Having recently returned from a wonderful family cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey Of The Seas around Italy and Greece. We are excited to share a guide to Odyssey Of The Seas with a photo tour and review of our sailing and this quantum-ultra class ship. It’s difficult when you’re booking a cruise to decide which cruise ship and, indeed cruise line is best for families. I looked everywhere for photos of Odyssey Of The Seas.
What You Will Find Here
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About Odyssey Of The Seas
Odyssey of the Seas was launched in 2021 as the second in the Quantum Ultra Class ships behind Spectrum of the Seas which was launched into the. fleet in 2019. The vessel holds 5,510 passengers at full capacity and cruises at a speed of 22 knots. She has 16 decks, 14 of those are passenger decks. The other 2 decks are service and crew deck, which are serviced by 17 guest elevators.
Our Stateroom On Odyssey Of The Seas
We booked 2 adjoining balcony cabins as we were travelling with our sons, the cabins were located on the hump so one balcony was slightly larger giving us plenty of space. This works so well when you are cruising as a family.
Activities On Odyssey Of The Seas At A Glance
- Theatre
- Two70 Entertainment Lounge
- Arcade and VR Activities
- Seaplex With Bumper Cars And Sports Court
- Climbing Wall
- Flowrider Surf Simulator
- Ripcord By iFly
- North Star
The Royal Esplanade
The Royal Esplanade on Odyssey of the Seas is a cool contemporary area and the hub of life on the ship. It feels like a wonderful entertainment district, full of restaurants, bars and shopping. I also loved the interactive walls and pictures that featured heavily in the Royal Esplanade and the entrance to the restaurant, it gave the space such a cool interactive feel.
The Bars you Will Find on Decks 4 and 5 are…….
- Giovanni’s Wine Bar
- Bionic Bar
- Casino Royal Bar (Deck 3)
- Schooners, Piano Bar
- Boleros, Latin Themed Bar
- Music Hall
- Two70 Bar
- Crown And Compass Pub
Schooners Bar
Schooner bar didn’t disappoint and just like all the previous Royal Caribbean ships we have sailed the atmosphere was fun and friendly. The regular piano man Yan Yaroch was exceptional and had the whole bar singing along whenever he performed. Additionally, the bar staff were wonderful, always super friendly and remembered your name and drink.
The Bionic Bar
The bionic bar is a bit gimmicky. However, we loved it. The beauty is it was never busy; it’s almost a bar that people pass through on their way to somewhere else. You scan your cruise card on the iPad, choose your drink and watch the robot bartenders do their magic.
The Crown And Compass
We have always loved the atmosphere of the English pubs on Royal Caribbean, but the Crown and Compass didn’t have that same vibe. It was always busy with live music however, this sailing wasn’t for us; thats not to say others didn’t love it. However, it was a great place to stop for a glass of wine when we returned from a port day whilst the boys grabbed some pizza.
The Music Hall
The Music Hall is a crazy venue, it was always busy, had lots of themed nights, thus also acting as the ship night club too. The 70s night was excellent, they pulled all of the best 70s tunes out of the archives and the atmosphere was electric.
Two70º
We didn’t spend too much time in Two70º, for no other reason than we were too busy. It’s such a cool space, we did manage to catch Oceanides which was short but so clever. We missed the book as we were dining late, but people were raving about it.
Dining Options Onboard Odyssey Of The Seas
There are endless dining options on Odyssey of the Seas; Royal Caribbean has tailored their dining options so there is something for all tastes and budgets. We bought the 3-night specialty dining package , which was great value. Thus, we never made it to the main dining room until night 3.
Also don’t forget to find out when lobster night is in the main dining room, it is often on the second formal night and you don’t want to miss it, the lobster was fabulous.
Food Allergies On Royal Caribbean
If you are sailing on Royal Caribbean and have a food allergy, rest assured they can’t do enough for you. My only advice would be visit any speciality options before you dine and choose your food ahead. This helps the chef to prepare ahead and also saves time when dining.
Specialty Restaurants On Odyssey of the Seas
- Wonderland
- Teppanyaki
- Chops Grill
- Chefs Table
- Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen
- Izumi Sushi
- Playmakers Sports Bar
We ate at Wonderland, Giovanni’s and Chops Grill. Our of all our stand out favourite was Giovanni’s, with Wonderland coming a close second. However we also ate at Playmakers which sits under the speciality umbrella and loved it! Jack our oldest claims it was the best burger he has ever eaten.
Wonderland
Wonderland is crazy but incredible, Jack wasn’t a fan but he isn’t an adventurous eater. Chris, Joe and I loved the whole experience. The food is quirky and wonderful, our server was wonderful and made the whole experience more special.
Dining Included In The Price Of Your Cruise On Odyssey Of The Seas
- The Main Dining Room
- Solarium Bistro
- The Windjammer (Buffet)
- Cafe Promenade
- Sorrento’s
- Coastal Kitchen ( For Suite Guests)
- El Loco Fresh
- Cafe@Two70º
Outside Decks On Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey Of The Seas
The outside decks were crazy, there is so much to do and not enough time to do it all. My only criticism is there are no outdoor bars that offer a little peace away from the chaos on a sea day like on some of the Freedom class ships.
Pools On Odyssey Of The Seas
The pools are most definitely geared towards families, which is wonderful, Royal is a family cruise line, thats how it should be. We could have retreated to the the Solarium but the Grinches didn’t like the glass roof and favoured Playmakers.
You Can Book Cabanas
You can also book Cabanas if you want a bit of guaranteed space on a sea day. These are bookable prior to your cruise via your cruise planner.
There is a Splash Pool For Babies in Diapers
If you are travelling with younger children the pool deck is a dream, there are two pools, plus a children’s pool and baby splash zone for children in diapers. You will also find a good supply of life vests for little ones who can’t swim.
The Solarium
The Solarium is an adults haven and so well designed to feel like a tranquil environment with pools that cascade down over several levels. I would have really loved to spend a little time in here, I think the boys were put off on embarkation day as it was boiling, the outside temperature was 36º and the roof is glass so it was to be expected.
Sports Deck
The sports deck in insane, if you have a sporty family then you will not be disappointed. Key features of the sports deck are……
- The Seaplex
- FlowRider
- North Star
- IFly
- Rock Climbing Wall
The Seaplex
A huge feature of the Sportsplex is the Bumper Cars, get there early when a session is on, as there was always a queue but it does go down quickly and you don’t have to book just turn up.
Climbing Wall
You don’t have to book the Climbing Wall just check out the Cruise Compass for opening times and turn up. The queues were never huge, and there are 3 different routes depending on ability. Joe is 16 and quite tall so found the hard route quite easy. But still returned several times for a climb.
The FlowRider Surf Simulator
The Flowrider is not a bookable activity, again, check the times and turn up. The queuing time varies, sometimes quite long, other times not so much. however, do make sure you head to the iFly desk beforehand to sign a disclaimer and get a wristband as you won’t be able to surf without one.
The iFly
You HAVE to do this, book your session as soon as you get onboard. Sessions are free on port days but incur a cost on sea days. Thus the port day sessions fill up, so this was the first thing we did as we boarded to ensure we got a session.
The North Star
The North Star is another must do activity, like the iFly you must book as soon as you get onboard to get the free port day sessions. But the views from up there are incredible, we were in Naples for our session and the views were incredible, it was also fab to observe the ship and all the tiny people below.
Who is Odyssey Of The Seas Best For
Odyssey of the Seas is geared towards families with kiddies and teens of all ages. It’s not a one size fits all kind of ship. You just haven’t got time to do it all, however thats not a negative, there is no time or room for boredom. We love dining together as a family and spent many hours laughing and chatting over great food.
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Sarah Christie is a craft, food, cruise, and family travel blogger Extraordinary Chaos, Cruising For All and Mini Travellers. Known for her unique perspective and ability to find beauty in chaos, Sarah designs and creates craft projects as well as creating recipes for people who want to cook from scratch the easy way. Whilst also exploring family travel and how to navigate it.