Ovation of the Seas - Inaugural B2B cruise review (with lot's of photo's!!)

[esesohsam]

Amazing photos, check out the short video I put together whilst on board

 

[drummerdavebmth]

Amazing photos, check out the short video I put together whilst on board

 

 

Cool....thanks for sharing :)

[Overtyme]

Before we knew it, our time had come to try the 'North Star'. I had pre-booked it online for Southampton on embarkation day and also, on our 2nd sea day).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"....I am not a number, I am a free man"

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

The kids splash area looks so much better than the one on Quantum/Anthem! I wish there was a slide for the little ones! [emoji20]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[drummerdavebmth]

Saint-Catherine's Church - dating back to the 15th century, constructed shortly after the Hundred Years War. Then the bell tower was built a good distance away, so that parishioners would not be burnt in case of a fire.

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[drummerdavebmth]

Of course, when in France, you have to find a cafe to sit out side....so, that's what we did.

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[drummerdavebmth]

It was time to get back on the coach and make our short trip back to our ship in Le Harve.

 

All aboard tonight would be at 10:30pm as many people would be coming back from their day in Paris (a 2-3 hour coach journey away). When we got back to the ship we spent the afternoon chilling in the Solarium, reading our books and having dips in the hot tubs...

 

That evening, we were going to Chops Grille (which we've done on all our cruises, and is always a treat). Our table was booked for 6:30pm, so we decided to have a pre-dinner drink in Vintages.

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[drummerdavebmth]

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1537/26303038580_287fb3ab09_b.jpg' alt='26303038580_287fb3ab09_b.jpg'>Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[Helly133]

You're making my mouth water! Will have to put Chops on the list to try on our May 10th sailing - Barcelona to Dubai. Love your review. Many thanks for your effort.

 

Helen,

[jdshomer]

Thanks again Dave,

 

Those photos of Chops Grille bring back memories. We've been there on 2 different cruises and absolutely loved it!

 

Sharon

[debgreg]

Hi...glad you're enjoying the review (very jealous you're cruising on her next Tuesday!).

 

The temperature onboard was actually quite warm, so no need to worry about that. Obviously the outside top decks got chilly at times (especially on sea days), but we didn't really expect anything different from the English Channel in April. The Solarium and indoor pool area were ok.

 

No need for jumpers or warm clothing walking around the inside areas though :)

 

Thanks that is really useful for packing purposes :)

[drummerdavebmth]

Thanks for the kind words folks!!!

 

 

So, after our fabulous dinner in Chops Grille we took a stroll around the ship (NB: there isn't an accessible helipad on Quantum class ships, which is a shame as we always enjoyed going up to the helipad on our previous cruises. We already knew this prior to the cruise, but thought it worth mentioning in case anyone was wondering).

 

The sun setting over Le Harve...

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[drummerdavebmth]

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually we decided to call it a night and headed back to our stateroom. We were already in the process of sail way by this point, and were now leaving Le Harve. The next day was to be a sea day....we were looking forward to a day mixed with fun and relaxation.

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[Impactimpact]

Really I am enjoying your way to review and pictures you post ..

Thank you so much for your efforts and we are waiting for the rest of your review :)

Edited April 26, 2016 by Impactimpact

[kdnurs]

Looking forward to reading the rest of the review. Always been unsure when it comes to Quantum class, so this may answer a few questions I have. Thanks for the review :)

 

Lol...we think alike..I am watching this review for the same reason. Curious about this class of ship :D

[drummerdavebmth]

Thanks for your kind comments guys....and I'm glad you're enjoying the review so far! I'm always happy to answer any questions along the way the best I can - so feel free to just ask (If I don't know the answer, I'm sure someone else might!).

 

 

 

 

So, where were we? Ah yes, a day at sea!! Good morning English Channel....

 

 

 

See? A lot more relaxed.....

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

 

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1500/26573993165_2d941ea50b_b.jpg' alt='26573993165_2d941ea50b_b.jpg'>Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

Edited April 26, 2016 by drummerdavebmth

[drummerdavebmth]

We joined the back of the que for the bumper cars. We thought we'd be waiting for ages, but we moved forward quite quickly. Besides, it was fun watching others having their go too!

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

 

Now THAT was fun!! Jen and I had a car each and enjoyed seeking each other out to bump into.......She was filming on her GoPro with one hand too, so I'm looking forward to seeing that footage.

 

 

 

We also had another booking for the North Star today (we wanted to go up on a sea day). To kill a bit of time before our booking, we went to 270 (where they were having another Mystery puzzle break). Really nice view from there looking out to sea...

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[drummerdavebmth]

We had another little wander around the ship, checking out some of the artwork before making our way up to the top deck again for North Star...

 

This is a pretty cool seat!!

 

 

No, we were in the English Channel...in April.

 

We looked up at the North Star willing it to come back down so it could be our turn and we'd be out of the cold wind that was blowing across the top deck.

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

The views were definitely worth the wait in the cold.......It was amazing looking down on the ship whilst at sea.

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1672/26573986055_c4c23c51a9_b.jpg' alt='26573986055_c4c23c51a9_b.jpg'>Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[drummerdavebmth]

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

 

 

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1720/25968920674_13796031ef_b.jpg' alt='25968920674_13796031ef_b.jpg'>Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

[Hoopster95]

Very awesome to see that you and Jen had another great cruise! Once again an excellent review and great pics so far Dave:)

Here's an interesting question for you... you have the choice of Ovation or Serenade for either this same itinerary or the Med/Adriatic we did. Which ship would you choose?

[drummerdavebmth]

All that sea air had made us hungry, so we went to the Windjammer for lunch and enjoyed looking at some of the cargo ships passing by....

 

 

Untitled by drummerdave72, on Flickr[/img]

Edited April 26, 2016 by drummerdavebmth

[drummerdavebmth]

Very awesome to see that you and Jen had another great cruise! Once again an excellent review and great pics so far Dave:)

Here's an interesting question for you... you have the choice of Ovation or Serenade for either this same itinerary or the Med/Adriatic we did. Which ship would you choose?

 

 

Hi there!!

 

How are you? Great to know you're following this review - very kind words from an excellent reviewer such as yourself :)

 

In answer to your question (a good question, by the way), I'd have to say Serenade (I know Jen definitely loved that ship). We loved pretty much everything about that ship and cruise (12 night's in the Med & Adriatic, what's not to like..right?).

 

As much as we really enjoyed our 8 nights on Ovation, we preferred the over all feel of Serenade (lots more glass in the inside public areas to view the sea or port) and the attentive service we received on that ship.

 

It would be interesting to see how the Ovation feels later on in it's journey to Aisa though (with more nights, crew more settled, a more international passenger mix). In reality we did 2 very short cruises on her (3 nights and 5 nights), everyone trying to cram in as much as possible in their limited time onboard.

 

We were lucky having 12 nights on board Serenade to really make ourselves feel at home.

 

One thing I did think though, when I was up in the North Star on Ovation......wouldn't that have been really cool in Venice?!! :eek:

Edited April 26, 2016 by drummerdavebmth

[Hoopster95]

Hi there!!

In answer to your question (a good question, by the way), I'd have to say Serenade (I know Jen definitely loved that ship). We loved pretty much everything about that ship and cruise (12 night's in the Med & Adriatic, what's not to like..right?).

 

Interesting! I would've thought you being a younger couple would pick Ovation. I always think I'm rare/minority not liking radiance Class as much as Quantum Class. I had a great time on Serenade too but I personally would pick Ovation hands down... and yes with regard to Northstar in Venice... imagine the photos while sailing down the canal, wow!!! :)

 

Now back to the regularly scheduled program...

Drummerdave and Ovation! :p:p

Edited April 26, 2016 by Hoopster95

[drummerdavebmth]

Interesting! I would've thought you being a younger couple would pick Ovation. I always think I'm rare/minority not liking radiance Class as much as Quantum Class. I had a great time on Serenade too but I personally would pick Ovation hands down... and yes with regard to Northstar in Venice... imagine the photos while sailing down the canal, wow!!! :)

 

Now back to the regularly scheduled program...

Drummerdave and Ovation! :p:p

 

 

Hmmmm....I get what you're saying. I guess, because we primarily chose the Serenade cruise for the itinerary (and what an itinerary!), we weren't looking for (or needing) a ship with lots of bells 'n' whistles.

 

However, we chose Ovation for the ship (and to have an Inaugural cruise experience)- not necessarily for the itinerary (Cherbourg was never on my list of "must see places", for example). In that regard, Ovation was excellent.....bumper cars at sea, moving robotic 5K screens, North Star taking you 300 ft above sea level? Yes please!!!

 

Also, the overall entertainment was hands down far superior on Ovation than on Serenade.....We loved the shows in 270 (we loved 270 in general) and all the shows we saw in the main theatre!!

 

Ovation seemed very crowded compared to Serenade though. I know there was far more people on Ovation than on Serenade, but I thought Serenade seemed to distribute people around the ship better. Again though, this could have been due to the length of the cruise (it's probably not fair to compare a 3 night or 5 night cruise to a 12 night cruise, in that regard).

 

Ultimately, we enjoyed both ships for their own different reasons. We naturally have a soft spot for Serenade because that's the ship we honeymooned on, but that didn't detract from our enjoyment of Ovation and the whole Inaugural cruise experience!!

Edited April 26, 2016 by drummerdavebmth

[little britain]

Great pictures. I was on her for the non- inaugural 3 day cruise and back on her next week - a chance to fully appreciate her! I really love this design and class of ship. All those who are celebrating the return of Independence to our shores are mad IMHO [emoji12]

Ps: love Radiance class too: that aft lounge/bar area must have been the template for 270.

 

 

Sent from my iPad mini 4 using Tapatalk

[Ctrinh225]

Is there a link for the pics. Somehow it's not coming up?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk