Ovation of the Seas in a couple weeks

[CBVest]

Hey all,

 

I haven't seen many reports from folks being on the Ovation lately. Was wondering if anyone has had a recent experience and, if so, what are some can't miss things that we should be looking forward to? Also, do we need to make reservations for shows (haven't seen a chance to) but we're in a Grand Suite and I know in the past that they had sections set aside for suite guests. Thanks for any info! Totally geeked up!

[deliver42]

I've neber been in a suite, but I'll give you my observations from our September Alaska cruise. The ship is beautiful. You can't book reservations for shows on any Royal ship since restart. My wife did the I Fly and loved it. We wanted to go on the North Star, but the day we had our reservations for it was broke. We made another reservation for the last day, but the wind stopped it, so no luck. If we go on another Quantum Class ship, we'll try again. The food was very good all over, whether  MDR, buffets, or specialties. Enjoy your cruise. Also great crew.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, CBVest said:

I haven't seen many reports from folks being on the Ovation lately.

You can see all the Ovation related threads by using the drop-down menu feature on the main RCI page here at CC.

[Aquahound]

2 hours ago, CBVest said:

Hey all,

 

I haven't seen many reports from folks being on the Ovation lately. Was wondering if anyone has had a recent experience and, if so, what are some can't miss things that we should be looking forward to? Also, do we need to make reservations for shows (haven't seen a chance to) but we're in a Grand Suite and I know in the past that they had sections set aside for suite guests. Thanks for any info! Totally geeked up!

 

I cruised Ovation last September and again in April for the shakedown.  I loved the ship so much I'm booked again for this upcoming September.  

 

No reservations for shows and yes, there is reserved seating for suites.  But don't wait until last minute because they open those seats to everyone just before showtime.  Speaking of the shows, don't miss them, especially Pixels in Two70.  

 

For breakfast, consider Solarium Bistro or Cafe Two70 to avoid Windjammer crowds.  

 

Take in as much of the live entertainment as possible.  They book really good performers.  However, if the Aerosmith tribute band is still on board, avoid them.  

 

Be sure to get up in North Star.  It's free in ports.  

 

[TravelPhotoGeek]

I just finished an Ovation cruise yesterday and am finding myself wishing I were back on the ship.  The shows were good, but they didn't come across as great.  The only one that required a reservation was Pixel's Cabaret in Two70.  That one was good, and I'd recommend getting there early as the show has a better impact from a lower, centralized location.

 

The set and costuming for The Beautiful Dream was also solid and very entertaining.  I'd recommend a pass on Live, Love, Legs as that show had an overreliance on lighting effects, and it went out of the way to choose music and songs that failed to showcase the talent of the cast.  The skimpy costumes for the women in the show could be a draw, but quite frankly the guys stole this show with their supporting work.  This is the same cast as Beautiful Dream, so they have the skills, but not the material for that show.  There were several comedians and a rock cover band for the other nights, which are likely to change in future sailings.

 

There were a few seats reserved in the main theater for suite guests, but these were not prime by my standards, and good seats were always available within 15 minutes of show time even with 4500 on board.  I believe there were a few reserved seats in Two70 as well, but these may have been on the upper level.

 

They had a matinee for Love and Marriage one afternoon in the main theater, which was fantastic for those who did do not want to stay up late for it.  There were also a stream of game shows in Two70 and music and trivia in the Music Hall and Schooner Bar.  All in all, there was plenty of entertainment throughout the cruise.  

 

It could be that we sailed the week after the President's Cruise, but the MDR staff was on top of it.  Great service and the food was solid the days we choose to eat there.  There were no signs of staffing shortages or shows cancelled.

 

The downsides that I can note is they seemed to have an issue with the hot water with the temperature going from Lukewarm to scalding the last 2-3 days and no hot water yesterday when we disembarked. In Skagway, we had to tender due to the issue with the rockslide, which resulted in delays getting off and about a 40 minute wait to get back on the ship.  I'd recommend booking a ship excursion that day if the dock is still out of commission.   

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I'll try to get back.

 

 

[justKirbo]

Very pleased you started this thread. We'll be on the Ovation in September and I'm eating up all the info I can find (I've done the drop down menu already looking for recent Ovation posts and also noticed that there aren't many new ones).

 

We haven't cruised since 2019 and we're ridiculously excited to get back on a boat.

[Ozark_Kid]

This was are experience in May.

 

[CBVest]

Thank you all, you have given us some awesome tips!