ScooterScott22

Since we are 3 weeks out looked around in here to see if there was a roll call thread and didn’t find one. So calling out to anyone sailing on the inaugural Ovation Alaska cruise. (I know there are a couple others.)

I’ll second this one, the Doubletree next door or the Hilton across the street (connected by a bridge). Not sure if you have a preference on hotel chain but if not here are a few items to consider about these properties. - Easy access from the airport via the dolphin expressway. - They tend to be close enough to the cruise port and the Bayside Marketplace. - They tend to be a little less costly than the ones near the Intercontinental. - if you are using Uber or taxi and don’t have a car there is a small mall between the Doubletree and the Marriott. Good enough for some small last minute items, if needed, and a few options for dining without leaving the property. - All tend to have rooms that overlook the water and can see the cruise port. So a great way to start the cruise experience.

Thread - Dining Answer - yes, please eat

At first I thought this was an old thread that had popped back up for some reason. Looks like it has some value for new information. We were on another cruise line in the Caribbean last year and their daily program had the Stanley Cup (if available) noted but they were never able to get the couple of games during our cruise. They did get the NBA playoffs during the same cruise so it just depends. Follow up question, we’ll be sailing Alaska in a month so is it any more or less likely than the Caribbean that they will show the NHL and/or the NBA playoffs?

12680 should be starboard side. If I linked it correctly here is the deck page - https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/deckbydeck.php?ship=Ovation-of-the-Seas&deck=12

Ok, here it is - Mahna Mahna Do doo be-do-do Mahna Mahna Do do-do do Mahna Mahna Do doo be-do-do be-do-do be-do-do be-do-do-doodle do do do-doo do! http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/The_Muppets:Mahna_Mahna

Dooo... Dooo...Da...Dooo.... Dooo... Dooo...Da... Dooooo Did that sound right? I am singing the song but don’t know how to spell that part. Thanks for sharing your experience and the details!

Agree, or the definition of no socks for “going commando” is really stretching the meaning.

Was just reading a review of a recent Symphony sailing on another website and they are early in the process and so far they are only up to embankment day on their summary. They did answer a quick question about the dreamworks and stated there was a “crazy pirate parade”.

Great information again and not to detract from you time too much but quick question. Did your kids go to Chef’s Table also? Our son enjoys fancy dining but I am wondering if the duration is too long. If the server is as engaging as you stated that would be helpful. It is also very surprising that you were not able to get a table for breakfast. Based on some other reports of Star Class I wonder if showing your room key, would that have possibly made the answer change from no tables to “a table should be available after a short wait.”

@twangster you mention deck 15 for viewing and wanted to get your thoughts on why there versus going up to deck 16. Many of the areas on 16 would be inside but that is the highest point on the Quantuum class. Do you think there are advantages to spots on 15, are there too many obstructions with being inside and/or the items that are on 16.

@twangster shared a link to a periscope from the Ovation on another thread. As the video went past that area of the Solarium, there appeared to be some guests standing in that area. It does appear to be accessible based on that video. Hopefully he add that item, or if I can find it i I’ll copy the link here. ETA - link - https://www.pscp.tv/w/1BRJjXPMbjdKw?t=15m28s Thanks to twangster for posting the link earlier and to Cindy for sharing. The bridge wing is visible about 10:36.

@Bish thanks for sharing, now that I found this we will be following. We too have not seen much info on the Ovation and will be sailing her out of Vancouver in about 2 months, our room will be 10720 just down the hall form yours so this is the perfect reconnaissance. @Lovetocruise2002 Just did a wonderful blog, thank you for that, on Star class but this is more specific to our sailing, especially the fact that my wife is still trying to adjust to the “no bathtub in the suite” thing! Enjoy and keep the pic and info coming!

We personally would love to hear where you are from, we had cruise stops in Oslo, Kristiansand and Stavanger and loved all of them and would like to explore more of Norway in the future. There’s just not enough time. If you are doing the parks for a couple days and shopping for one day, the car may not be as useful as perceived. For one the Parking at the outlet malls can be difficult depending on the day and time. At the resort you will have parking fees but note if you are taking the most direct route to the resort from the airport there will be tolls. It is not a lot of money but if you do not get a toll pass (possibly another extra charge) as part of the rental, traffic can backup at the tool booths.

Welcome and good luck planning, since you have almost a year you should be well prepared. Here are a couple of quick notes on some of your items. One of the PP mentioned the Restroom attendant and it is very rare but if you are traveling through the Charlotte airport you will encounter them as they are common there. The Universal resort is pretty convenient to shopping. For regular retail stores the Florida Mall is not too far but a better choice would be Mall of Millenia. Millenia has a few better dining choices. There are two outlet malls very close to the resort Orlando Premimum and Orlando Prime. To us the Premimum is a little nicer but the Prime mall is closer to the Universal property. Transport to either should be pretty easy via taxi or Uber/Lyft but traffic can be heavy even though it is not far. If the family plans on shopping make sure to account for room in the luggage or getting an extra suitcase to fill if needed. ETA - saw the earlier post and the outlet names are correct there, sorry I am not the “shopper” in the family so i’m a little behind on the name changes.

Thanks for the info and the pics, very nice. Does this also mean that “THE Twangster” will be on the May 13, 2019 sailing? Wow, we will be cruising with a celebrity.

Our son was about that age for his first cruise. I can not say enough about having an inside stateroom. It was so dark and quiet that napping for him and us was perfect. The cruise was more about all of us recharging a little. Routine was breakfast, play or just explore the ship during the morning, short break before lunch, Lunch, then EVERYONE nap, a little playtime in the afternoon, dinner and then bed. Playtime could be splash pad/pool, briefly exploring port or one of the ships activities. We did put him in the babysitting/club for one adult dinner. ETA - that was our one an only inside stateroom and it worked for that cruise.

Adding the deck plans on the royal website show an unnamed restaurant.

Bump. Any recent updates? Are Kung-Fu Panda and Micheal’s gone? She is just about a month from getting to the US/Hawai’i so checking to see. ETA - did a little looking at another site (sorry Matt) and found this item posted from January, so not sure if it is a temporary solution. “It seems the Kung Fu Panda shop is now called Poolside Restaurant or similar, it just has Fish and Chips or Calamari or Sausages or a few others, all for a charge. Not sure if it will still be the same in Alaska, the maps next door to it still referred to it as a noodle restaurant”

With the suite lounge being directly above our room that means double the distance. One trip from the room at the A$$ end of the ship to the stairs to go up to twelve and then another trip all the way back to the lounge. So I’ll get two trips, for 10 calories total, and then back to the room for a grand total of 20, which means seafood tower every night! Or the other option could be to make our own shortcut. We could cut through the ceiling of the bedroom to have instant access or bring some climbing gear and a glass cutter to acces the lounge from the veranda.

Thanks all, I don’t really care about having access to the diamond lounge. If it was possible, that just gave one more option for a refreshment pit stop. @Twangster said it was something like one an a half billion steps to those suites and the suite lounge on the Quantuum class ships so I was just trying to locate places to take a break since I my last marathon was in January and I’m opt’ing out of the one I was considering for May.

@Traveler thanks for sharing the grid. My wife is already p%$$#d that after booking Sky class there is a program that is giving away many of the same benefits that we are receiving, so this has to be hidden from her until after we cruise! I have seen this before but can’t remember if it is from the Official RCCL pages or was from somewhere else. Quick follow up question about one of the sky perks. It makes sense that Sky class will have access to the suite lounge BUT it also has a check for the Diamond lounge. So double checking, if I happen to be walking past the Diamond lounge and decide to stop in to check it out, it would be allowed right? It will probably not be necessary since there is enough to see and do (and drink) on the ship, but was wondering since we happen to be in a spot where it was convenient to stop in.

Checked in on this thread since we’ll be on Ovation this May. We have stayed in aft cabins on other ships and we are looking forward to being there on that upcoming cruise. The aft stateroom on the other ship seemed a little more private and quiet. The view is pretty decent. The walk doesn’t seem too bad but that was on other ships. So the only drawback is it is possible there might get some vibration when docking.

Agree that on cruises since much of the work is done for you the passport doesn’t really get used. Just adding a couple of quick notes. - we have not done most of the OP’s islands yet so can’t give specifics and agree it should be possible to find a place to get the stamp but it can be tricky locating that actual spot. - confirming the Bahamas passport stamp, it is free and is in the small building to the left of the port shops. It is just outside the fence. There is a guard that will let you out there so you don’t have to walk into the area with all the taxi and horse carriages trying to get you to ride with them. - question for the OP, about the stamp in St. Thomas, not sure that will work with a US passport. Your screen name has NJ so guessing you are New Jersey and that was in the US. Not sure that US territory will stamp a US passport, technically you are in the country of your passport. - during our Panama Canal crossing they had a rep at the desk onboard the ship that would provide the stamp. That was the only time other than in Scotland where i’ve Seen someone on the ship. (In Scotland they setup reps in the theater the day before arrival and everyone on board was given a time to be processed and it was mandatory.)

We are on the same sailing and I checked the port loads for each stop. Hopefully this level of detail helps others make suggestions. Last time I checked the schedule shows- - Ovation only at Icy Straight Point and Sitka - Juneau has 5 ships, port load - 11970 guests - Skagway has 3 ships, port load - 6830 guests