What Is Going On with Ovation?

[Merion_Mom]

36 minutes ago, BHappy2Day said:

S

 

 

Again, I am happy to see so many stick up for Ovation.  

 

I subscribed to the Hoopster95 thread and read it.  The photos were beautiful, and clearly much work and energy went into this very well done and comprehensive daily report.  

 

Ovation and Quantum are dead last in the RCCL line up overall reviews, which considering the newness and innovation in these ships, surprises me--that's where I am coming from.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/cruiseline.cfm?CruiseLineID=32&section=Reviews

But, posters on this thread discount the reviews, and I guess there is no consensus that a systemic problem exists.

 

That said, I will write a review at the end of my cruise.  I will absolutely have a blast even if there are hiccups on Ovation. 

 

 

The Quantum class ships are different from the rest of the fleet.  Quite a few "loyal" Royal Caribbean cruisers don't do well with "different."  They stubbornly want what they have always known.

 

Some just don't like different.  Some loathe it.  

 

You need to judge for yourself.

[Chiliburn]

I’ve been on ovation 5 times out of Sydney and booked for February again.

when the ship was new I wasn’t very impressed. The crew were hopeless.they didn’t know anything.

last cruise,February just gone .the crew all had big smiles on their faces.very warm and friendly and couldn’t do enough to please. Absolutely fabulous.

[The_Big_M]

4 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Customer service for 30yrs. People are more likely to comment on negative, rare that someone shares a good/great experience

 

While that's true as a general statement, compare the ratings to other ships and you'll see that is not consistently true here.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

10 hours ago, BHappy2Day said:

The majority of reviews of this new and technology-packed ship are very negative, and the reviews are not on par with other ships.  Much of the criticism is focused on ineptitude of the staff.  We are booked for July 26 sailing to Alaska.  I have set my expectations accordingly low.  Does anyone know what is going on?  Is the leadership on the ship just plain bad?  Or is the ship disconnected from Royal Caribbean standards because its sailings have been in Asia/Australia/Alaska?  Anyone with tips on how to enjoy this ship that most reviewers have panned?

After having experienced Explorer - I think the "Asian" ships seem detached from the rest of the fleet.... very low standards... 🙄

[John&LaLa]

12 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

After having experienced Explorer - I think the "Asian" ships seem detached from the rest of the fleet.... very low standards... 🙄

 

Not my experience on Mariner Odyssey.  Had a fabulous time. 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Not my experience on Mariner Odyssey.  Had a fabulous time. 

We had a good time.... but the ship was a total rust bucket! 🙄

Rundown and totally old, worn and torn... 👎

[Biker19]

17 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

 

Rundown and totally old, worn and torn... 👎

Spectrum averages that out. 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

Spectrum averages that out. 

Yeah the rice-barge😁

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, The_Big_M said:

 

While that's true as a general statement, compare the ratings to other ships and you'll see that is not consistently true here.

Also been on Cruise Critic 21+ yrs, seen it all on here. There's been tens of millions on Cruises, very small percent on here. Taking Cruises myself over 30yrs. Know when take something with a grain of salt.

Edited May 30, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[ONECRUISER]

16 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Yeah the rice-barge😁

What does that mean?

[awestover89]

1 hour ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

After having experienced Explorer - I think the "Asian" ships seem detached from the rest of the fleet.... very low standards... 🙄

 

For us that was true on Quantum out of Shanghai, but not on Mariner out of Singapore. Both were catered primarily towards locals, but we definitely felt the customer service was significantly better on the Singapore cruise than the China cruise. That being said, both were still enjoyable.

 

Quantum class as a whole does have a lot of nay-sayers just due to how different it is from the rest of the fleet. We did Anthem when it was new and loved it, although at the time almost all reviews were negative because so many people hated Dynamic Dining (while I'm here still missing it and wishing it had been more popular)

[Merion_Mom]

22 minutes ago, awestover89 said:

 

 

Quantum class as a whole does have a lot of nay-sayers just due to how different it is from the rest of the fleet. We did Anthem when it was new and loved it, although at the time almost all reviews were negative because so many people hated Dynamic Dining (while I'm here still missing it and wishing it had been more popular)

 

 

Amen.

[paradise4me]

We were on the Ovation in December in New Zealand. Ive been on most RCCL ships and the Ovation is my favorite. Dont let other peoples unhappiness contribute to your thoughts. It is a wonderful ship and the staff was top notch! Have a great time!!

 

[CMcJones]

I'll be boarding Ovation next Friday!  I can almost promise you there will be negative reviews about it just because we are a chartered cruise and there seem to be a good amount of folks who just don't know a thing about cruising.  I, however, and really excited and looking forward to the trip and the ship.  We didn't choose this ship or itinerary, but it was a dream trip for us so we hopped on it.  I think if you look closely, with any ship/crew/ports etc you will find negative.  

[Greyt1]

My husband and I were on the transpacific cruise Hawaii to Vancouver, BC. The ship itself was superb. We would go on her again in a heartbeat!  Launched in 2016, the Ovation is still considered new. She is one clean, sparkling ship, with millions of dollars of unusual and lovely artwork. The only thing I didn't care for was the onboard shopping choices. The ship carpenters were still remodeling a couple stores when the cruise started. After a few days, a very tiny RCI logo store opened. It was pretty pitiful. The other closed store never opened....it looked to be opening on the next cruise: the initial Vancouver to Alaska run. A couple stores on Deck 5 were very,  very high end. Didn't see more than a handful of people in them, total, for the whole cruise. 

 

Now, the itinerary. Yes, there were changes. Many. They started in March and kept coming. Truth be told, if the itinerary we actually had was the one initially advertised we probably would not have booked it. Missing a port in Hawaii was major, especially at the cost of this cruise. Weather was the blame for the late tendering in Maui. However, return tendering to the ship from Maui was a disaster. The docking area is either too small, too shallow, or both for a cruise ship the size of Ovation. Couldn't get enough tenders in at once to allow for a decent flow of passengers. We waited in line for 2 hours to board, and it was hot.  Our Captain did get us 3 more hours in port in Maui. Very grateful. The final straw was the port call in Victoria, BC being wacked from a full, long day, to 7 am to 1:30 pm. We were told it was due to a new Vancouver port rule about passing under the Lyons Bridge at a certain time. Many unhappy passengers, and we were amongst them. The passengers were told that they were actually lucky...they could get off the ship that night in Vancouver, at 8 pm, and enjoy more time in the city. What we heard all around us was the full day in Victoria is what people really wanted, not a late night in Vancouver. 

 

On another note, we did not enjoy the main dining room food. It was offen cold, late, and just sad. The Windjammer was beautifully laid out, and the food looked better than a typical RCI cruise. Jamie's Italian was excellent, Chops was okay. 

 

Enjoy your time on the Ovation! She is a real beauty!  And her crew is, too (especially the folks in the Coastal Kitchen. Absolutely top notch!). 

[olivertexas]

On 5/29/2019 at 11:37 AM, BHappy2Day said:

  Anyone with tips on how to enjoy this ship that most reviewers have panned?

Get on board and enjoy!

I took the Honolulu to Vancouver trans Pacific.  While they had some missteps, 95% or greater of our experience was high quality.  But the squeaky wheel gets the grease...

[bonsai3s]

21 hours ago, BHappy2Day said:

Again, I am happy to see so many stick up for Ovation.  

 

I subscribed to the Hoopster95 thread and read it.  The photos were beautiful, and clearly much work and energy went into this very well done and comprehensive daily report.  

 

Ovation and Quantum are dead last in the RCCL line up overall reviews, which considering the newness and innovation in these ships, surprises me--that's where I am coming from.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/cruiseline.cfm?CruiseLineID=32&section=Reviews

But, posters on this thread discount the reviews, and I guess there is no consensus that a systemic problem exists.

 

That said, I will write a review at the end of my cruise.  I will absolutely have a blast even if there are hiccups on Ovation. 

 

 

BHappy2Day....you sound like a very positive person....you'll be fine...no worries.  We were on the Ovation for 42 days and enjoyed every minute of it.  Watching a 5 yr old and a 92 yr old do the IFly with us was the highlight of our trip...young and old, both couldn't stop talking and smiling after the IFly experience.  Happy Sailing!☺️

[BHappy2Day]

Bonsai3s--you bring the cruising discussion to its very heart.  Seeing a 5 year old and a 92 year old having such a wonderful adventure transcends inconveniences.  Maybe reviews are windows inward.  They are useful for hints and tips and we all like to live vicariously at times, but the party is what you bring. 

[HBE4]

On 5/29/2019 at 9:22 PM, BHappy2Day said:

 

Ovation and Quantum are dead last in the RCCL line up overall reviews, which considering the newness and innovation in these ships, surprises me--that's where I am coming from. 

 

 

Some people don't like newness and innovation.  They like same-old and the comfort of predictability. You see that here all the time whenever there is a C&A or RCI rule change. 

 

Go with an open mind and you'll enjoy your cruise.

Edited May 31, 2019 by HBE4

[WaveSplasher]

On 5/30/2019 at 12:10 PM, Biker19 said:

Spectrum averages that out. 

By The Way, Spectrum Maiden Voyage is a one off. It's because it's new, its on a Maiden Voyage and everything is done very nice so much so that the Glitz and Glamour is everywhere throughout the ship. You probably don't see the same thing on every other normal voyage in the Royal Caribbean Fleet. And once it reaches China, everything will change. Even the food menu has changed to Asian cuisine. Probably because that's why Quantum and Ovation are dead last as they spend most of their time cruising in Asia currently and in the past. 

 

That beings said, I love the Quantum Class. I have been on 2 Ovation Cruises and currently booked on Quantum and Spectrum. they seem to excite me in the activities, the technology, her interiors and the ship itself. Service was great on Ovation though not without faults. It didn't stop me from choosing Royal or another Quantum Class again. 

[nednrom]

We have never been on a cruise we have not enjoyed no matter what's happened.  We're looking to our Ovation cruise also. I agree with everyone that new and innovative ships -- We got off the Celebrity Edge and it has the most negative reviews ever! We actually had a great time.  As someone pointed out, you have to take the reviews with a grain of salt and enjoy the experience yourself.

[barbeyg]

We were a bit concerned about booking Anthem for NE last year, due to the negative reviews, many of which talked about how 'closed off' to the ocean views it is.  However, I don't typically follow the crowds, so booked anyway, knowing we would make the best of it.  My response to those who think it's so closed off is 270 and the solarium.  We fell in love with Anthem, and are sailing the same itinerary this year, and Ovation next year to Alaska.  We have no doubt we will have a great time on each cruise.  

 

Reviews are subjective, especially about design and food.  What is huge to one person is minor to another.  We personally are glad we sailed the Quantum class, and look forward to many more sailings on that class.  

 

[bigque]

Man our first cruise back in 2008  was on Sovereign of the Seas. It was before I found out about this forum so I was read reviews from that same place. People that has been around for a while probably remember the reviews that Sovereign use to get back then. After I booked the cruise I thought what was I getting myself into because just like what you are reading it would be 20 bad reviews then there would be 1 good one or on “it’s just alright” review. Well we went and had the time of our lives and it turned us on to the love of cruising. I came real close to canceling that cruise back then but we were glad I didn’t. Like someone else has said I too didn’t read anymore reviews in that section after that 1st cruise. I have written some of my own reviews here in this forum with links in my signature block and  I try to keep it real. For the most part I think you find more balanced reviews here in the forum. 

[Tiggerontheseas]

23 hours ago, Greyt1 said:

The final straw was the port call in Victoria, BC being wacked from a full, long day, to 7 am to 1:30 pm. We were told it was due to a new Vancouver port rule about passing under the Lyons Bridge at a certain time. Many unhappy passengers, and we were amongst them. The passengers were told that they were actually lucky...they could get off the ship that night in Vancouver, at 8 pm, and enjoy more time in the city. What we heard all around us was the full day in Victoria is what people really wanted, not a late night in Vancouver.  

 

Hi!  I am from Vancouver and it sounds like the issue might have been tide times in Vancouver Habour.   Ovation is the largest ship to ever pass under the Lions Gate Bridge (I saw the pictures in Hoopster's review and STILL can't believe that it made it!).  There was probably a very limited time period that the ship could get under the bridge and the ship needed to be there when the tides were right.   I'm sorry your time in Victoria was cut short though - it's a very charming city.  🙂

[Greyt1]

Yes, we were told something along these lines (about the stillness of the water and going under the bridge at a specific point). However, what most folks were wondering was why did this not come into play much earlier. It wasn't far from sail date that passengers received a message on this change. It was simply the final straw, of sorts, of much a changed (within the last few months) port of call itinerary. Victoria is a lovely island, and to have it shortened to an almost worthless stop was unexceptable.