What it’s like on the floating mega-city Ovation of the Seas

Turns out there is an ultimate family holiday – a ship where you can skydive, rock climb and ride bumper cars while you travel to idyllic islands.

You can give surfing a try while cruising the South Pacific.

I didn’t think I was a “cruise person”. I thought I’d get claustrophobic spending nine nights on a ship. I also decided long ago that cruises were for retired couples or those families that get together for “Dad’s 70th” or the “50-year wedding anniversary” and all wear matching T-shirts.

But it turns out, a cruise can be an incredible family holiday, especially if you’re after convenience.

There are endless activities – more than you’re able to fit in – and an impressive selection of places to eat.

You can also be a tourist and visit multiple locations without any hassle and, when kids are involved, this is a gamechanger.

But it’s not relaxing – at least not this particular cruise, which is popular with families.

We sailed the islands of the South Pacific over Easter, which meant Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas was at capacity (4900 guests).

It was a girls’ trip – of sorts – with my daughters, aged nine and seven, and my sister, and we packed it all in, trying every activity and making the most of every minute on board.

There are 16 decks on Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas.

The activities

Scrolling through the itinerary on the Royal Caribbean app (everything is done via the app) we are presented with an almost endless list of things to do.

There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, an outdoor movie theatre, sports courts, video arcade and ping pong and air hockey tables. Every day you can take part in pickle ball, football or basketball games, there are scavenger hunts, cake decorating, or you can learn how to make sushi.

But what really makes Ovation of the Seas special is some of the more unique activities it has on board. It’s the only ship that you get to skydive one day and surf the next.

While my daughters were too young to try out surfing on the FlowRider, we absolutely loved the skydiving adventure.

The signature RipCord by iFly skydiving experience was a huge hit with my nine-year-old.

Each ride lasts for about a minute, inside a vertical wind tunnel – with a viewing area outside – and it was incredible. You get to free fall in a safe and controlled environment with expert instructors.

The ship also has three rock climbing walls (we spent A LOT of time here) and bumper cars and roller skating. And then there is the North Star, a glass-walled capsule which takes you 90m into the air, for a view of the ship and surrounding ocean. This one is not for those afraid of heights, but the views are stunning.

The rock climbing walls were hugely popular.

You can give surfing a try while cruising the South Pacific.

The largest sports complex at sea has bumper cars.

A chance to get away

While I said this cruise wasn’t relaxing (purely down to the number of activities we tried to squeeze in), there are ways to escape with an adults-only pool and restaurants.

I did manage to squeeze in some pampering at the Vitality Spa and enjoyed a luxurious few hours and one of the best deep-tissue massages I’ve ever had.

They have everything you need to recharge, from facials, massages and body wraps to manicures, pedicures, make-up and hair services.

Every Royal Caribbean ship has a spa and fitness centre. The spa costs extra, and can be booked online before the cruise or once on board the ship.

The North Star, pictured on a different Ovation of the Seas cruise, takes you 90m into the air, for a view of the ship and surrounding ocean.

The night-life

There is plenty to do in the evenings with live music, discos and comedy shows. You can’t take children to everything, but we did bring them along to Spectra’s Cabaret, a Royal Caribbean production. Featuring a blend of live performance, technology and music, the cabaret was a lot of fun.

Another huge hit with all of us were the cocktails (and mocktails for the kids, obviously) at the Bionic Bar. After selecting your drink on the iPad, it is made by one of the two robotic bartenders.

You can’t beat a great buffet – and Windjammer Marketplace was first-class.

The food

One of the surprising details about Ovation of the Seas was the number of restaurants on board. There are 17 different places to eat on this floating mega-city.

Windjammer Marketplace, the ship’s casual buffet-style restaurant, was outstanding. Sure, it was busy, but despite the ship being at capacity, you could always find a seat and the food was fresh, hot and so much variety.

The main dining room also offers exceptional multi-course meals each day.

There are also speciality restaurants (these come at an additional cost) such as the Japanese restaurant Izumi, Jamie’s Italian, Chops Grille and Chef’s Table. But the real delight was at Wonderland, where you are transported to a fantasy world.

The restaurant is loosely based on the world of Alice in Wonderland, and the entire experience is immersive. You have to dip a paintbrush into water and paint the menu for it to magically appear, and then the dishes themselves are a visual feast and designed to surprise you.

The clear water off Mystery Island was best enjoyed on a pool floatie.

A view of the boat from Mystery Island in Vanuatu.

Time off the boat

With so much to do on the ship, it’s easy to forget that you’re there to experience the islands of the South Pacific. Our cruise stopped at Noumea in New Caledonia and Mystery Island and Port Vila in Vanuatu.

While in Noumea, we took the 45-minute boat ride to Amedee Island. The tiny coral island is a natural marine reserve with crystal clear water, colourful coral and tropical fish. We managed to see some large sea turtles while snorkelling, and also a fair few sea snakes (both on land and in the water). The snakes are poisonous but we were assured by the locals that they are afraid of humans and they, thankfully, did keep their distance.

Our next destination was the small, uninhabited, Mystery Island. It’s simply stunning, with snorkelling and paddle boarding available, and locals from neighbouring Aneityum head over on days that cruise ships visit to sell coconuts or do hair braiding.

The third offshore day was spent at Port Villa, the largest city of Vanuatu. Here we took advantage of one of the tours organised by cruise staff. We visited the Pepeyo Cultural Village, where we were shown the traditional ways of fishing and hunting, and watched fire walking, and the Aelan chocolate factory. The highlight of this visit, though, was the Blue Lagoon swimming hole. It is a safe and accessible place to swim, but also has ropes hung from trees to swing into the water.

The details

A seven-night South Pacific cruise in December, on board Ovation of the Seas, starts at $1199 per person. The nine-night South Pacific cruise sails in November this year (starting at $1782 per person) and February 2025 (starting at $1561). All the details and other cruises are at royalcaribbean.com.

The writer travelled courtesy of Royal Caribbean cruises