Cruise Spotlight
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Ovation of the Seas vs Joy
The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas was built in 2016. It was renovated in 2026. It's 1 year older than the Joy, which was built in 2017 and renovated in 2024. The Joy will undergo some renovations in Jan 2024. They'll remove the Galaxy Pavilion virtual reality arcade and Laser Tag and add a Thermal Suite and expanded Vibe Beach Club.
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 Ovation of the Seas is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,138 feet long and 136 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.2 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. It's about the same size as the Norwegian Joy.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas holds about the same number of passengers as the Joy 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 Ovation of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Joy.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Quantum | Breakaway Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 168,666 | 167,725 |
| Length | 1,138 | 1,094 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 136 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,180 | 3,802 |
| Crew | 1,500 | 1,821 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 40 | 44 |
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 Ovation of the Seas has fifteen different dining options like Windjammer, Sorrento's Pizza, and Izumi. Of those options, thirteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Joy has two fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cagney's Steakhouse, La Cucina Italian, and Main Dining Room. Nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven 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 15% more dining options than the Joy.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Ovation of the Seas might be a better choice then the Joy. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 15 | 13 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 13 | 9 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 8 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 47% | 15% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has 6 fewer bars than the Norwegian Joy. The Ovation of the Seas has 10 bars like English Pub, Schooner Bar and Sky Bar. On Joy, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Sugarcane Mojito Bar, Vibe Beach Club Bar and Waves Pool Bar.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Norwegian Joy |
|---|---|
| •Boleros • Casino Bar • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Pesky Parrot • Pool Bar • Schooner Bar • Sky Bar • Solarium Bar • Sound Cellar | •A-List Bar • Cellars Wine Bar • District Brew House • Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar • Mixx Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Skyline Bar • Social Comedy & Night Club • Spice H2O • Starbucks • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • The Cavern Club • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool Bar |
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.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Ovation of the Seas and the Joy 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 Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs.
The Norwegian Joy has the same number of pools as the Ovation of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Joy. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Ovation of the Seas.| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 0 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 4 |
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 the Ovation of the Seas, 79% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Joy, only 57% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bumper Cars | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Indoor Sky Diving | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| North Star | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian 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.
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.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.49 See drink menus | $9.99 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more | $28.50 - $32 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device |
| *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.
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a Free at Sea fare. Through this program, guests receive open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at specialty restaurants. If you book using this promotion, you'll be responsible for the gratuities on the dining and drink package. If you won't be using these options, booking a "sail away" rate that doesn't include the Free at Sea benefits is considerably cheaper. Also, most of these benefits are the base packages; you can spend more to upgrade to better alcoholic drinks or faster/more wifi.
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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