Ovation Of The Seas

The 2016-built Ovation of the Seas cruise ship is the 3rd Quantum-class Royal Caribbean liner, with sisterships Quantum OTS (2014) and Anthem OTS (2015). Similarly designed are the "Quantum Ultra-Class" Spectrum OTS (2019) and Odyssey OTS (2020).

The vessel (IMO number 9697753) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311000397) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel brand and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Group (RCG/shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All RCI liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 4200-passenger ship Ovation OTS is a Quantum-Class vessel which in size is significantly smaller in comparison to RCI's Oasis-Class.

Decks and Cabins

Ovation Of The Seas staterooms (2091 total, in 33 grades) include 129 Suites, 1436 Balcony, 148 Oceanview, 378 Inside (including Virtual Balcony), and also 28 Studios (Balcony and Interior). Most cabins are sized 180-200 ft2 / 17-19 m2. Most cabin balconies are sized 55 ft2 / 5 m2. The largest is the Royal Loft Suite (1660 ft2 / 152 m2 plus 620 ft2 / 58 m2 wraparound terrace). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 22.

The boat has 16 decks, of which 15 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

The new “Royal Suite Class” booking category (suite accommodations only) provides the ship’s highest paying passengers with the ultimate all-inclusive cruise experience of Royal Caribbean, marked by Coastal Kitchen exclusive access, 24-hour personal butler service, included gratuities, all-inclusive drinks, free Internet and thermal suite unlimited access.

Ovation OTS also has RCI's Virtual Balcony Interior cabins (with floor-ceiling 4K UHD screens that receive real-time video streaming from the ship's outside cameras). Compared to the Oasis-class, Quantum-class liners have larger staterooms, more connected cabins (for families with kids) and Studios (designed for solo travelers).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Passengers on Ovation of the Seas are offered plenty of dining options to choose from, with multiple choices for light bites as well. A total of 25 onboard dining options are available (14 are complimentary). Reservations for all restaurants can be made online ahead of the cruise. Though not required, reservations are definitely recommended to ensure guests get to eat where they want, when they want. Food and service at the main restaurants, Silk, Chic, American Icon, and The Grande, is varied and offers an array of experiences.

Follows the complete list of Ovation of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• The Grande (offers DreamWorks themed breakfast, two fixed dinner seatings and "My Time Dining")
• Chic Restaurant (one of the four dining rooms)
• American Icon Grill (one of the four dining rooms)
• The Silk (Asian cuisine, one of the four dining rooms)
• La Patisserie (speciality coffee and teas bar; offers fresh-made pastries and sweets)
• Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine
• Johnny Rockets (fast food restaurant, complimentary)
• Kung Fu Panda Noodle Shop (a la carte priced Chinese food bar for noodles, dim sum, beverages, desserts). During ship's 2019 refurbishment, Kung Fu Noodle Shop was replaced with RCI's speciality restaurant "Fish and Ships". The restaurant debuted on Independence OTS as poolside a-la-carte priced eatery (located aft-portside on Lido Deck) serving British food - freshly battered cod, crispy hand-cut fries, calamari, cold brews.
• Windjammer Marketplace buffet restaurant (offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 am, Breakfast between 7-11:30 am, Lunch 11.30-3:30 pm, and Dinner 6.30-9 pm)
• Chops Grille (steakhouse/seafood)
• Prime (Chef’s) Table (14-guest capacity, gourmet private dining package)
• Sorrento’s (Italian restaurant)
• Jamie's Italian Restaurant (menu, deck 5) is a 132-seat speciality trattoria restaurant (at surcharge USD 30 pp dinner, USD 20 pp lunch/sea days only) via a partnership with British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver,
• Izumi (73-seat Asian/Japanese restaurant)
• The Cafe At Two70 (casual dining marketplace)
• Coastal Kitchen (Suite passengers only restaurant)
• Solarium Bistro (healthy dining menu “Devinly Decadence”)
• SeaPlex Dog House (complimentary).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Ovation OTS (and all Quantum-Class liners) feature as unique facilities "iFly by RipCord" (skydiving simulator at a fee, reservations are required) and "North Star" (jewel-shaped glass capsule) rising 300 ft (92 m) above sea level for 360-degree views above the ship. North Star is at a fee and also can be privately booked (for special events). At "iFly by RipCord", each passenger is fitted with goggles, helmet, and jumpsuit before jumping into the chamber (1-min sessions). These vessels also have Bionic Bar where "bartending robots" mix up cocktails ordered via a tablet.

If you love adventure, iFly by RipCord is a must-try. The first "flight" for every passenger is free. The Royal Theater hosts the major production show onboard the Ovation. The cruise ship features the DreamWorks Experience - a themed programming in partnership with the Walt Disney Company. This new entertainment program is aimed at families and offers movies-themed DreamWorks activities on select RCI ships within the fleet. The list of special activities includes characters meet and greets (of course, plus photo ops).

Additional amenities include: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Internet/WiFi Access, Supervised Youth programs (Royal Babies, Adventure Ocean, Royal Tots, Dream Works experience), Laundry.

Follows the complete list of Ovation of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Royal Theater (features 3D Movies, aerial acrobatic performances, and Broadway-style productions)
• Music Hall (2-deck high live entertainment venue)
• Two70 Lounge (3-deck high relaxation observation lounge with live entertainment)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; SeaTrek Shop (diving equipment)
• Diamond Club Lounge and Bar (past guests only); Concierge Club and Lounge (suite- and past guests only)
• Amber and Oak Pub (former Michael’s Genuine Pub), Bionic Bar, NorthStar Bar, Boleros (Latin-themed cocktail bar lounge)
• The Via (an area between the boutique shops and restaurants on deck 5, part of the Royal Esplanade; with the Vintages wine bar and Jamie’s)
• Casino Royale; Card Room
• Retail Shops (duty-free)
• Outdoor Movie Screen
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 10 jacuzzis (2 cantilevered); 4 pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Solarium Cafe, pool bar and adults-only pool area); Solarium Bar
• Video Games Arcade; The Living Room and Night Club teen areas; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area; Workshop (family venue); H2O Zone family and kids area
• SeaPlex (sports complex, with roller-skating, bumper cars, circus school, full-sized basketball court); North Star; FlowRider (surf simulator); RipCord by iFly; Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall.

Itineraries

Ovation of the Seas itinerary program is based on Asia cruises with departures from Tianjin (Beijing, China). In 2017-2018-2019, the ship was deployed in Australia for year-round operations with roundtrip departures from homeport Sydney NSW.

In early-March 2018, Royal Caribbean offered promo discount deals for families with kids. Ovation ship's kids' cruise fares started from just AUD 29 / NZD 39 pp per day, while the parents were given 30% discounted fares. The "Annual Family Sale" promotion was available for booking until April 9, 2018, applicable to all Australia / New Zealand itineraries pre-scheduled for the period September 2018 through April 2019. On an 8-night itinerary, quad-share stateroom promo deal prices for adults started from AUD 1690 / NZD 1860 pp, while the children's fares started from AUD 169 / NZD 189 pp.

In summer 2019, Ovation OTS is deployed in Alaska as the first Quantum-Class liner there. Ovation repositions from Sydney AU to Seattle WA (Alaskan homeport), then offers 7-day roundtrip itinerary to Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria (BC Canada). In Alaska, Ovation joins the fleet mate Radiance OTS.

Ovation is Royal Caribbean's third Quantum-class liner, with younger "WOW" sisterships Quantum (2014) and Anthem (2015). There was a possibility RCCL to order a fourth Quantum-class vessel as this option was included in the shipbuilding contract. In the beginning, the Quantum-class had a code name "Project Sunshine".

Ovation OTS entered technical drydock at Singapore's Tuas Shipyard for a routine (5-year) refurbishment in March 2021.

Passenger cabins on all vessels in the Quantum series are ~9% larger than those of the world's largest cruise ships - Harmony, Oasis and Allure, also part of Royal Caribbean's fleet. RCI Ovation features the new "virtual balcony" rooms - a live camera feed showing the passing scenery on an 80-inch / 203 cm floor-to-ceiling HD LED screen. The DreamWork experience and the 3D movie screen are among the other WOWs on board. The ship is designed to be family-friendly, with the latest high-tech equipment currently available on the market.

On February 11, 2011, under “Project Sunshine”, the shipowner Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) announced the order of a new vessel. It represented a new passenger ship class of all three vessels, the first of which (Quantum) was delivered in 2014. On February 29, 2012, RCCL ordered the second “Sunshine” ship - Anthem (launched in 2015).

On January 31, 2013, the new ship class was officially named “Quantum Class”. On this day were also officially announced (for the first time) the names of the first two vessels – Quantum and Anthem. The third vessel (Ovation) was launched in 2016 (float-out from dry dock on February 18). Ship’s Inaugural Cruise (maiden voyage) was on April 14, and the christening ceremony – on June 24 (godmother Fan Bingbing).

On March 11, 2016, the vessel was officially delivered to RCI by Meyer Werft in Bremerhaven Germany. The delivery ceremony was attended by Richard Fain (RCCL's CEO and Chairman) and Bernard Meyer (Meyer Werft's owner). The vessel left the shipyard and was tugged down Ems River on a 26 mi / 42 km long conveyance itinerary from  Meyer Werft Papenburg to Eemshaven Holland (North Seas / Baltic Sea) arriving on March 12 at ~6 pm. Followed the sea trials.

On April 11, 2016, the cruise ship arrived in Southampton England and was docked at Berth 101 (Western Docks). The liner stayed in port for a few days. followed the Suez Canal relocation cruise from the UK to China (Southampton to Tianjin). This 53-day ("world cruise") itinerary was officially named "Global Odyssey". China departures (from homeport Tianjin) started in June 2016.

Among the fun facts is the Royal Caribbean's "Chinese affair" - Ovation is the world's first cruise liner built for China, starting operations in China and christened by a Chinese godmother - Fan Bingbing. The name of the vessel's godmother was announced on April 12. Mrs Fan Bingbing (born 1981) is a famous Chinese actress, TV producer, and pop singer. She is ranked in the top 10 of the "Forbes China Celebrity 100" list every year since 2006. She is number one in that list for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015. Mrs Bingbing is also the first ever Chinese celebrity selected to be the person naming an international cruise line ship.

On June 24, 2016, was vessel's christening ceremony held in Tianjin (seaport for Beijing). Ship's godmother was the Chinese actress Fan Bingbing. Godmother's name was officially announced on April 13, 2016. The naming ceremony was attended by Zinan Liu - President of RCI's "China and North Asia Pacific" branch. In 2016, Ovation OTS joined in China the RCI ships Quantum, Legend, Mariner, and Voyager. This made Royal Caribbean the company with the ever-largest fleet operating on the Chinese market.

During Ovation's 2016 Asia season (homeported in Tianjin and Hong Kong), RCI (for the first-time-ever) partnered with local culinary experts to provide onboard over 20 signature Chinese dishes. Among those were fried scallops, pan-fried fresh shrimp, fish fillets with corn, steamed chicken. Ship's menus were also redesigned (picture-oriented) for more appealing reading.

The list of ship's revolutionary new (WOW) features includes:

• Two70° - this lounge has a 270° panoramic view, includes cafe and ice bar. At night it transforms into a venue for nouveau-cirque-style productions and disco club.
• Bionic Bar (capacity 2 drinks per minute) uses 2 robotic arms to prepare mixed beverages (muddled, stirred, shaken and strained). Those can be ordered via an app (tablets or smartphones). Orders are displayed on large LED screens around the bar. The robotic bartenders use 30 different spirits and 21 mixers (8 sodas, 6 juices, 3 syrups, sugar, mint, limes, lemons).
• SeaPlex complex has a roller-skating sports arena, full-size basketball court, bumper cars, "food truck" (casual dining).
• "RipCord by iFLY" is the RCI's skydiving simulator.
• "NorthStar" is the absolutely complimentary sensational observation tower on the top deck. Its glass-walled capsule is mounted on a long rotating arm to lift small groups of passengers over the Ovation ship's edge (up to 300ft/91m above sea level).
• "RFID wristbands” are created to replace (optional) the old SeaPass cards that allow stateroom access and onboard purchases.

On April 13, 2016, Royal Caribbean announced that Fan Bingbing, internationally-acclaimed Chinese actress, would act as the Godmother for the world’s newest and most technologically advanced cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. The announcement was made by President, Royal Caribbean International – China and North Asia Pacific, Dr Zinan Liu, at a press conference in Beijing at the Great Hall of People. Bingbing is the first Chinese personality chosen to be the Godmother of the international cruise line. She officially named Ovation of the Seas at an inaugural ceremony on June 24, 2016, in Tianjin, China.

Inaugural cruise itineraries 2016

The list of operational regions (destinations) and exact itineraries for the newest RCI cruise ship was officially announced at the end of March 2015. Confirming the Internet rumours, Royal Caribbean home-ported the new Ovation ship in China (Tianjin-Beijing).

After its launch in April 2016, Ovation of the Seas started operations with an almost "around the world" voyage - 52-night long itinerary (officially "Global Odyssey") from the UK to China (Southampton to Tianjin) with Suez Canal transition. This repositioning maiden voyage was divided into several smaller itinerary segments. Before the relocation to Asia (China) the ship offered 3 round-trip itineraries out of Southampton England:

• 2016 (April 14 "inaugural cruise") 3-night to Holland, visiting Rotterdam
• 2016 (April 17-22) 5-night to France and Belgium, visiting Cherbourg, Le Havre-Paris, Zeebrugge
• 2016 (April 22-29) 7-night to France and Spain, visiting Gijon, Bilbao, Le Havre-Paris, Cherbourg
• 2016 (June 28 "inaugural China cruise") 5-night round-trip from Tianjin to South Korea and Japan, visiting Busan and Nagasaki
• 2016 (November 30) 15-night Asia to Australia repositioning from Singapore to Sydney visits Fremantle-Perth (first ever port of call in Australia), also Adelaide and Hobart (Tasmania).
• 2016 (December 16 "inaugural Australia cruise") 15-night from Sydney round-trip to New Zealand, visiting Hobart Tasmania, Fjordland Park, Dunedin, Wellington, Picton, Tauranga, and Auckland.

Itineraries 2017 changes

On April 4, 2016, Royal Caribbean announced that the Ovation ship would return to Australia for a second 2017-2018 season. Also, the ship's maiden (2016-2017) cruise season in Australia would be extended with 4 additional itineraries. In June 2016, during the ship's maiden call in Singapore, RCI representatives announced the ship would be home-ported for its 2017 season in Singapore. Adding the large-sized Ovation to Voyager (May 2017) and Mariner (October 2017) increases the line's passenger capacity in Southeast Asia by 30% over 2016. The other Royal Caribbean Australia ships for 2017-2018 were Explorer, Radiance, Voyager.

As season 2017 extension, 4 new Royal Caribbean Australia cruises from Sydney were added.

• 5-night Tasmania from Sydney (Jan 23, 2017) from $960 pp)
• 12-night New Zealand and South Pacific /New Caledonia, Mystery Island) - Jan 28, 2017, from $2320 pp
• 8-night Tasmania and South Australia (Feb 9, 2017) from $1600 pp
• 3-night Cruise to Nowhere from Sydney (Feb 17, 2017) from $600 pp
• Note: These itineraries are currently not included in the ship's official schedule.

At the end of May 2016, RCI added six more round-trip Australian cruises for 2018, all leaving out of Sydney:

• 8-night Sydney to South Pacific Islands (Feb 18, 2018) from $1450 pp
• 5-night Sydney to Tasmania (departing March 8, 2018) from $1050 pp
• 3-night "Cruise to Nowhere" from Sydney (March 23) from $670 pp
• (two itineraries) 10-night round-trip Sydney to New Zealand (departures March 13 and 26) from $1820 pp
• There is also a 14-night relocation cruise from Australia to Asia (one-way from Sydney to Singapore) - departure on March 26, 2018, priced from $2070 pp.

Ship Facts

• vessel width: 162 ft (49 m), waterline width 136 ft (41 m)
• virtual balcony's LED screen is 80-inch 4K (ultra high-definition)
• jogging track length 436 ft (133 m)
• North Star's height is 300 ft (92 m) and turns every 15 min.
• SeaPlex' bumper cars are 15
• On each voyage, the ship is loaded with fresh fruit (25 tons), fresh vegetables (36 tons), fish (10 tons), eggs (79,000), still water (22,200 L), sparkling water (12,000 L).
• In the vessel's construction were used 37,000 tons of steel, 346 tons of glass. It took 41,600 man hours to build it.
• Engines/power: two Wartsila diesel (type 12V46F, power output 14400 kW each), two Wartsila diesel (type 16V46F, power output 19200 kW each), two Caterpillar engines (type 3516C HD (power output 2500 kW each)
• Diesel-electric propulsion: two ABB thrusters (type Azipod XO, power output 20,5 MW each), plus four Brunvoll bow thrusters (type FU115, power output 3500 kW each)
• A signature feature of the vessel is the top-deck located giant "Mama and Baby" panda bear statue. Together, both pandas weigh around 6,5 tons. As to their sizes (heights), the Mama panda is 10 m ( 33 ft) while the Baby panda is 3 m (10 ft).
• The ship's Captain is Henrick Loy.

All Quantum-class liners don't have Viking Crown (top-deck observation lounge) and an ice skating rink. There are also differences in the Royal Promenade (shopping mall area). Entertainment options are brand new, with many "firsts at sea" present in the line's brochures.