Safari from Odyssey of the Seas: planning your Kuşadası Wednesday
On an Odyssey of the Seas day in Kuşadası, the part that needs planning is the first hour and ten minutes. She arrives at 09:00, and cruise passengers meet us at 10:10 for the 11:00 safari. Everything after that runs to a comfortable timetable, with hours to spare before she sails at 19:00.
The port schedule as of early October 2026 lists 22 calls for Odyssey of the Seas over the next 12 months, and all of them are on a Wednesday. There is a single autumn call on Wednesday 7 October 2026. After that she comes back on Wednesday 12 May 2027 and then calls every Wednesday until Wednesday 29 September 2027. The full list of Odyssey of the Seas calls always has the current dates and hours.
Getting from the ship to Kervansaray by 10:10
Odyssey of the Seas is a Quantum Ultra-class ship that Royal Caribbean International introduced in 2021. She carries about 4,284 guests at double occupancy. On any ship that size, getting ashore can take a while, so it helps to be organised:
- Have breakfast before arrival, not after.
- Check your ship's daily programme for how and when guests go ashore on the day.
- Bring what you need for the tour with you: comfortable clothes and swimwear if you plan to go in the sea during the beach break.
Our meeting point is Kervansaray (The Big Ottoman Palace), about 50 m from the cruise port exit. Here is the map. Once you are through the exit, it is a very short walk. The 70 minutes are for getting off the ship, not for finding us.
The Wednesday, hour by hour
With every call on the same 09:00 to 19:00 hours, the day looks the same all season:
- 09:00 Odyssey of the Seas arrives
- 10:10 meet us at Kervansaray
- about 15 minutes on the road to the start
- 11:00 the safari begins: about two hours on pine-forest trails behind Pamucak beach
- during the tour a 30-minute sea break at Pamucak beach
- 13:45 to 14:15 back at the port
- 19:00 the ship departs
Our rule is that you must be back at the port at least 60 minutes before departure. Coming back at 14:15 leaves four hours and 45 minutes, far more than the hour we need. That leaves a free afternoon in Kuşadası. Do check the all-aboard time printed in your daily programme, though. It is usually earlier than the departure time, and it is the deadline that matters for you.
Why 16:00 is not offered for this ship
Our afternoon session needs the ship to stay until 20:15 or later, because that group is back at the port between 18:45 and 19:15. Odyssey of the Seas leaves at 19:00, so the 16:00 tour would return after she has gone. On her calls it is the 11:00 session only. The cruise day planner shows this for each date, then fills in the booking form for the morning tour.
Picking a tour for your group
The quad safari and the buggy safari need no driving licence. Drivers must be 16 or older, and you can choose a single or a double vehicle. Everyone gets a helmet, goggles and a safety briefing, and the group follows a guide in convoy. A double vehicle means two of you can ride together. Children younger than about 2 years cannot join. The horse safari suits beginners from age 8. Younger children can ride with an experienced companion, and the group is small, with a riding guide. Swimming during the horse safari's beach break depends on the season.
Before your sailing
Most of her calls fall between May and September 2027, so plan around those Wednesdays. Book through the cruise day planner or the reservation page. Before you go ashore, look again at the Odyssey of the Seas ship page: the hours here are from early October 2026, and if a date changes, that page shows whether the 11:00 tour still fits. As long as she is in port by 10:10 and leaves at 15:15 or later, it does.