To Ovate or not to Ovate

[Flamin_June]

That is the question.

Well.... largely a rhetorical question.

Here's the thing: after  10 mostly amazing and otherwise  pretty darn good cruises on the Little Sisters and the O class we are booked on the Ovation. And I find that for the first time I am not anticipating a SB cruise with mounting anticipation and expectation, but with TREPIDATION.

On two levels.

First, the concept of these big 600 passenger vessels has never appealed to me - it was a major leap of faith stepping onto an O class ship for the first time, and there is a worry that this even bigger ship may be a step too far.  And now this coronavirus epidemic is casting yet another dark shadow of doubt.

We chose this cruise because we finally hit the 140+ day milestone cruise award last year and the opportunity for a massive discount had been burning a hole in our pockets for a while. But there were no itineraries that fit on the O class ships ( not until 2021 and that is too long to wait). We love cruising in the waters of the Andaman Sea, and the bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, and although we had been to the various stops on offer more than once, there were a lot of sea days, which we love, and a lot of overnight+ stops, which we also like. So this was a great opportinity to revisit some places were we have had very memorable experiences in the past for one last time. So that side of things looked pretty good.

But it's a big ship, with too many passengers, and the pool is overcrowded and there is this wretched Retreat thing. And the question remains: is this going to be the great SB experience that we have grown so fond of, or is this some new hybrid that may fall short of the mark?

Some regular, long-time, and always worth reading posters such as Chairsin and Frantic, have been on the Encore class ships, and don't appear too keen. I would be interested to read their takes in more detail, and anybody elses experiences and comparisons.

 

And what the **!!** is happening to the Ovation now?  Not one post from anybody currently on board - although there were several people posting on the roll call. How are the crew handling the situation with the C virus? What is it like having many enforced sea days? Where is the Ovation going next? How many people have cancelled on the 14th March sailing already?. Are we insane to be even still considering going?

[lisa6191]

1 hour ago, Flamin_June said:

the pool is overcrowded

 

Just wondering what you are basing this on? Is it an assumption based on number of passengers or do you have specific knowledge that this is a problem?

[SLSD]

We have sailed on Sojourn (an O class ship) and on both Ovation and Encore.  All of these cruises were wonderful.  Last May/June I posted my subjective comparison of our experiences on Sojourn and Ovation and Encore.  My conclusion is that all are great, but if an O class ship was leaving a port along with either Encore or Ovation on the same itinerary, I would choose Ovation or Encore.  I like them better.  Never did it feel like there were more passengers on board.  We also enjoyed the expanded Colonnade area and the extra venues (the bar outside the TK Grill and the Sushi Restaurant).  In addition, the time schedule on the larger ships better suited us.  We could go to an 8pm show and still have the time and energy before our bedtime to enjoy a drink in the Observation Bar.  We never darkened the "door" of The Retreat except to take a look at it.  Make your own decision, but make it realizing that no everyone sees the ships and the experience they provide in the same way.  

 

I do want to add that we are not sunbathers, so possible crowding around the pool does not bother us.  I will say this, we never had difficulty finding a poolside table on Ovation or Encore for lunch.  There do seem to be more tables on the larger ships.  

 

All of the above has nothing to do with the current situation on Ovation.  I do think that sailing in Asia is very dicey at this time.  Being a very cautious person, I would choose not to go at this time.  Others may see this as being an alarmist.  

Edited February 9, 2020 by SLSD

[dalliowner]

Hope this helps .

We like you have done 140  days on ships starting with the Spirit and all the o class ships and last year our first on the Encore. There are plusses and minuses   on the larger ships like there was on the sisters to the o class , but we have booked our next cruise on the Encore  which without going into detail think answers your question.

[wripro]

You are prejudging something you have not experienced. You may wind up loving the Ovation....or not. In either case it's just a cruise, not a life changing decision. And it' still Seabourn even if there are an extra hundred passengers. Why torment yourself over something that may wind up not being the case? Or if this is really bothering you cancel.

[2SailingNomads]

We too have been on all 3 class ships, starting with the Legend and were apprehensive about going to the O-class the first time, and even more so when we first went on the Encore.  We were pleasantly surprised with our experiences on both the Encore and Ovation - some things were much better, IMO (much prefer the layout of the Colonnade and like the addition of the Sushi restaurant) while others like the same sized pool area are not.  As dalliowner said, there are pluses and minuses to each.  And on the little sisters the pool size was more like a  hot tub...  

 

The Encore and Ovation still have the same great Seabourn crew and events - and many long time crew have gone over to them.

[Flamin_June]

3 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

 

Just wondering what you are basing this on? Is it an assumption based on number of passengers or do you have specific knowledge that this is a problem?

This is what a number of posters here, or in reviews, have said. Not the case on all cruises, Fjords for example, but something that has been raised before as far as sea days and hot weather are concerned.

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far.

[Chairsin]

Hi Flamin June

I did not do a full review of our recent "inaugural" Ovation cruise but since you asked I'll try to provide more feedback that my prior comment noting  would only return to the Encore class if the itinerary was irresistible. 

 

Forgive me if some of what i say sounds a bit vague because I'm actually having a hard time pining down exactly what made it feel a bit off. So here goes, as to overcrowding I can't say that in spite of my apprehension here the this was a noticeable issue. Didn't really notice longer lines, longer service wait times (most of the time) or the feeling as though there were too many people. And yet, it did feel bigger and I was seeing passengers for the first time throughout the cruise whereas usually by day two or three most faces are familiar. I would think "where did all of these people come from - have they been hiding out in the lifeboats?"

 

The crew was very good with many with whom we have cruised on prior trips who remembered us and some "new to us." Of course there was the occasional service glitch - but then no more than we have encountered on our prior cruises over the years. But we are pretty easy going and we find after a day any minor annoyances become a distant memory and all of the good service certainly outweighs the occasional incidence of less than stellar service.I will say that we rarely saw the HD and this was indeed very unusual. It was actually so apparent that we and some friends started referring to him as the invisible man. Now I can't say if this was due to the increased work load from the additional passengers, the larger ship size or simply his personalty and management style. 

 

As to the physical layout of the ship some spaces I liked better, such as the MDR and Colonnade, and some I liked less, such as theTK Grill (the furnishings and layout remind me of a nice chain restaurant - not a classy retro steakhouse). While I did indeed find the TK bar convenient the space was unappealing with two thirds of the bar tables tucked into a dark corner.The Square is more open but i did find there was less privacy when you were speaking with one of the guest services staff. The Grand Salon looks to be of similar size to O class (and yes, still has those perky columns) but of course they get around that issue by having two shows. I found this problematical as it meant the second show (we don't like to rush through dinner) often started late - no doubt because the entertainment cast or guest performer needed some time to recover from the early show. We ended up going to fewer shows than usual. Can't speak to the sushi restaurant as we never dined there. Pool Grill seems fine during the day (we often had lunch outside seated at a shaded table) and we did Earth and Ocean once (hard to find perfect weather for an exposed venue like this - besides coming from where we do dining outside is not a special treat). I can't tell you if it felt more exposed than O class because we have not done E&O there yet. 

 

And then there is the pool deck during the day. You mentioned the concern about overcrowding here. This concerned us as well since it was going to be a warm weather cruise and we like to be outside but in the shade. Again we live in a place blessed with a warm, sunny climate so for us getting a bragging rights holiday tan is not a priority. In fact as it turned out the weather was not as hot and sunny as anticipated and we even had a few days of showers. This may have impacted the lack of crowding. I only recall one day toward the end of the cruise where we had trouble finding a couple of shaded loungers and ended up going to the covered deck area behind the Club. I did not count the loungers on the main pool deck but visually it did appear that there were not many more loungers than on the O class ships. So if I were on a Caribbean or warm weather Med cruise i do see how this could be a problem. 

 

As to the Retreat, well this subject has been covered on this board ad nauseum. The space seems like a remote outpost totally disconnected from the rest of the ship. We went up briefly for a cocktail party and left unimpressed. So to pile on, yes, seems like a precious waste of space that could be put to better uses and its very existence seems to fly in the face of the ethos of the democracy of Seabourn we have come to appreciate. 

 

The space thought that really bothered me, and which presents the biggest stumbling block to our returning, is the suite itself - we had a standard verandah suite.  A few inches less in width may not seem like a big deal until you try to function in that resulting space due to the design choices they were forced to make. The bathtub is both narrower and shorter. I love to lounge in a nice relaxing bubble bath and even though I am slender and about 5'6" tall i felt cramped. The closest is a challenge - anything hanging in the back recess was hard to access. And the drawer in the dressing table was so shallow the hairdryer did not fit inside and thus was left to clutter part of the very shallow counter. And okay, i know the wave of the future, but i really detest those light and thermostat controls where you have to keep a key card inserted to turn them on.   

 

I will note that while this likely has little to do with the size of the ship I did enjoy some of the best food ever in the MDR. And this came on the heels of our 36 night Quest cruise last summer where we had the worst food I've ever had on many cruises over 19 years on Seabourn.Who can tell if it was the chef or provisioning or whatever. For whatever reason we very happy with the food there. Still, we preferred the less hectic dining atmosphere in the TK Grill - yes the menu is unchanging except for the daily specials but the food there seems more consistent to me from cruise to cruise. We were also again fortunate to have TK Chef Michael Sandoval on board for half the cruise and he alway made something special for our table so it was a real treat. And quite odd, usually there are TK Ad Hoc dinners every few nights in the Colonnade. We don't usually have dinner there except on the AdHoc nights.During the first 10 days or so of our 19 night cruise they had a Pork Rib night, a Beef Rib Night, and a Clambake and that was it. We were told they can't do the fried chicken because the ship was not properly equipped.This seems strange since the Encore class was designed with Keller input and they managed to retrofit the kitchens of the O class to be able to fry the chicken.

 

So in sum it just seemed a bit less like the Seabourn we have come to know and love (as with you, first with the irreplaceable small ships and then with the O class). Still we found enough to love that while it would never be our first choice we would go back on Ovation under the right circumstances. As to your other issue i really feel for you as that is a much tougher matter to address. It is not a issue to be taken lightly and frankly I'm not sure what i would do in your circumstances. Not having a crystal ball there is no way to tell how much longer this disease will continue to spread or where new cases will pop up. I hope for your sake by the time your cruise draws near it is running out of steam and the risk of transmission is greatly reduced.  

[Fletcher]

I've been on the old Legend, the Quest and the Ovation - Caribbean, Caribbean and Antarctica, and Norway.  In a hot climate cruise I'd say the Ovation pool deck would be crowded, other than that the ship is perfectly fine.  It's all a matter of the itinerary.  In the Andaman Sea if the ship didn't stop at the Andaman Islands I wouldn't bother and the Ovation will not stop there.  In Norway the Ovation was perfect.

[Flamin_June]

Thanks, Chairsin, for taking the time to reply at length - I realy was intrigued to find out what your take on the new ship was - and thanks for a very balanced and comprehensive review.

Although many people have said that the suites seem identical in size, or, if narrower, the difference was negligible, the size difference has always been a concern to me. Mrs June and I have negotiated our movements, routes, shared spaces and personal territories in the O class Verandah suites down to a fine art over the years, and I wouldn't want to have to start all over again. However, forewarned is forarmed and it will be very helpful to be able to adjust one's expectations accordingly in advance.

 

We also have got quite fond of the the 'little' TK grill  - found the atmosphere to be pleasantly intimate, although it could be a little cramped, and the space reminds me of a very fancy dining car on a train. I always half expect to see Cary Grant and Eve Marie Saint come strolling through. We like a number of the offerings there and a classic 1950s/60s American diner theme is, of course, a bit of a novelty for us. I must be one of the few people who finds the music too quiet....Will look forward to checking out the bigger space. But news of the Ad Hoc nights is concerning. We both are big fans the Ad Hoc nights on the O ships and try to book in for all of them. It's kind of how we like to eat at home. Mrs June was knocked out by the fried chicken offering the first time we had it, and we have had spectacular clambakes. 

It really is helpful to have these and others' various observations so we know what's in store and will not be constantly comparing. Our main reason for taking this itinerary is because we love sailing those water, and, like some others, like it hot. So we will look forward to that and as for the rest vive la difference. At least we will have a better idea of what la difference is likely to be.

[Flamin_June]

17 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

 It's all a matter of the itinerary.  In the Andaman Sea if the ship didn't stop at the Andaman Islands I wouldn't bother and the Ovation will not stop there.

Take your point entirely, but we will at least be sailing by, and there is something about the local fishing boats, the stars at night, the smell and look of the sea, the sultry  heat, the sometimes placid stillness, and so on, that appeals and seems to us just that little bit more so out there. And we are not invited.  And we bear in mind the fate of the last person who was not invited...

[2seabournsailors]

I would agree with a lot that Chairsin has written. We recently tried Ovation for the first time, and unless it was an itinerary that we couldn't possibly miss, we will stay with the O class from now on.  We had previously tried Encore, so have now tried them all! I "think" Chairsin disembarked in Singapore? For the month after that we had extremely hot weather, and the pool deck was very very busy and crowded....sun lounges were "reserved" from before breakfast. Quite a lot of "chair hogging". We had two Corporate men on board, who we have known for a long time, we remarked to them "this doesn't feel like a Seabourn cruise".... the Holiday, part of the cruise also left many of the Crew shaking their heads...although they know NOT to say the wrong thing, it was very obvious they were also having a very hard time with many of the passengers. 24 kids? teenagers seemed fine but there were quite a lot of undisciplined younger children. Running, jumping, splashing in the pool etc....just doing all the things kids do, but not what "Seabourn Guests" like to experience! For example.... I saw people reading by the pool, who had to keep wiping the splashed water from their books and glasses! LOL. Diapers in the hot tub? Used diapers wrapped in a towel and put in the towel bin? Too many examples of what is "Not Seabourn" to mention! Hopefully these problems only existed, because it was a "Holiday Cruise"...but there were enough for us not to bother again.

We also only went once to the Retreat, to the same Cocktail party as Chairsin, in fact I was the one who sent out the invitations. Oh no, I did go up there one other time, just to take photos.....it was empty....

We found the Crew exceptional, and the ship in top condition...also had some of the best food we have ever had on Seabourn, although we also missed not being able to have the Fried Chicken.....seems strange that all the other ships have the chicken cooker, but not the newest ship!

We certainly did feel the difference of an extra 150 Guests. We also came from the old small ships, and had to adjust to 450 people, but 600 is just too much difference for us.

Chairsin also mentioned the narrowness of the suites, and in particular how it affected to bathtub! This may not be important to most people, but I am certainly a bathtub person while on the ships....first thing I ask our Stewardess for, is a selection of bubble baths. We were on board for almost 7 weeks.....I had ONE bubble bath. It was the most uncomfortable bath tub I have ever been in....so narrow.....no, I am not slim like Chairsin, so if she had trouble, its a wonder I am not still wedged in there! Another very bad design problem is that the tap is midway in the tub, so if you try to top up the hot water, you have it pouring straight onto you! You cant avoid it, well not unless you are a 2 year old child!

 

As always though, everyone has different thoughts on what is suitable or unsuitable for them, so I suppose you really need to try it yourself to see if its is, or isn't for YOU!

[Chairsin]

Flamin June, 

Funny you should mention railroad car as that is exactly how I describe it recently to friends who will be doing their first Seabourn Cruise this summer. Both the layout, the fittings and the windows remind me the era of classy train travel portrayed in many an old movie. 
 

Yes, have always found the Ad Hoc nights in the Colonnade a fun change of pace and even more fun if you get a group of 6 or so to enjoy a communal dinner. And while the dishes are simple comfort foods the quality of the ingredients are quite high.  The fried chicken is my favorite - so I was quite bummed - though I am also especially partial to the salads and the Humboldt Fog cheese. And as I noted it was disappointing that half way through the cruise these dinners were done and we never received a clear explanation as to why.  
 

I know you wanted details but hope my response was not too wordy. In order to be balanced it seemed necessary to write more than I had intended. But if you are a glutton for punishment and if you or Mrs. June have any more questions fire away. The bottom line of course is that many of us will have a different take on the same cruise and the same ship. I’ll look for your take once you have Ovated.
 

 

[frantic36]

Hi Flamin June, I have done Ovation twice and Encore twice. I do prefer Ovation to Encore because they changed The Club design soo it feels more inviting. There have been rumours that they will change the layout on Encore during a dry dock but I'm not sure if that will happen.

 

With regards to the suites for some reason I didn't feel they were too narrow on Ovation but I noted the narrowness on Encore. The first time we were in an Owner's suite so that didn't count but the cruise this December was an ordinary suite on Deck 6 and we seemed to have no problem. Maybe because Keith took the back hanging space closer to the safe area so his jackets didn't seem to intrude so much?

 

I don't use the bath so the shower seemed fine to me. One positive note in the suite is I prefer the cupboard handles better than Odyssey class, there is an actual latch to pull it open and maybe because of this I think there is less noise coming from other suites when people shut the cupboard doors.

 

We like the Sushi restaurant and the clambake we had for the first time on Ovation and it was delicious. We didn't try the other TK offerings but that is because we have had them a couple of times and have found it hit or miss whether we enjoyed them. Since the MDR had such good food we decided to expend our calorie count there 🙂.

 

Lunch at the Colonnade can be busy but as we have no mobility issues we would choose what we wanted and then use the internal stairs to go down to Deck 8 and dine on the outside area there. You still get wine and waiter service and as Keith would often order fish of the day this was handy. It was much quieter on this deck. The stairs are located near where you will see the ice cream trolley right at the back.

 

We would happily sail Ovation again, Encore for a good itinerary and price but still prefer Odyssey class but that maybe because it is what we are used too.

 

Julie

[frantic36]

Okay, we used the Retreat on the Ovation cruise a few times...shock & horror. We wanted a romantic cruise and to get away from people sometimes. 

 

While I agree it would be better used as a space for all it was a nice place to relax and the staff were lovely. Actually all the crew everywhere were lovely but those guys spoiled us. Since quite a few people seemed to have a nasty cold we were actually glad to have a place to get away from the coughing. 

 

As to the children problem on the holiday cruise, I know that is a problem whenever there is large amounts of children no matter what ship. We had a similar issue on Odyssey last July in the 7day segment of our 21 day cruise. We had 31 children onboard. Most were very well behaved but they tended to take over the pool areas. Luckily we had lots of stops on small Greek Islands so we went to the beach.

 

Julie

[2SailingNomads]

Every cruise is different re: children.   Maybe Seabourn, to distinguish itself as a true luxury line should have an age minimum?  Other lines do, just a thought. 

 

As to food, on our last cruise on the Quest we had the best food ever on Seabourn - it was simply amazing, Chef Olivier was everywhere and seemed to really go the extra mile to insure every dish was done correctly - including a few specials meals we had.   That unfortunately has not always been the case.  I'm not sure if David the F&B Manager is still with Seabourn as the last time, a couple of years ago when we last sailed with him he let us know he might be doing something else, had 3 rules: 1) the order has to be what the pax ordered; 2) it has to come out in a reasonable time; 3) it has to be HOT.  

 

We recently completed a cruise on a different cruise line (that has a fierce loyal base, some of whom post negative things about Seabourn) and while the food was very good, it NEVER was delivered hot, although it was delivered fast.  A 4 course dinner could be done in under 50 minutes if you did not tell them to "PLEASE SLOW DOWN".

 

[D999]

We’ve also travelled on all three classes and have enjoyed them all.  We were on the Ovation last year and didn’t find it crowded at all even though it was pretty much at capacity. We liked most of the layout changes a lot, particularly liked the TK Bar and the sushi restaurant . The suite didn’t feel noticeably smaller. The retreat was however empty every time we peeked, the tables were too close together in the TK Grill and we didn't like the new unmanned Colonnade island layout very much.  On balance we thought it was on equal footing with the O class and will very happily join it in Singapore next month.

D

[ab21au]

Isn’t it funny how different people see things (and I think that is good, as we all have different choices). We thought the slightly narrow but slightly longer cabin better suited us. We specifically chose the Ovation over the Sojourn for our 29th Feb (unfortunately now not to be but that is for another reason ie. C virus) cruise because we loved the Ovation. Given that, the replacement cruise is on the Odyssey, and we are fine with that, we have cruised on the Odyssey before. 
 

We just love the TK bar area and the sushi restaurant as another dining option. My personal opinion (and I have seen it first hand both on the Encore and Ovation early morning when I been on deck taking photos) is that chair hoggers at the pool are spoiling it for others. 

Personally, I think, Flamin June, you should judge for yourself because we had the exact same doubt you have before we went on the Encore. Now we prefer the Encore and Ovation. Time will tell, we are on the Odyssey in July, maybe I will change thoughts again. Anyway, it is the SB crew that really make the difference. 

[rols]

Flamin_June .. how much of your concern is really the ship and how much is your very understandable concern about the coronavirus outbreak which I know has you quite worried? My totally unsubstantiated feeling is that were it not for the health situation out here you'd be happily packing right now and not too bothered about the ship, but because the whole trip is under a bit of a shadow, you're questioning everything about it. 

 

We didn't like the larger ship as much when we sailed it a year or so ago. However that was a med cruise in the middle of summer, the ship was stuffed to the gunwales and 90% of the passengers changed over 1/2 way through. All this pushed the staff a bit hard, in our opinion, and the service level dropped. I think there's a good chance this cruise is not going to be full, perhaps only have as many people on as a full O-class ship and they've had yet more time to fix the service issues they had at launch. 

 

The ship itself is beautiful. I can't think of any piece of the ship which I didn't like more than the Ovation class. The colonnade is better, the TK grill is incredible, the suites are just as nice plus have small touches like electronic locks and patio doors which don't bang shut so you can actually get out of them. Seabourn Square is better. Ok perhaps the MDR isn't quite as nice, but it's close, and the inability of the grand salon to seat everyone at once is flawed and there could be more shaded beds around the pool (although we always managed to get one). The Retreat is stupid but you don't have to go there.

 

I think if you decide it's safe to travel and manage to allay your health fears, by the time you get on board, you'll find the ship plenty good enough. 

[Isklaar]

I'd advise you to give the Ovation a try, although I completely understand the current health concerns and would be reluctant to be taking any leisure trips at the moment. 

That said, I didn't care for Ovation. Not so much that I'd say "never again" but so much that I'd only choose E or O based on a fabulous and unique itinerary. 

As a starting point I should say that my experience on Ovation was a full cruise during a hot weather itinerary  with a number of sea days.

Prior to booking the trip I wasn't too keen to go up to a higher capacity ship. The largest I'd sailed on previously was Silversea's Silver Spirit which was 540 passengers at that time. (It's since been extended). 

I did notice the higher guest number, especially on sea days around the pool. The pool deck felt crowded and it was very difficult to find space there. This was the biggest issue for me. 

We had service issues too, which probably didn't help my overall perception.

 

Previous posters have mentioned the other aspects of Ovation that I wasn't keen on, so I won't repeat them. 

Positives for me are that the ship is beautiful (albeit too big!) and the TK Grill bar is a great spot pre- or post-dinner either in the Grill itself or the other venues. 

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Isklaar

[Flamin_June]

Thanks, Julie,  for the tip about the stairs to Deck 8 for a quieter Colonnade lunch, and many thanks to everyone who has replied. It is all very reassuring and informative and, as I said before, to be forewarned about a niggle here or there means one can adjust one's expectations. The walk-in closet shouldn't be a problem, as I have long been trained to hang my jackets at the back, though Mrs June ( let's call her 'A'  - it is the first letter of her first name, and easier to type) was not impressed with the hair dryer scenario.  It is also a lot more pleasant and fun to read and think about 'Seabourny' things than to stress about Covid-19.

[I am so glad they have finaly officially named it, as Corona Virus, while quite understandable that it should be so-called, just reminded me of a well loved British fizzy drink - which, unbeknownst to me, went out of production years ago]

 

On 2/10/2020 at 5:42 AM, rols said:

how much of your concern is really the ship and how much is your very understandable concern about the coronavirus outbreak which I know has you quite worried? My totally unsubstantiated feeling is that were it not for the health situation out here you'd be happily packing right now and not too bothered about the ship, but because the whole trip is under a bit of a shadow, you're questioning everything about it. 

 

 

There is some truth in what you say, although I had intended to post something along these lines before the virus reared it's ugly head. The luggage tags and docs arrived the other day, and that event is normally a cue for climbing up into the attic and pulling the suitcases down, going through our cruising/tropical weather clothes, trips to shops for replacements, and ticking off all the other things on our to do list, organising cat sitters, and so forth. Certainly all the current uncertainty and worry has put a dampner on things, but what the heck, I went out yesterday and bought a new suitcase (isn't it irritating the way airline luggage handlers can trash old familiar and trustworthy pieces?). But it won't end there, I have been on a diet since the summer and have lost c. 17 Kg, so none of my trpical weight chinos, or dress shirts, fit. On the plus side, some beloved old t- shirts which I have not been able to wear comfortably for a while now do fit.

I will certainly try to do a blog, but I fear it will go the way of all my blogs: start off with great enthusiasm and then peter out about halfway through the voyage. Not usually a sign that I have lost interest, more an indicator that the heady social whirl and just plain enjoying ourselves have taken over, leaving little time for tapping at a keyboard.

 

 

[Isklaar]

12 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

 

I will certainly try to do a blog, but I fear it will go the way of all my blogs: start off with great enthusiasm and then peter out about halfway through the voyage. Not usually a sign that I have lost interest, more an indicator that the heady social whirl and just plain enjoying ourselves have taken over, leaving little time for tapping at a keyboard.

 

 

 

Your mention of a blog has reminded me of one other thing that I liked about Ovation more than the O class ships. Internet was generally very reliable and quite fast (compared to the other ships). 

 

[Fletcher]

13 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

 

I will certainly try to do a blog, but I fear it will go the way of all my blogs: start off with great enthusiasm and then peter out about halfway through the voyage. Not usually a sign that I have lost interest, more an indicator that the heady social whirl and just plain enjoying ourselves have taken over, leaving little time for tapping at a keyboard.

 

 

Or you might be confined to your cabin and have nothing to do except blog . . . 😉

[frantic36]

11 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

Your mention of a blog has reminded me of one other thing that I liked about Ovation more than the O class ships. Internet was generally very reliable and quite fast (compared to the other ships). 

 

 

This is true Isklaar.

I am not sure why but I hope this will change for the O class ships as dry-docks occur. I do think Odyssey in July last year the internet was better than previously. I am not sure if this was due to being the Mediterranean area or whether it was due to improvements made during dry-dock.

 

Julie

[Isklaar]

1 minute ago, frantic36 said:

 

This is true Isklaar.

I am not sure why but I hope this will change for the O class ships as dry-docks occur. I do think Odyssey in July last year the internet was better than previously. I am not sure if this was due to being the Mediterranean area or whether it was due to improvements made during dry-dock.

 

Julie

 

Hi Julie.

Indeed. I moaned incessantly about internet speed in our suite in December on Sojourn, but elsewhere on the ship the speed was better than it had been on previous cruises around the Caribbean, although not as good as on Ovation. 

I was on Ovation Singapore- Hong Kong. The signal was very good most of the time.