There are LOTS of cruise ships in the world...
And I've been on 51 cruises, so I'm familiar with quite a few of them.
Recently, somebody asked me...
If I could pick just one, what cruise ship would I recommend?
And that got me thinking.
I've been on a lot of very high-end cruises.
Like in The Haven on Norwegian, with our own butler.
Or a Viking Ocean cruise, with a very small number of passengers aboard.
But those are expensive cruises, and not within the reach of most people.
So, what cruise ship would I recommend for an average person?
A ship that was not only fantastic in its own right...
But also is a tremendous value.
So, I thought about that for a while and one ship stood out above all the others.
It's Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Odyssey Of The Seas.
This is the first Royal Caribbean Quantum Ultra class ship to sail from the United States.
Starting this July, it'll be doing Caribbean cruises out of Ft Lauderdale, Florida.
This class of ship is a new and improved version of Royal Caribbean's Quantum class of ships...
And I had a fantastic cruise on one of those a few years ago on Anthem Of The Seas.
We did 12-day Caribbean cruise, and to this day it stands out as one of the best cruise values we've had...
In other words, a great cruise at a bargain price.
Because on this class of Royal Caribbean ship, there's really no need to book an expensive high-end suite in order to have a nice cruise.
The standard balcony cabins are designed extremely well...
And even someone like me that's been on a lot of cruises...
And has been spoiled in some very expensive suites...
Can comfortably spend a week in an inexpensive standard balcony cabin...
On a Quantum Ultra class ship like Odyssey Of The Seas.
If I'm going to cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line...
Their standard balcony cabin is just not going to do it for me.
I need to be in The Haven, their very expensive VIP suites.
On Carnival Cruise Line, I'm just not going to cruise in a regular cabin. That's not for me.
I'd have to be in one of their Havana cabins on the Vista Class...
Or on Mardi Gras in one of their high-end suites... and that's expensive.
But that's what's so cool about Royal Caribbean's Quantum class.
There's no compelling reason to spend a lot of money on a suite.
Their standard balcony cabins are so well designed...
That even a seasoned cruiser like me can be perfectly happy in one.
Now, let me show you some of the other things that make Odyssey Of The Seas so special.
First off, this is NOT one of the largest cruise ships in the world.
Those are the Oasis class ships, and for me, those are just too big and carry too many passengers.
I've sailed on Oasis class ships quite a few times.
None of those cruises were among the best we've been on.
Odyssey Of The Seas is a Quantum Ultra class of ship...
Much smaller than the Oasis class... and to me, just the right size.
When we sailed on Anthem Of The Seas, a sister ship to Odyssey Of The Seas...
It really impressed me as being in the sweet spot...
Being big enough to have all the benefits of a large cruise ship...
Without having the downsides that come along with being too big.
Because Odyssey Of The Seas is Royal Caribbean's newest ship...
It has all the best new features that Royal Caribbean has come up with in recent years.
For example: An amazing entertainment venue at the back of the ship, known as Two 70...
Because of the 270 degree views from those windows looking out the back of the ship.
By day, this is a really nice lounge area.
But at night, those big windows transform...
In to a huge video screen that becomes the backdrop for the most innovative entertainment venue I've seen on a cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean's Quantum class are the only cruise ships in the world with this type of venue...
And to me, this feature alone would be enough to get me back on one of these ships again and again.
But there's a lot more that's special about Odyssey Of The Seas.
Really unique features...
Like an aerial viewing platform on the end of a hydraulic lifting arm.
It's known as North Star, and no other class of cruise ship has this.
The views from within North Star are really something.
There's also a sky-diving simulator known as RipCord by iFly.
Again, something you won't find on any other class of cruise ship.
On a lot of cruise ships, live music is just performed on a little stage in some common area of the ship...
Or in some little lounge somewhere.
But on Odyssey Of The Seas, there's a fantastic venue designed specifically for live music.
It's called the Music Hall.
It's one of the best venues for live music I've seen on all the ships I've been on.
Kids will get a kick out of SkyPad.
A bungee trampoline activity that I haven't tried, but...
It looks like a lot of fun.
There's also a surf simulator, the Flowrider...
That young, active people will have a LOT of fun on.
And even though I'm not young and I'm quite inactive...
I've always gotten a real kick out of watching other people try out the Flowrider.
In fact, when I'm on a ship like this with a Flowrider...
If I don't have anything else to do for a few minutes...
I just go to the Flowrider and have fun watching the people try to master it.
There's also a fantastic sports and activity complex known as Seaplex aboard this class of ships.
It's a multipurpose venue for everything from roller skating to basketball...
And my favorite is when it becomes a big arena for bumper cars.
This is one of my favorite fun activities on a cruise ship.
I laugh so hard on the bumper cars!
And no other cruise line has this... just Royal Caribbean, and only on this class of ships.
Now before I go any further...
I want to point out one huge thing you need to understand about all these fun things I've been telling you about.
Every one of these features I've mentioned so far...
The bumper cars...
The Flowrider...
The skydiving simulator...
North Star, the aerial viewing platform...
SkyPad, the bungee trampoline...
The Music Hall...
And Two70, the ultra high-tech entertainment venue...
Every one of these things is available to every passenger on Odyssey Of The Seas at no additional charge.
That's right. They're not going to nickel and dime you for these things.
There is no upcharge.
That, plus the fact that the inexpensive standard balcony cabins are so good...
That's why Odyssey Of The Seas is such a tremendous value...
And the one cruise ship I can recommend without hesitation to anyone that wants to go on a cruise.
No matter whether you've never been on a cruise before...
Or if you're an experienced cruiser such as myself...
I truly believe Odyssey Of The Seas is a ship that will really impress you.
Now hang on for a second.
I want to talk to you about the dining situation on Odyssey of The Seas...
Right after this.
If you've watched some of my cruise ship videos before...
Or if you've read some of my cruise ship reviews on my web site at JimZim.net...
You might know that I'm kind of a picky eater, and that I really prefer good food in a casual setting.
When I cruised on Odyssey's sister ship, Anthem Of The Seas, a few years ago...
I was totally delighted with the food.
A perfect match for my tastes.
And now, on Odyssey Of The Seas, the situation is even better.
Because, they've added a great casual lunch spot that Anthem Of The Seas didn't have...
It's a nice little casual Mexican food place known as El Loco Fresh.
Ever since our first cruise back in 1996...
It's been a running joke in my family that cruise ships don't serve enough Mexican food.
Two years ago, when I sailed on Navigator Of The Seas...
I had my first introduction to El Loco Fresh...
And I thought it was a smart move by Royal Caribbean...
Especially that they placed it out by the pool, like Carnival does with Guy's Burger Joint.
There's also Playmaker's Sports Bar & Arcade.
Open for lunch and dinner, you can enjoy casual food here while you watch sports on all the big screen TVs.
For those of you that like a fancier kind of meal than I do...
You'd be happy, too, on Odyssey Of The Seas.
The restaurant known as Wonderland is an experience you'd probably never forget...
Plus there's the full-service dining experience in the main dining rooms...
And the gourmet dining experience at several venues...
Such as Izumi...
The steak house...
And the Chef's Table.
Something for everyone.
Plus, since Odyssey Of The Seas is Royal Caribbean's newest ship...
She incorporates all the latest bar concepts that Royal Caribbean has come up with in recent years.
Including a very cool outdoor drinking spot I first saw on the recently rejuvenated Navigator Of The Seas...
A multi-level bar that I really liked called The Lime & Coconut.
Odyssey Of The Seas will sail out of Ft Lauderdale, Florida...
And will alternate between Eastern Caribbean itineraries...
Western Caribbean...
And Southern Caribbean itineraries.
Some of them even visit Royal Caribbean's amazing private island...
Where you can have a Perfect Day At Coco Cay...
Whether you're looking for active adventures...
At the waterpark...
Or on the zip line...
Or whether your idea of the perfect day on a Caribbean island involves...
Relaxing at the beach and enjoying the warm ocean water...
Or maybe in a freshwater infinity pool overlooking the beach...
Or having fun with your family or friends in the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean...
Or in a private cabana...
Or the ultimate: a private bungalow, over the water.
Cruises on Odyssey Of The Seas start at just $719 per person for an inside cabin.
Or about a thousand dollars per person for a balcony cabin on the least expensive dates...
So, that's a fairly inexpensive vacation, as far as cruises go.
And a really good value.
I've spent way more than that to cruise on ships that were nowhere near this good!
I can honestly recommend Odyssey Of The Seas without any hesitation.
Trust me on this one. I've been on a lot of cruise ships.
This is a good one.
The first cruise for Odyssey Of The Seas is scheduled to begin on July 31st...
As cruising starts up again after the pandemic.
If you're interested in booking a cruise on Odyssey Of The Seas, or on any cruise ship...
I'd like to recommend that you use my travel agent, Caitlin Gallagher, to book it for you.
She'll answer all your questions about whether you need to be vaccinated...
Or have a Covid test before the cruise...
She can take care of everything for you, and keep you from making any rookie mistakes.
And, if anything goes sideways...
And you need to take advantage of Royal Caribbean's "Cruise With Confidence" program...
Which allows you to cancel up to 48 hours before your sail date...
She can be the one to work that all out for you...
She can be the one to be stuck on hold with the cruise line's call center...
And her services cost you nothing at all...
She's paid a commission by the cruise line, not by you.
Call Caitlin, if you're ready to get back to cruising...
Or ready to cruise for the very first time.