Ovation of the Seas

[Cherber]

A little worried  about my upcoming cruise to Alaska on Ovation of the Seas.  I booked this trip for my family over a year ago. It seems the reviews are not getting any better. Does this bother anyone else?  Or am I worrying about nothing...like to hear your thoughts.

[CruiserBruce]

For all the Ovation (and other RCI) info you will ever need, check the RCI board, here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

[Ferry_Watcher]

This will be the first season that the mega ship, Ovation of the Seas will be in Seattle.  I personally prefer smaller ships, but I did watch a YouTube Video which made me wish that I could take a cruise on Ovation.  It just looked cool.  It does appear that the itinerary has one less port visit (Ketchikan), but it looks like there is a lot to keep you busy on the ship.   On the plus side,  you will have longer time to explore Skagway and Victoria, BC. 

The Youtube video was the one made by JimZimmerlin "Ovation of the Seas Alaska Cruise"

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ovation+of+the+Seas+Alaska+Cruise  

Edited May 8, 2019 by Ferry_Watcher
added more information.

[awestover89]

Always take reviews with a grain of salt, and you'll probably be better on the Royal Caribbean boards.

 

Do you have specific concerns for the Ovation? Anything in the reviews that have you concerned?

 

 

[taglovestocruise]

6 hours ago, Cherber said:

A little worried  about my upcoming cruise to Alaska on Ovation of the Seas.  I booked this trip for my family over a year ago. It seems the reviews are not getting any better. Does this bother anyone else?  Or am I worrying about nothing...like to hear your thoughts.

A lot of bad reviews from Westerners cruising in Asia where things and people are very different.  Once She leaves Sydney that will be the end of Asian based cruises for the foreseeable future.  Different part of the world and totally different passenger makeup in Alaska.  Don't over concern yourself, you will have a great cruise. Even the Panda noodle house may be converted to Johny Rockets as well as other Asian influences disappearing. 

[Biker19]

13 hours ago, Cherber said:

 Does this bother anyone else?  

Nope, Ovation is great. 

[Merion_Mom]

10 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

A lot of bad reviews from Westerners cruising in Asia where things and people are very different.  Once She leaves Sydney that will be the end of Asian based cruises for the foreseeable future.  Different part of the world and totally different passenger makeup in Alaska.  Don't over concern yourself, you will have a great cruise. Even the Panda noodle house may be converted to Johny Rockets as well as other Asian influences disappearing. 

 

Ovation is currently in Hawaii and will head to Vancouver shortly.

[Chiliburn]

Been on the old girl 5 times and booked for a February cruise.

[paradise4me]

We cruised Ovation out of Sydney to New Zealand. We've been on many ships and the Ovation wins hand down. Thats our humble opinion. 

[Hogbay]

21 hours ago, Cherber said:

A little worried  about my upcoming cruise to Alaska on Ovation of the Seas.  I booked this trip for my family over a year ago. It seems the reviews are not getting any better. Does this bother anyone else?  Or am I worrying about nothing...like to hear your thoughts.

You are definitely worried about nothing we did the first cruise from Sydney when it left the Asian market , yes had teething problems. Have done two 14 day cruise since. Totally different experience. .still do not get hot water snd noodles  thing and pay or 2 wongtong ?? In hot water ☺

[er345]

To answer the question “Does this bother anyone else?”, yes it does. It bothers me a little.  I have read many bad reviews and second guessed myself on booking her for August to see Alaska. I booked Ovation specifically for the ship.  I was willing to do a shorter Alaskan itinerary because I thought my teens would really enjoy the sea days on Ovation. 

 

I am am trying to be positive because it does seem like many bad reviews are from people who seem grumpy about everything.  People who let all the little things bother them enough to ruin a whole vacation probably aren’t going to enjoy any big ship. Also it seems many people could not adjust to the culture of where the ship was sailing.

 

I am excited about finally reading reviews from Alaska in the next few weeks, which should give us a much better idea of what to expect. 

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are booked on the Ovation for this coming Monday!  We booked for the combination of the great 11 night itinerary and the ship.  We are really looking forward to both.   Since we book now first for itinerary and second for ship, price, etc we probably would not have booked the Ovation 7 night cruises to Alaska, just my opinion.  But the ship itself looks fantastic to me.  We have friends who have sailed her and love her. So, if the itinerary is not the priority for you, then I would not be at all concerned about the reviews.  Take them with a grain of salt.  As others pointed out, many were written by people who were expecting an American experience on a ship that was designed for and cruising the Asian market.  It has since been adjusted to accommodate more Western tastes.  Also, from what I understand, the noodle restaurant has been changed to a fish and chips type eatery, although it is not described in the ship "places to eat".   I will try to remember to come back and report our experience.  

[BHappy2Day]

Sunny AZ Girl--please let us know how you like the cruise and kindly give any pointers if you have the time and inclination.  I, too, am concerned about the ship's level of customer focus, based on the Ovation reviews on Cruise Critic.  Common themes are bad main dining rooms, overselling on board, crowded public spaces, useless high end shopping venues, and lackluster service from the crew.  Three out of five stars is the ship's average rating--this is not confidence inspiring.  I am traveling with husband, sister and her husband on July 26 7-night Alaska glacier sailing.  I hope I have a better experience than the majority of the reviews.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

9 minutes ago, BHappy2Day said:

Sunny AZ Girl--please let us know how you like the cruise and kindly give any pointers if you have the time and inclination.  I, too, am concerned about the ship's level of customer focus, based on the Ovation reviews on Cruise Critic.  Common themes are bad main dining rooms, overselling on board, crowded public spaces, useless high end shopping venues, and lackluster service from the crew.  Three out of five stars is the ship's average rating--this is not confidence inspiring.  I am traveling with husband, sister and her husband on July 26 7-night Alaska glacier sailing.  I hope I have a better experience than the majority of the reviews.

Will do!

[Chiliburn]

1 hour ago, BHappy2Day said:

Sunny AZ Girl--please let us know how you like the cruise and kindly give any pointers if you have the time and inclination.  I, too, am concerned about the ship's level of customer focus, based on the Ovation reviews on Cruise Critic.  Common themes are bad main dining rooms, overselling on board, crowded public spaces, useless high end shopping venues, and lackluster service from the crew.  Three out of five stars is the ship's average rating--this is not confidence inspiring.  I am traveling with husband, sister and her husband on July 26 7-night Alaska glacier sailing.  I hope I have a better experience than the majority of the reviews.

 I’ll give you honest feedback (we on Ovation February)

Main dining room we didn’t like.

There was some overselling but not excessive.

Crowded public spaces is a problem ,yes

 Usless high end shopping,yes

As for the crew ,

we been on Ovation 5 times.when the ship was new ,the crew was bad ,very bad,but each time they got better.The ship in general evolved 

In February,the crew was fantastic.They all had big smiles on their faces,very warm and friendly and couldn’t do enough to please.

Even in the lifts people were talking about the crew.At the captains corner people complimented captain and applauded.

Edited May 9, 2019 by Chiliburn

[dacsmom]

The Ovation has never sailed in the US before, so there are no reviews yet. I am not worried at all. You cannot compare reviews from Australia and Asia with Alaska sailings. Different demographics entirely. 

[Cherber]

Thank you everyone for your feedback.  SunnyAZgirl, I am looking forward to reading your review.  Have a great trip!

[SF Cfan]

Just got off the Honolulu to Vancouver sailing on Ovation.  The ship and the crew were wonderful.  The vast indoor spaces make her weather proof for having a good time.

 

The food in the main dining room was generally good to very good (lobster tail, prime rib, lamb).  My only advice is to avoid the "New York Steak" from the MDR menu.  I wasn't expecting it to be fantastic.  It was mediocre at best.

 

Enjoy your Alaska cruise.

[Biker19]

12 minutes ago, SF Cfan said:

.  My only advice is to avoid the "New York Steak" from the MDR menu.  

They managed to screw up the ahi tuna as well. 

[whitshel]

Check out Hoopsters Alaska revew.