Launch of Ovation of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
The ship is huge, like nothing I've seen before - and I've seen many ships. I really was wowed.
She's based in Asia for the Far East itineraries and the signs are in English and Mandarin, with a Noodle Bar instead of Johnny Rockets.
We opted to stay in an inside cabin which had the new innovation of a "virtual window". In basic terms this means it has a wall with a huge HD screen which shows the outside in real time, so you get the day light, night light, dock side, ocean, exactly as you'd see it from a balcony or window.
As it was only 4 nights we didn't get to go far, just visiting Cherbourg, Le Harve and Belgium (this is the only stop I got off at so I could visit Bruges, which is lovely!).
The ship has everything you could possibly want and need. I particularly loved the Music Hall, which had an amazing 80's band and then onto into a night club. There are other places with different styles of music too, so there’s something for everyone. There is the obligatory evening quiz in one bar which was great fun, along with sing along at the piano. There's lots of interactive technology on this ship and lots of the art pieces do things, like the amazing butterfly wall which when you touch or swipe over a butterfly they fly off.
The restaurants on board are fantastic. The usual buffet was jam packed with every choice you could imagine and we also managed to eat in all the speciality dining.
The highlight of our cruise was dining in Wonderland. This is one of the speciality restaurants and you have to pre-book - it costs around $35 pp. It's a 7 course tasting menus but it's very interactive and out of this world. I don't want to tell you any more so it's a surprise for you if you dine in here yourself.
This was a great long weekend and I can't wait to return with my kids in October 2017!