Ovation of the Seas vs. Radiance of the Seas

[abmdis]

We are currently looking at cruises to Alaska for 2020. These are the two ships that go there. Does anyone have any insight on either ship (the good and the bad). Ovation looks like a lot of fun and plenty for kids to do but I am worried about it being so big and so many people. We will have three kids ranging from 7-11.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Hopefully someone has information to share but if not we will give some details after our May cruise on Ovation.

Since this will be her first time in Alaska they there will be no direct comparison yet. Also Ovation has been pretty much in Asia/South Pacific some there is limited feedback so far.

 

[bbel]

Radiance doesn't have too much for kids to do, rockwall, mini golf a little movie theatre and that's about it.
On radiance tho, your kids will be together in the kids club if that makes a difference.

Ovation has more to do, but radiance is smaller so it depends what you want. I dont have as much info on ovation as I do on radiance class tho.

 

[TJA]

First, let me say I have zero experience on either of those ships. However, we are sailing on Jewel (sounds similar to Radiance) this summer in Europe which is really port-heavy, so I think that the options for kids mentioned above are the perfect amount. We did an Alaskan cruise last summer on the Disney Wonder and we really only had one full day where we were truly just at sea and needed things to do on board. My kids went on the slide/pool, we played shuffleboard, played bingo, saw a movie, played a few card games on deck. I can see if we had more days at sea where we might've been a little bored. So I'd choose your ship depending on your ports and how many days at sea/downtime.

 

[tidefan]

Are you tied into RCCL? You'd have a lot more options on HAL or Princess (maybe even NCL or Celebrity - also Carnival has a ship up there as well)...

Also, I believe that Princess is moving Royal Princess up there this year, which is part of their latest class. We find the food (buffets especially) to be much better on the Royal class ships.

 

[nancy drew]

I would choose by itinerary, not by ship, if possible. Do you prefer a one way or round trip? Vancouver or Seattle departure?

You have 3 ship options on RCI:

Serenade of the Seas has one way itineraries departing from Vancouver or Seward.
Radiance of the Seas has round trip itineraries from Vancouver.
Ovation of the Seas has round trip itineraries from Seattle.

One way itineraries let you see more of Alaska and add on a land tour in Alaska.

Round trip itineraries let you depart and return from one port/airport, and you can choose between departing from Seattle or Vancouver, and possibly adding land time in one of those cities.

Vancouver departures/returns will be more scenic because you are sailing in the Inside Passage vs the open ocean, which is where Seattle departures sail. Inside Passage is smoother, whereas ocean is rougher.

You won't have many sea days on any itinerary, but when you do, will you want to be admiring the scenery and looking for wildlife (we spotted whales, dolphins, otters, and sea lions on our cruise) or will you want to be inside doing activities?

The sailings all have slightly different ports. Do you want more Alaska ports or Vancouver/Canada ports? What about glacier time?

Also consider that RCI will be allowed in Glacier Bay, which IMO is a must do, and it will likely be a smaller ship that is sailing into the bay.

We sailed on a roundtrip from Vancouver on another cruise line (HAL) which my teens LOVED, and which visited Glacier Bay. We spent 4 days in Vancouver/Whistler before we sailed. If we go back to Alaska, we will do a one way with land time in Alaska.

This is Glacier Bay. These are not photoshopped. These are real photos that I took with my camera or phone.

You can't really go wrong with an Alaskan cruise, but you really should prioritize by itinerary/departure/return, then if applicable, choose the ship. FWIW if we had sailed on a ship with a million activities it wouldn't have mattered because my kids spent all of their free time in their respective kids clubs with their friends. My son and his cruise friend wandered a bit, and joined me in the lounge to watch for wildlife a couple times, but they would not have cared about a rock wall, sky diving, or whatever is on the bigger ships. DD would not have done any activities if there had been any. She was 100% fine chatting with friends all day and night.

Also, any itinerary in Alaska is VERY port heavy. You will be out on excursions all day, and you will return to the ship feeling exhausted, only to wake up and do it all again the next day. You probably won't have much time or energy for activities.

You know yourself best, though. Think through all of the options. Happy to talk more about Alaska any time!