Happy December! We cannot believe that we are already one full week into the month – there is so much going on with holiday preparation and shopping and baking!

Want to see the new main dining room menus Royal Caribbean is testing?

If you haven't heard, Royal Caribbean is testing a new main dining room menu on Symphony of the Seas.  It is simultaneously surveying past cruisers on new menus.

We now have a look at seven new menus Royal Caribbean is testing. Whether or not they end up being used across the fleet remains to be seen.

Royal Caribbean News

• Here's a look at Royal Caribbean's possible new main dining room menus
• Sky-high demand breaks Royal Caribbean single day booking record again
• What I liked (and disliked) about my Odyssey of the Seas cruise
• 10 new Icon of the Seas designs preview more of the cruise ship
• Royal Caribbean cruises in December 2022: What to expect
• The best Alaska cruises for every travel style
• Guide to Seattle cruise port for Alaska cruises
• Hubbard Glacier vs. Glacier Bay: which glacier is better to see on a cruise?

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 477th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is available to enjoy featuring an interview with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider.

In this episode, Mr. Schneider talks about the big reveal of Icon of the Seas and what we can expect leading up to the ship's launch.

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.

New video: 47 Easy tricks to make your cruise so much better

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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 — 47 Easy tricks to make your cruise so much better — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

What happened to Royal Caribbean's first cruise ships?

Ever wondered what happened to the very first Royal Caribbean cruise ships now that they aren't in the fleet?

Song of Norway, Nordic Prince, and many others graced the seas long before the current fleet.  So where are they now?

Here's a look at where each ship went after leaving the fleet, and what their fate is today.

How much can you save by sailing on an older Royal Caribbean cruise ship?

Everyone loves finding a great cruise deal, so how much money can you expect to save by sailing on an older ship?

You’ll often see savings in the hundreds of dollars when cruising on an older ship. This means you're able to stretch your vacation budget much further.

To illustrate this point, here's how much you can expect to save by sailing on an older cruise ship.

What you should know about cruising from Galveston instead of Florida

If you've never cruised from Galveston before, there are a few important things to know compared to cruises from Florida.

Every embarkation port has its nuances, and there are a few important details you should be aware of that you are likely to encounter on these sailings.

7 cruise ship main dining room rules to follow — Plus 1 to break

When you dine at the main dining room on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, there are certain expectations and rules to expect.

Etiquette at the main dining room on a cruise ship is not all that different from a land-based restaurant, but there are a few nuances that first time cruisers may be unaware of before they step aboard.

Here is my list of 7 main dining room guidelines you should know, as well as one well-known supposed rule that I think you can disregard.

If you're like me, you can't get enough updates on Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas.

The new ship doesn't sail with passengers until January 2024, but what we've seen so far has created a ton of intrigue among cruise fans and even people that have never cruised before.

With Icon of the Seas being the first ship in the new Icon class, there will be a lot of new concepts and venues onboard. Royal Caribbean hasn't announced them all yet. They will slowly reveal more leading up to the ship's launch, but in the meantime we have a look at a few of these areas.

Icon of the Seas will have more than 40 food and beverage concepts, with 23 of them completely new to Royal Caribbean.

Speaking of innovations, Icon of the Seas will have 26 new features never before seen on a Royal Caribbean ship, which includes 15 new water experiences.

During an immersion session with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider last month, more concept art was shared of places on Icon of the Seas we knew about and many more we did not.

I wanted to share a look at what these new areas look like to give you more insight into what Royal Caribbean has planned.

Izumi sushi to go

Icon of the Seas will have the largest Izumi ever.  It will also have a new location in Central Park.

Izumi will have a "sushi to go" window, where you can order a bento box of sushi and take it elsewhere on the ship to enjoy.

Mr. Schneider was asked if the Royal Caribbean app would be used to order food from the window, and he responded there would not a need for the app, as the turnaround time should be pretty quick since the options are locked in. 

Supper Club

In a previous session, Mr. Schneider accidentally leaked the name of the Supper Club venue.  We got a better look at what this venue looks like, although no new information.

"There will be a new dining experience. I'm not talking about it yet. This is an example of eatertainment, so really a blend of best of entertainment and best of culinary. And so we'll we'll share more on that experience in the coming months."

Mason Jar on Wonder of the Seas was first example of eatertainment.

It appears this will be located in Central Park.

New entertainment

There will be another entertainment venue coming to Central Park that hasn't been announced yet.

"We're bringing a dedicated entertainment venue to Central Park. We're not talking about what that is yet."

Mr. Scheider said adding this venue, plus the Supper Club and other restaurants, is meant to evoke, "the spirit of making an all in total inhabitable neighborhood".

Overlook

The Overlook Lounge is located in the AquaDome neighborhood, and it is in front of the AquaTheater.

The Overlook Lounge will have 160 degree views of the ocean and it's right above the ship's bridge,

Royal Caribbean designed this to be a great bar and lounge experience.

New dining experience in AquaDome

In addition to the Overlook Lounge, there are other dining experiences that will be added to the AquaDome.

"There's actually a couple of bars we haven't talked about yet...But there's other adjacent bar experiences."

In addition to the Hooked specialty restaurant, Mr. Schneider teased a look at a new dining experience, "We have a new dining experience that will be available in the AquaDome, and it's adjacent to the open deck. So we're pretty excited about that."

Celebration table

Another dining venue in the AquaDome will be Celebration Table.

Mr. Schneider described Celebration Table as, "a bit of a hybrid of chef table and celebration, as we lean into more really back to the moment of people trying to make experiences together."

"Having this space, that can be something where you could have a wedding party, or birthday party, or some amazing experience that you might want to have there, given the views that it has."

The Lemon Post bar

Another new concept is The Lemon Post Bar, which is described as the first "mommy and me bar".

Located in the Surfside neighborhood, the idea is mom or dad can get a cocktail and their kids can get a non-alcoholic cocktail.

Crew member areas

Royal Caribbean has re-imagined the crew spaces on Icon of the Seas.

"It was really about giving them the same level of finishings, treatments, experiences that our guests have."

In coming up with the crew spaces, Mr. Schneider admitted the first take on crew areas was a failure, "a group of architects and with some executive input, designed a crew cabin and we brought everybody through that experience. And our crew. Hated the experience, universally hated the experience."

"So what we did is we pulled a series of crew aside, set them down for a couple of weeks with our architects, and they literally sketched out with the crew the cabin of the future that they wanted, not that what we would have designed in a vacuum."

"We then reran crew through that from a testing perspective and overwhelming success from what they got to see."

The Grove

A new dining venue in the suites neighborhood is called The Grove.

Mr. Schneider said guests can expect a lounge space, with an "uplifted kind of buffet canopy style to go food."

1400 Bar

Opposite the Pearl, where you enter the ship, will be the 1400 Bar.

It's a bit of an homage to of the actual new building process to the hull number, because every ship built in a shipyard gets a hull number before the ship actually gets named. Icon of the Seas' hull number was 1400.

"There's a terrace seating outside of the 1400 bar, with great seating overlooking the ocean."

A whole lot of people booked a Royal Caribbean cruise last week.

Royal Caribbean reported it has broken its own bookings record for the third time this year.

Because of the Black Friday shopping holiday, Royal Caribbean saw the single largest bookings day. That's in addition to what is now the cruise line's highest volume booking week.

Royal Caribbean had rolled out a lucrative sale to coincide with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which has evidently resonated with customers who took advantage of the offer.

The new record broke the record set just a few weeks ago when Icon of the Seas went on sale. 

Icon of the Seas is set to debut in January 2024 and generated an incredible amount of intrigue when the new ship was revealed to the public. 

Clearly the first new class of cruise ship since the Quantum Class in 2014 created a fever among cruise fans who were eager to reserve a spot for themselves.

As you might imagine, Royal Caribbean is quite excited about the new high water mark for sales.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley celebrated the news, "This has been a year for the books at Royal Caribbean International, from the full return of our 26 ships to the first look at Icon of the Seas, the best family vacation in the world."

"Every milestone met is an accomplishment achieved, it’s a wonderful start to 2023 and we are excited for what lies ahead. We could not have reached this point without our loyal guests, valued travel advisors and partners, and the Royal Caribbean International team around the world."

2022 has been a comeback year for cruises

Following two years of bad news related to the cruise industry shutdown, 2022 has proven to be a winner.

In 2022, Royal Caribbean marked both the single largest booking day and the highest volume booking week in April, which was followed by another record-breaking single day of bookings with the opening of Icon in October. 

Carnival Cruise Line also reported it had a busy Black Friday when it posted a record Cyber Monday booking day that was 50 percent above volume for Cyber Monday 2019.

"The Cyber Monday sale activity showed consumer demand across the fleet, and we were particularly pleased with the booking activity for Carnival Venezia's new year-round service from New York, and our new extended six-month program for Carnival Magic out of Norfolk," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

"Our very successful naming ceremony for Carnival Celebration on November 20 and all the media coverage it generated clearly kept Carnival top of mind as vacationers got started on their holiday shopping yesterday."

Demand for cruises is increasing

Royal Caribbean is seeing nothing but higher demand for cruises.

During Royal Caribbean Group's earnings call with investors in November, executives talked about the strong demand for new bookings.

"While 2022 bookings remain strong and on pace to achieve occupancy targets, the most notable change over the past few months has been a substantial acceleration in demand for 2023 sails," said Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty.

"We received twice as many bookings for 2023 sailings in Q3, as we did in Q2."

Naftali Holtz, Royal Caribbean Group's Chief Financial Officer, also talked about this increasing trend, "we're seeing the kind of booking activity and demand and enthusiasm for those products is increasing and accelerating."

December is the end of the year and one of the most popular times of the year to take a cruise vacation.

This article is an effort to share what you need to know about going on a Royal Caribbean cruise in the month of December, with important news, tips, and helpful information along the way.

Just like November, December is a story of two halves: the first two weeks are usually less in-demand because most families either just took a vacation over Thanksgiving or will wait until Christmas. Then, the last two weeks are the most popular time to go on a cruise over Christmas and New Years holidays.

If you are looking for a bargain, the first half of December is a great time to snag a last-minute cruise deal. Otherwise, penny-pinchers will need to wait until January.

Christmas week is an incredibly popular time to go on a cruise, because families have off from school and their parents largely have a break from work.

Coinciding with the Christmas holiday is Royal Caribbean's next push to get more passengers onboard their ships.

If you're reading this article in December, it's likely too late to book a Christmas or New Years Eve cruise, but you might be able to find a few cabins left if you act quickly and sail from ports such as Tampa or Galveston.

Ships sailing in December 2022

All of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships are back in service.

Here's where you can find each ship this month.

• Freedom of the Seas from Miami, Florida
• Anthem of the Seas from Cape Liberty, New Jersey
• Allure of the Seas from Galveston, Texas
• Symphony of the Seas from Miami, Florida
• Independence of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida
• Harmony of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Mariner of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida
• Liberty of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Adventure of the Seas from Galveston, Texas
• Explorer of the Seas from Miami, Florida
• Navigator of the Seas from Los Angeles, California
• Spectrum of the Seas from Singapore
• Grandeur of the Seas from Miami, Florida
• Enchantment of the Seas from Baltimore, Maryland
• Radiance of the Seas from New Orleans, Louisiana
• Serenade of the Seas from Tampa, Florida
• Voyager of the Seas from San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Quantum of the Seas from Brisbane, Australia
• Ovation of the Seas from Sydney, Australia
• Oasis of the Seas from Miami, Florida
• Brilliance of the Seas from Tampa, Florida
• Wonder of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida
• Odyssey of the Seas from from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Vision of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Rhapsody of the Seas from Bridgetown, Barbados
• Jewel of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida

The notable event happening in December 2022 will be the official christening of Wonder of the Seas.

Marie McCrea has been named the Godmother to Wonder of the Seas and will accept the honor of blessing Wonder during a celebratory naming ceremony at its first year-round homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida, on Dec. 9, 2022.

Health protocols for December 2022 cruises

Royal Caribbean's health protocols for December are now the simplest they've ever been, with few requirements left.

If your cruise doesn't visit Colombia or sail from Australia, pre-cruise testing is no longer required to sail.

At this time, only the following sailings have pre-cruise testing requirements:

Cruises from the U.S. and Caribbean with stops in Colombia

Guests age 18 and up who are not fully vaccinated will need to present a negative result for a PCR test taken within 3 days or an antigen test taken within 2 days prior to sailing.

Guests under the age of 17 and fully vaccinated guests do not have have any testing requirements.

Tests must be arranged on your own and are at your own expense.

Cruises from Australia

All guests aged 2 and above, regardless of vaccination status, must present a negative test result for a COVID-19  PCR test taken within 2 days before boarding day, or a self-administered Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) within 1 day before boarding, for sailings of any length.

December weather on a cruise

First and foremost, December marks the official end of hurricane season. That's good news for your sailings in the Caribbean, however winter storms can still be disruptive to travel around the United States. Don't assume since hurricanes are unlikely that you can be cavalier about when you arrive to your cruise port.

As always, it is a good idea to give yourself a buffer and arrive at least one day before your cruise so that if your travel plans are interrupted, you don't miss your cruise.

While it can be downright frigid where you live, the Caribbean remains mostly temperate during December. The tropics generally do not experience large temperature swings, although an occasional cold front can sometimes penetrate far south.

As an example, in the month of December, average highs and low temperatures in St. Kitts are 85 and 74 degrees, respectively.

In The Bahamas, the average high and low temperature is 80 and 66 degrees, respectively.

Will it be warm enough to swim? Probably, although it depends how sensitive you are to "colder" water. The ocean remains warmer longer because it takes longer for it to cool down despite lower temperatures. Pools, however, can cool down quickly. In my experience, it is warm enough to swim, but you may need to "get used to" the cooler water temperature rather than in summer when you can barrel in immediately.

The best part about a December cruise is the comfortable temperatures and lower humidity, which makes it ideal for outdoor excursions without instantly sweating profusely.

Read more: Packing for a Royal Caribbean cruise in the Winter

Christmas on a cruise

What is it like to celebrate Christmas on a cruise ship?

Royal Caribbean gets into the holiday spirit right after Thanksgiving, with holiday decorations around the ship for the month of December.

If your cruise actually sails over the Christmas holiday, then you can expect certain special activities and offerings.

The restaurants will offer holiday menus with seasonal favorites: roast turkey or ham on Christmas (with eggnog to drink).

Passengers can enjoy special activities, such as caroling, tree- and menorah-lighting ceremonies and seasonal movies shown on in-room TVs and onboard movie screens. 

On some sailings, there may even be a priest or minister onboard to lead services with passengers on Christmas. Keep an eye on the Cruise Compass for a midnight mass.

Read more: How Royal Caribbean celebrates Christmas and New Years holidays on its cruise ships

New Years Eve on a cruise

Traditionally, celebrating the New Year on a cruise ship is one big party.

It remains to be seen what special protocols may be in place this year due to Covid-19, but in the past, Royal Caribbean has gone all-out with New Year's Eve parties.

Around the ship, you will find different parties to cater to different types of celebrations. The Royal Promenade had that Times Square ball drop feel, while various bars and lounges offer their own take on the new year festivities.

In addition, Royal Caribbean usually reserves certain areas of the ship for purchase to guarantee a spot in the middle of the action. These are usually chairs and tables you can book that provide a reserved spot near the main party.

Royal Caribbean hasn't announced it will change the main dining room menus, but we have a look at the test menus.

If you haven't heard, Royal Caribbean is testing a new main dining room menu on Symphony of the Seas.  It is simultaneously surveying past cruisers on new menus.

At first, we saw the menu changes in the Royal Caribbean app but enough people have sailed on Symphony of the Seas or gotten email surveys to get a good look at the menus in their printed form.

The menus not only have a different assortment of items, but have a new design to them as well.

I've found six of the menus, each with a distinct theme that curates the majority of the choices.

You can click on each menu to see a larger view.

Royal Night

Mediterranean Night

Mexican Night

Italian Night

French Night

American Night

Caribbean Night

Thanks to Joe Morrison for providing some of these menus

What's different about the new menus?

If you've cruised with Royal Caribbean in the past, there will be a few noticeable changes.

First, the look of the menu is different. The layout and design is new, although the categories of options remains unchanged.

One of the major differences in this menu is there is no longer a "Classics" section, where you would find a selection of menu items that did not change each night.

The other big change is with lobster on the second formal night.

The new menu lists a "cold water Maine lobster" and indicates a second lobster tail will be charged $16.99 plus 18% gratuity. Prior to this change, additional lobster tails had no additional cost.

Why Royal Caribbean is making this change

When asked about the new menus, Royal Caribbean says this is a test on Symphony of the Seas only that they are conducting in order to garner feedback from guests.

Part of why the cruise line wants to change the menu is to optimize and speed up the dining room experience for guests. 

Royal Caribbean emphasized the importance of "swiftness of service" when it comes to eating in the dining room. By having more consistency of what's being prepared in the kitchen, they can produce food faster.

With Royal Caribbean's new cruise terminal open in Galveston, Texas, you might be tempted to book a new cruise, but there are few differences you should know about.

Galveston's location in the central part of the United States makes it a convenient embarkation port for many people that can drive to the port.

Moreover, prices for cruises from Galveston tend to be less expensive on average than cruises from Florida.

Every embarkation port has its nuances, and there are a few important details you should be aware of that you are likely to encounter on these sailings.

Most people are from Texas and Oklahoma

In general, you'll find a lot of people on a cruise ship from the surrounding area, and that is very much the case with cruises from Galveston.

Ships sailing from Galveston tend to attract predominantly residents of Texas and Oklahoma because the port is within driving distance of these people.

While some cruise ports may attract more people from other places, cruises from Galveston tend to see more locals than people who fly across the country (or the ocean) to get there.

What this means is you're likely to see folks wearing cowboy boots, 10 gallon hats, and plenty of college football paraphernalia from schools in the surrounding area.

There's a new cruise terminal

As mentioned, Royal Caribbean just opened its brand new cruise terminal and that's a big deal if you ever cruises from Galveston in the past.

The 161,334-square-foot terminal is designed to make getting on the ship super easy, so you can get your vacation started sooner.

Parking is ample, and the building looks great.  Being that Galveston is one of the top ports for cruises in the United States, the new terminal has the latest and greatest for making the process of embarkation simple.

Equally important is the disembarkation process, which now includes facial recognition.  Expect less waiting as you walk off the ship.

Limited alcohol on embarkation day

One odd rule you'll run into is the drink selection on embarkation day while the ship is in port.

Due to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) law, there is a limit on cruise ships to only sell alcohol made in Texas while in port.

Once the ship has moved into international waters, the full selection of beverages at bars opens up. That usually occurs around 7pm.

There will still be a reasonable selection of beers and liquors, but the full selection will not be available until later.

Try a Shiner Bock beer or Tito's vodka while your ship is docked, and then move onto your favorites once the cruise sets sail that evening.

You want to fly from Hobby airport

If you have a choice, fly in and out of William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) instead of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (KIAH).

Both airports are within driving distance of Galveston, but Hobby is significantly closer. Hobby is Houston's oldest commercial airport, and was its primary airport until the Houston Intercontinental Airport opened in 1969.

Southwest Airlines is one of the top airlines that services Hobby. Most other airlines go in and out of Intercontinental. 

Just like how Newark International Airport is closer to Cape Liberty than LaGuardia or John F. Kennedy International Airports in New York, Hobby could save you a lot of time.  Hobby is just 40 miles from the port, whereas Intercontinental is on the north side of Houston, and that means dealing with downtown Houston traffic on your way south.

Without traffic, the drive from Hobby will take about 45 minutes, whereas the drive from Houston Intercontinental will take about 75 minutes.

There's Dr. Pepper (and other Texas drinks) served onboard

Cruises sailing from Galveston serve Dr. Pepper, in addition to the Coke products the line always carries.

Dr. Pepper is a soda brand based in Texas and due to local demand, Royal Caribbean offers it on their Galveston sailings.

Besides Dr. Pepper, you'll also find Shiner Bock beer, as well as a few other Texas-based liquors. Exact options will vary, but Royal Caribbean wants to cater to the local crowd.  If you aren't local, this is a good opportunity to try something new (especially if you have a Royal Caribbean drink package).

Tito's Handmade Vodka has been available on all Royal Caribbean ships for a while, but it's proudly served on Allure of the Seas since it is produced in Austin, Texas.

Schedule a later flight home than normal

People that cruise from Florida all the time are used to picking a late morning flight home, but flying out of Houston is a different ball game.

If you are flying from Houston Hobby, don't schedule a flight before noon.  

If you are flying from Bush-Intercontinental, don't schedule a flight before 1pm.

Why so much later flights than when from Florida? The Houston airports are much further away from the cruise port than Florida, and given the erratic nature of Houston traffic, getting to the airport can take longer.

No matter how many times I sail on a cruise ship, there's always at least a few takeaways from the experience.

I took my family on a great 8-night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas, and it was my first time back on Odyssey since late last year.  Quite a lot has changed in the cruise world since then, and I came back with a few interesting observations from the cruise.

Due to the global health crisis, Odyssey of the Seas' launch was delayed and entering service so close to Wonder of the Seas, Odyssey was quickly overshadowed by all the attention Wonder received. Having had the chance to revisit Odyssey, I found a number of things that stood out about this ship.

Any cruise you go on will have positives and negatives, and some of these are nuances directly related to the ship itself.  This isn't meant to be an all-encompassing review of Odyssey. Rather, just some takeaways from my cruise while they are fresh in my mind.

In an effort to share my experience with our readers, here are the things I liked and disliked about my latest sailing on Odyssey of the Seas.

Likes on Odyssey of the Seas

Dance parties in Two70 & Music Hall

Usually when Royal Caribbean holds a '70s dance party or some other big celebration, they hold it right in the middle of the ship. On Odyssey of the Seas, they moved it to a specific venue and I loved this change.

On other ships, these dance parties are in the Royal Promenade and that means the main thoroughfare of the ship is inundated with music, dancing, and lots of guests. That's fine if you're there to boogie, but it also means other forms of entertainment have to temporarily stop and it also jams up the most convenient (indoor) way to get from one end of the ship to the other.

On Odyssey, these events were held in either Two70 or Music Hall.  This meant those that wanted to dance and be part of the fun could go to these spots and enjoy it.  Plus, both venues were large enough to feel like a party and not some cramped room. The energy you get from partying with a crowd was still there.

The benefit was the Royal Esplanade remained clear and musical acts in the pub or Boleros could continue unabated. Plus, navigating the ship from end-to-end was not impacted.

Best internet at sea

Maybe you heard that Royal Caribbean is rolling out Starlink internet to all the ships in the fleet?

I've tried Starlink on Independence of the Seas and Allure of the Seas so far, and the internet on Odyssey of the Seas performed significantly better than either ship.  Did I mention Odyssey of the Seas is not on Starlink yet?

When I say Odyssey's internet was better, I mean the internet was responsive, fast, and rarely "disappeared" in terms of outages.

Instead of Starlink, Odyssey of the Seas still relies on internet service provided by O3b Networks, which is a subsidiary of SES. Before Royal Caribbean changed every ship's internet service to be called "Voom", this was the internet service that first coined the term Voom.

Of course, Royal Caribbean will eventually switch out Odyssey from O3b to Starlink.

Why did Odyssey's internet perform so much better? I'm not a network engineer so I don't want to pretend I know exactly why.  Part of the reason may be the Quality of Service (QoS), which is a mechanism for controlling network traffic for performance.

In any case, if I was going to do work from a cruise ship, I'd want to be on Odyssey of the Seas for it.

Best looking main dining room

While the actual food served in any restaurant is ultimately what makes it a good choice or not, I can't help but love the look of the main dining room on Odyssey of the Seas.

Spectrum of the Seas was the first cruise ship to adopt this look, but since Spectrum has been in Asia since her launch, I've only had the privilege to sail on Odyssey.

Royal Caribbean cut out the top of the dining room to open it up to the Via, and the overall aesthetic is lovely.

We only ate at the main dining room for Thanksgiving dinner, but I really like how the dining room looks on Odyssey of the Seas.

Effectors: Best show in the fleet?

Could Royal Caribbean's original production, The Effectors, be the best show right now across the fleet?

With all due respect to the Broadway shows, if you want to look at just the shows Royal Caribbean has created, I think Effectors might be my top choice. 

Between the music selections and very impressive technical effects, I think Effectors has the best balance of pizazz and story yet.

While I still want Royal Caribbean to develop shows with a more coherent plot, Effectors has enough of it that it clearly stands out from every other show I've seen.

Of course, I haven't seen Effectors II yet on Wonder of the Seas, so this may change when I sail on Wonder in a few weeks.

SeaPlex is fantastic

Odyssey of the Seas is the fifth Quantum Class ship, and it's clear they nailed the implementation of the SeaPlex on this ship.

First and foremost, the SeaPlex is a lot of fun for guests of all ages.  I like there's a lot of different activities offered here, and not all of it is purely for the under 18 set.

I had a great time on the first day of the cruise playing badminton with my daughter. Later, we got to ride bumper cars and that left a smile on our faces.

Then there's Zone Zero, which is an incredibly impressive virtual reality experience that everyone should do at least once.

Of course, kids love the activities in the SeaPlex and the proof is in how well-attended all the events are. 

During a recent media event, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley joked they invest millions of dollars in new spaces for teens on cruise ships but the teens always end up hanging out in the stairwells.  On Odyssey of the Seas, the teens would at least hold off from going to the staircases until the SeaPlex closed at 11pm.

Best Playmakers in the fleet

Speaking of the SeaPlex, I need to point out how good the Playmakers location is on Odyssey of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean put Playmakers on the second floor of the SeaPlex and it's a home run (a sports reference for a sports bar!).

On most ships, Playmakers is either outdoors or overcrowded from its convenient location mid-ship. The outdoor locations are too hot or humid most time of the year for my taste, and on ships where it is indoors, it gets way too crowded from guest overflow because it's a convenient place to just stop in.

On Odyssey, it's air-conditioned, has lots of space, and a giant screen to catch the game. Even when there's not a game to watch on the screen, you can watch the action below in the SeaPlex.

While I do like the Playmakers locations on Independence and Freedom of the Seas, the Playmakers on Odyssey is the only Playmakers location that is a real destination for me during the cruise.

Cafe @ Two70 is my go-to grab-and-go spot

In terms of menu, Cafe @ Two70 isn't that different from Park Cafe on other ships, but it has just enough difference that I greatly prefer it.

First, it has a full coffee menu that you usually find on Cafe Promenade on other ships.  But unlike Cafe Promenade, Cafe @ Two70 tended to be far less busy.

Plus, Cafe @ Two70 has a great selection of food for breakfast and lunch. Not only are there good options, but they are quick.  This is so helpful on port days where I want to get everyone in my family something to eat, but do so quickly.

The icing on the cake for Cafe @ Two70 is the view you can enjoy while eating. Located adjacent to Two70, I loved taking my coffee and bagel to Two70 and enjoying a view outside.

Dislikes on Odyssey of the Seas

Show schedule

There is no perfect entertainment schedule that will work for everyone's personal schedule, but I didn't understand some of the show scheduling on Odyssey of the Seas.

There were far too many showings of The Book in Two70 and not nearly enough of Effectors.

On our 8-night cruise, it seemed they showed The Book for the first two thirds of the cruise and left Effectors to just the last two nights of the cruise. I know they were swapping out casts on our cruise, so perhaps that factored into that decision. I just wish there was more opportunities to see Effectors.

Elevator logic

Maybe this is just me, but I found the elevators to be the worst in terms of wait times on Odyssey of the Seas compared to any other ship I've been on since the restart in 2021.

There's lots of factors involved with how long you'll wait for an elevator and luck definitely plays a large part.  But I truly was baffled by the "logic" the elevator system used to assign cars.

Besides just waiting a long time for an elevator, there were many times where an empty elevator would zoom past us only to have another nearly full car come to our floor for a stop.

Far from a major problem, I just found it perplexing how inefficient the elevators were on Odyssey.

Read more: Why you should skip the elevator on your cruise

Pub singer and trivia schedule

This last dislike is super small, but I didn't understand why they scheduled trivia inbetween sets of the pub singer.

As a purveyor of pub singing entertainment across Royal Caribbean, I like to think I have a pretty good handle on how this particular form of entertainment is handled and what works well.

On Odyssey, the pub singer would start his first set, and then when it was time for a break, they'd bring a trivia team to conduct a trivia session.  Then the pub singer would resume with his next set.

Frankly, it was jarring in terms of energy. Similar to the Schooner Bar player, the pub singer experience is all about energy from the crowd coming back to the singer. So to go from singing along to trivia felt disjointed and it's not something I've seen on any other ship.

Happy Sunday and Happy Thanksgiving weekend! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday with family and friends! There is a lot of Royal Caribbean news to share this week.

Mistakes can happen to anyone, but there are some mistakes that will ruin your cruise vacation.

More than likely you'll have a great time on your cruise and enjoy the experience, but there are some pitfalls that can wreak havoc with your plans.

By knowing what these are, you can bypass the worst kind of cruise mistakes.

Survey shows possible new main dining room menu

There's more evidence that a new main dining room menu is on its way.

Royal Caribbean sent past guests an email survey with options for a new main dining room menu, and asked them for feedback.

The survey not only included a look at a possible new menu, it also asked for feedback on the main dining room experience overall.

New video: Things you'll notice when cruising on an older cruise ship

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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 — Things you'll notice when cruising on an older cruise ship — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

How much cash should you bring on a cruise?

Before you get on a cruise, how much money should you bring with you?

While Royal Caribbean is a cashless ship for most transactions, there are still quite a few good reasons to have cash with you.

Both onboard and off the ship, having at least some cash will make things easier for you.

Why booking my excursions in Europe with the cruise line was the best decision

Is it better to book tours through the cruise line or on your own?

There's compelling reasons for both, but on a recent European cruise, Allie found clear reasoning to go with Royal Caribbean's shore excursions.

She booked 4 tours through Royal Caribbean and feels it was the absolute best decision she could have made.

Guide to Royal Caribbean's Unlimited Dining Package

Ready to enjoy all the specialty dining on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship?

Royal Caribbean’s Unlimited Dining Package provides all the specialty dining restaurants you can handle, and there are important distinctions when purchasing this option you should know about.

From getting the most value out of it to costs, here's the important details about the Unlimited Dining Package.

The last day of our cruise is here, and being an 8-night cruise instead of a 7-night, it's like having a bonus to the cruise.

I set the alarm late so we could all sleep in on the last day. I figure it's good to get some extra sleep today when tomorrow we all have to get up early.

Once we did get up, we were able to take a quick run up to Solarium Bistro for breakfast.  On the way there, we saw it was another beautiful day.  Weather has been great all week, so I'm grateful for the pleasant weather.

Today was the Captain's Corner, where the Cruise Director and Captain answer questions from guests.

The questions were about topics such as how the ship works, crew member life, and background of the Captain.

Right after it was the entertainment Q&A event.  It was listed as for Top Tier Crown and Anchor members, but anyone could go.

We tried to go to Playmakers for lunch, but the combination of World Cup and College Football meant every table was full.  After waiting to see if anyone would leave, we relented and went to the Windjammer for lunch.

While I might have liked another order of nachos and burger, the variety of food in the Windjammer is a win with me.

We saw a family event in Adventure Ocean for kids to do a science experiment, where kids are given a rock and use water to uncover the fossil hidden inside.

My youngest enjoyed it, and it was something nice to do.

Back in the cabin, I wanted to sit out on the balcony, but it was warm. So I went up to the pool deck to enjoy an afternoon drink.

I went to the Lime & Coconut bar to try out the signature drink there named after the bar.  One of our writers here on RoyalCaribbeanBlog, Allie, loves this drink, so I wanted to give it a try.

After 3 of them, I can say it was a solid choice.

By this point in the afternoon, I was ready for a nap!

Just like yesterday, I woke up to a lovely sunset outside my balcony.

Dinner brought us back to Giovanni's Italian Kitchen.

Just like the other two times we ate here, the food was great and really hit the spot.

After dinner, we went to see The Effectors.

This is an original Royal Caribbean production, and while I've seen it before, my kids have not.  Plus, we're going to see Effectors 2 on Wonder of the Seas next month, so it was good to refresh my memory.

This is a great show and I think it might be the best show in Royal Caribbean's fleet right now.

After dinner, I went up to Playmakers for a drink.

We had a great time on Odyssey of the Seas and would love to sail on her again.

Thanks for following along in these live blogs!