Cruising With JT

Wow @twangsterwhat a beautiful collection. Silly question, but I am guessing you are Pinnacle?

Just got off Ovation this morning. NorthStar was indeed in operation and I was able to get on. Really cool feature for a cruise ship!

Looks like Royal is not going to extend this promotion, so here I am going through the website trying to book another cruise for Fall 2022 since I got nothing around that time! I got 3 in Feb, March, and April 2022 which will get me to Diamond status, but Diamond+ is the next goal! Pinnacle seems like a stretch lol.

Looks like Royal is not going to extend this promotion, so here I am going through the website trying to book another cruise for Fall 2022 since I got nothing around that time! I got 3 in Feb, March, and April 2022 which will get me to Diamond status, but Diamond+ is the next goal! Pinnacle seems like a stretch lol.

Yay!!! All is well in the universe!!!


ATTN: @Mark_A & @Chadster

Yaassss! That would be awesome!

Chris Wong for Wonder Of The Seas 2022?

Nothing like this, right?

Yay!!!  Here's another shot we get for an inaugural!
🤞

Booking with my MEI agent right now as I type this! Woooooohooo!!!

Booking with my MEI agent right now as I type this! Woooooohooo!!!

Booked on first 2 sailings. Not sure I am going on second sailing yet, but we shall see

Booked!!!

 
HUGE shoutout to my TA @StephanieH for getting me this booking!

US Sailings

@Lovetocruise2002thank you for the shout out! Marc and I always said we would do Alaska much later in life but the pandemic also gave us both a new appreciation for the outdoors as well. We went with Ovation because we were still a little on the fence about Alaska but wanted to give it a shot and wanted to also explore Seattle, both did not disappoint! I knew Ovation was going to be an amazing ship so that already felt like a win but I have to say I was blown away by the beauty of even just sailing in the inside passage alone. I knew we would see wildlife but I was truly blown away to see both Orcas and humpbacks right off the ship! We had a side balcony and it was wonderful, i am sure an aft would be even better! We found ourselves spending hours sitting in 270 with a spiked hot chocolate because the views were truly out of this world. If we do Alaska again I think I would want to do a southbound but what I will say was a highlight for us was the pre and post cruise time in Seattle! We spent 1 day prior and 2 days on the back half and I can honestly say it was one of my favorite big city trips to date. The last day of the trip we did a wine tasting tour in Woodenville and it was a blast! We also rented a hot tub boat in Lake Union and that was on of the most fun things I think we have ever done, the boat is operated by joy stick so you kind of feel like you are driving a toy boat. I could have spent another week there alone doing more wine tasting and exploring the National parks around Seattle. 

Haha, well Ovation of the Seas has a CK so maybe that sways your decision ?
Sounds good regarding ships, you will have fun no matter what. Definitely try to get multiple glaciers if you can!

That is what I have read across multiple sites as well.  If we do this in 2023, I'm going to try to find an itinerary that is multi-glacier with Dawes as one of them.
With the kids, we have gone on a lot of "big" ships.  They will be 15 and 17 by 2023 and it's probably time they see a "small ship".  Besides, like many have pointed out, the small ships can do itineraries that the larger ships cannot so unless a big ship is our only option, I have already accepted the fact that there won't be a Coastal Kitchen lol
 

Hi @Lovetocruise2002 Thanks for following along my social media posts on Instagram and Facebook, and now uploading videos on YouTube slowly but surely! Just seeing this thread now returning from Ovation of the Seas yesterday from Alaska, and going back again next Friday 8/27 ? I'm a bit bias towards leaving out of beautiful Seattle and doing the Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier experience. The sailing into Dawes Glacier might even be better than the Glacier itself. Ovation stays pretty far from the Dawes Glacier so you really have no chance of experiencing any "calving"... I think Glacier Bay national park is the place to go if you want to see that, which unfortunately Royal Caribbean does not go to at this time, which is why I booked Norwegian Encore in October -- yes 3 times to Alaska in 2 months seems nuts but I live in Seattle and I am okay with driving 1 hour to port and going on a cruise to beautiful Alaska.
Norwegian Encore does Glacier Bay later this season so I'd recommend that itinerary if you really want to see Glaciers, but Ovation of the Seas hands down is the nicer ship. I am not familiar with the itineraries for northbound/southbound but those little ships don't interest me, I need something big and has a lot to offer, as I am sure your children will want as well. I recommend Ovation/Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier out of Seattle OR Norwegian Encore/Glacier Bay national park out of Seattle. Side balcony was good for me but can't go wrong with that aft view...if you want peace and quiet though, the aft is much louder due to the sounds of the wake... Hope that helps!

Other than 2021 with ATRA bypassing Canada, in a normal year SEA has Quantum class while YVR (Vancouver) has Radiance class.
The original plan for 2021 and the plan that remains for 2022 is Radiance doing the one-way North/South and Serenade doing YVR round trip.
I'm a big fan of the one way and have done it twice.  That being said when Serenade was added for the 2021 season she had double glaciers on some dates visiting Endicott Arm, Tracy Arm and/or Hubbard Glacier in various combinations.  Those double glacier itineraries are very compelling.  

So...I know some of you will laugh at me for this after proclaiming up and down that (already coming from too much cold weather) I have no desire to sail Alaska. However, I will be the first to admit that I can be wrong (sometimes lol), and it might be in our 2023 summer plans.
I totally blame two things for this recent turn of events, one being our recent trip through the Rockies (turns out Hubby really likes mountains/waterfalls/creeks), and the recent pics and stories posted by @Cruising With JT, and @l9dance. And looking back through old @twangster blogs, I can admit that I see things in a different light now. I still don't feel a burning desire, but a cruise to Alaska is a decent compromise for Hubby and I. He gets his outdoor piece, and I get my cruise.  Also, we would have our two teenage girls with us on this one.
Here are my preliminary questions for the group, I am sure I will have more as time goes on.
1. Sail from Seattle or Vancouver? Flights are not a factor. I can fly from DTW or Toronto. Non issue. I am assuming the world will be in a better place by 2023 and border closures are a distant memory. We more or less want to know which embarkation port gives us better itineraries. (Edit: thinking of mainly RT itineraries this time around)
2. Getting a balcony is an obvious yes for us, but side balcony or aft?
And yes, before anyone points it out, I am fully aware there may not be a CK available! lol

I am speechless because @Lovetocruise2002 once vowed to never do Alaska.
Who are you and what have you done with @Lovetocruise2002?

Awesome, I hope it all works out!! I have one booked in February and April 2022 as well but am avoiding the "bad" months for cold/flu/Covid season Nov-Jan.

So like many out there, I am concerned that the Delta variant will throw the travel industry back into what it was when the pandemic first started, as the peak has not yet happened. Honestly hard to see this thing slowing down in Fall and Winter.
I cancelled my November and December cruises, and am instead now going twice in August, then mid-September, and then again in October, avoiding the peak of Fall/early Winter.
Anyone else changing their plans just so they can be out at sea, confidently? Who knows what a few months will look like from now!

I have not changed any of my cruises.  My Sept was just cancelled so booked another cruise in October.  And have B2B in December, January, March and April cruises.  I have no plans to change any of them.  Hoping for the best.

Wishing continued luck for this cruise to go as planned.  We need Oasis out sailing with passengers again.  I'm sure all these restart cruises are just as stressful for those behind the scenes trying to make things work.