Ovation of the Seas Reviews

It was an overall excellent experience. The staff, our stateroom, the ship, the food, the entertainment...it was all outstanding. The cruise ship stops were excellent. I wish we could have spent more time in Seoul, South Korea, but I loved the time we had in South Korea. I would recommend this experience to anyone and everyone. 

This is the 3rd time we r w RCCL , the best of all is this round w Ovation  ,the ship is huge n new , the nighttime show in the theatre n 270 cafe , r wonderful ! The staff working in this ship seems more content than the other ship we r in , all w genniune smile ！I would love to be in the ship again

Large, attractive ship with nice staterooms and public areas. Outdoor decks, long jogging track, rock wall, North Star, iFly, surfing area, and roller rink were nice extras.

Entertainment and shore excursions have been much better on other cruises we have taken.

Staff was friendly and helpful.

 

There is a lot I liked about the Ovation and some I did not like.  The ship was clean and large, easy to learn your way around.  I did not like making reservations for the shows.  I'm on vacation don't like to plan.  I thought the merchandize on the ship was high end and expensive.  Also wished there was a small convenience type store. after 12 days the itinerary was boring. The tv showed the same things over and over and over.  I went in Jan/Feb. thought there was too much kids stuff on tv and at the Theater.

The staterooms are spacious and comfortable except the beds were more firm than I like.  The food in the Windjammer is pretty much the same every day and got boring.  We visited the dining rooms instead, and there was good variety and the quality of the food was great.  The ship is nice, but did not have the wow factor I expected for the price and for a new ship.  It was difficult to get into the new attractions as they required reservations and were booked up before the cruise began.  The staff and crew on the ship were great.  I felt that I received great service from everyone.

 As very experienced cruisers with close to 30 past cruises we Definitely would NOT recommend  this ship to anyone.  The best part was of our trip

getting offf the ship halfway through the cruise.  Most attractions were either closed or broken most of the time.  On the rare occasions that things were operating the lines were long and the experience very short and disappointing.  We were told that we would be dining in a different themed restaurant every night and this was not the case.   No steam or sauna in the locker rooms.   A very small, very poorly designed thermal suite was available at a pricey additional charge and often times the steam room was broken.   It is also a coed facility.  Mattresses were hard and no supplemental padding was available.   Most entertainment  was fair at best and often canceled and rescheduled.   Ports of call canceled which left many sea days with nothing to do as there were no real activities offered other than gambling and sales pitch type of seminars in the spa.  Outdoor decks were often CLOSED due to poor weather.   Ifly, Northstar, flow rider, walking tracks etc. all located on outdoor decks and not accessible.  Flowrider not operating properly much of trip and when operating correctly & when operating  staff arrived late and quit early most of the time most of the time.  Staff also lost key to basketball hoops and bumper cars.   We were told there is only one key which is really hard to believe.   Much difficulty with the spa when trying to book appointments.   We attempted to rectify many situations by discussing with upper management and things only got worse.    We have never before left a cruise halfway through but things were so bad that we decided to disembark the day before Christmas Eve and attempt to make other arrangements to salvage  what was left of our vacation.  

Quality of food not up to standard in any of the inclusive restaurants. Have travelled with various other cruise lines over the years and have never experienced this. Drinks prices extortionate so you're forced to buy a drinks package. Prices of excursions also extortionate. Continual very long queues at guest services too get any information. Paid for wi-fi which didn't work despite complaining. Again with relation to food, the Windjammer buffet resembled a zoo, Although staff were generally very polite they were in many cases ill trained. On the positive side, entertainment was excellent. I would never consider going on a Royal Caribbean cruise again.

The ship was new and nice and big but we had the worst group of passengers one could ask for... rowdy, impolite, noisy.  The ports selected were not as interesting as expected especially as in Miyazaki and Busan where the ship arrived in the afternoon there was not much daylight left to explore. To make the experience worse food onboard was totally disappointing...the menu in every restaurant was basically the same throughout the 8 days and it was not even good... especially the Chinese menu was completely a disaster compared with the Chinese food we got ashore prior to the cruise.  The only saving grace was the service onboard.. most staff did their best to provide great service. And the shows helped to make the cruise less of a disaster. 

I enjoyed the variety of food choices. I think there needs to be more things to do for children under 5. Would also be nice if the kids splash zone area could be indoors.  The days at sea were all very windy, so due to weather conditions it was always closed. And there is a new no diaper in the pool policy, so the kids could not swim at all. I would recommend this cruise ship to families that have older children (around 8 seems like the perfect age to enjoy all the children amenities)

This was an amazing trip!  We loved the ports and cultures we were able to experience with this cruise. The ship is gorgeous with plenty of activities  for everyone of all ages. Shows are incredible. Royal Caribbean has done an impeccable  job once again. I recommend booking dinners,  shows and onboard activities either prior to the cruise or on the first day of the cruise.  Everything fills up quickly and unfortunately we missed out on a couple of shows and activities due to procrastination on our part. I highly recommend this itinerary and ship!! 

The ship itself was fabulous with all the newest bells and whistles.  There are things that I would change however as to accommodate the passengers better.

 

1.  Dining.  Since there is know longer a main dining room passengers are required to make reservations at the complimentary or fee restaurants.  When we tried to make reservations everything was booked so there were many times that myself and friend had to go without dinner, other than the Windjammer a person is "out of luck" if there's no room.   Either the restaurants need to open earlier or stay open later.  It was extremely disappointing.  The service and food was great in the restaurants we did eat at with the exception of the Grand where the service really stunk.  Over an 1 1/12 to just get dinner and had to leave for the show we had reservations for. Yes you also need to make reservations for the shows or you miss out on seeing them too.

2.  The internet was bad at the best.  Trouble logging on, then the signal would drop or you couldn't get logged on.  It was impossible to try to do anything.

3.  I love the ID bracelets for all onboard purchases and to get into the cabins.

4.  The cruise ports need lots of attention.  I realize that this was the first time for RCL Ovation of the Seas to be in these ports but it was really a hassle and inconvenience for the passengers with things not being done correctly. For example, Xiamen has a big problem with giving cruisers a ride back to the ship.  We had 5 drivers tell us no and take other fares.  I finally jumped in a cab and refused to get out and then my group of 8 jumped in with me. South Korea onboard immigration was a joke as you know.  These cities need to realize the revenue the ship and passengers bring to their cities/countries and they need to be prepared and willing to help the passengers.

5.  Diamond Club nightly happy hour.  It is totally unfair that a Diamond member cannot bring their traveling mate to these events.  I didn't participate because I didn't want to leave my friend alone.  It would be nice to have meet other Diamond members and socialize and I know I am not the only one who feels this way,

Relaxation, Dressing up for dinner and the first line staff.

The officers including the Captain require to learn some leadership qualities in customer engagement, the coffee facilities in the rooms was none existing and disgusting in all restaurants,if you wished to have a fried egg for breakfast be prepared to wait for 15 minutes.

I thought I was getting and paying for a  superior ocean view cabin but then again everybody else was also, they were all the same.

Lets get this straight, this was only weeks into this ships maiden voyage but on this basis which I can only base my opinion on, No I cannot recommend this company.

WINDJAMMER ROYAL THRATRE , MARKET PLACE

EVERY THING WAS FINE

YES WE WILL SURELY RECOMMEND TO OTHERS

THERE WERE VERY GOOD ACTIVITIES.SERVICES IN ALL PARTS OF THE SHIP WERE EXCELLENT. ANY STAFF NEVER SAYS NO

WHAT EVER WE REQUESTED THEY TRIED THEIR LEVEL BEST TO PROVIDE

US WITH A SMILE AND RESPECT. ALL THE CO PASSANGERS WERE VERY FRIENDLY

An amazing ship for all ages of passengers.

Fabulous and unique production shows.

The Windjammer buffets were excellent in every way, the staff could not have been more helpful.

I do NOT care for the "Dynamic Dining" reservation system as it prohibits people from, randomly, meeting others (as with the "anytime" dining in main dining rooms of most ships).

For that reason I may not sail on Quantum-class ships again.

The wonderful parts of this Cruise are the Entertainment and the Delicious Sumptuous Foods served in numerous restaurants in the ship.  The entertainments provided in the Royal theater plus the Music Hall and the Two/70 hall and more have been great that guests have not found any dull moments in the cruise for more than two weeks of stay.  Indeed, it has been a memorable journey along the Mediterranean and the Middle East.  I strongly recommend this ship to all my frirnds, relatives and families.  INDEED,.GREAT VOYAGE! 

 

This cruise was very special for us as we celebrate our marriage of 27 years.The ship is georgeous a wonderful piece of art and well designed.Having cruised before on several occasions, the new restaurant concept was one of me difficulty.I have been accustomed to the family atmosphere table for a week with the same waiter and waitress. This cruise also made me qualify for the Emerald Status.

a great cruise 

Really enjoyed all the ports - Cherbourg, Paris and Bruges.

Went on all day excursions in each of the ports.  Was pleasantly surprised

at what a beautiful city Bruges is - the chocolate shops are amazing!

 

They cancelled both shore excursion that I booked because they only haver in Chinese. The embarkation porcess was terrible the people was pushing deseperate to pass security and there was no body from Royal Caribbean that make some order. Kids fall my wife fall just terrible.

This was the 8th cruise for my husband and I, 5th for our mother, and first for my sister in law. The ship is beautiful! I read many reviews about over crowding, but honestly, we did not experience any. While we do not lounge by the pools, we walk by them frequently and there were always open lounge chairs, any time of day. The fancy cushioned loungers did tend to fill up as the day went on, but they were virtually open at 8am, so anyone who really wanted one could easily grab one without having to get up at the crack of dawn. The Solarium also tended to fill up as the day went on, but we were even able to find deck chairs in the afternoon there. Food was excellent, especially in the specially restaurants, but main dining was also very high quality. The wait staff were great, friendly & helpful. The production shows were top quality, if you picked your time and showed up 20 minutes before you could get excellent seats, but even if you showed up late you could find a seat but maybe not 3 or 4 together. They didn't have as many production shows as I expected, but it was a repositioning cruise and it might have been a new crew. The headliner shows were also good and varied. Shore excursions were good, we booked tours be locals for Saigon, but the rest we did through the ship. They could have done a better job describing the tours, what they wrote was pretty sparse, but we enjoyed them all. This cruise exceeded all our expectations!

Wonderful ship with modern facilities, great shows etc etc

BUT as with all Royal Caribn. ships,we have sailed on many,  The Windjammer buffet style restaurant continues to be a disaster. No matter what time we arrived it was always a problem to find a table !!!! Not enough staff clearing tables and no staff to help finding a table,you  just wander round aimlessly waiting . Dont get a plate of food till you find a table. Not the definition of "free for all" that you were expecting !!!!

Hated it - never again