Ovation of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
758 reviews

Great Anniversary Cruise

Review for Transpacific Cruise on Ovation of the Seas
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juda
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

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Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2019
Cabin: Ocean View Balcony

This was our 6th cruise (2nd with RCL) and our longest by 4 days (relocation) and most sea days. Embarkation ran smoothly and we were on this gorgeous, huge ship by 11.30 and in our cabin by 1pm. We met Amri, our cabin attendant, who immediately answered my request for a robe and could not have been more helpful, best attendant we've ever had :) This ship is new (only 3 years old) and was kept very clean. It functions well, apart from the waste of space with all the high end shops (almost always empty with super bored staff) and the general store selling ship merchandise and souvenirs stuck in a tiny corner shop which was hot and impossible to navigate by more than one person at a time! Lifts ran smoothly and we never had to wait very lon considering the amount of passengers! Art work is dotted all over, rather than in a "gallery" as such and we saw some different and interesting pieces! Entertainment was standard ship-type, which we've seen before, nothing outstanding. We missed the INXS tribute band both times due to poor choice of venue (270 lounge) which was too small and consequently overcrowded leaving us unable get in!! Unsure why they didn't appear in the theatre which would have been a better venue. Enrichment talks were interesting and other activities well attended although they were not our cup of tea. Food was pretty good! We ate mostly at Windjammer as we'd heard not so good reports about the dining room/s and it suited us to eat only 2 meals a day when we felt like it - food at the WJ was excellent generally, tasty, hot and fresh. with plenty of choice from antipasto, to salads or hot meals, however the desserts were average and repetitive and strangely tasteless. We did the Tastes of Ovation specialty lunch which at the start seemed very disorganised, but ended on a high note with delicious food. Solarium food was also fresh and tasty, as were the salads/sandwiches on offer at Cafe 270. Coffee was surprisingly good too and pizza at Sorrento's was excellent! We used room service twice and both times the food was good and on time. Bar and general staff were great and friendly, some more engaging than others, and they work so hard! Overall, we loved this cruise!

Cabin Review

Ocean View Balcony

Cabin 6D

Unfortunately this cabin is sold as unobstructed ocean view but does have a large overhang and should be marketed as at least partially obstructed in terms of being unable to take an unencumbered photo or receive any sun on the balcony There was a weird knocking noise in the door structure, but we got used to that. Otherwise the cabin is nicely decorated and well designed with heaps of storage. Our cabin attendant Amri was terrific and kept our cabin spotless!

Port Reviews

Bora Bora

Beautiful place and we wish we had chosen an excursion (our own fault). Walked around and bought some souvenirs, even the port was pretty. Tendering worked well.

Honolulu

We really enjoyed Waikiki. Food/drinks are incredibly expensive and not helped by our $$. We stayed at Sheraton Princess Kaulani which was a great hotel (albeit very dated) in a great locatio. We found it very easy to get around the island with the trolley service at $2 pp.

Tahiti (Papeete)

The city is a quick walk from the wharf. Very hot, humid and wet and seemed dirty and a bit seedy!

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