Odyssey Of The Seas Tips, What You Need To Know Before Sailing.

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Having just returned from a wonderful cruise onboard Odyssey of the Seas I wanted to share some useful Odyssey Of The Seas Tips and tricks to help you navigate your cruise and have the best cruise vacation. Royal Caribbean really have created the most wonderful dining and entertainment space. Thus offering families with or without kids a wonderful cruise experience.

This post is about the little things you need to know to make your cruise easier, and also to make sure you don’t miss out on a thing.

Tips For Sailing On Odyssey of the Seas
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

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Odyssey Of The Seas Tips, Before You Get Onboard.

Download The Royal Caribbean App

The Royal Caribbean app is my favourite app of all the cruise apps I have used. Its mostly very quick and you don’t need an internet package to use it. The app enables you to book dining, kids clubs, and activities and see what is going on on the ship.

One of my top Odyssey Of The Seas Tips, the “where can I get food now” option is fabulous. This shows you which dining options are open and available to book at any given time, which is a godsend if you have a lie in and want some brunch.

Meat platter in Giovanis
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

Can You Take Irons On Odyssey Of The Seas?

You cannot take Irons on any cruise ship, they will confiscate them. There are also no laundries onboard Royal Caribbean ships. However, the ironing service is fantastic and very reasonable! Thus I only take 1 ironed shirt each for Chris and the boys and get the rest ironed onboard. I also take ironing spray which works a treat, if you give lightly creased items a light spray and hang in the bathroom whilst you shower.

Laundry prices on Odyssey of the Seas
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

Muster Drills On Odyssey Of The Seas

Cruise lines are required to instruct you of the evacuation procedure in case of an emergency, this is done in the form of a muster drill. The muster drill sets you designated point to meet in case of an emergency, but also outlines the exact procedure you must follow.

The new muster drill procedure is fantastic, if you have cruised before you will remember the days of the soul destroying muster drill.

Now you simply watch the TV or in app video and check in at your muster station. The ship will not set sail until everybody onboard has done this so its important to get it over with ASAP. One of my tips would be to watch the muster drill on the app before boarding Odyssey of the Seas.

Ship view of Odyssey of the Seas
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

Tips For As Soon As You Get Onboard Odyssey Of The Seas

Wifi On Odyssey Of The Seas

Wifi packages aren’t cheap on Royal Caribbean, however are free if you are staying in a suite on some ships. You can also purchase individual packages and packages for multiple devices. Although if you book The Key this does come with the Wifi package.

In all, the Wifi is ok, it takes a little while to load at times, but that’s to be expected as you are at sea. However you don’t need the Wifi to access the ship app. The Royal Caribbean app is fabulous and a great way to access menus, book dining and activities. It will also send you alerts so you don’t miss any plans or dining.

To connect to the Wifi you need to connect to the free ship wifi. To connect turn on aeroplane mode and turn mobile data off. I initially struggled connecting but this remedied my connection problems.

Speciality Dining Tips For Odyssey Of The Seas

Book any speciality dining as soon as you get on board. If you have booked a dining package you will have a courtesy booking for the first evening. However you can change this and book your dining simply head to any speciality dining venue and make your reservations all in one go.

Dessert in Wonderland
Dessert in Wonderland, Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

Lobster Night In The Main Dining Room

If you have a dining package, you might want to consider fitting in lobster night in the main dining room if you’re a lobster fan. This is usually on the second formal night of the cruise. But if you check with the restaurant staff or look at the in app menus you will be able to find out the exact night. Lobster is free of charge and is delicious.

Lobster night in the main Dining room
Lobster night in the main Dining room. Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

The iFly and North Star

On many cruises, these are free in port day, but must be booked immediately as you board as the free spaces run out quickly. To book the iFly or North Star, simply book via your Royal Caribbean app, or ask a member of staff to help you.

The North Star on Odyssey of the Seas
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

FlowRider And Rock Climbing

These are free to take part in but you need to sign a permission form to take part. Also children must have an adult sign for them. To sign the permission form head to the iFly desk before you get in the queue, as you will need a wrist band to prove you have signed.

The Flowrider and iFly on Odyssey of the Seas
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

Plug Sockets

The cabins have European and US plug sockets. You will find one European plug on one side of the bed, plus 1 on the dressing table and 2 US plug sockets on the dressing table. There are also 2 USB plugs on the dressing table and one on each bedside lamp. Some people do recommend taking an extension lead, however we really didn’t feel we needed one.

Plug sockets on Odyssey of the Seas
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

Formal Night On Odyssey Of The Seas

The dress code is very chilled on Royal Caribbean, there are formal nights, and we always take part. However it is optional! Unlike some cruise lines this wont stop you gaining access to dining in the evening on the second formal night. One of our boys chose to wear a polo with trousers and he still looked dressed up compared to some.

Review and photo tour of Odyssey of the Seas
Photo Credit Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

It really is an anything goes kind of ship with people wearing what they were comfortable with. There were ever people in the restaurant wearing shorts. For us, any opportunity to get dressed up is seized, but we are also aware not everyone feels that way and Royal Caribbean recognises that.

Enjoy Odyssey Of The Seas

Odyssey of the Seas is a wonderful ship, it’s easy to navigate with so much going on. It just takes a little organisation to get all thats on offer into your schedule. However, going with the flow is also fine, because after all it is a vacation!

Author

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  • Sarah Christie

    Sarah also writes for Mini Travellers Family Travel Blog and Extraordinary Chaos Craft and Lifestyle Blog. Both are award-winning blogs with a travel and family focus. She is married and has two boys, aged 18 and 22, who all love cruising as a family. Nothing is better than waking up every day in a new port with new and exciting things to explore. She aims to share how cruising as a family with young adults is the perfect choice for family travel. Her boys are sporty and love the activities, sports and dining options cruising offers. Sarah has worked with brands such as Walt Disney World, Mark Warner, Ikos Resort, Center Parcs, Laura Ashley, Belling and Next.

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