Royal Caribbean Blog

When I look back to my first cruise ever on Mariner of the Seas last month, I think of the stunningly beautiful beaches, watching the sunset over the ocean from Deck 12, and, of course, the obscene amount of delicious food I consumed.

I’ll admit, I actually had quite high expectations for the food onboard prior to embarkation. Royal Caribbean heavily markets its dining options and I had heard a LOT about the food while editing videos on the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel.

So when I got onboard, I was ready to taste all that Royal Caribbean had to offer, and I was not disappointed. Here’s a look at the top things I had on Mariner of the Seas.

The Teppanyaki Experience

Prior to my cruise, I had never experienced teppanyaki. This is a popular dining option on Royal Caribbean, where chefs cook in front of you at Izumi, the Japanese specialty restaurant onboard (Note: on some ships, Teppanyaki is a separate venue).

On Mariner of the Seas, Izumi is a combined sushi bar and teppanyaki area. Experiencing teppanyaki onboard is not only fun, since the chefs add entertainment and humor to the cooking experience, but the food is also extremely fresh. Our chef prepared vegetable fried rice, assorted vegetables flavored with teriyaki sauce, beef, and chicken. 

For dessert came the crispy sesame balls filled with sweet red bean. Don’t forget to pair all of this with my favorite drink at Izumi, “She’s a Geisha”.

If you are going to try one specialty restaurant on your next cruise, I would recommend reserving teppanyaki. Not only will you have a fantastic meal, but the experience will be a highlight of your sailing.

Campfire Cookie & Nachos at Playmakers

After a long day in the sun at Cococay, getting ready for a long meal in the Main Dining Room did not sound so appealing. Instead, we decided to head to Playmakers and share a few appetizers. Bar food is usually not my go-to option at home, so I was curious to try it out.

To be honest, I arrived expecting greasy, mediocre bar food, but I was exceptionally surprised by how fantastic the food was at Playmakers. We ordered four appetizers to share: the pile on nachos, a very tall crispy onion ring tower, chicken tenders, and Playmakers fries.

Topped with guacamole, cheese salsa, jalapeños, onion, and chopped tomatoes, the pile on nachos were by far my favorite, and they were a perfect appetizer to share around the table. There is also the option to “pile on” the nachos with either chili or pulled pork, so you really can’t go wrong.

Playmakers did not disappoint when it was time for dessert, either, and you cannot eat at Playmakers without ordering the campfire cookie. Ooey, gooey, chocolatey, and buttery, the campfire cookie is Royal Caribbean’s take on s'mores and I am all about it. The campfire cookie is a skillet-based dessert that features a chocolate chip cookie base topped with toasted marshmallows. The cookie comes with a cup of vanilla ice cream and a small glass of milk for your dipping pleasure. 

Playmakers has an extra-cost, but I found the prices very reasonable, especially because the portions were enough to share with a group.

Breakfast at the Windjammer

It may not be as “fancy” as some of the other meals I had onboard, but eating breakfast at the Windjammer is a quintessential Royal Caribbean experience and I just had to include it in this list.

You really can’t go wrong with heading to the buffet, especially in the morning on a port day. While I boarded Mariner of the Seas somewhat expecting a college dining hall quality experience, I was surprised by the freshness and diversity of options at the Windjammer.

The Windjammer has your standard American breakfast fare like eggs, bacon, and pancakes. However, there is also a “live cooking” station where you can order custom omelettes as well as an international section where you can find cuisines such as Indian or Indonesian.

One of my favorite breakfast choices were the blended smoothies and juices they had as a grab and go option. I was surprised to see these options available to everyone at the Windjammer instead of being available with a drink package or extra cost. A fresh watermelon or strawberry banana smoothie was a great start to my day.

Mozzarella Sticks at CocoCay

I think I’ve reached the point in this article when I come clean. Out of all the food I ate at Perfect Day at CocoCay, including a wonderful three course meal at the Coco Beach Club, the mozzarella sticks were my favorite thing to eat on the island.

Don’t get me wrong… the Coco Beach Club was excellent and probably the best meal option available at Perfect Day at Cococay. The hummus and pita were particularly incredible. And don’t even get me started on how good that chocolate brownie was...

That being said, I am obsessed with how delicious and cheesy the mozzarella sticks were. 

You can find these life-changing mozzarella sticks at the various Snack Shack locations on the island. In fact, a popular “secret menu” option at Cococay includes a generous helping of mozzarella sticks, the Snack Shack chicken parmesan sandwich. It is their signature chicken sandwich topped with marinara sauce and, you guessed it, fried, cheesy, and delightful mozzarella sticks.

I am grateful that these mozzarella sticks are only available at Cococay and not on the ship itself because I most certainly would eat way too many of these while onboard.

Everything at Jamie’s Italian

Having grown up in an Italian-American family, I woke up to the delightful aroma of my mom’s sauce nearly every Sunday morning. Saying I grew up almost entirely on sauce and pizza isn’t too far of an exaggeration.

Therefore, of all the specialty restaurants onboard, I was most excited to try out Jamie’s Italian. Jamie’s is one of Royal Caribbean’s specialty Italian restaurants onboard (the other being Giovanni’s Kitchen). I wouldn’t say Jamie’s is 100% authentic Italian cuisine, but I wouldn’t consider it Italian-American cuisine, either. The restaurant brings a fresh look at Italian food, which we tasted in its appetizers, main courses, and dessert.

Our table shared three appetizers. First, the ultimate garlic bread. It’s cheesy, it’s doughy, and it is downright unreal. You really can’t go wrong with garlic bread, but you CAN take it to the next level, and that’s what they did at Jamie’s Italian. Next, the truffle arancini. Arancini are crispy, savory fried rice balls that originate in Sicily, and they were as delicious as they sound. And lastly, the creamy burrata. I still daydream about this one…

Outside of appetizers, we each ordered fresh penne pomodoro pasta and eggplant parmesan. The eggplant parmesan was more of a gigantic eggplant boat, which I had never seen before, and it was cooked perfectly. I was impressed that Jamie’s makes all of their pasta fresh as this adds a huge increase in quality to the dishes.

Lastly, for dessert we ordered tiramisu, raspberry pavlova, and the rich, chocolatey epic brownie. And yes, it was all epic.

Overall, I was impressed by all of the dining options on Mariner of the Seas. Whether a specialty restaurant or complimentary dining option, Royal Caribbean takes pride in offering fresh, unique, and high-quality meals onboard its ships.

My recommendation for first-time cruisers is to look into purchasing a 3-night dining package. This usually comes at a reasonable price and gives you the opportunity to sample both complimentary dining as well as three separate specialty dining options. 

Wherever you decide to dine onboard, though, be prepared for excellent quality, top-notch service, and a beautiful evening at sea. And lastly… bring stretchy pants just in case.

The second port of call on our sailing brings us to Costa Maya, Mexico.  

Our arrival time into port was scheduled for later in the morning (11am), so there was basically a built-in option for everyone to sleep in.

As we arrived to Costa Maya, Odyssey of the Seas was greeted by Symphony of the Seas, which was already docked there earlier in the day.

Our plans for the day were to go to Maya Chan Beach Resort, which offers a limited number of day passes each day.

Prior to the cruise industry shutdown, I always went to Maya Chan when visiting Costa Maya because of the great service and food they had.  So with the opportunity to try out Maya Chan again since the shutdown, I wanted to see how things were now.

Maya Chan had been shutdown for 17 months, and had only re-opened the day before we arrived.

Just like in the past, we disembarked the ship and walked down the pier and through the maze that is the Costa Maya cruise port.

Maya Chan is an excursion booked independently and not through the cruise line, so you need to walk out of the cruise port and down the street to find a representative from the resort waiting to check you in.

We hopped in a taxi and took the 20 minute or so ride to the resort.

Upon arrival, things looked exactly as the last time we visited Maya Chan.

Guests get taken to a dedicated palapa for the day, where have a hammock, chairs, and a beach bed to enjoy. 

This is an all-inclusive excursion, which means all the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, food, and beach amenities (snorkeling, kayaks, etc) are included.

Maya Chan is situated right on the beach, and they have a pool too.

Costa Maya regularly deals with a sea grass problem, where the beach can be inundated with the stuff due to seasonal flows. On our visit, there was not much sea grass at all on the beach, but neighboring beaches had a build up which meant there was sometimes an odor in the air (depending on the breeze).

At check-in, the staff offered anyone a full refund if this issue concerned them, but since I was more of a pool person anyway, that did not bother me.

I think the appeal of Maya Chan is the excellent service and food and drink the resort provides. Basically, a fun day to hang out by the beach.

Luckily, the weather was absolutely perfect with mostly clear skies, no rain, and a very strong breeze that never left us feeling overly hot.

Because of our ship's late arrival time, by the time we got situated at Maya Chan, it was time to eat lunch.

They offered a buffet of freshly cooked tacos, including chicken, beef, fish, and pork.  The food is all cooked that morning, including a selection of corn or four tortillas.

The food did not disappoint, and the various toppings you could put on the tacos really made the meal for me.

After lunch, it was pool time, and I walked over to the pool to hop in.  I thought perhaps I might go there for a little bit, but we ended up spending the whole day relaxing in and around the pool.

The staff came by regularly to offer us drinks, and it was exactly as I remembered my previous visits to Maya Chan: a super relaxing day with excellent service.

As with any great shore excursion, the time to head back to the ship comes all too quickly, and we hopped in our taxis to return to the ship.

Back onboard, it was time to shower and get ready for dinner.

Originally, we were booked for dinner at Coastal Kitchen (the suites only restaurant), but the menu did not entice us (it changes daily), so we decided to go to Chops Grille instead.

Chops was able to seat us despite not having a reservation, and we had a great meal. 

What I love about Chops is how consistent it is across the fleet. 

After dinner, it was time to head to Two70 to see one of the signature shows on Odyssey of the Seas, The Book.

The Book is divided up into chapters, where the protagonist in the show explores different chapters of this magical book. Each chapter features a unique style of music and dance.

As with all shows in the Two70 space, The Book relies heavily on visual effects.  While music and choreography are at the heart of any stage performance, the visuals in The Book are equally important.

I liked the style and spacing of the show, and thought it was a fun idea to use book chapters to help organize the show.

While I would have liked to have stayed up after the show for a drink or two, I was wiped out from all the fun that day, so it was bed time.

Tomorrow, we will be in Cozumel.

In order to make getting a Covid test easier for passengers before their cruise, Royal Caribbean is now selling at-home Covid-19 test kits.

Royal Caribbean announced last week it would begin selling these at-home tests, and on Wednesday they went on sale for the first time.

Due to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) policy change, fully vaccinated guests must now get their pre-cruise Covid test done just two days before the cruise begins. Previously it was three days.

While there are many testing sites that can offer rapid antigen tests, Royal Caribbean teamed up with Optum to sell bundles of the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test.

The kits can be purchased via Royal Caribbean's special link from the Optum website.

Here is my full review of trying out the BinaxNOW test, which was extremely easy and quick.

Guests can purchase a pack of two for $69.99 or a pack of three for $99.99, which includes the test kits, expedited shipping, and live virtual visit.

Royal Caribbean recommends purchasing two tests per person just in case you lose or contaminate a part of the test, or have an error during the testing process. However, technically a two or three test pack can be split between members of a traveling party, with one test per person.

This particular test kit is a FDA-authorized rapid antigen home test,

Our first sea day on Odyssey of the Seas means a full day of exploring the ship.

I started off with breakfast in the main dining room, and I picked to eat there because of how good the main dining room looks.

Food was great, and Chef Shamar cooked up perhaps the best omelet I've had on in recent memory.

Next up was the customer loyalty event in Two70 for Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members, which featured live music, drinks, and a showing of Oceanides.

I appreciate that the company takes time and resources to say thank you with a special event for its top tier cruisers, and the venue was full with plenty of other cruisers who felt the same way.

I decided to head outside to walk the upper deck, and I took advantage of the low crowds to try out the SkyPad without any wait.

The SkyPad is a bungee trampoline experience where you can wear a virtual reality headset and bounce along as you play a video game in the headset.

It was a really interesting idea, but afterwards I felt a little nauseous so I think next time I would do it without the headset just to enjoy the trampoline.  Luckily, a half glass of ginger ale and I felt fine.

I booked a spot on the North Star, which has an extra charge on sea days (complimentary while ship is in port).  When on a sea day, the North Star not only goes up, but extends over both sides of the ship.

We had perfect weather for viewing.

One of the protocols for the North Star is there is only 4 passengers allowed at once.

For lunch, we decided to try El Loco Fresh.

When I eat at El Loco Fresh, I get a make-your-own burrito so I can load up with veggies.

In the afternoon I did some work on the blog, and then took a quick nap.

Tonight is formal night, so we decided to head up to the Suite Lounge and check out the venue.

The suite lounge on the Quantum Class ships have the best view, and it is also a massive space.

While it is a bit of a walk to the lounge (it is located at the end of deck 13), once you get there it is all worth it.

Dinner tonight brought us to Giovanni's Italian Kitchen.

After dining at this restaurant on Freedom of the Seas, I was instantly hooked on this new take on Royal Caribbean's Italian food.

We had a sampling of everything, and it did not disappoint. I recommend the caprese salad, meat and cheese platter, chicken parmesan, and any of the pastas.  They make the pasta every day and it was terrific.

Following dinner, we headed to the Royal Theater to see Showgirls: Past, Present and Future.

It is a great mashup of classic and modern music, and the new Royal Caribbean shows are so well put together that I enjoyed the spectacle of it all.

Tomorrow we will be in Costa Maya, Mexico.

Stray Observations

The casitas on Odyssey of the Seas have an extra cost to rent ($199 for the day on sea days, $149 on port days). I saw at least 4 or 5 casitas rented on just one side of the ship.

Here's a look at the suite area of the pool deck. I like there is at least part of the area that is shaded.

If you've got a cruise book on Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas, I've got ten lesser known tips and tricks to share with you about this amazing ship.

Odyssey of the Seas is a Quantum Ultra class ship, and Royal Caribbean has packed her with so many things to see and do, and inbetween are a few good tidbits that might enhance your cruise or give you a heads up on what to expect.

All cruise ships have their own style to them, and you can usually find something unique or hard to find onboard that most other guests easily overlook.

After scouring the ship, I'm sharing my top 10 Odyssey of the Seas hidden secrets so that you can know all about them before you sail!

10. Solarium bridge wings

If you want the best vantage point for a selfie, check out the bridge wings at the front of the ship.

On both sides of the Solarium are viewing areas you can walk to and enjoy a view of the ocean and side of the ship.

To get to the wing viewing areas, go to the Solarium and proceed all the way forward.

9. Zone Zero

Zone Zero is less a secret as much as it is an easily overlooked experience onboard.

Odyssey of the Seas has the SkyPad virtual reality trampoline experience, but there is another virtual reality game you can play onboard in the SeaPlex.

Zone Zero is a complimentary virtual reality experience for up to 4 guests at a time, and it is only available on Odyssey of the Seas.

8. Least crowded restaurant: Solarium Bistro

If you want something different to eat and avoid crowds, check out the Solarium Bistro.

Located in the Solarium (although the entrance is near the stairwell), Solarium Bistro is a complimentary restaurant most guests have no idea exists.

Regardless of which meal you want to enjoy, you will find barely any crowds.  

In addition, Solarium Bistro is a boon for vegetarians or just anyone that wants to eat a little bit healthier. There is a large salad bar, as well as a good mix of Mediterranean inspired dishes.

And yes, kids can dine at the Solarium Bistro despite being in the Solarium.

7. Secret Solarium entrance

On deck 13, you will find a door leading to the Solarium without having to go up to the pool deck first.

On deck 13 forward, if you walk all the way forward past all the staterooms, there is a door that leads right out to the lower level of the Solarium.

This is especially helpful if you book a cabin on deck 13 to be able to quickly get in and out of the Solarium.

6. Skypad glass walkway

If you like glass floors, you will find a rather large one on the side of the SkyPad.

Guests can walk around the SkyPad to see the ocean as well as people below jumping on the trampolines.  Half of this walkaway is made of glass, providing a view straight down to the ocean below.

5. See-through floor

Yet another glass floor is found between deck 13 and 14 in the aft stairwell.

Royal Caribbean added this see-through floor for one of the steps, which allows guests to peer down more than 10 decks to the Royal Esplanade.  

Be sure to bring your camera, especially when kids see this for the first time.

4. Comfy outdoor chairs

On sea days the pool deck is a beacon for many passengers, but if you want to enjoy some super comfortable chairs with a breeze, head to the SeaPlex.

Right outside the SeaPlex are day beds, padded chairs, and couches you can enjoy.  Many of these are also in the shade, which makes it a little more comfortable.

You can find these seats by walking to the back of the ship on the upper pool deck, or find the doors that lead outside from the lower level of the SeaPlex.

3. Thermal spa pass

The Vitality Spa on Odyssey of the Seas has a special pass you can purchase to provide you with unlimited access to the thermal suite.

The thermal suite is made up of four areas that you can enjoy all cruise long:

• Heated stone chairs
• Rainforest shower room
• Caldarium chamber
• Laconium dry heat chamber

The cost for an unlimited pass is $99 per person.

2. The pub has food

While there is an English style pub on almost every Royal Caribbean ship, most do not have food you can order, but there are food options on Odyssey of the Seas.

At the Crown & Compass Pub, you will find a selection of bar bites that includes fried pickles, soft pretzels, poutine, burgers and even deep-fried apple pie.

After a few drinks, you can order food to enjoy without having to leave your favorite table.

1. Giovanni's Wine Bar has a food menu too

Royal Caribbean decided to replace Vintages with a new wine bar concept attached to Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, which includes its own menu.

In addition to the standard Giovanni's Kitchen menu, you can stop in at the wine bar for various platters, antipasta and more.

The menu includes an assorted meat & cheese platter, fried lasagna bites, stromboli and pizza.

The wine bar can be a great alternative if you cannot get a reservation at the main restaurant.

Did I miss any Odyssey of the Seas secrets? Share them in our comments!

Ten days ago, my first cruise came to an end as I disembarked Mariner of the Seas in Port Canaveral.

Before my sailing, I wrote about what I thought I should do on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Having worked as the video editor for the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel for the past year, I felt adequately prepared for my first cruise experience.

Inevitably, though, I found myself saying “I wish I had done that!” several times during and after the cruise. Things like booking a shore excursion, packing differently, and pre-planning in the Cruise Planner would have made my cruise experience smoother.

And while I don’t have any major regrets about my first cruise experience, here are a few things I wish I did differently.

Planned my day in Nassau better

Looking back, I wish I had planned my day in Nassau better. I was originally considering booking a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean but ultimately decided against it. As a newbie, I figured that I could easily go with the flow in Nassau, but this was not necessarily the case.

Nassau is still fairly quiet following the cruise industry shutdown. As I walked off the pier, many shops were still closed and the port area was slightly eerie. After asking some locals where to go, my sister and I decided to walk to Junkanoo Beach. We weren't that impressed with Junkanoo, so we decided to taxi to Atlantis. When we got to Atlantis, we realized we needed a day pass to explore the resort, but it was really pricey. Therefore, we decided to taxi to Cabbage Beach, a free beach nearby.

Finally, we arrived in paradise! Cabbage Beach is very clean, with turquoise water and soft white sand. However, at nearly the exact moment we laid down, it started to thunderstorm.

Needless to say, we decided to taxi back to the ship and call it a day.

Since Nassau is such a popular port for cruises, I thought that it would be much easier to navigate and figure out what to do once I got off the ship. I didn't find this to be the case, though, and I would recommend doing more research beforehand if your cruise stops in Nassau.

Purchase the coffee card

The coffee card is something I did not know about before my cruise but wish I had!

Royal Caribbean offers a "Cafe Select Coffee Card" available on the Cruise Planner website. By purchasing the card, you can enjoy up to 15 specialty espresso-based beverages during your cruise, such as lattes, macchiatos, and iced coffees.

I wrote in my last post how I did not regret not buying the drink package because I didn't think I would have gotten the value out of it. At $71 per day, I would have to drink 5-7 drinks to meet the daily price, which I personally don't think I would have been able to do.

A few days during my cruise, though, I purchased a latte from Cafe Promenade. It was nice to sip a coffee while people watching at the Promenade, or take the latte back to my balcony and watch the waves go by. At around $5 each, though, these added up quickly. 

For my upcoming sailing next week, I purchased the Cafe Select Coffee Card for $31 on the Cruise Planner website. Since I can get up to 15 espresso-based beverages with the card, the price works out to around $2 per drink instead of $5.

However, after searching for information about the coffee card on the Royal Caribbean Blog message boards, it seems that there may be different rules depending on the ship. Some guests mentioned that “15 espresso-based beverages” actually means 15 shots of espresso, so if you were to order a large size, it may count as two punches on the card. This is something to keep in mind if your usual coffee order consists of two or three shots of espresso!

Brought better hair products

In each stateroom, Royal Caribbean provides a combination hair and body wash which is on the wall in the shower. Matt neglected to tell my sister and I that he refers to this as “mystery liquid” until the last day of our cruise. Needless to say, mystery liquid is probably a great description for it.

I am used to staying in hotels, where fairly good quality shampoo and conditioner are complimentary. I assumed this would also be the case on Mariner of the Seas. By the second day of using the provided hair/body wash, though, my hair felt dry, hard, and was extremely tangled.

On my next cruise, I will definitely be packing my own quality shampoo and conditioner to bring onboard. 

Packed more dress clothes

Before my cruise, I knew that people often dressed up onboard. I made sure to pack a few nicer outfits like sundresses and skirts, but I didn't pack anything too dressy. I thought the days of being dressed to the nines on a cruise ship was something in the past.

And while I wouldn’t say guests were, in fact, “dressed to the nines,” many guests were dressed in formal wear one notch up than what I had packed. 

And since I ended up eating at most of the specialty restaurants onboard, such as Chop’s Grill and Jamie’s Italian, I found myself wishing I brought more outfits I would wear to a wedding and less outfits I would wear to a semi-casual dinner with friends. 

Then again, some guests wore shorts, sneakers, and tank tops to the Main Dining Room, so you don’t necessarily have to dress up. 

Bought the fitness class package

I know it might seem crazy to go to the gym multiple times on vacation, but Royal Caribbean has excellent fitness facilities and I was eager to workout onboard. The fitness center offers a variety of classes such as yoga, pilates, bootcamp, and spinning.

While browsing Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Planner website prior to my sailing, I saw that there was an option to pre-purchase a fitness class package. On my four night sailing, I could have purchased an unlimited class package for around $40. And since each fitness class was $20 onboard, it was a great deal. I decided not to purchase it, though, as I thought I would mainly use the free equipment.

Once onboard, though, I decided to sign up for a spinning class and I had a blast! The instructor was very encouraging and it was a nice way to get a strenuous workout on a sea day. I immediately wished I had purchased the class package so I could have attended more classes at a lower price.

Did more activities on the sports deck

Inevitably, with so many activities to do onboard, I was not able to do everything I wanted to on my cruise.

While boarding Mariner of the Seas, I looked up at the sports deck and pictured myself riding the Flowrider, flipping on the Skypad, and blasting down the waterslides.

Yet how many of those things did I do? None of them!

For whatever reason, I went into full relaxation mode the minute I stepped foot on the pool deck. Suddenly, the thought of falling on my face on the Flowrider or having to go back to my room to change out of my bathing suit for the Skypad didn’t seem as intriguing. What did sound nice was continuing to sip my Aperol spritz on the pool chair.

Following my cruise, I found myself wishing I tried more of the activities on the sports deck. After all, how many opportunities do I have to try a surfing simulator or ride a waterslide that goes over the side of a ship? 

I guess now I have an excuse to book another cruise and try these activities.

Overall, my first cruise experience was unforgettable and I’ll never forget that feeling of being out in the open water for the first time. While I do wish I did a few things differently, I ultimately enjoyed every day of my time on Mariner of the Seas and am already looking forward to my next cruise... which is this week!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel to see brand new videos coming out soon from our sailing on Mariner of the Seas.

Our first port of call on this sailing brings us to Perfect Day at CocoCay for some beach time at Royal Caribbean's private island.

There are a few different groups of friends on this cruise, we got a floating cabana at the Coco Beach Club. This turned out to be a great decision since it makes coordinating our plans together much easier.

Joining us in CocoCay today was Adventure of the Seas, although I read they had between 400-500 passengers, so hardly a difference in the overall capacity of the island.

We took a short tram ride to the Beach Club, where the staff escorted us to the cabana.

The weather today was hot with a gentle breeze, so it was the kind of day where you want to enjoy a lot of time in the water.

The decision to book a cabana at the Beach Club was partially driven by the opportunity to eat at the Coco Beach Club restaurant. This time around, we had the food delivered to the cabana. 

Once again, the food was delicious and I standby my previous opinion that the filet mignon at the Coco Beach Club is the best on the fleet right now.

 The rest of the afternoon we spent at the cabana, as well as taking a short swim to the floating cabana.

All aboard was a bit early at 3:30, so we got back to the ship for a shower and change.

After a day in the sun, we were all feeling a bit run down so we decided to have a casual night in Playmakers.

Odyssey of the Seas is the first Quantum Class ship to have a Playmakers location, and they added it to the revamped SeaPlex area.

Royal Caribbean redesigned the SeaPlex, with a new layout that I thought made better use of the space.

Playmakers itself is quite large, taking up the entire side of the upper part of the SeaPlex. Lots of different kind of seating is available, including the most impressive Owners Box I have seen to date.

The Owners Box is a corner of Playmakers that is designed to be a private spot, with an elevated feel.  I believe the concept was to offer the Owners Box as an extra cost venue that groups could rent out, but I have yet to see it priced out.

Since no one was using it, the manager at Playmakers offered us if we wanted to try it out.

The Owners Box on Odyssey has leather seats, enormous televisions, and even a Playstation 5.

After watching a few baseball games, we decided to have dinner and ordered one of everything. 

The food was fantastic, and once again the nachos and campfire cookie stood out as very, very good.

After dinner, I headed down to Casino Royale to meet Chris Wong, who is the casino host there and has his own YouTube channel.

Chris vlogs regularly from ships, and during the pandemic, he showcased what crew members were going through.

He was very friendly, and we talked about cruises for a bit.

We rounded out our evening with some live music in the pub.

Tomorrow is a sea day.

Stray observations

The Captain announced a medical emergency this evening and that we would make a quick stop in Fort Lauderdale to offload the passenger. Medical evacuations like this are not uncommon, and there was no mention of Covid.

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship is Odyssey of the Seas, and I managed to get onboard for a 6-night Western Caribbean cruise to check it out for myself.

When Royal Caribbean began restarting cruises, I was excited to get back to sea and once more ships started sailing again, I became more strategic with which ships I wanted to sail on.  Being a brand new cruise ship, I did my best to book something as soon as possible on Odyssey.

For this sailing, my wife and I drove down to Fort Lauderdale to hop aboard Odyssey of the Seas. We spent a night in Boca Raton, and then drove down to the terminal for our noon check-in.

This was my first cruise sailing from Port Everglades since the restart, and Odyssey of the Seas is departing from Terminal 18. This terminal has the easiest parking of any port I have been to, because it has a surface lot right across from the terminal.

Check-in was super easy. We arrived at noon for our check-in time, and got through the process very quickly. We had to wait a few minutes in the terminal prior to the ship beginning the boarding process.

Luckily the cabins were ready as soon as we boarded, so we headed up to deck 8 to our room. For this cruise, we have a two bedroom Grand Suite booked.  Why did we book a two bedroom suite for just me and my wife? We were in a balcony room originally, but the price for a two bedroom Grand Suite was cheaper than a Junior Suite one day and I decided to hop on the special.

The room looks great, and has way more space than we really need, but it's certainly nice to have!

Something this cabin has is a digital control for the blinds and lights, which means you can open the blinds and lights from the panel in the room, or the Royal Caribbean app.

With our things in the room, we headed to the Windjammer for lunch.  We have the unlimited dining package and and access to Coastal Kitchen, but I just wanted something quick and good and the Windjammer fit the bill.

Being a new ship, we spent some time exploring the ship and walking around. Odyssey looks really impressive because of how beautiful everything is, which is quite striking as you check everything out.

I thought the design of the main dining room was especially striking, and I will be going there for breakfast or lunch just for the look of the venue.

We also toured Adventure Ocean, which has the new updated children's programming onboard.

Next up was a tour of the Vitality Spa. The spa staff offers complimentary tours of the spa, and it is nice to see the various venues and offerings they have.

Walking around Odyssey, I had to check out my favorite spot on any Quantum Class ship, Two70.

I happened to be there while they were testing out some lighting, but I love this space for how many different things they have in this one space.  My advice for anyone sailing on a Quantum Class ship is when in doubt, go to Two70 to see what is happening there.

Dinner tonight is at Izumi Teppanyaki.  On Odyssey, there is a separate restaurant for hibachi and a separate restaurant for the sushi.  

Something I really like about the Teppanyaki on Odyssey is the view of the ocean from every table. And of course the amazing food.

Dinner was fantastic, and we might have had the best hibachi chef I can recall in quite a while.  

After dinner, we headed to the theater to see the welcome aboard comedy show with Cary Long.

Tomorrow we are going to be at our first port of call, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Stray Observations

The elevators have an air purifier device that I have not seen on other ships yet.

Speaking of the elevators, the elevator buttons are all "touchless" buttons where if your finger gets close, it activates without actually touching. Most of the time it works, but it's aimed at avoiding physical contact. 

Here is a look at the dining choices for embarkation day.

The internet speed on Odyssey is fantastic.  Very fast and responsive.

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Happy weekend! It has been a busy week of Royal Caribbean news and events, and we have a look back at everything that happened this week.

Royal Caribbean changed its policy regarding how soon before a cruise you have to get a negative Covid-19 test result.

As a result of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) change in requirements, Royal Caribbean posted new rules about when vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers need to get their pre-cruise tests done.

Vaccinated guests can get either a PCR or antigen test, and must get the test done no more than 2 days prior to sailing (it had previously been 3 days).

Unvaccinated kids must get a PCR test done no more than 3 days before the cruise (antigen tests are no longer allowed for kids).

Here is my recommendation on the best approach to getting your pre-cruise test.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean will expand Perfect Day at CocoCay with Hideaway Beach
• Oasis of the Seas gets CDC approval to sail
• Royal Caribbean could finish Nassau Beach Club by May 2023
• Royal Caribbean Group CEO thinks crew will serve guests at the buffet permanently
• Royal Caribbean CEO gives updates on return to service, loyalty benefits and more
• Royal Caribbean steps up again to support travel agents with new booking incentive
• How to request your favorite foods be prepared in the main dining room on your Royal Caribbean cruise
• Save up to 35% off pre-cruise add-ons with Royal Caribbean's new sale
• 10 Tips to save you time on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 421st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Jeff reviews two Grandeur of the Seas cruises.

This week's podcast is a review of Jenna's first cruise ever. Jenna shares her thoughts on how the cruise went compared her expectations.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Video: The BEST reasons to get a Royal Caribbean drink package!

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video: The BEST reasons to get a Royal Caribbean drink package!

8 Things I learned on my first Royal Caribbean cruise

What lessons can your first cruise teach you?

Jenna took her first Royal Caribbean cruise on Mariner of the Seas and came up with a list of eight things she learned about going on a cruise after finally sailing on a ship.

These are things that she was not aware of before the cruise, but quickly figured out were important takeaways.

Royal Caribbean changed the time window guests have to get a Covid test from 3 days to 2 days before embarkation, and that has a lot of guests concerned when they should get their test taken.

Cruise lines did not have much choice in changing the policy after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised their guidelines for cruise lines.

The good news is getting the test done and results back in time is quite doable, but a good plan is critical.

Here is my recommendation for when and how to get your Covid tests complete before your cruise to ensure you can board the ship.

What are the new rules?

It is important to have a good idea of the timeframe Royal Caribbean (and other cruise lines) requires for your test, assuming your ship sails September 13 or beyond.

Vaccinated guests must present a negative PCR or antigen test result taken no more than 2 days prior to sailing in order to board. (Previously, it was 3 days.) 

Beginning December 17, 2021, unvaccinated guests age 2 - 11 will need to get a negative PCR test taken no more than 3 days prior to sailing — but not on boarding day. Antigen tests are not accepted for unvaccinated guests.  

There continues to be no testing required for guests under age 2.

Vaccinated adults

For anyone age 12 or older, your best bet is get an antigen test.  Antigen test results come back in usually an hour or so, and quite often less time.

While PCR tests are great, nearly no venue can (or will) guarantee when results will come back so your best bet is to plan on an antigen test.

For simplicity, I would recommend purchasing an at-home test that Royal Caribbean accepts, which is the  Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test because it is supervised and administered remotely via a video session. 

This at-home test is very easy to use, and you can likely complete the whole process of test and getting results in less than an hour. Not to mention there is no need to seek an appointment at a lab or pharmacy. 

Plus, the at-home tests are great if you live somewhere not close to many testing sites.

Read more: I tried the at-home Covid-19 test that Royal Caribbean accepts

Just complete the test one or two days before embarkation day, and you will have a test result you can print out and bring to the terminal.

Royal Caribbean also sells the exact same at-home test kit, and can be purchased at RoyalCaribbean.com/HomeTestKit.

If you prefer to go somewhere to get a test, CVS is the easiest option. More on CVS with the next group.

Unvaccinated kids

Unvaccinated kids ages 2 to 11 will need to get a negative PCR test result before the cruise. Antigen tests will not be acceptable any longer for this age group.

Read more: When do you have to take a Covid test before your Royal Caribbean cruise?

Unvaccinated people cannot take the at home test, so I recommend scheduling your test at a place like CVS. CVS offers free testing (they will either bill your insurance or the federal government), and they offer advanced reservations.

The critical step with planning a test with CVS is to book a reservation exactly two weeks before you want the test done.

For kids 2-11 years old, if your cruise departs on a Sunday, then you should plan to get the test on the Thursday before your cruise.  Precisely two weeks before that Thursday, you should make a reservation on the CVS website.

Once again, adults have 2 days to get their test result, but kids have 3 days in case they need an extra day for the PCR test results to come back in time.

In my experience, if you book your test with CVS exactly two weeks in advance, I have not had issues getting an appointment.

As a back up, Walgreens offer tests in advance too, but they only allow reservations to be made 2 days early, so plan to book an appointment 48 hours before you need it.

Walgreens releases their appointments at midnight, a day at a time.