Crown Odyssey: the modern classic regains her glory as a globe-trotting cruise liner - Ship of the Month - Cover Story

Cruise Travel, Nov-Dec, 2002 by Theodore W. Scull

Awaking to the clanking sound of the anchor being lowered, my pre-dawn view through my stateroom's floor-to-ceiling bay window reveals an overhanging necklace of lights strung along the cliffs of Santorini. Then in the full morning light, the fairland scene changes to a frosting of white-washed houses capping the rim and a Greek blue sky above.

My ship, the 1,026-passenger Crown Odyssey, joined the Orient Lines fleet in spring 2000, providing a most appropriate running-mate for the Marco Polo, the ship that launched the line in 1993. Built in 1988 at Meyer Werft in Germany as the proud Greek flagship for the now defunct Royal Cruise Line, the Crown Odyssey later sailed for several years as the Norwegian Crown for parent company Norwegian Cruise Line. After being spun off to enlarge the Orient Lines fleet, the ship has returned to her former glory as a distinctly designed long-distance cruise liner. With a royal blue hull and sharply raked bow, she cuts a handsome profile in any port. Between the pair, Orient Lines can now provide truly worldwide itineraries, including expeditions to Antarctica as an annual staple.

Passengers drawn to the Crown Odyssey form a kind of international English-speaking union, hailing from the United States, Canada. Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa--plus Europeans whose English is generally excellent. Americans predominate, but the British contingent can be considerable on many longer non-European voyages. Life aboard is peaceful and settled, and people invariably nod or speak in passing. During the hours at sea, most seem content to read and enjoy the seascape from a favorite vantage point, of which there are many both within the ship and out ondeck.

Public-room decor runs to quasi Art Deco with ample brass, chrome, marble, and glass, adding up to a glittery ship when she first appeared. This was quite a break from Royal Cruise Line's original vessel, the plain but much loved Golden Odyssey.

High up on Horizon Deck, the delightful Top of the Crown observation lounge, furnished with royal blue chairs and circular banquettes, offers sweeping vistas through cantilevered windows and a view up to the flag-festooned mast through the skylight. The stunning room functions as a peaceful reading perch during the day, a piano bar at sundown and after dinner, and a disco late at night. Le Club, a separate bar located in an aft section, faces an open teak sunbathing deck set out with wooden deck chairs.

Odyssey Deck, the main level of public spaces, includes the semicircular Stardust Show Lounge at the forward end with gently tiered seating in chairs and banquettes, plus the adjacent small Rendezvous Bar tucked in portside behind the last row of seats. The bustle of daytime and evening activity takes place amidships in open-plan, full-width Monte Carlo Court with its piano bar and casino. The festive colors are red and pink with splashes of orange, generating an atmosphere that has no parallel on the Marco Polo, where the gaming activity is much more subdued. Storefront-style shops rim the area's forward perimeter and face onto the circular staircase that leads down to the purser's desk, tour office, and photo gallery.

The aft-facing Yacht Club, a rather plain room with blond wood walls and blue banquettes with white splashes, serves buffet breakfast and lunch and transforms into a reservations-only theme restaurant on some nights. For breakfast and lunch buffets, the room seems dark, so seek a seat near a window facing the promenade or, better still, find a table outside on the much more attractive aft terrace, nicely protected from the sun and wind.

When the Crown Odyssey is sailing exotic voyages outside Europe, the Yacht Club offers special oriental dinners on selected evenings; or the outdoor Club Italia, three decks above, serves an Italian buffet (there is a $15 charge for each venue, including wine and gratuity). Yacht Club breakfasts feature an outdoor omelet station, and lunches a daily fresh pasta and separate grill with freshly prepared tuna or swordfish; mild, sweet, and spicy sausages; chicken; and hamburgers.

On Marina Deck, one level below, the two-seating Seven Continents Restaurant spans the width of the ship and has port and starboard side wings. The light-filled space is divided by etched-glass panels; and if seated under the central stained-glass ceiling, the noise level is high and inhibits conversations across large round tables seating eight and 10. (The Marco Polo's main restaurant also suffers from this flaw.) The Crown Odyssey's food was at first not as creative as I remembered aboard the Marco Polo--but I must note that the rack of lamb arrived perfectly cooked: the roast beef was flavorful, if chewy: and one memorable appetizer was a delightful combination of tomato stuffed with shrimp and goat cheese. The Filipino service staff throughout the ship is uniformly cheerful, attentive, and generally professional; a goodly percentage have been with the line since its inception.