Other highlights include a FlowRider® surf simulator, a Hit the Sky Pad® bungee trampoline and a vast pool deck with two resort-style pools, plenty of shady casitas and hammocks, and and the two-storey Lime and Coconut® bar.  Meanwhile, the Two70® open-area living room with panoramic views transforms into multimedia, multi-sensory theatre by night, and there are Paris- and Las Vegas-inspired productions including Showgirl. When you need an escape from the social whirl, Vitality℠ Spa with its Elemis, bliss, La Thérapie and Ionithermie treatments provides a blissful retreat.

Onboard dining is as extensive as you’d expect aboard a vessel of this size and calibre. They include steakhouse classics with white tablecloth service at Chop’s Grille, exclusive five-course feasts at Chef’s Table, hand-rolled sushi at Izumi and Far East fare at Teppanyaki. At the new Giovanni’s℠ Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, expect Old World classics and taco and nachos lunches with margaritas, while El Loco Fresh brings the fiesta poolside with grab-and go Mexican flavours including tacos and beef burritos.

We’ve picked out a couple of our favourite Odyssey of the Seas™ itineraries for next summer:

12-night Holy Land from Rome

Another round-trip from Rome (Civitavecchia), this cultural odyssey takes in Haifa, Jerusalem, Limassol, Rhodes, Ephesus, Santorini and Chania. Again, two full days at sea give you lots of scope to enjoy life on board, but you’ll also have time for some unforgettable experiences ashore.

In Haifa, for instance, you can stroll the German Colony with its restored 1860s streets with their restaurants, cafés and galleries, and also the UNESCO-listed tropical Bah'ai Gardens. In Turkey, the World Heritage ruins of Ephesus – still an excavation site – include the Celsus Library and one remaining column from the Temple of Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient world. In the port of Kusadasi, you can wander along the seaside promenade, shop for and spices in the bazaar, and visit Pigeon Island for views from the Byzantine castle once used by pirates.