PORT ANGELES – A lot of us have been wondering about the massive Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas that’s been coming and going in our harbor for over a month.
John Brewer, former Publisher and Editor of the Peninsula Daily News, has taken the time to find out, and has given us permission to tell you what he found out.
Brewer has learned that the Ovation is apparently just hanging out in northwest waters, awaiting the start of the Alaska cruise season in May after plans for cruises off Australia were canceled because of COVID-19.
It was last anchored off Port Angeles from November 8-14 after an earlier anchorage at Bainbridge Island. After it left Port Angeles, it was reported to be near San Francisco on Nov. 26, then off Seattle on Nov. 29.
The Coast Guard in Seattle said last month Ovation of the Seas was carrying an unknown number of crew members and no passengers.
The ship, which can carry up to 4,905 passengers and some 1,300 crew members, homeports in Seattle and Sydney, Australia, and generally cruises Alaska and Australia. On Nov. 9, Brewer sent a note through Faceboook to the Ovation of the Seas while it was off Port Angeles and got this response: “Australia cruise season was cancelled. Ovation has nothing to do until next Alaska season.” About 10 days later he got another message. “Sorry for the delay in replying. The reason why Ovation of the Seas was anchored of Port Angeles was because she had completed her Alaska season and had nowhere else to go till her next Alaska season. Don’t know how long she will be anchored of Port Angeles, she might be there till the next Alaska season.”
International cruise ships have been banned from entering Australian waters since March 2020 following a serious COVID outbreak on the cruise ship Ruby Princess, leading to more than 600 infections as well as 28 deaths.
The ban on cruises will remain in place until at least Dec. 17, the Australian government announced in October. Brewer has been tracking the ship using Marine Tracker and says it’s been going from one end of the strait to the other for days.