How smoky is Ovation (especially compared to Explorer)

[famy27]

We sailed to Alaska in 2016 on Explorer and were pretty miserable. Because of the open staircase from the casino, the promenade was so smoky and disgusting that we didn't even want to walk through it. For a cruise where you are in a cooler environment and want to be inside more, it's very important to be able to breathe freely 🙂We are now considering Ovation for Alaska for summer 2020, but I am hesitant because of our poor experience on Explorer. Can anyone who has been on both ships (or ships of both classes) offer a comparison?

[rbell]

It's very bad,Don't go,Go on Celebrity.

[leaveitallbehind]

Was on Ovation in May and didn't notice cigarette smoke anywhere inside or around our balcony.

[bouhunter]

We've probably cruised 20 times on Explorer and Freedom class, I don't recall ever detecting more than a trace of smoke smell on the Royal Promenade, and that is rare.  Never have I seen the Royal Promenade "smoky and disgusting".

 

If you're that sensitive to any trace of smoke, probably better to switch to celebrity or another line that forbids indoor smoking.

 

All that said, I do wish Royal would put a stop to smoking indoors.  The casino's are awful.

[Hoopster95]

4 hours ago, famy27 said:

Can anyone who has been on both ships (or ships of both classes) offer a comparison?

 

In my humble opinion, Ovation is 10x the ship that Explorer is.

The inside public space has almost zero area to have any smoke contamination. The casino is extremely well planned and well "hidden" on deck 4 away from most other public spaces.

Ovation in Alaska is magic!

Edited December 4, 2019 by Hoopster95

[cb at sea]

We never notice much smoke on Explorer..and that's when smoking was more common.  I guess it really depends on the passenger mix.  Nowadays, not so many people smoke as they did even 5-10 years ago,

[The Sunset Glow]

16 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

In my humble opinion, Ovation is 10x the ship that Explorer is.

The inside public space has almost zero area to have any smoke contamination. The casino is extremely well planned and well "hidden" on deck 4 away from most other public spaces.

Ovation in Alaska is magic!

 

I agree with this. Voyager class casinos are crowded with too many slots for the space and a very tiny non-smoking section. Plus the location allows the smoke to travel to adjoining areas like the schooner bar and promenade above. Ovation is much better in these areas.

[famy27]

On 12/4/2019 at 5:08 PM, bouhunter said:

We've probably cruised 20 times on Explorer and Freedom class, I don't recall ever detecting more than a trace of smoke smell on the Royal Promenade, and that is rare.  Never have I seen the Royal Promenade "smoky and disgusting".

 

If you're that sensitive to any trace of smoke, probably better to switch to celebrity or another line that forbids indoor smoking.

 

All that said, I do wish Royal would put a stop to smoking indoors.  The casino's are awful.

 

I was really surprised. I've cruised RCCL, Carnival, and Princess in the past and never had a problem. Perhaps the ventilation was having issues on our sailing, but it was really bad. Everyone in my family commented on it the minute we walked on board. We couldn't even watch the welcome parade because our eyes were watering. That was the last time I sailed on RCCL. I've looked at a few sailings, but I haven't been able to bring myself to book since we had such a negative experience. It's a little reassuring that a few people think it's okay, but the fact that one person also says it's bad makes me hesitate. I'm looking at Disney or Celebrity instead. I think my kids would prefer the ship on RCCL over Celebrity. We love Disney, but it's twice as much as the others. Decisions, decisions. 

[NeedsVitaminSea]

We were on Ovation in June and had no issues.  We did cut through the casino once (forget why) and it was smelly so we avoided going there the rest of the trip.  I don't recall a smoke smell in the promenade at all.  I'm sure there's some odor when you are near the entrances to the casino but that's it.

[rimmit]

We were on the ovation two weeks ago out of Sydney.  I didn’t smell any smoke... except when walking through the casino and it was even minimal then.  The ventilation seems to be super well done.  I noticed they not only had vents in the ceiling but also on the floor and I suspect that must help some in venting the smoke.  

[SF Cfan]

Our last 2 cruises were on the Explorer and Ovation, with the latter this past May from Honolulu to Vancouver.  Didn't notice smoke on either.  But, have complete empathy with original poster.  We were on the Carnival Vista when she was brand new and there was a substantial lack of ventilation in the Casino.  The smell of smoke was overwhelming.  We're not super sensitive to cigarette smoke.  But, it was enough to cause us to avoid walking through the casino.

 

Club TWO70, the Solarium, and Northstar are terrific all-weather spaces on Ovation (noting Solarium is age restricted and Northstar is a limited time view).  The sports court is all indoors.  Bundle-up and there is plenty of viewing space on the open decks.  Famy27, I believe you will enjoy an Alaska cruise on Ovation.

[3monkeys4me]

On 12/7/2019 at 6:23 AM, rimmit said:

We were on the ovation two weeks ago out of Sydney.  I didn’t smell any smoke... except when walking through the casino and it was even minimal then.  The ventilation seems to be super well done.  I noticed they not only had vents in the ceiling but also on the floor and I suspect that must help some in venting the smoke.  

 

 

There is no smoking in the casino out of Sydney. 

 

We also sailed Ovation out of Sydney, so I can't say how well the ventilation system actually works, but it did appear to be well ventilated. I would expect to possibly smell smoke if you have to use the restrooms in the casino while dining on Deck 3 (The Grande or Chic) since they were located right next to the casino. But really other than that you could avoid the casino completely if needed.