wordell1 Posted June 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 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! SweetPea, KristiZ, WAAAYTOOO and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blondee Posted June 5, 2023 Report Share Posted June 5, 2023 Thank you for doing all of this. My friend and I are going on our first ever cruise to Alaska on Ovation in a few weeks. I love seeing all your posts and photos. I have a question for you as I am starting to pack- are you and your wife finding the temps inside the boat to be warm- in 70's? Or is it cool in the dining area and venues? Thank you in advance for any info you have on my question and I can't wait to see your next post. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 7 hours ago, Blondee said: Thank you for doing all of this. My friend and I are going on our first ever cruise to Alaska on Ovation in a few weeks. I love seeing all your posts and photos. I have a question for you as I am starting to pack- are you and your wife finding the temps inside the boat to be warm- in 70's? Or is it cool in the dining area and venues? Thank you in advance for any info you have on my question and I can't wait to see your next post. 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. SweetPea, Blondee and Neesa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 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. KristiZ, SweetPea, Neesa and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 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. KristiZ, JohnK6404, SweetPea and 7 others 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Robert M, Neesa, melmar02 and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 On 6/5/2023 at 5:19 AM, twangster said: I have an app that can remove wires and mesh fences. I hope you don't mind I modified your photo. When you do this the bird doesn’t leave the photo? wordell1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 5 minutes ago, AlmondFarmer said: On 6/5/2023 at 8:19 AM, twangster said: When you do this the bird doesn’t leave the photo? I was thinkin the same thing. Seems like the bird would just fly away. Maybe that's for the best... SpeedNoodles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 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. Robert M, KristiZ, Neesa and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 The smarter people were inside Ampurp85, Neesa, twangster and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 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. twangster, Baked Alaska, Sweety and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael J. Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Wow loving your trip report so far. Scenery looks amazing! We are heading out on Ovation of the Seas on June 30th-July 7th and it's our first ever cruise. Very much looking forward to it all. We do have the White Pass railroad booked already for the luxury car. Also have the Otters, Raptors, Bears Oh My tour booked for Sitka and in Juneau we are doing the dog sledding with additional glacier landing with Coastal Helicopters. Thanks again for posting your amazing pictures as well as reviews on food and activities as well as what to expect the weather to be like. PPPJJ-GCVAB and wordell1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 6 hours ago, Michael J. said: Wow loving your trip report so far. Scenery looks amazing! We are heading out on Ovation of the Seas on June 30th-July 7th and it's our first ever cruise. Very much looking forward to it all. We do have the White Pass railroad booked already for the luxury car. Also have the Otters, Raptors, Bears Oh My tour booked for Sitka and in Juneau we are doing the dog sledding with additional glacier landing with Coastal Helicopters. Thanks again for posting your amazing pictures as well as reviews on food and activities as well as what to expect the weather to be like. Sounds like a good itinerary. The past 3 days have been exhausting but really fun for us. Michael J. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
She Sails Away Posted June 7, 2023 Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 We are headed to Alaska in September and doing the dog sledding adventure in Skagway for the first time. Looking forward to photos from that! Sounds like a terrific trip so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 5 hours ago, She Sails Away said: We are headed to Alaska in September and doing the dog sledding adventure in Skagway for the first time. Looking forward to photos from that! Sounds like a terrific trip so far! 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. SweetPea, twangster, KristiZ and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 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. JohnK6404, twangster, Neesa and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 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. She Sails Away, WAAAYTOOO, Neesa and 6 others 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 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. KristiZ, twangster, Neesa and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 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. She Sails Away, twangster, Neesa and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 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. SweetPea, Neesa, JohnK6404 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 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. SweetPea, Xaa, twangster and 6 others 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaa Posted June 8, 2023 Report Share Posted June 8, 2023 I could eat a hundred of those shrimp and 50 liquid lobster. The rest were eh for me as well. Short Rib is great and if you don't like The World, you don't like dessert. Appreciate you bringing us along! Neesa, wordell1 and Blondee 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 8, 2023 Report Share Posted June 8, 2023 Agree with @wordell1’s assessment of the food. Remember, if you have the UDP, you can go to Wonderland JUST for dessert. The desserts are worth it. The rest is all fluff. Neesa, SweetPea and wordell1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLH Posted June 8, 2023 Report Share Posted June 8, 2023 19 hours ago, wordell1 said: 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. Was this a private tour or RC? HEading there in August! Pictures look fabulous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted June 8, 2023 Report Share Posted June 8, 2023 I hate the World, mainly because I really dislike caramel. but I am a fan of meringue, so the forest dessert is one of my favorites. Xaa and wordell1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2023 1 hour ago, MLH said: Was this a private tour or RC? HEading there in August! Pictures look fabulous. This one was a RC tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2023 Interesting information from the Loyalty Ambassador. There are less than 300 Diamond and above members on this cruise. He said he has even less next week. The diamond lounge has been empty all week. I've been hanging out in the AM while my wife sleeps in. Neesa, KristiZ, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 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. SweetPea, twangster, WAAAYTOOO and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 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. JohnK6404, SweetPea, sammy79 and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 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. Sweety, SweetPea, MaryS and 8 others 9 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 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. Michael J., Neesa, Baked Alaska and 4 others 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted June 10, 2023 Report Share Posted June 10, 2023 Thank you for your live blog. It was fun to "sail" with you. We will be taking that cruise exactly one year from your cruise. I enjoyed your comments about Victoria and the ship especially. wordell1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted June 10, 2023 Report Share Posted June 10, 2023 Safe travels home. Thanks for posting! wordell1, Sweety and Blondee 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brando95 Posted June 13, 2023 Report Share Posted June 13, 2023 Thanks for the report. Will be on Ovation next spring from Hawaii to Vancouver. Can't wait. Did you happen to snag a pic of the pub menu? Thought about booking some specialty dining for lunches on our 5 sea days back to Vancouver but may just do the pub instead. The burger definitely looked good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 7 hours ago, Brando95 said: Thanks for the report. Will be on Ovation next spring from Hawaii to Vancouver. Can't wait. Did you happen to snag a pic of the pub menu? Thought about booking some specialty dining for lunches on our 5 sea days back to Vancouver but may just do the pub instead. The burger definitely looked good. I did, here you go. There is a charge but it's not much. KristiZ and Brando95 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael J. Posted June 25, 2023 Report Share Posted June 25, 2023 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtS4ftNgTDa/?igshid=MjAxZDBhZDhlNA== On 6/3/2023 at 10:59 PM, wordell1 said: Must be a medical emergency because a Coast Guard helicopter just came right past our cabin and landed on the bow helipad. This is almost 11 pm ship time. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtS4ftNgTDa/?igshid=MjAxZDBhZDhlNA== Stumbled on this last night when scrolling through my Instagram reels. It indeed was a medical emergency and the whole story was posted on IG. WAAAYTOOO, JohnK6404, Tormania and 2 others 2 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2023 5 hours ago, Michael J. said: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtS4ftNgTDa/?igshid=MjAxZDBhZDhlNA== https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtS4ftNgTDa/?igshid=MjAxZDBhZDhlNA== Stumbled on this last night when scrolling through my Instagram reels. It indeed was a medical emergency and the whole story was posted on IG. Thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted June 26, 2023 Report Share Posted June 26, 2023 Wow, just amazing photos! Thank you so much for posting! My wife and I have been trying to decide between Alaska and the Mediterranean the last year or so. Both "bucket list" cruises, but sooo hard to decide which to try to do first! Currently waiting for NOV/DEC for the schedule release to see which Oasis class ship is assigned to the Med in 2025 (hoping for Symphony)... that may help us make the decision! We'll likely target Ovation and one of the Seattle roundtrip itineraries when we sail Alaska. Thanks again! Neesa and wordell1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep1 Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 Spectacular... Thanks for all the effort putting it together! Neesa and wordell1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 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. DDaley and wordell1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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