Nature lover’s delight

Item: Ovation of the Seas
Rating: 4.5
Author: SevenSails

Ovation of the Seas Cruise Review

SevenSails

Contributor Level: Third Mate

699 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 52

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

7 Night Alaska Glacier Expedition (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 11, 2023

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 13256

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Wonderful Alaskan cruise, but the children run feral.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Decided to board a round 1:30 to avoid the rush. Worked out perfectly. There were no lines through security and our room was immediately available.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

My husband and I will generally eat what we are given without complaint. However, the food was more often flat out gross than palatable. We often ended up filling up on vegetables and bread to get us by. The red sauce for the lasagna tasted like canned spaghetti-o’s. On Mexican cuisine night in the main dining, southern baked beans was served as the side dish. The food had no soul and definitely wasn’t worth the overall cost of the cruise.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The ifly is worth it!! Everyone must try it at least once. The Solarium was a wonderful escape for adults with an amazing view.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

The entertainment was top notch. Some games were a little slow to find their pace, but overall it always ended in a good time. The reason I gave it four stars was the ship schedule didn’t give the performers enough time. We would be in a packed bar with people dancing and singing along, enjoying themselves, then it would be over in 45 min. They need to take note regarding how popular an activity is and let it be a bit more extended.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The only place I’ve experienced this level of service other than cruising is at Disneyland. Every passenger is treated like royalty. However, parents are not held accountable for the actions of their children. Tweens run feral playing in the packed elevators. Babies running up and down isles where staff are trying to work and serve guests. The staff has little control to do or say anything. Some parents act like we are all there hanging out at their home rather than an adult setting where their kids need to use their manners.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

This has to be my most favorite ship design thus far. The adult pool area was an indoor glass covered area right on the bow of the ship. We watched whales swim by while soaking in the hot tub. The aft has another glass wall in the two 70 theater that you can watch in the quiet afternoons.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Room was as they show in the pictures for balconies. When I booked the cruise I didn’t realize that letting them pick your room for a lesser cruise cost meant getting an obstruction. However, this room wasn’t bad at all and we could easily see everything. We spent two hours watching the whales one evening without a problem. It was worth the savings.