OVATION May 13-24 *LIVE* in ALASKA w/lots of photos

[twangster]

31 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

...and I opted for the 10:20am.

 

Dude, we just missed each other.  I did the 10am.  

 

[Hoopster95]

Just now, twangster said:

 

Dude, we just missed each other.  I did the 10am.  

 

Dang!! We missed the twang/Hoop Northstar seflie?!? 😀  lol

 

You have video? time lapse?😉

 

[twangster]

4 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Dang!! We missed the twang/Hoop Northstar seflie?!? 😀  lol

 

You have video? time lapse?😉

 

 

I found some time to stitch together a series of video clips that I took in between taking still photos of our morning in Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.  11m52s

 

Where's Waldo?  Can you spot the Hoopster95?

 

 

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

 

I found some time to stitch together a series of video clips that I took in between taking still photos of our morning in Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.  11m52s

 

Where's Waldo?  Can you spot the Hoopster95?

 

 

Is he the one wearing the white hat sitting in a the Solarium?

[Annicruise2014]

18 hours ago, twangster said:

 

This is why I like Alaska early in the season.  Beautiful picture that wouldn't be the same without snow.  

 

Well done!

is there snow in September on these mountains? and the icebergs!  LOL

Edited May 30, 2019 by Annicruise2014
added text

[twangster]

2 hours ago, Annicruise2014 said:

is there snow in September on these mountains? and the icebergs!  LOL

 

Generally speaking these lower elevation peaks that have snow on them in May won't have snow in September. 

 

For example this picture taken from a train out of Anchorage in May:

 

 

Same peaks in September:

 

 

 

The higher peaks of the Coast Mountain range and others will still have snow in September.  

 

[Hoopster95]

8 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Is he the one wearing the white hat sitting in a the Solarium?

 

Ding ding ding!!!

Jimbo you're the winner!! Your prize is free drinks in the Diamond Lounge between 5pm-8pm 😈😄

 

 

 

 

twangster ... outstanding video.

Anyone wishing to get a sneak peak of Endicott Arm with an Ovation perspective, you just have to watch this. Pretty much the best video I've seen sailing within Endicott period.

 

Btw twangster, when you were videoing those whales, I was in the hot tub in the Solarium (no iphone so no pics or video) and I spotted them before Capt Hendrik announced. I would say at least 20 cruisers all jumped to grabbed spots at the glass when announced but it was a bit too late. The quintessential whale-tail wave at the end of the video was pretty much the finale of that whale "performing" for us as she disappeared after that.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Hoopster95

[Hoopster95]

5 hours ago, Annicruise2014 said:

is there snow in September on these mountains? and the icebergs!  LOL

 

Regarding icebergs, I believe more so as there will be more calving of the glacier as the summer progresses, and therefore more large ice flows within Endicott Arm. I've mentioned before that on my Sept Rhapsody cruise a few years back, we were stopped short of Dawes Glacier as there were too many large icebergs in the Arm for Rhapsody to navigate. We were unable to view Dawes even from a distance as our stopping point was way before that "corner" that Ovation turned for dawes to come into view as explained in the previous videos/posts.

 

With Ovation being approx double in size to Rhapsody, I can only assume that there is a good chance that at some point Ovation will not get all the way the glacier as well.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Hoopster95

[twangster]

13 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Ding ding ding!!!

Jimbo you're the winner!! Your prize is free drinks in the Diamond Lounge between 5pm-8pm 😈😄

 

Btw twangster, when you were videoing those whales, I was in the hot tub in the Solarium (no iphone so no pics or video) and I spotted them before Capt Hendrik announced. 

 

There is also a brief glimpse of Hoopster95 at the end of my North Star ride, he was waiting to get on.  

 

No idea that was you until after seeing your content in this thread.  Funny, I was standing right behind you in the Solarium!  

 

That whale was right after we left Endicott Arm and re-entered the Alaskan Inside Passage.  They were all over the place on the port side.  Sometimes though you need to put the camera down and enjoy the moment live which is what I did right after that video.

[Hoopster95]

4 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

There is also a brief glimpse of Hoopster95 at the end of my North Star ride, he was waiting to get on.  

 

 

I went back to check that out ...  I missed that one 😁

 

Regarding the whales, your time and mine were different then. I didn't see them when you filmed this.

The whales I watched from the Solarium were starboard side and did the exact same tail flip at the end as in your video... almost as if to say "see ya later" and then disappeared 

[twangster]

23 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

Regarding the whales, your time and mine were different then. I didn't see them when you filmed this.

The whales I watched from the Solarium were starboard side and did the exact same tail flip at the end as in your video... almost as if to say "see ya later" and then disappeared 

 

Too many whales!  First world problem...

[Hoopster95]

There was enough time and internet to post thoughts and a few photos during the last sea days that I don't think anymore is warranted on this review, so I wish to bring it to an official end. With the first regular 7 day sailing to complete tomorrow, I'm looking forward to hearing how future cruises are going.

 

I'm going back to my old ratings scale I've used in most all of my previous reviews.... I think I'm both tough and realistic on my ratings so bare with me and my perception of things, especially if you disagree. I'll do my best to look at this objectively compared to past ships and sailings, and the memories they provided me.

 

MY SCALE

• "5" is a pass, but just barely...
• 6 ok
• 7 is very good but not memorable
• 8 memorable, but not the best ever
• 9 totally excellent, have recommended or raved
• 10 the best EVER... and it has to be EVER

 

Food:            OVERALL RATING = 7 (if sticking with only MDR/MTD I would likely be closer to 5)

Chops 6 - a small failure from all past Chops experiences, and hopefully a one night issue. Seemed to have been cleared up when fellow cruise buddies went a second time and it was great for them.

Wonderland 8 - Super fun. However best ever was on Harmony with "Vincent Price" waiter.

Jamie's 7.5 - pretty good. I bet I won't remember every dish in a few months. Giovanni's consistently better on other ships

Izumi 8 - wish it was better view and atmosphere. Service and sushi quality superb... 2 great meals here.

Sorrento's & Cafe Promenade 7  -  really good pizza and flourless chocolate mini-cupcakes!

Solarium Bistro 6 - only for breakfast, thought it was boring, enjoyed WJ more. Did not try dinner.

MTD 4 - a failure for food quality, American icon is a very sterile venue with poor ambiance. Service was good, util maitre'D asked for a high score on the survey.

WJ 9 - a big surprise winner! Superb and varied breakfast stations, menu changes daily, specialty items/theme dinners nightly, excellent layout, great seating with views everywhere, and outdoor aft seating. Dinner food quality better than MTD. Young busboy/server would get me my D+ wine everytime he saw me out back and call me by name, just like service in the DL.

 

 

Entertainment:         OVERALL RATING = 8.5

Production Shows 9.5! - Very close my Harmony 10 experience, memorable & excellent cast. 

Headliners 8 - really great group of headliners

House Bands 7

Pixels 6 - not impressed. Will not be able to explain or remember this show in weeks to come

Game Shows 8 - Dancing with the Stripes, L&M, several other standouts

Events 9.5 - DSB Journey Tribute, great 70's party, a few other notables, excellent events

 

 

Venues:            OVERALL RATING = 10            best ever so far, my favorite ship Class

IFly 10 - a must try/must do on a Q Class ship

Florider 9 - also a must do, I boogie boarded on the last 2 sea days

NorthStar 10 - I am a HUGE fan of this, 4 times this sailing

SeaPlex 10 - I am a HUGE fan of this venue as well, used all times of the day for all ages, so many varied events and activities

Boleros ? - I did not attend, not used as a Latin Dance Bar. The house bands rotated through, and Karaoke held there nightly.

Esplanade/Via 9 - I love it compared to the Promenade

Solarium 10 - hands down the #1 Solarium in the fleet

Music Hall 9 - superb 2 level night time/band/dance venue

Two70 10 - one of a kind $42,000,000 masterpiece that beats the pants off of any Viking Crown in my humble opinion

Casino I didn't use this time (normally play poker)

 

 

 

Staff          OVERALL RATING 9.5

CD Chris Davis and Activity Manager Angelle (forget her last name) were great, with Angelle being more of the face out there in the public and heading up most of the important activities and events. I cannot say enough how some of the interactions I had were more like my Oceania experience last year... there were several occurrences where it seemed they actually genuinely cared.

 

Example: for Thriller I needed a lighter to burn a wine cork, I can then smear the black residue on face and arms for Thriller dance as make-up. Anyways, walking by GS, the GS manager Julia (whom I danced with the night before in the game show) says "Mr. Claudio" and comes out of the GS into the Esplanade to greet me. I tell her I was going into Amber&Oak to find a lighter. She brought me into the GS area and made a few phone calls. I was directed to the casino. Thanking her, I went down the stairs and met Kester in the Casino Bar. He told me they have lighters for sale only. I told him what I need it for, perhaps 30seconds total as I don't smoke... he reached in his pocket, took out a regular bic and said "no problem, take my personal lighter. Bring it back later when you're finished with it". I had not met or talked to this guy all cruise and it was day 11.

 

I had several incidents like this in other situations.... coffee up in the WJ, nice chat with Angelle one day, and even having a great talk with CD Chris Davis and his parents, who were waiting for the same bus as me on the pier to get back to Vancouver. Super nice & genuine people.

 

 

 

Some General Thoughts

Crowding 7 - first two days crowding a real concern, eased off greatly in the week to come as I suspect people figured out their routines of where they liked to be, etc.

"Outward" focus 10 - unlike Voyager, Freedom and Oasis Classes where you see 0% outside from mostly every venue inside the ship, on Ovation you get a superb view outward in a great percentage of the public inside space on board.

 

Overall thought? I'll give this cruise a 9.  Incredible view outward from almost everywhere plus phenomenal venues combined with superb entertainment/events/activities really make this ship a winner. 

 

Other than the one very minor negative experience in MTD, this was an absolutely memorable sailing and I'm already raving about it... in my top 10 of all time for sure. I brought back great memories of several things I will never forget (NorthStar at the glaciers, whale watching from the Solarium hot tub, etc). I went into this sailing with very high anticipation, and it delivered for me. Ovation is a super star ship to be sailing in Alaskan waters. I truly wish we hear from many happy cruisers in the months to come.

 

Many of you offered very nice words throughout this review and I truly appreciate it. If I missed saying thank you personally to any of your posts... please accept this very grateful and humble "Thank you" 😄 

 

And huuuuuge thanks again to twangster, drusierdmd, Lee/cleo & Ginny (I will email you both when I get the chance), Biker, Alan for your contributions along the way and sharing this thread with me.

 

H A P P Y C R U I S I N ' E V E R Y O N E ! ! ! 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Hoopster95

[LadyBeBop]

Thanks for allowing us to tag along. Now, I really can’t wait until Sept. 13th. 

 

Also sounds like we picked the right cruise to do the UDP. 

 

Question:  Would you do Wonderland twice?  Right now, I’m leaning toward Chops and Jaime’s twice and Wonderland and Izumi’s once. 

 

 

 

[Hoopster95]

2 hours ago, LadyBeBop said:

Question:  Would you do Wonderland twice?  Right now, I’m leaning toward Chops and Jaime’s twice and Wonderland and Izumi’s once. 

 

I'm pretty sure Wonderland twice (especially twice in 7 days) would be a mistake.

Your line-up looks great! Where's your 7th night?

 

Cruise pals Shelley/Rick as well as Ginny (Arizona group) had free dinner up at the Solarium Bistro (Mediterranean flare) and they both said it was excellent. I didn't try it myself.

 

By the way, I hope you don't feel the need to eat only specialty venues every lunch just because of the package. This is the best ship I've ever been on regarding quality mid-day options, better than Oasis Class (Cafe Two70 vs. Park Cafe) plus the WJ & Solarium Bistro. Personally, on a 7 day I would book the 5 day dining package and wing the other two nights. Remember, if you get great weather you may want breakfast and/or lunch a few times out at the back open seating area of the Windjammer

[shoreline6726]

Hoopster...First of all congrats on the Raps taking game 1!  Secondly, thanks again for everything you shared from this cruise. You really showed how to get the absolute most out of a cruise vacation and also helping those of us on the Ovation summer cruises prepare for whats in store.

On 5/23/2019 at 9:36 PM, Hoopster95 said:

 

 

 

[perfect match]

Awesome review, Hoopster! Thank you, and also thank you to everyone who contributed throughout this review.

 

I’m really excited about booking Alaska now, as I feel that Ovation has enough to keep my DH both warm and well entertained while we get to see some of Alaska. One of the things I love about cruising is that it is possible to find a cruise that has plenty to keep both of us happy. I think Ovation will be the perfect solution for us. Unfortunately, it may not happen until 2021, but at least now I’ve gotten him to agree to give Alaska a try! 😀

[LadyBeBop]

8 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

I'm pretty sure Wonderland twice (especially twice in 7 days) would be a mistake.

Your line-up looks great! Where's your 7th night?

 

 

I’m not sure. I was thinking Chops. But the not-so-negative reviews are giving me second thoughts. Possibly Jaime’s,  but we don’t want too much pasta (yeah, I know it’s not just pasta, but I still think pasta for an Italian restaurant). If Izumi was a hibachi, we’d go there. And Wonderland seems like a one shot deal. I’m sorta rethinking my idea of going there in Day 2, right before Pixels. 

 

If if we can make a last minute reservation, I just may wait and go with our favorite of the four. 

[Hoopster95]

2 hours ago, LadyBeBop said:

If if we can make a last minute reservation, I just may wait and go with our favorite of the four. 

 

Chop's would personally be my only pick for a 3rd visit on this ship just for the menu. Lamb, steak... then 3rd? Mix & match a few different appies (mushroom or lobster bisque, crab cake, jumbo shrimp, etc etc several choices) and you'll easily get 3 dinners here. Done it before no problem and it was fantastic way to go. Jamie's is just ok, I feel it's not a 3 timer (almost not even a 2 timer). I would love for you to come back and write about your food experience just to compare to what I found, especially with regard to Chops.

 

Regarding last minute reservations, keep in mind that unlike Oasis Class the specialty venues are very small. Surprisingly to me (maybe it shouldn't have been), this was the first sailing in a couple of years (since Harmony) that I did not see any discounted sales nor any staff pushing the specialty venues. Everytime I dined at specialty, the venue was full (80% and up). Walking by Jamie's and Izumi daily, always full'ish.

 

I can see this being even worse on the 7 day sailings as cruisers try to fit their 3 day, 5 day and UDP's into 7 days. On Harmony, all specialty was booked by day 2, and only 5:15pm and 9pm's were available for the rest of the cruise for example.

 

So be careful, truthfully I recommend booking everything the moment you get on board. At least then you have a secured nightly booking. If you try to change later.... great if you can! If you can't, at least you have somewhere to that night 😊

Edited May 31, 2019 by Hoopster95

[LadyBeBop]

Thanks for the advice. I will ask my husband before making reservations (as soon as we get on the ship). 

 

I think they’ve already made our 1st night’s reservations (will probably keep it with the hopes it’s not Wonderland). Wonderland will be Day 2. Chops will be Day 3 (if we don’t have it Day 1). We will probably book Chops for Day 7, and switch it if necessary. We don’t mind eating at 5:15. Remember, that’s normally 8:15 our time. And we eat at 5:00 nightly anyway. 

 

Does Wonderland and Pixals go together? If not, maybe Chops Day 2 and Wonderland...any day but Skagway day. Day 6 maybe?

 

Again. Thanks for all your advice thus far. 

Edited May 31, 2019 by LadyBeBop

[Hoopster95]

8 minutes ago, LadyBeBop said:

Does Wonderland and Pixals go together?

 

As a table for two, I would think it's ok. Definitely give yourself a 2 hour cushion here.

Our large table went over 2 hours with the serving of various courses, multiple appies & deserts etc.

[LadyBeBop]

11 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

As a table for two, I would think it's ok. Definitely give yourself a 2 hour cushion here.

Our large table went over 2 hours with the serving of various courses, multiple appies & deserts etc.

I mean as a theme. I was thinking about a 5:30 dinner. I reserved the 9:15 show. 

[Biker19]

Just now, LadyBeBop said:

I mean as a theme.

It would certainly be a “different “ theme. 

[geospyder]

Thanks everyone for the reviews and pictures.  We will be on the Ovation in July for a 7 night inside passage cruise.  We will again be on the Ovation in April of next year doing a trans-Pacific from Sydney to Honolulu.  The Alaskan cruise will be used to get familiar to the ship 

Edited May 31, 2019 by geospyder

[dreamer976]

On 5/28/2019 at 1:16 PM, Hoopster95 said:

Folks, if you've never seen a photo review by twangster, I dare you to click on the link above and show me any other CC review with photos of this calibre anywhere... and the review itself is top notch. Perhaps the best reviewer out there, check out this link and follow it for a ton of tips on a Radiance sailing that includes Ketchikan

VERY true, Claudio. I highly recommend any of Twangster’s trip reports.

 

I was on the same sailing with him last fall (Symphony OTS, Barcelona to Miami) and saw more thru his camera lens than with my naked eyes!  He even explained the “plots” (and I use that term loosely) of all of the entertainment aboard. I and my fellow cruisers very much enjoyed the show in the Aquatheatre, but none of us understood what was going on, until I read twangster’s review the following week 🤣. 

[twangster]

Rewind to day 4, woke up in Alaskan Inside Passage, ordered complimentary room service breakfast, was on my balcony with a coffee and I see this:

 

 

Dall's Porpoises.