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wordell1

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  1. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from bobroo in Seeking An Understanding About the True Speed and Consistent Connection of the Starlink Internet Package   
    The bottom line is that it's not reliable for high speed business use.
  2. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from KJones in Level of risk?   
    Just understand that Florence is not close to La Spezia.  No matter what your choice, you will spend a lot of time driving and not a lot of time in Florence, especially if you are doing Pisa also.
     
    Viator has a lot of choices.
  3. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from OCSC Mike in Off the beaten path recommendations for Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel?   
    I also use Rony's tours in Roatan.  He has lots of choices on his website, but you can also email him with any ideas and he will let you know if it can be done.
    HOME - Roatan Tours, Cruiseship Activities, Excursions, Zipline Canopy Tours with Ronys Independent Tours, Roatan (ronystours.com)
  4. Like
    wordell1 reacted to deep1 in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Spectacular... Thanks for all the effort putting it together!
     
  5. Like
    wordell1 reacted to SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    I'm very late to the party, but just read the entire review.  Thank you for bringing us along! And i agree with you ... the best part of Quantum class ships is pub food. Yeah, yeah, yeah, i know you can get Sorrentos next door on Oasis, but that is absolutely NOT the same.
  6. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    We were up early and walked off the ship with our bags at 645am. We took a taxi to the airport and checked bags and made it through security by about 815. Easy departure. Now we are waiting for our 11:40am flight to Austin.
    There was an option for those that had flights after 12pm to check your bags directly from the ship. Unfortunately, we weren't eligible. 
  7. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    We have been blessed with outstanding weather on this trip. I was expecting lots of cold and rain. We have had a little cold, but only a light must in Juneau.
    Today was 72 degrees and sunny. I am actually sitting on my balcony watching the sun set in Victoria wearing just a t shirt and shorts. It's a perfect end to a great cruise.


  8. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    We walked around, had a beer at a pretty cool bar, and the caught a pedi cab back. Unfortunately, we have to pack.
    I mentioned before that the pub on Ovation serves food. We decided to have the burger as our dinner. Wow, what an outstanding burger. They really need to add the food menu to all of the pubs.

  9. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    We docked at 5pm in Victoria. It's a short stop with all aboard at 930.
    We chose to walk into downtown from the ship. It is about a 2 mile walk to the main areas of downtown. We walked all the way to Chinatown.
    It was a really nice walk along a designed path that follwed the waterfront.
    We stopped at fisherman's warf. This would have been a nice place to stop and eat casual dinner but we had eaten a late lunch and were not hungry.  This is also really close to the ship and could be easily walked if you are not up to the whole 2 miles. There was a water taxi to downtown available.
    The path continues along to waterfront and passes the BC capital building and the Empress hotel. Both are neat stops.




     



  10. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    We both ordered the short ribs and they were excellent. Our waiter brought us the branzino to try and it was good, but not great.
    Our waiter also brought out all 3 desserts and I liked all of them. The world is one of my favorite desserts. It's a must for any chocolate lover. The other 2 were good as well and dessert may be a compelling reason to come back Wonderland in the future.





  11. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Wonderland review 
    Wow, what a crazy restaurant! It was worth it to try once just for the experience. If you have never tried it, you should.
    Having said that, there was little to recommend on the food.
    Our waiter pretty much brought us all of the appetizers to try. I only loved the tuna sashimi and liked the shrimp. I disliked the tomato water, the salad, and birds nest. The crab thing and liqified lobster were just ok in my opinion. My wife liked the shrimp, tuna and also the birds nest.
    Most of the issues can be summarized by the following. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
    One of the things I try to live by in my home and work life is to keep things simple. This restaurant really makes things complicated. I get that it is done for artistic reasons, but it seems like it was done at the expense of flavor. At least for the appetizers.
    We did have a lot of fun trying them all, I think the experience was worth it.
     




  12. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Today we have a well earned sea day. The plan is to sit in the hot tub and relax.
    We have Wonderland tonight. We have not tried it so it should be interesting. We had the World dessert at chef's table in the past so I know there is at least one thing I'll like. 
  13. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    After getting up at 5am and braving the cold to see the approach to the Endicott glacier, then our Juneau excursion, it was time for dinner and an early bedtime.
    Last night's menu was "A Taste of Italy"
    We both ordered the arrancini, and the tiramisu. My wife ordered the mushroom risotto and I went off menu and ordered the Chop's filet.
    The arrancini was good, but needed more sauce. I still recommend it but may ask for extra next time.
    My wife liked her risotto.
    The Chops filet was fantastic. It was well worth the $19.99 plus tip up charge.
    The tiramusu is fantastic. It is made correctly with expresso soaked ladyfingers.
    Because the ship didn't leave until 8:30, the MDR was very light tonight - we were there at 7. It was nice because we had much more interaction with our server. We had to wait a little longer for my filet so he brought us out a cheese platter for us to snack on.




  14. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Our excursion in Juneau was "Whales, glaciers, and Rainforest trails.
    We started with a 2 hr whale watch. There were only 19 people on this tour so it was not one of the super big boats.  We saw a lot of whales, although none were super close. It was a beautiful boat ride so that was a bonus.
    After the whale watch, we took a 1 mile hike through the forest to a beach on Lake Mendenhall. We got a really good view of the glacier from there. The tour guide provided a lot of information about the rain forest and the the glacier.
    It was another good excursion. I would have loved to hike out to the waterfall but it would have taken too much time.




  15. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Monday night's dinner was "A Taste of USA"
    My phone was at 5% battery after taking so many pictures on our 2 excursions so I didn't get pictures.
    I ordered the Buffalo chicken dip, the honey fried chicken, and the vegan fudge brownie.
    The dip was very good and I think the name is confusing because it did taste anything like Buffalo wings. It was more like chips and queso with shredded chicken in the queso. Very good, but I didn't get enough chips.
    I didn't really like the honey fried chicken. It was too lightly breaded and although it had a nice flavor, it was a little dry. I didn't hate it, but I would probably not get it again.
    My wife had the honey glazed salmon which was good. I observed someone near me who ordered the Royal burger which looked really good.
    I'm definitely not a vegan, and had concerns about ordering the vegan brownie but it may have been the best dessert of the week. I asked for mine with ice cream.
    Edit - I realized my wife took pictures of the entree's.


  16. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    We did our tour through Alaska Shore Tours. I'm not sure if they are the provider for the RC tours.
    The tour was really awesome. We were taken to their "camp" and then loaded up on a MOG? (not sure if that's right) which brought us up further to the area where they keep the dogs. The ride was an experience in itself, very steep inclines.
    We were placed onto 6 person wheeled sleds and then took a really fun ride around their course.
    After the ride, we went down to the camp where we learned about mushing and got to see and hold some puppies.
    This trip was well worth it and although it made for a long day, I'm glad we did the 2nd excursion in Skagway. I would put this one in as a must do if you are bringing kids, but still very fun for adults.




  17. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    After seeing the glacier, we had a nice breakfast in the MDR and a 2 hr nap.
    We are getting ready for our arrival in Juneau and our excursion "Alaska's whales, glaciers,  and rainforest trails"
    It has been a busy few days and I am behind on yesterday's excursion update and dinner review. My phone was dead after taking so many pictures yesterday so I left it to charge and didn't get any dinner pics last night.
    I should be able to get updated tomorrow at sea.
  18. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    The smarter people were inside 

  19. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    After a busy day yesterday we entered the Endicott Arms glacier area at 5am this morning. I positioned us at the bridge wings outside the Solarium.
    It was COLD and windy out there but worth it to get good shots.
    We were able to duck into the Solarium to warm up occasionally. I told my wife that next time we do this, we would do it from the Solarium hot tubs.




  20. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    I cannot recommend the White Pass Railway enough. I have read a few reviews and all I can say is that they did not do it justice, I doubt this one will either. The views were spectacular.
    We started in Canada at 2800 ft elevation and ended back in Skagway at zero. At the summit it was cold and foggy with plenty of snow on the ground.
    As we got lower, large valleys open up with spectacular views.
    I took lots of pictures and will try to post a few to do it justice.




  21. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    We had a long day with the 2 excursions.
    We started the day with a RC excursion. White pass railway and Skagway highlights. I actually picked this only because the normal railway excursions were sold out.
    This one started on a bus which brought us through town and to the cemetery with a history of the town along the way. At the cemetery was a path up to a waterfall that was worth doing, although it was a very steep walk.
    We got a good history of the town and of the Gold Rush. The bus then took us along the river all the way to the Canadian side of the railway. We then boarded the train to ride back to Skagway.
     

  22. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    it's plenty warm in the ship. The pool area and Solarium are actually a little too warm for me. Ovation was definitely designed to be a cold weather ship.
    We have been lucky on weather so far. It was cold (low 50s) and windy today in Skagway, but no rain.
  23. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Just pulled into Skagway. Norwegian Dawn and Celebrity Millennium also docked. I was on Millennium 20 years ago - she was big at the time!



  24. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Woke up early today (6am) and these are a few shots from our balcony as we head towards Skagway.
    I am ignoring @Mattadvice and doing 2 excursions. We are doing the White pass railway at 8am and the dog sled excursion at 2.



  25. Like
    wordell1 got a reaction from SweetPea in Semi Live - Ovation of the Seas Alaska June 2nd - 9th, 2023   
    Dinner last night was "A Taste of Asia"
    I had the chicken and cabbage dumplings, theshrimp pad thai, and the royal chocolate cake. I missed taking a picture of the dumplings.
    My wife had the spring rolls, the teriyaki salmon, and vanilla ice cream.
    Again, the food was really good. No complaints on anything. The restaurant was less busy tonight, maybe people tired from the excursions or just didn't like the menu.
    There are alot of Asians on this cruise. There is a large group from Malaysia on a tour.

     



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