Ovation of the Seas in Sydney (click for full-size image)

Our feature Travel pic for this week is the Royal Caribbean Ovation Of The Seas, at berth alongside the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney, Australia.

This Quantum class ship was the third of its class, and went into service in April 2016.

It can carry up to 4,900 passengers and 1500 crew, and has been based in Sydney for the summer seasons and Tainjin in China over winter since 2016 – but after the current season, it will relocate to Seattle for week-long cruises to Alaska.

A state-of-the-art vessel, it has 19 restaurants and cafes, multiple entertainment venues, an artificial wave generator, iFly skydiving simulation, dodgem cars, a mobile observation car that rises 90 metres above the ship, and multiple pools.

We actually found it a little large for our taste, when we sailed it from Sydney to Singapore in February 2017, but it was interesting to see that the demographics of the ship differ from some other vessels – the average age on board was late 40s.

This week’s pic shows the ship at dock near Circular Quay – with Harbour ferries dwarfed by her bulk, and with the iconic Sydney Opera House as a backdrop.