Carnival Splendor vs Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas

The Carnival Splendor was built in 2008. It was renovated in 2024. It's 8 years older 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 Splendor is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 952 feet long and 116 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas, the Splendor is 33% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Splendor holds 28% fewer passengers than 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 Splendor has less space per person compared to the Ovation of the Seas.

	Carnival Splendor	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Class	Conquest	Quantum
Gross Tonnage	113,300	168,666
Length	952	1,138
Beam/Width	116	136
Passenger Decks	13	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	3,012	4,180
Crew	1,150	1,500
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.2	2.8
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	38	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 Splendor has seventeen different dining options like Pizzeria del Capitano, Mongolian Wok, and Masala Tiger. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.

The Ovation of the Seas has four more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Dog House, Cafe Promenade, and La Patisserie. 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 Ovation of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 24% more dining options than the Splendor.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Splendor 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 Splendor	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Total Dining Options	17	21
Complimentary Dining Options:	12	12
Additional Fee Dining Options:	5	9
% of Included Options	71%	57%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Splendor has 4 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. The Splendor has 14 bars like Atrium Bar, Java Blue Cafe and RedFrog Rum Bar. On Splendor, you can grab a drink at 10 different bars such as Bionic Bar, Schooner Bar and Solarium Bar.

Carnival Splendor	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • El Morocco Aft Lounge • Grand Piano Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Juice and Java • Our House Sports Bar • Red Carpet Dance Club • RedFrog Pub • RedFrog Rum Bar • The Cool Lounge • Topside 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 Splendor 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 Splendor 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 Splendor has a total of 2 pools and 4 hot tubs.

Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has more pools than the Splendor and more hot tubs.

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

	Carnival Splendor	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Total Pools	2	3
Pools - General Access	1	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	4	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	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 Splendor. Only 69% 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 Splendor	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Bumper Cars	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Indoor Sky Diving	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Mini golf	✓	✗
North Star	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✗	✓
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 Splendor will likely be cheaper 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 Splendor	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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