twangster

Great to hear once again protocols are working. Looking forward to my cruise on her in a few weeks.

Other lines and ports like Sydney have enforced check in times for years. People manage. In Sydney, even as Pinnacle or Suites there was no getting in before your time on Ovation. Only Star Class had priority check in. At least it's an urban area with stuff to do once you drop off luggage. Same with Port Canaveral - you can walk to a restaurant/bar. Other ports like Cape Liberty, Miami and Port Everglades not so much.

Depends on the port In some cases yes early people do contest traffic flow.

No one really knows all the details or the decision criteria. The same company handles several different cruise lines as well as some airlines. It's all about maximizing new revenue. NEW revenue. If they upgrade a JS to GS that opens a JS that they can charge a balcony to upgrade into which open up a balcony that an ocean view can upgrade into which opens up an ocean view that an interior can upgrade into. But only if the right number of people will fit into those cabins and the associated muster stations and lifeboats for those cabins. Upgrading two guests into a cabin that can sleep four might not make sense. Upgrading four guests into a muster station with only two empty spots can't be done - everyone needs a spot in the right lifeboat by law. The line of succession upgrades can generate more new revenue for one scenario more than a different scenario. How much you paid initially or your loyalty status has no bearing. It's all about new revenue.

Never say never but it requires a bit of work and cooperation from the original agency to let go of the booking. If they aren't responsive they probably won't be responsive in releasing the booking.

Here is a 360 from Playmakers: Playmakers in 360

Playmakers is all new to this class. Perched high in the Sportsplex it offers great views of the game and of the sea.

The multi-level nature of the MDR is better illustrated in this 360° photo. I can't embed 360° photos on this blog but here is a link that will open in a new window: Odyssey Main Dining Room in 360°

The main dining room is a big departure from her earlier sisters. It's now open and very impressive.

Another great sunset from the aft.

"The Book" is the newest Two70° production show and it's all new. It's hard to capture a Two70 show in still pictures, it's something that is best experienced live.

For the nerds in the audience Odyssey features the newer Satellite technology called O3b. These are typical speeds across the fleet for Voom Surf & Stream.

The complimentary North Star ride. Fifteen minutes condensed down to under 60 seconds.

Here are some photos from North Star while at CocoCay. Adventure of the Seas was with us on this occasion. I'm not used to seeing this at CocoCay.

There is an elevator for accessibility purposes. It requires crew assistance and is somewhat hidden so most people never see it. Ask a crew member.

I’m suspect of the rain claim. All Vision class are older ships. Now the oldest in the fleet. Empress was a small and old ship but still a favorite of mine despite being older than Vision class. Like any ship from an earlier time it has all the core essentials for a cruise. Pools, bars, buffet, MDR, theater, casino etc. Ships from that time don’t have skating rinks or zip lines or water slides. With properly set expectations you can still have a great cruise on an older ship. What did you think of Empress? Enchantment is almost twice her size. Some people disliked Empress and said similar things about her.

The rule has been reported to be 14 days since the last passenger debarked. That rule works for Jewel but not for other ships coming to the US from Europe/UK. The CDC was reported to be working on that rule but months later no revisions. Only time will tell.

Depends. Who did you book through? Not all travel partners or travel agencies participate. There is a well known big box retailer that offers cash cards but they don't participate so if you booked through, there won't be a RoyalUp option. Other big online type travel companies also do not participate in the upgrade program. Once you get away from the large online or warehouse type travel agencies most "regular" travel agencies do participate in RoyalUp.

The last I heard the CDC had promised to review the issue and was looking for ways to provide relief so they could happen. I've not heard that the CDC has done that yet.

Most carriers do SMS and MMS over the internet with wifi calling enabled. Wifi calling basically makes the internet a cell tower. The carrier encapsulates SMS/MMS within the stream. I routinely get SMS from non-iPhone users such as family & friends with Androids to my phone while on ships. It's truly what's great about the way it works. I also use Signal for other family members out of the country. Their cell provider charges for international SMS so while I can SMS them for free, they can't reply without incurring fees. That's the only reason we use Signal. I engineered the cellular backhaul for the Virgin Islands as they upgraded from TDMA. It all runs over IP these days, even the cell tower backhaul to the central switching equipment that integrates with other carriers and manages things like roaming agreements with other worldwide partners. There are many protocols in play but it's all tunneled over IP just like wifi calling does to a handset over the internet. I'm on ship right now and have been getting SMS messages as the state has been receiving my COVID test results. The results were emailed directly to me and it always takes a few days for the state to get the results and for them to update the state health records.

Later I saw the clouds break and found the Milky Way in the sky. Hours after sunset it's amazing how much the sun is revealed in a long exposure picture.

On the first night they offer an event to highlight and showcase the $7M Two70° venue. When sailing Quantum class I tend to watch for this event and always try to attend. Virtual Orchestra. New graphics and video I've not seen before on other Quantum class ships. Oceanides is a new production designed specifically for the robo screens. A lot of effort went into the making of this production and it's something that has to be experienced live as the robo screen move in all dimensions. At the moment it's exclusive to Odyssey of the Seas. It's a story of pearl diver who descends and comes across a group of sea nymphs. It was all shot with real performers in sealed water tanks that rotate and move in sync with the robo screens that rotate and move.

Dinner in Coastal Kitchen Not a huge fan of the QR code menus. Something about holding a menu and looking it over. Oh well, it is what it is. Caesar salad. Filet night! Back to my cabin just in time for sunset.

Sail away time lapse.

eMuster is so easy and quick I forgot to take pictures. Into an elevator: Elevators have UV sanitizers. As we moved closer to sail away I noticed these reminders showing up on some people's doors. Beverage packages on board. Playmakers. What a view. Water fountains closed for protocols. As sail away commenced I went up to the Solarium. Move on the solarium later, here are some quick pics as I moved around the ship. Art imitating life. Very realistic. On her sisters this pool is covered. Since Odyssey is meant to sail more often in warmer waters this pool has been opened to the sky. Main pool deck area.