Live Ovation of the Seas Alaska May 17-24, 2024 with Kmom

[KmomChicago]

I got one of our large suitcases packed full of dirty laundry and not sure how I feel about it. It’s nice to keep up with the ongoing logistics but it’s also the beginning of the end. Our 7 night cruise is now down to a 2 night cruise. In 48 hours we will be back onboard another Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft awaiting takeoff. 🚢✈️

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

Whoa, that is like a red cape to a bull where I'm concerned.  I have confronted several line/que cutters in my day, like a said before, won't tolerate it. I would have trotted right around her and said "excuse me this place was already taken".   This is the thing, these creeps expect YOU and I to just roll over after WE have followed edicate and the rules.  If I take my important time to be considerate, why shouldn't they. 😡

If unsure, I will ask the person in question if they are in line and if they are, I get behind them.  Common curtesy! 👍 

[KmomChicago]

With the lack of tropical outdoor conditions I see far more people just sitting around fully dressed doing absolutely nothing on stylish ship lounge furniture than any previous cruise. 

[ninjacat123]

18 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I’m sitting here watching a lecture about bears and salmon and whales and some dumb drinky women about my age or probably ten years younger, mid 40’s, are whisper giggling a lot louder than they realize. 
 

THAT’S a lot more annoying than dropping one spot in a fast food line.

 

They couldn’t care less about the program. They are just saving their space for bingo which is next. They’re going through phone pics and they must be really great.

 

RUDE.

 

Stupid spoiled kids these days don’t know how to behave in public.

My mom and I moved three times on Mardi Gras to get away from loud people while a show was going on.  Very frustrating. 

[Glide_Path]

10 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I got one of our large suitcases packed full of dirty laundry and not sure how I feel about it

Open up a few tea bags, and throw it together the dirties.  It helps.

[KmomChicago]

Last night as I was falling unconscious with exhaustion after Spectra, my room phone rang.

 

It was my MDR waiter asking why we haven’t been eating at our table during early seating dinner as scheduled nightly? (We have only gone once in 5 nights, 2nd night to be precise). 
 

I mumbled something semi coherent in response and then he reminded me to come tonight, which is our last sea day and 2nd formal night, so he can serve us all lobster. (None of us will be ordering lobster, but we are going anyway.)

 

He then named everyone in our party one by one, reminding me to bring them all. So then I explained semi coherently that one of those people wasn’t on the ship at all and wouldn’t be at dinner.

 

I saw some thread on CC before this cruise talking about how you’re supposed to notify MDR nightly if you’re not coming, if you have one of the set dining times. 
 

With all due respect, I guess I think they shouldn’t have Windjammer and a bunch of other food available if they really want people committed to MDR. They also could directly ask us in the app or somewhere if they would like us to report our nightly dinner plans. 
 

Talk amongst yourselves, please.

[KmomChicago]

We never found anything in our room about Port Valet so I asked just now at GS and they stated it is available but the deadline was yesterday at 6pm. I asked how it was communicated and they answered something very quiet that I didn’t understand. So I mentioned the port valet website says info will be in your room but it wasn’t so they said they would mention it to Housekeeping. 
 

Either way I missed my opportunity so now we schlep everything back to SeaTac ourselves Friday. I know it’s not cheap but thinking about just booking a shuttle, taxi or rideshare and calling it a day. I doubt the kids and I will have the stamina or mindset to drag it and ourselves back through all the public transport steps anyway.

[crzndeb]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

I’m sitting here watching a lecture about bears and salmon and whales and some dumb drinky women about my age or probably ten years younger, mid 40’s, are whisper giggling a lot louder than they realize. 
 

THAT’S a lot more annoying than dropping one spot in a fast food line.

 

They couldn’t care less about the program. They are just saving their space for bingo which is next. They’re going through phone pics and they must be really great.

 

RUDE.

 

Stupid spoiled kids these days don’t know how to behave in public.

Just had that happen on Edge at the first night show. One looking at her phone and then the chatting begins. I got up, left, and told them, next time sit in the back. This is why I like dogs better than most people. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[KmomChicago]

13 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

Just had that happen on Edge at the first night show. One looking at her phone and then the chatting begins. I got up, left, and told them, next time sit in the back. This is why I like dogs better than most people. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yeah here again I suppose I wonder if I have graduated from the Walmart and Sears of the Seas. I never considered myself very fancy or very old for that matter. I never thought I needed to shield myself from your standard cross section of American society due to my delicate sensibilities. 
 

See, I don’t really look great but at least I’m clean and certainly behave myself and I don’t cut in lines or talk out loud during performances. 
 

That seems like just the basics though, not like reserved only for Cunard or something! 😂

[KmomChicago]

My beer from Solarium dessert is pretty cold coming out of the cooler-not-fridge as explained on the label. I’m enjoying it as an aperitif in my private cave quarters before formal night dinner as invited by my server.

 

See that’s how I know it’s time to move up a couple of tiers, cruise wise. Because I don’t call it a can of Miller Lite. I call it an aperitif.

[KmomChicago]

From Wikipedia. Miller Lite is indeed what I would describe as dry rather than sweet.

 

 

[KmomChicago]

I realize Miller Lite is stretching the definition of aperitif but I distinctly remember some beverage that used to be referred to as the champagne of beers. ??????
 

First to answer correctly gets promoted to complimentary Diamond status of this trip report.

[Mommapadraig]

4 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I realize Miller Lite is stretching the definition of aperitif but I distinctly remember some beverage that used to be referred to as the champagne of beers. ??????
 

First to answer correctly gets promoted to complimentary Diamond status of this trip report.

Miller high life…the champagne of bottled beer 

[link99]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

We’re back on Seattle time and once again the phone and Apple Watch are slow to align with the ship. 
 

While I am thinking about it, these cruises without a lot of school aged kids are deficient in cruising ducks. That or I am not very good at finding them. I think both. I didn’t bring any but somehow I feel entitled to them anyway. 

What day did you switch time at the start of the Cruise?

Edited May 23 by link99
Spelling

[BecciBoo]

These days, everywhere, rudeness, self absorption and bad manners are routine...shameful.

[BecciBoo]

That floating island looks yummy good.

[BecciBoo]

2 hours ago, crzndeb said:

I like dogs better than most people. 🤷🏼‍♀️

That and dogs sit and look raptly and longingly at you and don't interrupt you. 🐕‍🦺

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, link99 said:

What day did you switch time at the start of the Cruise?

I’ll have to go back and check but it was before we touched land in Alaska so I am going to say it was after the first sea day and before Skagway which would be overnight between days 2 and 3. 

[KmomChicago]

58 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

That and dogs sit and look raptly and longingly at you and don't interrupt you. 🐕‍🦺

Yeah for me it’s more cats but I do love dogs too and agree with @crzndeb about preferring them to most people. 
 

I like people in theory more than in practice. 

[Saint Greg]

11 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Let’s see if my pano will load for y’all.

If it’s a picture of your room with the lights out, yes!

[ninjacat123]

5 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Last night as I was falling unconscious with exhaustion after Spectra, my room phone rang.

 

It was my MDR waiter asking why we haven’t been eating at our table during early seating dinner as scheduled nightly? (We have only gone once in 5 nights, 2nd night to be precise). 
 

I mumbled something semi coherent in response and then he reminded me to come tonight, which is our last sea day and 2nd formal night, so he can serve us all lobster. (None of us will be ordering lobster, but we are going anyway.)

 

He then named everyone in our party one by one, reminding me to bring them all. So then I explained semi coherently that one of those people wasn’t on the ship at all and wouldn’t be at dinner.

 

I saw some thread on CC before this cruise talking about how you’re supposed to notify MDR nightly if you’re not coming, if you have one of the set dining times. 
 

With all due respect, I guess I think they shouldn’t have Windjammer and a bunch of other food available if they really want people committed to MDR. They also could directly ask us in the app or somewhere if they would like us to report our nightly dinner plans. 
 

Talk amongst yourselves, please.

Wha… I have never had a wait staff person call my room, for any reason. I have had them say “we missed you last night” in the MDR if we had dinner elsewhere. I’m getting a stalker vibe (joking) that feels odd. Waiting for the report on your next MDR dinner, Kmom!

[edspec]

RC is big on calls to the room. Finally had to go to GS and tell them not to call either of our cabins, it totally stresses DS. I don’t understand why they don’t text and to be honest really don’t get why there are phones in the room???  Does anyone want to hear the loud ring and be disturbed?
 

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

Wha… I have never had a wait staff person call my room, for any reason. I have had them say “we missed you last night” in the MDR if we had dinner elsewhere. I’m getting a stalker vibe (joking) that feels odd. Waiting for the report on your next MDR dinner, Kmom!

Whelp since you asked it was a disaster. The kids and I got into a really weird and stupid argument. I don’t want to elaborate because I will either reveal too much private information or simply spin the story to be “totally not my fault” which is both inaccurate and ultimately irrelevant anyway.
 

It escalated immediately and we basically all had minor quiet breakdowns right there in public before choking down our meals while choking back tears unsuccessfully and finally leaving halfway through dessert. 
 

The poor servers could tell something was seriously wrong. I think they actually 100% thought we were upset about the food because they kept trying to bring us more while we kept trying to wave them off so we could get the hell outta there. 
 

I bet that’s the last and final time he ever personally invites a guest who disappears to come back to the MDR.

 

We had a long and productive conversation back at the room, and then all went to tonight’s production show, The Beautiful Dream, which we all liked, but honestly I am still pretty shaken up. 
 

 

 

[KmomChicago]

50 minutes ago, edspec said:

RC is big on calls to the room. Finally had to go to GS and tell them not to call either of our cabins, it totally stresses DS. I don’t understand why they don’t text and to be honest really don’t get why there are phones in the room???  Does anyone want to hear the loud ring and be disturbed?
 

It’s pretty stupid if you ask me. What year is this that we need a phone? Obviously nobody is doing anything without the app so clearly we don’t need a landline (sealine?) phone.

 

And yeah it’s frankly none of their business where or whether or when I eat. 
 

Anyway it’s going off the hook tonight. The kids can just come in the room if they need me.

 

 

[KmomChicago]

So another weird thing going on. My phone changed times suddenly so I opened the Apple Map app and it thinks I am in Sydney, Australia.