Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship is ready to begin her first test sailing today from south Florida.

While not announced by Royal Caribbean, Odyssey of the Seas appears to be ready to set sail today from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a test sailing.

These simulated voyages are required by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) in order to get approval to sail from the United States.

Odyssey of the Seas has had a long journey to this point, having been delayed during constructed and had a few inaugural sailings canceled due to the global health crisis in Europe and Israel.

Any Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailing from the United States is required to undergo a test cruise so that the cruise line can demonstrate to the CDC the new health protocols onboard are effective at keeping passengers and crew members safe.

So far two other Royal Caribbean ships have successfully conducted test cruises: Freedom of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas.

It is not clear how long this test voyage will be, but if all goes well, Odyssey could be ready for her scheduled first sailing with paying passengers on July 31, 2021.

Odyssey will offer cruises from Fort Lauderdale this summer, fall, and winter.

Odyssey is the first Quantum Ultra Class ship to cruise from the U.S., which features SeaPlex - the largest indoor and outdoor activity complex at sea - and a vibrant, Caribbean-inspired pool deck.

Royal Caribbean chose to do test cruises instead of requiring 95% of its passengers be fully vaccinated as a way to ensure families could continue to sail.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted recently on social media there are a substantial amount of children too young for a vaccine on most sailings, "As a family brand, Royal Caribbean typically sails with 10 percent of our guests under 12 years old, and today, they are ineligible for the vaccine."

As a family brand that traditionally has over 1 million children sailing onboard, leaving kids out (and subsequently their parents and extended family) was not an option Royal Caribbean ever considered.

Royal Caribbean International's senior vice president of Hotel Operations, Mark Tamis, indicated choosing to do test cruises was a clear decision, "When the first set of potential regulations were published, it was such an obvious choice of the path that we had to go down."

"Once there were two clear paths, 95% or under 95%, it wasn’t even really a consideration."

Mr. Tamis called the decision "obvious" given how many kids sail with Royal Caribbean, along with the cruise line's dedication to remaining a family brand. "A good 20 to 25 percent of our guests are kids."

Test cruise requirements

The CDC has a laundry list of tasks required to be completed during a test cruise before a ship could be approved.

Cruise lines have the choice of doing all of these steps on one or over multiple test sailings, but thus far, Royal Caribbean has opted to conduct its test sailings over the course of a single voyage.

• Embarkation and disembarkation procedures, as approved by U.S. port and local health authorities as part the cruise ship operator’s Phase 2A agreements, including procedures for terminal check-in.
• Onboard activities, including seating and meal service at dining and entertainment venues.
• Medical evacuation procedures.
• Transfer of symptomatic passengers or crew, or those who test positive for SARS-CoV-2, from cabins to isolation rooms.
• Onboard and shoreside isolation and quarantine, as per the terms of the cruise ship operator’s Phase 2A agreements, of at least 5% of all passengers and non-essential crew.
• Recreational activities that the cruise ship operator intends to offer as part of any restricted passenger voyages, e.g., casinos, spa services, fitness classes, gymnasiums.
• Private-island shore excursions if any are planned during restricted passenger voyages. The following measures must be observed on the private island:
  • Only one ship can port at the island at any one time.
  • A routine screening testing protocol must be implemented for island staff who are expected to interact with volunteer passengers or crew, unless they are fully vaccinated or have documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days.
  • Mask use and social distancing must be observed in indoor areas while on the island.
• Port of call shore excursions if any are planned during restricted passenger voyages. The following measures must be observed on port of call shore excursions:
  • Shore excursions must only include passengers and crew from the same ship.
  • Cruise ship operator must ensure all shore excursion tour companies facilitate social distancing, mask wearing, and other COVID-19 public health measures throughout the tour while in any indoor areas.
  • Cruise ship operators must have a protocol for managing persons with COVID-19 and close contacts at all foreign ports of call. At a minimum, the protocol must include the following:
    • Disembarkation and housing of persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 needing shore-based hospital care and their travel companion(s) for the duration of their isolation or quarantine period.
    • Commercial repatriation of U.S.-based persons with COVID-19 and close contacts only after meeting criteria to end isolation and quarantine per CDC guidance. For commercial repatriation of foreign-based persons with COVID-19 and close contacts, cruise ship operators must consult with all relevant public health authorities.

It looks like Odyssey of the Seas first cruise is once again delayed.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the first few scheduled sailings will be canceled due to positive cases of Covid-19 onboard the ship among crew members.

According to the cruise line, all the crew members on Odyssey of the Seas were tested on June 4 when the ship arrived in Port Canaveral, as part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Conditional Sailing Order.

The crew were tested again on June 10, and eight crew members tested positive.

Royal Caribbean's medical team is monitoring the crew that tested positive, and they are "in good health".

In addition, and in an abundance of caution, Royal Caribbean has made the decision to ask all crew members to quarantine for 14 days to ensure the health and safety of everyone on board. 

As a result, Odyssey of the Seas debut is being delayed and her first few sailings are canceled.

The ship was scheduled to begin sailing on July 3, but will now start sailing on July 31.

Guests booked onboard will be contacted with refund and rescheduling options.

Royal Caribbean said the change was unwelcome, but the safety of everyone onboard is the top priority, "This was an unexpected but necessary decision to make, and we are committed to doing the right thing for everyone’s well-being."

Here is the full statement from a Royal Caribbean spokesperson:

Out of an abundance of caution, we are postponing Odyssey of the Seas’ first sailings from July 3 until July 31, 2021. The simulation cruise, originally scheduled for late June, will also be rescheduled.  

During routine testing, eight crew members received a positive test result for COVID-19. All 1,400 crew on board Odyssey were vaccinated on June 4 and will be considered fully vaccinated on June 18. These positive cases were identified after the vaccination was given but before they were fully effective. 

The eight crew members, six of whom are asymptomatic and two with mild symptoms, were immediately quarantined and are being closely monitored by our medical team. To protect the remaining crew and prevent any further cases, we will have all crew quarantined for 14 days and continue with our routine testing. 

Guests and travel partners will be notified and given several options to consider. While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests.  

This is not the first time crew on Odyssey of the Seas have had a brush with Covid.

In late May, Royal Caribbean disembarked four crew members in Spain who had tested positive for Covid-19 onboard the Odyssey of the Seas while the ship was moving from Israel to the United States.

A week later,Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted on Facebook that the crew members have tested negative.

"They continue to remain asymptomatic (no symptoms) and yesterday all tested negative and will need one more test before being released on Friday," he said.

"Plans are to re assign the crew to Harmony and Symphony of the Seas. As our protocols work and all our crew get vaccinated we are on the road to Freedom."

Odyssey of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, but her debut has been delayed numerous times due to Covid-19.

She was originally scheduled to be built and delivered by 2020, but that was pushed back a year.

Then her inaugural season from Rome was cancelled, and instead scheduled to sail from Israel this summer.  Violence in the region forced Royal Caribbean to cancel her entire summer season and the ship was re-scheduled to start sailings from Fort Lauderdale.

Odyssey of the Seas will offer roundtrip cruises from Fort Lauderdale.

Odyssey is the first Quantum Ultra Class ship to cruise from the U.S., which features SeaPlex - the largest indoor and outdoor activity complex at sea - and a vibrant, Caribbean-inspired pool deck

It may not have been exactly as Royal Caribbean originally planned, but Odyssey of the Seas has arrived home.

The newest cruise ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet sailed into Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, which will be her homeport until at least next summer.

Port Everglades welcomed the massive new cruise ship as she pulled into port on Thursday.

Odyssey of the Seas arrived around 7am, and was met with a traditional maritime welcome of water canons.

Odyssey of the Seas will offer roundtrip cruises from Fort Lauderdale beginning on July 3, 2021.

Assuming the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approves her sailings, she will offer six- and eight-night Caribbean cruises through 2022.

Before she can start cruises, Odyssey needs to conduct test cruises to prove to the CDC the effectiveness of safety protocols developed to prevent onboard spread of Covid-19.

The 16-deck vessel is 1,138 feet long can accommodate 4,180 guests at double capacity.

Many thanks to Trent Kelly for sharing this video of Odyssey of the Seas sailing into Port Everglades.

Welcome @RoyalCaribbean #OdysseyOfTheSeas to @PortEverglades. Brand new ship stopping at its new home port for first time. Will begin sailing w/ passengers next month. @JamesVanFleet @theRCLblog @NewsfromRCgroup pic.twitter.com/9JxfEGZYx4

— Trent Kelly (@TrentKellyWPLG) June 10, 2021

Odyssey is the first Quantum Ultra Class ship to cruise from the U.S., which features SeaPlex - the largest indoor and outdoor activity complex at sea - and a vibrant, Caribbean-inspired pool deck

Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas spent the weekend in Port Canaveral to get its crew members vaccinated, and now we have a look at the ship from up in the air.

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship was a must-see for many cruise fans in Central Florida over the weekend.

Not only is a new ship attention-grabbing, but it is rare to be able to see a ship in one port for many days at a time.

Friend of RoyalCaribbeanBlog Constant Cruiser decided to take advantage of the ship being in port and rented a helicopter tour to bring him closer to the ship and see what Odyssey looks like at every angle.

The 16-deck-high, 1,138-foot-long ship is one of the largest ships in the world, and can accommodate 4,180 passengers.

Odyssey of the Seas is the second Quantum Ultra Class ship, which is essentially a stretched and enhanced version of the original Quantum Class ships.

What you may notice first about Odyssey of the Seas when you take to the sky is her pool deck looks different than other Quantum or Quantum Ultra class ships.

Borrowing a feature from the Royal Amplified program, Odyssey of the Seas has an enhanced pool deck that Royal Caribbean calls a "Caribbean-inspired" pool deck.

Bright colors dominate the deck, which has a more open layout.

In addition, Odyssey does not have a secondary indoor pool for all guests.  In keeping with the Caribbean vibe, that area is now an outside pool as well.

Guests can also enjoy the Lime & Coconut bar right in the middle of the fun, and grab a bite to eat at El Loco Fresh.

Just like all Quantum Class ships, Odyssey has three very noticable activities you can see on the top of the ship: North Star observational pod, the Ripcord by iFly sky diving simulator, and FlowRider surf simulator.

Royal Caribbean also added the SkyPad virtual bungee trampoline experience to the ship.

Something else you might notice if you look carefully is a new larger than life art, which this time features a magenta cat.

Each Quantum and Quantum Ultra Class ship features an animal, including pandas, a giraffe, and bear.

The plan now is for Odyssey of the Seas to make her inaugural cruises from Fort Lauderdale on July 3.

Neither Royal Caribbean or the CDC has confirmed when the ship might begin her test cruises quite yet.

Odyssey of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, arrived in Port Canaveral on Friday and it marked her official arrival into the United States.

New cruise ships always garner a lot of attention, especially among some really talented photographers.

Just like them, many cruise fans are eager to check out Royal Caribbean's latest creation for themselves, and I have a batch of some great photos to share of her arrival.

Constant Cruiser was at Port Canaveral on Friday to take these great photos of Odyssey sailing in.

Odyssey's arrival coincided with Royal Caribbean's announcement of July cruises restarting, which made for a double whammy of very welcome Odyssey news in one day.

Odyssey of the Seas will offer 6- and 8-night Southern and Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, starting July 3.

Not only will this be her U.S. debut, but her official inaugural sailings.  Odyssey's previous two inaugurals were cancelled from Rome and Israel.

The 4,198-passenger Odyssey of the Seas is around the world’s 13th largest cruise ship since her debut.

While she may not be as large as the Oasis Class ships, she is still packed with plenty for families and guests of all ages to enjoy, including multiple pool areas, an aqua park for kids, sky-diving simulator, surfing simulator, and even bumper cars.

Cabins onboard range from studio staterooms fit for a single traveler to spacious loft suites that span two decks.

Read more: First look around Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas

Bookings for the newly announced Odyssey of the Seas cruises from Fort Lauderdale are open for sale.

Royal Caribbean has not confirmed when Odyssey's test cruises will begin, nor if she has been approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for test cruises.

Since Odyssey is currently scheduled to be the second cruise ship to sail from the U.S. in early July, her test cruises are certain to be on the docket.

More Odyssey of the Seas information

• A look at the specialty restaurants on Odyssey of the Seas
• 13 Beautiful photos from Odyssey of the Seas conveyance

Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas has arrived in the United States for the first time.

Photo by AdamsAway

The newest cruise ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet sailed into Port Canaveral just before 10am on Friday.

She will be in port at Terminal 1 until she departs on Sunday.

Odyssey was re-routed to the United States after her inaugural season was cancelled from Haifa, Israel. Like the rest of Royal Caribbean's fleet, she is in a state of limbo until the cruise industry can get approval to restart sailings.

Photo by AdamsAway

Odyssey of the Seas can accommodate 4,180 passengers and is a 16-deck-high, 1,138-foot-long ship. 

Presumably, the crew on Odyssey will be receiving their Covid-19 vaccines while the ship is docked in Port Canaveral.  Royal Caribbean has been systematically bringing ships into Florida ports for short stops so that crew onboard can get vaccinated.

It was reported, although never confirmed, that Odyssey's crew was not able to obtain vaccinations in Israel, which may have played a role in the ship's season being cancelled.

Photo by Paul Crow

As of now, Odyssey of the Seas is scheduled to begin cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in November 2021, although there are rumors she may start sailings sooner than that.

Royal Caribbean confirmed Odyssey of the Seas will definitely sail from Florida, but did not specify which homeport.

During a recent webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, confirmed Odyssey will sail from Florida, "Where in Florida is she going to be? Well, this is like musical chairs, musical ships. So we will be telling you and sharing with you where in Florida as soon as we have more details."

Photo by Paul Crow

Odyssey of the Seas was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2020, but that was pushed back to 2021 due to the global health crisis.  Then Odyssey's inaugural season from Italy was cancelled, and then redeployed to Haifa, Israel.

What makes Odyssey of the Seas different?

Guests sailing onboard Odyssey of the Seas will find plenty to enjoy onboard.

While not the largest cruise ship in the world (that distinction is held by Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas), Odyssey packs a lot to do onboard, including multiple pools, aqua park for kids, surfing simulator, observation pod, and sky diving simulator.

There are even bumper cars you can ride, along with an array of complimentary and specialty restaurant options.

• Caribbean-inspired pool deck– Sporting a whole new look across two decks, Odyssey’s two open-air pools, four whirlpools and Splashaway Bay, anchored by a Quantum Ultra Class first – The Lime & Coconut bar – are designed for all travelers to enjoy the sun and stars in style.  
• SeaPlex – The next-generation of a longtime Quantum Class favorite, this SeaPlex is the largest indoor and outdoor activity center at sea, and debuts this venue’s first Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade.
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar and Teppanyaki – Two Royal Caribbean restaurants new to North America join the varied lineup of dining options on board. The fresh take on the cruise line’s signature trattoria is the first to introduce its new wine bar concept while the other serves up East Asian flavors in the traditional Japanese style for which its named.
• Action-packed top deck – Returning guest-favorites include the gravity-defying SkyPad virtual reality bungee trampoline adventure, FlowRider surf simulator, skydiving with RipCord by iFly, and the iconic North Star all-glass observation capsule that boasts 360-degree views from 300 feet above sea level.
• One-of-a-kind entertainment – In typical Royal Caribbean fashion, Odyssey’s full-scale productions take top billing in teched-out venues such as the Royal Theater and Two70, where immersive technology, unparalleled special effects and world-leading performers and aerialists take the stage alongside six agile Roboscreensfor a multidimensional live show.

We may have an idea about one of the new shows coming to Odyssey of the Seas.

Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, Nick Weir, has been teasing cruise fans on Twitter with hints about which show might be coming to Royal Caribbean's newest ship.

While Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the new entertainment lineup for Odyssey of the Seas, it appears there will be a show that celebrates showgirls in entertainment onboard.

Earlier this week, Mr. Weir said Odyssey would have, "the biggest cancan in cruise industry history", with a teaser of the sequence.

The biggest #CanCan in #CruiseIndustry history, (and the second biggest in the entire world, ever), coming to a #CruiseShip called #OdysseyoftheSeas, near you... soon. ;-) pic.twitter.com/JhYRzkxav9

— Nick Weir (@NickWeirShowbiz) May 18, 2021

After digging through Royal Caribbean's app, RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader twangster found a reference to a new show listed for upcoming Odyssey sailings.

The show is called, "Showgirl: Past. Present. Future" and is listed as having a 45 minute runtime, with the description as follows:

Our original production is a thrilling multi-sensory experience that uses bar-raising choreography and cutting-edge lighting and video effects to pay homage to the iconic siren of the stage — the showgirl — across the decades. 

A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show, and Las Vegas is famous for utilizing show girls in their acts, going back as early as the 1940s. Traditionally, Las Vegas Showgirls are classically trained dancers with skills in Ballet and Jazz dance.

Showgirls were first introduced at the Sands Casino for a show with Danny Thomas.

It is also worth noting Mr. Weir has an extensive history in working at Las Vegas, as he had a consulting firm based in Las Vegas, which catapulted him into the cruise industry when he worked with Celebrity Cruises to develop entertainment for the Solstice Class cruise ships.

Mr. Weir is no stranger to leaking details about new shows. In December 2020, he confirmed a show for the Two70 venue on Odyssey of the Seas known as "Oceanides".

Oceanides utilizes the roboscreen technology to show different performers on various screens that interact with each other as the screens move.

Two70 is the venue Royal Caribbean designed on the aft of its Quantum and Quantum Ultra class ships that offers immersive scenery on a 270 degree wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. 

The projection surface in Two70 measures 135 feet wide and 22 feet tall, and has a 12k digital screen along with  8-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide robotic screens.

Odyssey of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, but her immediate plans are not yet known.  Her inaugural cruise season has been cancelled a few times, with sailings from Israel most recently cancelled.

It is not known yet when or where she will first sail from, but Royal Caribbean said a port in Florida is likely. She has scheduled sailings beginning in November 2021 from Fort Lauderdale, with 6- and 8-night Caribbean itineraries.

Royal Caribbean's plan for the launch of Odyssey of the Seas will now move to an undisclosed port in Florida.

The cruise line announced it has cancelled Odyssey's planned inaugural season from Haifa, Israel last weekend, and that left Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship without a homeport or inaugural sailings.

It has been confirmed Odyssey of the Seas will sail from somewhere in Florida instead.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, confirmed Odyssey will sail from Florida, but did not disclose which homeport specifically.

"Where in Florida is she going to be? Well, this is like musical chairs, musical ships. So we will be telling you and sharing with you where in Florida as soon as we have more details," Ms. Freed explained. "But she is headed over to Florida now."

"This change of plans was driven by the safety, well-being of our guests, our crew and the surrounding community."

Royal Caribbean canceled the season due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, although there was speculation the inability to get crew members vaccinated may have played a role as well.

There are three possible ports Odyssey could sail from in Florida that are large enough to handle a ship the size of a Quantum Ultra Class ship:

• Port Canaveral
• Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)
• PortMiami

A crew member on Odyssey of the Seas told Crew-Center.com the ship is headed to Port Canaveral, although it is not clear if that is the new homeport, or just a logistical stopover.

Photo by Paul "Land Genie" Crow

Explorer of the Seas is in Port Canaveral today to vaccinate crew members, so perhaps Odyssey is only headed to Port Canaveral for a similar function.

Odyssey of the Seas is scheduled to sail from Fort Lauderdale in November 2021, when she will offer 6- and 8-night Caribbean cruises.

Delays are something Odyssey is not unfamiliar with, as there have been a number of plans cancelled going back to even before she was fully built.

Odyssey of the Seas was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2020, but that was pushed back to 2021 due to the global health crisis.  Then Odyssey's inaugural season from Italy was cancelled, and then redeployed to Haifa, Israel.

Unfortunately, the first major cruise ship to be based out of Israel will not happen.

Royal Caribbean announced it has cancelled its scheduled cruise season from Haifa, Israel.

On Royal Caribbean's website, an update was added that said their plans to sail from Haifa cannot happen due to "unrest in Israel and the region".

Odyssey of the Seas was to resume operations beginning June 2nd, 2021 out of Haifa, Israel. However, due to the unrest in Israel and the region, we have not been able to complete the preparation required to operate and as a result, sailings out of Haifa will be cancelled.

In the last week, Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel have garnered a lot of concern.

Besides the unrest, it has been reported the cruise line has been unable to secure vaccinations for all of its crew members.

According to reports Royal Caribbean asked Israel's Ministry of Health to buy vaccines and replace them later when the line had other orders come in, but that was denied.  

Reports began to circulate that Royal Caribbean was going to pull the plug on its scheduled sailings since Friday, and the cruise line has since made it official on Saturday night.

An email has been sent to guests booked on Odyssey of the Seas confirming the change.

"Due to the unrest in Israel and the region, we have not been able to complete the preparation required to operate and as a result, your sailing will unfortunately be cancelled."

"We’re sorry for the impact to your holiday. We know this news is disappointing."

Guests booked on Odyssey of the Seas from Israel have the choice of a 125% future cruise credit to be used by April 30, 2022; or a 100% Refund.

Royal Caribbean will also give anyone who has a cancelled cruise on Odyssey a $400 onboard credit if they rebook for a Jewel of the Seas summer 2021 cruise from Limassol, Cyprus.

"If you re-book by June 13th, 2021 on a sailing departing from Limassol, Cyprus onboard Jewel of the Seas, we’ll give you an additional $400 OBC. You must rebook at prevailing rate to qualify for the $400 OBC"

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted on Facebook his dismay the sailings had to be cancelled, as well as what's next for the ship.

"Today we announce the re deployment of Odyssey of the Seas from Israel to Florida.  The conflict makes it unsafe for our crew and guests and there is too much uncertainty.  In the next day or so Odyssey will begin its voyage to Florida.   More announcements to follow."

There are reports from crew members on the ship that Odyssey of the Seas will now head to Port Canaveral, Florida to offload crew members to another ship while the ship waits for cruises to resume from the United States.

Both Odyssey and Anthem of the Seas are docked at Limassol, Cyprus right now.

Cruises from Israel were to begin in June, and offer 3 to 7-night round trip sailings from Haifa to Cyprus and Greece.

Snorama, the exclusive sales representative of Royal Caribbean in Israel, estimated that 50,000 Israelis were going to go on the 25-30 cruises. That would have amounted to about $50 million in sales.

This is the second time Odyssey's inaugural sailings have been cancelled.

Odyssey of the Seas originally was scheduled to sail out out of Civitavecchia, Italy in May 2021, but was redeployed to Israel due to the global health crisis.

With Odyssey of the Seas no longer sailing in June, that will make Adventure of the Seas the second Royal Caribbean International ship to restart sailings, following Quantum of the Seas in Singapore.

Royal Caribbean is preparing to begin cruises from Haifa, Israel in June, but it still needs to get more of its crew members vaccinated.

Photo by Port of Haifa

The agreement between Royal Caribbean and the State of Israel is for everyone onboard to be fully vaccinated, which is easy enough for the passengers who are all coming from Israel.  Israel has among the higher percentage of vaccinated populations in the world.

But getting vaccines for crew members has been a bit of a challenge, and a new report points to the cruise line attempting to negotiate the sale of vaccines for crew.

According to TheMarker, Royal Caribbean has been negotiating with the Israeli Health Ministry to purchase vaccines from Israel's inventory for crew members for whom no vaccine option has been found.

The proposal is for Royal Caribbean to buy vaccines off Israel now, and then replace the vaccines with new supplies they have ordered from drug manufacturers at a later date when those shipments arrive.

It is believed it may take almost a year until the vaccines Royal Caribbean ordered will arrive.

When Odyssey of the Seas visited Haifa for the first time a few weeks ago, there were reports crew members received vaccines at that time, but Israel's Health Ministry denies that took place.

It is not clear what would happen if all crew members are not vaccinated in time for the first sailing on June 2.

Over the last few weeks, Royal Caribbean has been working with the Ministry of Health to purchase vaccines from Israel for its employees, although no solution has yet been found.

Israel's Tourism Ministry is a major proponent of bringing cruise ships to Israel, and wants Israel to become a regular cruise destination.

A Tourism Ministry source said, "This is a company that is an important strategic partner for tourism to Israel and for the Israeli economy, which is why the Tourism Ministry has joined the Transportation Ministry in its request to start cruise tourism from Israel and to help vaccinate the crews.

"The eyes of the entire tourism industry are on Israel and the way it is behaving and opening up tourism. This is a one-time opportunity to make Israel the world leader in this industry too."

Odyssey of the Seas is a brand new cruise ship that was delivered to Royal Caribbean this year. It can accommodate up to 4,180 passengers.

Photo by Port of Haifa

Beginning this summer, Odyssey will offer cruises from Israel to destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Sailings this summer will visit ports in Greece and Cyprus, including Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens, Greece and Limassol, Cyprus.  

The cruises will be the first ever out of Israel by a major cruise line.

Read more: First look around Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas