Underwhelming experience

Item: Ovation of the Seas
Rating: 3.2
Author: LinaBell

Ovation of the Seas Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

LinaBell

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 5

Overall rating:

3.2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaska Experience (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 02, 2024

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 13614

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 month ago

Review summary

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.