Cruise Spotlight
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Royal Princess vs Ovation of the Seas
The Princess Cruises Royal Princess was built in 2013. It was renovated in 2018. This ship is the third to carry the Royal Princess name. It's also one of 3 ships that feature Princess' Watercolor Fantasy Show, an outdoor dancing fountain show. It's 3 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 Royal Princess is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,083 feet long and 126 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 19-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas, the Royal Princess is 16% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Princess Cruises Royal Princess holds 15% fewer passengers than the Ovation of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Royal Princess has the same amount of space per person as the Ovation of the Seas.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Royal | Quantum |
| Gross Tonnage | 142,229 | 168,666 |
| Length | 1,083 | 1,138 |
| Beam/Width | 126 | 136 |
| Passenger Decks | 19 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,560 | 4,180 |
| Crew | 1,346 | 1,500 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 40 | 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 Royal Princess has fifteen different dining options like Crown Grill, Chef's Table Lumiere, and World Fresh Marketplace. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Ovation of the Seas has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Chef's Table, Dog House, and Wonderland. twelve of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
The Princess Cruises Royal Princess has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 15 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 10 | 12 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 8 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 47% | 44% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means 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.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for 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 Princess Cruises Royal Princess has a total of 3 pools and 7 hot tubs.
The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Royal Princess and fewer hot tubs.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Royal Princess.| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 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. On both ships, 73% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animated fountain | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Art Auctions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bumper Cars | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Indoor Sky Diving | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| North Star | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Court | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Princess Cruises is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, is considered a mainstream cruise line. 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. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
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.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $17.00 | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $2.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $6.25 | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 -$100 | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $24.99 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. | ||
Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.
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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