Exciting Alaskan Cruise

Item: Ovation of the Seas
Rating: 3.7
Author: micahalley

Ovation of the Seas Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

micahalley

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

7 Night Alaska Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 21, 2019

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8580

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

It was our first cruise. Went with my wife and 6 other family members. The cruise was fun, however, I do have to say that about 95% of the daily activities aboard the ship were not ones I had any desire to attend. Thank God the bars open early, otherwise I would have been completely bored on that ship. I know that comes off negative, but besides the nightly entertainment, I didn't have any interest in those other activities throughout the day. This is the reason why I'm unsure if I will ever do a cruise again. I don't believe the cost matches the benefits. Just my opinion. Oh, and I'm not a fan at all of every little thing costing so much money. It's ridiculous to spend that much money for a week and then feel like you're constantly being told to buy more (really expensive) stuff. I mean, cut back on some of those really mundane activities that you use to fill the cruise compass so you can cut back on the costs of everything else a little. I really don't think the amount of money spent on this cruise was worth the experience. EVERY little thing costs more and more money and that's just not cool. Plus, I don't understand what people get out of spending 8 hours in a port that is just designed as a cash cow for cruise ship passengers to spend money. Well that came our more negative than I originally planned, but I guess that's what happens when I really start thinking about the experience.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Be ready to spend a lot more money than you originally planned if you're a first timer.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

4 out of 5

Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska

3 out of 5

Juneau, Alaska

3 out of 5

Skagway, Alaska

4 out of 5

CRUISE ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER

4 out of 5

Victoria, British Columbia

3 out of 5

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

4 Comments

CruzeFan 5 years ago

I find that cruising is the best value of any travel we have done. We don’t drink alcohol, gamble, play bingo, purchase non-included drinks, etc. and never pay more than the basic cruise fare, port charges, taxes and gratuities and have a great time. We do excursions independently, so we don’t have those charges through the cruise line. We have been on multiple cruises and never pay more than $ 100 per person per day for the cruise and usually stay in an outside or balcony cabin. Our last visit to a beach for a week in May 5 years ago costs about $ 200 per person per day factoring in hotel, food and entertainment.

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CavalierMum 5 years ago

My husband & I cruised on Ovation in November last year. Before then, we had done 5 P&O and 2 Carnival- few people told me that once we did Royal Carribean (in particular the Ovation) we'd never go back to the other brands. But I have to disagree! Ship is big yes but most of that space is cabins- public areas weren't as big as we were anticipating. Plus never had a problem getting coffee in the morning on other ships- but the line up every morning was huge! Plus we prefer a sit down coffee in a cup not a take away cup. We enjoyed it but won't go on her again, happy to stick with small to mid sized ships. We don't participate in daily activities either so when we go cruising, we are prepared to have a relaxing 'nothing' holiday- but that's ok with us

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alexnjimadelaide 5 years ago

Table tennis is also free & enjoyable for all ages. Roller skating, dodgem cars, rock climbing, mini golf, all there to be enjoyed. Movies during the day in the main theatre, lectures & trivia too.

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alexnjimadelaide 5 years ago

We are fortunate that we do not drink anything other than the free options onboard. We also steer clear of the specialty restaurants, so nothing costs us extra. We purchased some photos one time but other than that, apart from a shuttle bus costing $ to get from the pier to a town or city, there are no extra costs involved apart from those you choose to spend $ on. I hope you enjoyed the ifly & the views & experience from the capsule, although I realise that doesn't fill up a day. You really can be as busy or as relaxed as you want to be on a cruise but having said that, it's still not for everyone. At $100/day, when a bargain is found PP, we think it's extremely excellent value for money for a holiday where everything is included & provided for.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Great cruise with our teenage granddaughters!

It was great enjoyable trip. Another trip off the bucket list.

Trip of a Lifetime!