Ovation of the Seas in Star Class out of Asia (6 April sailing)

[calypso17]

After lurking around for a while, I finally decided to post a review of our Ovation cruise, primarily because there is so little information on these boards about Quantum and Ovation in Asia. I hope this helps those looking to sail on this very beautiful ship in future.

 

We are currently onboard for a 4-night cruise to Phuket and due to disembark tomorrow. It is our first time trying out Star Class - I had gotten contradictory information from both these boards and RCL Miami about whether the Royal Suite Class programme was available for SG sailings during the 2017 season and can confirm it is (a little late as there are only two more sailings including the repositioning to Tianjin before the ship changes to the Golden Suite Class programme that Quantum currently operates).

 

As DH had to work and DD only finished school at noon, we missed early boarding (and lunch), arriving at the cruise centre closer to 2pm.

 

First glimpses of the ship. She was docked next to the Diamond Princess.

 

Our genie had sent us a sign to be printed and placed on the vehicle window for access right at some VIP aisle but it worked out to be the same place as our previous cruises anyway.

 

Our sailing had a lot of locals and I am guessing that they were all taking only half a day off work so the embarkation line was VERY busy. However, a very friendly young man quickly came over and said he would lead us through boarding. At the luggage scan, we got our bread confiscated (apparently we would have been able to keep it if we were on Princess but not on RCL) but it was otherwise smooth. We were then directed to the priority check-in line.

 

I had tried to print our set sail passes the day before but was unable to do so - the system told me it was too late even though online check in had been completed. The girl at the counter gave me a disbelieving look and then had to ask her supervisor what to do (I guess there aren't many errant folks in this respect but I swear we did try to print it and it was the first time we had failed to do so!). We had to fill out a lot more forms than before but it was not much more of a bother.

 

We were then whisked to a holding room that had some snacks and water and within a minute were greeted by our genie Sunil, who took us past the boarding queues, on to the ship and right to our suite. Our vacation had begun!!!

 

TBC as it is 730am now and I have to go jog off some of the million calories (and counting) consumed over the last 3 days.

 

 

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[datolim]

I was on the Mar 19 5N to Phuket and had a wonderful time. Boarding was a walk through with a few minutes in the holding area. I arrive early at 11.45am and was surprise they just check me in, no waiting. I stayed in an inside as I wanted to experience their new virtue balcony. It is good and I would say it is equivalent to a window. Book for next year cruise on board as they would only do 1 cruise in Singapore. Book balcony as I love to sit in the balcony and feel the wind in my face.

[debshomespun]

We will be visiting Phuket in November on a 5 day, 4 night land trip from Singapore. Can you let us know what you did in Phuket while visiting there? We plan to go to the Big Buddah, and to explore the Phi Phi Islands. Did either of you go there? How about any of the Temples, or the Nightlife (if you were there in the evening).

 

We will also be taking a 14 night cruise in Asia on Celebrity Millennium. Looking forward to seeing the part of the World. Sounds like you both enjoyed your cruises very much.

[datolim]

I am a local here so I will answer as best I can.

Phi Phi island is 1 of the most beautiful sight anywhere. It is 2 islands with mountains join by a strip of land and white sandy beach. I was there more than 10 years ago before the earthquake/ tsunami so I don't know what facilities and development they have now.

For someone from the US James Bond island like the locals call it would be interesting to you as the scenery is very good with a cave only access to a hidden lake.

For night life there is the Simon Cabaret a transvestite show on Patong beach which is worth seeing.

Temples and big Buddha you come across everywhere in this part of the world.

Patong beach itself should not be missed as the white sandy beach is surrounded by a horse shoe formation of mountains and is the main tourist destination in Phuket.

Edited April 9, 2017 by SG007

[calypso17]

We will be visiting Phuket in November on a 5 day, 4 night land trip from Singapore. Can you let us know what you did in Phuket while visiting there? We plan to go to the Big Buddah, and to explore the Phi Phi Islands. Did either of you go there? How about any of the Temples, or the Nightlife (if you were there in the evening).

 

 

 

I think it depends on the group you're travelling with. With kids, you could consider Fantasea for evening entertainment. We went to Monkey Hill this time round - there is a small temple there as well. Phi Phi is great but I wouldn't do it with kids. There're also cooking schools all around if you like that. Have fun - Phuket is a wonderful relaxing destination!

 

 

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[Biker19]

At the luggage scan, we got our bread confiscated (apparently we would have been able to keep it if we were on Princess but not on RCL) but it was otherwise smooth.

 

I had tried to print our set sail passes the day before but was unable to do so - the system told me it was too late even though online check in had been completed. The girl at the counter gave me a disbelieving look and then had to ask her supervisor what to do (I guess there aren't many errant folks in this respect but I swear we did try to print it and it was the first time we had failed to do so!).

I gotta ask - you tried to bring a loaf of bread onboard?:confused:

 

Printing of the Setsail pass is sometimes cut off a couple of says before the cruise.

[calypso17]

I was on the Mar 19 5N to Phuket and had a wonderful time. Boarding was a walk through with a few minutes in the holding area. I arrive early at 11.45am and was surprise they just check me in, no waiting. I stayed in an inside as I wanted to experience their new virtue balcony. It is good and I would say it is equivalent to a window. Book for next year cruise on board as they would only do 1 cruise in Singapore. Book balcony as I love to sit in the balcony and feel the wind in my face.

 

 

We had a glimpse into one of the virtual balcony rooms and it looked great! Very spacious. The prices for the sole cruise in 2018 are a little high and we have cruises booked on Symphony of the Seas and on Celebrity and Crystal cruise lines so we are holding off for now.

 

 

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[calypso17]

I gotta ask - you tried to bring a loaf of bread onboard?:confused:

 

 

Lol not a loaf! Because we were boarding late and would be missing lunch, I had bought some buns for my kids just in case they were hungry (DD elder finished school at 1230 and didn't have lunch). They didn't eat them however so I was left with them at check-in.

 

 

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[calypso17]

Stepping on the ship, we took a collective gasp at the decor and ambience of the Royal Esplanade. It was modern and sophisticated without being cold and aloof.

 

Throughout our cruise, the colour theme of this ship would stand out with its chic - I wouldn't mind if my house were designed along similar lines lol.

 

Our genie brought us to our grand loft suite on deck 8, which we liked very much...ok that was an understatement; we loved our cabin.

 

 

 

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[datolim]

We had a glimpse into one of the virtual balcony rooms and it looked great! Very spacious. The prices for the sole cruise in 2018 are a little high and we have cruises booked on Symphony of the Seas and on Celebrity and Crystal cruise lines so we are holding off for now.

 

 

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I book on board for Ovation April 09 2018 studio balcony at USD969 5N cruising solo.

 

In fact I am so exited about Ovation I book Ovation HK-HK Oct 17 2017 5N studio balcony at USD1142 cruising solo.

This second booking is through a local TA and it incudes gratuities, taxes, fee etc.

[debshomespun]

Thank you for your quick replies. Myself and husband will be visiting Phuket and we are staying at Patong Beach. We will definitely go to the Phi Phi Islands by speed boat. Fantasea looks fun. And we also thought about going to the Simon Cabaret show. We love beaches and seeing the culture. Thank you again!

 

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[calypso17]

Our cabin was superbly appointed and very spacious, bed and pillows were extremely comfortable. Our group of 5 needed the two bathrooms so that was a big plus. The only negative was the master bath. No it wasn't that there was no bath tub - we aren't bath people per se so the shower suited us. The shower area was fantastic, with two shower heads, both with good pressure, and large bottles of L'occitane amenities.

 

However, what disappointed was what we perceived to be a simple design flaw - there was only a single sink.

 

One would have thought it obvious that the sense and utility of having two sinks would have made its inclusion a given on the final bathroom layout. Sadly that was not the case. Also, the sink/tap combination that they used was not great. The sink was shallow and tap was high, resulting in a wet floor each time we washed our hands or brushed our teeth. Our conclusion was the master bathroom was a true case of form over substance.

 

That was a small detraction but for completeness, I think it should be mentioned. Hopefully the newer vessels will fix this (although this being the third Quantum ship, there would have been opportunity aplenty to do so already).

 

One point about the location - I was initially disappointed that we had to take the deck 8 suites as those on deck 10 were unavailable with the exception of the much smaller corner grand loft. We ended up loving the location. It made going down to 270, the theatre and the Esplanade and specialty restaurants so much easier and also made the stairs a true viable alternative whether up or down. I think if we had been in deck 10 or on our original deck 11, the urge to use the stairs would be much much less. So yay for having moved to deck 8! A puzzling thing though was the noise filtering through. I had thought we weren't near to any pub/band/disco as we are sandwiched between stateroom decks but there was a fair amount of noise each night. It must be somewhere with live music (going on now as I type) but we haven't been able to figure out where it is coming from.

 

I will next touch on the food, service and activities of this ship. Feeling post-cruise withdrawal symptoms already even though there is still a whole night to go!

 

 

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[calypso17]

Ok re the noise filtering to our cabin, that's from 270 - just looked at the deck plans again and realised the last floor of 270 sits just below us. That explains it.

 

Food

On this very short cruise, we ate once at Windjammer (lunch...it was ok, not bad but not great), had two breakfasts and two dinners at Coastal Kitchen and also dined at Chops, Wonderland and Jamie's Italian. We also obtained our chocolate fixes from Le Patissier and tried the Kummelweck sans bun from Cafe 270.

 

Food was one of the more enjoyable we have had in recent memory. Our thoughts for CK was that the quality of the products was not as high as that used in Luminae on our recent Celebrity cruise but the execution of the dishes and the use of seasoning were less loud and in your face. I hesitate to use the word refined as I do think Luminae has more refined cuisine - I just felt the chefs onboard Ovation did a very good job drawing the best out of the ingredients.

 

The lobster in Chops was superb. We would typically not have ordered it as there is an upcharge but being in Star Class, everything was included so we tried it and were well pleased. It made the lobster at Coastal Kitchen pale in comparison.

 

Wonderland. This was our second time, following the first on Harmony. One thing we noticed was that they've changed the menu to make it less cryptic; one now knows what each dish is compared to a year ago when everything was a total mystery. The food was still interesting but our thoughts remain unchanged in that it's great to try it once but once is enough. I was amused that our waiter tried to temper expectations by saying that since the cuisine is "imaginative", not everything would be to our tastes. We liked the liquid lobster, beef, pork and yoghurt lollipop. The whole place reminds me of a Johnny Depp movie (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Doubt we will return.

 

I was hesitant to try Jamie's as I have had it twice in Singapore and had written it off with the uninspiring food. I was glad DH really had a craving for Italian food. It turned out to be the speciality restaurant we most enjoyed this cruise. We had the most wonderful waiter and the food was all-round excellent. Pasta dishes were all nicely al dente, the calamari was crispy and you didn't feel the oiliness of the dish, the kids enjoyed their fish fingers, chicken lollies and spaghetti bolognese. The desserts were all very good as well and the lemonade hit the right notes in balancing tartness and sweetness.

 

The candies at Le Patissier were good - I particularly liked the milk chocolate tablet and the chocolate eclair but everything on display was good. The fabled kummelweck roast beef was awesome but I had too huge a serving. The waiter obviously wanted to start carving a new slab so loaded my plate with all that was left over. I had wanted to try the roast beef at Michael's Genuine Pub but this left me with beef overload and I just couldn't do it. Maybe next time.

 

We didn't eat at the MDR this time round but I saw from Royal IQ that prime rib was available! This contrasted with our Mariner cruises last year when prime rib did not make any appearance at all throughout the respective voyages.

 

 

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[duriankia]

Your posts are making me look forward even more (not sure how that is even possible) to my cruise on the Ovation tomorrow morning!

 

How/where did you get the kummelweck beef without the buns from? I'm a huge carnivore so the extra beef wouldn't faze me... :D

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Thanks for the review. We're on Ovation April 2018 RT Singapore and Singapore to Tianjin.

I'm curious about Golden Suite Class. Can you share details on how it's different from Royal Suite Class? We plan to spend 2-3 nights in Singapore pre-cruise and would appreciate suggestions on Must Sees and areas to stay. We're looking to book a hotel by month's end.

[calypso17]

Your posts are making me look forward even more (not sure how that is even possible) to my cruise on the Ovation tomorrow morning!

 

How/where did you get the kummelweck beef without the buns from? I'm a huge carnivore so the extra beef wouldn't faze me... :D

 

 

Enjoy your cruise!! We are sad to be getting off and not sure when we will next return. Our next cruise is a long four months away on the Voyager. If you haven't booked iFly and North Star via the Cruise Planner, do so immediately upon boarding. Lots of people didn't have a chance to do either.

 

I just asked the server if I could have the kummelweck without the bun. He most willingly obliged:)

 

Thanks for the review. We're on Ovation April 2018 RT Singapore and Singapore to Tianjin.

 

I'm curious about Golden Suite Class. Can you share details on how it's different from Royal Suite Class? We plan to spend 2-3 nights in Singapore pre-cruise and would appreciate suggestions on Must Sees and areas to stay. We're looking to book a hotel by month's end.

 

 

I don't know much about it. All I know is there are no genies; 4 concierges take care of all the suite guests. There are also no Sky class (free internet) and Star class (almost all inclusive) perks - everything has to be paid for. But in your case, you will not be affected as they start from RT Tianjin cruises proper. There is only a one liner in the RCL FAQ:

 

 

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[calypso17]

Actually, Suzyluvs2cruise, I am not sure if Ovation in 2018 will have the RSC. Sorry I read wrongly and thought you were sailing this season. I won't ask you to check with RCL at this juncture because that's what I did for my cruise and was given lots of confusing contradictory answers (FAQ suggested yes, RCL booking page said royal suite class on Ovation would end after 27 Jan 2017 (it still does) and RCL agents gave both yes and no). Even the genies were initially told no before being informed otherwise. I am glad they reinstated it for the 2017 season and hope they do so next year as well.

 

Things to do in Singapore - gardens by the bay, eating local food, night safari, river hongbao (?) etc. We also have the trickeye museum, a large aquarium and Universal Studios all located within Resorts World at the edge of Sentosa. Have fun planning!

 

 

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[datolim]

Thanks for the review. We're on Ovation April 2018 RT Singapore and Singapore to Tianjin.

I'm curious about Golden Suite Class. Can you share details on how it's different from Royal Suite Class? We plan to spend 2-3 nights in Singapore pre-cruise and would appreciate suggestions on Must Sees and areas to stay. We're looking to book a hotel by month's end.

 

One interesting thing you may want to do is to try this Trishaw tour.

http://www.trishawuncle.com.sg/html/tours_experiences/tours_experiences_01.html

Apart from seeing Singapore without walking your legs off you experience travelling in Singapore in the bygone years.

A note of the cultural difference between the west (USA) and east (Singapore\) is the tipping policy.

Singapore tourist promotion board says tipping is illegal in Changi Airport and in the 5 star hotel tipping is not recommended as it is already in the service charge.

[calypso17]

A note of the cultural difference between the west (USA) and east (Singapore\) is the tipping policy.

 

Singapore tourist promotion board says tipping is illegal in Changi Airport and in the 5 star hotel tipping is not recommended as it is already in the service charge.

 

 

This is interesting - could you point me to where it says tipping is illegal in Singapore? It is the first I have heard of it, even though I do agree that people in Singapore do not tend to tip over and above the service charge and there is no need to do so. This article here even mentions the STB saying tipping is welcomed for good service so I am a little confused by what you've just said. http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/to-tip-or-not-to-tip-when-you-go-on-holiday

 

P.S. I see now that it is in Changi Airport where the staff are prohibited from accepting tips. I can see where that is coming from but I am not certain restaurants in Changi are bound to the same rules.

 

 

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[suzyluvs2cruise]

Thanks SG007 and Calypso17 for your suggestions. I'm early in the planning stages and appreciate all the suggestions.

[datolim]

At the Airport

 

For services rendered at the airport, it's actually prohibited to tip. From shop clerks to servers to baggage handlers, all receive wages instead of relying on gratuities. At Changi International Airport, gratuity-free services range from baby care rooms to left baggage areas, convenience stores to medical clinics. The same rule applies at dining areas, including sit-down restaurants.

 

Hotels and Restaurants

 

Most of Singapore's hotels and restaurants will automatically include a 10 percent service charge in the bill. Check whether your bills include the fee and, if they do, refrain from leaving any additional gratuity. If the bill in a hotel or a restaurant catering to tourists and does not include a service charge, tipping is optional. Leaving around 10 percent is more than adequate, as a gesture of thanks for good service. However, you needn't leave anything for poor service.

[duriankia]

Enjoy your cruise!! We are sad to be getting off and not sure when we will next return. Our next cruise is a long four months away on the Voyager. If you haven't booked iFly and North Star via the Cruise Planner, do so immediately upon boarding. Lots of people didn't have a chance to do either.

 

I just asked the server if I could have the kummelweck without the bun. He most willingly obliged:)

 

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About to pack up the last few items and leave for the cruise centre! My next cruise will probably be sometime next year :(

 

I've already booked those activities a few months back, scheduled to be on iFly later this evening! :) Just a little worried about my dinner timeslots as it shows the "late seating - book onboard" thing in my cruise planner.

[calypso17]

One thing on this 4-nighter was that there wasn't any formal night. The various dining areas maintained their respective Casual / Smart casual dress codes throughout the cruise. Whereas our last Mariner cruise saw folks sauntering into the MDR in racer tank tops and shorts on Formal Night, this cruise had much more appropriately dressed guests in general. We saw a Korean group all decked out in their traditional costumes one night and there were a few long gowns here and there. It was nice to see!

 

Activities

This being a Quantum class ship AND a short sailing, the was no lack of activities onboard - the problem was a lack of time to try them all. Apart from the iFly, the North Star (the latter only went up and down and not to the side except when it was in port in Phuket), and the activities at the Seaplex, there was always something going on. There were adult colouring classes, origami sessions, napkin fold demos planned throughout the day. I also didn't feel like the hardselling was too bad on this cruise. The gym was crowded in the mornings and it was a shame that the only classes available were a usd35 boot camp and a usd10 yoga class. The cruise compass erroneously printed a TRX session on day 2 but when I asked, the resident fitness professional said it wasn't available. I took to running on the open air track instead which wasn't bad as the weather held. The Seaplex is brilliant - we managed to try bumper cars (they scan the seapass card of every child to make sure they are over 5; turning 5 this year doesn't cut it) and roller skatkng and it was all good fun.

 

Speaking of cruise compass typos and misinformation, we had a fair number this cruise. For example, the hours for Michael's pub was printed as 11am-1pm and it was only on the last day that I realised this was wrong and they served food throughout the day. An excuse to return to this ship!

 

We managed to catch Pixels, The Beautiful Dream and two headliner acts. They were very entertaining, with extremely high production values. Beat the shows on Celebrity and the older RCL ships hands down. The two headliner acts were tenor Connor Bogart and balloon artist Syan. Both were great.

 

Service

We had great service for the most part. The crew always had a ready smile and seemed to genuinely love interacting. They didn't seem too stretched or tired. Our Genie Sunil was fabulous. He really made things happen and followed up on things. If you read the description of what the Royal Genie is supposed to be, you would be describing him to a T. He simplified our vacation by being a single point of contact for everything and it was truly much appreciated.

 

Other miscellaneous information would be the number of Crown and Anchor members onboard. We had 4000 passengers of which 507 were C&A members. There were 43 platinum members of which 21 would turn emerald after the cruise, 8 emerald of which 3 would become diamond after this cruise, 27 diamonds of which 1 would turn D+ after this cruise, 5 D+ and 3 pinnacle members on board. During the C&A top tier event, the Captain presented tokens to the two pinnacles (each with 840 points!) who had achieved milestones and a bottle of champagne to the top pinnacle onboard (he had something like 900+ points!). It was our first cruise as diamond members and we felt very small indeed LOL. We made use of the diamond promotion for photos and bought 5 photos for $50 together with our two free photos so our new status did come in helpful!

 

In closing, this was a wonderful cruise and a lovely introduction to the Quantum class ship as well as Star Class. If the price is right, we would absolutely book Star Class again - as it is, we are booked on the Symphony next year in Star Class and cannot wait.

 

I hope this has been useful for those of us who will be on the Ovation - it's a great ship that we don't get to hear much of on this boards and we are privileged to have her ply our waters.

 

Happy sailing all!

 

 

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[calypso17]

About to pack up the last few items and leave for the cruise centre! My next cruise will probably be sometime next year :(

 

 

 

I've already booked those activities a few months back, scheduled to be on iFly later this evening! :) Just a little worried about my dinner timeslots as it shows the "late seating - book onboard" thing in my cruise planner.

 

 

Hope everything sorts itself out. Your sailing is apparently v full so arriving early is wise. Would be interesting in hearing your thoughts on your cruise!

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for sharing.