Ovation of the Seas Weight Loss Cruise

Item: Ovation of the Seas
Rating: 3.4
Author: kentospaz

Ovation of the Seas Cruise Review

kentospaz

Contributor Level: Second Mate

139 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 18

Overall rating:

3.4 out of 5

8 Night Alaska Glacier Southbound (Vancouver To Seattle)

Sail date: May 05, 2022

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 10636

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Great cruise in Alaska because our kids were there, they were entertained and we loved our stops. Good weather helped. If we were cruising as a couple, we would have been very disappointed with the ship part of this cruise. We will not sail RCL again as a couple.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Despite Vancouver staff that didn’t know how to queue lines, the embarkation was smooth as most sailings on RCL and Celebrity tend to be now. Super easy and on the ship pretty quickly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

I’ve never not gained some weight on 15+ cruises before this one. Thankfully the absolutely terrible food on this cruise had me back as trim as when I left. I guess that is a blessing in disguise. We ate at both Coastal Kitchen and the MDR and really didn’t have an adequate meal until our amazing waiter started bringing out custom Indian food and desserts for us to try. I consider being able to cook a steak a basic necessity at a good restaurant. Not once did it come out as expected. Our medium-rare ordered filet in Coastal Kitchen was completely cold and raw except for an outside sear. Not good. Buffet reminded me of visiting my dad in Florida and eating at the Golden Corral. Poor quality and mediocre ingredients.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Good ship in case of bad weather in Alaska. Lots to do with kids. Seaplex is amazing. Pools were closed a lot (even the solarium and indoor pool). It’s a cruise…. Heat them and keep them open unless the weather / waves make it dangerous. I’ve never seen more closed pools on a cruise. Also lots of broken things…. I don’t think the North Star was seen in the Alaska sky once. Sort of ironic.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Individual performers were great. Piano man, comedy, Switched On, DJ were all standouts. 5/5. Led Zepagain was just painful. Saw a Journey cover band on Anthem a few years back and it was so much fun… because the music is fun. You can dance and enjoy yourself. This style of music has a place but it isn’t on a cruise ship. I would’ve left early but there was nothing else to do. Big entertainment was very disappointing. The cabaret show was meh. Singers were great but it was boring. We were “lucky” to get a snippet on the last day of the 270 show that wasn’t ready for our cruise. Lucky us. Overall just a big disappointment when you usually love and expect great shows on a ship.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

THE STAFF WERE THE BEST PART OF BEING ON OVATION! But, they were clearly overwhelmed with the ship severely understaffed. There is no way this ship should have sailed with a full compliment of passengers. That’s on RCL management. The staff worked hard to make it as good as possible. Friendly and amazing. Kudos to all of them!!!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Nice ship. No complaints. 4/5 because it is showing it’s age design wise. Some of the areas feel a bit dated. But spectacular ship in lots of areas. Was always VERY clean and that’s due to a great cleaning staff.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Cabin was great! We have stayed in lots of suite cabins on other lines (Retreat Sky Suite, Haven) and this Junior suite (not full suite class) was really great. Lots of room. Lots of light and the shower was amazing. Balcony was perfect for Alaska. Our room steward always kept it clean and well stocked (we drank a lot of coffee!). No complaints. Split bathroom had pros and cons.