Odyssey Of The Seas

The 2021-built 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 canceled through July 2021.

The vessel (IMO number 9795737) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311000912) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel 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".

Decks and Cabins

Most Odyssey OTS staterooms (2105 total, in 31 grades) include 125 Suites, 1482 Balcony, 132 Oceanview, 366 Inside (including Virtual Balcony) and also 28x Studios (Balcony and Interior single cabins). Most cabins are sized 180-200 ft2 / 17-19 m2. Most cabin balconies are sized 55 ft2 / 5 m2. The largest is the Royal Loft Ultimate Family Suite (1660 ft2 / 152 m2 plus 620 ft2 / 58 m2 wraparound terrace).

The boat has 16 decks, of which 15 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

Compared to the Oasis-class, Quantum-Ultra ships have larger staterooms, more connecting family cabins, new studio staterooms (for solo travelers), more and larger restaurants.

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 offer an array of dining 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 a 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 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, reservations recommended) is popular for the hand-tossed, electric oven-baked pizzas, as well as specialties like Holy Cheesus (7-cheese pizza), Muffuletta-Style Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak, Chocolate Ravioli.
• 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)
• Sorrento's Pizza (complimentary, with daily changing selections)
• 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, popular gameshow (Family Feud, Majority Rules, Blankety Blank, etc). Grand-production shows include "Mamma Mia!" (themed on ABBA's greatest hits - with dancing and sing-alongs), "Showgirl - Past. Present. Future" (Las Vegas 1940s-themed), "The Book: Seven Chapters, One Adventure" (a librarian working in a mysterious library explores book chapters thru singing and dancing).
• Music Hall (2-deck high live entertainment venue, nightly karaoke and "HUSH Silent Party"/headphones are provided)
• 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), "RED" (nightclub party). Exclusively for Two70 on Odyssey OTS, Royal Caribbean created two show productions - "Oceanides" (featuring artists performing in boxes filled with water) and "The Book / Seven Chapters, One Adventure" (with main character The Librarian / mysterious man doing research in a library with a special book collection).
• 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 (complimentary gaming sessions); 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 favorites (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) 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.

Itineraries

Odyssey Of The Seas itinerary program is based on Caribbean cruises leaving roundtrip from homeport Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA). The 6-7-8-night itineraries visit ports in Bahamas (CocoCay), Jamaica (Falmouth), Grand Cayman (George Town), Aruba (Oranjestad), Curacao (Willemstad), St Thomas USVI (Charlotte Amalie), Puerto Rico (San Juan), Haiti (Labadee), Mexico (Cozumel).

Seasonally, the ship is repositioned (via Transatlantic crossings) from Florida to Europe (homeported in Civitavecchia-Rome) for 6-8-9-12-night Greek Isles and Holy Land cruises, visiting ports in Greece, Turkey and Israel.

• Odyssey OTS had its Inaugural Cruise planned in 2020 (on November 5) out of Fort Lauderdale. However, due to delayed delivery (Coronavirus impact), the liner was rescheduled to start operations in 2021 on April 21, then May 9, June 6 (Mediterranean Europe), November 15 (Caribbean) and finally for August 8 (Caribbean/Maiden Voyage).
• Following all the Coronavirus-related cancellations (2020-2021), Odyssey OTS' inaugural season was initially planned to be in Europe (Eastern Mediterranean, roundtrips from Civitavecchia-Rome), but eventually canceled and the boat relocated to the Caribbean-USA.

in early-March 2021, RCI rescheduled Odyssey's inaugural season to start in June, but open for residents of Israel only. The revised itinerary program offered 3- to 7-night roundtrips from Haifa-Tel Aviv Israel (homeport/first-time for RCI). The Eastern Mediterranean/Aegean itineraries were planned to visit only Greek islands/ports - Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, Piraeus-Athens, Limassol Cyprus. Due to "unrest in Israel and the region" (Israel's airstrikes on Gaza), this Cyprus and Greece program was officially canceled on May 15.

The Maiden Voyage (also the liner's first Caribbean cruise) was rescheduled to start on November 15 (5-night "Labadee and Perfect Day" itinerary) from Fort Lauderdale to CocoCay and Labadee Haiti. Prices started from USD 730 (EUR 600) pp.

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.

The vessel's powerplant (hull module plus the engines) was delivered (barged into the shipyard) on September 4, 2019. The ship's engines produce 67,2 MW (total power output) plus 41 MW propulsion power.

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's conveyance on Ems River (from Papenburg to Eemshaven Holland/20-mi-30-km distance) was conducted between February 27-28, 2021. Ems River was dammed (between Feb 26-28) in order for the water level to be raised between Papenburg and Ems Barrier (at Gandersum-Nendorp). The ~10-hour operation was assisted by 2 tugboats moving Odyssey OTS in reverse/backward up the river to the North Sea. The conveyance started from Papenburg on Feb 27 at 4 am. The ship passed Friesenbrucke (railway bridge in Weener Germany) at 8:45 am, Jann-Berghaus-Brucke (bascule/movable bridge in Leer Germany) at 12 pm, and arrived at Emssperrwerk (Ems Barrage in Gandersum-Nendorp) at 0:30 am (Feb 28). North Sea trials started from Eemshaven on March 14 and were conducted to test the vessel's engines, propulsion, navigation and other equipment.

The vessel's official delivery from Meyer Werft to RCG was on March 31, 2021. The "virtual ceremony" was conducted by Richard Fain (RCG's Chairman and CEO), Michael Bayley (RCI's President and CEO), Per Kristoffersen (the cruise ship's Captain), Bernard Meyer (Meyer Werft's Managing Director), Jan Meyer (Meyer Werft's Executive Director).

On November 10, 2021, was announced the name of the ship's Bahamian Godmother - Erin Brown (1980-born Grand Bahama Island native, a single mother of two kids).

• She is an amputee since 2004 when (due to osteosarcoma/bone cancer) she received an above-the-knee amputation of the left limb.
• Erin Brown competed in the Summer Paralympics 2020 (aka Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games), the 16th organized by IPC-International Paralympic Committee.
• Due to the global health crisis, this international multi-sport event (for athletes with disabilities) was rescheduled/postponed by a year and held in Tokyo Japan in the period August 24 thru September 5, 2021.

Odyssey OTS' christening ceremony was held on November 13, 2021, at Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA). The special event (held on Pool Deck) was attended by Richard Fain and Michael Bayley.

Inaugural cruise itineraries 2021

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the vessel's delivery was delayed and a total of 25x Caribbean plus 6x Mediterranean voyages were canceled.

Next tables show the ship's maiden voyages with indicative lowest prices (per person, in USD) with double occupancy.

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

(MAIDEN VOYAGE 2021/canceled) 3-day "Weekend Getaway Cruise" ($460 pp)

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

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

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

(MAIDEN VOYAGE 2021/canceled) 7-day "Greece and Italy Cruise with Late Stays In Santorini and Mykonos" ($2550 pp)

(Transatlantic crossing 2021/canceled) 14-day from Europe to the USA ($1100 pp)

(2021/CHANGED ITINERARY) 9-day inaugural "Southern Caribbean and Bahamas" itinerary ($1190 pp). However, in mid-April, due to "planned events", the ship's inaugural Caribbean voyage was altered (departure date changed to Nov 15, the itinerary shortened to 5-day). All bookings were automatically moved to November 15, 2021.

(MAIDEN VOYAGE 2021/first cruise) 5-day "Labadee and Perfect Day" itinerary (US$ 680 pp)

(2021) 8-day inaugural "Southern Caribbean" itinerary ($1730 pp)

(2021) 6-day inaugural "Western Caribbean and Perfect Day" itinerary ($1220 pp)

(2021) 7-day inaugural "Eastern Caribbean and Perfect Day Holiday"/New Year cruise (US$ 2600 pp)

(inaugural Transatlantic crossing 2022) 14-day from Fort Lauderdale to Rome (US$ 1570 pp)

Godspeed!

Inaugural Mediterranean itineraries (2022)

Next tables show the scheduled for 2022 Eastern Mediterranean itineraries as call ports and times. All are roundtrips from homeport Civitavecchia-Rome (Italy).

9-day "Greek Isles" itinerary

11-day "Holy Land" itinerary

7-day "Greek Isles Cruise" itinerary ($1730 pp)

8-day "Greek Isles Cruise" itinerary ($1770 pp)

6-day "Greek Isles Cruise" itinerary ($2500 pp)

12-day "Holy Land Cruise" itinerary ($5080 pp)