Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas arrived  into Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after passing under the Lions Gate Bridge, becoming the largest cruise ship to visit Vancouver.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader twangster shared with us photos of Ovation of the Seas arriving into Vancouver.

Ovation made history earlier in the day when she became the largest cruise ship to visit Victoria, British Columbia some 61 nautical miles away.  Both cities mark her first ever visit to Canada.  Victoria will be a regular stop on her summer itineraries to Alaska from Seattle while Vancouver will be the gateway used for her Hawaii repositioning cruises at the beginning and end of the Alaska cruise season.  

Royal Caribbean is in the process of adding Fish and Ships specialty restaurant on Ovation of the Seas.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com reader Ken "Wolf" Jarvis dramatically shared photos of workers onboard Ovation of the Seas working on removing Kung Fu Noodle Shop and replacing it with the Fish and Ships restaurant.

Fish and Ships first debuted on Independence of the Seas, and is a poolside eatery where guests can grab quintessentially British seaside treats.

Royal Caribbean announced today it plans to send three ships to Alaska in 2020, marking the cruise line’s biggest presence in the region yet.

Ovation of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas will offer sailings to The Last Frontier in 2020. Before arriving to the Last Frontier, Ovation and Radiance will island-hop along Hawaii, while Serenade sails the Panama Canal and Golden Coast on her way west. 

Ovation of the Seas will return for its second consecutive season to offer 7-night itineraries from Seattle, Wash. 

For the first time since 2009, Serenade of the Seas will head west as it repositions from a winter in the sunny Southern Caribbean to Vancouver, British Columbia, making 2020 Royal Caribbean’s first summer season with three ships in Alaska. Serenade will sail 7-night itineraries through the 500 miles of shoreline that is the Inside Passage, calling on Ketchikan, Juneau and Icy Strait Point, Alaska.

Radiance of the Seas will once again offer 7-night, open-jaw itineraries between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska.

In repositioning to their seasonal summer homeports, all three ships will chart their own course through exotic and off-the-beaten-path locales to discover cultural treasures. Serenade of the Seas will sail through one of the largest and legendary engineering projects ever undertaken as she makes her way from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to Los Angeles, Calif. on a 15-night Westbound Panama Canal sailing departing May 4, 2020. Along the journey, guests can encounter the charming cultures of Central America with visits to Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. On May 19, 2020, Serenade will then head over to Vancouver, British Columbia to navigate the Pacific Coast on a 7-night sailing.

Both Ovation and Radiance of the Seas will say aloha to the islands of Hawaii. Ovation will embark on its 12-night cruise from Honolulu, visiting Maui (Lahaina), Kailua Kona and Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, on May 7, 2020. Also sailing from Honolulu and departing on May 5, 2020, Radiance will offer a 10-night itinerary to the Last Frontier with ports of call including Maui (Lahaina), Kailua Kona, Hilo and Kauai (Nawiliwili), Hawaii.

Royal Caribbean’s 2020 Alaska cruises open for bookings on Thursday, Nov. 8; Crown & Anchor Society loyalty members are able to book one day prior.

UPDATE: While the sailings appear on Royal Caribbean's website, the sailings do not appear to be bookable.

Royal Caribbean's website is now showing 2020 Alaska and Hawaii sailings are viewable on the website.

While no official announcement has been made, we were able to browse the Royal Caribbean website to see and book the new sailings.

There will be three ships sailing to Alaska in 2020.

Ovation of the Seas will offer a 12-night sailing from Honolulu to Vancouver on May 7, 2020, before starting 7-night roundtrip Alaska Glacier cruises from Seattle, Washington that will begin later in May 2020. Following her Alaska season, Ovation will sail a 10-night Hawaii cruise from Vancouver to Honolulu.

Radiance of the Seas will first sail from Honolulu, Hawaii to Vancouver in May 2020, prior to offering 9-night Destination Denali open-jaw sailings between Vancouver, British Columbia and Seward, Alaska. She will also offer 10-night and 13-night open-jaw sailings between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver, British Columbia (optionally in both directions). Radiance of the Seas will offer a 10-night Hawaii cruise  from Vancouver, British Columbia to Honolulu, Hawaii in September 2020.

By August 2020, Serenade of the Seas will offer primarily 7-night roundtrip Alaska Glacier cruises from Vancouver, British Columbia. Serenade of the Seas will offer a 11-night Hawaii cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia to Honolulu, Hawaii in September 2020.

Be sure to consult the Royal Caribbean website or your travel professional for further assistance with itinerary options and booking.

Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas made her first visit to two different ports in the Philippines this weekend, Subic Bay and Manila. This is the largest ever cruise ship to call at any Filipino port, and with the highest number of guests onboard totalling close to 4,600 from around the world. She is currently on a 5-night cruise from Hong Kong.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

To celebrate the maiden call at Subic Bay, a traditional plaque exchange ceremony was held onboard between Ovation of the Seas’ Captain Flemming Nielsen and local officials namely Atty. Wilma Eisma, Chairman and Administrator of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Mr Roberto Alabado III, Assistant Secretary of Department of Tourism. Senator Richard "Dick" Gordon and Ms Ma. Cristina Garcia, Vice Governor of Bataan were present at the event as well.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

A similar ceremony was held to celebrate the ship’s maiden call in Manila, with Captain Nielsen and Mr Mancile Francisquiel, Port Manager of Philippine Ports Authority, Mr Pocholo Joselito Paragas, Chief Operating Officer of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) – Department of Tourism, and Atty. Solfia Arboladura, Director of Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau presented the “key to the City of Manila” to the ship's Captain.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Ovation of the Seas is the largest cruise ship to enter the Philippines.

Royal Caribbean's Ovation fo the Seas is helping test a new satellite tracking system that aims to be even more precise and accurate than any system before it.

Ovation of the Seas is testing the highly accurate positioning technology, as part of the trial of a Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) for the Australasian region. Standalone GPS positioning is giving you five to 10 metre level positioning, whereas SBAS allows for corrections at the 10 centimere level to the entire area.

SBAS technology was used by Acoustic Imaging in consultation with the Port Authority of New South Wales to help dock Ovation of the Seas on its most recent visit to Sydney Harbour.

The Chief Operating Officer of Port Authority of New South Wales and Harbour Master, Philip Holliday said Ovation of the Seas is one of the biggest cruise ships to dock in Sydney Harbour during the cruise season.

"Sydney is extremely busy during the cruise season; we have enormous cruise ships coming in virtually every day and intermingled into all of that is ferry and recreation traffic. It's a busy working harbour," Mr Holliday said.

The lead scientist of Acoustic Imaging's maritime programs, Nicole Bergersen said the docking of Ovation of the Seas, which is over 330 metres long and too tall to sail beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was a unique opportunity to test how the use of SBAS technology could potentially benefit the ports of Sydney Harbour.

"The berth box inside Circular Quay is marginally smaller than the Ovation of the Seas, so the Ovation of the Seas is actually parking with nose protruding out in front of that parking spot. We're on a level where metres matter, and centimetres matter." Ms Bergersen said.

"What SBAS is allowing us to do is have the pilot rely just on the information on the computer screen and if we can enable instrument navigation, then the pilot no longer needs visibility to be able to steer a ship.

"That's going to allow the Port Authority of New South Wales to bring in more ships, more frequently and in adverse conditions."

Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas was the staging ground for the Biggest Game of Hide and Seek, with Ben Harrison, age 26, from Hornsby NSW, taking home the AUD$10,000 prize, and a family cruise for four, all thanks to his stealthy hiding techniques.

In an Australian first, Aussies aged eight and over boarded the megaship docked in Sydney Harbour to play a huge version of the iconic childhood game, as part of a unique competition to celebrate 10 years of Royal Caribbean sailing Down Under.

Two games were held – one for adults aged 15 and over and another for kids aged 8-14. Competitors were picked from over 20,000 entrants and came from far and wide; NSW, QLD, NT, SA, WA, VIC - to seek out the best hiding spots onboard in an attempt to outwit the “Seekers”, Australia’s national Hide & Seek team The Nascondingos, who competed in the 2017 annual World Championships in Italy.

12-year-old Ryan S from Kincup in regional QLD took home the kids’ prize which was a family cruise for four, after hiding from the Nascondingos under a couch. Runner up Benjamin H from NSW is also taking his family on a holiday.   

Winner of the adults’ game, Ben Harrison aka ‘Big Red’ used sheer distance as his tactic, attempting to get as far away from home base as he could in the allocated hiding time. He chose curtains to hide under in rounds one and two, and in the third – his winning spot – Ben managed to squeeze underneath a table that was concealed by a curtain. After being awarded his novelty size check, Ben said “It’s a pretty big accomplishment. I am very surprised, I still have butterflies in my stomach. I’m very very happy”. He and fiancé Jess will be putting the $10,000 towards their wedding at the end of the year, and will use the cruise for their honeymoon.

The Nascondingos have heralded it their hardest game yet, “There was just a lot of ground to cover. We’re short twitch athletes and we’re used to five-minute rounds. These 20 minute rounds covering eight football fields really put us under pressure. It was far more challenging than we thought it would be. Curtain and couch hiding were the most popular spots” said Alan Jones, Nascondingo’s Captain.

From attempts to host unofficial games in a certain Swedish furniture store, to a campaign for Hide and Seek to appear as an official exhibition sport in Tokyo in 2020, the event took place as the game gains traction as a serious sport among people of all ages.   

MC for the day, TV personality Jason Dundas said of the frivolity; “I’ve been travelling the world filming Getaway from over 100 countries for 11 years and I’ve never been on a cooler ship and had more of a fun experience onboard in my life”.

Royal Caribbean has extended the 2018/2019 cruise season in Australia, making it the longest season down under yet.  The cruise line released two new sailings in March and April 2019.

Before making her way to Alaska via Hawaii for her maiden season in the region, Ovation of the Seas will sail two additional local sailings to the South Pacific and New Zealand, offering Australians even more opportunities to sample the USD$1 billion cruise ship. Ovation of the Seas will then sail a 16 night Trans-Pacific cruise to Hawaii.

Guests who have New Zealand on their bucket list can book a brand new 10-night New Zealand roundtrip departing Sydney on 30 March 2019, calling at Dunedin, Wellington, Napier and Picton, with a day of scenic cruising through Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds.

Also new is an 8-night South Pacific roundtrip, departing Sydney on 9 April 2019 and visiting Noumea in New Caledonia and Mystery Island in Vanuatu.

Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas will return to her homeport of Sydney, Australia on Thursday December 7, 2017, which will mark her second season of cruising down under.

After making her way from Singapore via Fremantle, Adelaide and Hobart, Ovation of the Seas returns to her Sydney summer home port for her second and significantly longer season down under.

Celebrating her second birthday in April 2018, she is the first brand new cruise ship to be based here and represents the single largest investment in Australia’s cruise industry.

At 348 meters long, 18 decks high and weighing 168,666 tons, Ovation of the Seas is the world’s equal-fourth largest cruise ship and the largest cruise ship to ever sail Australian waters, with capacity for 5,000 guests and 1,500 crew.

“The return of our billion dollar baby, Ovation of the Seas, marks a particularly special milestone for us at Royal Caribbean and for Australian travelers, because it also marks our 10th season down under,” says RCL Cruises managing director, Adam Armstrong.

“Ten years ago, our philosophy was to bring the world’s most cutting-edge cruise product to Australia’s doorstep. In 2007, we embarked on a cruising revolution with the mighty Rhapsody of the Seas and today, we continue this proud tradition of delivering Australians with the world’s best holidays at sea with the ground-breaking, all-new Ovation of the Seas, one of our four Australian-based megaliners,” Armstrong said.

With capacity for close to 5000 guests, Ovation of the Seas will deliver significant economic benefits to the state each time she calls. Her first visit to Sydney for the season is expected to inject $2.5 million into the NSW economy in passenger spend alone, and $33 million into NSW throughout the season with 13 turnarounds at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal.

Ovation of the Seas arrives in Sydney at 6:30am with 4800 guests onboard hailing from more than 30 different countries. She will dock at the Overseas Passenger Terminal until 6:30pm, before departing on a 10 night New Zealand cruise.

Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas will return to Fremantle, Australia on Wednesday November 29, 2017, marking the ship's second season down under, as well as Royal Caribbean’s 10th season in the region.

Making her way from Singapore to her Sydney summer home, Fremantle is Ovation of the Seas’ first Australian port of call for her second and significantly longer season down under.

At 348 metres long, 18 decks high and weighing 168,666 tons, Ovation of the Seas is the world’s equal-fourth largest cruise ship and the largest cruise ship to ever sail Australian waters, with capacity for 5,000 guests and 1,500 crew.

“The return of our billion dollar baby, Ovation of the Seas, marks a particularly special milestone for us at Royal Caribbean and for Australian travellers, because it also marks our 10th season down under,” says RCL Cruises managing director, Adam Armstrong.

“Ten years ago, our philosophy was to bring the world’s most cutting-edge cruise product to Australia’s doorstep. In 2007, we embarked on a cruising revolution with the mighty Rhapsody of the Seas. Today, we continue this proud tradition of delivering Australians with the world’s best holidays at sea, with the ground-breaking all-new Ovation of the Seas, one of our four Australian-based megaliners,” Armstrong said.

Her visit to Fremantle is expected to inject over $800,000 in passenger spend alone.

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia welcomed the return of Ovation of the Seas to WA: “Fremantle was Ovation of the Seas’ first Australian port of call on her maiden voyage down under last year. It’s a privilege to welcome her back again,” Mr Papalia said.

“Cruise shipping is crucial for the State’s tourism industry. In 2016-17, WA’s nine port destinations had 143 cruise ship visits, an 18 per cent increase from 121 calls the previous year. Those 143 visits generated $387.4 million for the WA economy and supported 1,300 jobs.

“The State Government recognises the importance of cruise shipping to WA, recently announcing improvements to some regional port destinations to ensure the sector’s sustainability in the future,” Papalia concluded.

Ovation of the Seas arrives in Fremantle at 8am, cruising from Singapore to Sydney with 4800 guests onboard hailing from more than 30 different countries. She will dock in Fremantle until 5pm, before making her way to Adelaide on 3 December and Hobart on 5 December, en route to her Sydney home on 7 December 2017.