The boat is one of the largest and has a great design with excellent service, but the activities are mostly paid and the majority of the food is worse than week-old leftovers.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
There could have been more clear instructions during the embarkation process, as we were just following the crowd. Otherwise, we did not get lost.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
The appearance of the restaurants were pristine, although I could not say the same about the food and the paid food in the speciality restaurants. The juice from the buffets were terribly diluted and had no distinguishable flavor. The Japanese restaurant served me the Thai version of chicken karaage instead of the Japanese version, with the service speed being very slow, unfortunately (note that this was a paid restaurant). Their meat dishes tasted like the kind of meat you cooked three days ago and stored in the fridge as leftovers. And I don't know how it's possible, but the main dining's spaghetti bolognese somehow was watery with a very bland, sad sauce. Neither do I know how it was possible for their ice cream to be worse than supermarket brand ice cream. However, I will give them credit for most of their desserts being quite good. The rest of the food not mentioned was overall just quite underwhelming.
Regarding the paid restaurants, I should mention that the cruise was quite devious when it came to reserving them before the cruise. They acted as though a customer should pay for a course meal for the restaurant in order to get in, even though you can simply walk in to many of these restaurants and order individual menu items instead of paying a flat fee for a whole course.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
I was satisfied by the quality of their napkin folding activity. However, I was disappointed that many of their activities that I did take interest in cost money to attend (minimum $20.00 per person... why?).
Additionally, the activity in which you collect charms every day for a bracelet is not free, despite what the app might say. Please at least just say it costs money.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
I'd say that the performers, vocalists, and musicians were some of the best I have seen over various cruise experiences. Their work is very impressive. However, when it comes to their shows that may tell a story, I'd hope they could make the story's events more clear, since it is difficult to tell what is happening at times.
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
I am a teenager writing this. I'm afraid I was not interested in any of the entertainment, and neither was my sister.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The waiters, housekeepers, and generally all staff were very pleasant and accommodating to us. Kudos to that one worker who spent every night at the main dining reception singing his heart out.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The design was nice, although the cleanliness could have been far better, as could the functionality. On the first day, our showerhead spazzed out and the water would not heat up. On the same day, I sat on my sofa bed and it just implodes onto the floor. The sheets would not be changed unless requested. The paint above our balcony was also peeling. There also was an M&M left underneath my bed. We didn't eat any M&M's.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The layout was good, as was the comfort. We had two beds and a double sofa bed and a nice balcony view, although because the deck was right above us, it did hinder our view somewhat. You can also hear people stomping around on the deck likewise. The bathroom is only a bit larger than a typical restroom you'd see in an airplane.
Ship tip
Please spare yourself the trouble and take Celebrity's cruise instead.
That’s too bad because my family loved the Ovation. My husband and I were in one room and our girls in the next room. We’ve been on a lot of family cruises over the years. Our girls were 9 & 4 when they started cruising and they are now 26 & 21. We did bumper cars a couple times, once just our family and another time with the girls and their friends. The North Star was worth the wait, providing spectacular 360 degree views of Juneau. We had a great experience with RipCord. Everything we did was free of charge. Ovation is a Quantum Class ship and Quantum Class ships offer more activity and entertainment options than any other ship sailing Alaska. Maybe your parents should leave you home on the next cruise.
Maybe cruising isn't for you. You seem to point out every little petty gripe and then exaggerate others. I was on Ovation of the Seas and had a great time. Food was good along with the service. I wasn't to keen on the specialty restaurants, cause it seemed the portions were smaller than MDR, but tasted good. Also the bathrooms are much bigger than any plane I've ever been on.
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