Sydney (Australia) to Australia & New Zealand Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas Cruise Reviews

4.5 / 5.0
757 reviews
LONG Day 8 Saturday - just longingly looking at Hawaii
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A New Zealand Experience that was easily Forgotten
"The Ship is Beautiful no doubt about it, and our special Key Lunch was great Day 1-4 was completely fine (apart from a bit of rocking) and going to the sounds was amazing However, the cracks started to show on day 5, where we couldn't dock in Dunedin due to "high winds", and from a source in Dunedin, these winds subsided early and we could have easily docked later, but the captain still decided not to (I will get to him in a second) Docked in Christchurch and Picton as well however disembarkation and embarkation of the ship was a bit of a pain, considering there were 4000+ passengers on board, Didn't dock in Wellington because again high winds and there was a cyclone nearby (this was understandable) The cabin was fine however, the cabin Stewart tended to be a bit lazy The service was good, but not overly excellent No one could understand the captain over the PA and everything he was saying was a bit of Chinese whispers until the cruise director came on Our Cruise Director Steve was good, however I'm not a big fan of forced audience participation, which it seemed him and his team was a major fan off (felt like I was constantly clapping, cheering and been made to cheer louder, this is just a pet peeve of mine however) The activities staff were all very good, however the activities offered (talking about the game shows) some were extremely lame and boring, Food was all really good, however when it came to beverages, I had the soda package, whist a great variety in the soda machine, halfway into the cruise, most of the uncommon drinks were unavailable, leaving sometimes only coke.weird, I know people left the show halfway through the other thing was internet being a bit on and off most days (which I did expect) Everything else was pretty good in my opinion, and if anyone has enough money, I do think buying the Key is worth it, for the priority embarkation and vip seats itself...."Read More
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NickMan123

2-5 Cruises

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1-10 of 359 Sydney (Australia) to Australia & New Zealand Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas Cruise Reviews


NZ Cruise 2024 - Ovation of the Seas

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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OvationCruiserLily
10+ Cruises • Age Under 20

I've only ever been on Ovation of the seas and have loved it every time, although there has been some disadvantaged like missed ports or medical emergencies, overall it is an amazing ship. There crew onboard ovation are wonderful. They are friendly and very helping. They will tend to your needs and look after to you like home. The activities onboard with sure keep those kids busy aswell as the ...
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Sail Date: February 2024

Traveled with children


Changes since covid

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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davehoo
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

I have been on four cruises with RCL two pre covid two since both on the Ovation The changes I have noted on the last two cruises which were both post covid are Cons A large increase in the fare A large increase in beer prices I only have a couple of beers each day On this ship in March 2023 a 750Mil can of Fosters was US $ 9.75 the last cruise $12.75 an increase of 31 % ...
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Sail Date: February 2024


Nice Ship with Lots of Activities and enjoyed cruise - but note

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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Esa61
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

Cruise was 10 nights NZ : Picton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin as well as Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds. Our cruise 21-Feb to 2-Mar 2024. We were lucky to have Good weather... so could sail through Milford Sounds – amazing. Power points – US Type A and B, and one European Type F (Round pin) .. no AU power points. So bring your own, or ask Stateroom attendant…if they have any ...
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Sail Date: February 2024

Cabin Type: Ocean View Balcony


Hard working, lovely crew, but overrated

Review for a South Pacific Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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hgcruiser99
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

Embarkation in Sydney and ports of call on tenders in Vanuatu was a breeze on this ship. Bravo to the crew, as this sailing was very full. We were in an ocean view cabin on the 7th deck. The cabins are very comfortable, with heaps of storage space. On the first day we were shuffled into the spa and heavily pushed into a treatment, which I booked the 2nd day of the sailing. The spa's prices are ...
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Sail Date: January 2024


One of the best Holidays

Review for a South Pacific Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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JessGee
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

Travelled on this holiday with my husband and 2 teenage daughters. We have cruised before but not with RC and have travelled extensively overseas. This holiday sits at one of the best holidays! The checkin process was very easy and we found ourselves on the boat earlier than expected. The holiday started immediately! Despite the boat being at full capacity during the duration of the whole ...
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Sail Date: January 2024

Cabin Type: Obstructed Ocean View Balcony

Traveled with children


MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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ozpod
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

This was my 9th Cruise, and 5th with RC. We could have done the same itinerary on the same ship immediately before this sailing for about half the price, but we thought this would be "special" being a Christmas / New Years cruise, so we had high expectations. I asked RC on the phone prior to the cruise if there would be fireworks from the ship on NYE. They said yes which i was so excited about. ...
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Sail Date: December 2023


Mostly smooth sailing over the ditch

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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PeterBanyo
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

Last year, we went on our first cruise on Quantum of the Seas and enjoyed the experience of sailing out of Sydney Harbour so much that we booked our second cruise to New Zealand on the sister ship, Ovation of the Seas. We booked an 11 night cruise that visited Picton, Napier, Wellington and Dunedin as well as Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds. Overall, the trip was smooth sailing across the ...
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Sail Date: December 2023

Cabin Type: Ocean View Balcony

Traveled with children


Good cruise except for 1 thing

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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smacka48
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

We chose this cruise so that my daughter and granddaughter could join us. We had separate cabins but next to one another. We were able to have the balcony barrier between the cabins removed which made it like adjoining cabins. Sail-away out of Sydney habour was great and we enjoyed a nice dinner in the solarium bistro as we enjoyed the views. we enjoyed some entertainment then decided to hit ...
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Sail Date: December 2023

Cabin Type: Ocean View Balcony

Traveled with children


Disappointment after disappointment

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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RC_Cruisers_no_longer
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

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. In December 2022, we travelled on an Ovation of ...
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Sail Date: November 2023


A very disgraced cruise.

Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Ovation of the Seas

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Blue Noa
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

I am a Diamond member with more that 18 years cruising with Royal Caribbean. Captain Ryan did not tell the true story about sick passengers. returning the vessel back to Sidney. There was only One sick passenger smiling and shaking hands when getting out from the ship and lot of musicians that came out when we returned to Sidney on Day 3. NONE unconscious passenger as we were told by the ...
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Sail Date: November 2023

Cabin Type: Junior Suite


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