Alaska was gorgeous. The customer service from cheap cruises was horrendous. Will never use this agency ever again.

Item: Ovation of the Seas
Rating: 4.2
Author: AHarper1

Ovation of the Seas Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

AHarper1

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 21

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaska (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 02, 2022

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6574

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

The ports and excursions were excellent. The cruise took our extended-family travel party, which was initially booked together, and just a few weeks before the cruise decided to split us all apart, throwing us in rooms all over the ship. They still have not offered a reasonable explanation of why they did this. My husband and half my kids ended up on another floor. My siblings and parents were scattered all over the place. The cruise refused to fix the problem over the phone, and we were told just to figure it out on the ship. Having to go back and forth with guest services during what was supposed to be a relaxing cruise was frustrating, and they still didn't get our original rooms back. Also Cheap Cruises was utterly useless in trying to solve issues.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Getting onboard was fairly smooth.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Our server in main dining was extremely slow. It might have bothered me less if I didn't have four children waiting for food, but that complicated the evening.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

We made appointments for activities, but the ship cancelled them because of poor weather, and then didn't refund the cost until I personally went and made them do so. I feel like that should have been done automatically.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Children's Programs

2 out of 5

The teen program was great, but the children's club seemed like an afterthought. The room was tiny and not visually appealing. My kids went once and asked not to go back.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Aside from our main dining server, the staff that didn't refund our activity, and the guest services staff who were unable to solve the problems the ship created for us, the rest of the staff were wonderful.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Our room attendant was incredible. He made our stay so much more fun. He left an amazing zoo of towel animals for my kids every time we got back from dinner.

Ship tip

Don't use a travel agency to book your cruise. If anything goes wrong, the travel agency will claim it's the cruise's fault and the cruise will claim it's the travel agency's fault, and they'll continue blaming each other to get out of actually fixing the problems they made.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

4 out of 5

City felt dirty.

Thumbs Up 0

Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska

5 out of 5

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Absolutely stunning. We did the tram and a hike at the top. Some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.

Thumbs Up 0

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5

Gorgeous. Did the White Pass & Yukon Route train ride. The guide was knowledgable, and the views were beautiful.

Thumbs Up 0

Sitka, Alaska

5 out of 5

Amazing. The salmon were running when we were there, and it was fascinating to watch. Wildlife everywhere.

Thumbs Up 2

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5

Such a beautiful city. The food was the most affordable out of all the ports. We had fresh, delicious sea food at the pier.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Fast and easy.

5 Comments

AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Glad you enjoyed Alaska. Sorry about the room fiasco. Happy you were able to spend time with your family. You learned the lesson about booking your own cabins and not letting a third party control (term used loosely) that.

Thumbs Up 0

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iCaptain 2 years ago

Sorry to hear that, thank you for sharing.

Thumbs Up 1

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 2 years ago

Cheap TA says it all

Thumbs Up 1

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CruzeFan 2 years ago

Thanks for the review. Unless you booked guarantee rooms, they should have kept your rooms together. Using a company with Cheap in their name is probably not going to be the best quality service.

Thumbs Up 1

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