A couple weeks ago I was very fortunate to be invited on the inaugural cruise for this Quantum Class ship: Odyssey of the Seas. The start of the journey was on Tuesday for my COVID test. I had mine done at CVS and it was very easy. I pulled into a designated parking spot and the nurse handed me a swap that I used to swab both nostrils. Thirty minutes later I had my negative test!
The cruise began in Fort Lauderdale so yesterday I flew direct to Fort Lauderdale and checked into the Courtyard Marriott. The hotel offered free airport transportation and $10 port transportation. Super easy!
This morning we boarded the 12pm shuttle to the cruise port and arrived at 12:30pm to board this gorgeous ship. The process was quick and it involved checking our vaccination cards, passports, and COVID-19 test results. (All passengers 12 years and over are required to be vaccinated on Royal Caribbean ships at this time.)
There were porters on the ship, but I elected to wheel my bag to the stateroom. We are in a spacious oceanview stateroom on deck nine at the very front of our ship. The decor on the ship feels very luxurious and high-end and our stateroom is no exception.
Next on the agenda was lunch! We ate at the WindJammer which was filled with an amazing assortment of food. There was a seafood bar with giant shrimp towers, filet and lobster, and even a kids section with hamburgers. I opted for filet, green beans, and mashed potatoes. There was also a nice assortment of desserts.
After lunch, Kathy Killen, gave us a tour of the ship. There is sooo much to do here!
I walked by the SkyPad and decided to give it a go. There are four trampolines each which hold one person. After getting a harness strapped on, I was hooked up to ropes and hoisted up. I then began to jump! It was tiring but fun! There is the option of also putting a virtual reality headset on and playing one of the games while jumping. After all that exercise it was time for a drink! I headed to the pool deck to the Lime and Coconut for one of their specialty drinks. Yum!
Jumping out of an airplane is not something I would do, but a simulated skydiving experience I can get behind. After signing a series of waivers and watching a safety video, it was almost time to fly! We were given jumpsuits, goggles, earplugs, and a helmet for the iFly experience and then we headed up to this tubular structure. We were given further instructions and then it was time to fly! I couldn’t stop smiling! It was a cool feeling to essentially be floating in the air!
Dinner was at the main dining hall and I ordered French onion soup, prime rib, and fruit for dessert. The soup and prime rib was amazing, but I was a little disappointed by the fruit. I had seen these elaborate fruit dishes for lunch with exotic fruits and was expecting something similar. It was a nice fruit platter just not as nice as the ones I had seen earlier. The creme brûlée’ or chocolate cake would have been better choices.
ShowGirls was the entertainment we chose for the evening and it was a 45 minute show which showed the evolution of women in entertainment. It started in the 1920s with flapper costumes then moved into the CanCan and continued to progress to the modern age. It was very well done with talented dancers and singers.
After a quick break, I was back at exploring the ship. I enjoyed the peacefulness of the pool deck amd checked out the Solarium. I headed to the MusicHall for some live music and then decided to call it a night. We dock in the Bahamas tomorrow!
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