On 11 February 2011 RCI announced that it had ordered a new class of ships from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the first of which was scheduled to be delivered by autumn of 2014.

[10][12] Ovation of the Seas arrived from Hamburg to the Port of Southampton, UK on 10 April 2016, to begin a series of inaugural events, including press previews and a limited number of "Shake-down" and mini-cruises for VIPs, specially invited guests and members of the public.

[14] On 9 December 2019, a volcanic eruption occurred on New Zealand's White Island (Whakaari) while Ovation of the Seas was docked in the nearby Port of Tauranga.

There were 47 people, including 38 passengers and crew from the ship on the island when it erupted, despite an increase in seismic activity in recent weeks.

[18][19][20] A spokesperson said the line was "devastated by today's events",[21] and the ship remained in port until 11 December to assist with recovery efforts.

The International Transport Workers' Federation had called on the Australian government to allow the crew members to be disembarked so that they could be flown to their countries of residence.