Ovation of the Seas mainly sails from Seattle during the northern summer season and re-positions to Sydney during the southern summer season.
Concept and construction
Ovation of the Seas, dominating Sydney CoveOvation of the Seas at Tahiti on 24 April 2019
On 11 February 2011 RCI announced that it had ordered a new class of ships from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the first of which was scheduled to be delivered by autumn of 2014. At the time, the project was code-named "Project Sunshine".[6] On 29 February 2012, the company announced that a second "Project Sunshine" ship had been ordered and would be delivered by Spring 2015.[7] Just under a year later, on 31 January 2013, RCI announced that the official name of the new class of ships was the Quantum class.[5][8]
The first steel for the third vessel in the Quantum class was cut on 18 September 2014, the same day its name was announced to be Ovation of the Seas.[9] The keel was laid down by Meyer Werft on 5 March 2015. Before the first piece of the keel was lowered into place, Adam Goldstein, President and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the holding company of RCI, placed a lucky coin in the dock. The keel was formed of 74 blocks.[10] The first section was launched on 20 June 2015.
Ovation of the Seas was delivered on 8 April 2016[11] and entered service on 14 April 2016.[10][12]
Service history
Ovation of the Seas arrived from Hamburg to the Port of Southampton, UK on 10 April 2016, to begin a series of inaugural events, including press previews and a limited number of "Shake-down" and mini-cruises for VIPs, specially invited guests and members of the public. The ship berths at the City Cruise Terminal in the Western Docks, where its fleetmates also dock when visiting the city.
The ship was based in Hong Kong.[13] The ship's christening ceremony was 24 June 2016 in Tianjin; the ship's godmother is Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.[14]
On 9 December 2019, a volcanic eruption occurred on New Zealand's White Island (Whakaari) while Ovation of the Seas was docked in the nearby Port of Tauranga. There were 47 people, including 38 passengers and crew from the ship on the island when it erupted, despite an increase in seismic activity in recent weeks.[15][16][17] The eruption killed 22 people and injured 25.[18][19][20] A spokesperson said the line was "devastated by today's events",[21] and the ship remained in port until 11 December to assist with recovery efforts.[22] The captain offered refunds to all passengers on board the ship.[23]
In March 2020 thousands of passengers were ordered to self-isolate after disembarking from the ship in Sydney, Australia on 18 March due to COVID-19 fears.[24] 79 passengers subsequently tested positive for the virus. As of 1 April, the ship was located off the coast of New South Wales. The International Transport Workers' Federation had called on the Australian government to allow the crew members to be disembarked so that they could be flown to their countries of residence. They formed part of 15,000 crew members in 18 cruise ships sitting off the Australian coast during the pandemic.[25]
On 2 April, a 75-year-old former passenger died in Wollongong Hospital.[26] The ship departed Australia on 4 April 2020 with its crew.[27]
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