Ovation of the Seas vs Spectrum of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas was built in 2016. It was renovated in 2026. It's 3 years older than the Spectrum of the Seas, which was built in 2019.

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 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 Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas holds about the same number of passengers as the Spectrum of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas holds 13% fewer passengers than the Spectrum of the Seas.

When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Ovation of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Spectrum of the Seas. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas
Class	Quantum	Quantum-Ultra
Gross Tonnage	168,666	169,379
Length	1,138	1,139
Beam/Width	136	135
Passenger Decks	14	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	4,180	4,246
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	4,905	5,622
Crew	1,500	1,551
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.3	3.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	34	30

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 sixteen different dining options like Two70 Cafe, Solarium Bistro, and Starbucks. Of those options, thirteen are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.

The Spectrum of the Seas has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Windjammer, Chops Grille, and La Patisserie. Eleven of these restaurants are complimentary and the other eleven have an additional fee.

The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Ovation of the Seas might be a better choice than the Spectrum 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 & Spectrum of the Seas

Restaurant	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas
Included
Cafe Promenade	✓	✗	Learn More
Dog House	✓	✓	Learn More
Fish & Ships	✓	✗	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
Noodle Bar	✗	✓
Solarium Bistro	✓	✗	Learn More
Sorrento's Pizza	✓	✓	Learn More
Two70 Cafe	✓	✓	Learn More
Windjammer	✓	✓	Learn More
A la carte
Amber & Oak Pub	✓	✗	Learn More
Coffee & Tea Shop	✗	✓
La Patisserie	✗	✓	Learn More
Sichuan Red	✗	✓
Starbucks	✓	✗	Learn More
Flat fee
Chef's Table	✓	✓	Learn More
Chops Grille	✓	✓	Learn More
Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar	✓	✗	Learn More
Izumi	✓	✓	Learn More
Izumi Teppanyaki	✓	✗	Learn More
Jamie's Italian	✗	✓	Learn More
Teppanyaki	✗	✓
Wonderland	✗	✓	Learn More
Exclusive (open to select guests only)
Coastal Kitchen	✓	✓	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has 2 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Boleros	✓	✗
Casino Bar	✓	✓
English Pub	✓	✗
Giovanni's Wine Bar	✓	✗
Music Hall	✗	✓
Pesky Parrot	✓	✗
Pool Bar	✓	✓
Schooner Bar	✓	✓
Sky Bar	✓	✓
Solarium Bar	✓	✓
Sound Cellar	✓	✗
Vintages	✗	✓

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 Barq's 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 the recent bar menus for the Ovation of the Seas and the Spectrum of the Seas below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

	Ovation of the Seas	Spectrum of the Seas
General-access pools	2	2
Adults-only pools	1	1
Exclusive pools	0	1
General-access hot tubs	5	4
Adults-only hot tubs	2	0

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 7 hot tubs.

Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas has more pools than the Ovation of the Seas and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Spectrum 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. Both the Ovation of the Seas and the Spectrum of the Seas have wading adult-only pools in The Solarium. Both have fully enclosed adult-only areas. They're both located in the front of the ship.

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. Both ships have about the same share of included activities: 79%

	Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Bumper Cars	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✓	✓
Indoor Sky Diving	✓	✓
Laser Tag	✗	✓
North Star	✓	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
	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 Spectrum 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 may 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	$7.49 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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