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Excellent time on the Ovation


jacketwatch
"Great ship, great service"

Overall Rating: Excellent

TRIP INFO

Sail Date:12/07/2017
Destination:Other
Departed From:Sydney
# of Nights: 9-10 Nights
Cabin Type: Balcony
Sailed As: Couple

RATINGS

Food:<p>blank</p>
Itinerary:Very Good
Cabin:Very Good
Entertainment:Good
Overall Value:Excellent
Spa/Fitness: Very Good
Embarkation: Excellent
Debarkation: Excellent
Staff/Service: Excellent
Overall Rating: Excellent

COMPLETE REVIEW

We had booked the Ovation last yr. only to have it cancelled by RCI as they chartered the ship to a private party. Must be nice. :biggrin:

We received $150.00 OBC and sone other compensation which was supposed to be 2 bottles of wine and two plates of chocolate covered strawberries which were in our stateroom upon arrival. However for what ever reason the hits kept coming. :laugh: We ended up with two more bottles of wine, two more plates of chocolate covered strawberries and a fruit basket. Wow!

Prior to embarking we spent two days in Sydney, flew to Brisbane for two more day to see our niece and her hubby and daughter, back to Sydney for a day before embarkation. We chose to stay at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney before embarking as it was a short walk to the ship and as it turned out its all down hill so even with 4 bags it was quite easy.  Embarkation  was delayed for an hour due to norm on the ship prior to our cruise so it needed intensive sanitizing. We were fine throughout the trip and heard of no one becoming ill though that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Throughout the voyage the Capt. made periodic announcements about free medical care for gi distress should it occur.

Embarkation was a breeze. Royal now has iPads the staff uses in lieu of paper work so it went quite fast. No more filling out forms about gi distress, etc. 

We had requested first seating at a large table when we booked which was at least a yr. prior but were given my time dining. This was puzzling but were were able to get first but only at a table for 4. 

Food is always subjective. I don't expect fine dining and we did not use any of the fee restaurants. Our MDR food was fine really. They staff went out of their way to meet my woes Indian food choices though there were Indian items on the menu every night. She did ask for special breads and deserts which they did make for her.

The ship itself was clean and well appointed. As its fairly new she looks her age. 

Even though it quite large, about only 35-40 feet smaller than the Oasis class and much lighter. It did not seem for the most part that the lines anywhere were too long except at times for guest services and for professional pictures. 

Shows were pretty good. Pixels is fabulous, a must see. We saw it twice. The Royal troupe put on only two shows but they were excellent. Its two bad they did not do more. There were other "headliners" too and they ranged from good to fair really. 

Throughout the ship you had various venues with smaller bands and in the back of the ship at the 270 theatre there were a few shows as well that were pretty good. I just wish the main theatre group would have performed more than twice. 

Our over all level of satisfaction was quite high as the personnel really went out of their way to meet your every need. 

Disembarkation was also a breeze.

We had to miss cruising through the NZ Sounds as planned to avoid a storm unfortunately but we barely felt a ripple. 

Our port stops were all in NZ, Dunedin, Wellington, Napier and Picton. NZ is a beautiful country with verdant hills, forests, a lot of wineries and very friendly people. 

Any questions please ask! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




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Actually yes. Picton was very nice. First of all is green, hilly and lush.  Its also quite small and it seems our bus driver knew just about everybody on the road he passed. And it has a fabulous WW I aviation museum sponsored by Peter Jackson with perhaps  2 dozen planes, many of which were so poorly designed they were flying death traps. Was amazed to see so many different types. 

Napier was very cool too. It was destroyed by a 1931 earthquake and rebuilt in art deco style which persists to this day. It also has many vineyards. NZ is known for quality wines, especially the whites like Sauvignon Blanc. I am more of a red fan and I did bring back a Cabernet Sauvignon from a winery we visited. It was ok but I prefer the Cali CS I get here. It was explained to me that its just not warm enough there to grow  the CS grape to make world class wines but the whites are world class. 

 

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Thanks for sharing your experience on Ovation. Did you see (or do!) any of that fun onboard stuff - North Star, Ripcord, Flowrider? What did you think? I've gotta get myself on board sister ship, the Anthem - I have no excuse, as it's just 4 hours away by car, in New Jersey. Sounds like an amazing trip!

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