Crown Odyssey Returns, With a Worldly Agenda

Great news for cruise veterans: The Crown Odyssey, built as the flagship for San Francisco-based Royal Cruise Line, is back, now under the flag of Orient Lines.

Built in 1988 for the now-defunct upscale cruise company, the 1,050-passenger ship has sailed for the last four years as the Norwegian Crown for Norwegian Cruise Line, Orient’s sister company. The 34,250-ton ship was rechristened Crown Odyssey in Istanbul in early May.

Several major changes have taken place on board. The most notable is in the Yacht Club, a lounge that originally offered buffet breakfasts and lunches and afternoon tea dancing. Now the dance floor has been replaced with a larger buffet, and the room’s capacity has doubled. Casual self-service breakfast and lunch are dished up daily as an alternative to the dining room.

High atop the ship on the Penthouse Deck, the new outdoor Cafe Italia offers hot and cold buffet service plus grill items. It has umbrella-topped tables, a new canopied bar near the whirlpool spas and classic wooden deck lounges.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s signature Sports Bar has been replaced by a larger card room and library, plus a computer and business center and a meeting room.

The inaugural attracted an interesting mix of passengers, including veterans of NCL (mostly younger couples with a sprinkling of children), RCL (older couples and singles) and Orient (destination-minded American and British couples).

Dinner menus created by senior executive chef Mark Connor are ambitious and elaborate. Some passengers opted for the simpler low-salt, low-fat menu or the vegetarian menu, both offered nightly, and several people at our table requested special-order green salads, which were not usually listed on the British-style dinner menu. Breads are made on board.

Three lively, amusing production shows from veteran British choreographer Irving Davies are alternated with guest artists, from magicians to ballroom dance champions and folkloric troupes brought on board in port. Sight lines are good in the gently raked Stardust Show Lounge, with its circular stage that can be raised and lowered hydraulically.

Top accommodations are 16 deluxe penthouses, each with separate sleeping and living areas, dining table, marble bathroom with whirlpool tub and shower, walk-in closets and private verandas.

Four other categories are termed suites; our favorite, S1, has bay windows that provide a side, forward and aft view without the wind. Standard inside and outside cabins measure from 154 to 165 square feet, with two beds and a bathroom with shower; tubs are available in some categories. Most, but not all, cabins have twin beds that can be rearranged as a queen-size bed, so preferences should be specified when booking. Third and fourth berths and connecting cabins are also available.

The Crown Odyssey sails worldwide. For the rest of the summer season, the ship sails the Mediterranean and Greek Isles, followed by a late October repositioning for Africa, India and Red Sea cruises through November. December brings sailings in Southeast Asia, followed by January and February in Australia and New Zealand, and a late February-early March repositioning through the South Pacific to Hawaii. From Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Crown Odyssey sets out on a three-continent transatlantic cruise to Barcelona, Spain, calling in Bermuda, the Azores, Madeira and Morocco, after which the summer 2001 series of Mediterranean sailings begins. Prices start about $175 per person, per day, and usually include air fare.

For more information and a free brochure, see a travel agent or call (800) 333-7300, or try the Internet site https://www.orientlines.com.