Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas

I’ve cruised with RCG close to 30 times with 6 more to come for 25/26 season. Needless to say I’ve enjoyed my cruises however every single cruise there has been a problem with certain aspects of each booking, be it OBC missing, Casino Free Play missing, Next Cruise Bonus credit missing, the list goes on. The onshore call centre staff are less… Read more

than helpful and eventually I get it sorted but the time it takes is considerable, but I persist as I have the time to do so.

This year I’ve initiated 3 chargebacks against RCG through my financial institution and all 3 were found in my favour.

When I cruise I document everything and take staff business cards to support my attempts to resolve onboard any issues.

My advice is to be thorough by taking photographic evidence and ask for written documentation.

RCG will try their best to negate their responsibility but good solid evidence is a good solid argument.

Refer to ACL, (Australian Consumer Law) to support your claim and don’t accept their version unless you are satisfied it is correct.

Finally, check and double check what they say with dates, times and by who as most times if not all, it is false as the staff wouldn’t know and try to bluff you.

Good luck.

Discriminated Against because of Disability – My disabled daughter was not allowed to use the indoor pool because she needs a flotation device to keep her chest above the water. Left sitting in the pool lift chair as employees waited for supervisor to arrive. Pool surrounds were packed with other guests watching the saga proceeded, my daughter was humiliated and felt she was part of a freak… Read more

show. No inclusion for the disabled on the Ovation of the Seas. The pool sign does not stipulate flotation devices are not allowed.

Inconsistent… as is life – I should frame this review with my experience and expectations. This was my first cruise ship but not my first time spending this period of time living on a boat for a holiday. I journeyed with a party of 12, half of whom were under 18. I personally had no desire to go on a cruise ship but tried to go with an open-mind and gain what I could from… Read more

this life experience.

Royal Caribbean, Ovation of the Seas is a massive, predominantly American influenced ship with 16 decks and many features that are documented and reviewed far and wide. I am trying to not repeat what you can find elsewhere. I understand the boat takes around 4500 adults but apparently junior sailors are not counted the same way and are on top of this. ‍I heard counts of 1600-1700 kids on our particular cruise (15-23Jan2025) and the boat certainly felt full-on at times!

For me, it often felt like a crowded shopping centre that allows street drinking to a bunch of people who walk on whatever side they are familiar with while swiping furiously upwards, negotiating stairs and corners and frowning if their path is impeded. I met some wonderfully behaved and polite children around the ship who were coping well without supervision. I also experienced the other side of kids running around corridors, knocking on doors, taking DND magnets and Room Service orders at all hours including after the stated 1am curfew for those under 17. The sound proofing on the rooms was mighty good but didn't quite stand-up to the abilities of the self-focused party-goers!

Probably the number one contradiction of the trip was focus. There is huge focus on the boat for young people which is superb, but then there is also a focus on alcohol consumption. No issue here, I don’t mind a drink, but many adults struggled with their desire to do it all and either took kids to adult areas, casino, shows, pubs or let their kids run around unsupervised (often in groups) at all hours of the day. The results were heart-warming... not!

The rooms - and we had 6 of them - two with balconies and 4 internal - were modern, basically cleaned and well appointed. There was no need to bring hangers, there were plenty and more were available. There were ample drawers and storage and our suitcases fitted easily under the bed. We were able to fully and neatly unpack in an organised manner, significantly better than the much larger apartments we are now staying in which are 2x2 with a kitchen! The ‘nice to haves’ are magnetic hooks and a hanging line. There were 3 x 110V US power outlets and 1 x 240V Euro power outlet, fridge, kettle and a good variety of lighting options. I found the rooms comfortable. The pillows were a mix of hard and soft. The bed was semi-firm and I needed a folded towel to support my hips but was otherwise comfy. The showers had great pressure and temperature. The water tasted fine to me and I was happy to brush my teeth, use our water-flosser and eventually to drink. I had no ill effects even with a stomach that seems capable of finding bugs whereever they hide! The air-con turns off when you open a door and I found it hard to control. The temperature setting is in Fahrenheit (reported temp in both) and seemed to work, albeit slower, even when I turned the fans off.

House-keeping was great but they seemed to be _really_ great for others. I'm not sure what the expectations are for tipping as it's not part of our culture, so we just left US$10 a day. It got me smiles and hellos but none of the folded animal towels, gestures or gifts (robes, champagne, backpacks) that seemed to grace the other rooms. I don’t understand why tipping is related to assets I'm sure the staff don't pay for.

Staff on-board were plentiful and all of them very pleasant (at least one of our party said this was there No.1 like for the cruise) but there were distinct gaps in language. I asked many questions only to get blank stares of incomprehension or incorrect answers. I'm not sure what language they use behind closed doors or how real emergencies would proceed with this gap in communication. How do the staff communicate with panicked guests when time is of the essence and they can’t speak or understand English normally?

We had a feature called 'The Key' which gave our group certain entitlements. One of which I understood to be early luggage delivery to the room, this was stymied by the luggage not being marked on the way in. I asked two of the staff in the terminal how this should work and was told the staff will work it out - errr no!

Speaking of the terminals ‘The Key’ seems to make boarding and alighting an easier process with shorter queues. I didn’t enjoy the bark of some of the terminal staff trying to keep everyone moving, especially when you have a large group with younger children and other handlers are splitting you up. They risk upsetting people at the start or the end of a voyage and most of it was simply unnecessary as everyone was doing their best in confined conditions.

Australian Border Force however were courteous, even and consistent as you would expect. In the light of issues in other places right now, I’m all for keeping our borders strong, so as the Yanks would say, ‘thank-you for your service’.

There were also services on-board that were granted by one set of staff but then not honoured by others. All sortable but always at our effort. Whilst there were many examples of faulty comms, most of mine just led me on wild goose chases and kept me fit climbing up and down the staircases!

Onto eating… Like everyone I suspect, we had a set time for our party in the main dining room each evening, but we also had a welcome lunch as part of 'The Key'. After seating at this lunch, I got my first taste of on-board upsell. I get it, but timing is everything and selling your wares to sleep deprived travellers who have just planted their derrière's on a seat after a long morning is poor form. The food also left a poor first impression and I was immediately concerned…

As an aside and with regard to drinks packages, a beer or can of pre-mix seemed to cost about US$10 with cocktails starting around the same point. I drink far more coffee than alcohol and actually really enjoyed both the free black Lavazza coffee and the paid for Starbucks 'speciality' coffees.

Even though we had the quasi-permanent dinner booking at the main dining hall, I found we had to loiter in the hallways till all of our party were present before we were allowed to be seated. If you missed the time slot you had to eat elsewhere. The first night we went, they had accidentally given our table to someone else, other times there was a frantic rush by staff to arrange tables after we had been made to wait in the halls.

In contrast was the WindJammer Marketplace. This buffet-style dining hall had a huge variety of options and whilst not all were to my taste I could nearly always find something good to eat including vegetables and fruits. From time-to-time it was very busy and finding a large table could be challenging. Never quite sure why 2 people sit down at the big tables but that is a universal people problem! The crew also seemed fine with you taking food back to your room and offered covers to help keep the food warm. Nice when you have a sleeping toddler.

As opposed to the main dining room and Silk, I looked forward to seeing the smiling attendants at the entrance to WindJammer who ushered everyone to wash their hands before eating. I think this is a great idea. Think about when you go out to eat and what the last 10 things you touch are before you sit down to eat, cars, doors, phones, elevators, bags, wallets, shaking hands...

In terms of the main dining room and Silk, the food seemed to be pre-prepared as opposed to a la carte! One morning in Silk, I ordered 2 poached eggs on toast for breakfast, got the wrong breakfast first, the wrong colour toast second and then cold toast at the end, one egg was runny and the other was hard... inconsistent! lol The poached eggs from the WindJammer however were hand picked by a staff member from the hot water. Perfect!

WindJammer blew the included a la carte restaurants out of the water for food (choice and quality) and service IMHO. If anything, I wish it was open anytime rather than at particular times, but it was no hassle.

We also tried a few of the paid eateries including Chops Grill (great) and Izumi (impressive but rushed).

The WindJammer also highlighted the best of the cleanliness on-board where the crew monitored and replaced serving hardware at the slightest hint of contamination. Elsewhere on-board there were hand-sanitiser stations everywhere and the crew constantly cleaned the bannisters on the stairs. Conversely our toilet brush came complete with a previous tenants waste and the layers of dust and hair suggested that certain areas of the room hadn't been cleaned either during, before or probably before the previous tenant's stay.

There was also the adult-only Solarium at the front of Deck 14. This had a smaller buffet style breakfast that was also pretty good. When I say adult-only that is of course except for the parents who think rules don't apply to them and set this example to their children. This is another example of a big inconsistency on the ship. Rules and staff. Staff would walk past children in the adult area and say nothing. I found plenty of things in the app or on the TV that described how things should be done only to find a different reality from the staff. Shout out though to the staff member who made a scantily dressed teen cover up for dinner!

There are two banks of elevators and stairs (for guests). If you are at the front of the boat, then I suggest walking along your own floor to the rear bank rather than trying to negotiate deck 14. There is also another walkway under the tenders and life-boats that might suit.

Paying for stuff... Like most hotels and holiday resorts there were extras, and like many, these could be expensive... One of our 16 year olds was feeling stiff and sore after travelling and asked about a massage. I enquired only to be told he could have one providing an adult had one too, at a cost of US$250 each for 90 mins.

One of our party had a paid hair and make-up package but had to supply her own make-up and the hair didn't survive the trip to get dressed! Waste of AU$325!

You also can't buy a Covid RAT test on-board, if you contact medical (opening hours 8-11am and 4-7pm) with a concern, they'll tell you that a RAT test will cost you US$255 (AU$400) but only if you are negative! Seems a strange philosophy to me.

Any form of medication from lozenges US$10 to kids antibiotics (Amoxicillin) US$126 are expensive on-board. Weighing this cost against your luggage allowance may be worthwhile. It might be worth asking on one of the group chats to see if anyone has spares, we did and a lovely lady helped us out.

I mentioned speciality coffee before... The pre-paid cards can be great value if you want to drink small (~250ml) coffees. Large coffees 'cost' two stamps but were only about 20% more if paid for with real money. Odd. I just drank more small coffees!!! They were great and occasionally strong - so good for West Aussies who like a Long Mac!

Speaking of health and medical emergencies on-board, our cruise experienced an emergency on-board that had knock on effects to the cruise. I was very impressed by the decision to prioritise the well-being of whoever was taken ill and I wish them a speedy recovery. I was less impressed by the supposed crew's disrespect of that person's privacy and the subsequent rumours that circulated among passengers (online and on-board) concerning their issues and the reasons the crew made their choices. Yes, we all lost the ability to visit Mystery Island for a second time, but we also didn't visit Port Vila due to the earthquake. The area I think that we did get impacted was the much slower cruise home that made the last few days aboard feel rockier than the way over probably due to the slower speed of the boat. Save the Waves.

My last health observation is in a world that has largely banned smoking, smoking was allowed on deck 14, on the port side, mid-ships, of the kids pools and slides. This is also a common path to the WindJammer. This was hideous. Smoke doesn't stop at some invisible boundary!!!

Exercising… I did less than intended in some ways but many more flights of stairs which is harder than I expected. I drink an amount of water and whilst working out where to refill a water bottle wasn’t obvious, there were fountains on the running track and providing you used a glass, for sanitary reasons, the crew seemed ok with you topping up bottles in the WindJammer. Again, I saw a number of people who can’t read the signs or just simply don’t care.

I only got one run in on the running track. A GPS watch will claim you are faster than Kipchoge and even when you are running towards the stern you will be moving forward! If you’re a runner then the ~550m track on the 15th deck is an awesome way to see the sunrise. It can be a bit windy up the front but this adds to the experience! Loved it, such a cool idea but forget trying run there when the sun-loving people come out and watch-out for party-goer follow through if negotiating after dark. Yuk!

The basketball fans in our party were disappointed with the availability of court space which was shared with other sports and activities. Two of our talented youngsters didn't get an opportunity to show-off their skills due the three available competitions being focused on older people. There is always going to be a compromise with activities. My observation is there were multiple places to drink alcohol, eat and be entertained but only one place for ball type sports, skating, slow bumper cars, archery etc. With so many younger, boisterous people (school holidays in Australia) cramming into one place this felt out of balance on this cruise and I'm sure many, including those in our party, missed out due to larger, more forceful people and the inadequacy of a good booking system to make things fair.

There were multiple swimming pools but no option to swim and the gym (5am-11pm) was for adults or those with adult supervision.

Technology... Even if you wanted to, getting on OotS there is an assumption that you will be using a mobile phone. You don't get to escape even if you want a tech break as the Royal Caribbean app provides the easiest access to information on what is happening and when.

I knew about disabling 'roaming' (data) and had turned off 'mobile data' completely but was surprised when I got a warning about using maritime mobile coverage costs when I received a text... I rapidly turned on 'Aeroplane mode'!

The on-board Wifi (unsecured) worked 95% of the time and the same infrastructure seems to be shared between users and TVs. Both broke at the same time!

The Internet package which is ultimately Voom worked ok for light use. I disabled all the background app refreshes to keep my phone as responsive as possible but it was still bursty.

The T's and C's, Privacy Policy and Purchase Agreement for these services are very (unreasonably?) long but worth reading.

OpenVPN (UDP) worked ok but Wireguard services didn't for me. I needed to allow 4 websites - 'login.com', 'onboardicafe.com', 'logout.com' and 'logoff.com' to bypass so I could sign-in. Not sure on the logoff/logout as neither obviously worked for me and both were documented separately. I just logged in on a second device which logged me out of the first when I chose not to buy extra connections…

We used an external communications app to stay in contact with our group on-board as opposed to the chat built into the RC app (due to the privacy policy and because using it would require you to disable any VPN). The RC app suggested disabling the VPN but I saw no ill-effects from ignoring this!

My overall summary of my first cruise-ship holiday... I am incredibly grateful for the experience which was really only marred by the behaviour of people and by the inconsistent service(s) from a huge crew rather than by a wonderful floating resort (slightly larger, than a massive aircraft carrier!). It really just represented a microcosm of normal life!

Its like being confined in a packed shopping centre – Went on a 10 day south pacific cruise starting 2nd of Jan 2024. Was really excited as this was my first cruise...unfortunately it will be my last. The Bad: Over crowded. This ship is massive, which is great, but possibly 1000-2000 people over crowded. Way too many people, for the facilities the ship offers. People jam themselves into elevators… Read more

like sardines with no consideration of personal space or health. Reason being I think is because the lifts don't work properly on this ship. You literally have to wait MINUTES and MINUTES to catch a lift.

The pool and adult area solarium. This once again packed with people, there is no point in going in the pool unless you just want to stand the whole time because you can't swim around. For the amount of people the ship has, it should have had way more and bigger pools. The adults solarium is like a turkish sausage fest. Its like watching people cook themselves.

The food was just below par, for the premium price you pay to go on RC, I would have expected much much better quality of food. For example the food felt stale and old. The windjammer restaurant, why is there only one buffet on the ship? For this size ship there should be two, one of each end, because people just pack themselves into this place. It should be called peoplejammer. The entertainment was average. Spectra's Cabaret. WTH is that? The show made no sense, I walked out after 15 minutes. The ifly...you only get 1 free flight..thats it...even if no one else books it in..what a joke.

RC billing system. Get this. I cancelled a fully paid RC shore excursion, two weeks before the cruise (fully paid months before) because they changed the port arrival time. Thinking I would get a refund, instead what did RC do? They deduced the excursion cost from the full payment of the cruise which I already paid for. So I got a bill from RC that I owe RC $270 for the cruise. After speak to RC on the phone for hours, their only way to "Fix" this issue was that I had to pay the $270 to finalise the cruise bill (even though it was already paid for) and then I will be refunded $540 in a few weeks. How pathetic is that, I had to pay for something that I was supposed to get a refund for. Luckily RC did refund the amount, but the way this was done, is truly bad.

The duty free on the ship, is pretty crappy, don't even bother.

No water filling stations throughout the ship unless you go to the 3 or 4 of the coca cola stations on the ship....that is pathetic, not to have water filling stations through each level.

Only spending 1 day at a port, this is not enough time, by the time you get off the ship, you have to get back to the ship, because you have this thought at the back of your head that you don't want to miss the boat.

The tv channels in the room. Pathetic, for a large American ship, have some decent USA channels, and movies especially for kids, you'd think you'd have more variety, but you don't, a lot of the channels is RC just advertising stuff for you to buy.

The wifi / internet ...my god, for the premium price you pay, its really bad.

The RC app, I did find this good, however is does have its security issues. For example its setup so you can't message kids under 13 years of age, but you could still do this, and secondly, why not give the app the ability to message your own kids...(come on, that is so silly that you can't message your own kids a ship this size).

The Good.

The room attended was great, he did a magnificent job.

Our dining room waiters and general staff are great. They do a fantastic job, so have to say their service is good.

There are few activities for kids to do, like the seaplex area, with bumper cars, and rock climbing, and ping pong, but they do get quite packed too.

The early morning sunrise arrivals at the islands, they were breath taking, or the sunsets.

Overall Would I again go on a large RC cruise. Definitely not. Way too many people, and the 10 day cruise takes to long to reach one of the islands, waiting 3-4 days out to see to reach a island where you spend less than a day is a joke.

A Disappointing Cruise Experience with Royal Caribbean – I recently embarked on a 10-day round-trip New Zealand Cruise with Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas, and regrettably, the experience fell short of my expectations in several aspects. Here's a detailed review of the various issues encountered during this voyage: 1. Lack of Activities: The cruise lacked a diverse array of engaging activities,… Read more

leaving passengers with limited options for entertainment. This deficiency contributed to a sense of boredom and dissatisfaction among passengers.

2. Poor Service: Service on board was subpar, marked by a noticeable lack of attentiveness and responsiveness from the staff. Enthusiasm was lacking, failing to meet basic customer service expectations.

3. Communication Issues: Throughout the journey, there were significant communication gaps. Vital updates, schedule changes, and other crucial information were inadequately conveyed, leading to confusion and frustration.

4. Digital App Troubles: The Royal Caribbean digital app proved to be unreliable and inefficient, hindering access to vital information and services. Technical issues detracted from the expected seamless experience.

5. Limited Food Variety: The variety of food options on board was disappointingly limited, contributing to a monotonous dining experience. The absence of diverse culinary offerings diminished overall satisfaction.

6. Poor Organization: From embarkation to disembarkation, the overall organization of the cruise left much to be desired. Lapses in efficiency and coordination created a sense of disorder among passengers.

7. Inadequate Remuneration for Missed Ports: Compensation for missed ports was inadequate, leaving passengers feeling undervalued and adding to overall dissatisfaction.

8. Ineffective Cruise Director: The cruise director failed to effectively engage and entertain passengers, resulting in a lackluster performance that significantly impacted the overall atmosphere.

9. Poor Boarding Process: The boarding process was notably deficient, causing unnecessary delays and inconvenience for passengers. This inefficiency set a disappointing tone for the start of the cruise.

10. Room Key Placement: Room keys were left unattended next to the cabin door rather than handed to passengers, raising security concerns and deviating from industry standards.

11. Hotel-Like Operation: The cruise operation felt more like a hotel than a cruise, with bags left outside hallways in disarray. Lack of proper organization added to the perception of a poorly managed cruise experience.

12. App Technical Issues: The digital app continued to be a source of frustration, regularly crashing or glitching. This technical unreliability impeded passengers' ability to access essential information and services.

13. Paid Activities Dominance: The prevalence of additional costs associated with nearly all activities on board, coupled with limited free options, created a sense of frustration. It made the cruise feel more profit-driven than a relaxing holiday.

14. Inadequate Activities During Sea Days: When additional sea days were incurred, Royal Caribbean failed to provide adequate free activities, relying solely on paid options. This disregard for passenger experience intensified disappointment.

15. Repetitive and Poor Quality Buffet: The buffet in the Windjammer lacked variety, with repetitive offerings and a dearth of fresh food. The reliance on processed options left much to be desired in terms of culinary quality.

16. Last-Minute Survey Interruptions: On the final two days of the cruise, staff interruptions for a survey felt intrusive and tactless, disrupting what should have been enjoyable moments for passengers.

17. Overly Attentive Staff Begging for Tips: During the concluding days, a noticeable shift in staff behavior, marked by an overly attentive approach and active solicitation for tips, created an uncomfortable atmosphere. This contradicted the expected level of consistent service throughout the entire cruise.

In summary, while there were undoubtedly moments of enjoyment during the cruise, the overall experience was marred by these numerous shortcomings.

There to take your money – My expenses on the cruise were $667.44USD. They charged my card $2136.71AUD. How does that work. Now they are not answering the phone. Great holiday for someone, not me. Screenshots attached. Big con job. Show details

great way to cruise – had another transpacific trip. last year did brilliance of seas ...it was better. havnt done ovation before and will have to modify activities befor go next year. The solarium is a little bit disappointing as the pool area is multi level shallow pools designed for drinking and lounging. There is another pool area covered next door but it cops the… Read more

smoke from the outdoor smoking zone which is pretty full on!!! once again the chair hoggers are in the 100"s and something need to be done about it...dont know what but yeah. cabin attendNT WAS NON EXISTANT...MAYBE JUST A ONE OFF BUT LUCKY TO HET OUR ROOM DONE BY 4.30 IN ARVO WHICH WAS PAINFUL ...ooppss caps.... will sail again as ship is very clean, food is very good and generally a great way to cruise

Bad cruise lines – Beautiful ship but after the cruise is over they take out of your account more than double what one spends and didn't go to any of the destinations that where booked for, Tasmania is not in the south pacific last I checked!!!! and no compensation for going to to a dump like Hobart where I never had any desire to go And only found out of the… Read more

destination change after the ship left port will never travel with royal Caribbean again I think I can do better on other cruise lines oh and this is the second time On royal Caribbean and have been on 8 other cruises with p&o so I know what to expect ,

Major Failure Royal Caribbean – Quantum-class ship not for 65+ cruisers. Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas & Anthem of the Seas. 4,082 people departed early November with 900+ Babes in arms to U'16. Every night, kids running, banging on doors & screaming down the hallways. Chat in the pubs most night was, why are school kids not in school. Spoke to cruisers on every… Read more

floor to find they are having the same problem. This Yank Tank does not care if you are an Aussie. NO Melbourne Cup, Cricket, League or Rugby shown at anytime on Pub TV's or in rooms. 3 Aussie news channels covered the US election 24/7 for 5 days. Lines 3 deep at most bars, long queues waiting to get in any of the 3 dinning rooms. The solarium was packed from 7.00am in the mornings until 9.00pm every night as the other pools were full of kids. I was lucky enough to get a 2 person lounge chair near the windows just outside the solarium, we stayed for 3 hours & noticed the lounge chairs each side of us had towels on them BUT had not seen anyone use them in all the time we were there. I questioned a staff member about chair hoggers rule that Royal Caribbean displayed around the pools & he just laughed. We had a 9.30am departure time, so we got in the line at 9.00am, it took me 1hr 45min before I walk out the front of customs. Asked 1 customs officer if this line up was normal ! His reply - YOU ARE ON THE LARGEST SHIP TO DOCK IN SYDNEY & IT WAS FULL, THIS TERMINAL WAS NEVER DESIGN TO CATER FOR SUCH NUMBERS.

I was a Diamond class, Crown & Anchor Society member. Voyager of the Seas x2, Radiance of the Seas x 2, Grandeur of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Brilliance of the seas, Celebrity Solstice x 2, Celebrity Edge x 2 & Ovation of the Seas.

While RCCL keep bringing big tanks to Sydney I'll not sail with them again.

Back to Princess Cruises

Dumped and stranded in the noumea riots!! – The food was great. The service staff lovely, but the organisation of everything else was terrible. They left us stranded in noumea during a riot. They left us in mystery Island vanuatu with no food. Both experiences were irresponsible and dangerous. I wrote to the company twice and all I got was a pre fabricated"sorry".... I was not happy and… Read more

would prefer to use princess cruises or anyone else. Also the entertainment on board hadn't changed for over 12 months, as noted by another passenger, and the activities on the boat were only about selling junk from their stores. Lines were excessive and they ran out of chocolate ice cream!!!! Poorly managed. Avoid if possible

Worst child care services – Extremely unqualified kid childcare staffs , rude, cold, unhappy and bad communicators. There were 4 staffs in room of about 8 -10 kids but none was playing or interacting with the kids but just looking in blank or down on the floor or just sitting down doing nothing . We were like all others parents when dropping off our kids were not greater… Read more

with hi , hello but unhappy manner and felt like we had to beg for their service . Some other kids were cried first time coming g in but staffs just either rejected them or just ignored them ! In the youngest room ( nursery - untrained toilet) which charges $6 USD per hour ( which not states in website ) , kids were not given activities but just got to watched TV whilst staffs sitting down and look out to the door !

The strange things are they were all had a short or nearly incapable of having a normal conversation but aggressive voice and no eyes contact and if any will be just told told the parents off !

Staffs were mostly females about 6 whom appears very sad and angry ! So unprofessional, so cold, unhappy , no ever a smile or any kind words being spoken, Two males staffs were on the other hand very caring and kinds. Speaking to the female manger was also worthless as she kept repeating same lines all over again (sorry sorry )without being able to explain, acknowledge or any actions . We paid nearly $5000 for 10 days cruise which has the worst child care experience compare to the other cruise which is much lower in prices.

Maybe this Ovation of the Sea Australia is not for family with young kids !

Not quite what you think it willbe – We went on a family holiday, 9 night criuise to the Great Barrier Reef, opting for a state room with a large balcony, 4 of us with two teenage boys. The cabin was fine, and the service provided by our attendant was great. Food wise it was hit and miss in the main dining area, some dinners were great, some felt mass produced, but I guess when you… Read more

are providing dinner for 4700 passengers it would have to a production line. What we didn't realise is the costs of some of the entertainment provided, for example, the North Star is only free on days in port, and you need to compete with so many to get a spot, on days at sea you pay, for a family of four for 15minutes thats A$400. The iFly fly, is A$100 each for 2 minutes of actual time in the simulator. The free activaties like basketball courts were always crowded, my sons gave up trying to get onto the courts due to large groups playing, and staff weren't attentive to try to accomodate individuals trying to have a go. The swimming pools are tiny and over crowded, so we never swam much. It felt as though RCC is trying to make up for revenue lost during Covid. We have't cruised for 10 years, and it felt like a money grab. Not sure I'll be cruising again anytime soon.

Too crowded and poorly designed ship – I'll preface this review by saying I went on a Carnival cruise in late 2022 which had a much older ship and about 1000 less people. This Royal Carribean cruise was a royal disappointment. I went on a 9 night cruise from Sydney to Cairns and back. Entertainment There were only two major entertainment venues and they were never running at the… Read more

same time. This meant that if you wanted to get in you had to compete with nearly 5000 other people. The shows repeated a few times which meant you might get a spot for the repeat shows, but it also meant that if you'd seen it before you had no new professional show/ entertainment that day. Compared to Carnival which had a new comedy show and a stage show every night, this was hugely disappointing.

One of the venues they bragged about costing lots of money and being high tech, but the tech failed, the shows were boring, and the seats were poorly arranged so not many people could fit and you couldn't see much. A children's GUEST dance troupe was the best show of the cruise.

Food The lack of options for restaurants was very poor. There was only one bistro that was often packed, a pizza place, and a fish and chip shop. The fish and chip shop had a dollar sign next to it in the app so I didn't figure out it was free until the end. Compared to the Carnival ship there were fewer food options which I didn't expect given it was a much larger ship.

Room My interior room was quite nice except I kept getting woken up by banging noises in the early morning. I thought it was the staff but the noises started before their start time, which means it must have been from the neighbours (I could literally feel my bed shake though which makes me think it was something else). I wasn't near the lifts and had only cabins above and below.

Money Everything was in USD even though the cruise was only in Australia. Literally why?

Main facilities There was kids everywhere and not enough 18+ areas. I didn't get in the main pools once because they were full of children and the adults pool was only 2 foot deep. It was hard to find a quiet spot on the deck without hearing kids screaming.

Meanwhile, the kids / teen areas took up massive amounts of space that could have been used for another pool, a second buffet, another stage... literally anything else. Even the main pool deck was half taken up by a kid's water play area that I barely saw being used.

Sport / Exciting Entertainment They had dodgem cars, a wave rider, rock climbing wall etc, which was all fine if you wanted to wait at least an hour to use them for a couple of minutes.

Service Service was great except for the people who worked in the 24 hour free cafe (that just had a small selection of food available from the buffet) who seemed miserable all the time.

Ports We spent overnight in Cairns but the tender didn't start as early as promised on the second day (no poor weather or anything) so some people missed their tours. Willis Island was on the list on places we would cruise to but no announcements were made about it until after we'd passed.

In summary; overcrowded, lacking entertainment, full of children. I'm going to stick with the P&O group.

Never again – Food poisoning, poor service, lined up for everything for long periods, no pool chairs or seating ever available. Witnessed 2 fights due to long line ups. Excursion lines were far too long and not well organised. No internet available for most of trip. Cross contamination a real issue with celiac daughter. They promised prior to cruise this would not be an issue.could go on & on worst holiday we have ever had and expensive mistake Show details

Disappointment after disappointment – My family and I are Emerald Crown & Anchor Loyalty Members who have been on multiple cruise vacations with Royal Caribbean totalling nearly 60 nights. My parents, whom we travel with, are Diamond Plus Members who have spent more than 175 nights at sea. However our last two cruises have left us completely disillusioned and unlikely to book again. … Read more

In December 2022, we travelled on an Ovation of the Seas cruise of the South Pacific. Unfortunately we chose not to disembark at the first stop in Port Vila, Vanuatu but the next morning we were informed the ship had engine trouble and was returning to Sydney which resulted in us spending ten consecutive nights at sea. During this time, the stark differences between this cruise and our pre-Covid cruise experiences became glaringly obvious including reduced room service (from twice to once a day), less entertainment options, longer wait times in the dining rooms and diminished food quality. On our return to Sydney, the entire family contracted Covid and we missed Christmas celebrations. Despite the less than satisfactory and extremely disappointing experience, we decided to put the cruise credits we were given towards our dream trip to the Sounds, New Zealand on Ovation of the Seas which departed Sydney on 23/11/2023.

Unfortunately this vacation did not go as planned either. After travelling for approximately one and half days we were advised that we were returning to Sydney for a sick passenger… a decision difficult to understand due to our physical location. We were then notified that as a result we would miss Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound and Dunedin. We were compensated $150 USD per Balcony stateroom (our family had booked three) and $100 USD for a fourth Interior stateroom. This token payment of less than 7% of what we paid in total was sorely inadequate for missing in our minds the highlight of the trip - the Sounds and a major port. We then proceeded to Wellington but inclement weather meant that we turned around at the last minute and headed to Napier. This was despite local media reporting that the Wellington Harbour Master believed we could have docked.

Effectively we missed five out of a possible seven itinerary attractions, the three Sounds and two ports and spent six consecutive days at sea. Whilst no compensation was offered for missing Wellington, even worse was the total disregard of our feelings and almost disdain we faced from Guest Services staff who said “we saved a life, you’d want us to do it for your family” and “you won’t be compensated; check your contract we don’t have to”. Acknowledgment of disappointment and financial loss would be a much more appropriate and empathetic response. As a result of the itinerary changes on this cruise, we spent nine days at sea out of a possible eleven with a limited number of onboard activities to fill the time. Several movies were played over and over again and shows repeated on different nights. Interestingly, after turning around at Wellington, it took more than three hours to add even just a few extra activities to the Daily Planner.

For anyone considering a Royal Caribbean cruise, there are no guarantees you will reach your destination and limited or no compensation for itinerary changes (even when there are multiple in the one trip). Furthermore if you travelled pre-Covid and are considering another Royal Vacation, you may be disappointed as we found that there is totally no comparison between the Royal Caribbean cruises we went on prior to 2018 and our last two experiences on Ovation of the Seas. Finally, I don’t believe customer feedback is valued as we have made numerous attempts to reach out to Guest Experience Management but no one has yet responded to our request for a call to discuss our experiences.