WAAAYTOOO

My wife and I, as well as two of my brothers and their spouses, and two family friends (a couple) will be on the same cruise.  Wife and I are doing Landtour 5B ahead of the cruise.  The others are touring on their own a few days ahead.

Casino comp cruises are non-negotiable and non-transferrable.  The Next cruise person told me that I needed to be the person redeeming and using the promo for the other guests to sail with me.  She also told me that I should check with Club Royale.  I called the number and they confirmed.
There is a work around if done prior to booking...kind of.
Casino host told me that if you call Club Royale, they will combine spouses' casino points and the offers will be the same promo code.  That way, as long as one of the spouses go, the casino comp should still work.  
I'm not saying these facts to be taken as truth, just what I have been told.

This was indeed resolved earlier btw and it turned out to be nothing to worry about (which is of course a good thing).
Full speed ahead with laundry, packing, etc. My wife decided on her evening outfits so I know what color polo to wear which night. Gotta be color coordinated for those free D+ photos, especially since we get 4 instead of 2 b/c of the B2B. It's admittedly corny but has become a ritual and we do have some nice pictures to show for it (even though they're all pretty casual).

Sure, why not try one of the only things I don't particularly like... it's not like I'm supposed to be ordering in moderation so I have room for all the other meals and credits. 🤣
No argument with you general point, of course. I will try anything once and I do wanna try different things, but I can't go through the entire menu like I've just about done with GK and MJ. Something's gotta give. All our sides will be potato based or mac n cheese and I want two desserts... so I'm not sure how light of a meal it will be. Good thing I'm not stuffing myself with MJ brunch that day... oh wait... 🙈
EDIT: That's also embarkation day #2 so there's lobster in WJ before MJ, lol. HELP!

I've spent way too much time staring at menus and the UDP, lol, but yes, glad it allowed me to help someone out. Not much chance I'll personally see a Vintages again until we go back to Alaska someday.

Good for you !  It paid off today !

When were on board we had paid for the basic wi-fi (no streaming or video calling), however the internet team on board set up a seperate account so I could use the free enhanced minutes when I wanted (video call the grandchildren) and used the basic service the rest of the time. Worked really well.

I may or may not have been putting some major studying into the UDP over the past few weeks for some odd reason. 😉

And another nice drop today! We are down nearly 500 bucks since booking. 4,015 and now it's 3,571. I'm super glad because 4 grand brothered me. 🤣 It just bothered me and this is way more digestible. 

Down to the lucky 88 days until the cruise! If anyone spends time in the casino you may notice that bets are sometimes set at 88 cents or multiples of that. Here is to success, wealth, and balance as we get one day closer to the cruise!

We both got this...  and we're going!!
 
Both of us are Prime, live in Florida, and are D+....  no idea how we got selected, but it looks like it'll be an interesting cruise.
 
 

I liked both your posts but what I really wanted was the mad face emoji! In the words of @asquared17...BETRAYAL!
@OCSC Mike if you have the UDP, I really think you should at least give the soup a try. You can't knock it unless you try it. I tried the Apple pie moonshine thing for you, I say you try the soup and think of @WAAAYTOOO and I. 😉

Mike, I'm really glad you answered this question before I did b/c I would have said "no" to the UDP use at Vintages !  Vintages used to NOT be included...it's nice to see that they have changed that rule !

One thing I forgot to add was I used the app TripIt.  You can directly email your confirmations and it will organize it for you.  I also could add any docs or screenshots (like where to meet the guide).  On a trip like this where I was planning 8 million things, it was a lifesaver.  I had to upgrade to the Pro but the rest of the family could use the free version.  It also notified me of flight delays, gate changes and more.  I’ll probably put all my future trips in it!  
 
Trying to figure out my next cruise.  I am 14 points from Diamond plus and my next planned cruise isn’t until spring break 2027.  Not sure if fall break will work out for us but I know we are skipping a cruise for spring break 2026.  

Nice last minute price for the 3N leg (CP closes at midnight tonight). Not as good for the 4N leg. Dynamic pricing is working overtime.

 

That’s funny, I use blogs to distract me from stress and embrace the excitement of upcoming trips. I like how everyone’s mind works a little differently. I’ve already mentioned that various life stuff was getting in the way of me focusing on this upcoming cruise but I guess there are good distractions & bad distractions. Knock on wood, the last big thing on my mind will be resolved later this morning then it’s 100% cruise mode time. 🤞
We have it for both legs on Utopia next March when the extended family decided to join us and are treating to some stuff so I have no choice & will get to compare. I’ve rambled enough about my 7 vs. 4 thoughts but I think this will work well for us.
Hope I didn’t steer ya wrong but everything’s subjective (and obviously I’m not the only MJ fan). I fully support doing both. Unless you’re like my wife who won’t order any of the interesting breakfasty items (she’s a plain eggs or pancakes gal), they can be two completely different meals. One of my only regrets is not trying dinner sooner. Really looking forward to doing both this time myself.
Well said & good to hear. I won’t go through each item but you listed almost  everything I think we’ll order. The ribeye is for me in our case so nice to see it mentioned. I have nothing against filet, but that’s the one cut that’s on several other restaurant menus and I obviously enjoy ribeye. I’ll get my wife’s take on the filet… then she can compare it to Giovanni’s, the beach club, and Hooked once she orders it there. Yes, she’s gonna have several filets in 4 days but that might be the definition of first world problem.
Mushrooms are on the short list of things of which I’m not a big fan. If they’re cooked and thrown in with other stuff (like on a veggie pizza), fine, but I was never ordering mushroom soup no matter how popular it is.
Very kind of you and I’ll ask my wife but I’m not sure who’s left. The ones we really got to know mostly moved on to Utopia or Icon (good crew to newest ships). The amazing CK manager, Vinay (whom @Lovetocruise2002 knows) was in a different position every time we ran into him after the first cruise so if he’s even still on Wonder I wouldn’t be able to find him.
Appreciate all the comments, btw. Between the excitement, the less fun stuff on my mind, & insomnia, I’ve been using my own blog as a distraction.

@OCSC Mike looking forward to following along. This will help distract me from my over excitement about leaving for Scotland here soon. 
I'm excited to see how the dining works out for you. We have the same B2B booked for April, but on Wonder!. We snagged the UDP for both legs for a really good price. I'm debating canceling for the 3 day. I can tell you that I cant wait to try MJ. All of your talk about that restaurant over your past blogs has me so ready to try it. I do plan on doing a brunch and dinner there. 
I have yet to eat at Hooked, so I cant comment there, but I can say that I have never had a bad meal at chops. Like everything RC there are consistently inconsistent. Some meals were better than others, but never bad.
My go to's there are the goat cheese salad, and the filet. The Boss gets the ribeye and usually has no complaints. The bacon is usually good. The crab cake has decent flavor, but has too much bread crumbs (which seems to be the consensus). I've had the lobster bisque which is quite tasty, but usually lacks actual pieces of lobster, and I'm probably going to make a certain neighbor/neighbour? @Lovetocruise2002 amongst other people sad when I say the mushroom soup is just meh......
My favorite of the sides are the gruyere tater tots, because I am a kid at heart and LOVE tots, and when you can add cheese to them, even better. The Mac and cheese is good too. 
I will have to remember to reach out to you before we head out on Wonder to see if your crew friends are on the ship. I would love to meet them and would gladly bring any requested items. 
 

Like I mentioned in your live blog, and now I can see all the people I'm going to upset, but I will repeat here. While I am a fun guy, I found their mushroom soup to be just meh. I do really like the bacon, and will frequently get the crab cake, even though it's mostly bread crumbs.

Hi @ginway1010!
We have not done Celebration Table, but we did Chef’s Table on Icon and it’s held in the same room off of Hooked (unless they changed it).
Have an amazing time with your family!!!
Here are some pics of the semi-private room… looks like it’s set up still for Chef’s Table in these pics:

I have cruised several times with my teenage sons while my husband (their dad) had to stay home for work. I took a letter the first few times and was never asked for it, so I haven’t bothered in a few years now. We all have passports, share the same last name, and the check in person just asks the boys verbally who the person they are traveling with is (referring to me) and looks for a response of “my mom”. We’ve never had an issue. 

When I play and they are winning next to me it seems to be that they are betting bigger.
We were on Symphony and the wife hit Major on all 3 machines next to each other 1 after 1 after 1, she bets more that I do...

One day of cruise fare will be compensated

Day 7 – Naples: Herculaneum, Heat, and One Last Slice
For our final port day, we explored Herculaneum and the Archaeological Museum of Naples through a GetYourGuide tour that we pieced together ourselves. It was an incredibly hot day-probably the hottest and most humid we’d had in two weeks. Herculaneum was much smaller than Pompeii, but in many ways, more impressive. The preservation of homes, wood, and even food remains gave us a deeper look at daily life in 79 AD.
 
Afterward, we headed to the museum, which helped bring it all together. Seeing the mosaics and frescoes from both Herculaneum and Pompeii in one place gave context to what we’d seen at the sites. It was a great way to wrap up the historical part of our trip.  Museum had no AC but we were glad to do the day like this.  Really pieced all the Rome things we did last week together. 
And of course-we had to try Napoli  pizza. It’s the birthplace of pizza, after all, and yes… it was fantastic. Definitely a win in the Rome vs. Naples pizza debate (Naples edged ahead for us). We were back on the ship by mid-afternoon and spent the rest of the day packing up and getting ready to head home. After our final dinner at Coastal Kitchen, my daughter and I decided to give The Book one more shot. Still not in love with Two70’s seating-it’s hard to get a good view…maybe 20 seats in the entire venue had a good view of the show.

Disembarkation & Travel Day: A Long Way Home
Leaving the ship was smooth and easy. We didn’t disembark until around 8:00 AM (with a 1:30 PM flight), and it only took about 30 minutes to get off, grab our bags, and head out. No customs line, which surprised me. I booked a private transfer through Welcome Pickups, and the driver was right on time to take us to FCO (Rome airport).
The airport, however, was another story-it took over an hour to get through all the steps: bag check, then security, then passport control, and finally to our gate. We had access to the Delta Lounge, but they were turning people away due to crowding (husband has delta diamond status so we got in right away).  It wasn’t a true Delta Lounge-more of a shared international one but it gave us a break.
Our flight home was delayed, and seating was a mess.  The aircraft was changed-families split up, kids not seated near parents, just chaos. We wew downgraded don’t ask how my DH and I were downgraded but not the kids.  Oh well, the gate agents tried really hard to seat the 2 of us together.  And when we landed in Boston, we sat on the tarmac forever, ended up being over a hour late, cutting it way too close for our connection. We had to race from terminal E to A and made it with a few minutes to spare, but it was stressful. By the time we walked in our front door, it had been about 21 hours since we left the ship.
Final Thoughts on Odyssey of the Seas
Overall, we really enjoyed our time on Odyssey, but there are a few things to note. We didn’t use the SportsPlex-our kids are older, and it just wasn’t a big draw. Going into a European itinerary, we knew this cruise would be more tour-focused than ship-focused, and we were okay with that.
Entertainment was hit or miss. The pub and schooner bar music weren’t great. The pub singer didn’t take requests, which was a first for us. And while Two70 is a cool concept, the seating makes it tough to really enjoy the shows. The cast seemed larger compared to Oasis class ships. There were different shows in the Royal Theater every night that The Book played…acrobats, a singer.
We loved our two weeks away, and it’s been a blur trying to re-enter reality. If you’re planning an Odyssey of the Seas cruise, especially with older teens or young adults, I hope this helps you figure out your own Greek isle cruise.  

Day 6 – Sea Day: Balcony Time, Balloons & the 4th of July
Today was our second sea day, and honestly, we needed it. We slept in (a little too much), but I still managed to squeeze in a workout before wandering up to the pool deck around 9:30 AM. It was already a lost cause-completely packed. Not a single chair in sight. But after our first sea day experience, we already knew we’d rather hang on our balcony anyway. Much quieter, and honestly, way more relaxing.
We tried Two70 for lunch, which is set up like the Park Café on Oasis class ships. The food was good, but no real seating available, so we ended up eating in the actual Two70 theater. There was a towel-folding demonstration going on, followed by some kind of interactive mystery puzzle-kind of like an escape room vibe, but not quite. It was interesting, but my kids were starving and bailed for Windjammer instead.
The rest of the day was what you hope a sea day is-balcony time, wandering the ship, games, a few cocktails, and just being lazy. We had another Coastal Kitchen dinner, which everyone always looks forward to.
It was also formal night and 4th of July, so the ship had a big celebration. The Royal Esplanade (their version of a promenade) was decked out with balloons, red-white-and-blue everything, and a big balloon drop planned for 10:30 PM. The kids thought it was hilarious that all this was happening over the English pub, and the British activity staff were the ones hosting the American trivia. There were USA trivia games, a Presidents quiz, and even Armed Forces trivia, though we missed that one because it was during dinner.
We did make it to Star Wars trivia, and thanks to two of my kids, we tied with about seven other groups. We skipped the pub music (not our favorite-living in Nashville has spoiled us) but did enjoy the Music Hall singers, who were much better.
Later that night, my daughter and I went to the “Showgirls” show, and I had zero expectations going in. Thought it’d be a C-, but honestly? It was probably a solid B+. Great vocals, strong dancers-no plot (as usual with Royal Caribbean entertainment), but if you let that go, it was a fun show.
We skipped the balloon drop—by 9:30 PM the Esplanade was elbow-to-elbow packed and way too uncomfortable. They also had virtual fireworks in Two70, but we didn’t make it to that either.
One more highlight for the day: we passed through the Straits of Messina. If you’re tracking the route, the best views started around 7:15 PM, and by 8:15, it was absolutely beautiful with great land visibility from the ship
.