Update Ovation Cruise Compass 2019-20 AU/NZ sailings

[stephiems]

Hi there,

 

I've seem some reviews and Cruise Compasses from last year and up until the Hawaii sailing on Ovation of the Seas, but can't find any since it has been in Australian waters.

 

Anyone have any links to some reviews or any Cruise Compasses from that time period?

 

Thanks

[twangster]

Boarding in a couple of weeks.  I may do a trip report and collect the cruise compasses.  When are you sailing?

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, stephiems said:

Anyone have any links to some reviews or any Cruise Compasses from that time period?

The RCI app info has been getting pretty good to the point we can almost do without it. See if the info you want is there. 

[stephiems]

20 hours ago, twangster said:

Boarding in a couple of weeks.  I may do a trip report and collect the cruise compasses.  When are you sailing?

 

March 12th

 

That would be amazing, thank you.

[stephiems]

20 hours ago, Biker19 said:

The RCI app info has been getting pretty good to the point we can almost do without it. See if the info you want is there. 

 

 

Still says "We're getting in ship shape". How long in advance do they normally get the planner up?

That is a good point, I can probably wait.

[Clarea]

30 minutes ago, stephiems said:

 

 

Still says "We're getting in ship shape". How long in advance do they normally get the planner up?

That is a good point, I can probably wait.

 

Reports indicate that the planner gets more accurate as the cruise date approaches and is pretty good at 30 days.

[Chiliburn]

23 hours ago, stephiems said:

Hi there,

 

I've seem some reviews and Cruise Compasses from last year and up until the Hawaii sailing on Ovation of the Seas, but can't find any since it has been in Australian waters.

 

Anyone have any links to some reviews or any Cruise Compasses from that time period?

 

Thanks

What do you want to know?

we were on voyager recently and I thought the RC app was like the rest of their Technology. Useless.

I tried to order room service off the app and they told me to ignore it .

 We are on Ovation in 5 weeks.

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, stephiems said:

How long in advance do they normally get the planner up?

Your sailing should be available about 90 days out ( though as Bob mentions all info is not loaded until about a week out) but you don’t have to wait - you can pick any sailing to look at some info. 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Chiliburn said:

Useless.

I tried to order room service off the app and they told me to ignore it .

For a Compass substitute it’s pretty good and some features only work on some ships - I don’t think room service ordering works on any ship so not sure why you would expect that. On a recent sailing when a port was cancelled things in the app were updated quickly and become much more useful than the out of date Compass. 

[twangster]

Coming off Anthem yesterday and the app experience still isn’t perfect.  
 

I wanted to see “Captain’s Corner” and the app had that on day 9 at 10am.  I used the feature where you can add an event to your calendar, no problem.  When the day 9 paper compass arrived on the evening of day 8 I didn’t see Captain’s Corner listed so I checked the app.  It was gone and so was my calendar reminder.  
 

I understand how things can get rescheduled so no problem, but it goes to show how you can’t use the app to plan future days.  If I had planned something for day 11 at 1 pm based on the app I would have missed Captain’s Corner because that is when it actually occurred.  
 

The CD staff continually make adjustments to events and before the app no one was the wiser.  Now though if you make plans based on the app listings days ahead you may be disappointed when your plans don’t work out or you book a spa appointment at a time that ends up conflicting with another activity you want to participate in.  
 

The same can be said when looking at paper compasses from a previous cruise.  
 

A benefit of the app is when a skipped port occurs.  The app can be refreshed very quickly to include the new days activities while they might print a new cruise compass page and distribute that mid or late day.  
 

The app experience is getting better with each cruise but it introduces new challenges or differences.  A week before the cruise the app might suggest that ”Steak Dianne” will be served in the MDR on day 6 but in reality it might end up being on a different night.  In the past we never knew what the menus would be on any given day.  

 

For some people this deviation from “the plan” will be a “What The Heck?” moment resulting in frustration.  In reality changes to events and menus occur on a regular basis, we just never knew it before.  

[stephiems]

14 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

What do you want to know?

 

Just wanted to browse. Not the end of the world if I have to wait, was just curious in changes between the sailings I've seen this season in the USA vs after the move to AU.