Ban-One

On 10/15/2024 at 7:51 PM, Starrynight0154 said:

We were on this cruise and really enjoyed it, the itinerary, ship, everything. Weather was perfect. On the last sea day, we sat on our balcony as we passed through the Strait of Messina by Sicily, and later the Stromboli volcano which had steam rolling out the top. It was more scenic than I was expecting. Ephesus, Mykonos, Pompeii, Crete were our favorite.
 

Don’t do a lot of international travel, so this is a trip my wife and I will remember the rest of our life’s as the best trip ever, we spent a week in Florence after the cruise and loved it. Already have a few pictures printed out and framed. 
 

 

@Starrynight0154 Yeah, the Strait of Messina and the Stromboli were really nice to watch while the ship was passing there. I just happened to be up on the North Star when we went by the Stromboli - that made some great views (no steam/smoke on that day though...).

12 hours ago, Thom Cruise said:

Plus...the itineraries for Odyssey are much better in the med than the Oasis class.  

I've done both and I prefer the 9-12 day breaks offered by Odyssey than the 7 day breaks on Oasis (I went on Harmony from Barca last Oct) which aren't as adventurous. 

 

@Thom Cruise Agreed about the itineraries. We did the Barcelona Cruise twice in a row (with Napoli, Mallorca, La Spezia and Marseille) - the first one post-Covid with 25% capacity only. The first round for the itirenary - even though we knew lots of these places from our travels already very well - the second time we did it for the vessel, to enjoy another round on an Oasis Class. The cruise on the Odyssey we did for the itinerary mainly.

1 hour ago, loki007 said:

We did not care for Odyssey, I agree with you assessment of Izumi, what an odd place for it. I always felt weird walking between tables as you pass by. Its just a very poor layout, we prefer Oasis class but to each his own. Playmakers at the back of the ship in the seaplex is so out of the way. After recently cruising on Utopia, the Oasis ships just flow so much better and manage the crowds much better

@loki007 We're on the same page here. If I would have to choose, I'd take this Oasis Class any day. Fits us more, but we did enjoy the Odyssey in the end as well and was the only option on our travelling dates and for this route. But if on the same dates an Oasis Ship would take the same itinerary, I'd go for that definitely. Also true that despite the amount of the passengers (what scares some people away), the Oasis Class feels less crowded - that was our impression as well. And we just love the quiet Central Park and it's Park Cafe.

 Hi friends,

just came back from a 9-Night Cruise in the Greek Islands on the Odyssey. Our first time on a Quantum (Plus) Class. I started cruising with small vessels on rivers. Did some in Russia and the Ukraine – both beautiful countries. So sad what's happening there now, but let's not get into politics.

After I did one on a small cruise line in the Mediterranean until we switched to Celebrity in the late 90s and early 2000s. Alaska and Caribbean mostly. Then in the 2000s the switch to Royal....which we've been loyal ever since.

Been some cruises on the Oasis and Vision Classes since. On the Allure when she was (almost) brand-new and the a few on the Rhapsody. Harmony and Wonder after that. Both completely different classes with their own charm.

But after Oasis classes a few times it did take some getting used-to when embarking on the Odyssey. The Royal Esplanade is much smaller than the Promenade of course due to the ships width. But it really always felt crowded and without much space to walk. The missing Boardwalk wasn't a big deal, just the Central Park we really missed. From all the vessels this one really felt the most crowded in general. But the Odyssey is a lovely ship, we enjoyed her very much.

Things we enjoyed:

The Solarium was really well done, lots of pools and fully climate-controlled. The SeaPlex was busy, but fun. Especially the Bumper Cars. Also enjoyed the pool tables – most of the time some were available at the Music Hall. And this Music Hall here we preffered much over the Music Hall on the Oasis Class. The Ripcord Skydive Simulator was a lot of fun. Took the Extended Experience and was really worth it. Also the North Star was very enjoyable. The Pub had a really good size, bigger than on the Oasis Class, always my favorite place for a pre-dinner drink (or two). Sorrentos was our usual place to go right before bed, just another slice or two of pizza. Live Music we enjoyed mostly at Boleros. Liked the band, the service and the set-up. Always went there on the Oasis Class as well. A real favourite of ours. Also really liked the Giovanni Wine Bar – excellent small food plates and wonderful wine selection. Mostly seats available. Great Show „Showgirls“ at the theater.

Things we didn't like:

Biggest let-down by a mile was Izumi. On the other ships always one of our very favourite place to eat. But the set-up here was for us too open, too modern. Didn't feel like a place I want to eat at. That we could have dealt with, if the everything else would have been ok. But the first time ever we didn't feel welcome. Service was ok, but the managers really didn't bother much. We always tip extra in cash (besides the gratuities we've paid when pre-booked) and in Chops, Giovannis Wine Bar and Teppanyaki it was always appreciated. Not here in Izumi. Even got told on our last night that since we've pre-booked and pre-paid there was no gratuity included (which is not true) and an additional tip would be welcome. That was a bit irritating and we cancelled the last dinner here and went to the wine bar instead.

Nothing that affected us much, since we didn't bother – but other might and I'd like to share it: Twice at Chops it was obvious that on one side of the dining room there were some certain people sat down and in the other half people of different colours. Coincidence? Maybe...I don't know. Just an observation. My Asian wife and me got sat down in the – let's say - „Non-Caucasian“ part of the room. Not that we care at all where we sit, but it was strange to see this separation twice in one cruise.

Besides that it was a wonderful Cruise. And there will always be some things that are not perfect. Always were, always will be. But the Positive always outweighs the (few) bad things. That's why we stay loyal to Royal. Focus on the good stuff and you'll have a great cruise. At least so far we did.

A few things I'd like to say is about food:

Not sure it's the ship or Royal in general. But compared to the last 2-3 years we felt like the food was a big step up! Really well made food at Chops, Teppanyaki and the Wine Bar. Also the Windjammer Buffet was very enjoyable and the Snacks and Desserts at Cafe 270 and the Café on the Esplanade also excellent. And from all the Sorrentos, this one here had by far the best pizza (always perfectly on point). It's really the best food with Royal in a long time. Almost everywhere we thought it was a step up compared to the Wonder and Harmony the past few years. Interesting for us to see was the the portions of Sushi at Izumi got cut by 50%. All smaller plates and servings now (4x instead of 8x Sushi rolls etc.). We are not big eaters and had plenty. But some might be disappointed by that. Also the tasty Udon Noodles were cut and the sesame balls for dessert. Crab Cake at Chops was disappointing (soft and lumpy; and not just once) – everything else though still great stuff.

Really enjoyed the itinerary with Mykonos, Santorini, Chania, Kusadasi, Napoli and Athens. Most we knew already, but enjoyed it a lot. Kusadasi was great for shopping.

Thanks for reading – if you made it so far 

Phil Connors recommends: Sweet Vermouth on the rocks with a twist!

Great Scott! This is heavy!

Like some others said, especially Western Europe is built a bit different and the most interesting cities not directly on the coast. At least not where cruise ships can dock. And I think many do know that Civitavecchia is quite a bit away from Rome, the same with Piraeus/Athens. And that cruise ships aren't welcome in Venice anymore was pretty much all over the news. That said, Ravenna (which is only a 3h train ride) is itself a very pretty typical Italian town with historic buildings and lots of good food. Yes, it's not Venice (which I love btw), but it's a good alternative as a port for the ships. I do believe many cruisers do their homework quite well and do know the itinerary quite well. But I admit that it might catch first-timers or less experienced cruisers a bit off guard.

12 minutes ago, cedricmr said:

Twice on a cruise: one cruise departure and one stopover.
Both times at terminal B
The name of the vessel must be indicated to the contractor. They are used to

@cedricmr Quick, short and useful answer. All I needed to know  Thank you!

Hi,

sorry to post this here, but no action in the specific board. 

I'd like to do Athens on our own with my wife. It's not the first time in Athens and we don't need a tour and the "On Your Own" from Royal is just too many hours. I already picked some possible transfer providers. But now I just wonder: What Terminal will we be docked at? Do all Terminals have their own exits/custom buildings? Or in case we dock at Terminal B - do we need to get out at Terminal A for transport?

If anyone can help, knows some tips or has done something like that, I'd be very thankful.

Hi

We will be in Athens again in October. Arriving at 5.30 with the Odyssey of the Seas. Not our first time in Athens and we'd like to go from Port to Athens on our own. Both ways. The official "On your own" tours are too long for us. We would get back to the Odyssey at around 3pm. Now I'm not sure should I pre-book an official Taxi or get a private transfer with a tour company? If so, it's quite a walk from the cruise terminal to the taxi/limo pickup, isn't it?

If anybody has some experiences or could give me any tips, I'd be grateful. Thank you. 

20 hours ago, Happy Cruisers said:

Hey Bandit, That may be a good bottle to buy at home and bring aboard yourself if you want to save a few bucks.  Or send the bill to Big Enus Burdette... 

(I assume your username is a reference to that 70s masterpiece...) 

Yup, I thought about that as well - bringing the bottle with. Maybe buying it in Rome before boarding since we arrive in Rome the day before. It's not 400 cases of Coors...but it's a start. At least we're not bootlegging. So: Yes, my username is based on the movie. As you said: A real masterpiece. Thanks for recognising that!

14 hours ago, bsbrady said:

I was just off the Odyssey and saw it in the case at Giovannis wine bar.

Alright, good to know. Thank you so much!

Hi,

my wife and I are going on the Odyssey in October (Greek Islands). We're celebrating our 20th anniversary. One night we want to make extra special. We already enjoyed some classy wine and champagne on our previous cruises with RCL. But since we've never had it before we plan on opening a bottle of Cristal (Louis Roederer) Champagne. I've spotted that one on the Harmony before.

Does anybody knows if that particular Champagne is available on the Odyssey as well?

Thanks for any help.

Hi my cruising friends,

just came back a few days ago from the Wonder Of The Seas. On the last day I saw that there is some kind of contest/competition going on where you can send in some pics from the cruise (memory pics, pics from a cruise party and so on).

Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of the ad with the e-mail adress on it. Didn't find anything online as well. Any chance somebody here knows? Thanks for any help!

Many thing have been mentioned already. 

Sometimes there's Live Music in the Central Park. I always enjoy this part of the ship, with or without music. It's a surprisingly calm spot. Many spots have live music though, if you enjoy this kind of activity. We surely do. 

The Pub is a nice spot to have a drink and watch the world go by.

Pools are not your thing, but still check the Solarium out. More quiet, lots of space and a nice view. It's a very relaxing spot this. Or you always can do a bit of shopping in one of the many shops on the Promenade.

Like others said: Food/Eating is a big point about cruising. On Sea days Izumi is still not very busy and has a nice and quiet atmosphere.

Pisa is fine, if never seen. But besides the tower there isn't much. As a city, Florence is the better choice. Lots of sights, good food. 

But I would - if you've never been - choose the Cinqueterre villages. Even though not big, they are unbelievably beautiful with stunning locations. Great fish and seafood as well. And part of the UNESCO world heritage. For good reason.

We liked Vernazza and Manarola the most.

Another helpful website:

https://travelsafe.spain.info/en/

20 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Keep looking and see if it shows up.

I'll do that, let's see if it shows up eventually.

Hi,

We always enjoy lunch in Izumi on Sea Days. We're on the "Wonder" from Oct 2nd - Oct 9th. Last time (on the Harmony) it wasn't a problem to get a table, since the ship was only at around 25% capacity. But now back at 100% I'm afraid it might be a problem, since it also is the only cruising day of the week. Couldn't pre-book through the cruise planner. Lunch doesn't show up.

So I wonder if anybody has similar experiences or similar plans at least? Up until now we always got lucky. But I don't wanna risk it, if there's a way.

Thanks for any help.

On 8/20/2022 at 5:13 PM, AshleyDillo said:

On 8/20/2022 at 3:57 AM, Rfj101 said:

Does anyone know if I can just reserve the dining now like I would when I get off the ship. They do not charge my credit card until I get to the reservation regardless and would not be an issue since I have the unlimited package. Any insight would be great. 

If you make the reservation now through the Cruise Planner, you will be charged for each reservation immediately.  When you board, you can get this refunded as refundable OBC, but you're going to front the money now to secure the reservation.

Inspired by your idea I did just that yesterday. Booked all restaurants now for our cruise on the "Wonder" sailing on october 2nd. Many times were already booked/gone. And Chops on the last night had only two slots left.  Chops is always pretty popular on the last night.

18 hours ago, KristiZ said:

Correct!

16 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Whatever is left goes back as a refund to the card you secured your onboard account with when you checked in.

Thank you my fellow cruising friends. Just booked all the restaurants last nights... thanks for helping.

16 minutes ago, KristiZ said:

They will issue you refundable onboard credit.

So sorry to ask (English is not my native language - and I've never really had any experiences with Onboard credits and refunds):

Does that mean I have onboard credit I could spend during the cruise - and whatever's left at the end of the cruise I get back on my bank account?

Thanks again.

Hi,

purchased the UPD, as we usually do when cruising with Royal. But some nights are busy and now with full capacity even late dining times might sell out even before we board.

I've read on these boards that someone suggested - in addition to the UPD - to just make reservations each night by purchasing dinners to all restaurants we'd really love to visit (like Chops on the first and last night or Izumi Sushi & Hibachi on others) to make sure we'll get a table. That would mean to pay extra up front - quite an amount. 

But: Would I be able to get my money back when on board? And not in form of a credit...but back on my bank account/credit card account? I wonder if somebody did that and could share the experience they've made. That'd be very helpful.

Thanks!

Just booked the DBP today for the "Wonder Of The Seas" sailing on October 2nd. Got it for 71$ pp. Was with 73$ at the lowest for a while, today it dropped 2$. Decided not to wait any longer and book it.

Hi "smokeybandit",

off topic, but myself as "Ban-One" I feel obliged to point out that I like your username