Should I cancel my booking for the Ovation of the Seas

[datolim]

I have place a deposit on the Ovation for Mar. 19 2017 sailing. But since then I have read so many horrible reviews that I really don't know whether to forfeit my deposit or go ahead with the cruise. Sure don't want to get into the hellish environment as many have described.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 15, 2016 by SG007

[Andyinmacksville]

I'd personally stop reading the reviews and have a great cruise in March

 

 

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[KittyKruze]

No! It's a new ship and new ships are bound to have teething issues - plus new staff - ugh all kinds of stuff to find out about. It'll get better and better and the staff will change and improve - that said I'm not going on it til 2018 - but I think you should think of the ship as a new establishment - they take time to bed down

 

 

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[roslyn01]

Give it a go.... I'm sailing on Ovation in 3 weeks, reviews are mixed however the latest ones I've read on shipmate have been great. Keep in mind there may have been initial teething problems. If you're based in Australia The Today Show will be live on Ovation tomorrow morning

 

 

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[hallasm]

Keep your reservation!

Exactly the same type of 'bad reviews' for Quantum and Anthem.

I have so far been on two Quantum and two Anthem cruises from the launch of Quantum Class November 2014 - all great cruises.

Have not booked Ovation yes, but soon to come.

[sunset lover2]

Umm. Embarked in Adelaide and got off in Sydney today. Hadn't read any reports before hand and had a fantastic time !! Loved the ship and everything about her. My only suggestion is to take some coffee if you are a drinker (kettle in cabin but only tea) and something to hang hand washing on (I took a foldout carousel with pegs on it)

 

 

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[datolim]

Give it a go.... I'm sailing on Ovation in 3 weeks, reviews are mixed however the latest ones I've read on shipmate have been great. Keep in mind there may have been initial teething problems. If you're based in Australia The Today Show will be live on Ovation tomorrow morning

 

 

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Appreciate and waiting for your review before I confirm my booking.

These TV shows tend to be an advertorial for RCL and show only the wonderful side of the ship.

[Rbware]

We got off the ship this morning in Sydney after cruising from Perth. I would not pay too much attention to the bad reviews you've read! Certainly there were some issues, but we have heard that some of those issues were because the cruise from Singapore to Sydney was chartered by Cruiseco. Consequently Cruiseco called the shots.... not Royal Caribbean. We spoke to many passengers who have cruised repeatedly on other Royal Caribbean ships and all of their experiences were good.

The cruise season on Ovation of the Seas commencing tomorrow is no longer a charter, so I'm sure you will not have any problems!

The ship itself is beautiful, staff are friendly and the shows are fantastic! We tried 3 of the specialty restaurants and they were all top notch.

I would suggest you book the specialty restaurants ,shows and activities before you board. Some passengers missed out on things because of the limited vacancies and they left it too late to book!

You need to book shows early ( even though they are free) or you risk missing out. Hope my advice helps![emoji2]

 

 

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[KittyKruze]

We got off the ship this morning in Sydney after cruising from Perth. I would not pay too much attention to the bad reviews you've read! Certainly there were some issues, but we have heard that some of those issues were because the cruise from Singapore to Sydney was chartered by Cruiseco. Consequently Cruiseco called the shots.... not Royal Caribbean. We spoke to many passengers who have cruised repeatedly on other Royal Caribbean ships and all of their experiences were good.

The cruise season on Ovation of the Seas commencing tomorrow is no longer a charter, so I'm sure you will not have any problems!

The ship itself is beautiful, staff are friendly and the shows are fantastic! We tried 3 of the specialty restaurants and they were all top notch.

I would suggest you book the specialty restaurants ,shows and activities before you board. Some passengers missed out on things because of the limited vacancies and they left it too late to book!

You need to book shows early ( even though they are free) or you risk missing out. Hope my advice helps![emoji2]

 

 

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Fabulous !! I also heard that about Cruisco but got smacked by admin before so didn't want to say here

 

 

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[roslyn01]

SG007- I'm hoping to leave reviews when I'm onboard....Rbware- could you give details about dress code? I've read no formal wear required? Can you confirm? Thanks

 

 

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[BrisQld]

We just got off Ovation today. It was a wonderful cruise and a fantastic ship. I would still go and enjoy it. A lot of the problems were due to that particular cruise being chartered by Cruise co.

 

 

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[Rbware]

SG007- I'm hoping to leave reviews when I'm onboard....Rbware- could you give details about dress code? I've read no formal wear required? Can you confirm? Thanks

 

 

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There were no formal nights like we've had on another cruise line. The restaurants mostly specified smart casual. I dressed up a bit for the specialty restaurants, but that was my choice. [emoji4]

 

 

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[The_Big_M]

We got off the ship this morning in Sydney after cruising from Perth. I would not pay too much attention to the bad reviews you've read! Certainly there were some issues, but we have heard that some of those issues were because the cruise from Singapore to Sydney was chartered by Cruiseco. Consequently Cruiseco called the shots.... not Royal Caribbean. We spoke to many passengers who have cruised repeatedly on other Royal Caribbean ships and all of their experiences were good.

 

While I'm a fan of Quantum class and looking forward to my Ovation cruise, all that a charter means is that another promoter handles the bookings and may arrange things like themes/entertainment (not so much in this case). They don't change the staff or onboard operations, nor 'call the shots' so anything to do with the onboard food, service and so on is driven by RCL.

[BrisQld]

The so called Formal night was first sea day out of Fremantle. It was called 'Dress your Best' so a lot of people dressed especially because it was also a meet and greet with the Captain. But people who did not go dressed up or formal were not turned away from the Restaurants. We did fine that more people who dined in The Grande did make an effort most nights.

 

 

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[nelblu]

What else is new. Just look at all of the reviews for Quantum & Anthem. Cruised on both and enjoyed both immensely. I'm quite disappointed that RCL eliminated D Dining.

[bobbythedog]

I have place a deposit on the Ovation for Mar. 19 2017 sailing. But since then I have read so many horrible reviews that I really don't know whether to forfeit my deposit or go ahead with the cruise. Sure don't want to get into the hellish environment as many have described.

.

 

We were on Ovation for 6 nights from Singapore to Fremantle and yet going again on the Tasmanian Cruise on the same ship in Jan 2017....can't be all that bad :)

[JezzaC]

We booked the cruise on Anthem and then started reading the negative reviews. We had our doubts but everything went well and cruise was really pleasant.

 

Based on experience on Anthem, I have also booked cruise on Ovation for 2018, since Quantum class works for me well.

 

Based on that I would say that if the ship seems to suite you - then you could give it a try. Each of us have our own opinions - so shouldn't give too much weight for those.

[WaveSplasher]

I'm on the cruise after you and I'm not worried at all. Just afraid that the shows, activities were be booked out before I even got a chance to get into the cruise planner. The toughest part of booking a Quantum Class ship. But I'm checking daily.

 

I read reviews of the mariner the first time it came to Asia, Bad reviews; but when i went on it, it was totally the opposite. Voyager, though a little bit of a letdown, was still a great cruise in the end.

 

Different people have different experiences and opinions. There are bad reviews of the Ovation, but they have been good ones.

 

Keep the Cruise on the Ovation to use it as a test bed for future Quantum Class ships. If you don't like it you can always go back to the good old RCL ships with the Royal Promenades.

[datolim]

WaveSplasher, I notice you have 2 bookings on the Ovation so you must have a lot of confidence or hope things will be alright in the ship.

Being a local boy here like you I will take your advice and try and pre book everything once I confirm my booking after Jan 11.

Ovation is spending as much time here in Singapore as in Sydney i.e. about 2-3 months. But my sense is it is feeling its way around.

It is one of a few ships station in northern china offering gambling to the Chinese national. Big bucks are made here in the casino knowing the Chinese and Asian propensity for gambling. If there is no change in Chinese government policy on this they may just change their future schedule and cut out the long haul to Sydney. It is a matter of making their most buck for their ship.

[The_Big_M]

Ovation is spending as much time here in Singapore as in Sydney i.e. about 2-3 months. But my sense is it is feeling its way around.

It is one of a few ships station in northern china offering gambling to the Chinese national. Big bucks are made here in the casino knowing the Chinese and Asian propensity for gambling. If there is no change in Chinese government policy on this they may just change their future schedule and cut out the long haul to Sydney. It is a matter of making their most buck for their ship.

 

You're right there about making the most money.

 

As it stands they are making a lot more by deploying to Sydney rather than staying in China, which was part of the motivation for the move. I haven't checked the yields on Singapore, but it's unlikely they would remove the Australian visit - which isn't that far in the scheme of things in any case.

 

These are marketed in China more as shopping tour group cruises, rather than gambling ships, like some other lines operate.

Edited December 23, 2016 by The_Big_M

[riclop]

It can't be that bad.

[datolim]

You're right there about making the most money.

 

As it stands they are making a lot more by deploying to Sydney rather than staying in China, which was part of the motivation for the move. I haven't checked the yields on Singapore, but it's unlikely they would remove the Australian visit - which isn't that far in the scheme of things in any case.

 

These are marketed in China more as shopping tour group cruises, rather than gambling ships, like some other lines operate.

 

Let say first of all that if RCI market the Ovation as a gambling ship they would not be allowed to pick up any domicile Chinese national.

This is what Beijing has done to Genting Dream homeport in Guangdong. They would only allow the Chinese national to go on the 5N cruise and not the weekend cruise to nowhere gambling cruise.

Having said that I think RCI has struck a gold mine with the Ovation homeport in northern China in the summer months. The whole 3rd floor could easily be converted into casino space.

Genting has a ship the Aquarius homeport in Taipei year round so RCI may be able to do the same with the Ovation in northern China. My sense is this would be pushing the boundaries of what the Beijing would allow. You see with gamblers being habitual creatures and it is difficult to service them without year round availability. It is like telling a smoker to smoke for 6 months and stop smoking for the next 6 months.

Ovation has a tremendous advantage over the Genting Dream. They can close off the whole 3rd floor and they don't have a casino. Or they can use the whole 3rd floor as a Las Vegas size casino. Genting Dream casinos are all on the top floors occupying 3 partial floors so they cannot hide their casinos. Hats off to RCI for this fantastic design layout.

Edited December 23, 2016 by SG007

[The_Big_M]

It was to point out that's not their focus.

 

The bulk of their custom is from shopping tour groups, which is how they are marketed.

 

They're happy to cater for the gambling custom, but it's not the focus, nor bulk of their customers.

[datolim]

I don't know if you understand the Dollars and Cents that is involved here.

 

Any Macau casino boss will tell you the casino is The cash register.

Any gambling outlet sanctioned by the government is as good as a license to print money.

 

Shopping is good.

 

But it is the casino that bring in the Billions of Dollars for the company.

Edited December 23, 2016 by SG007

[WaveSplasher]

WaveSplasher, I notice you have 2 bookings on the Ovation so you must have a lot of confidence or hope things will be alright in the ship.

Being a local boy here like you I will take your advice and try and pre book everything once I confirm my booking after Jan 11.

Ovation is spending as much time here in Singapore as in Sydney i.e. about 2-3 months. But my sense is it is feeling its way around.

It is one of a few ships station in northern china offering gambling to the Chinese national. Big bucks are made here in the casino knowing the Chinese and Asian propensity for gambling. If there is no change in Chinese government policy on this they may just change their future schedule and cut out the long haul to Sydney. It is a matter of making their most buck for their ship.

 

I'm using the March cruise as a test for the December cruise. But then again, the way they do it in Australia and Asia is different.

 

You can probably book your entertainment already. RCL rep told me it was 90 days and onward to your cruise date. By the way, the one thing I'm not happy about was that the North Star and the Rip Cord is Chargeable.

 

2017 Season for Ovation in Singapore I belive is use as a test bed for RCL to see if it works. If yes, they will probably do another Ovation season in March/April 2019. If not, its back to Australia and China doing the normal route.

 

With Australia as another emerging market with high yields as well, even with Radiance, Explorer and Voyager there and Celebrity Solstice, RCL will have no doubt keep Ovation in Sydney. It does this so as to capitalize on both markets. China as a Casino, shopping cruise and in Australia during Summer (school holidays I believe).

 

BIG M is right, RCL does not pride itself as a casino cruise line unlike Genting Dream. If they do, Quantum will be having 3 floors worth of Casinos. They are more of a family cruising cruise line. Bumper Cars, Xbox, flowrider, rock climbing.