Odyssey of the Seas: Five Years of Service for Royal Caribbean

The Odyssey of the Seas recently marked its fifth anniversary of service with Royal Caribbean International.

Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, the 4,200-passenger ship was delivered to the cruise line on March 31, 2021.

As the fifth and last ship in the company’s Quantum class, the Odyssey completed a cycle that started with the Quantum of the Seas.

According to Meyer Werft, the construction of the five vessels in the series comprised a total of 840,000 tons, as well as 11,000 kilometers of cable lines, 2,000 kilometers of piping and 10,500 passenger cabins.

Delivered amid the pandemic, the newbuild spent time in warm layup before welcoming its first guests on July 31, 2021.

Royal Caribbean initially planned to send the ship to Israel for its inaugural season, with a series of seven- to nine-night itineraries to the Greek Isles and Cyprus departing from Haifa.

The deployment was later scrapped in favor of a summer season sailing from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean.

The Odyssey of the Seas was later christened at a special ceremony at Port Everglades, which took place on November 13, 2021.

Bahamian paratriathlete Erin Brown served as the godmother, bestowing a blessing of safekeeping on the ship and all those who sail on it.

The 4,200-passenger ship later debuted in Europe, offering summer cruises to the Greek Islands, Turkey and Italy.

Starting with the 2024-25 season, the Odyssey was repositioned to Cape Liberty, offering winter cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas from the New York City metropolitan area.

In 2026, the ship is set to offer yet another summer season in the Eastern Mediterranean, with itineraries departing from Civitavecchia, the port for Italy’s capital city, Rome.

In early November, the vessel returns to Bayonne for another season sailing from Royal Caribbean’s cruise terminal in Cape Liberty.