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Ovation of the Seas vs Legend of the Seas
The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas was built in 2016. It's 10 years older than the Legend of the Seas, which was built in 2026. Legend of the Seas will start sailing in July 2026. It'll feature many of the same restaurants and attractions as its sister-ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. The Legend of the Seas is still under construction and Royal Caribbean hasn't released all the details yet.
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. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas, the Ovation of the Seas is 33% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas holds 25% fewer passengers than the Legend 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 Ovation of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Legend of the Seas.
The Legend of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Quantum | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 168,666 | 250,800 |
| Length | 1,138 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,180 | 5,610 |
| Crew | 1,500 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 40 | 45 |
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 twenty-one different dining options like Cafe Promenade, Fish & Ships, and Two70 Cafe. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Legend of the Seas has eight more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Playmakers, Pearl Cafe, and Hooked Seafood. fourteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fifteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Legend of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 38% more dining options than the Ovation of the Seas.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Ovation of the Seas might be a better choice then the Legend of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas & Legend of the Seas
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| AquaDome Market | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Basecamp | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cafe Promenade | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Celebration Table | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chef's Table | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Chops Grille | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Coastal Kitchen | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Dog House | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| El Loco Fresh | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Fish & Ships | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Hooked Seafood | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Izumi Hibachi & Sushi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi in the Park | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Jamie's Italian | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| La Patisserie | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Lincoln Park Supper Club | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Park Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Pearl Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Playmakers | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Solarium Bistro | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sorrento's Pizza | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sugar Beach | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Surfside Bites | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Grove | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Two70 Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Unnamed Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Vintages Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Windjammer | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Wonderland | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has 14 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Basecamp Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Boleros | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bubbles | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cantina Fresca | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Desserted Milkshake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dueling Pianos | ✗ | ✓ |
| English Pub | ✓ | ✓ |
| Giovanni's Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Lou's Jazz 'N Blues | ✗ | ✓ |
| Music Hall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Playmakers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rye & Bean | ✗ | ✓ |
| Schooner Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sky Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Solarium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spotlight Karaoke | ✗ | ✓ |
| Swim & Tonic | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Grove Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Hideaway Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lemon Post | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut: Frozen | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Overlook | ✗ | ✓ |
| Trellis Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vintages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Windjammer 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 Legend 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 Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs.
Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas has more pools than the Ovation of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Legend of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. On Icon Class ships, there's isn't a Solarium, but instead, the adult-only area is called The Hideaway.
The Ovation of the Seas has a wading adult-only pool, while the Legend of the Seas has a full-depth adult-only pool. Ovation of the Seas’ adult-only area is fully enclosed and climate controlled, while Legend of the Seas’ is not enclosed. The Ovation of the Seas’ adult-only area is in the front, while the Legend of the Seas’ is in the back.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 7 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Royal Caribbean editions with places like Studio B and Sorrento's featured.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Royal Caribbean Edition
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 Ovation of the Seas. Only 73% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Legend of the Seas, 79% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bumper Cars | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Indoor Sky Diving | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| North Star | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean is 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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Legend 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 understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.
| Royal Caribbean | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $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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