Ovation of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first cruise ever with one teenager. We decided to do a cruise because I don't like flying and it was recommended by someone. The ship is relatively new - launched in 2016 and looks amazing. We had a stateroom with a balcony which was small but perfectly formed. Our stateroom attendant was unfailingly cheerful even though he never seemed to get a break.
We decided to purchase the Key, a priority program and skip the line pass that included the Zoom internet package. We mainly bought this mainly to skip the line with activities, which it was not very useful for (see below) but it was useful for onboarding and disembarking. Not sure if it was worth the cost.
The activities such as FlowRider, NorthStar, IFly, bumper cars and roller skating were pretty amazing given this is all on a ship, but the lines are long if you did not have the Key and even with the Key we could only skip the line once a session.
Cabin Review
Ocean View Balcony
Beautiful cabin with more storage than an average hotel room.
Port Reviews
Noumea
We disembarked and were immediately set upon by numerous tour operators. In the end we chose a bus tour which was informative and then walked around the shops. The markets were a bit of a waste of time.
Mystery Island
We did a snorkelling tour and a village tour at another island about 15 minutes by boat. The village tour was conducted by someone who actually lived at the village who gave us a very authentic experience and showed us some indigenous religious sites.
Auckland
A Hop on Hop Off bus will take you around the city easily and you can stop at many picturesque spots. Waiheke Island is also good to visit if you have not been there.