We booked a 4-night Penang and Phuket cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, and here’s my honest review of the whole experience — from boarding at Marina Bay Cruise Centre all the way to the last day’s bingo. I’ll cover the ship, the activities, the dining, the shows, and whether it’s all worth your money. This is the kind of Ovation of the Seas review I wish I had before I sailed.
View of Marina Bay Cruise Centre and the Singapore CBD skyline from the ship.
Boarding at Marina Bay Cruise Centre — What to Expect
Online check-in opens 45 days before departure. Do it as soon as it opens. We managed to snag the earliest boarding time slot at 11am, which I’d highly recommend.
Check-in is at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Pier 2. When you arrive, the drop-off area and luggage drop-off point are right there at the entrance. Just remember to print your luggage tags during online check-in, attach them to your bags, and hand them over to staff. Your luggage will make its way to your stateroom later.
At the entrance to the cruise centre, there are separate queues for 11am, 11.30am, and 12pm boarders. Here’s the thing though — all three queues merge into one main queue for check-in anyway. So having separate timing queues at the start is honestly a bit pointless. There were still plenty of people in the queue because many arrived early despite having later time slots. That said, the queue moved relatively fast and we waited just under 15 minutes.
💡 Tip: If your Ovation of the Seas itinerary includes Phuket, remember to fill up the Thailand arrival card before you board. Don’t leave it till you’re on the ship.
Once we were through, we made our way straight to the ship. Those with later boarding times were held at a waiting area until their slot — another reason to book that early time slot.
Source: Royal Caribbean App
💡 Tip: The moment you step on board the Ovation of the Seas, open the Royal Caribbean app and immediately book your free North Star and RipCord by iFLY sessions. Don’t waste time thinking about which time slot is more convenient. Just grab whatever is available — these slots are gone within minutes of boarding.
Hop on North Star and be lifted 100 metres above sea level for stunning 360-degree views.
Muster Drill — So Much Better Now
If you’ve done a Royal Caribbean cruise before, you’ll remember the old way — everyone had to gather at the muster station, wait for all passengers to arrive, and watch a live safety demonstration. It could take forever.
Now, you watch the safety video on the Royal Caribbean app first, at your own time. Then you head to your muster station, the staff scans your Sea Pass on the app, and you’re free to go. So much easier. We were done and heading for lunch in no time.
And we’re off! Bon voyage and goodbye, Singapore!
Ship Overview: Ovation of the Seas
I’ll be upfront — this wasn’t my first Royal Caribbean cruise. We previously sailed on Quantum of the Seas, which is a sister ship. So honestly, the excitement level wasn’t quite there because the ship layout, the venue names, the stateroom setup, even the restaurant menus — everything is very similar. It almost felt like boarding the same ship with a different name and different crew.
Image: Royal Caribbean App. The Daily Planner makes it easy to see what’s happening onboard each day, and you can add activities to My Calendar so you don’t miss out.
Image: Royal Caribbean App. My Calendar helps you organise your day, with the time, duration, and venue clearly listed for each activity.
Having said that, I still enjoyed the cruise. You’d think there’s not that much to do, but somehow we were out of the room all day long. Every day felt well spent. I even clocked up loads of steps because we made a point to use the stairs as much as possible — got to balance out all that eating somehow.
Ovation of the Seas Activities
The experience feels safe, with the instructor holding on and guiding you to maintain a steady, controlled flight.
RipCord by iFLY — Indoor Skydiving
There’s a free session included and it gives you a one-time, 1-minute flight per person. One minute sounds short but trust me, it’s more than enough when you’re in a wind tunnel for the first time.
We also booked an additional paid session (2 x 1-minute) at S$40 per person in advance, then paid an extra USD$10 on the spot for one more 1-minute round. So in total, we each flew three times.
The instructor effortlessly flew up and down, putting on an impressive display of his skills.
Here’s what the whole iFLY experience looks like:
- Arrive early before your reservation time
- Check in and get weighed — weight limits apply (under 1.83m: max 104kg; 1.83m and above: max 113kg)
- Watch a safety briefing video in a room, and the instructor goes through hand signals with you
- Get suited up with goggles and helmet
- Everyone does a first 1-minute round in the wind tunnel, then a second round once everyone’s gone
- After the first round, the instructor debriefs on what people did wrong
- After the second round, he shows off a bit with some stunts — actually quite entertaining to watch
- For a third round at USD$10 extra, the instructor will double thumbs up to ask if you want to go again. Thumbs up back means yes.
FlowRider Surf Simulator
Completely free. You can try boogie boarding or stand-up surfing. It looks easier than it is. Show up, queue up, and give it a go.
Rock Climbing Wall
A 40-foot (12-metre) rock climbing wall. Also free. Good fun if you enjoy a bit of a physical challenge.
SeaPlex — Indoor Sports Complex
We spent a lot of time here. The SeaPlex is a large indoor space and it’s one of the highlights on the Ovation of the Seas. Throughout the day, different activities are held here — bumper cars, roller skating, pickleball, basketball, badminton, dodgeball, you name it.
Even if you’ve never skated before, they provide skating aids so beginners can join in the fun.
Tried soft archery for the first time, and my hubby nailed a bull’s eye—what luck!
For bumper cars, you can’t reserve a slot. Just show up and join the queue. Each session is about 2 minutes — very short but very fun. Head upstairs and there’s table tennis, Xbox, foosball, soft archery, bean bag tossing and more. We tried a bit of everything.
Don’t miss the onboard game shows—participants can win Royal Caribbean merchandise!
Victory! Here’s our prize for topping the trivia game.
Trivia Sessions
Free and held throughout the day in various lounges. Topics cover music, general knowledge, and themed subjects. We won some keyrings. I find trivia always teaches you something new — it’s educational and genuinely fun. Don’t overlook this one.
Celebrating our luck with two winning scratch cards!
Raffle draw win: a bottle of sparkling wine!
Bingo
Bingo is a paid activity and we played every round. Here’s a breakdown:
- Day 1: USD$35 for one sheet of 6 bingo cards plus 4 scratch cards. Prize pool was USD$300. We only won USD$5 from a scratch card. Winnings can be claimed as cash at the casino counter.
- Day 2: Bought two sheets plus 8 scratch cards at USD$70, and they threw in a free extra sheet. Won USD$10 from two scratch cards.
- Day 4: USD$49 for 3 sheets of bingo cards plus 3 scratch cards. If you kept receipts from previous days, you could exchange them for extra bingo cards for the final game. We didn’t win cash, but won a raffle prize — a bottle of sparkling wine.
Casino
Always super busy — both slot machines and table games. I’m a small-risk kind of person. I put in USD$110 on the slots, won back USD$80, so a final loss of USD$30. Not bad for a few hours of entertainment. Cashed out at the cashier and brought the cash to Guest Services to offset part of the room bill. The balance gets charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise.
Challenger’s Arcade
Honestly, not worth your time. The games are dated, the arcade looks rather sad, and hardly anyone was there. Skip it.
Entertainment Shows on the Ovation of the Seas
The shows are more time-fillers than must-sees. But here’s a quick rundown of what we watched:
Duo Art Gold (Day 1): Better than expected. The guy was genuinely funny — we laughed more at his humour than the actual stunts.
Spectra Cabaret (Day 1): Needed a reservation. Halfway through, there was a technical problem — one of the screens was spoilt — and the overall effect was noticeably affected. The delivery wasn’t great to begin with, so we just left.
The Beautiful Dream (Day 2): Musical-style show with impressive stage setup. Singing wasn’t great and the song remixes felt a bit odd.
Duck Cameron, Magic (Day 3): Started slow with old-school tricks — levitating person, hula hoops, that sort. Got a bit more interesting when audience members were invited on stage.
Life. Love. Legs. (Day 4): High-energy cabaret-style performance. It was alright.
You won’t feel like you missed out if you skip a show or two. But if you’re in the area after dinner, why not.
The atrium comes alive with a lively dance party.
Shopping on Board
Surprisingly not bad. We weren’t expecting much, but the deals were reasonable. The atrium had items from around S$10, and the T-shirts and jumpers were quite fairly priced. There were also discounts on branded watches and jewellery, plus Royal Caribbean merchandise if you want something to remember the trip by.
Ovation of the Seas Dining: The Full Picture
Honestly? Food was my main motivation for this cruise. Specifically, specialty dining. Let me break it all down.
Unlimited Dining Package — Get It
We paid about S$161 per person for the Unlimited Dining Package after discount. Over the 4 days, we went to specialty restaurants seven times: Wonderland once, Izumi once, Chops Grille twice, and Jamie’s Italian three times. Seven specialty restaurant meals for S$161 per person. I think that’s worth every cent, especially when the Windjammer buffet is so meh.
I told my husband before we even boarded — my main reason for this cruise was to eat at the specialty restaurants. The Unlimited Dining Package made that very easy to justify.
I’ll be doing separate, detailed posts on each of the four specialty restaurants, so stay tuned for those.
Quench your thirst at the buffet with coffee, tea, water, or refreshing fruit punch and juices.
The buffet’s Indian section had pani puri, and I had to give it a try since it was my first time tasting it.
Windjammer Buffet
This is the main buffet and, like my last Royal Caribbean cruise, it disappointed again. The vibe is very canteen-like. The food presentation is not appetising and the taste is honestly forgettable. Not worth the calories when you have the Unlimited Dining Package.
Breakfast spread includes bacon, eggs, sausages, Asian food, carvery meats, eggs benedict, avocado toast, Indian vegetarian, pancakes, French toast, a live noodle station, an egg station, bakery items, cereals, oatmeal, salad, and fruits. It’s a solid breakfast spread but the quality is very mediocre.
I tried the crème brûlée and pineapple upside-down cake one night — both were too sweet for my taste.
Café Promenade
Available round the clock. The masala tea is quite nice — unsweetened and milky — but it wasn’t consistent. Sometimes it had a good tea aroma, other times it was more milk than anything. The sweets, savoury sandwiches, and cookies are fine for a quick grab.
Sorrento’s Pizza
Complimentary, and actually not bad. It’s New York-style thin crust with flavours like vegetarian, pepperoni, classic, BBQ chicken, and Caribbean Dream. My personal favourite was the vegetarian. The key is to grab the pizza when it comes fresh out of the oven — the cheese is stringy, the base has a proper crunch, and it tastes completely different from a slice that’s been sitting out. Keep an eye on the counter.
And here’s a gem — from 9pm onwards, right next to the pizza counter, there’s a congee station. Plain white congee with condiments: kimchi, salted egg, chicken floss, fried garlic, fried onions, and soy sauce. Mix everything together and it is so comforting to eat. This became my supper every single night without fail.
Café @ Two70
Open for breakfast and lunch until 5pm. Similar food to Windjammer but presented differently — more live station style where they assemble things like sandwiches in front of you. A slightly nicer experience than the Windjammer but same kind of food.
SeaPlex Dog House
The complimentary hot dog station. If you don’t want to fill up on carbs, skip the bun and go straight for the sausages with toppings — sauerkraut, onions, and sauce dispensers on the side for ketchup, mayonnaise, honey mustard, and sweet relish. We tried every sausage on offer. The smoked beef and chicken sausages were the best — good snap on the skin and a satisfying meaty bite.
Image: Royal Caribbean App. Check out the menu at Fish & Ships.
Fish & Ships
Tried a bit of everything. The chips and prawns were decent. Most other items came out overdone and dry. Worth a quick visit for the chips, nothing more.
Soft serve is a lifesaver in the humid heat—and being free means you can treat yourself to a cone whenever you want!
Soft Serve Ice Cream
Located at the outdoor pool area. Vanilla, dark chocolate, or a twist. Very nice. We kept going back. Simple pleasures.
Solarium Bistro has a more modest buffet spread, perfect for a lighter, relaxed meal.
Solarium Bistro
Less hectic than Windjammer but closes about half an hour earlier for breakfast. The selection is much smaller too. If you want variety, go to Windjammer. If you prefer a calmer atmosphere, head here.
The Main Dining Room offers a different menu each day. Here’s a glimpse at one of them.
Main Dining Room
The main dining room on the Ovation of the Seas actually consists of four restaurants: Grande, Chic, Silk, and American Icon Grill. All four share the same daily menu. We considered going one evening but after looking at the menu, nothing really appealed to us. Ended up at Jamie’s Italian instead. With the Unlimited Dining Package, that’s always going to win.
Step into the Bionic Bar and watch robotic bartenders whip up your cocktail—an extra-charge experience that’s worth seeing.
Adults-only Solarium at the front of the ship—perfect for lounging, swimming, or a relaxing whirlpool dip.
The outdoor main pool is perfect for families and kids, and in the evenings, it transforms into a movie spot.
No matter which bar you visit, there’s always live music or singing to enjoy, with plenty of bars to explore.
Port Stops: Penang & Phuket
One of the things I genuinely enjoyed about this cruise was getting to visit two places in one trip. Both Penang and Phuket were port stops, so you get a couple of hours off the ship to explore, walk around, do a bit of shopping, and just get some fresh air away from the ship.
It’s a great way to visit two destinations without having to plan separate trips. The time in port isn’t long enough for a deep explore, but it’s a nice break from ship life. Penang especially is very walkable and full of things to see and eat right near the terminal.
Ovation of the Seas Stateroom
I’ll share a full room tour in a separate post, but the quick version: the air-conditioning was really not efficient. We struggled to get the room to a comfortable temperature throughout the cruise. The shower pressure was also quite weak. Not dealbreakers, but worth managing your expectations going in.
Final Thoughts on the Ovation of the Seas
Because this was my second Royal Caribbean cruise — first was on Quantum of the Seas — I already knew what to expect. And honestly, the excitement wasn’t quite there. The ship setup, venues, stateroom, even the restaurant menus are basically the same across both ships. Only the name of the ship and the crew are different.
That said, I still had a good time. There’s always something to do, and somehow the days just fly by. You step off the ship feeling like you actually lived those four days. That’s not nothing.
What I Liked
- ✅ Specialty dining — so glad we got the Unlimited Dining Package; particularly loved Jamie’s Italian and Chops Grille
- ✅ Both Penang and Phuket as port stops — a great way to visit two places in one cruise
- ✅ RipCord by iFLY — fun, well-organised, and genuinely exhilarating
- ✅ SeaPlex — kept us busy across multiple sessions every day
- ✅ Nightly congee station at Sorrento’s — became a personal highlight
- ✅ Cruising in general — less pre-trip planning, everything in one place, just eat and enjoy
What I Didn’t Like
- ❌ Windjammer buffet — mediocre food, uninspiring presentation, no change from my last cruise
- ❌ Stateroom air-conditioning inefficient, weak shower pressure
- ❌ Production shows are mostly forgettable — fine as time fillers, not highlights
- ❌ One staff member at Jamie’s Italian had a really bad attitude — left a lasting poor impression
- ❌ Nothing felt new or exciting if you’ve sailed Royal Caribbean before
Not sure if I’d book another Royal Caribbean cruise unless we spot a really good deal. And even then, like I said, it would be for the specialty dining. That’s honestly what makes it worthwhile for us.
One interesting tidbit — one of the staff at Jamie’s Italian mentioned that the Ovation of the Seas is due for a major revamp: a new Italian restaurant, new staterooms, casino expansion, and more. So if the ship comes back to Singapore after the refurbishment, I’d probably consider it again just to see what’s new.
For first-timers, the Ovation of the Seas is a solid cruise option from Singapore. It’s easy, well-organised, and takes all the heavy lifting out of a holiday. Just get the Unlimited Dining Package. Thank me later.