It’s been many years since I sailed with Royal Caribbean but the cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver on Ovation of the Seas seemed to be a perfect mix of port and sea days. As I hadn’t visited Hawaii before it was the winning option for vacation.  Traveling from Philadelphia to Hawaii is a long flight and rather than fly direct from Newark in coach (13-14hr flight), I chose to break the flights up by flying in/out of Seattle (visit/stay with friends) as the cruise would end in Vancouver, an Amtrak ride away.  I then purchased a one way first class ticket on Alaska Airlines from Seattle to Honolulu.  It was a good compromise, cost effective and by crediting British Airways for the Alaska flight, I would hit elite status with British Airways.

Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas departed Sydney, Australia on its transpacific journey to Hawaii on its way to Vancouver for the Alaska sailing season which starts in early May. I would join the cruise in Hawaii while many were onboard for back-to-back sailings from Sydney to Vancouver and a few were going on the third segment to Alaska. That meant there were many Australians onboard who were escaping their fall/winter season to travel to the US for an extended time. I met a few traveling abroad for six months in the US, Canada and South America.

Hawaii Cruise Port – Check In

From the Westin Moana Surfrider hotel, I ordered an Uber to the cruise terminal. Since I had bought “The Key”, I was to have a special check in area but that was closed for renovation so I was directed to general check in area. Given that “The Key” has early arrival time of 11am-11:30 am the general hall was full of staff but lacking passengers so it was easy to navigate and be directed.  I had checked in via the Royal Caribbean app so had my sail pass in my phone that needed to be scanned.   I met a staff member who scanned my code and directed me to the escalators to the ship.  Easy breezy.  When I think of all the times crammed into terminals waiting to check in and then boarding, the online option makes check in so much easier and reduces the stress.

Royal Caribbean “The Key” Lunch

As I boarded the ship and scanned my code again, I made my way to the Main Dining Room for “The Key” lunch.  This is a special lunch for key cardholders and the menu is from the CHOPS specialty steakhouse so folks often look forward to and consider this a highlight of the Key.  When checking into the dining room, I was given an envelope with a list of all Royal Caribbean The Key benefits and times. While I was reading the info sheet, my carryon baggage was taken from me to be delivered to my room so I could wander the ship unencumbered until the cabins were ready (usually between 2-3pm).

The Key lunch was at shared tables, ours was a table of ten and one family of three ending up leaving so the three couples and me shared stories and asked the standard cruise questions. It was a good way to get my cruise ship bearings as I hadn’t sailed on Royal Caribbean in a few years.

Ovation of the Seas Tour

Once lunch was over, I bid adieu and wandered this Quantum class ship to find the many restaurants, wine bar, theatres, library and of course the spa. I was quite engrossed in the massive art collection that covered the ship – in the elevators, on the stairs, in the common areas and outside on the top deck. The ship also had a plethora of pool options – outdoor and indoor, a children’s pool area and the adults only solarium.  There would be no issues with finding somewhere to sit as there were many options and no one saving seats so you could always find a space.

 

Massage Spa Treatment on Ovation of the Seas

I was given a tour of the spa and of course “for today only we have x special”. Since I had browsed prices online prior to the cruise, I knew what the prices were as they are dynamic now with the lowest prices available on the first day and on port days and the highest prices on sea days and after leaving port before dinner. My guide was a massage therapist from Ukraine who had been working on cruise ships for many years.  When the tour was over, the spa manager gave me the details of my options and since I knew the cabins weren’t ready for at least another hour figured why not get a massage now before the cruise starts.  I saw a few other folks doing the same and the bonus of 15 extra minutes meant that we gave up a few things such as the spa relaxation room that you generally use pre/post treatment as the room wasn’t set up yet with the flavored waters or snacks. I was ok to sacrifice the lemon cucumber water.

I needed a massage after work stress that ended late on Friday which then morphed into travel stress with flights on Saturday and Monday along with jet lag that hit hard in Hawaii.  Now if you think I melted into a relaxing massage, you’d be wrong.  I get deep tissue massage regularly and what that means seems to differ around the world.  Sometimes I feel like I’ve been a piece of meat subjected to a tenderizer but will feel amazing after that.  Doesn’t paint the best picture but my muscles are happy until I torture them later in the gym. So, while waiting for the cabin to be ready, I had the deep tissue massage with the extra time and it was a great way to start my vacation. All the tense muscles were loosened and while I should have visited the gym daily like I do at home, I decided to go gym free on this vacation.  The deep tissue massage with tax and tip was $220.94

Ovations of the Seas Balcony Cabin #6552 Forward

I booked a “guaranteed balcony” which is usually the lowest priced category as you don’t pick your cabin location, the cruise line does.  In all past gambles I’ve ended up in a forward cabin and none were obstructed views so for me the risk was worth the savings.  For my Ovation of the Seas guaranteed balcony 6552 it was forward, near the elevator bank which I was afraid of noise but with the exception of a few children running one day, it was quiet.

The cabin set up had my bed near the balcony with the couch near the bathroom – I like this setup best on cruises. A recent change to housekeeping has eliminated twice a day visits and now the room is serviced once a day which was fine as we did not have port heavy itinerary with multiple showers required from beach or activities.  The famous towel animals are also gone (saving the environment with less towels to use/wash each day) and while once showed up on the first day, if I wanted to see more and learn how to make them on my own, a towel animal demonstration was held as an activity in the Music Hall.  This was the first cruise where I rarely saw or interacted with my cabin attendant and I think much of that is due to the housekeeping change.  If I needed anything I was told to call housekeeping.

The pros/cons of the forward lower deck cabin:

Pros – deck six made it easy to use the stairs down to the restaurants, bars and shops which are located decks 3-5.  For disembarkment, I could easily carry my luggage down one flight of stairs to leave. It was a quiet location.

Cons – sailing from Hawaii we had a few rocky seas that I felt more being forward on the ship.  One night the rocking woke me up but then the rocking also put me back to sleep quickly.

Royal Caribbean Water Package

I drink water all day every day. While I might enjoy a glass of wine with dinner ($8-16 per glass plus tax and tip), I don’t drink enough to justify the cruise drinks package which can be expensive ($200+ a day per person).  Bottled water is often included in the premium drinks package. Some cruise lines, like Royal Caribbean, will let you carry on water, soda and even a bottle of wine so you need to know the rules.  So for the Hawaii to Vancouver cruise, I chose to bring my own refillable bottle and also buy a water package in advance. Having water in my room and at the ready made the most sense as trekking from my cabin on deck six forward to the buffet on deck 14 aft was ridiculous for free water as I would have emptied the bottle before I was back at my cabin.  Royal Caribbean offered a few bottled water options and I waited for a “sale” before buying for $24.95 a case (24 bottles 16 oz.).  Yes, it’s expensive relative to what you pay at Costco but given that bottled water on a cruise ship is generally $3 plus tax and tip, the advanced pricing was a great deal.  For those with a water preference, know that water brand is not guaranteed and can change.  It also may not be spring water but distilled as the title is “bottled water”. The water was to be in my cabin when I arrived and it wasn’t so I had to go to Guest Services to ask them to deliver it which they did later that night.

Ovation of the Seas Bars

There are many bars on board – I visited the Schooner Bar for daily trivia and Vintages Wine Bar for a nice glass of wine ($13.50 per glass as I didn’t buy the beverage package) to go with my dessert from Café @ Two70 which was next to the wine bar.  I visited the English Pub bringing my pizza from Sorrento’s next door and ordered a side of fried pickles (additional fee) and a glass of wine (extra cost).  I rarely stayed up late enough to enjoy the live music options at Music Hall and didn’t find the pool tables until the last day.   There were so many bars and music options that even with a week at sea, I didn’t get to enjoy all of them.

Ovation of the Seas Hawaii to Vancouver Entertainment

I’m generally not a fan of the in-house cruise productions as they have amazing talent that is wasted on the weird story, production numbers, etc.  I usually enjoy the specialty entertainment acts, one highlight on Ovation of the Seas was the local hula dancers – made even better by the adorable four- to six-year-old hula dancers who were learning to keep the culture alive.   No surprise that the popular boy band (in their 50s/60s) singing Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons songs were a hit. Folks were singing along and dancing in their seats.  The comedian never found his rhythm to keep folks laughing throughout – his audience (mix of Australians, Canadians and Americans) and demographic (ages 60+) seemed to be a mismatch.

Ovation of the Seas has two entertainment options – the Royal Theatre which is located over two decks as well as Two70 Club which also has balcony seating along with a more intimate experience with state-of-the-art technology.  Two70 was multi-use venue – during the day it held trivia, Captain & Officers Q&A, culinary demonstrations such as fruit carving while night time offerings were different productions of song, dance and acrobatics.

 

Royal Caribbean Activities

Areas of adventure are in the back of the ship with the popular Flow Rider surfing experience, Rock climbing wall, I Fly skydiving experience and North Star observation pod.  All of these activities are free but definitely need to be booked in advance, I suggest doing this on Deck 15 when you first board.  Key cardholders have special times blocked but reservations are still required.  The activities deck also had a multi-purpose area that was used for basketball, bumper cars (UK dodge-ems) and a variety of other sports. Note the times in the daily planner on your app to make sure you don’t miss out on your favorite sport.

Ovation of the Seas North Star Observation Pod

I’m not generally afraid of heights but I had visions of the pod breaking off and falling into the sea like a big hamster playball.  That said, I went up near sunset and had fantastic views of the ship below and the sunset over the water. We had eight people in the pod and it holds up to twenty. I realized the best use of the observation pod would be in port as a viewing platform to the destination.  Not taking away from the sea views as the sunset from above was lovely.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Casino

I met folks who are sailing “for free” as guests of the casino which means they lose a lot of money enough to cover another cruise or two.  I tried to see if I lost some money would I get any offers for discounted (not free) cruises and the answer is no.  My idea of “losing a lot of money” is not quite the same level as the cruise ship’s range.  Ovation of the Seas allows smoking in the casino which other ships don’t so that was a turnoff.  If you’ve visited Las Vegas or a local casino, you’ll realize that the slot machines are often older models with not many of the current games and excitement.  It was hard to play and thus I didn’t spend (lose) much.  Note that the casinos are US$ and currency conversion isn’t the best fx with fees.

Ovation of the Seas Main Dining Room

I had joined the cruise sailing Facebook group and replied to a post to join a solos dining table the first night.  Our table of eight met the first night – many had been on the ship since Sydney and only a few of us joined in Hawaii.  The Main Dining Room (MDR) service was slow – our 5:30 dining time should have allowed enough time to enjoy our meal and still make it to the 7:30 show and a few times we left before dessert to make the show.  Since the orders follow the appetizer, entrée, dessert timeline, we had to wait for each course to be served and with eight people that took some time.  As I only wanted an entrée, it was a long wait.

The main dining room has a theme each night (i.e., Mexican cuisine, Asian, etc.) with “surf/turf lobster night” still the most popular despite recent uproar over changes to the lobster on cruises.  Of all the ships vast offerings, the MDR was a disappointment for me at dinner.  Breakfast was a different story as I avoided the buffet lines and crowds and could enjoy a quiet, leisurely paced meal. One day I joined a shared table, another day I ate alone.

Royal Caribbean Specialty Restaurants

Ovation of the Sea has a plethora of specialty (additional fee) restaurants opened for lunch and/or dinner. The menus are online to give you an idea of what is on offer and let you decide if the cost is worth it.  You can reserve (and pay) in advance online or in the app.

Insider Tip – Royal Caribbean Specialty Restaurants – Watch for sales to save money over standard costs. You can cancel the original booking and rebook at the lower price.  Lunch menu items are smaller portions for less than the dinner costs.  You get the same experience with less crowds and can enjoy savings. Chops Grille is open for lunch only on sea days.

I decided I would have one sea day with a special steak lunch and go all out at Chops Grille.  The other tempting option was Jamie’s Italian (Jamie Oliver’s restaurant concept) or Wonderland which is for foodies as the foods explore the themes of Sun, Ice, Fire, Water, Earth, Dreams.  I wanted a proper steakhouse meal.  The day I decided to do that was a day the clocks pushed forward one hour so noon didn’t exist – we changed from 11:59 am to 1pm.  Keep this in mind if on a transatlantic or transpacific cruise with time changes each day.

It would be easy to miss the doors to Chops Grille as its next to the popular Schooner’s Bar that hosts daily trivia and piano bar sing along.

The running joke at dinner was that you had to ask for real butter and the first thing I was served at CHOPS was a plate of fresh bread and a vat of real butter.  The MDR bread wasn’t worth the carb calories but when I saw the fresh hot pretzel bread in front of me, I was in lust.  This Philly girl can survive on soft pretzels so this was a touch of home so far away.  I quickly scarfed down the pretzel bread and asked if I could take the other pieces back to my cabin (the waiter made me fresh basket to take with me and I added the other pieces as I was not wasting freshly baked bread).

While I watched the table next to me navigate through the menu watching the appetizers and massive burgers come out, I was ready for my filet mignon with sides of asparagus and signature gruyere cheese tater tots. I ordered a glass of red wine and was enjoying every minute of this meal given the mediocre MDR meals I had had so far. Sadly, the downside was that the restaurant located on deck 5 had views of the lifeboats – I guess the fee is to cover the awesome food and not the views given that the bulk of diners prefer to eat here for dinner and there’s nothing to look at out at sea in the dark sea.

My Chops Grille lunch cost $26.99 plus the glass of wine and it was fantastic dining experience.  The staff was attentive, engaging and accommodating. Chops Grille is worth the extra price when sailing on Ovation of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Art Collection on Ovation of the Seas

There are two aspects to art on a cruise ship – the art gallery that I despise and the cruise ship art collection.  Ovation of the Seas had a fantastic art collection throughout the ship.  It was a lovely surprise throughout the common areas – hallways, stairwells, elevator banks.  I found taking the stairs exposed me to the many art pieces from international artists.  Some the art was wonderful, others made me wonder. The larger-than-life art pieces on the outdoor deck found many fans taking selfies.  The ship did not offer an art tour, hopefully this changes in the future because there are many great artworks to discover.  I’d rather buy the art I experienced throughout the ship than anything in the art gallery.

Hawaiian Ports

The cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver made two stops in Hawaii before the sea days to Vancouver, Canada.  We tendered for an overnight in Lahaina (Maui) which allowed passengers two days to explore Maui with many opting for the windy Road to Hana. (Note due to the devastating wildfires in Lahaina, cruise ships have changed the Maui port location).  I booked last minute so couldn’t find a rental car or tour to do the Road to Hana which was fine as I explored Haleakala National Park where the East Maui shield volcano offers stunning views.  I suggest going on a tour as the drive is a bit scary with twists, turns and elevation along with weather (clouds, fog, etc.) impeding even the best drivers.    I also booked a ship tour for a historic road trip of the island.

In Kona, I hiked the cloud forest, a privately owned property and reserve, after a tour of a coffee plantation.   Hawaiian ports offer many DIY options along with tours from Viator, GetYourGuide and others.  Tender timing is key when booking private tours – you’ll need to get in line for a tender ticket group, wait for it to be called and then board the tender for the fifteen minutes from ship to port.  Note: The Key gets priority tender times.

Maui Tip – book the car rental when you book the cruise if you plan on driving The Road to Hana to avoid disappointment of a sold-out situation which happens.  I’d suggest doing The Road to Hana on the first day in port to give you a leisurely option as the ship is in port overnight so you can’t be late or miss the boat.

Solo Cruise on Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean doesn’t quite embrace solo travelers that way that NCL does.  That said, Ovation of the Seas has sixteen solo cabins with balconies (which priced higher than 200% larger balcony cabin).  The activities crew planned one solo gathering for lunch in the MDR.  Six people showed up out of a passenger count of over 2,000+.  It’s always nice to dine with new people and learn about them and their travels.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Solo Tip – compare cabin costs to make sure you don’t overpay. Also, RCCL isn’t solo friendly so you’ll need to be outgoing if you are keen on meeting other people. Join the various Facebook groups for Solos and the ship sailing to meet others in advance and join events.

All Access Tour of Ovation of the Seas

I’ve watched enough behind the scenes shows but am still genuinely interested to tour the cruise ships and see the activities in real life. The massive food lockers, multiple kitchens, recycling plant, engineering room and the bridge.  There is a cost, I paid $178.99, and has limited number of guests (usually twenty or less) to ensure safety throughout the areas touring. These tours sell out quickly and I’ve not seen them discounted so if you know you want to do one, book immediately in the tour options on the website or app. If they are sold out, you can be added to the waitlist once you are onboard, you’ll need to visit the Shore Excursions desk.

Five Days at Sea

The most frequent question I’m ask is “what is there to do at sea” and “won’t you get bored”?  No worries, there’s a lot to do surprisingly if you want to be busy or you can choose to just relax.  No one is getting bored on the cruise.  Many passengers are not new to sea days and on this cruise the majority had sailed from Sydney, Australia which had a lot of sea days on the crossing to the U.S.  The key to sea days for me is sleeping late, taking naps and getting my Oura Ring sleep numbers up to counteract the bad sleep and stress at home. No alarms are set.  The blackout curtains are pulled tight. And I can sleep soundly with an occasional rocking.  I’ve sailed on transatlantic cruises with 7-9 days at sea so 5 days was an easy go this cruise.

 

Arriving downtown Vancouver Cruise Terminal

After five days at sea, waking up to the skyline of Vancouver in the downtown port was really nice way to arrive in Canada.  The convention center also served as the cruise port on the lower floors and had a hotel on the upper floors in this multi-purpose building.   I walked off with my bags and navigated immigration hall to exit to find the baggage storage folks.  I would leave my luggage for the day while I explored Vancouver via a walking tour and lunch before catching the Amtrak to Seattle.

Final Thoughts – Sailing Solo on Ovation of the Seas from Hawaii to Vancouver

The Ovation of the Seas is a lovely ship with lots of options and even with five days at sea, I didn’t get to experience each and every venue and offering.  The days and nights were full of activities that I was able to pick from while the days at sea gave me time to sleep, reset and go about at my own pace.  Cruising from Hawaii to Vancouver was a nice change from the transatlantic sailings I’ve had on NCL from Florida to Europe.  Given the jet lag I had going from the East Coast of the US to Honolulu, I’d suggest arriving a few days before sailing to acclimate and have more time to immerse yourself in Hawaii.