Carnival Panorama vs Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas

The Carnival Panorama was built in 2019. It was renovated in 2024. The Panorama is the only cruise ship to have a Sky Zone trampoline park on board. It's 3 years newer than the Ovation of the Seas, which was built in 2016.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs
• See Our Detailed Cruise Blog

Ship Size

The Panorama is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,055 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas, the Panorama is 21% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Panorama holds about the same number of passengers as the Ovation of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Panorama has less space per person compared to the Ovation of the Seas.

	Carnival Panorama	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Class	Vista	Quantum
Gross Tonnage	133,868	168,666
Length	1,055	1,138
Beam/Width	122	136
Passenger Decks	15	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	4,008	4,180
Crew	1,450	1,500
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.8	2.8
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	34	40

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Panorama has nineteen different dining options like JavaBlue Cafe, Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse, and Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue. Of those options, fifteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.

The Ovation of the Seas has three fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Windjammer, Izumi, and Fish & Ships. twelve of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Panorama might be a better choice. It has 19% more dining options than the Ovation of the Seas.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Panorama might be a better choice then the Ovation of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Carnival Panorama	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Total Dining Options	19	16
Complimentary Dining Options:	15	12
Additional Fee Dining Options:	9	9
% of Included Options	53%	44%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Panorama has 4 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. The Panorama has 14 bars like Heroes Tribute Bar, Piano Bar 88 and Serenity Pool Bar. On Panorama, you can grab a drink at 10 different bars such as Bionic Bar, Boleros and Sky Bar.

Carnival Panorama	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Heroes Tribute Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Ocean Plaza Bar • Piano Bar 88 • RedFrog Rum Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • Tides Pool Bar	•Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • English Pub • Music Hall • Pool Bar • Schooner Bar • Sky Bar • Solarium Bar • Vintages

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Panorama serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Ovation of the Seas serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Panorama and the Ovation of the Seas below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Panorama has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.

The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Panorama and the same number of hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Ovation of the Seas. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Panorama.

	Carnival Panorama	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Total Pools	3	3
Pools - General Access	2	2
Pools - Adults Only	0	1
Pools - Exclusive	1	0
Total Hot Tubs	6	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	2	0

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Panorama. Only 65% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Ovation of the Seas, 73% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Carnival Panorama	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Brewery Tour	✓	✗
Bumper Cars	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Indoor Sky Diving	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Mini golf	✓	✗
North Star	✗	✓
Outdoor gym	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Ropes course	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Sky Zone	✓	✗
Skyride	✓	✗
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✗
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties which vary per ship.

Cruise Costs

Carnival and Royal Caribbean are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Panorama will likely be more expensive than on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.

	Carnival Panorama	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$16.00	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	18%
Soda Price	$3.00	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$8.75 See drink menus	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$83 - $88 Learn more	$77 - $118 Learn more
Internet Plan	$18.70 to $23.80 per device per day	$19 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

We sailed aboard the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas

Follow along on our sailing on the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Seattle

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Juneau

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Skagway

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Sitka

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Sea Day

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Victoria

Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 8 - Debarking in Seattle

6 Hits & Misses of Ovation of the Seas

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