Blue Waters

Thank you!

I need to call guest services on Ovation. I am not onboard currently. RC’ ship call service is not working. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Day 14. Last day of the TRANSATLANTIC. B2B passengers were not required to get tested for Covid and we no longer need to complete the EU passenger locator form for Italy. We have about 3800 passengers onboard currently.

No B2B testing requirement on ODYSSEY. We have just arrived in Rome today and they won’t test us. We no longer needvthe EU passanger locator form either. Mask are still mandatory in Italy.

Our host told us that around 2000 passenger canceled this Transatlantic cruise. I am crossing fingers for additional cancellations on the upcoming cruises. Royal also organized a special shore excursion for Rome, which was available by invitation only for B2B cruisers. First come first serve basis.

Day 13 Update: We no longer have reliable internet service. Our ship switched internet service provider when we reached the European continent. You have to constantly try to connect to wi-if, but most of the time you won’t succeed. IT crew is working on the issue, but so far they couldn’t fix it - this was the answer from the VOOM desk where people forming long lines. The crew is not allowed to go to shore due to high Covid positivity rate. Most of them haven’t set foot on dry land for seven months. I feel for them. Our captain encourages all of us to wear a mask from day one in his daily briefing. We had a great time in Malaga and Cartagena. We choose the “Tapas tasting in Malaga” RC shore excursion. We had beautiful weather. The only downside, that our guide did not give us free time at the end. We’ve explored Cartagena of our own, since the cruise port is near downtown. Despite the rainy and windy conditions we had a great time and we had more Tapas.

Best cruise ever. If I wasn’t booked on Ovation for the Transpacific in October, I would come back to Europe and sail the Atlantic on Odyssey again. We have wonderful weather conditions, really good entertainment, excellent food anywhere you go. Low passenger count is a plus. But it will be full house from May 7th. I’ve just realized today that we can control our room temperature, lights, TV from the app. I don’t know if this was available on our prior cruises, I never really looked, but there is a stateroom button in the app now. The only thing I don’t like that the Windjammer is self service from day one. But I understand that Royal has to go back to their old ways eventually. The internet service is uninterrupted all along.

Day 6 Update: We have perfect weather, temperature is about 70 degrees, clear sky. Our beautiful Odyssey gracefully gliding through the ocean. We have a very relaxed atmosphere on board. The food is excellent, I should say the best we ever had on board. We had our own “drill cruise” about a month ago to check out the ship, and we were very happy to notice at that time that the food was outstanding. Quality of internet service has not changed either. It’s very fast. Due to the medical emergency stop in San Juan, we are skipping Island Of Madeira. We will be at sea for 10 days and day 11th is Malaga, Spain. Some passengers are disappointed, but I always just go with the flow. If it’s up to me I would just circumnavigate the whole globe without stopping. Another subject I wanted to mention here for those who will be joining Odyssey soon, that the pricing came down on these cruises. We invited my husband’s father to come with us on this voyage (he is a senior -Holland America fan ) and he has a an ocean view balcony. With one 30 minute phone call a couple of days before the cruise, he was able to save $3,400 dollars. We also have my uncle here, he had an interior and he saved $2,300 due to price change. On top of his savings, He was moved to an ocean view balcony. RC just sent an email about the change before boarding. They did not say why. He couldn’t be happier. (they are both booked from April 23rd-June 5th on Odyssey) They have lectures every day, which is great because my father in law was afraid that he would be board due to his physical limitations. They also have singles meeting every day, they have lunch together etc. He has a great time and constantly being entertained and found new friends.

Both Odyssey and Wonder have the best internet based on our experience, which is great since we need good internet for our work. But I will keep you updated on the internet reliability.

We are currently on Odyssey TRANSATLANTIC cruise. So far we have a fantastic cruise, very relaxed atmosphere. We have 1800 passenger (16 kids only) and we also have a beautiful Labrador on board, everybody’s favorite. The food is awesome, the crew is amazing. Good entertainment. We’ve just docked in Puerto Rico due to medical emergency (not Covid related). I believe someone had a heart attack last night. After Alpha emergency call last evening, we took a sudden turn to south and our captain announced this morning we have to make this quick emergency stop tonight. We are already pulling away from the dock and heading out to sea. We will be staying on Odyssey for 2 months. I am here to answer any questions you might have.

Port side mid section.

Just got back on 8th of April from Wonder. We had a grand suite on deck 17. It was the worst cruise ever. There is a stage built right at the end of the suites , so the life bands who are performing are above the crowd around the pool. Therefore we had to deal with the constant loud music in our suite, and the vibrating walls and vibrating floor most of the time. The beautiful large balcony is filled with bulky, uncomfortable furniture. So is the suite. Our televisions did not work, they were interfering with each other. The maintenance and IT people tried to fix it every day for a week, they couldn't. Food was terrible. Ship has a narrow feel to it and low ceiling. Claustrophobic. Many passenger were unhappy with he whole design. It is not what we RC cruisers are used to.

No, you will be moved to the Covid quarantine deck, and your wife will be isolated in her room. After 3 days of isolation, they will do a PCR test on her and if she tests negative, she will be free to roam, if she tests positive, she will be moved to the Covid quarantine deck.

Couple of thousand new passengers board weekly.