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

[KmomChicago]

39 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Since this will be a possible last  review for you, I hope you will join me on my LIVE land review of our trip to Japan!! CC said I could post it in Asia Ports of Call. I’ll post a link in my last LIVE reviews last week of June.👍😁😻

Definitely!!

[Saint Greg]

 

[KmomChicago]

5 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

 

@Saint Greg how did I miss this? 
 

Some travel poll came out a week or two ago and somehow it’s still the US top rated airline. 

[KmomChicago]

A few photos from cruises past:

Carnival Triumph, a ship that doesn’t exactly exist anymore. The first cruise of Kmom’s cruise renaissance, March 2017, at request of my kiddo. 

I hadn’t sailed since October 2001, but my companions were hooked and here we are.

 

Kiddo was 11 and we made good use of Seuss, though I have never quite resolved why we didn’t do the character breakfast. 

 

 

Random stairwell art.

 

Some badly underused lounge. This was about 4am, last morning of the cruise, and I remember wondering why they didn’t use this space for trivia instead of the noisy and crowded atrium bar. 

 

These next pics, we were very quietly cruising along the Mississippi delta (I don’t know if it’s a delta but if not it should be) en route back to port in New Orleans. I started a personal tradition of dark and mostly deserted walkabouts above and below deck in the wee hours. 

 

 

 

 

Whoopsie! This was my first Carnival Cruise and I remember thinking, somebody had a little too much fun 🤩 on this Fun Ship! (This panel was not broken the whole cruise). I could have chosen to be outraged about the general poor condition of the infamous poop cruise vessel, their clearly subpar maintenance, and the caliber of my fellow travelers who would commit this heinous atrocity. Instead I laughed and assumed they had already ordered a replacement pane to be addressed during turnaround in a few hours.

 

[KmomChicago]

Carnival Sensation January 2018. Thanks to @harryfat1, by this second Carnival cruise I learned to take the picture and had hundreds from just a four night voyage. My only Fantasy class ship, RIP sweet vessel. You served long, hard, and well. I reviewed this cruise after the fact here on the CC boards. 

 

 

Greedy, and not yet accustomed to photographing everything I had a nice big bite of my Guy’s burger before getting back to business.

 

 

 

I was laser focused on documenting the infamous heavily purple color scheme of Joe Farcus’s exuberant signature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Biker19]

50 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I learned to take the picture and had hundreds from just a four night voyage.

Like Harry usually does, be mindful of the potentially bandwidth challenged readers - limit the number of pics per post (CC used to limit that to six) and if posting after the cruise when easier to do, lower the resolution of those pics.

Edited May 14 by Biker19

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

@Saint Greg how did I miss this? 
 

Some travel poll came out a week or two ago and somehow it’s still the US top rated airline. 

It’s my second favorite airline. I’ve done 1st class, premium and standard with them. I just like that video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 14 by Saint Greg

[KmomChicago]

6 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Like Harry usually does, be mindful of the potentially bandwidth challenged readers - limit the number of pics per post (CC used to limit that to six) and if posting after the cruise when easier to do, lower the resolution of those pics.

See this is why I need you @Biker19. I would not think about those things at all. Thank you. I see I posted 7 above, didn't even register.  I will keep that in mind especially for the live. . . we board on Friday, woo hoo!

[KmomChicago]

Here's my first live, on Mardi Gras, August 2021. I was just about the only person onboard who was not on a casino comp, and/or had had at least one booked cruise cancelled during the pandemic. I paid full price (was priced pretty reasonably because no cruises were actually happening in November 2020 and everyone knew it was a crapshoot when any of the ships would  sail).

 

I had two threads, the first a pre-planning, pre-review where I was actively fretting about whether or not we might get onboard as planned. I posted the first day or so onboard on this prior thread.  This was also when I met @Tom-n-Cheryl in the steakhouse and further on our cabin crawl where as usual, we had the best value cabin I could find (premium interior, ha! oxymoron).

 

I switched over to my first live in the second thread shown below and it was just so much fun to have people interested in my voyage as it happened.  Andy Mercer was on the fun crew and he was just about the best, always a smile and a warm welcome, even when threatening bodily harm to audiences at Punchliner.  

 

 

[crzndeb]

Pulling into Skagway. 34F and overcast, no rain at the moment.

[tsahall01]

 I already have three Frogg Toggs ponchos packed! I will bring several thin tshirts for layering as well.

 

Hey KMom!!  I have found that if you wear a baseball cap underneath the poncho hood (or any hood) helps to keep the rain off of my face/glasses and I can see a whole lot better.  I HATE umbrellas and people who use them in crowded areas--so very dangerous!!  Can't tell you how many times I've been wacked with an umbrella or playing dodge ball with them when walking in crowded areas!  

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

Susan

[KBRADFORD79]

16 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Hi, @KBRADFORD79 and welcome aboard! Yes this is the current website for the service. https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

Thank you, sweetheart! I am looking forward to your review. Just a couple days to go.... Enjoy and safe travels! 

[clochette]

So glad that I found your review and I am looking forward to following you, what a great graduation present.

[KmomChicago]

2 hours ago, crzndeb said:

Pulling into Skagway. 34F and overcast, no rain at the moment.

Have a great day in port!

[mamiamjo]

3 hours ago, crzndeb said:

Pulling into Skagway. 34F and overcast, no rain at the moment.

🥶

[Tiggercat]

I am looking forward to your review! We sail on Ovation on June 21 so I hope to learn some tips from your cruise! We have never sailed to Alaska but usually go on several Caribbean cruises a year with RCCL. In the last 6 months we have sailed on Freedom, Harmony, Icon and Oasis. I am having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around a much different cruising experience…but I’m excited. I hope you have the BEST time and I look forward to following you! Thank you!!

[KmomChicago]

Another past cruise, Oasis of the Seas, March 2018. While in port in Cozumel a year earlier, we were walking along the Carnival pier gawking over at the RCI’s. Brand new behemoth Harmony of the Seas with its big purple corkscrew slides was next to one of her sisters which looked like a baby ship in comparison. “We need a ship like that next,” we thought.
 

I found a good deal on an interior guarantee which turned out to be spacious, brilliantly designed and well located on deck 10 near the forward elevators. 

Because I didn’t plan to do a review, I took hardly any photos. 

 

This is the Solarium immediately after embarking.
 

 

 

These were both taken while we were in San Juan. This was a pretty good eastern Caribbean itinerary that also visited Labadee and St. Maarten. To this day I very slightly regret not visiting Maho Beach. 

 

[KmomChicago]

Our second RCI voyage, Adventure of the Seas out of Bayonne, August 2019. We went north to Canada.
 

Ma treated us this time and we were in two adjacent junior suites on the hump, one deck down from the Windjammer where we ate almost all meals. That venue was on its game. Food was varied, fresh and outstanding. Ma has limited mobility and crew were constantly helping her, offering to get her refills and second helpings and find us easy seating. 
 

We always like cruise buffets but that was the best buffet experience ever. 

 

Ginormous baklava at Windjammer, OMG! 🤤🤤😋😋

 

Our massive wedge shaped balcony.

 

 

Poutine in Halifax.

[KmomChicago]

We didn’t book anything after Adventure as we had done a lot of travel recently over the previous two years. Besides 4 cruises in that time we had a Disney World visit to the Epcot Food and Wine festival, and a trip to Iceland.

 

Lastly, we had a January 2020 visit to DFW to see my brother over MLK weekend. Six Flags was experimenting with year round hours and we took advantage. 
 

I am not loyal to any airline and we did Southwest that round, which is through Midway in Chicago, unlike nearly every other carrier. 
 

The day we returned was the day O’Hare recorded its first case of Covid.

 

During our final descent into Chicago, returning on SW in January 2020. Travel would suddenly feel scary for the next two months and stay that way until it stopped completely 8 weeks later.

[KmomChicago]

Kitty number two that I have to leave behind in order to cruise. She is as close to me in this pic as she appears. 

Actually she is kitty number one as I adopted her first, April 2020, as an overweight senior with special needs who nobody wanted and who waited at the rescue for three years before I showed up rather clueless about what I was getting into. The orange cat posted earlier joined her about 4 months later and he’s now around five years old. 

[KmomChicago]

I have no choice but to post this.

 

Check out this incredible young woman REPRESENTING Chicago!!!! I love her name, I love that she’s a female Jr.! (She’s actually named after her grandmother). 
 

Can I get a little love for Chicago?

 

Yes!  I grew up in a minuscule farm town an hour’s drive south of the mean streets. I know Chicago’s reputation as well as anyone and a lot of it is deservedly not good. Really terrible. Nevertheless I love it. It is still my favorite city by a wide margin, after visiting NY, Paris, and many others worldwide. I use my Hyatt points for overnights up there whenever I can and it always feels like a magical place to me.

 

Edited May 15 by KmomChicago

[Biker19]

46 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Check out this incredible young woman REPRESENTING Chicago!

The Chicago version of Young Sheldon - though in an "easier" field of study.

[KmomChicago]

On 5/14/2024 at 9:15 AM, tsahall01 said:

 I already have three Frogg Toggs ponchos packed! I will bring several thin tshirts for layering as well.

 

Hey KMom!!  I have found that if you wear a baseball cap underneath the poncho hood (or any hood) helps to keep the rain off of my face/glasses and I can see a whole lot better.  I HATE umbrellas and people who use them in crowded areas--so very dangerous!!  Can't tell you how many times I've been wacked with an umbrella or playing dodge ball with them when walking in crowded areas!  

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

Susan

@tsahall01 this is a great tip, thanks so much! I will do that!

 

 

23 hours ago, clochette said:

So glad that I found your review and I am looking forward to following you, what a great graduation present.

@clochette thanks for following; I am so glad as well! ❤️ 

 

 

14 hours ago, Tiggercat said:

I am looking forward to your review! We sail on Ovation on June 21 so I hope to learn some tips from your cruise! We have never sailed to Alaska but usually go on several Caribbean cruises a year with RCCL. In the last 6 months we have sailed on Freedom, Harmony, Icon and Oasis. I am having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around a much different cruising experience…but I’m excited. I hope you have the BEST time and I look forward to following you! Thank you!!

@Tiggercat I always enjoy finding some hack or fine details no one else ever notices so hopefully I will share some good Ovation tips, depending on my sleuthing skills.

[KmomChicago]

We are less than 24 hours from leaving the house and less than 48 (hopefully) from boarding Ovation of the Seas!  
 

Apparently we are also rich!

 

[JaneRetired]

5 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

I have no choice but to post this.

 

Check out this incredible young woman REPRESENTING Chicago!!!! I love her name, I love that she’s a female Jr.! (She’s actually named after her grandmother). 
 

Can I get a little love for Chicago?

 

Yes!  I grew up in a minuscule farm town an hour’s drive south of the mean streets. I know Chicago’s reputation as well as anyone and a lot of it is deservedly not good. Really terrible. Nevertheless I love it. It is still my favorite city by a wide margin, after visiting NY, Paris, and many others worldwide. I use my Hyatt points for overnights up there whenever I can and it always feels like a magical place to me.

 

@KmomChicago.  I love Chicago! I was born at Presbyterian Hospital in the early 1950's, and our first home was 840 W Belden Avenue in the (now) McCormick Row House District. Back then, these houses were housing for McCormick Presbyterian Seminary students. The professors lived in the larger end units, and students in the others. I was too young to remember anything, but I have lovely photos from the house, the Chapel, which is now a music venue on DePaul University campus.I visited last year, paying homage also to my dad's first churches in Donnelson, and 3 other small rural churches nearby.  He was a student M-Th, and minister Fri-Sun. I visited our homes /parsosnages last year after my dad died at 95. ❤️ Chicago will always be my favorite city!