Aron_Ross

I'm sailing on Ovation of the Seas on May 11th. I was thinking of ordering a lobster tail with dinner on a non-formal night. Does anyone know if the added charge lobster tail on the MDR menu is a different/tastier kind of lobster than the one served complimentary on formal night?

My girlfriend and I are new to Royal as of last year. We sailed Freedom in May and only dined at Giovanni's which is our favorite specialty restaurant to date. Then in Nov we decided to try the 3 night dining package, which was an 8 night sailing. I was hitting a milestone bday so I figured let's splurge. I just couldn't justify the unlimited. It seemed like way too much food, plus we like our MDR and Windjammer time too. By the way, Windjammer on the Harmony cruise...dinner was terrible!! Food was often cold and tasteless. I made sure they knew about it in the post cruise survey. Skipping forward to Navigator in Jan of this year, we tried Izumi Sushi, Jaime's for a 2nd time and Playmaker's. I have to say, we were not impressed with any of them. Living in Los Angeles the food scene has gotten better since I moved here in 2007. We have great sushi and some pretty good Italian...well better than Jaime's that's for sure. Playmaker's was a bunch of fried frozen food, even the burger was just ok. Back to the 3 night dining Harmony sailing, our three choices were Chops, Wonderland and 150 Central Park. We added a lunch at Jaime's for an extra cost. Again, wasn't too impressed with Jaime's. The reason we gave it another shot on Navigator, my girlfriend was not feeling well on Harmony the day of Jaime's and didn't eat much. Surprisingly my favorite was Wonderland. I liked the food a lot, but she didn't. Chops was very disappointing, sides were bad and my ribeye was of poor quality. 150 Central was good, but I just feel like Wonderland and 150 are worth doing once only, especially for the price. I'm glad I got most of the dining out of the way, and perhaps they are better depending on the ship, but I'm not willing to pay for them again to find out. Unfortunately overall we are not impressed with Royal's specialty dining, but that's just us and food of course is very subjective.

Ugh! Thanks for the update on this. I wonder if it will be worth it and cheaper to get some Alaskan King Crab legs prior to my cruise in Vancouver? And I always see them at my local Costco here in Los Angeles.

I guess I blew it! I thought you had to reserve North Star once on the ship. I didn't realize until later that you could book it in ACTIVITIES online. Perhaps it might be worth a shot to be placed on a cancelation list once we board?

WOW! Thanks for sharing! I'm definitely convinced now...ha ha!

Ok that was my next question. I would think a port day would be better since there is more to see, but I will take your word for it. So on port days it's just first come first served with or without reservations?

Hello all, Sailing to Alaska on May 11th and it will be mine and my girlfriend's first time...we are super excited! Just want to confirm if North Star is free on port days and a charge on sea days?

I'm thinking of waiting to book this on Ovation and see if they have a better deal, otherwise I can skip it @$50 a person. Where would I go to book this on this ship? Guest services, or will they have someone with an offer in the Esplanade?

Hello all, I'm not on this sailing but stopped in just out of curiosity and wishful thinking, as I sit here at work torturing myself looking at pictures of St Kitts. It's all good, I've got Alaska coming up on Ovation in May. CAN'T WAIT!! I've been to Coco Cay but not to St Thomas or St Kitts. I will be in St Thomas Nov 2024 on the Carnival Celebration...ooops did I just write that? Anyhow, I was just curious what people were talking about in this thread since it seems like a great itinerary on an amazing ship. Did I read they are charging $165 for Thrill Water Park!!?? That's insane! We went to Coco Cay last May on Freedom, and thought $74 was a lot, jeez! I was also wondering what Royal is charging for the drinks pkg and dining packages? For those who booked this cruise early, what was the starting price for Thrill Water Park? Just wanted to add Thrill Water Park was so worth it! That Daredevil's Peak was INTENSE!! It totally caught me off guard. Hope you all have a wonderful cruise!

Oh man...so did I and didn't realize it said "unactivated" until you mentioned it.

Made the final decision this week, my girlfriend and I booked this cruise to celebrate our anniversary and her birthday! This will be our 1st Alaska cruise. Let the countdown begin!!

Question regarding another Crown and Anchor scenario... Currently I am at Gold with 4 points and my girlfriend is also Gold at 19 points. Once I arrange my inheritance of her points and she hits Platinum, If cruise without her, will I still get the Platinum benefits?

Let's say you didn't want a full meal in the MDR, will they allow you to order dessert only?

Thanks for the heads up! I kept checking the website under "my cruise" and not the app. Confirmed it will be night 6. I sure hope there isn't a limit to one per person. Worst case, my girlfriend doesn't eat seafood so I can just eat hers I can already see the difference in the menu compared to our 4 day on Freedom. Glad you are enjoying it, and thank you I'm sure ours will be too! Been counting the days since we booked it Feb 14th of this year. Luckily we had a 4 day in May on Freedom to help us get through.

Wow...Looks like you are on the exact same (from Fort Lauderdale) day by day itinerary I will be sailing on Harmony in November. Have you done this 8 night southern Caribbean itinerary before? How has the cruise been so far? 52 days to go!!!

Which night is usually lobster night? I will be on Harmony 8 nights this coming November. I did purchase a 3 night dining package for this sailing, and waiting for the release of the MDR menu to coordinate our specialty dining. I'd rather have lobster in the MDR, otherwise that may be too much food at a specialty.

@Adriana New Jersey ah ok. I grew in NYC living in Los Angeles for 15 years now. I will always be an East Coaster at heart. Visited Miami for the 1st time in May of this year to check out the city and sailed with Royal for the 1st time on Freedom of the Seas. We really liked Miami but could never live there. It's just way too hot for us! My aunt lives in Jersey City not far from the port, is retired and sails Anthem and Oasis several times a year out of there. It's possible she may even be on your Oct 29th sailing. Have you sailed on Anthem before and done that itinerary? It looks cool except for the return trip, which I would imagine is not ideal (in terms of weather) heading north on those sea days.

Not sure why Vancouver round trip would be easier, I would think flying back from Seattle would be. Also we live in Los Angeles which is a little cheaper and a lot more flight options. Believe me I would love to do a one way, but it's way too inconvenient and expensive.

I was just about to book the May 11th 2023 Radiance (first Alaska cruise btw) until I saw this Ovation sailing. I know a Radiance class ship can't compare to a Quantum, but how do you all feel about the itinerary on this sailing? I noticed the itinerary difference is Radiance goes through Icy Straight Point, Hubbard and the Inside Passage. They both go to Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan with Ovation adding Sitka.

Let me ask everyone another question... If you had a choice between these two ships and their itinerary, which would you choose and why? Keep in mind this would be our first Alaska cruise, and I'm aware of the difference between Ovation and Radiance. Most likely we would have to go with an interior. Is Hubbard that much better than Enditcott Arm? Is Ovation also made for views both inside and on deck like Radiance? Notice Radiance goes to Icy Straight plus the Inside Passage and Ovation does not. So here are two examples... RADIANCE of the SEAS 8 nights out of Vancouver Day 1 Vancouver Day 2 At Sea Day 3 Juneau 11am to 8pm Day 4 Skagway 7am to 8pm Day 5 Hubbard Glacier 2pm to 6pm Day 6 Icy Straight Point 6:30 am to 3pm Day 7 Ketchikan 9am to 5pm Day 8 Inside Passage Day 9 Vancouver Ovation of the Seas 8 nights out of Vancouver to Seattle Day 1 Vancouver Day 2 At Sea Day 3 Sitka 11am to 7pm Day 4 Juneau 9am to 9pm Day 5 Skagway 7am to 8pm Day 6 Edicott Arm and Dawes Glacier Day 7 Ketchikan 8am to 6pm Day 8 At sea Day 9 SEATTLE 1

@SolariumSnoozer Wow what an in depth review. Sorry to hear the ship wasn’t the greatest. Thank you for your input and sharing those awesome photos! I appreciate everyone's thoughts and input. Seems like no matter what you do, or which ship one sails on, Alaska is one amazing place! I would love to sail on a Quantum class ship, and wish it could do that same itinerary as the May 11th Radiance sailing. It would be an interesting comparison, especially since I will be sailing on Harmony (1st Oasis Class sailing) this coming November..... 69 days to go!!

No worries thanks for the update! Good to know and I probably won't be doing it on my next cruise. We have 150 Central Park, Chops, Wonderland and lunch at Jaime's already picked out.

Hi Adriana, I would consider myself a person who likes seafood but does not love it. There are just some things I will not eat. I hated fish of any kind as a kid, but as an adult I have grown to like it. My other half is a picky eater and not just with fish. She will only eat fried shrimp and look, I get why people don't like fish believe me! She once tasted a Mayan style fish near Cancun while we were on vacation, and to my surprise she loved it. I can't recall the type of fish, but it was light and the seasoning was spectacular! To her credit, last year she tasted and liked my fried Alligator bites in Tampa FL. She was once curious about tasting my charbroiled Oysters in New Orleans as she saw how I was in pure bliss, then asked (with a look of concern) if it tasted like the ocean. Unfortunately I said yes and advised against it. She will gag if something doesn't taste right and didn't want that to happen in the restaurant. Ha ha hopefully that story is not discouraging you. I'm just curious which ship are you sailing on? By any chance would it be a ship that has Hooked Seafood? I'm no expert on Royal and it's dining, but I think that one has steak. Perhaps you can try some things there since you have the UDP? Oh and by the way, if ever you have a chance to try the big fat sea scallops, give those a try. I can eat those by the buckets...fried, steamed or seared!!

Jenna!!..Well hi there, Of course, I read every bit of your recent blog and loved it! There was so much insight and I almost felt like I was there with you. And yes the May 11th sailing is the one I will probably book tomorrow with MEI. I have been going back and forth on which sailing looked the best and that one seems to be the winner. I would love to do a Quantum class ship and Seattle is a little easier, but my girlfriend keeps reminding me that we are going for the itinerary and not the ship. And as I stated in the thread, I am very impressed with Radiance for an older ship. We also have never been to Vancouver, so we plan on at least two days there and then sail away. Thank you for responding and your advice on that sailing. I agree with everything you wrote. I think I will be booking it for sure!

Hi NJCruisers, Looks like you are from the NJ area? I actually grew up in NYC and have been living in Los Angeles for 15 years now. I SOOO regret never experiencing the Caribbean or cruising when I lived in NY. Traveling or cruising there from LA is a little more of a hassle. Anyway, a few years ago my girlfriend and I sailed on Carnival to the Caribbean out of New Orleans and it was a total game changer. We fell in love with the Caribbean! We have sailed the Mexican Riviera out here, but it just doesn't compare. My aunt lives in Jersey City, is retired and often sails out of Bayonne on Oasis and sometimes on Anthem I think. I recently asked her if she gets tired of the same itinerary: Port Canaveral, Coco Cay, Nassau and she loves it every time! I'm sure I would too...ha ha! Glad to hear you booked an Alaska cruise. Wow, I wish we could do back to back hopefully one day. I'm just so surprised at how few flights there are daily from Anchorage to LA and vice versa. Good to hear you are also watching videos they provide so much information. Matt's blog has been incredibly helpful too! I'm so glad I discovered it and his YouTube channel. Can't plan anything for Alaska yet since we have a cruise coming up in Nov on Harmony to SO Caribbean. It will be our first time on an Oasis class, and first to Labadee, Aruba and Curacao. We are SO excited and have been counting down since we booked that cruise in Feb of this year. Sorry for the long response I could discuss these topics endlessly.