Day 2 – A day on the Mediterranean

4 November, 2024

The first night was a bit rough. For a new ship the Odyssey has the most uncomfortable beds I've ever experienced. I woke feeling as if someone had beat me over the back and shoulders with a bat most of the night.

After prying myself out of bed and getting dressed the day started as every sea day should, with breakfast in the main dining room. I have a habit of starting off each cruise with my benchmark, Eggs Benedict, and this trip was no exception. I was dining alone, but the wait staff was good company, the coffee was tasty, and the eggs were poached to absolute perfection. I've had more Eggs Benedict than I can count, the vast majority of them on cruise ships, and they can be a crapshoot due to all the complicating factors involved in the preparation and serving process. I'm usually satisfied if they hit the table with gummy yolks, happy if they're slightly runny, and ecstatic if they're properly runny. Considering the delicacy of a well-poached egg and the timing and distance involved from kitchen to table it involves some sort of wild calculus and a bit of luck to hit the target. My breakfast was sheer perfection. I savored each bite and longed for more when my plate was empty. It takes every ounce of restraint I have in my body to keep from making a glutton of myself and ordering seconds; it was that good.

After breakfast I made my way up to Deck 5 and to Two70. There were a few people having coffee and pastries, but generally the space was empty. I claimed two chairs and retrieved a cup of coffee. My wife joined me not long after, coffee and pastry in-hand. We sat for several hours reading, listening to music, and enjoying the view. Lunch consisted of soup and sandwiches from Café Two70, and we passed the afternoon relaxing, a welcome respite after an active week in Rome. I may or may not have napped a bit. Oh, who am I kidding, I napped off and on all afternoon. 

We had dinner in the main dining room and our servers, Han and Emmanuel, had our Pellegrino ready and waiting upon our arrival. Their service was spot-on and we enjoyed a nice meal and a chat with the couple at the next table.  After dinner we took a walk around Deck 4, then made our way to Deck 5. The Bionic Bar was seeing some interest from a few people, so  we decided to join in and have it mix a drink for us. The robots are fun to watch and very precise in their actions and measures, but many of the drinks tend to be on the overly sweet end of the scale.

The Schooner Bar, one of our favorite nightspots on any Royal Caribbean ship, was active but not overly crowded. We spent the rest of our evening enjoying a couple of drinks and listening to the piano player. I had arranged a guide in Barcelona the next day, so we made an early night of it. Fortunately our cabin steward located a mattress topper and our second night of sleep was significantly improved over the first night.

Bionic Bar