Cruise Spotlight
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Odyssey of the Seas vs Hero of the Seas
The Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas was built in 2021. It was renovated in 2026. It's 5 years older than the Hero of the Seas, which was built in 2026. Hero of the Seas will start sailing in August 2027. It'll feature many of the same restaurants and attractions as its sister-ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas plus The Royal Railway, two new pools, and extended adult-only areas. The Hero of the Seas is still under construction and Royal Caribbean hasn't released all the details yet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Odyssey of the Seas is considered a large ship. Coming in at 1,138 feet long and 135 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.2 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas, the Odyssey of the Seas is 32% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas holds 26% fewer passengers than the Hero of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas holds 28% fewer passengers than the Hero of the Seas.
When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Odyssey of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Hero of the Seas.
The Hero of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Quantum-Ultra | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 169,000 | 248,663 |
| Length | 1,138 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 135 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,180 | 5,654 |
| Passengers (maximum occupancy) | 5,498 | 7,600 |
| Crew | 1,550 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.5 | 3.2 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 31 | 33 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Odyssey of the Seas has fifteen different dining options like Starbucks, Cafe Promenade, and Wonderland. Of those options, twelve are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other ten options have an additional fee.
The Hero of the Seas has eight more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Basecamp, El Loco Fresh, and Chops Grille. Fifteen of these restaurants are complimentary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Hero of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 53% more dining options than the Odyssey of the Seas.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Hero of the Seas might be a better choice than the Odyssey of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas & Hero of the Seas
| Restaurant | Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| AquaDome Market | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Basecamp | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cafe Promenade | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| El Loco Fresh | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Park Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Pearl Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Solarium Bistro | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sorrento's Pizza | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Bites | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Two70 Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Windjammer | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Izumi Hibachi & Sushi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi in the Park | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Playmakers | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sugar Beach | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| Celebration Table | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chef's Table | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Chops Grille | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Hooked Seafood | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Orleans Parish Supper Club | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Royal Railway - Hero Station | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Wonderland | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| Coastal Kitchen | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Grove | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas has 16 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas.
| Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| 1400 Lobby Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquadome Market Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basecamp Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Boleros | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bubbles | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cantina Fresca | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Desserted Milkshake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dueling Pianos | ✗ | ✓ |
| English Pub | ✓ | ✓ |
| Giovanni's Wine Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lou's Jazz 'N Blues | ✗ | ✓ |
| Music Hall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Playmakers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rye & Bean | ✗ | ✓ |
| Schooner Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Solarium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spotlight Karaoke | ✗ | ✓ |
| Suite Lounge* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Swim & Tonic | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Grove Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Hideaway Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Hideaway Swim-up Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lemon Post | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut: Frozen | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Overlook | ✗ | ✓ |
| Trellis Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Windjammer Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-Cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barq's Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out the recent bar menus for the Odyssey of the Seas and the Hero of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas has a total of 4 pools and 5 hot tubs. 1 of the pools are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas has more pools than the Odyssey of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Hero of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. On Icon Class ships, there isn't a Solarium, but instead, the adult-only area is called The Hideaway.
The Odyssey of the Seas has a wading adult-only pool, while the Hero of the Seas has a full-depth adult-only pool. Odyssey of the Seas’ adult-only area is fully enclosed and climate controlled, while Hero of the Seas’ is not enclosed. The Odyssey of the Seas’ adult-only area is in the front, while the Hero of the Seas’ is in the back.
| Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 9 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom-made coloring and activity books. These are the Royal Caribbean editions with places like Studio B and Sorrento's featured.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Odyssey of the Seas, 75% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Hero of the Seas, only 74% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bumper Cars | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Crown's Edge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Indoor Sky Diving | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| North Star | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically, newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests may also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically, guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.
| Royal Caribbean | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.49 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
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