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Odyssey of the Seas, 2/12/22-2/20/22... Please! No Covid Whammies!


JohnK6404

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Day 8:  Sea Day (cont.)

We had breakfast in the Solarium Bistro once again and then worked our way over to the SeaPlex.

We had to do the bumper cars at least once during this sailing!

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Yes, the ladies went back to the solarium and I just wandered around a bit more. For lunch, we grabbed some slices at Sorrento’s. We did not want to eat too much and ruin dinner tonight!

Back to the solarium (main pools were packed) for the afternoon for some relaxation and maximum use of the DBP, LOL!

I walked around some more a took a few more pics before dinner (El Loco Fresh pics are a mix on early AM and afternoon pics)…

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I’ll be back in a bit to wrap up dinner and the show!

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On our sailing (Jan 29- Feb 6) we only had 1966 people on board, and the pools/pool decks were packed on sea days as well.  We aren't pool people anyway, so it didn't bother us, but we never would have gotten a lounger if we'd wanted one since we really don't get going until midmorning.

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1 hour ago, SpeedNoodles said:

On our sailing (Jan 29- Feb 6) we only had 1966 people on board, and the pools/pool decks were packed on sea days as well.  We aren't pool people anyway, so it didn't bother us, but we never would have gotten a lounger if we'd wanted one since we really don't get going until midmorning.

I also see why many dislike the traffic flow onboard Quantum class. The Esplanade is so narrow... I can't imagine a full capacity sailing.

If you're in the Esplanade and anywhere near the Royal Theater when a show let's out, it feels like the running of the bulls!  🤣

Running of the bulls - Wikipedia

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15 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

I also see why many dislike the traffic flow onboard Quantum class. The Esplanade is so narrow... I can't imagine a full capacity sailing.

If you're in the Esplanade and anywhere near the Royal Theater when a show let's out, it feels like the running of the bulls!  🤣

Agreed.  Honestly, it's our least favorite class of ship of Royal's.  That being said, we have a goal to sail on EVERY ship in the fleet, and Odyssey is the one Quantum class that we'd actually repeat sail on.

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Day 8:  Sea Day (cont.)

Let’s see if I can finally wrap up the last day of our cruise!

We booked Giovanni’s for dinner this night. The service and food was excellent as expected.

The menu:

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We split three appetizers: Assorted Meat & Cheese Platter, Meatball Gigante, and Caesar Salad…

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Our friend ordered the Uncle Alfredo’s Fettuccine, my wife ordered the Linguine Con La Vongole with Shrimp, and I ordered the Chicken Parmesan. All delicious!

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Prior to dessert, they give you some Limoncello… tasty, but not what I’m used to… For dessert, we ordered the Go Bananas and a Tiramisu. All excellent as well!

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Giovanni’s in any form has always been one of our favorites (have not been to Jamie’s Italian yet).

 

After dinner, we went to see the “Special Preview” of “The Effectors” in the Royal Theater.

The Cruise Director (Mitch) and the Director of the show (forgot his name) explained that this is the first time this cast will perform the show in front of a live audience. The original cast’s contract had expired and this cast has been rehearsing for the last 4 weeks. The director explained that this is about 90% of the show, with just one scene involving Reverb excluded due to the complexity of the scene. Thankfully, the “famous” drone scene was not edited out!

*** SPOILER ALERT !!!

 

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Everyone enjoyed the show and the new cast received a standing ovation. I’m sure they were a little nervous!

The technology is amazing. They recently announced that “The Effectors 2” will be one of the shows on Wonder of the Seas. We’ll have to wait until next January to see it!

I’ll be back to wrap up disembarkation morning and our final thoughts!

Thanks for following along!

 

 

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I loved your review; I will be on Odyssey in Nov with my family.  I am excited for the shows and food. Since most ships have the sushi part and hibachi together, you don't need to make reservations for sushi. Since they are separate on odyssey, does that mean you do have to?

As far as the magician and his bad toupee. We had something similar happen with our headliner on Harmony. The picture showed a smooth, youthful woman with reddish brown hair. I told my traveling companion that she wasn't going to look like that when she came out. Sure, enough out came a woman, still beautiful, but clearly in her 50s after some plastic surgery with brown hair and jazz hands. I don't know why they use their older pictures.

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32 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I loved your review; I will be on Odyssey in Nov with my family.  I am excited for the shows and food. Since most ships have the sushi part and hibachi together, you don't need to make reservations for sushi. Since they are separate on odyssey, does that mean you do have to?

As far as the magician and his bad toupee. We had something similar happen with our headliner on Harmony. The picture showed a smooth, youthful woman with reddish brown hair. I told my traveling companion that she wasn't going to look like that when she came out. Sure, enough out came a woman, still beautiful, but clearly in her 50s after some plastic surgery with brown hair and jazz hands. I don't know why they use their older pictures.

We didn't try Izumi this time around (sushi restaurant), but normally they do recommend reservations for all of the specialty dining restaurants. If capacity continues to increase during the year as expected, you probably want to play it safe and make reservations at some point. That's not to say that you won't find availability once you board on embarkation day.

Don't worry! November we be here before you know it! I hope you and your family have an amazing time... I'm sure you will! 

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Day 9:  Disembarkation and Wrap Up (😪)

Sorry for the delay with the wrap up! Work gets in the way! LOL!

We tagged our bags the final evening of the cruise with the Key luggage tags provided and left them out in the hall for collection. They deliver them to an area of the terminal designated for the Key passengers which is next to the Star class banners/area.

This morning, there were a number of Celebrity ships in port including Edge, Equinox, and Infinity...

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With the Key, you choose when you want to disembark the ship (no assigned time and you do not have to pick one). The Key breakfast in the MDR is available until 9:00am, but some folks were just arriving at 9:00am and were seated. Here is the menu:

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We all had the freshly squeezed OJ... last use of the DBP! Two of us had the Royal VIP Signature (Crab Benedict) and my wife had the Buttermilk Pancakes with Bananas. All very tasty.

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After breakfast at around 9:15am or so, we worked our way over to the Esplanade and walked off the ship and through the terminal to where our bags were waiting in the designated Key area. Surprisingly, the terminal was relatively quiet! A quick run through security (no lines) and through the cool facial recognition scanner and we were out of the terminal and grabbing a taxi. Very easy disembarkation!

 

Final Thoughts and Random Comments!

  • Odyssey is definitely an amazing, state-of-the-art, cruise ship that we all enjoyed. The service (as usual) was amazing all throughout the cruise. Every crew member seemed genuinely happy to see us! We had the same experience last OCT on Oasis.
  • Itinerary:  We enjoyed our first time to Aruba and Curacao and look forward to booking another cruise to these destinations (Mariner maybe 😎 ?). We're a little bummed Grand Cayman was replaced with Nassau, but it is what it is as they say! We've been to Nassau so many times (including last OCT), so we stayed onboard.
  • Solarium:  We felt the multi-tiered pool and two double hot tubs on Odyssey were much nicer than on Oasis class. We spent a ton of time relaxing in the pools and hot tubs! The solarium is climate-controlled since it is completely enclosed in glass unlike Oasis class. Just an educated guess, but I'm pretty sure the glass blocks much of the UV rays since my transition eyeglasses never darkened! Also, I loved the fact that the front of the solarium is much higher than the bow of the ship and unlike Oasis class, there is nothing visually between you and the view of the horizon. No extended sun deck and walls to get in the way!

 

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However, I do love the multi-leveled solarium on Oasis class too! Naturally, there are so many more loungers, couches, chairs and tables both in and out of the sun on those ships! Definitely, better for folks that prefer to just relax, take a nap, read a book, use your laptop, etc., and maybe stay out of the direct sun.

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  • I have heard this before, but now I can personally confirm... the traffic flow on Quantum class ships is terrible. The Esplanade is long and very narrow which is conducive to bottlenecks. We were only at approximately 60% capacity and the Esplanade and Pool decks were very crowded much of the cruise. I can't imagine how congested the common areas get when one of these Quantum class ships is at full capacity! Whenever a show lets out in the Royal Theater or in the Music Hall, you better settle in somewhere until the mad rush passes through! IMHO Oasis class does crowd dispersing best due to the neighborhood concept and the sheer size of those ships. Even at full capacity on Allure back in 2019, we never felt crowded except in the usual suspect areas (elevator lobbies, pool deck on sea day, directly in front of a venue when a show lets out, etc.). We don't recall traffic flow issues on the smaller Majesty, Explorer, or Liberty either.
  • Just an observation, not a complaint... unless we missed it, there were no bars near the aft of the ship! We settled in on the glass walkaway next to the SkyPad for sail-away on embarkation day and we had to walk all the way to the Lime & Coconut bar by the main pools for drinks. Oasis class usually has the Wipeout Bar in the aft of the ship.
  • Another random observation. It's interesting how the stateroom corridors follow the contour of the ship. On Oasis class (and most other classes from what I recall), the corridors are generally straight and the balconies on the bump-outs are larger to account for the bump-out. On Odyssey, the corridors twist and turn constantly for the entire length of the ship.
  • Entertainment/Activities:  There is so much entertainment and so many activities that it's highly unlikely you can see and do it all on one sailing! We were disappointed that "Showgirls!" was cancelled for our sailing (original cast contracts ended and new cast was still in rehearsal). I'm glad we had the chance to see most of "The Effectors" on the last evening (preview showing with new cast). We missed most of the headliners in the Royal Theater, but Pete Matthews and the "Tap Factory" are definitely worth seeing! We only caught two shows in Two70... "The Book" and "The Two70 Experience". Maybe we're in the minority, but "The Book" was not one of my favorite Royal shows. Yes, the performers and technology in Two70 was impressive, but I'm not a big fan of shows that do not have some sort of story line... Basically, individual skits with no real connection or continuity. The other show we saw, "The Two70 Experience" was excellent. Mitch (Cruise Director) showed off all the bells and whistles of this $37 million venue. One funny moment... Mitch asked the audience if we had seen "The Book" and if it made sense to us. Most shook their heads and said "No!!!"... He explained it's not supposed to be one story, but separate chapters in many books and should not make sense! LOL! We enjoyed the North Star in Aruba and the bumper cars, but had to cancel Ripcord/iFLY due to an excursion conflict. We'll make sure to try it next time! We also missed out on Zone Zero (virtual reality room)... booked solid immediately! Missed SkyPad as well! So much to see and do the next time!!!
  • Dining:  We choose My Time dining for this sailing and dined at 6:30pm on most evenings except when we had specialty dining or were in port. In our opinion (taste is obviously subjective), the food in the MDR is generally very good and the service was amazing. The Head Waiter (Rachelle), Waiter (Ronnie), and Asst. Waiter (Teekaswar) were amazing! The same could be said of the service for the Key Lunch in MDR (Chop's menu), Chef's Table, Giovanni's, and Teppanyaki. We were never disappointed in the quality and taste of the food. We also enjoyed the Windjammer and Solarium Bistro for breakfast, as well as, a quick bite at Cafe Two70. Playmakers was very good and Sorrento's and El Loco Fresh were as expected.
  • The KEY:  This is our perspective as a group... We all purchased the Key at $19.99/person for this Odyssey sailing and for Allure (2019) which is marginally more than the cost of the VOOM Surf & Stream package and a Chop's Grille lunch. So for a few extra dollars each day, we enjoyed some of the other benefits. At that price, we will always purchase the Key (unless we book Sky or Star class in the future!). I would be much more hesitant to purchase it as it creeps toward $25-$30. Also, I agree that in the current climate and with reduced capacity sailings, it is not as valuable/necessary. Also, value may vary by ship class. We did not have the Key last OCT on Oasis, but we sailed at about 35% capacity! This was our experience on this sailing... YMMV!
    • Arrival at Terminal:  We arrived almost 45 minutes before our check-in window (11:00-11:30) and we were allowed to immediately enter the terminal through a separate door and waited on a separate line with the suite guests to clear security. No waiting outdoors for someone to call our time slot, etc.
    • Boarding:  We waited in the terminal right next to the suite guests and boarded immediately after them.
    • Key Check-In: We headed right to the MDR and checked in and dropped off our carry-ons which were delivered to our cabin (left on bed inside cabin).
    • Key Lunch - Chops Grille menu:  We were all very impressed at the quality of the food despite the fact that we were served in the MDR instead of in Chops Grille as on Allure (2019). The food, and especially the Filet, was excellent! Such a nice way to start a cruise!
    • Voom Surf & Stream:  An absolute  must for each of us!
    • Private Hours for Activities:  Not the best perk as they generally offer maybe two one-hour periods over the course of the entire cruise for SOME of the activities onboard. Due to reduced capacity, we did not have a problem making complimentary reservations for the North Star and Ripcord/iFLY (had to cancel), etc., without using those Key-designated time periods.
    • Early Access to Shows (Royal Theater & Two70):  Once again, with reduced capacity not the biggest deal. What we did not care for was the change from a reserved section to early admission (45 minutes before show). We LOVED this perk on Allure as we could arrive just 15 minutes before the show and sit dead center of the venue (party of 4 back then). Must be a Covid casualty due to social distancing. I still appreciated early access as we would literally have the choice to sit anywhere in the theater (except first row which was closed for social distancing). To us, will be much more valuable with full capacity sailings and if they return to reserved Key and suite sections!
    • Disembarkation Breakfast:  Nice throw in, but not a huge factor in purchasing the Key.
    • Disembarkation:  Really loved that WE decide when we want to disembark the ship (within reason of course!). Our baggage was tagged and awaited us in the terminal while we ate breakfast and leisurely disembarked the ship. The terminal was relatively quiet when we disembarked, but I remember how awesome this perk was back on Allure (also Ft. Lauderdale) as we bypassed the crazy regular lines and were escorted through the Star class line and dedicated security desk out of the terminal. 
  • NextCruise:  Very dangerous now as you can book through the Royal app! Apparently for my wife, our Wonder sailing early next JAN is not enough to combat the quickly developing post-cruise depression! 🤣  We booked 2 "Book Later" reservations to take advantage of the reduced deposit and OBC benefits. This is our first time trying the "Book Later" option. So for those not familiar with "Book Later", we pay a reduced $200 deposit and get a $100 OBC per booking/future sailing. We have 60 days from purchase onboard to book a specific sailing and maintain both benefits. If we fail to book within 60 days, we lose the OBC, but still keep the $200 reduced deposit benefit as long as we book within one year of purchase. After one year, you lose the $200 non-refundable deposit as well. The timeframes are for booking the cruise, not the actual sail date. We've started researching cruises for fall 2023 and possibly Alaska in summer 2024 for our 20th wedding anniversary (we'll have to forfeit OBC since Alaska schedule won't be out in time unfortunately!).

 

I think that's it! I hope I didn't forget anything!

Thanks for following along!  😎

Please let me know if you have any questions!

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On 2/24/2022 at 6:21 PM, JohnK6404 said:

I have heard this before, but now I can personally confirm... the traffic flow on Quantum class ships is terrible. The Esplanade is long and very narrow which is conducive to bottlenecks. We were only at approximately 60% capacity and the Esplanade and Pool decks were very crowded much of the cruise. I can't imagine how congested the common areas get when one of these Quantum class ships is at full capacity!

Interesting. The only Quantum class ship I've been on is Spectrum, which is really Quantum Ultra I guess, and should be closest to Odyssey. The traffic flow was great even though she was completely full (pre Covid). Not sure what the difference is. Guess I'll have to sail Odyssey and decide for myself!

Thanks for a fun blog!

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Fantastic write up John, my wife and I sailed your exact itinerary in early December right before omicron hit. I agree with everything you mentioned, esplanade is narrow and at one point you Walk thru Izumi to get to the other end. Agree that the solarium is prob superior to oasis class for the reasons you mentioned  and also cause the bar  is bigger on odyssey. I enjoyed the sea plex. For me however , symphony is still my favorite. 

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33 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

Fantastic write up John, my wife and I sailed your exact itinerary in early December right before omicron hit. I agree with everything you mentioned, esplanade is narrow and at one point you Walk thru Izumi to get to the other end. Agree that the solarium is prob superior to oasis class for the reasons you mentioned  and also cause the bar  is bigger on odyssey. I enjoyed the sea plex. For me however , symphony is still my favorite. 

Thank you so much! Yes, Oasis class is our favorite by far… Allure (2019) was the best cruise for us to date until Oasis last OCT… I’m sure Wonder next JAN will top that too! Odyssey was amazing, but we liked Oasis better overall.

Funny story (at least now, lol)! We booked Harmony pre-Covid for APR 2021. Royal cancelled that sailing as the plan was to move up Harmony’s 5-year maintenance dry dock up to APR. So, Royal provided alternate sailings and moved us to Symphony in that same month, froze the cruise fare, and gave us OBC. We were so excited by the switch! Covid hits… Symphony cancelled. 

Last OCT while on Oasis, we booked Harmony yet again for JAN 2023 at NextCruise… Royal announced their redeployments not too long ago and moved us to Wonder. So excited for Wonder, but Harmony and Symphony have been very elusive! One day we’ll nail those ships down! I hear they have the best entertainment with Grease, Hairspray, Columbus and Flight! Can’t wait!

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7 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

Thank you so much! Yes, Oasis class is our favorite by far… Allure was the best cruise for us to date until Oasis last OCT… I’m sure Wonder next JAN will top that too! Odyssey was amazing, but we liked Oasis better overall.

Funny story (at least now, lol)! We booked Harmony pre-Covid for APR 2021. Royal cancelled that sailing as the plan was to move up Harmony’s 5-year maintenance dry dock up to APR. So, Royal provided alternate sailings and moved us to Symphony in that same month, froze the cruise fare, and gave us OBC. Covid hits… Symphony cancelled. 
 

Last OCT while on Oasis, we booked Harmony again for JAN 2023 at NextCruise… Royal announced their redeployments not too long ago and moved us to Wonder. Harmony and Symphony have been very elusive! One day we’ll nail those ships down! I hear they have the best entertainment with Grease, Hairspray, Columbus and Flight! Can’t wait!

My wife and I booked a grand suite on harmony for December 2022 awhile back for a really good  price but when the re deployments occurred we got moved to wonder in a grand suite . To say I’m stoked would be an understatement 

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1 hour ago, GatorCruiser said:

My wife and I booked a grand suite on harmony for December 2022 awhile back for a really good  price but when the re deployments occurred we got moved to wonder in a grand suite . To say I’m stoked would be an understatement 

Exact same thing for me. Our Dec harmony to wonder grand suite was huge for us. With so few suites on Wonder and getting it for same price I got on Harmony, I could not ask for more. Our room is 1764 right in the middle. It does say there is obstructed view, but from ever pic I’ve seen, I can’t see anything that’s in the way. I’m hoping we will see some suite footage soon.

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4 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

Thank you so much! Yes, Oasis class is our favorite by far… Allure (2019) was the best cruise for us to date until Oasis last OCT… I’m sure Wonder next JAN will top that too! Odyssey was amazing, but we liked Oasis better overall.

Funny story (at least now, lol)! We booked Harmony pre-Covid for APR 2021. Royal cancelled that sailing as the plan was to move up Harmony’s 5-year maintenance dry dock up to APR. So, Royal provided alternate sailings and moved us to Symphony in that same month, froze the cruise fare, and gave us OBC. We were so excited by the switch! Covid hits… Symphony cancelled. 

Last OCT while on Oasis, we booked Harmony yet again for JAN 2023 at NextCruise… Royal announced their redeployments not too long ago and moved us to Wonder. So excited for Wonder, but Harmony and Symphony have been very elusive! One day we’ll nail those ships down! I hear they have the best entertainment with Grease, Hairspray, Columbus and Flight! Can’t wait!

Columbus and Flight were two of the best shows we have ever seen! Loved the original productions…. Hope it works out for you soon!! 

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Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and pics.  We are trying to decide if we should try our first quantum or Wonder this coming new years.  I'm now freaking out a bit about the crowded pool deck and poor traffic flow.  But we loved southern Caribbean and we'd have the extra day on Odyssey.  Decisions... Decisions!!!   Jane

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22 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and pics.  We are trying to decide if we should try our first quantum or Wonder this coming new years.  I'm now freaking out a bit about the crowded pool deck and poor traffic flow.  But we loved southern Caribbean and we'd have the extra day on Odyssey.  Decisions... Decisions!!!   Jane

You're welcome! Please don't freak out! 😀

That was just our experience on that sailing. The Esplanade was fine most of the time, just crazy after a show let out in one of the venues in the forward of the ship (Royal Theater or Music Hall). The pool deck on sea days was very busy, but no more than any other ship. We are just assuming it would be insane at full capacity (we were only around 60%) and it surprised us how busy it was on our sailing.

We would definitely consider Odyssey again down the road. Odyssey is a beautiful ship loaded with technology. I agree itinerary is definitely important. All things equal, our preference is definitely Oasis class. More dining options, more activities, and fewer bottlenecks.

Can't wait to hear what you decide! 

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  • 7 months later...

this was such a fantastic live blog, thank you SO much!!

appreciated the detailed reviewed, especially of the food (in our family, it's always all about the food) and of the key! we are on the fence and have never gotten the key before but are thinking of doing it this time around as this was a last minute deal for us and we are not in our usual category cabin which affords us some perks. the key sounds like a good way to split the difference IF we can grab it at a good price. the pics of the embarkation lunch and disembarkation breakfast were clutch to helping us make a decision!

thank you also for the heads up about the crowding in main areas; we tend to be kind of quiet loners at night and seem to never make it to the shows. our idea of a good show is to grab a drink after dinner and people watch 😂 since we are usually wiped out by 9 (and we are,,,, relatively young, by early bedtime standards, anyway hahaha) so i am hopeful this crowding will not affect us too too much. either way, i am grateful for the awareness, especially as i am sure most ships (if not all) are sailing at full capacity now. 

thanks again and so appreciate the pics and details!!

ps: we, too, are jets fans. 😫

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