Ovation of the Seas

Ovation of the Seas is the third ship of Royal Caribbean's Quantum class, built by Meyer Werft at Papenburg, Germany, and entering service in the spring of 2016. Sharing the class's roughly 168,666-gross-ton, 348-metre design across sixteen decks, she carries some 4,180 guests at double occupancy, served by around 1,500 crew, and like her sisters she was floated down the River Ems to reach open water.

She was fitted with the signature Quantum innovations that defined the class: the North Star glass observation capsule, which rises more than 90 metres on a mechanical arm; the RipCord by iFly vertical-wind skydiving simulator; the FlowRider surf simulator; and the SeaPlex activity complex with bumper cars, roller skating, and a sports court. Her interiors featured the transforming Two70 lounge and a broad palette of specialty dining.

Ovation of the Seas was christened in 2016 with Chinese actress Fan Bingbing serving as godmother, a choice reflecting the ship's initial deployment to the growing Chinese cruise market, where she was based out of Tianjin and other Asian ports in her early years.

Registered in Nassau, Bahamas, Ovation of the Seas later became a seasonal traveler between hemispheres, sailing Alaska itineraries out of Seattle during the northern summer and repositioning to Australia for the southern summer season, where she became one of the largest cruise ships regularly based in the region. She remains in active service, a globe-ranging member of the Quantum class.