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

Afternoon tea takes place in the Palm Court portside on Lido Deck, a cozy space located behind a plant divider and furnished with cane-style chairs in green fabrics. The tea is served while the pastries are self-service. The adjacent Lido Bar is done in the same semi-tropical style and faces aft over the terrace. This pair of rooms makes a popular venue at cocktail hour.

Lido Deck's starboard side has the Library with comfy leather chairs, two writing tables, and a varied hardback book collection displayed in glass-fronted shelves; a small internet center with typical shipboard charges; and a string of card tables running along a short passage. The deck's suite of rooms wraps around the two-level Coronet Theater for screening films and hosting enrichment lectures.

The ship has one of the biggest and best indoor pools afloat, two flanking whirlpools, a fitness center, a sauna, and a beauty salon all run by Mandara Spa. When the ship is cruising in cool waters, the spacious swimming tank set deep down in the hull is a traditional ship aficionado's dream.

Open-air space includes the forward observation deck, an outdoor pool aft, and two hot tubs high-up with views over the stern. Lounge chairs dot well laid-out covered and open deck spaces, and especially appealing are the tiered aft-facing decks. Additionally, Lido Deck is set out with a ping-pong table and shuffleboard court.

More than three-quarters of the 518 cabins are outside, and half have full-size bath tubs. Standard are direct-dial phones, TVs with CNN broadcasts, three-channel radios, and room service at breakfast. Stowage is ample for the longer cruises, and soundproofing is good--much better than aboard the Marco Polo. The 74 suites have sitting areas and floor-to-ceiling windows, and the 16 pent-house suites have VCRs, private balconies, and whirlpool tubs.

The Crown Odyssey provides a highly suitable and yet roomier running-mate to the popular Marco Polo, and passengers who remember her early days will find that she is again operating in great form. Both ships exhibit a somewhat split personality between the port-intensive European season and longer itineraries with more widely spaced ports and more sea time in the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. In Europe, with port calls on most days, dress is casual, while on longer cruises, dinner jackets and suits are more prevalent on dress-up nights. The pair attracts the type of passenger who enjoys destination sea travel and the company of others who share the same language but not necessarily the same nationality.

Orient Lines' CROWN ODYSSEY--Deck Plans (Dining & Entertainment Areas)

To help you better understand the often confusing array of facts and figures involved in selecting your cruise vacation, we have simplified all information into one concise layout including Deck Plans. By collecting these ship "Profiles" from each issue, you will have a complete up-to-date library of cruise ship information. Watch future issues of Cruise Travel for continuously revised material to add to your file.