@KmomChicago I'm looking forward to following along, but will have to catch up later as I am embarking on my own cruise 5/20 (Caribbean). We have done alaska a few times and you made a good decision not to go with NCL. I found that they dock in some inconvenient places. Maybe it was just my sailing but it seems they fell to the bottom of "best place to park" list. Royal, Celebrity, and Princess all good.
Don't forget to pack a winter hat. That wind is cold out on the decks and you will want to be out on the decks. You can see the scenery from inside, but in my opinion, so much better being outside to experience it all. I haven't been on Ovation so not sure if you can get to the helipad or not, but if you can... great place to be on glacier day.