Ovation of the Seas is the third phenomenal cruise ship in Royal Caribbean’s game-changing Quantum Class. Sister to Quantum of the Seas (launched in November 2014) and Anthem of the Seas (launched in April 2015), Ovation boasts the same standards of innovation, high technology and state-of-the-art features. She boasts an 11,000 piece art collection worth $4.5 million, which is thought-provoking, fun and inspiring.
It is with this ship that the cruise line introduced a Suite Class with three categories, Sea, Sky and Star Class. Sea Class is for all guests in the various types of Junior Suites and benefits include access to the Coastal Kitchen Restaurant and premium bathroom products by Hermès, Ferragamo and L’OCCITANE.
Sky Class is for guests staying in an Aquatheatre Suite, Crown Loft Suite, Owner’s Suite, Royal Family Suite and Superior Grand Suite. As well as the benefits included in Sea Class, these guests also receive full in-suite dining, bottled water, complimentary VOOM (internet access), exclusive access to signature activities like NorthStar and Ripcord by iFLY, Suites Beach on private islands, and a luxury pillowtop mattress.
Star Class is for the Loft Suites, the two bedroom AquaTheatre suites and a four bedroom Family Suite. They get their very own ‘Royal Genie” to cater to their every whim, complimentary ultimate beverage package and speciality restaurant dining, complimentary mini bar, a Nespresso machine, Duxiana mattresses, Frette linens, towels and bathrobes and more.
Wherever you choose to spend your nights onboard, coupled with the amazing dining, entertainment and activities onboard, as well as the incredible destinations, a cruise on Ovation of the Seas is bound to be a holiday to remember.
There are so many dining venues available on Ovation of the Seas, each one offering excellent service and high-quality cuisine. Find sophisticated and experiential venues, relaxed informal eateries and speciality restaurants from renowned celebrity chefs including Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italian at Sea. Dining options include:
As well as all these fabulous eateries, Ovation of the Seas also has a number of great cafes and grab-and-go spots. Head to the food cart at the Seaplex - known as the Dog House - for a tasty hotdog or another fast-food treat, or enjoy a deliciously decadent pastry and speciality coffee at La Patisserie, where you'll find a classic European cafe feel which you can sit in for hours. Cafe Promenade and The Cafe @ Two70 also have a menu of snacks and coffees to give you that mid-afternoon pick me up.
The brilliant Two70 venue doubles up as a social hub with panoramic sea views during the day, before transforming into a breathtaking entertainment venue in the evenings. The windows here become screens for a series of projections designed to enhance shows, which could be anything from live music to some spectacular displays of acrobatics. In addition to this venue, the Royal Theatre wows with spectacular live shows which rival those seen on Broadway and in the West End.
As well as live shows there are onboard movie screenings by the pool, so you can enjoy your favourite films under the sun or stars. Alternatively, grown-ups can spend a glamorous evening in the casino, where you can play Roulette, Texas Hold 'em, Blackjack and other games as well as trying your hand at the slot machines.
Those looking for an intimate evening of drinks, good conversation, and perhaps a little live music for that added sprinkle of atmosphere, will be pleased with the array of choice there is when it comes to bars and lounges.
For somewhere casual and friendly head to the Pool Bar, Sunshine Bar, or Sky Bar - which are all al fresco, bar stool style venues. For something a bit different head to the North Star Bar, located close to the glass-walled elevation ride, or the Bionic Bar where fascinating robot arms create cocktails you've ordered from a tablet on your table.
Otherwise, for a more intimate evening choose the gorgeous Vintages Wine Bar, the Latin-inspired Boleros, or the Schooner Bar for some gentle piano music. For regular live music, parties, and DJ sessions, and an exciting rock 'n' roll vibe, head to the Music Hall - a venue set to be buzzing each and every night.It’s easy to keep active on Ovation of the Seas. With a seaside fitness centre kitted out by Technogym and providing breathtaking views. For those who prefer to absorb the fresh sea air, you can undertake rock-climbing, surfing and even sky-diving up on deck.
A fully equipped spa offers massages, manicures, and body wraps to name just a few treatments, plus a beauty salon to help you get ready for special occasions onboard.
Find all kinds of fun things to do at Sea-Plex – the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea. Here you'll find roller skating (and roller discos in the evening!), bumper cars, and even a circus school where you can learn tricks like the trapeze. Other exhilarating activities include the RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator, Royal Caribbean's popular surf simulator - Flowrider - a rock-climbing wall, and of course plenty of swimming pools.
Guests should also ensure they have a go on the North Star viewing platform. This glass-walled sphere elevates to around 300 feet above the ocean, offering its passengers unrivalled views of the ship and seas below.
The art gallery oozes sophisticated calm, and the shopping facilities have everything you need during your time at sea. Should adults want to spend time here, kids and teens will be kept busy with dedicated youth programmes, where they can meet new friends their own age and take part in fun group activities.
Ovation of the Seas features highly energy-efficient systems, optimised hydrodynamics, heat recovery, an effective underwater paint coating, a state-of-the-art exhaust gas treatment plant (hybrid scrubber), as well as energy-saving, LED lighting systems. These design considerations highlight Royal Caribbean's commitment to reducing their carbon footprint.
17 Apr 2019
We really enjoyed our cruise. All staff really friendly and helpful. The only disappointment was that they didn’t unforced the dress code. Too many people turning up on the restaurant in shorts and tracksuit bottoms.
05 Mar 2019
Enjoyed our cruise sailing from Sydney around New Zealand. Staff looked after us very well & we enjoyed the beautiful ship. Two seventy was our favourite space both day & night. North Star was a treat in Sydney & Auckland harbour then out at sea Dolphin spotting. Food & entertainment both excellent will definitely be trying for another cruise next year.
18 Nov 2018
Ship is lovely, but I prefer the oasis of the seas. Our crossing was choppy at times and our room was very noisy with with the movement..( level 3-backwards). Silly queues for tendering disembarking tickets. Fantastic staff and service. Food became very samey.
26 Oct 2018
We had never booked with Iglu cruise & would certainly use them again. We had 3 days in Beijing, transfers booked, excursions, hotels & transfer to Tianjin cruise port. All ran like clockwork, thank you. The embarkation was horrendous & certainly RC need to get off the ship & help sort it out, i’d read it was awful before we went so RC must know. 3 hours of queuing with now where to sit, nothing to drink, makes for stressed holiday makers. We really enjoyed the ship, liked the food, thought the speciality restaurant Wonderland was style over substance & expensive. By the time the waiter had gone on about the food it was cold, don’t waste your hard earned cash. Drinks very expensive. I had a soda package & there wasn’t any diet drinks in any of them for the whole of the cruise. You could get them in the bars however. We enjoyed most stops apart from Okinawa, Japan, which is an island & really no reason to stop there. Staff wonderful as usual, & lovely cabin, as expected on new ship. Be warned though if looking at this cruise, lots of queuing, immigration paperwork etc need to be fit & active. We really enjoyed our cruise, but RC there was a lot of grumbles about queuing etc & need for more organisation, these really need to be ironed out, you have too much competition We heard a lot of people say never again with RC. We would however if the itinerary suited.
Show more24 Oct 2018
Our cruise with Royal Caribbean was from Beijing (Tianjin) to Singapore, stopping at Okinawa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Danang, Phu My and Ho Chi Min City. The ship had good facilities, we enjoyed the restaurants, and the crew were friendly and helpful. We found that Ovation of the Seas was huge. So although there were something like 4,500 passengers it didn't feel crowded. Embarkation and disembarkation was chaotic. Took 3 hours to get on board at Tianjin, so be prepared to stand for long periods of time. As Ovation of the Seas is so big, it docks at container ports which means that you are miles away from your destination at each stop. Royal Caribbean provide little or no information about the ports. If you like to explore on your own, you need to do your own research before the trip. On some stops, such as Ho Chi Min city, you have to book onto a Royal Caribbean shuttle, if you want to see the city, which is 1 1/2 hours from the port. The cost of shuttles is not included in the price of the cruise. Internet connection is seriously expensive on board. So, we ended up searching for wifi at each port to find information for the next port. In conclusion, we enjoyed parts of this cruise, but found the experience hard work with additional unexpected expenses. We won't be cruising on such a large ship again.
Show more24 Oct 2018
I boarded the cruise Ovation of the Seas on 7 October from Beijing Firstly, I chose this cruise as it was cruising through the Philippines, but after paying the initial deposit the cruise changed its itinerary and I couldn’t opt out so that was my first disappointment. Having been on an earlier RCL cruise, the Legend of the Seas, I was looking forward to the same level of service and care that I had come to expect – but it was a real let-down. EMBARKATION – We boarded the ship at Tianjin, and the process was a nightmare. Considering that RCL has conducted this same trip several times I am shocked at the disorganization. The online check-in is a joke?. Why have a process which is not followed? We just had to line up like others of hundreds with hours of waiting in line and we finally managed to board the ship after almost 3 1/2 hours – a welcome drink would be appreciated NAH…..Sadly, none of that happened. CABIN Our cabin of course was great and spacious, had a few necessary amenities RESTAURANTS - Dining experience was the biggest disappointment! Never got our table on time, was pushed into restaurants we did not book and the waitresses at the reception counter were not very helpful. Dining rooms were understaffed. Limited food choices no menu change and poor quality – when we ordered tea it was served in a mug!!! Is this 5-star dining? RCL just out to take more money – really only paid dining was good and fit to eat! So obvious that the Standards of RCL has fallen greatly. The Windjammer restaurant was constantly crowded, and you couldn’t get a seat be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. The Seaplex hotdog cart, was supposed to be open until 5pm, but didn't open once for the entire duration of the cruise. CUSTOMER SERVICE – minus zero Service from room attendant was excellent though the same could not be said of the entertainment or customer service staff. ENTERTAINMENT – -you advertise outstanding Broadway shows Pixels, LIVE,LOVE,LEGS were the only 2 decent shows – not enough to impress The North Star was a great experience though. You appointed staff – to conduct quizzes and games who did not have knowledge of the game they were conducting nor could they speak English. DISEMBARKATION – Total disaster won’t even begin to describe the nightmare. And the final straw was when we finally disembarked and complained to one of the crew members saying what a disorganized process - instead of apologizing he nonchalantly quips yeah yeah I heard it all before. ALL IN ALL AN ATTITUDE OF COULDN’T CARE LESS
Show more24 Oct 2018
First of all, thank you for organising a brilliant package. The actual cruise was very good, the staterooms clean, modern and spacious. The food was also very good, but a bit repetative. We often had to queue for restaurants. There were also large queues at guest services most of the week The staff were friendly and very attentive. However, the embarkation and disembarkation was chaotic. Tiajin was a nightmare, packed terminal and even dangerous with passengers going up and down escalators with very long queues. Singapore was just as bad with 4000 passengers packed in the terminal waiting for transfers. A lot of pushing and shoving. We had to wait 1.5 hours for our transfer at Singapore. I would suggest you do not use this company in the future. All the other transfers were excellent and punctual. Apart from the problems mentioned, a very well organised package and overhaul a great holiday experience.
Show more23 Oct 2018
Lovely ship, but as my partner say a lazy ship. That’s to say shows are very sparse and the pixel Show is the same for the whole 12 days 40 mins Very small casino ten dollars a chip? Organisation a bit frantic @ ports Customer services tell you one thing then next Day tell you something else. Not well informed. Language problems sometimes? Restaurant a little hit and miss. Some eves very Slow. A part from the obvious we met some lovely People who made our holiday very enjoyable. Also visited some amazing places
Show more16 Aug 2018
The ship is fantastic and the crew were excellent and it was a lovely holiday. We were told a little beforehand that a large proportion of the guests would be Chinese. I have always welcomed cultural diversity and get quite upset by racist behaviour so I looked on this as a positive and didn't really appreciate why we were even being told this. However I was very surprised at the way many of these guests behaved, obviously it is just a different culture and not deliberately rude but it was still a surprise: I was barged out of the way at times, even on stairs; when trying to get in or out of lifts people would not wait for passengers to come out before trying to get into the lift; in the theatre fellow passengers stood up, climbed over seats at times and were quite noisy; while sitting on deck watching the sun set I had one woman sit on the arm of the chair that I was sitting in so that her bottom was pressed against me while she took pictures of her child and just shoved out of the way in queues. In the Windjammer people would queue for their food and then walk around eating it while looking for a table (noodles hanging out of their mouth) and, it when we did use it, it was packed and very difficult to get a seat. The staff told us that the restaurants were open for lunch and, when not on excursions, we used these or Two70 where it didn't seem quite so loud or hectic. The staff were excellent and whenever we joined a queue we were escorted to our table very quickly, once even being sent through a staff door to be picked up by a member of the staff the other side. While in the restaurants the staff were excellent and nothing was too much trouble The food was always lovely and they even prepared a curry for us after we mentioned that we liked a curry. The specialist restaurants were very good especially Chops.The girl who looked after our room was lovely and our room was always spotless as was the rest of the ship. My only criticism of the staff was when we all had to attend the safety talk at the start of the cruise. Obviously this is important and everyone attended. The staff even made sure that the noisier passengers were quiet and that they took their children off (literally) the pool tables. We then listened to a little song about washing your hands. Then the talk was in Chinese - we assumed repeating what we had just heard but it went on for some time and nothing else was said in English. Staff then came around to the passengers who were not Chinese and told us that we could listen in English in our rooms. If it is a legal requirement that we attend this talk surely it should be in Chinese and English! The Schooner Bar was lovely, nice and relaxed and most of the bars were quite quiet so good places to go in the evenings. We met some lovely people and had some really nice evenings, it was good that staff remembered us and what we liked to drink. The shopping areas were nice but quite busy and hectic on some occasions so we had to pick our moments. It was a lovely holiday, the ship was super and the staff excellent. Sadly you need to pick your moments for shopping, try to get near the front in the theatre, be careful on stairs and getting into lifts and avoid the Windjammer. Thank you to all the staff who really looked after us.
Show more09 May 2016
Nice cabin, but food was luke warm and menus the same thing over and over. Felt like a shopping arcade and such a shame the gym was in a prime location and empty. Also nowhere nice to sit ans watch the world go by. Staff were v good
07 May 2016
This is a nice ship the only let down is the sun beds are crammed in & if you look for one after 10.00 forget it as there is not enough sun deck space. A great ship in all other aspects though really good dining experience but book your tables early as the restraunts fill up quickly especially the formal restraunt
05 May 2016
Spent a night on the Ovation for the launch party, and it's an amazing ship. Royal Caribbean know exactly what they're doing when it comes to building floating cities, and the Ovation does not disappoint. Good food and excellent mojitos. The bionic bar is pretty cool too. With Royal's signature rock climbing wall, bumper cars, surf and sky-diving simulators, roller disco and more hot-tubs than you can shake a pair of Speedos at there is a crazy amount of stuff to do on board. The North Star viewing capsule is not to be missed and well worth doing at night. The cabins are comfortable and well appointed, there is a wide choice of dining options and a variety of bars to suite different tastes. The whole ship is superbly designed and well polished, and the staff are all fantastic. It's an excellent addition to Royal Caribbean's already impressive fleet and is worthy of a standing Ovation...
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