My husband and I first cruised back in 2008 when I was pregnant with our first child. We sailed on Princess cruise lines and absolutely loved it for one main reason. Leaving from the port in San Juan, we were able to discover some incredible islands in the Caribbean (Grenada, Bonaire, Dominica) that we would have otherwise been very difficult and costly to explore. We waited a solid 16 years for our next ship experience, making it our first time family cruise. This past March, we embarked on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas for a spring break adventure.

We selected this ship for several reasons but mainly because the departure port was New Jersey. This meant no flights were required as we could drive a reasonable 6 hours from Montreal to board the vessel. The 7-day cruise had 4 sailing days as it made its way down the Atlantic Ocean to Florida and the Bahamas. In the winter. So indoor activities were important, and Odyssey of the Seas proved to be the perfect ship for this type of journey.

As a first time family cruise, here are some of the things I’m happy I researched ahead of time, as well as some tips that I picked up along the way.

Accommodations

We had two balcony rooms for our family of 5. For us, the balcony was a non-negotiable as it not only provided additional living space, but allowed us to soak in the beauty of the ocean and our ports, without leaving our rooms. We were not able to secure connecting rooms but they were side by side. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that we could remove a privacy wall between the balconies and enter each other’s rooms from the outdoors. Side note: My husband stayed with the two boys and I stayed with my daughter. I would not have felt comfortable leaving the 3 of them alone in their own room on the ship. We spent time researching the best room location. As we learned that the middle of the ship was always best (the least rocky), we chose the 7th floor. Rooms 7644 and 7642, to be exact. We were worried about having an obstructed view because the lifeboats are on the 6th floor below, but our location was perfect, with clear ocean views, minimal noise and easy access to the elevators.

Food

We did not each gain 10lbs on the cruise 🙂 And that wasn’t because the food was bad, but we worked off our calories walking everywhere. The buffet was ok. We found ourselves eating the same thing on repeat as we are mostly vegetarian. We much preferred the main dining room, sitting at the same table each night, with the same servers. It was a great opportunity for my kids to meet international staff from India, Mauritius and Thailand. We only went to the dining room once for breakfast, and while it was similar to buffet cuisine, the ambiance and service made it more special.

Sorrento’s Pizza was a daily or bi-daily event, to pick up a slice as a snack. Our favourite find was definitely Café Two70 at the back of the ship. Breakfast options were more custom, like egg burritos, yogurt parfaits and pastries while lunch offered sandwiches and salads. Plus, it was always quiet, with no lineups. We also splurged on the sushi restaurant for my daughter’s birthday, which occurred while we were sailing. Other specialty restaurants were available but we didn’t try them as we were attempting to keep onboard costs low.

We decided to opt out of the alcoholic drink package, seeing as you had to consume about 7 alcoholic beverages daily to make it worthwhile. Instead, we got 1 non-alcoholic package for my husband for soda and virgin drinks. Coffee, tea, lemonade and iced tea (Arnold Palmer please) were always free and easily available, as well as some juices. There were multiple Starbucks on board as well, with typical prices for the coffee chain.

On-Board Activities

Odyssey of the Seas primarily focuses on indoor activities. There were 2 outdoor pools and hot tubs but they were always full. There is also an adults-only pool in the Solarium. We spent most of our time in the SeaPlex activity centre. It featured different activities every hour including bumper cars, soccer, basketball and more. Plus, an arcade, pool tables and ping pong. The teen club was located nearby too with an exclusive hang out zone (inside and outside) for teens 12-17 years old. Insider tip: make sure your teens go on the first evening so they can meet people right away. There was also a kids club which we tried out but decided that we wanted to spend the time with our youngest as much as possible.

The daily activity schedule was packed with trivia, shows, contests, seminars and something for everyone. There was a rock climbing wall, Flowrider surf simulator, and paid activities like the iFly skydiving simulator and NorthStar observation deck. Those two activities are actually free on port days so keep an app on the eye to reserve your spot.

Outdoor movies, entertainment shows, live music and parties make the evenings always exciting too.

You can access the ship’s activity via the app without internet, as well as message guests on board. We felt we needed to be connected so we got a wifi plan for two devices and took turns logging on.

Excursions

Odyssey of the Seas stopped in three ports: Port Canaveral, Florida, Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s private island – Coco Cay – in the Bahamas. We got off the boat at every port. Had it not been our first time family cruise, I would have considered staying on board to enjoy some of the free activities and less crowded pool decks, especially when the weather was warm.

We split up in Port Canaveral. My husband and 8 year old son took an Uber to the Kennedy Space Center. It was just a short drive away and less expensive to buy tickets there, than booking an excursion through Royal Caribbean. I went with the teens to Cocoa Beach which was honestly disappointing. There were no chairs to sit on and lots of construction. We shifted midday to Jetty Beach, which was much nicer and in walking distance to the port.

In Coco Cay, we did not pay for any add-ons and had a beautiful day. We much preferred the beaches, as the pool was not heated and chilly. We started off on South Beach, where there were activities like basketball and volleyball and eventually made our way to Chill Island where the snorkelling was great (we brought our own gear).

In Nassau, we splurged and bought day passes to Baha Bay at Baha Mar, an incredible water park at the luxury resort. We waited for a sale through Royal Caribbean which included park entry, lunch and transportation (which meant we didn’t have to rush back to the boat). More on these excursions to come soon!

What to Pack

This is where I spent most of my prep time for the trip. Watching tik toks, reading articles and joining Facebook groups. And I’m happy to report we had everything we needed thanks to this shopping list. We probably had a few too many outfits, but you never know with kids, right?

• A full medicine cabinet – there is no where to purchase toiletries on the ship so I had everything I could possibly need if someone got sick – Gravol, Pepto, Tylenol, Aloe Vera…you name it!
• Magnetic hooks – these were great as the walls in the room are magnetic. We used the hooks to hold hats, our Seapasses, and a hanging shoe bag.
• Shoe bag – this was great to have in one of the rooms with easy access to daily essentials like sunscreen, books and more.
• Lanyards and plastic sleeves – to hold everyone’s Seapass (ie. room key and wallet)
• Towel bands – so your towels don’t fly away on the pool deck or at the beach
• Anti-nausea, behind the ear patches – we wore these everyday and they worked!
• Mini magnatiles – this was a little splurge for my youngest and he had fun decorating the room walls
• Water bottles – plenty of refill stations throughout the boat
• Hand soap and sanitizer – one of my biggest fears about cruising was that someone would get sick. A great recommendation was to bring antibacterial pump soap as the rooms just come with a standard bar of sap. We also had lots of mini sanitizers that everyone could carry with them.

Would we do it again? 100%! We found cruising to be super relaxing, a great way to explore new places, and the ideal “destination” with something for everyone!