Earlier this summer, I flew across the country to set sail on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas to Baja California. I was lucky enough to sail on the Quantum class ship’s inaugural cruise to Cabo San Lucas. In fact, my itinerary was one of the ship’s first cruises from California.
Ovation of the Seas arrived in Los Angeles in May 2025 as the largest cruise ship to ever dock in Port of Los Angeles’ World Cruise Center. To meet the growing demand for West Coast cruising, Royal Caribbean made the strategic decision to deploy Ovation of the Seas to California.
Although Navigator of the Seas had already been sailing from Los Angeles for a few years, the Voyager class ship is smaller and older. This isn’t uncommon, as most cruise lines homeport their older and smaller ships on the West Coast. If you wanted to experience Royal Caribbean’s newest and biggest ships, you’d need to trek across the country to Florida.
As such, Royal Caribbean’s announcement of bringing Ovation of the Seas to Los Angeles was a welcome change for West Coast cruisers. Although Ovation of the Seas was first built in 2016, the Quantum class vessel showcases some of Royal Caribbean’s newest technology and innovation.
From the North Star observation pod to the iFly skydiving simulator and the massive SeaPlex indoor activity space, Ovation of the Seas is about 20% bigger than Navigator of the Seas.
When the opportunity presented itself to cruise from Los Angeles, California, on Ovation of the Seas, I couldn’t resist! Our 5-night cruise was reasonably priced at $700 per person for a Virtual Balcony stateroom. My mom was excited to accompany me on this cruise, as she had never visited Cabo San Lucas before. She would be flying from South Dakota while I was traveling from Florida.
We had a great time on our short cruise, and I regret that I didn’t book a longer itinerary to make the most of my time on the West Coast. Here’s why one short cruise on Ovation of the Seas wasn’t enough.
Travel time was longer and more expensive than I anticipated.
Although I should have known better, I was still surprised by how long it took to reach the West Coast for this cruise. My entire travel day was nearly ten hours from the time I left my house until I arrived at the hotel in Los Angeles.
To my surprise, the travel day was more expensive and grueling than I had prepared for. My round-trip flight was nearly $500, and although that’s becoming more typical for domestic flights, I spent the same amount on an international flight to Denmark this summer!
I fly internationally frequently, so I typically consider any domestic flight to be a walk in the park. After a 36-hour travel day to Singapore just two months before, I wasn’t concerned about this travel day from Florida to California.
In other words, it didn’t really register with me that the flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles would take five hours. Add in a four-hour layover and the chaos of navigating LAX, and by the time I finally made it to bed, I was completely exhausted.
After such a long travel day, I immediately regretted only booking a 5-night cruise. Whenever I travel longer distances, such as flying overseas, I always try to make the most of my time and money with a longer vacation. I’ll spend a few days before and after the cruise to optimize my time even more.
Before boarding Ovation of the Seas, I was already wishing I had booked a longer itinerary. Throughout her summer season, Ovation of the Seas offered a range of itineraries, from shorter 3-night cruises to Ensenada and longer 7-night itineraries to multiple ports of call in Baja California.
Looking back, I wish I had booked a longer itinerary on Ovation of the Seas to see more destinations in Baja California and maximize my time.
I was pleasantly surprised by Baja California.
Because I live in Florida, I haven’t visited Baja California very much. My family had taken a cruise to Ensenada more than 15 years ago, and it wasn’t our favorite port of call. Actually, Mexico isn’t one of my top destinations at all for cruising.
On this cruise, my mom and I were excited to visit Cabo San Lucas for the first time. The overnight port would allow us to have more time ashore than typical itineraries. We decided to book an excursion to ease logistics, especially considering we had never visited this port of call before.
We ended up having a fantastic time on our excursion! Our tour brought us to the famous arch formation on an expedition-style speed boat. We had incredible views of the harbor from the sea, including a great view of our ship!
The rest of our tour included tequila tasting, homemade quesadillas, touring a glass factory, and shopping in town. Both my mom and I were impressed with Cabo San Lucas, and we felt very safe throughout the tour.
Considering our cruise was only five nights, and we ended up enjoying Cabo San Lucas far more than we expected, I wish we had booked a longer itinerary. From the dramatic rock formations at Land’s End to lively beach clubs and the marina’s bustling atmosphere, there was so much to see and do!
Luckily, Ovation of the Seas isn’t limited to shorter sailings. The ship is scheduled to sail a variety of itineraries from Los Angeles, including 7-night and 8-night voyages that give travelers more time to explore ports.
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Other itineraries this summer to Baja California included stops in Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. Overnight ports are more common for cruises to Baja California, which are my favorite! Those longer cruises not only provide extra days ashore but also allow for more time onboard to enjoy the ship’s amenities.
I love cruising on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class ships.
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class is my favorite ship class in the entire fleet. These ships aren’t quite as big as Oasis or Icon class ships, but you can still find some of the most modern amenities.
Most importantly, I tend to prefer the port-intensive sailings with Royal Caribbean to experience new destinations whenever possible. In general, the cruise line’s biggest ships are more about the onboard experience and less about the destinations.
However, I’ve found that Quantum class ships have the perfect balance between state-of-the-art amenities and port-heavy itineraries. For instance, I’ve cruised to Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, and the Canary Islands aboard Quantum class ships — and these are some of my top cruise experiences ever!
Ovation of the Seas is almost 10 years old, but you wouldn’t guess her age based on the ship’s design, cutting-edge amenities, and modern features. You can also find Royal Caribbean’s signature onboard thrills, such as the FlowRider, North Star observation pod, and iFly skydiving simulator.
In addition, I love all of the dining options available on Quantum class ships. There are more complimentary restaurants available, such as the Solarium Bistro, Two70 Cafe, and Fish & Ships. Not to mention, Ovation of the Seas also features a variety of specialty dining restaurants, such as Chops Grille, Izumi Sushi, Wonderland, and Jamie’s Italian.
My mom and I tried two specialty dining restaurants during our cruise: Chops Grille and Jamie’s Italian. Both meals were excellent, and we always appreciate the elevated ambiance and service. However, we still had a great experience in the main dining room on the other nights.
Entertainment is another highlight on Ovation of the Seas. My mom and I love seeing all of the production shows onboard, and we hardly had time to see everything available. One of the production shows, Live Love Legs, was one of the best production shows we’ve ever seen on a cruise ship. My mom loved it so much, she watched the show multiple times!
We enjoyed our virtual balcony stateroom, although it was noisy.
For this cruise, we booked a virtual balcony interior stateroom. I had never experienced this type of cabin before, which featured a massive LED screen with live footage of the ship. I thought it might be gimmicky, so I didn’t have high expectations for the experience. To our surprise, we enjoyed the virtual balcony more than we anticipated.
At first, the picture wasn’t necessarily impressive — and we were surprised we actually had to close the curtains at night. I figured the screen could be turned off, but we couldn’t seem to find a switch. Luckily, we did pack a clothespin to secure the curtains each night and keep the room dark.
Once we arrived in Cabo San Lucas, we enjoyed being able to see the views from the ship. It was a nice feature in the cabin, although I wouldn’t necessarily want to spend extra for the virtual balcony.
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The worst part of our stateroom was its location. We were located right under Adventure Ocean, meaning we could hear kids running and screaming throughout the day. Luckily, this wasn’t an issue at night when Adventure Ocean was closed, but it certainly interrupted my sea day naps!
I’d book another cruise on Ovation of the Seas, but I’d prefer a longer itinerary next time.
Royal Caribbean is clearly making a bigger commitment to the West Coast with its expanded presence in Los Angeles. Ovation of the Seas is the largest ship ever to sail from the port of Los Angeles, and it’s clear Royal Caribbean is beginning a new era of cruising in the region.
As a Florida resident, I am accustomed to quick and easy access to weekend cruises. But Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class is my favorite in the fleet, and I will never turn down an opportunity to sail on one of these ships.
However, this trip was a good reminder that when you travel a long distance to cruise, it is worth booking at least a 7-night itinerary. After a 10-hour travel day across the country, spending only five nights onboard Ovation of the Seas felt too short.
Even still, my mom and I had a wonderful time together on Ovation of the Seas, with Baja California being a highlight of the voyage. While the travel time to get there was lengthy, I would not hesitate to sail on the ship again. Next time, I would choose a longer West Coast itinerary that visits more ports of call to make the most of my time.
