Worst cruise of my life.

Ovation of the Seas Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 62

Overall rating:

1.5 out of 5
Verified Review
Ovation of the Seas

7 Night Alaska Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 14, 2019

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6616

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

6/14/19 3:00 we arrived at the terminal to board the ship which was still at the dock. The ground attendant who called the ship was told were not allowed onto the ship because we were too late. She said that we could catch the ship in Juneau. So we went back to the airport, bought two tickets to Juno. Were we spent two nights waiting for the ship to dock. 6/15/19 Receive a texted from my credit card company stating that there was over $485.00 being charged to our card. This was denied. We were not even on the ship. 6/16/19 Finally got onto the ship. Went up to a room that we had not chosen. The room keys were in someone else’s name. We went to guest services to get the correct keys. Went back up to our room with the keys with our name on them. They did not work. Back down to guest services. We were told the keys would work after 4:00. After 4:00 we tried to get into our room. The keys still didn’t work. Back down to guest services. We received a bracelet to unlock the door and a card to operate the electricity in the room. This took hours and 4 to 5 people to figure out. Exhausting day. 6/17/19 Enjoyed seeing the glacier and coastline. Went to the movies. The sound was so loud it hurt our ears (other people too) and the 3d glasses were filthy. The buffet was mediocre and not big enough to handle all the people on the ship. 6/18/19 Enjoyed the show. Went to my time dining for dinner which was good. 6/19/19 Docked in Victoria. Before we went on a tour we paid our bill. The room steward said good bye because we were leaving the ship. We told him no we are just going on a tour. Went we got back from the tour we went to get back on board but were blocked. We asked why and were told because we boarded the ship in Juneau we could not go back to Seattle due to a Jones Act. If we did it would cost us a fine of over $800.00 each. So we packed up our belonging and went to the ferry station to catch the ferry to St Angels. Then took a cab to the ferry to get to Seattle. Took another taxi to the airport and had to pay extra to change our flight to Florida. 6/20/19 Finally got back home. The mental stress of chasing the boat and humiliation being stopped and not allowed back on the boat was terrible. The ship was more of a cattle boat than a cruise ship. Very disappointing.

Embarkation

1 out of 5
awful

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5
Awful

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5
Nothing for anyone over 50.

Entertainment

1 out of 5
Movie was so loud we walked out. The 3d glasses were filty

Service and Staff

1 out of 5
The nicest person was our stewards. The rest of the crew seemed to be bother if I asked a question. Others did not know where restaurants were when we asked for directions.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5
The layout of the ship was terrible no place to sit it was a trek from our room to the elevators. The common areas were clean. It was not a relaxing atmosphere.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5
The cabin we selected and paid for was given to someone else. The room we were given was overall comfortable.

Ship tip

Do not do it.

Ports of call

Juneau, Alaska

3 out of 5
We enjoyed Juneau.

CRUISE ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER

2 out of 5

Victoria, British Columbia

2 out of 5
Took a bus tour. Was interesting.

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
Had to get off the ship in Victoria due to getting on in Juneau and the Jones Act which we were not aware of.
Was this review helpful? 62

7 Comments

wgammon1    4 years ago

Thanks for the review.

cruisefreaks    5 years ago

Get there on time. It's your fault. Better luck next time.

Shellie789    5 years ago

You really should have planned better. Even a rookie cruiser knows you arrive the night before your cruise departs.

bradandalexis    5 years ago

I guess I’m struggling with this review as it is very clear you are bitter over missing the ship / getting kicked off as a result of federal government laws the cruise line can’t control. Your documents clearly said you had to be the ship an hour or more before disembarking. With this said, sorry your trip went so badly... that’s a real bummer regardless of whether it was your fault or not.

CruzeFan    5 years ago

And the Cruise Line was correct about the Jones Act. This is not something to be upset at the Cruise Line about. Had you arrived to board the cruise on time originally, it would not have been an issue. If the delay was due to a cancelled or delayed flight, hopefully you had a good comprehensive travel policy that will compensate you for the additional expenses. If not, then it was an expensive lesson in making sure you allow plenty of time to be on board by the required boarding time.

CruzeFan    5 years ago

Why were you so late getting to the ship? They provide the required boarding time in your boarding documents. Did you fly in the day before and allow plenty of time for flight delays or other issues? Federal law dictates when you must be on the ship, not the Cruise Line line.

cgriffis3150    5 years ago

Sounds like traveling isn't for you. I hear Staycations are fun.

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