Odyssey Of The Seas

Inaugurated in 2021, Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship is RCI-Royal Caribbean's second Quantum-Ultra class vessel - with sistership Spectrum OTS (2019). Quantum-Ultra is an upgraded (enlarged and enhanced) version of the Quantum-class ships Anthem OTS, Quantum OTS and Ovation OTS. Odyssey OTS was initially scheduled for inauguration in November 2020, but due to Coronavirus-related issues, the ship's entire itinerary program was cancelled through April 30, 2021 (maiden voyage in the Mediterranean was rescheduled for May 9, roundtrip from Rome).

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US company, trademarked brand, and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL, shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All Royal Caribbean liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

Itineraries

Odyssey Of The Seas itinerary program was planned to start with the inaugural cruise on November 5, 2020, and the ship was initially planned for homeporting in Florida USA (Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale). However, due to delayed delivery (Coronavirus impact), the liner was rescheduled to start operations on April 21 and finally on May 9, 2021 (Maiden Voyage).

Following all the cancellations (2020-2021), Odyssey OTS' inaugural program is based on cruises in Europe (Eastern Mediterranean) leaving from homeport Civitavecchia-Rome, with 7-9-12-day itineraries to ports in Greece (including Greek islands), Turkey, Italy and Israel. The summer 2021 program features longer port stays and overnights in major port cities (also on Greek Isles), with up to 15 hours at every port. Two full days (overnights) are offered in Piraeus-Athens and Naples on the 12-day Holy Land and 9-day Greek Isles voyages.

After the 14-day Transatlantic repositioning cruise from Civitavecchia-Rome to Fort Lauderdale (Oct 28-Nov 11, 2021)  follows a program based on 6-day Western Caribbean and 8-day Southern Caribbean roundtrips that also visit CocoCay Bahamas. The list of visited countries includes Mexico (Cozumel), Jamaica (Falmouth), Haiti (Labadee), USVI (St Thomas), Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, Aruba, Curacao.

In late-October 2020 were added new voyages in 2021 for Odyssey OTS. Excepting the April 21 departure, all other dates/itineraries were cancelled in early-November 2020.

• (April 2) 3-night "Weekend Getaway Cruise" from Southampton
• (April 5) 5-night repositioning cruise from Southampton to Barcelona
• (April 12 and April 21) 5-night roundtrips from Barcelona
• (April 26) 4-night roundtrip from Barcelona

Cabins

Most Odyssey OTS staterooms are balcony and 100-185-ft2 insides. The largest (Ultimate Family Suites / 2-Bedroom Loft Suites) are sized 1640 ft2 (152 m2) with 610 ft2 (57 m2) balcony. The 2-story Family Suites feature 3D cinema and indoor slide.

"Golden Suite" is a new cabin category with VIP amenities - exclusive dining room, bar-lounge, sundeck. The "Royal Suite Class" booking category (suite accommodations only) provides Quantum's highest paying passengers with the ultimate all-inclusive cruise experience of Royal Caribbean, marked by Coastal Kitchen exclusive access, 24-hour personal butler service, included gratuities, all-inclusive drinks, free Internet and thermal suite unlimited access. Odyssey OTS also has wheelchair-accessible cabins and virtual balconies (interior rooms with real-time oceanviews).

Compared to the Oasis-class ships, Odyssey has larger staterooms, more connecting family cabins, new studio staterooms (for solo travellers). Odyssey is also RCI fleet's second liner with an exclusive suites-only complex. The enclave is located forward on decks 13-15-16 and consists of Golden- and Silver- categories suites grouped in a private complex. Golden and Silver passengers are provided with exclusive keycard access, private lift, exclusive restaurant, and bar-lounge. Suites-exclusive amenities also include access to "The Balcony" (private sundeck area on Deck 16) and "The Boutique" (VIP shopping area on Deck 15, also providing information and booking of private/customized shopping tours ashore).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Passengers on Odyssey of the Seas are offered plenty of dining options to choose from, with multiple choices for light bites as well. Reservations for all restaurants can be made online ahead of the cruise. Though not required, reservations are definitely recommended to ensure guests get to eat where they want, when they want. Food and service at the main restaurants are varied and offers an array of experiences.

Follows the complete list of Odyssey of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• 3-level Main Dining Room restaurant (capacity 1844 seats) also serves a la carte menu. Regular menus rotate each day of the voyage.
• Silver Dining (Suite-passengers only) complimentary restaurant
• Golden Dining and Lounge (complimentary and exclusive / Suite-passengers only) complimentary restaurant
• Teppanyaki (Japanese Hibachi specialty restaurant)
• Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine (reservations-only specialty restaurant on 2 levels - overlooking the stern and served by its own bar / on upper level)
• Windjammer Marketplace is the buffet restaurant offering Early Breakfast, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. The restaurant is complimentary and approx 1/5 larger in comparison to Quantum-Class liners. Among the dishes offered at the buffet restaurant are noodles, pizzas by the slice, Teppanyaki (Japanese cuisine with iron griddle-cooked meals) and Chinese hot pot food.
• Chops Grille (specialty restaurant - steakhouse and seafood)
• Chef's Table (14-guest capacity, gourmet private dining package)
• Giovanni's Italian Kitchen (specialty restaurant and Wine Bar)
• Izumi Japanese Cuisine (specialty restaurant)
• The Cafe at Two70 (casual dining marketplace)
• "Leaf and Bean" is a Cafe Restaurant / Patisserie / Coffee Shop selling beverages and snacks, authentic teas, coffee drinks, fresh-baked pastries, gourmet desserts.
• Solarium Bistro (healthy dining menu, ex-Devinly Decadence)
• Noodle Bar
• Splashaway Cafe (poolside indoor food bar)
• Sichuan Red (Asian specialty restaurant)
• Lime and Coconut (2-deck bar with swimming pool views)
• El Loco Fresh (grab-and-go Mexican food / tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fresh-made salsas)

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Odyssey OTS has 16 passenger-accessible decks and popular (RCI signature) facilities and venues like the top-deck forward Solarium (adults-only complex), pool deck with 4 whirlpools and 2 swimming pools (covered by a glass dome / retractable roof), Splashaway Bay (kids aqua park with waterslides, water cannons, fountains, toys), FlowRider (surf simulator), Rock-Climbing Wall (40 ft / 12 m above deck), 2-deck wellness complex (spa and fitness), casino, outdoor theater (huge LED screen for movies nightly and live media streaming daily).

All Quantum-Ultra ships have the unique facilities "iFly by RipCord" (skydiving simulator), "North Star" (rotating glass capsule 300 ft / 92 m above sea level) and SkyPad (bungee trampoline). North Star is at a fee (and reservations-only) and also can be privately booked (for special events). At "iFly by RipCord", each passenger is provided with goggles, helmet, and jumpsuit before jumping into the chamber (1-min sessions). These vessels also have Bionic Bar where "bartending robots" mix up cocktails ordered via a tablet.

Follows the complete list of Odyssey of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Royal Theater (1299-seats lounge) hosts 3D Movies, aerial acrobatic performances, Broadway-style productions. Grand-production shows include "Mamma Mia!" - themed on ABBA's greatest hits - with dancing and sing-alongs.
• Music Hall (2-deck high live entertainment venue)
• Two70 Lounge (3-deck high relaxation observation lounge with live entertainment and 270-degree window walls transforming nightly into a huge video screen / projection surface with Vistarama technology). Exclusively for Odyssey OTS Royal Caribbean created the "Oceanides" show production that features artists performing in boxes filled with water.
• Photo Gallery and Shop; SeaTrek Shop (diving equipment)
• Diamond Club Lounge and Bar (past guests only); Concierge Club and Lounge (suite- and past guests only); Golden Room / Card Room
• Bionic Bar, NorthStar Bar, Schooner Bar (piano bar); Sky Bar; Vintages Wine Bar
• Royal Esplanade (an area between the boutique shops and restaurants on decks 4 and 5; part of it is "The Via" with the Vintages wine bar, Port Merchants and Jamie's)
• Casino Royale; Casino VIP
• Star Moment (Karaoke Room)
• Outdoor Movie Screen
• Cafe Promenade (24-hour; serves snacks and drinks, as well as Starbucks specialty coffee)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center
• Focus (Photo Gallery and Shop)
• Solarium Lounge (includes Solarium Cafe, pool bar, adults-only pool and sundeck area); Solarium Bar
• Video Games Arcade; The Living Room and Night Club teen areas; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area; Workshop (family venue); H2O Zone family and kids area; Kung Fu Panda
• SeaPlex (largest-at-sea sports complex, with roller-skating, bumper cars, circus school, full-sized basketball court); North Star; FlowRider (surf simulator); RipCord by iFly; Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall
• Sky Pad topdeck aft-located bungee trampoline with optional virtual reality gaming headsets
• Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade (part of SeaPlex) has large HDTVs (for live sporting) and serves fast food favourites (burgers, buffalo wings, sliders) and various beverages, including a large selection of beers (international and domestic). Here can be played popular board games, arcade and trivia games, darts, billiards. The Playmakers Bar has a dedicated Owner's Box (VIP seating area).
• SeaPlex also doubles as a laser-tag arena hosting the "Clash for the Crystal City" - Royal Caribbean's team gaming experiences.

On Odyssey OTS, Royal Caribbean introduced (fleet's first) a drone technology for new show production at the ship's Royal Theater. The new (most advanced) show is based on 48 drones (quadcopters) with a human performer who commands them. The new show (TBN) was specifically developed for the Odyssey ship and designed while the vessel was still under construction in Germany.

On February 1, 2019, was held the steel-cutting ceremony, with which officially started vessel's construction at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg Germany. Vessel's keel-laying ceremony (May 3, 2019) was attended by RCI representatives. Stephan Schmees (Meyer Werft's Executive Project Management) placed the traditional lucky coin under ship's first block before the keel was lowered into position. This first (keel) block weighs 970 tons. The assembly process includes a total of 79 blocks (hull and superstructure). All these mega-blocks were constructed and pre-assembled at Neptun Werft Shipyard (Rostock Germany), then loaded (via hydraulics) onto pontoons and transported down Ems River to the Papenburg Shipyard.

Vessel's powerplant (hull module plus the engines) was delivered (barged into the shipyard) on September 4, 2019.

Odyssey is the second "Quantum-Ultra" class and RCI fleet's 27th liner. Unlike the sistership Spectrum OTS (2019-built, Asia-deployed), Odyssey OTS is homeported in the USA (Florida), with seasonal deployment in Europe (Mediterranean).

On September 11, 2020, the shipbuilder revealed the vessel's name on the bow, with a new (enlarged) livery design in which the first letter (O) has height 11,2 m (36 ft) while the entire name has length 87,4 m (286 ft). In comparison to other RCI ships, Odyssey OTS has its name positioned way lower on the light-blue colored hull (O letter's bottom even goes below the waterline).

The ship was launched (floated out from drydock) on November 28, 2020. Once docked outside the shipyard's Building Hall (indoor dock), on Odyssey OTS started outfitting works including the installation of its North Star facility (top-deck mounted glass-walled pod). At Meyer Werft's outfitting pier are also completed interior works. The vessel will be later conveyed (down Ems River) to North Sea for nautical and technical trials.

Inaugural cruise itineraries 2021

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the vessel's delivery was delayed and a total of 25x Caribbean plus 6x Mediterranean scheduled departures were cancelled. Next tables show the ship's inaugural itineraries (maiden voyages) with indicative lowest prices (per person, in USD) with double occupancy.

(MAIDEN VOYAGE 2020/cancelled) 4-day "The Inaugural" - from $620 pp

(2020) 5-day inaugural "Western Caribbean and Perfect Day" ($620 pp)

(2020) 6-day inaugural "Western Caribbean and Perfect Day" ($750 pp)

(2020) 8-day inaugural "Southern Caribbean" ($1150 pp)

(2021 CANCELLED) 3-day "Weekend Getaway Cruise" ($460 pp)

(2021 CANCELLED) 5-day repositioning from Southampton to Barcelona ($1660 pp)

(MAIDEN VOYAGE 2021/cancelled) 5-day "Spain France and Italy Cruise" ($580 pp)

(MAIDEN VOYAGE 2021/first departure) 12-day "Greece, Turkey and Israel Cruise With Overnight In Athens" (from $2170 pp)

(2021) 9-day inaugural "Greece Italy Cruise With Overnight In Naples" itinerary ($1970 pp)

(2021) 7-day inaugural "Greece Italy Cruise With Late Stays In Santorini Mykonos" itinerary ($1290 pp)

(2021) 14-day inaugural Transatlantic cruise Europe-USA ($1100 pp)

(2021) 9-day inaugural "Southern Caribbean and Bahamas" itinerary ($1190 pp)

(2021) 6-day inaugural "Western Caribbean and Bahamas" itinerary($800 pp)

(2021) 8-day inaugural "Southern Caribbean Cruise" itinerary ($1080 pp)

Godspeed to the new ship!