Somewhat LIVE - on Ovation: Lisbon - Amsterdam - Copenhagen (and beyond)

Hello All, my husband and I will be sailing on Ovation, starting on Saturday from Lisbon. Right now, we are in the airport lounge at Newark, awaiting our (slightly delayed) flight. We hope there’s no lost baggage since this is a non-stop, but we always like to go in a couple days early to adjust to the time, etc. So, we are not on the ship yet, so that is why it is “somewhat live”, and also, I don’t intend to do detailed posts each day (this is vacation, after all) but do know there is a lot of interest in the new ship. So I will do my best.

We are doing two cruises, back to back (Lisbon-Amsterdam and then Amsterdam - Copenhagen). I know others have posted who are doing one of those cruises and also there are some joining in Amsterdam and then doing two cruises back to back from there. So there are several permutations of these voyages (our Roll Calls are kind of jumbled), but I hope we can all join forces and contribute.

Right now, the forecast for the first few days of our cruise says that it will be rainy, but for us, we just enjoy being on the ship. We hope it will clear up, but then, if it doesn’t, that is more time for checking out the new ship and drinking champagne.

Have a great time. I am looking forward to your posts as my wife & will be on our first SB cruise in less than a month.

We will be joining in Amsterdam so looking forward to your posts. Thanks

We will be joining in Amsterdam as well and staying on through June with the end port being Stockholm. I hope we meet you! Look for two Texans!

We have arrived safely in Lisbon. Actually got here yesterday morning and chose to have a quiet day relaxing and hydrating. Got a great night’s sleep and we are feeling quite good today. We are staying at the Lapa Palace, since we have been to Lisbon several times before and were happy to be off the beaten track. It is a lovely hotel and we were delighted to be able to spend time by the pool today. Yesterday was rainy and today was supposed to be as well. It was a nice surprise to have a warm and sometimes sunny day after all.

We did a walking food tour today. That is now our “go to” activity when we travel to a city we have been to before and don’t have any must-see sights to cover. We feel like we learn a lot about the city, country and the culture when we take these tours. Today was no exception.

Hope everyone coming to Lisbon for the cruise has arrived safely (or will shortly). Look forward to meeting everyone!

Very much looking forward to reading your posts as and when you're able to post them.

Have a wonderful cruise.!

We arrived in Lisbon yesterday and went to Sintra today. Looking forward to joining you on the Ovation on Saturday. Hope we can avoid the rain.

Quick note to say we have boarded, unpacked and attended the muster drill. So far, so great. The Ovation looks beautiful - of course, the sister ship to the Encore (sailed on her last year). Everyone is super friendly, the food at lunch was dellsh (loved those fresh artichokes), and the suite is very spacious. The other passengers seem age-wise to what we are used to (we are not kids, but tend to be on the younger side). We did see one family with a toddler and met one family with a 16 - year old at the muster. Then we saw her with two other teenagers. Schools have let out a lot of places in the US, so we may see a fair number of kids. I like them (as long as they don’t screech) so am happy to see them.

Sail away is in 20 minutes. Nice weather so far!

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Have a fabulous voyage NY Belle, and hopefully we will manage to meet you on the ship in Amsterdam. Look for two people in their mid sixties with Texas accents!

Fair Winds and Following seas Janice & Eric. Seems like yesterday (vs February when we were hiking together in Ushuaia)

Fair Winds and Following seas Janice & Eric. Seems like yesterday (vs February when we were hiking together in Ushuaia)

What a pleasant surprise to see you here Colonel ! Always enjoyed your posts over on the Silversea board.

Enjoy your voyage NJ Belle ! Looking forward to reading your reports. We were on the Encore last month & loved it so much that we booked the Ovation next year !

Look forward to your comments NJ Belle. You have all the ingredients for a fantastic Cruise with many of our favourite Seabourn staff and crew spoiling you. Enjoy.

NJ Belle, hope you have a wonderful time,we tried to leave the ship in good condition. We thoroughly enjoyed our time onboard and left wanting more - sadly I can’t say the same about our BA flight to London, but that’s another story!

Have opened the Packing Room Leave in 10 days to join you in Amsterdam. How is the weather ? I'm thinking 60-70 degrees ?

A lot like the Pacific NW Any suggestions ?

I have also started laying my clothes out for our trip and would also like a report about the weather. Right now, I am packing a light jacket (unlined) and a light vest that could go under it if it was a bit cooler, a cotton sweater--and then various other items--some with long sleeves that can be rolled up if it is warm, etc. etc. Any advice welcomed. Looking forward to meeting NY Belle and Cruiser02 on the voyage.

Greetings from Ovation!

We have had a relaxing sea day; went to the two lectures, had lunch in The Restaurant, and read our books in Seabourn Square. Ship is very lively with lots of nice people. We are at full capacity (606 passengers) but plenty of room for all.

We really like this ship - size, layout, etc. and the fact that it is brand new (even had that “new ship smell” as we boarded) doesn’t hurt. We sail on Crystal, Silversea and Regent as well, but this ship is ranking in the top in our estimation. All the ships we have sailed on have been 300 to 1000 passengers , so this has that nice Goldilocks factor size wise. We really like the Seabourn Square- none of those other lines I mentioned has anything quite like this. So far, we have not noticed any kinks or issues with the new ship. And Handre is the Cruise Director. He might actually be our favorite CD (he was the CD on our Encore cruise last year also) that we have ever experienced.

Before I forget, thanks for all the well wishes for the cruise. It is nice to hear from so many and definitely appreciate the note from Wes. (We have fond memories from our last cruise with Wes and Ida on the Regent Mariner this past Jan/Feb.) With regard to the weather, it has been mostly cloudy and 63F/17C today. In fact, since it wasn’t so nice out on the pool deck, they had refreshments in the Observation Bar for lunch and afterwards, in addition to the other venues. Tomorrow we are in Gijon, Spain - I just checked the weather and there seems to be a 50% chance of rain during the time of our tour and predicted 65ish temps. So, we will take the anoraks and folding umbrellas to be on the safe side.

Tonight is formal night. We are going to go to dinner a little later and then, we will see the second show. We don’t always go to the shows on our cruises, but last night we were invited to join one of the performers at his table for dinner. We had a lovely time, so want to go to show support!

Remind me, does SB provide folding umbrellas? Or, do we need to pack ours?

Full-sized umbrellas are available for you to borrow throughout the ship, including one in your suite closet. Small retractable ones are prize items for trivia and other games.

Thank sfvoyage. I could not trust my memory from Encore last year. Glad we will not have to pack umbrellas!

Full-sized umbrellas are available for you to borrow throughout the ship, including one in your suite closet. Small retractable ones are prize items for trivia and other games.

On Encore last year we had a small folding umbrella in our suite:)

That is good to know. I am in the throes of packing for our Ovation voyage--and the less I have to add to my suitcase--the better!! It's a 21 day voyage, for which I am very grateful---but a bit uncertain about exactly how much I need to pack for three weeks plus a few days in Amsterdam.

Today I begin getting serious about the packing. Next week is busy but today is "Mine"

I will never be the lady who can pack for a month in a carry-on.

Cruiser02, I am right there with you---getting serious about packing. Right now I have things out on a guest room bed while I try to decide what makes the cut. Never easy. I am not a particularly light packer either! My washing machine is whirring, my iron is heated up. We have a very busy week ahead as well---a real estate closing, a Paul Simon concert (not our idea), as well as various other chores to accomplish.

Cruiser02, I am right there with you---getting serious about packing. Right now I have things out on a guest room bed while I try to decide what makes the cut. Never easy. I am not a particularly light packer either! My washing machine is whirring, my iron is heated up. We have a very busy week ahead as well---a real estate closing, a Paul Simon concert (not our idea), as well as various other chores to accomplish.

I’m a month away & already thinking about packing.

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