twangster

Blog tricks :) Positioning the cursor to the left of an image and hitting enter will insert a space between images. It's easier to do on a laptop versus a phone/tablet. I do most of my posting using a laptop so it's easier to visualize and arrange images.

Look for the first "free" time slot right after the paid reservations are finished in Endicott Arm for views like this:

Port day. The views of Skagway from North Star were captured in this post: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/12630-ovation-goes-north-way-north-to-alaska-11-nights-may-13-2019/&do=findComment&comment=126313 On sea days it's cool but nothing to see. Keep in mind that using the RoyalIQ app on board you can cancel any North Star reservation made now if you see a better or more desirable time offered on board. By all means grab something now but adjust it on board when even more slots are made available.

That's the dining package team. Dx team does pricing on "bring your kids to work and let them do your job" day.

Status Update: It's been a while since I updated the thread and it's been an interesting journey. I've been on a cruise recently with limited communication so that delayed working through this process. It took numerous attempts to escalate. Escalation and appeal is by email only - they don't let you talk to a person in this process. This is going to get lengthy but I want to you to see how this unfolded and how their claims process works. A couple weeks ago I received a voicemail from someone at Allianz in response to my email appeal. They left an extension number and "direct" phone number. I've made numerous attempts to call that number prior to cruising. One occasion the contact center that answered informed me that their computers were down and they can't transfer calls when computers are down. On another occasion the contact center repeated past information about my claim being denied and refused to transfer me. On another occasion they stated they need more information and had sent me an email (didn't get it but got have received other emails from them with my denial status). I checked spam filters and junk mail and made sure their domain was whitelisted. They couldn't tell me what additional information was required. "I'm sorry we can't tell you that on the phone, it has to be sent to you in an email". Three attempts to have the email sent and resent were unsuccessful despite numerous emails about being denied. On my eighth attempt to return the phone call from the voicemail, I convinced the contact center agent to transfer me to the extension provided. Phew. A human answered. My claim of trip cancellation was changed to trip interruption because they could find no proof that my airline had incurred "24 hours of cessation of services". I informed her I was documenting this for an internet forum and asked very specifically what does "cessation of services" mean? Basically the airline has to stop flying. All flights, anywhere. I asked her to clarify specifically with Southwest Airlines. Do you mean that every single flight that Southwest flies anywhere has to be grounded for 24 hours for cessation of services to be satisfied? Her response, correct. The Airline has to cease operations. If one Southwest plane takes off anywhere completely unrelated to me getting to Houston then cessation of services has not been satisfied. They use FlightStats are a data source and had documented in my claim that Southwest did not cease operations. But wait. I checked my policy and no where is cessation of services mentioned for this coverage. It's because of the date of the incident she said, side stepping my comment. Had I got sick on April 5th and cancelled then it would be Trip Cancelation but because it occurred on April 7th it's Trip Interruption. My policy doesn't state anything related to date of cancellation. No where does it state a number of hours or days before a cruise or trip for a claim to be cancellation versus interruption. We went down this rabbit hole several times until I asked her to read to me where in my policy is a date qualification noted. She stated I would have been covered if I flew to Cozumel and boarded the ship side stepping my request. Coverage would have been up to $250. I told her Southwest doesn't fly to Cozumel. My airline couldn't get me there. She then went back to cessation of services. I repeated that's not in my policy as a qualifying condition (it is for car rental coverage in a different section, but not for trip cancellation or trip interruption). Then she went back to trip interruption however since I didn't try to fly to Cozumel, I'm not covered. I repeated I couldn't fly to Cozumel because Southwest doesn't fly there and asked her why isn't this trip cancellation? I pointed out that as soon as Southwest cancelled my flight on that day I called their claims department and was informed I am covered and was advised to file trip cancellation. She stated she didn't know why I was given this incorrect information. Then she stated: Oh look, here is something in your policy that I overlooked. "Non-refundable payments and deposits. Payments and deposits you made before your trip was canceled, less any published refunds you’re entitled to receive." At this point she started looking at my receipts and confirming I paid an additional amount for transportation services (Houston to Galveston shuttle). "This is my fault, I missed that section of your policy". The words I had been waiting to hear... "Okay, I am going to process the full amount of the cruise fare and shuttle less the port fees and taxes as indicated by Royal Caribbean". Success. I have some thoughts on this experience but I'll leave it up to you to decide if you think they were hoping with enough road blocks, unrelated terminology and verbiage that isn't in my policy that I might just give up and go away.

You can declare a "relationship" for a significant other or children under 18 years old. In your case I don't see how your relatives who are D+ can declare you to be in a relationship with them unless you are under 18.

Water levels in Alaska are driven by Ocean levels. Tides impact the inside passage as illustrated in Skagway at the end of Taiya Inlet. As oceans rise so will water levels in Alaska. Levels in Lake Mead on the other hand are influenced by human demand pulling water out of the Colorado River. As growing communities along that river pull more and more water, less makes it into Lake Mead. We had a banner year of snowfall this year in Colorado. 99% of the state drought free. Perhaps all that snowpack will help the water levels in Lake Mead, or perhaps more communities along the Colorado River will draw even more water from it.

Bottom line - understand your magic number for any package. If it's more than that, don't buy it, if it's less, buy it. How it gets there, fuzzy math, royal math, reverse polish notation, divine intervention, Royal IT mistake, a chicken crossed a road, etc... is meaningless. DX had never been a fixed price. It is what it is.

Update: My custom creation from the Skagway Glass Blowing Experience arrived in the mail today! And to think... that's my hot air trapped inside the globe. My other purchases from their shop arrived yesterday but since many are gifts for family and friends no pics. I opted for the flat base so I could put it on a table. As dorky as this sounds, whenever I look at this I'll be brought right back to Skagway and this awesome Alaskan cruise experience on Ovation of the Seas.

The challenge will be two bluetooth headphones. I hear this is an upcoming feature leaked for the next generation of iPhones but it's not something I've heard much about before. Having said that I have never tried because when I travel with family we all tend to be into our thing and watch on our own iPads or iPhones. What @Andrew72681 proposes should work but it's some extra gear to carry. The splitter plus two bluetooth transmitters that both need to be charged and plugged into the splitter. I always try to pair down my travel accessories to a bare minimum, I've got enough cables and adapters to carry.

Cruise Summary Wow! What an awesome Alaska experience. There is a part of me that wants to say this was my best cruise to Alaska. However looking back I thought the same thing on every Alaska cruise I've taken. There are a couple of ways to interpret that sentiment but the truth is that Alaska is such an amazing destination that each cruise can top the last one. Every visit to Alaska is different. I chose to focus on Alaska on this cruise and in writing this trip report. The ship itself is very similar to Anthem from a core ship experience. Anyone who has sailed Anthem will feel right at home on Ovation. Apologize for no menus and less about the on-board experience of Ovation, but I took this cruise for Alaska so that became the focus of this thread. There were some special aspects of this cruise and it starts with the itinerary. This itinerary may never be repeated. That would be a shame because it included a lot I love about Alaska. I was curious how an early season cruise would compare but now I'm sold on the idea that any time for an Alaska cruise season is the perfect time for an Alaska cruise. I was also curious how Ovation of the Seas would compare to Radiance and Voyager class or Celebrity's Millennium class for an Alaska cruise, the ships I've sailed before to Alaska. Each has features I like. Looking back over this experience there is a lot to like about Quantum class in Alaska. Great indoor pool space for families Great indoor Solarium for adults, one of the best in the fleet North Star (more on this below) Two70° SeaPlex Flowrider New ship feel, new technology, new decor Great Windjammer experience (I have always liked the WJ on Quantum class) Great entertainment Better suite amenities including Coastal Kitchen Affordable balcony options for a reasonable fare difference I was curious how viewing angles would work out for glacier visits. I prefer to move around during glacier visits and seeing everything from multiple perspectives. I was very pleased with how this worked out on Ovation, better than I thought it would. I didn't think I'd like the glass dividers in places on the top decks but they were a blessing at times to block the wind with large spaces between them I could still take pictures. Not everything was perfect. These are areas that I felt had some room for improvement: The crew pressure wash the outer decks from 5am to 7am. During this time they are closed. This is a required maintenance exercise but they could have adjusted times to recognize the long days of Alaska. Sunrise is around 5am. Runners want to run. Arrival into ports is often occurring at this time. I don't recall this being an issue on any ship I've sailed before including three cruises on sister ship Anthem. Smokers were complaining there was no where to smoke. I don't smoke but I know if you close all the outdoor smoking areas at the same time to wash them down guests are going to break the rules and some did. The Cruise Director lost an opportunity to hype certain events like sailing under the bridge in Vancouver or the fact that every port of call was an inaugural port of call. The CD and staff seemed unaware that this was a special cruise itinerary or the ship's first ever visit to Alaska. Voom internet was a disappointment but if you have read this thread I've covered this already. North Star Experience. North Star brings a new aspect to Alaska cruising allowing guests to see things from a very different angle. This really sets Ovation apart from other ships that have sailed in Alaska. Despite a single complimentary reservation for North Star I found great availability to enjoy it on standby basis. Groups larger than 2 may find less enjoyment in the standby line unless they are willing to split up. While the $49 charge during glacier visits was higher than I expected I understand why a charge is required. Having done that extra cost version of the North Star Alaskan Experience I might even do it again. I've devised some ideas how to reduce glare from the curved windows in my North Star photos that I look forward to trying in North Star in other regions before I return to Alaska and enjoy North Star there again. For me North Star really has value in Alaska where in other regions it's simply a cool activity to do. You get a bird's eye view just like an Eagle soaring in the sky above the ship. When I cruise Alaska my focus is Alaska and not ship entertainment or activities. I have more cruises booked on Ovation in other regions some with many sea days. This allowed me to skip entertainment or activities on this sailing knowing I can try them another time. I did not visit the MDR once. For my needs and a desire for a quick meal experience the Windjammer fulfilled my needs perfectly. Despite some cool meals I ate most of them on the aft outdoor seating area for the Windjammer. Daily complimentary room service breakfast was appreciated with a balcony to enjoy a coffee while watching marine life below or an incredible sunrise unfold in front of me. For Diamond Happy Hour the use of the entire Music Hall worked well but I still missed access to the Concierge Lounge, a stated benefit for Diamond Plus members. I understand the reasoning offered for blocking access to the Concierge Lounge but it remains a disappointment. If you've enjoyed my pictures in this thread what you may not understand is that mere photos don't do it justice. To experience Alaska you have to go to Alaska. I know Royal offers great entertainment and activities but I feel like Alaska is a destination where you shouldn't try to do everything on the ship just because it's offered and available for you. A number of times I found myself nearly alone enjoying incredible scenery, peace and tranquility. Apologies to Nick Weir and his incredible team that produce awesome Royal entertainment but I came for Alaska. At times I put the camera down and just enjoyed the moment live and in person. What you don't see in this thread are those moments. Those are some of my best memories and for you to experience them you'll need to book a cruise to Alaska for yourself. Thanks for following along and I thank you for viewing.

Good call. The family memories you will make on an excursion will far exceed the value you get from being to connected to the internet.

Each experience at a glacier has been slightly different on each cruise, even when visiting the same glacier. Different Captains mastering different ships but also different weather and ice conditions at different times of the year plus different tidal times. To be honest I'm not sure which of those factors came into play for this experience. Perhaps being Ovation's first ever visit this Captain understandably played it safe, perhaps the tides weren't in our favor and higher tidal currents made it less safe or more difficult to navigate. At Hubbard we did not get as close as Radiance last year. At Dawes all ships turn in the same basin. Radiance in 2018 was the last Alaska cruise of that season for her. That Captain had a whole summer of experience there to understand how his ship behaved. The tidal currents may have been in our favor last year on Explorer at Dawes. Other factors I'm not aware of may be in play. Depth is not an issue as these inlets are very deep. The glaciers are very tall and most of that is underwater, we just see the few hundred feet above the waterline. At Dawes this year we had a strong sun rising in our face that presented a photography challenge so many of my pictures are washed out due to the angle of the sun. An overcast or partial overcast day would have yielded better photos. An afternoon arrival may have yielded better photos or maybe it would have been drizzle all afternoon. That's Alaska. Each experience is different, which is why I hope to go again, and again. If I sailed a similar Caribbean itinerary four times I'd grow tired of it. In Alaska each visit is different. Several theories but in the end it comes down to the best technology available. The root cause is that Alaska and Northern Canada are both lightly populated so the satellite companies that provide communication services have a difficult business model operating there. In the South a single satellite can reach millions of people and businesses to generate revenue. In the North there are tens of thousands of people and a few hundred businesses. As a result the communication providers don't offer the same options in the North that are available in the South. If there were 100M people in the North we wouldn't have this issue. Instead it's measured in the hundreds of thousands but spread across an area twice the size of the lower 48. I do have some knowledge of the legacy geostationary satellite systems from a college internship a few decades ago. A single transponder on a legacy satellite has a finite and fixed bandwidth. An "earth station" (or ship) is constrained by what a legacy satellite can provide. I suspect this is why all Quantum and Oasis class were deployed using the newer O3b satellite platform which unfortunately is not available in the North (root cause above). The O3b platform has beam forming technology that can aggregate more bandwidth to a single earth station (or ship). Older technology versus newer technology. I do think the passenger count plays into this which is why these ships were deployed with O3b. Royal used the best technology available on this cruise but that technology just isn't what it is when ships are in the South. In Juneau I re-boarded mid-afternoon and it was an "okay" Voom experience. By sail away Voom slowed to a crawl. One sample is hardly a scientific representation to draw conclusions from but it could be that the old technology originally developed in the days of Vision and Radiance class simply can't handle the volume of guests on larger ships. Up early for sunrise pictures resulted in no better performance so what does that say? Part of the problem are smart phones and cloud services. Guest are taking hundreds of photos of the incredible scenery and experiences. Those phones arrive back on the ship, connect to wifi and try to upload all that content to the cloud. Across hundreds of devices its thousands of pictures. Newer phones have higher megapixel camera ratings resulting in larger file sizes. Five years ago camera phones produced smaller file sizes. Repeat day after day and you have a saturated satellite uplink that still hasn't satisfied yesterday's demand to upload to the cloud before a new set of thousands of photos arrives back on board to contribute to the congestion even while guests sleep through the night. On an increasing basis more people use just a phone to capture pictures. Five years ago there were more actual cameras on board. It's going to get worse in the years to come. Twenty megapixel smart phones (or more). Better and multiple lens built into smart phones means even more phone users. More desire to be "connected" as a society. Explorer last year didn't provide a great Voom experience either. Ovation has a few hundred more guests. Maybe if they blocked Google Photos and Apple iCloud it would be better but then people would complain about that. In the end it's a matter of having the right expectations. To that end that is the goal is to make sure people understand Voom will be nothing like what it is when cruising in other regions. You may experience this effect on your Iceland itinerary.

I've long been of the opinion that a balcony is not a must to experience Alaska. Half of my visits were in interior cabins. The benefit of interior is that you are motivated to be out and around the ship where you will see things you might not on a balcony on only one side of the ship. This position was largely based on the huge difference in price between balcony and interior cabins on other ships. With smaller ships a balcony in Alaska is often twice the price of interior. Two cruises to Alaska in interior cabins or one cruise with a balcony? I'd take two cruises any day. Ovation changes the math and so does a Crown and Anchor balcony discount depending on your status in the Crown and Anchor Society. Quantum class is mostly balcony cabins with some interior and ocean view. This abundance of balconies often makes them closer in price to an interior cabin. Ovation also has obstructed view balconies on deck 6 that are often very close in price to interior. While an obstructed view balcony can be pretty obstructed, it's still better than interior for the nearly same price. Each sail date is different so there is no one answer to this question. For folks that plan their first Alaskan cruise booking a balcony used to mean spending a lot of money compared to interior. In that case I'd advise anyone it's better to book an interior cabin if it means you get to experience Alaska sooner rather than waiting years to save up thousands more for a balcony. Now, with Ovation a balcony is often just a few hundred more. Each of us has our own financial situation so this is a personal decision. If saving money on a cabin means you can splurge a little more on excursions you won't regret it. My best Alaskan memories occurred outside my cabin, not on my balcony. Having said that if a balcony is within reach financially and you can still splurge on excursions then a balcony is always a better experience. You're unique balcony experience could have equally occurred or been missed by someone with a suite or balcony on the other side of the ship. I walked out on my balcony and looked down to see a whale 30' off the side of the ship. Someone with the same balcony cabin on the other side missed that but maybe someone with an interior cabin saw some things I missed because they were in the right place at the right time. My neighbor walked out two minutes after the whale passed and asked "What did I miss?". Half of my sunrise and sunset photos and most of my best photos would have been missed if I stayed on my balcony.

Cruise Compass posted: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/ovation-of-the-seas/mon-2019-05-13-0000 Partial Adventure Ocean, Babies & Toys and Teen Cruise Compass posted: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/ovation-of-the-seas/mon-2019-05-13-0000-0

DSB was playing later in the cruise. They are a Journey tribute band and I saw them on Anthem in the Music Hall. Very good.

Some thoughts about Voom ship internet on this cruise. I had pre-purchased a Voom Surf and Stream package at a sale price of $11.99 per day for a total price of $132. Of my four cruises to Alaska on RCCL ships this was my worst ship internet experience. It started off great in Vancouver with the faster O3b service. Shortly after going to sea it switched to the conventional geostationary satellite service which was expected this far North. As we progressed it became very slow. Like slower than the old dial-up service of the 90's at times. It didn't really improve until we got closer to Seattle on the final sea days. Texting usually worked but email was challenging and streaming impossible. Returning into O3b coverage areas they kept the ship on the old satellite system. I suspect they don't want guests experiencing O3b for a day in Seattle and then facing the stark contrast of Alaska satellite internet. The Voom specialist offered a 20% discount. Satellite internet in Alaska has challenges that are well known but this was by far the worst ship internet I've ever experienced in Alaska. Most ports on Alaskan cruises have cellular service for major US cell providers so you need to carefully consider if you should purchase Voom when sailing to Alaska.

The Port of Seattle offers a free luggage valet program. This program collects your luggage the last night of the cruise and delivers it to the airport and your airline free of charge (airline bag fees may apply). For details check out this thread: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/12993-port-of-seattle-free-port-valet-luggage-program/

For embarking Seattle passengers Pier 91 typically handles two ships. Each ship has a designated luggage drop off area. The terminal itself is not very big. There are marked entrances for each ship. Ovation entrance to the left, Solstice entrance to the right. Debarking was easy. I made my way down and found the self-assist line already leaving. I joined the end of the line around 6:40am with 20 in front of me. No stopping, off the ship, down the escalator and out the terminal. Super easy. Today I would be using a ride share service to reach the airport. The ride share pick up and drop off area is on the other side of that gray building in the distance. You can do the 10 minute walk or use the free shuttle close to the ship. Time 6:47am I chose to walk since I would be sitting on a plane later. On the walk I noticed the sign for the Quick Shuttle to Vancouver. I looked at this as a means to fly in Seattle and shuttle to Vancouver. They also pick up at the airport. For any Canadians or Vancouverites this is a super easy way to get across the border. One last look at Ovation of the Seas. The ride share area is covered and has numbered stalls where you can meet your driver. Lyft was $33 to the airport. I arrived at the airport at 7:30am. I had a noon flight but I like to get off the ship and beat the crowds. Given it's a Friday an early ride to the airport meant beating Seattle rush hour traffic. Ride share is often cheaper too before masses disembark and surge pricing goes into effect. I later learned of 1 1/2 wait times for cabs for guests leaving during later times. There was no wait for a cab when I debarked.

Day 12 - Seattle Around 5:30am we were along side Pier 91 in Seattle. Below was the passenger drop off and pick up area. Cruise terminal to the left services two ships. Company ship Celebrity Solstice was arriving right behind us. I went up to eat a last Windjammer breakfast at 6am. Seattle from the ship. While up here I grabbed some photos of the pool signs for the main pool and the kid/baby Splash zones. The current pool is that circular pool like a lazy river that has jets to keep it circulating. After breakfast I was going down the aft stairs where they have a clear floor to look down the height of the elevator bank down to deck 5 below. The self-assist line was forming. I headed back to my cabin for a last minute sweep for any missing items I forgot to pack and to brush my teeth.

Day 11 - Sea Day I woke early and checked our position. Never get tired of a sunrise over the sea. The day progressed and eventually led to the craze know as the 2 for $20 sale. Deck 5 was a viable route to avoid the crazy shoppers that rival a black Friday experience. Late afternoon the Food and Beverage team put out a cake in the Windjammer. It grew foggy. At times they sounded the ship's whistle every two minutes per standard fog protocol. At this point we were within the Strait of Juan de Fuca in between Canada to our North and America to our South. Whale sightings became frequent. The Captain called out some of them over the PA. At one point I looked down from my balcony and a whale was right beside the ship. I could clearly hear each breath as it surfaced for air. Amazing! A pod of Orca's was on the other side. More whale call outs by the Captain. Pretty cool. Afternoon turned into evening and the fog lifted some, enough to barely make out Canada to our North. Our progress... Evening turned into a sunset. Ugh. Time to pack.

Day 10 - Evening The bulk of this sea day is just like any other sea day. I did get some work done. Around 6pm I was in the vicinity of the North Star and there were no lines, so... Time change back to Pacific time tonight. Our progress...

Day 10 - Sea Day Bridge Tour! How about a tour of the bridge of the largest cruise ship ever to visit Alaska? A cadet is charged with guiding our tour today. He is early in his nautical career and is currently spending a few months on various ships learning more about ship operations. Here is demonstrates the observation panel in the floor of the bridge wing so that the pier can be seen as the ship approaches it. It's very thick. The view down through the observational panel in the floor. The view aft. The Captain comes over to answer a few question and thank us for cruising with Ovation on this very special itinerary. Pretty good views forward as well. Quantum class are in the Guinness World Records. A pretty cool tour compliments of the Crown and Anchor Society for top levels of the program.

Day 9 - Evening Crown and Anchor Top Tier event in Two70°. With the screens lowered the Vistarama was displaying the virtual fleet sailing behind us. I've seen this before on Anthem and it's impressive. On Anthem they presented the fleet starting with the Song of Norway slowly adding ships over the years. The video was originally created for a Board of Director's meeting a few years ago and it's pretty impressive. Crown and Anchor numbers: Pinnacle 84, Diamond Plus 386, Diamond 598, Emerald 284, Platinum 476, Gold 999. Total 2,827 C&A members on board. With the evening progressing a sunset was in the making. Possibly the "worst" sea conditions so far. I ventured back to the aft Windjammer outdoor seating area for it. What fantastic weather we've had. Our progress... as we leave the Alaskan Inside Passage and re-enter the Pacific Ocean.

Earlier I mentioned that the Prince and Greene store on board was being converted to offer Alaskan merchandise. It opened on day three. Here are some pictures. Having been on different classes of ships to Alaska it's not a bad little store. I've grabbed things in these types of stores before and every time I use it I am reminded of my Alaska experience. This is a great way to dispense of any extra OBC or on-board credit you might have left over at this point.