Trusted Cruise Ship Reviews

This was a cruise for my 50th. We had a ball and loved every minute even with the missed stop. We have the cruise bug now

Royal Caribbean is my favourite company to cruise with and most definitely above the rest in terms of class, quality and inclusions. A must for anyone new or experienced to cruising.
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Royal Caribbean is my favourite company to cruise with and most definitely above the rest in terms of class, quality and inclusions. A must for anyone new or experienced to cruising.
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We had a very relaxing time on this cruise. It was not a cruise for people who wanted a never ending night life however. The ship is quite nice but is showing its age. Food was good and the crew and staff were very friendly. The ship only has four tender boats so at one port we did not get off until 11.30am so half the day was spent waiting to get off. Get your tender ticket early.

Our stateroom was comfortable and our cabin attendant was very friendly and helpful. Shows were good - a good variety.

Drinks are quite expensive and RC beverage packages are now quite expensive and they expect everyone over 21 in a cabin to buy a package each. If one of a couple does not drink you need to call RC and arrange to buy one package and one soft drink package. Bars seemed to be understaffed sometimes but not something that was a big worry. The buffet was often full but the ship has an outdoor area leading from the buffet that was very nice - some of it covered so rain was not a problem. The cruise was good value for money - Radiance does have a certain charm and New Zealand is simply stunning.
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Cruise on the inaugural cruise to Australia on Ovation of the Seas from Fremantle to Sydney. Most disappointing of nearly 20 cruises with Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, P & O International. Ordinary food, long queues, poor service, lack entertainment and passengers participation not to mention limited activities or demonstrations.
Was worried that my Radiance cruise was just as disappointing.
FORTUNATELY, Radiance WOW me a lot more than the Ovation.
Movies daily. Variety of activities. Food Great. Staff Friendly. Plenty of Entertainment. Passenger Competitions and lots more.
10 of us; family and friends enjoyed the cruise.
Ship however is dated and need to be refurbished soon or a newer ship Down-under.

Thank you Radiance and Crew for restoring my Faith in Royal Caribbean.
Ovation needs to learn from other Royal Ships cruising Australia waters like the Legend, Rhapsody, Radiance, Voyager and Explorer, all of which I had sailed on except the Explorer.

Cruising in Australia is booming and to increase passenger shares needed with latest fleet to complement Great service.


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We had a great time on this beautiful ship. It is huge. The crew and staff were amazing and very friendly. The cabin was large and very clean and nothing was too much trouble for our room attendant. The food got a bit boring but was tasty and there was plenty of it. Entertainment was of a high standard. There is plenty to do or you can find a deck chair and just relax. We had great fun bar hopping. The other passengers were very friendly and there was always someone to chat to and we became great friends with the people at our dinner table. There is no doubt that Voyager is amazing. You can join me in with the crowds or there are plenty of quite spots.

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Sailed with my wife , 3 daughters and one of their boyfriends on 8 day cruise on Explorer of the Seas to Noumea, Mystery Island and Mare from Sydney on 14th Feb 2017. Had 2 balcony cabins on Deck 9 next to each other and an inside on same deck across alleyway. From the moment we got on board till we got off we had a great time. Loved the food in both the Windjammer and the Sapphire Restaurant. Daughter and boyfriend ate twice in Giovannis and said food was great. he is a chef by trade and liked the food on the ship. Our cabin stewards were great. Nothing a problem. Table waiters in restaurant were the best. Looked after us so well. Entertainment. We went to all the shows and all were first class. Ice skating show was great. Found plenty of room to chill out on decks. So many bars etc that ship did not feel crowded. Islands were great especially Mystery Island and Mare. Noumea? Once is enough. Would i travel on Royal Caribbean again. Yes.

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This is our 4th cruise with RCI and we had a wonderful time, we booked to board at 1230 and arrived at pier and informed attendant of this and they checked our paper work and sent on to the section of check in, on board in about 15 mins from dropping off our bags.The ship has so many wow factors and the cabin was a decent size (balcony deck 8 D8 ).Make sure you book what you want to see and if you want to eat at any of the speciality restaurants as they seem to get booked out, this can be done online and also book the drink package as well more expensive to buy on board.
The food on board was amazing and no problem if you wanted a particular meal mention to waiter and they will arrange for the following night, we visited Jamie Olivers Italian restaurant along with Wonderland, for what you get and the presentation is well worth
extra price.
We have booked again for next season out of Sydney, ship never felt overcrowded and staff always polite and helpful
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This was our 4th cruise, first booked with Cruise Sale Finder and on Royal Caribbean. Cruise sale finder was a great travel agent we had a small problem with onboard credit not being paid but this was fixed on our first day back which was awesome. Voyager of the seas was brilliant. Planning out next cruise now and will be definitely booking with Cruise sale finders again and on Royal Caribbean.

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We loved every moment of our cruise on the Ovation of the Seas. Embarkation took 10 minutes from kerb to ship (just as they state on their website!). We were a bit concerned going on this ship from some of the negative reviews we had read but we need not be. The ship is just wonderful. It is BIG but is so well laid out we never had trouble finding our way around. The cabin was a great size with plenty of storage. We loved having a balcony and even better a kettle in the cabin so we could make a cuppa first thing in the morning and enjoy it out on our balcony. The bathroom was compact but well set out and very functional. The decor throughout the ship was just lovely. We loved every meal we had.
Generally we had breakfast in the Solarium Bistro, lunch in the Windjammer Buffet and dinner in the American Icon. The food was fantastic and plentiful, you will ever go hungry. There is an icecream station on the pool deck plus a hot dog van in the Seaplex as well as Sorrento's pizza (we only went here once and weren't great fans of the pizza but freshly made they would probably be yummy), Cafe Two70 and the Promenade Cafe (which is open 24/7). We didn't eat at the Extra restaurants as we were very happy with the places we ate at.
The facilities and entertainment were just fabulous, the show The Dream was incredible. We went on the Bumper Cars, North Star and iFly (we prebooked the North Star and iFly before our cruise but you could also book once on board). I was amazed how well run everything was with 4,000 passengers. We didn't go on the Flowrider but watched it many times - it did look fun!
The tendering service was well organised as was when we docked. If people listen to the staff and follow directions things run smoothly it is only when you get ignorant, rude and selfish people that slow things down.
The pool areas are great, we especially loved the Solarium. This is the 16+ pool area.
I think if you go with the attitude of looking for things to complain about you're never going to enjoy yourself. It is an incredible ship which we found very hard to find any faults with. The staff in all areas where so friendly, efficient and happy to help whenever they could.
We loved our cruise and hope we are lucky enough to go on the Ovation of the Seas again. It is a spectacular ship!
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