Ovation and Quantum of the Seas Top 10 Tips
Sister ships Ovation & Quantum of the Seas are the largest cruise ships to sail from Australia. These incredible vessels are filled to the brim with technology and attractions, and in this article, I’ll give you my top 10 tips to make the most of your time onboard.
1. Cruise Planner and App
As soon as you’ve booked your cruise, download the Royal Caribbean app to your smart device and head to the Royal Caribbean website. Follow the prompts to register for an account and access your Cruise Planner. The planner is the perfect first stop to ensure you have a smooth onboard experience.
Within the planner, you can purchase add ons like drink and dining packages, plus make bookings for onboard services and shore tours, as well as reservations for onboard attractions and shows.
This powerful tool lets you plan your cruise before you even step foot on the ship.
Although RCI operate with US currency onboard, within the cruise planner, for Australians, all displayed pricing has been converted and is shown in AUD.
If your booking came with an onboard credit bonus, you’ll see this reflected in your cruise planner and the dollar amount will be shown in AUD, converted from the US dollar equivalent.
Pricing within the cruise planner can fluctuate throughout the year, both because of currency changes and Royal Caribbean sales. The biggest sales happen around Black Friday and Cyber Monday in late November and you can often find hefty discounts, especially on drink packages.
My recommendation is to keep an eye on your cruise planner throughout the year, especially if there’s a while to go before departure.
The cruise planner tool allows you to cancel pre-purchased items for a refund - so if for example you’ve already purchased a drinks package and see that the cost has decreased, you can simply cancel that package and buy it again at the reduced rate.
I also recommend that you take advantage of any available bookings for shows, like Pixels which is held in Two70. There’s no cost for these bookings, but it will at least guarantee you a seat.
2. Attractions
iFly and the North Star are both popular attractions and bookings are highly recommended, and honestly pretty much required if you want to ensure you get to experience them during your cruise.
Although both attractions were previously complimentary on Australian sailings, there’s now a hybrid booking system in place. On port days, iFly and the North Star can be experienced at no extra cost, whilst on sea days, you’ll have no choice but to pay extra. Paid bookings can be made in your cruise planner before the voyage, and these do sell out quickly. Complimentary slots are offered onboard and can be booked via the Royal Caribbean app as soon as you’ve connected to the ship’s wifi.
Costs can change over time, but as at the time of writing, the cost for the North Star is US$19 per person and that includes an extended run over the side of the ship. The complimentary, in-port version is a vertical, up and down experience only.
iFly is around US$29 per person.
3. A Bottle or 2
An often overlooked perk of sailing with Royal Caribbean is that you’re welcome to bring wine or champagne onboard with you. Each stateroom is limited to 2 750ml bottles, and it must be brought onboard in your carry-on luggage. Do not pack the bottles in your suitcase, or you’ll likely be sent to the naughty room.
The wine or champagne can be consumed in your stateroom, or you can take it into public spaces, but will be charged a corkage fee of US$15.
4. Much Ado About a Dollar
Royal Caribbean operates its ships with USD as its onboard currency. This is often a pain point with Aussie cruisers, as onboard pricing doesn’t reflect the true out of pocket cost that we end up incurring.
Cruise ships are cashless environments - all onboard purchases and charges are recorded against your stateroom. In the case of Royal Caribbean, those purchases and charges are processed with your Sea Pass Card, which doubles as your room key.
Before you board, and as part of the online check-in process, you’ll have to nominate a credit or debit card that will be used to pay for any onboard purchases. It’s important to note that you have the choice of allowing your bank or financial institution to convert the cost from USD to AUD, or you can let Royal Caribbean do that. Bear in mind that some card-providers will charge you a currency conversion fee, so it’s a good idea to look into your card’s fees and rates before you make a decision. Also note that Royal Caribbean may place a hold on funds on your card and this is normally released soon after the cruise concludes.
You can also opt for a cash account. While there’s no minimum deposit requirement, cash accounts have a spending limit imposed on them - $300USD per day for cruises of 6 nights or less, and $500USD per day for cruises of 7 nights or more duration. Once the limit is reached, you’ll need to go to the guest services desk to pay off your balance to prevent your Sea Pass card from being blocked.
5. Check-In, Health Check, Muster 2.0 & Boarding
There’s really no getting around the fact that cruise lines have well and truly moved into the digital era. In particular, all are now heavily reliant on apps to complete the passenger experience. Royal Caribbean’s app is an important hub both pre-cruise and once onboard. Pre-cruise, the app will allow you to complete the check-in process for yourself and members of your travelling party. This includes adding the identity documentation, completing your onboard spending account, and choosing a check-in window. Check-in windows are in place to help manage the flow of people at the terminal, so it’s important that you stick to the time-window you’ve selected.
In addition, the app will allow you to complete most of the Muster 2.0 process. A result of social distancing requirements, Muster 2.0 is the next generation muster process, and it eliminates the need for crowds to congregate at their muster station to learn about the emergency drill process. Instead, passengers can jump onto their device or use their stateroom TV, to watch a series of instructional clips that show you what to do in the event of an emergency. The app will note that you’ve completed these steps, and the lsat piece of the puzzle is simply to walk to your muster station on boarding day and have your Sea Pass card scanned by a crew member. Much better!
Additionally, and in place until various government bodies wind back their specific health requirements for the cruise industry, the app is also where you will complete your health declaration within 24 hours of boarding. You’re required to complete a self administered rapid antigen test and record the result of the test in the Health section of the app. Plus, you’ll need to bring time-stamped photographic proof of your negative result with you to the terminal in order to board the ship. Proof of vaccination is also required.
6. Identification
Passports are required for all cruises that call at an international port, and there must be at least six months validity remaining on your passport measured from the end date of the cruise. For domestic cruises, that is those that call only at Australian ports or at no ports at all, a government issued photo ID such as a drivers licence is accepted. Children aged 17 years and under will require a passport or Birth Certificate to travel, or government issued photo ID. Children under 16 years of age who do not have a passport or Photo ID, must have a copy of their birth certificate or their parents Australian Medicare Card.
7. Electrical
You won’t find an Australian powerpoint onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Instead, all staterooms offer both US and European style outlets. European outlets operate at 220V while the US style operate at 120V. Some Australian appliances like hairdryers (yes they are allowed) and even electric toothbrush chargers may not work as well as you’d expect if you connect them to the US outlets, so I recommend relying on the European outlets for higher-consumption appliances.
To that end, make sure you don’t bring on power-boards, irons or kettles. These will be confiscated and returned at the end of the cruise. For the full list of electrical contraband, you can head to the Royal Caribbean website FAQ section.
8. Laundries
There are no self-serve laundries onboard Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships - so you will be limited to using the ship’s laundry services or washing items in your cabin. One laundry service to look out for is called Wash and Fold. It allows you to stuff as many clothing items as you can into a paper laundry bag, and all will be returned to you washed and folded for a single set fee. Be aware that some of the items will be returned quite creased - so I would’t recommend it for your better clothing.
9. Cabin Locations
The Quantum Class ships are huge. They’re served by two main elevator banks and stairwells, one forward and one mid-aft. Although there really isn’t a bad location onboard, it’s more convenient if you can locate yourself nearer one of these elevator banks. Most locations are quiet, but if you’re directly under the pool deck or public spaces such as the Windjammer, there can sometimes be noise transference down into cabins. Choose a cabin that is sandwiched by other cabin decks to guarantee a quieter experience.
For non-smokers, it’s important to know that both Quantum and Ovation have a dedicated smoking area on the outer walkway on deck 5 starboard. I only bring this up because there are records of people complaining about smoke-drift towards balconies located aft on Decks 6 and 7, as this is above the area. Keep that in mind, and if you’re particularly sensitive perhaps choose a cabin on the ship’s port side.
10. Complimentary Dining
Although anyone familiar with Royal Caribbean will know of the classic buffet called the Windjammer, there are other complimentary dining venues onboard that are sometimes overlooked. In particular, the Solarium Bistro offers a smaller range buffet style range of both hot and cold foods at breakfast and lunch and can be a lot less frenetic. As its part of the adults only Solarium, access is limited to guests aged 16 and over which also helps with the calmer atmosphere.
Additionally, Cafe Two70 is another great spot for a quick or casual bite and it’s open from morning until the evening with a range of hot and cold options.
There are other complimentary venues onboard, but these two are are great options if you’re after the choices of a buffet style venue without all of the activity.
Let me know in the comments, what are your top tips to get the most out of Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas?