The Good,The Bad,The Tips: In-depth review of Ovation cruise: S'pore-Penang Mar 15-19

[Ronny Tan]

Fitness Activities & Facilities

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[-] The gym and spa were well-appointed, but the spa treatment prices were very high compared to land counterparts. Hence, we didn’t use the onboardf acilities. Menu below:

1. Thermage Body (90min) - USD$2832 - Smooth and tighten wrinkled and sagging skin on the tummy
   
2. Thermage Face & Neck (90min) - USD$2832 - Smooth and tighten wrinkled and sagging skin on the face and neck
   
3. Exotic Lime & Ginger Salt Glow (50min) - USD$111– Exfoliation + Oil + scrub
   
4. Aroma Spa Seaweed Massage (50min) – USD$266 –Aromatherapy + Seaweed mask
   
5. Couple Deep Tissue Massage (50min) – USD$168 per adult
   
6. Couple Deep Tissue Massage (75min) – USD$238 per adult
   
7. Couple Aroma Stone Massage Therapy (75min) – USD$258 per adult
   
8. Couples Exotic Lime & Ginger Salt Glow (75min) – USD$268 per adult – Oil + Scrub
   
9. Couples Lime & Ginger Salt Scrub + Massage(50min) – USD$303 per adult
   
10. Cellutox Seawedd Massage (75min) – USD$381
    
11. Skin consultation (15-30min) – FREE - analyse your skin
    
12. Dysport Forehead Lines (30min) – USD$411 – cosmetic treatment for foreheads
    
13. Dysport Frown Lines (30min) – USD$360
    
14. Dysport Crow’s Feet (30min) – USD$308
    
15. Ionithermie Cellulite Reduction Treatment (50min) – USD$111
    
16. Elemis Body Sculpting Cellulite & Colon Therapy (50min) – USD$128
    
17. Ionithermie Cheek Lift (50min) – USD$163
    
18. La Therapie Classique Hydra-Lift Facial (50min) – USD$122
    
19. Elemis Skin Specifics Facial (50min) – USD$79
    
20. Elemis Oxydermy Facial (50min) – USD$118 - Microdermabrasion, oxygen andan Elemis facial
    
21. Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial (50min) – USD$99 - Wrinkle removal
    
22. Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial (50min) – USD$88 - Fine line facialremoval
    
23. Etc. (This is only halfway through their menu)
    

[TIP] Prices are 30% lower if you book via online Cruise Planner before the trip (price indicated above INCLUDED the 30% discount already!). I also understand that there is a lower rate on port days between 8am and 12pm, and10% cheaper than other times, when most passengers are at land excursions and the spa is less crowded.

 

Shore Excursions

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We did not go for any of the shore excursions at Penang as we wanted to maximise the time spent on ship activities.

[Ronny Tan]

IT

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Royal IQ app

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The Royal IQ app is downloadable from Google Play Store anytime before the trip, but content is only accessible when connected to ship’s wifi-based intranet. When connected to the ship’s free wifi-based intranet, it provided the following functionalities:

1. View daily Cruise Planner and add activities to your personal My Calendar (this is NOT the same as booking of the activity/seats, which still has to be done via another step)
   
2. Book and modify of reservations of activities/shows/dinners
   
3. View restaurant menus (free + specialty)
   
4. View Your Statement (critical to ensure you’re not charged for the Evian bottle you didn’t take from your cabin minibar)
   

 

[TIP] When you first log onto the app, the app will say that you don't need internet access to use the app (although you need to be connected to the ship’s wifi intranet). However, the next immediate instruction counterintuitively directs you to a log-on screen to buy the expensive internet packages. DON’T MISTAKENLY SIGN UP for the package unless you really want to buy the Voom Surf + Stream Voyage –Unlimited Wifi internet access package. Prices below:

• USD $12 for 1 device
  
• USD $22 for 2 devices
  
• USD $31 for 3 devices
  
• USD $39 for 4 devices
  
• USD $42 for 5 device
  

[-]I felt that the Royal IQ App had so much potential but lacked a number of key features andh ence was seriously underutilised by RCCL. I understand that the Royal IQ app will be replaced by the Excalibur app in summer 2017. One of its key new feature is to allow “e-commerce”. [sUGGESTION TO RCCL: While e-commerce has itsbusiness case, I hope that new Excalibur app can fix the bugs and incorporate the suggested features below to make the app more useful to passengers at the same time:]

1. The Cruise Compass timings in the app were not always aligned to the paper Cruise Compass. Show timings could be off by 15min. It seemed that info was uploaded into the app at the start of trip, but not updated thereafter? Printed ones were more accurate.
   
2. Allow not just adding of activities into My Calendar, but also simultaneous booking of activities (e.g. bumper car, roller skate, spa treatment)
   
3. Allow passengers to sign their waiver forms for onboard activities (the app came to a page where the instructions require clicking a tick/Yes button, but there was no tick button! The waiver page seemed to be designed for a webpage that wasn’t properly translated into the app)
   
4. Add alarm reminder for booked activities and calendar activities.
   
5. Included eck plans + Search function for venue location.
   
6. Provide basic timing info such as what time the ship will arrive at port, what time passengers are able to disembark, or what time passengers need to be back on the ship, etc.
   
7. There was a chargeable communications package that allows unlimited texting and voicecalls to other guests onboard the ship for $7.95 on the Royal IQ, but (a) it couldn’t do group messaging, and (b) I felt that this shouldn’t have incurred an extra charge, given that the messaging feature runs on the same “royal-wifi” intranet infrastructure that the app already runs on to deliver its baselineservices. The data bandwidth load for such intra-ship comms should be minimal as it’d likely just be families coordinating their activities. This is vastly different from off-ship internet access, which rightfully should charge extra given that it requires expensive VSAT equipment.
   
8. The app keeps crashing, or rather the “royal-wifi” keeps logging my device out WITHOUT ALERTING me. This means that even when I paid for the text/voice call package, I may not be able to receive comms and I WON’T KNOW.
   

[TIP] A good communication alternative is to stick a Post-It note on the door rather than to use the payable text-messaging function on the Royal IQ app, or walkie-talkies (they are practically useless deep in the ship with so many metal obstructions).

[Ronny Tan]

Photography Services

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Onboard, there are 1 - 2 professional photographers. We saw one taking photos at the restaurants, Dreamworks character appearances and studio set-up along the Royal Esplanade. Photo choosing and collection is done at the Photo Gallery located on Deck 5.

 

[-] Prices were expensive. Price list:

• 5 digital or printed 8x10 inch photos - USD$79.99
  
• 10 digital or printed 8x10 inch photos - USD$149.99
  
• 15 digital or printed 8x10 inch photos - USD$199.99
  
• All digital or printed 8x10 inch photos– USD$249.99
  

[TIP] There’s a USD$25 Early Bird Savings if you sign up for the USD$249.99 all-inclusive package, within the first 3 days of the cruise

 

[TIP] Pinnacle, Diamond and Diamond Plus passengers can purchase 5 printed photos for USD$50.

 

[TIP] Photo-taking of the photos on the numerous LED screens that allow you to choose your photos is prohibited. If they catch you, they will charge the full price to your SeaPass account. This is explicitly stated on signs everywhere in the Photo Gallery.

[Ronny Tan]

Disembarkation

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2nd Last Day

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• Passport collection is done the day before disembarkation. On the 3rd last day, every cabin will receive a paper notice explaining the collection procedure, including where you need to go. Typically, counters are set up at every lift lobby on every deck and you can collect within a given time window. The process is quite speedy.
  
• Disembarkation luggage tags will also be provided together with the notice. You need to put your luggage outside your cabin by 10pm that night, if you want them to deliver it for you to the shore luggage belt the next day.
  

[TIP] Check your statement using the Royal IQ app. It is not that uncommon for items that you didn’t use (e.g. Evian water from minibar) to be charged to your room, according to other passengers’ experiences.

 

Disembarkation day

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[TIP] The paper notice will also state the assigned disembarkation times for different decks. But they may make broadcast announcements as early as 8:15am that people can disembark early because the gangways are still quite empty. I strongly suggest doing so, especially if you’ve already had breakfast. The reason is that the queues during the assigned times are HORRENDOUS! Easily stretching 100m long each for the bow and stern queues, it can take an hour to shuffle through just to reach the gangway that exits the ship.

 

[TIP] It’s faster to carry all your luggage with you and disembark earlier. The assigned timing is more to ensure that those who disembarked can link up with their check-in luggage onshore at the correct time. So if you only have hand-carry luggage, you can effectively leave anytime.

 

[TIP] If you want to leave later than your allocated timing, alert your cabin attendant. They’ll try to accommodate you, but even then, 9:30am is pushing it. They need you to vacate cos they need to clean the room before the next batch passengers check in on the same day by 1pm.

 

[TIP] There is no breakfast room service on the last day.

 

[-] The main cause of the bottleneck (besides immigration control and customs) was the 2 small counters just before each exiting gangway to scan your SeaPass card (to prove that you’ve left the ship. You get to keep the card). Assuming 4900 / 2 = 2450 passengers per gangway, this means each counter has to process 2450 / 2 = 1225 passengers! [sUGGESTION: Move the scanning station to the end of the gangway instead where there’s more space and set up at least 3 counters. Having 1 more counter will cut processing time by another 50%!]

[Ronny Tan]

Billing and Credit Cards

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Q1: If I’ve already pegged a credit card to my Onboard Expense Account online before the trip, do I still need to settle the bill at Guest Services on the last night?

 

A: There is no need to do so. That said, the online linking of your credit card before trip is only half the process. You still need to let them scan your credit card at the shore check-in counter to ensure the linkage is complete.

 

Also, if you still wish to check your bill, you can view your Statement via the Royal IQ app or TV interactive menu.

 

Q: If I’ve already linked my credit card for charging purpose, what if I change my mind and want to use cash instead while onboard?

 

A: This is possible. At any time, you can go to Guest Services and inform them that you want to pay your bill either fully or partially in cash. Note that cash payment must be in USD.

 

Q: How do I minimise unnecessary credit card currency conversion losses?

 

A: At the check-in counter, make sure you tell the staff that you want OPTION B: DECLINE CURRENCY CONVERSION. Under this option, you will be billed in USD and the conversion will via your bank’s exchange rate which is usually better than RCCL’s.

 

 

 

That's it! Apologies for the long read. Hope you all found it useful J

[jasper15]

Thank you for all the effort you have put into your review. There is some good information there!

I have booked to go on Ovation in January.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Thanks for the great review. We're on Ovation April '18 for b2b cruises out of Singapore. :)

[datolim]

I am going to HK in 2 weeks time to go on the Ovation and again in SG in April 2018.

[windjamming]

I am going to HK in 2 weeks time to go on the Ovation and again in SG in April 2018.

 

We're looking at a cruise out of HK on the Ovation. Would love to hear your impressions on the sailing, if you have time. Specifically, we've heard Wonderland is a Chinese-only restaurant.

 

Thanks in advance for any insight!