was lots of fun, fabulous weather, great ports, etc. The ship is very nice, clean and probably the best shows I’ve seen to date. Def go see The Book and Showgirl. This was our first cruise since 2017 though. 
One thing I noticed was the extraordinary amount of kids taking over the pool decks. Our previous cruises were on Oasis and Harmony and I don’t recall it being an issue. It was so bad you couldn’t even step foot into the pool without being kicked and splashed. So we spent a lot of time in the Solarium which was very nice as well. 

[Harrisonkid]

I agree on The Book...I would say get multiple reservations.  There is so much going on that a few visits was worth it to us. It was so amazing that I stayed up for both shows we witnessed..😄

[SparklyPinkCruiser]

We did the transatlantic on Odyssey so spent lots of time on her. We loved the shows for the most part. My husband enjoyed the Seaplex and all the activities that came with that (Pickleball, ping pong, volleyball, basketball, bumper cars, etc). We had most of our lunches in Two70 because I love those sandwiches and it was just a comfortable place to hang out. 

Our biggest complaint: It was completely impossible to get a specialty coffee (that wasn't Starbucks)!! Our cabin was at the front of the ship, and one had to trek to Two70 or Windjammer to get a latte every morning. There were no latte's (that were included in drinks package or Diamond discount) on the Promenade. This was a first for us as every other Royal ship we'd been on had good coffee in Cafe Promenade, but on Odyssey they only have regular coffee (which I refer to as sludge). 🙂

 

 

[LuCruise]

We were on Odyssey in December and had a great cruise.

 

1.  As others mentioned, reserve The Book in the cruise planner when available.  Line up early if you are specific about where to sit.  We like near the front (as that's just us), but others suggest higher up so you can see everything going on as it's not your typical show where everything is on the main stage.

 

2.  When you board, book iFly, North Star if you want free spots (port days).  You can also book Laser Tag when you board (bring closed shoes).

 

3.  The 270 is a great lunch place for sandwiches, salads and specialty coffee.  The 270 venue is a wonderful place to sit when the windows are showing for the views.

 

Enjoy your cruise!