The Ovation of the Seas - passengers are in mourning It was meant to be just another cruise journey around New Zealand. But for some on the Ovation of the Seas - it would turn out to be anything but. The Royal Caribbean cruise ship had been docked at Tauranga, a coastal city near White Island. Many of the ship's passengers were on board when the captain announced that several from the ship had made the trip to White Island - and were there when it erupted.