vanelli56

Research and planning ahead will pay off huge!
Great source of info is also past Cruise Compasses. Matt has a link to a bunch on this site. 
While it may seem very overwhelming due to the size of the ship, once you learn to navigate to and from the different areas, you'll realize that the bulk of the ship is cabin space, and there are only a handful of areas that you really utilize. And each person's utilization rate of those areas will vary greatly. i.e. some people may never leave the solarium when on the upper decks, while others may never step foot in there more than once. 
PS... one trick of the trade... if you need to go from one end of the ship to the other quickly.... the jogging track is GREAT for that. (Just mind the correct direction)
Enjoy!

Research and planning ahead will pay off huge!
Great source of info is also past Cruise Compasses. Matt has a link to a bunch on this site. 
While it may seem very overwhelming due to the size of the ship, once you learn to navigate to and from the different areas, you'll realize that the bulk of the ship is cabin space, and there are only a handful of areas that you really utilize. And each person's utilization rate of those areas will vary greatly. i.e. some people may never leave the solarium when on the upper decks, while others may never step foot in there more than once. 
PS... one trick of the trade... if you need to go from one end of the ship to the other quickly.... the jogging track is GREAT for that. (Just mind the correct direction)
Enjoy!

Like I said, the deposits went back to main fund source and refunds went back to deposit source and no notifications  anywhere along the way... The FCC's they seemed not wanting to part with them even more... I think I heard the agent sigh when I did as I said I would and made my new bookings paid in full as I said I would...  They worked with me on the one booking price which was brutally tough and long to get done. The second booking price had not changed in weeks and was easy... I'm positively ecstatic  about finally getting this settled and gonna spend countless hours in the cruise planners...
 

Exactly my thought. 
Just like you can e-sign waivers from your cabin TV... have a way to sign that you have watched the video... then you have to go check in at your muster station and scan in individually/in-person. Perhaps in a certain time frame from watching the video? 
But I agree with a lot of the comments above... you usually cant hear or understand due to the crowds during muster. If the main point is to know WHERE to go... just prove you know where to go. Done and done. But alas... its never that simple. lol

Update.... 
Updated email for corrected FCC came thru today...... 
Still completely wrong after a 2nd try.  
(Face palm)

Yep... really.  Lol
This was for a forced cancelation so we opted for the 125% Fcc. We recieved our taxes and fees refund a couple weeks ago, and got caught up in the wave of Fcc the other week that almost all of them were wrong.  
We are expecting a Fcc of $2560 total.  The first round we only got about $1000 total.  (500 each). 
Fast forward to today,  the email explained is the same certificate from before,  just reflecting the accurate and updated total.  (Not additional). Total today, $2008 ($1004 each). 
(Sigh)
Luckily it's no rush for us.... just frustration.  
 
Also waiting on a missing $125-ish credit card refund for another cabin,  that somehow was not included in last week's credit card refund from royal.  
(Double frustration) 

Exactly my thought. 
Just like you can e-sign waivers from your cabin TV... have a way to sign that you have watched the video... then you have to go check in at your muster station and scan in individually/in-person. Perhaps in a certain time frame from watching the video? 
But I agree with a lot of the comments above... you usually cant hear or understand due to the crowds during muster. If the main point is to know WHERE to go... just prove you know where to go. Done and done. But alas... its never that simple. lol

We were supposed to be going on Ovation OTS today.... it was cancelled so we moved it to July 31 of this year with our fingers crossed.... But, prior to it being cancelled... we did the L&S to July of next year. (We opted for the July 2nd departure) Hopefully we can enjoy some 4th of July celebrations in Alaska next year. We also will have a good chunk of FCC left over to supplement another cruise eventually.

We were supposed to be going on Ovation OTS today.... it was cancelled so we moved it to July 31 of this year with our fingers crossed.... But, prior to it being cancelled... we did the L&S to July of next year. (We opted for the July 2nd departure) Hopefully we can enjoy some 4th of July celebrations in Alaska next year. We also will have a good chunk of FCC left over to supplement another cruise eventually.

We are in the same boat as you.. pun intended. ?
Been to the Caribbean multiple times, and wanted a change. We are supposed to be on the Ovation of the Seas tomorrow 5/22 for our Alaska cruise... but alas; THE RONA's!!! 
This site was invaluable to our research over the past year leading up to what should of been our cruise. 
Personally, we like the newer more modern ships, hence our choice of the Ovation. With lots of help from this site and also youtube, we were going to rent a car at both ports of call, Juneau and Skagway. This would allow us see and do a couple of the main attractions (Glacier, salmon bake, Klondike Hwy, breweries, etc.) on our own time and allow us to explore some more on our own.
From everything I have heard and read... asking when is the best time and what is the best ship is like asking, would you like a free $100 bill, or 2 x $50 bills? There is no wrong answer and you will have a great time either way. But I completely understand where you are coming from.... I obsessed over finding the best way to maximize our first time there. We ended up shifting our cruise to next year... so now I have a whole new year to review and obsess again. 
If I remember correctly... I think @twangster has done some fairly recent trip reports on here. (great reads, highly recommend)
Good luck on your research 

We are in the same boat as you.. pun intended. ?
Been to the Caribbean multiple times, and wanted a change. We are supposed to be on the Ovation of the Seas tomorrow 5/22 for our Alaska cruise... but alas; THE RONA's!!! 
This site was invaluable to our research over the past year leading up to what should of been our cruise. 
Personally, we like the newer more modern ships, hence our choice of the Ovation. With lots of help from this site and also youtube, we were going to rent a car at both ports of call, Juneau and Skagway. This would allow us see and do a couple of the main attractions (Glacier, salmon bake, Klondike Hwy, breweries, etc.) on our own time and allow us to explore some more on our own.
From everything I have heard and read... asking when is the best time and what is the best ship is like asking, would you like a free $100 bill, or 2 x $50 bills? There is no wrong answer and you will have a great time either way. But I completely understand where you are coming from.... I obsessed over finding the best way to maximize our first time there. We ended up shifting our cruise to next year... so now I have a whole new year to review and obsess again. 
If I remember correctly... I think @twangster has done some fairly recent trip reports on here. (great reads, highly recommend)
Good luck on your research 

You won't regret cruising to Alaska.  If you are like me you'll only ask yourself why you didn't go sooner.
Here are my Alaska trip reports:
Explorer - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6634-explorer-alaska-62218-7-nights-rclblog-group-cruise/
Radiance - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9160-not-so-live-blog-radiance-of-the-seas-alaska-southbound-83118/
Ovation - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/12630-ovation-goes-north-way-north-to-alaska-11-nights-may-13-2019/
Celebrity Millennium - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5211-alaska-recap-celebrity-millennium-june-2017/
 
On this day one year ago today I was on Ovation visiting Dawes Glacier.  
As far as time of year, for me that is influenced by cost.  I have flexibility so I like to sail during the shoulder season May and September which are off peak (kids are in school).
You do see different things at different times.  Salmon run in mid to late August so if you want to see pink Salmon in the rivers that's your time.  The longest day of the year is June 21 so to get long days of sunlight you'll want to look earlier in the Alaska cruise season.  
I did a comparison of daylight hours in this post:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9160-not-so-live-blog-radiance-of-the-seas-alaska-southbound-83118/&do=findComment&comment=83956
 For me since I like to take pictures I gravitate to May cruises which offer long days and cheaper rates, the best of both worlds for my needs.
As you look through my pictures note what other guests are wearing.  That will give some ideas what you need to bring.  
The other consideration is balcony or not.  All things being equal balconies are great but they often carry a premium in Alaska.  I've sailed twice in interior cabins and still had a great experience simply by not staying in my cabin often.  I've saved thousands by doing so which I put into awesome excursions.  Alaska excursions are expensive but can provide over the top experiences so plan a healthy excursion budget if you can afford it.   

We are in the same boat as you.. pun intended. ?
Been to the Caribbean multiple times, and wanted a change. We are supposed to be on the Ovation of the Seas tomorrow 5/22 for our Alaska cruise... but alas; THE RONA's!!! 
This site was invaluable to our research over the past year leading up to what should of been our cruise. 
Personally, we like the newer more modern ships, hence our choice of the Ovation. With lots of help from this site and also youtube, we were going to rent a car at both ports of call, Juneau and Skagway. This would allow us see and do a couple of the main attractions (Glacier, salmon bake, Klondike Hwy, breweries, etc.) on our own time and allow us to explore some more on our own.
From everything I have heard and read... asking when is the best time and what is the best ship is like asking, would you like a free $100 bill, or 2 x $50 bills? There is no wrong answer and you will have a great time either way. But I completely understand where you are coming from.... I obsessed over finding the best way to maximize our first time there. We ended up shifting our cruise to next year... so now I have a whole new year to review and obsess again. 
If I remember correctly... I think @twangster has done some fairly recent trip reports on here. (great reads, highly recommend)
Good luck on your research 

We are in the same boat as you.. pun intended. ?
Been to the Caribbean multiple times, and wanted a change. We are supposed to be on the Ovation of the Seas tomorrow 5/22 for our Alaska cruise... but alas; THE RONA's!!! 
This site was invaluable to our research over the past year leading up to what should of been our cruise. 
Personally, we like the newer more modern ships, hence our choice of the Ovation. With lots of help from this site and also youtube, we were going to rent a car at both ports of call, Juneau and Skagway. This would allow us see and do a couple of the main attractions (Glacier, salmon bake, Klondike Hwy, breweries, etc.) on our own time and allow us to explore some more on our own.
From everything I have heard and read... asking when is the best time and what is the best ship is like asking, would you like a free $100 bill, or 2 x $50 bills? There is no wrong answer and you will have a great time either way. But I completely understand where you are coming from.... I obsessed over finding the best way to maximize our first time there. We ended up shifting our cruise to next year... so now I have a whole new year to review and obsess again. 
If I remember correctly... I think @twangster has done some fairly recent trip reports on here. (great reads, highly recommend)
Good luck on your research 

I've read elsewhere that a good travel agent can handle this for you. If its all the same names on the cruise and FCC... they should just be able to apply all the FCC's to the same booking. May take a few phone calls to get worked out though. 
Good luck and hope it gets worked out for you. 
Welcome to the board. 

I've read elsewhere that a good travel agent can handle this for you. If its all the same names on the cruise and FCC... they should just be able to apply all the FCC's to the same booking. May take a few phone calls to get worked out though. 
Good luck and hope it gets worked out for you. 
Welcome to the board. 

We had two GTY cabins (one an inside, one a balcony) for Ovation to Alaska this year.... did a L&S to next year no problems. 

"Dear Guest,

We hope that amidst this situation, you have remained healthy, safe, and optimistic that each day that passes, is another day closer to a more regular day-to-day. While this is like nothing any of us have ever experienced, we continue to evaluate how it impacts our upcoming sailings and our return to service.

The most recent plan was to resume operation on June 12th, 2020. However, after consulting with our partners at Cruise Lines International Association and in conjunction with the CDC, our global suspension has been extended through July 31st, 2020, and with a plan to resume operation on August 1st, 2020. As a result, your sailing will unfortunately be cancelled.

While we all wish we were cruising, health and safety are our top priorities as we focus on our comeback. In the meantime, below are some options for you, including one that has been very well received by our guests, as it provides a little something extra to use when we all start cruising again!

Most folks are experiencing long delays.  But something around 45 days would be a good guess.  

I gotcha
Guess I'll just have to plan another cruise with the extra FCC left over! 
Oh.... darn!  Lol ? 

FCC cannot be used to pay for port fees and taxes.  The deposit is applied towards those items then the resulting overpayment (if any) has traditionally been credited back.    

Actually, smart move is to book with a TA and let them do all of this work. More time to share fun gifs here!

Just following up.... our July 2020 Ovation/Alaska cruise is now officially lifted and shifted to July of 2021. (and got a slightly lower rate in the process)
The only down side is that this years rez was on a zero deposit hold b/c of a cancellation, and pending our FCC certs. So to move it, we had to have a full $500 deposit on file. So had to put that down to make it official.... But will apply our FCC once we get it. 
 
So... the new countdown begins! Going to be tough... b/c we already waited over a year and a couple months to go to Alaska for the first time... but now we have to wait another year and a few months!

Just following up.... our July 2020 Ovation/Alaska cruise is now officially lifted and shifted to July of 2021. (and got a slightly lower rate in the process)
The only down side is that this years rez was on a zero deposit hold b/c of a cancellation, and pending our FCC certs. So to move it, we had to have a full $500 deposit on file. So had to put that down to make it official.... But will apply our FCC once we get it. 
 
So... the new countdown begins! Going to be tough... b/c we already waited over a year and a couple months to go to Alaska for the first time... but now we have to wait another year and a few months!

Just spoke to our TA regarding our July 31, Alaska cruise.... she said she checked and the Lift and shift to a July 2021 Alaska cruise should not be an issue at this time. So I authorized her to go ahead and make the change. She was also handling our FCC debacle as well... so hopefully getting everything straightened out now.   Once I get a new confirmation email, I'll feel a lot better... but I'll take any progress I can get. ?