Ovation of the Seas-Alaska-May 5, 2022-May 13, 2022

[graphicguy]

Sadly…many “finis” things To remind me the cruise is coming to an end….last towel animal, luggage being packed….finding room for bottles of Buffalo Trace….. 

[crzndeb]

Last night of cruise, and discovered life jackets no where to be found in my cabin. Looked under bed and in closets, and even the 2 cubbies above the bed, that most people don’t know about for extra storage.  🤦🏼‍♀️
And we had icebergs, albeit little ones…😂😂

 

Have fun to those on next week. Hopefully, they will have it a bit more together. She really is a wonderful ship.

 

Debbie

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by crzndeb

[graphicguy]

Last movie by the pool

that no one watched 😂…..last solarium visit….last ice cream (before they started doing a routine cleaning of the machine)….

 

😩

[Ryalie1]

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

Last night of cruise, and discovered life jackets no where to be found in my cabin. Looked under bed and in closets, and even the 2 cubbies above the bed, that most people don’t know about for extra storage.  🤦🏼‍♀️
😂😂

 

They're at the muster station. I did the same search on day 1 😂 

[Ryalie1]

We seem very close to Seattle already - do we just hang around outside the port all night?

[dolphingirl47]

Thanks again for sharing. I really enjoyed reading along. My countdown has started in earnest. I will be on Ovation next Friday.

 

Corinna

[LaCal]

10 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah….if I beat someone once. I don’t want to have to play again and again because they lose and keeps rebuying.  It’s a tournament.  You put someone out, they’re out. 
 

Cash game?  Different story…Reload all you want.

The good thing about the rebuys is the final payout gets juicy 😜

 

I’ve won over $1,500 a few times and even with splitting three ways before got over $700 😜

 

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by LaCal

[graphicguy]

4 hours ago, LaCal said:

The good thing about the rebuys is the final payout gets juicy 😜

 

I’ve won over $1,500 a few times and even with splitting three ways before got over $700 😜

 

 

That’s where I like cash games.  Play with as much as you want.  Lose your chips?  Buy more.

 

Tournament?  Once I put you out, you’re out for good.  

[graphicguy]

Well, we are in Seattle.  Checked my bag through to home.  So, just dragging my backpack with me.  Leisurely drinking coffee.  Will shower and then do the sad walk to disembark.

 

will post more pics, gather my thoughts and give a final review when I get home

[graphicguy]

Ironically, woke up to see this ship from my balcony this a.m…..the very first Celebrity ship I ever sailed….fond memories!

 

[graphicguy]

Pier disembarkation….not Royal’s fault.  Just people clogging up the bottom of the escalator and elevator thinking that’s a good place to hang out.

 

Also, guys in white vans in the taxi waiting area are not regulated.  They’ll

bark at you to give you a ride.  Don’t do it!

[bobmacliberty]

Thanks for a great review!  Very helpful and entertaining.  And it's perfect that we can seamlessly transition to @Ozark_Kid right behind you.

[SunandShade]

Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with us. We’re going to be on Ovation in June and you’ve added to our anticipation.

[graphicguy]

So…..have to admit, it was nice sleeping in my own bed.  I just bought one of those “purple beds”.  They’re wonderful.  And, the Royal beds are like sleeping on bricks in comparison.

 

Having coffee…gathering thoughts…..

 

While it’s still fresh….

 

CRUISE OVERALL-

 

In a word, GREAT!  

 

I am going to throw in some negatives to follow, but overall, the cruise was enjoyable.

 

 

 

There were roughly 4,000 guests on board.  The FIRST large capacity cruise on the ship to Alaska.  There was a test cruise 2 weeks prior to this one, but it only had a few hundred passengers.  Weather was just about perfect….50-60 degrees and sunny.  Except, for Ketchikan, which was 40 degrees and wet.  But, of the ports we stopped in, Ketchikan was the one I had the least interest in.  So, no harm-no foul!  I’ve posted pics and experiences of all the ports earlier in the thread.  So, won’t bore anyone by repeating those. I was in Alaska on an NCL cruise last year when Alaska first opened back up.  The differences are stark.  Last year, very little activity and nothing was open.  Nearly a year later and everything’s almost 100% in Alaska.  That’s all good news.

 

SHIP-

 

It’s been a while since I had sailed Royal.  I ended up being Diamond on Royal as a result of being Elite on Celebrity.  But, Royal has its own “feel” and that hasn’t changed.  Because of the “cooler” temps, there were many parts of the ship that just weren’t utilized….outdoor pools, pool movies, outdoor loungers.  I didn’t even see many smokers outside.

 

The ship, however, is in beautiful shape after coming of a long dormancy.  It’s clean.  It’s a typical Royal ship where everything is beautiful.  I posted some of the art.  I appreciate that as it’s always interesting and whimsical.

 

Good luck finding the Captain.  Aside from a few announcements, it wouldn’t have surprised me if no one was steering the ship.  He just wasn’t around.  Not a big deal.  As long as we don’t run aground, capsize, hit an iceberg, get lost, etc….I’m good!  

 

Cruise Director was around, kind of.  Again, aside from some announcements and running into him in the elevators, he was pretty invisible.

 

Maybe I’m used to my Celebrity Cruises, specifically the ones with Capt Kate.  She and her Cruise Director were VERY visible.  She seemed to be in control of EVERY part of the ship’s experience.  It’s clear to see why she’s held in such high regard.  Again, not that it matters to me, but I found it odd that the Captain was pretty much invisible on this cruise.

 

ENTERTAINMENT-

 

Royal usually does a great job with entertainment.  If there was one particular let down, it was entertainment.  The main shows….Live, Legs, Love (I think that’s right) and Mosaic weren’t bad.  They were mediocre….particularly given Royal’s usual superb entertainment.  I was underwhelmed by both.  There were supposed to be some smaller shows in 270º.  Saw rehearsals, and by chance, saw the final version of PIXELS (thanks to @crzndeb for pointing out what the show was supposed to be when I saw their rehearsals).  That was quite good.  But, it was by happenstance I saw the final version, complete with props and costumes.

 

The groups in the smaller venues were overall, good.  There was a Led Zepagain cover band I enjoyed.  There was also a Latin trio I liked quite a bit (even though I had no idea what they were singing….LOL!).  Oh, and I got all the right answers during Beatles Trivia Game).  Aside from that, entertainment was OK.  Just not what I expected.

 

FOOD-

 

Sometimes really good.  Sometimes “meh”.  The MDR lines were pretty bad, most of the time.  I think it was exacerbated by some of the seating personnel not really having a handle on either the software they use to track open tables, or just a general inability to conduct dining room seating for large groups.

 

Had the 3 meal Specialty Dining Package.  First night I went to Jamie’s Italian.  That was a flop.  I know how Pasta is supposed to be cooked.  My pasta dish was “crunchy”.  It was either quite stale or they just didn’t cook it.  It looked and tasted “pre-made”…you know, where they pull it out of the freezer/fridge and either nuke it or throw in under a heat lamp.  They did neither very well.  I did report that, and they had me come back another night.  Food was better, but not worth extra over what they were serving in the buffet pasta line.  I had thought Royal had dumped the Jamie’s restaurants.  But, apparently not all of them.

 

Izumis and Wonderland were both superb.  I posted pics and impressions earlier in this thread.  Well worth the specialty dining package charges.

 

To be fair, service was wonderful for all specialty restaurants.  MDRs?  As expected.  Hit and miss for service, though.

 

Buffet was clearly lacking some variety.  I have my own theory, which I’ll get into later in this review why that is.  It was buffet food.  No more, no less.  They regularly ran out of burgers.  Huh?

 

CABIN-

 

Can’t be more complimentary to my cabin steward.  Not only did he keep my cabin spic and span (2X/day)…. he clearly knew when I was out of ice (which seemed to be never).  He went above and beyond on a couple of things for me (namely, straightening out luggage delivery and pick up).  I had checked my bags straight through to home.  None of the paperwork showed up.  He ran around and got everything done and found for me….LATE AT NIGHT, when he was supposed to be off the clock.

 

SERVICE-

 

I’m pretty non-demanding.  Keep my cabin clean.  Steer me in the right direction for efficient food and drink, and I’m all good.  Overall, service was really good (except for the MDR).  The afore mentioned cabin steward and my preferred bartender in Boleros and Music Hall.  I was kept fed and “hydrated”.  Barrel and Oak bar, the service was poor.  So, tried them once, figuring they were trying to get everything straight.  2nd time it was worse.  Chalked it up to having poor bartenders given how good the others in the other bars were.

 

This is the first time I sailed as a Diamond person.  As such, I spent a lot of time in the Diamond Lounge.  AGain, I don’t demand much.  But, the Diamond Concierge was superb in taking care of any issue I had, be it billing, a problem with a restaurant (Jamies) or getting cream cheese for my morning bagels (how do you not offer cream cheese when you serve bagels?).  He was wonderful.

 

THE STARS of the cruise were the ports.  All were beautiful. Everyone, in every port….so very happy to see us.  And, they went over and above to make sure our brief stay was fondly remembered.  I’ve posted pics of the excursions and the ports earlier in the thread.  I was more impressed this visit than I was my first visit.

 

So, what’s going on with the less than amazing parts of the cruise.  This is my opinion only.  Royal isn’t quite 100% there yet.  While there were many good things about the cruise and the ship itself, there were plenty of things that made me scratch my head.  The afore mentioned burger shortage (which doesn’t exist).  The vast differences in service.

 

Personally, I don’t think there’s a labor shortage or a food shortage or a product shortage. I heard too many crew members state to me that they had experienced crew “friends” who were well regarded by Royal but were furloughed during COVID but not called back to work.  Entertainment has definitely been curtailed.  Further, running out of things like burgers or being selfish with something like cream cheese  (among other things) have me believing Royal is cutting way back on expenditures.  While, that’s understandable, it is also very noticeable.

 

I also saw a concerted effort to move folks from a no extra charge MDR to extra charge specialty restaurants, or an even less expensive venue like the buffet.  It’s not labor related.  It’s dollars and cents related.

 

Will that change as more and more ships sail with paying passengers?  Who knows?

 

Right now, it feels like 75%-80% of what I remember a Royal cruise used to be.

 

Did I wish it was better?  Absolutely.  Did I still have a good time?  Oh Yeah!  Will it make me a loyal Royal?  Probably not!

 

Thank you for following.  Thank you for contributing.  And., thank you for allowing me to post!

 

Happy Sailing!!!!!

 

PS…..Internet WiFi.  Pretty dismal, given I upgraded to VOOM Streaming.  Sometimes it took me 4-5 times to post here.  My posts would take a while, and then disappear.  I don’t mind doing live posts.  This time, it was a lesson in frustration.  I used an iPad and an iPhone 12 Pro to post.  So, it was not my personal equipment that had an issue.  Royal’s Digital “team” couldn’t seem to solve the problem, either.  Just an FYI!

Edited May 14, 2022 by graphicguy

[Arzeena]

Thank you for this. I enjoyed reading it. When is your next cruise? Will it be a toss between Celebrity and Royal?

Edited May 14, 2022 by Arzeena

[Lorey2007]

I would also like to know when your next cruise is and if you'll be doing a "Live" review. I followed along on some of your other reviews on NCL and Celebrity & enjoyed them all.

[sailor05]

Thank you SO much for letting us sail with you! I am excited about sailing on her June 10th! Hope they get their act together and we have a smoother cruise. Sounds like they have some bugs to get worked out, but they have about 27 days to get it right!😉

[graphicguy]

Y’all are nice.  Thank you!  Glad you enjoyed the live review.

Don’t want to give anyone the impression I didn’t have a good cruise.  I enjoyed it immensely!

 
 NEXT? 
 

Celebrity?  NCL?  Maybe both.  Unless some incredible deal falls in my lap, Royal isn’t on my radar again just yet.  Maybe give them a little more time to sort through coming back on line!

 

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by graphicguy

[Arzeena]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Y’all are nice.  Thank you!  Glad you enjoyed the live review.

Don’t want to give anyone the impression I didn’t have a good cruise.  I enjoyed it immensely!

 
 NEXT? 
 

Celebrity?  NCL?  Maybe both.  Unless some incredible deal falls in my lap, Royal isn’t on my radar again just yet.  Maybe give them a little more time to sort through coming back on line!

 

 

We have some Celebrity and Royal booked. But would love to do something on NCL. We love their Bermuda itineraries. I am reading an excellent review of the NCL Joy Bermuda cruise. We have 5 future cruise certificates from NCL which have expired and NCL renewed three ofthem  till 2025, and the two til the end of 2022. So definitely considering NCL. We are Diamond on NCL and would love to get back to cruising them again. We also love Celebrity. And recently Princess has wowed me very much.

So hopefully we will see you on some future cruise and meet the great Graphicguy in person.🙂

[graphicguy]

15 hours ago, Arzeena said:

We have some Celebrity and Royal booked. But would love to do something on NCL. We love their Bermuda itineraries. I am reading an excellent review of the NCL Joy Bermuda cruise. We have 5 future cruise certificates from NCL which have expired and NCL renewed three ofthem  till 2025, and the two til the end of 2022. So definitely considering NCL. We are Diamond on NCL and would love to get back to cruising them again. We also love Celebrity. And recently Princess has wowed me very much.

So hopefully we will see you on some future cruise and meet the great Graphicguy in person.🙂

I’m with you.

 

Have done Bermuda 2X on NCL….once on Breakaway, once on Getaway.  Both were excellent and would sail NCL to Bermuda again with them in a heart beat.

 

Have not sailed Joy.  Have sailed Encore and Escape in the Caribbean.  Wonderful ships.

 

As much as NCL really botched the way they were supposed to handle my refund request when things started up again, they seem to be the only ones coming out of the restart with all their ducks in a row.

 

Celebrity is my new Fave cruise line, though.  I LOVE the EDGE class ships.  They are elegant and beautiful.  Service was impeccable on both the EDGE and APEX.

 

Want to sail Beyond next.  First, it’s their newest ship.  2nd, I have the utmost respect and admiration for Capt Kate.  She embodies everything I like about cruising.  She’s engaged with the passengers, she’s obviously accomplished as a top flight mariner, and is the chief of probably the best run staff on any cruise ship I’ve sailed on.

[graphicguy]

I know smoking is a “touchy” subject.  And, I’ll preface this by stating I’m a non-smoker.  Used to smoke cigars many years ago.  My cardiologist made me an “ex-smoker” with his dire predictions.

 

So, that’s where I’m coming from.  I’m not a vehement “non-smoker”, though.  I feel it’s your body.  Do whatever you want with and to it.

 

However, the latter part of the cruise I spent time in the casino quite a bit.  I understand it was cold and rainy the latter few days of the cruise.  So, smoking outside was uncomfortable.  But, to congregate in the casino just so you can smoke, and in turn, populate the alleged “non-smoking” side of the casino with smoke was more than just an irritant to most of us trying to play in the non-smoking areas.

 

I don’t have an easy answer.  But, if it’s a non-smoking area, please don’t smoke there…not even passing through (which was the biggest issue).  If you aren’t actively playing a game, please don’t come to the casino just to smoke.

 

The rules were clear.  You may not like them.  But, in order to get things tolerable for everyone involved, the rules need to be followed regarding smoking.

 

(duck and cover)

[Tropical Traveler]

Kudos for your interesting and informative photo trip report.

 

I followed along with great interest because we’ll be sailing the same itinerary on Ovation in May of 2023. 
 

Many thanks for providing us with a preview of “coming attractions”.

[Shadow Figure]

Thank you for this post. It was nice reading and imagining being on the ship again. Our last cruise on Ovation was in the beginning of October and it was great! Does anybody have any pictures of the main singer/performer of the show Pixels? Last year it was Christine and I really enjoyed her, so just wondering if she is back! It does look like the “harmony sisters” are different people..

[SunandShade]

12 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I’m with you.

 

Have done Bermuda 2X on NCL….once on Breakaway, once on Getaway.  Both were excellent and would sail NCL to Bermuda again with them in a heart beat.

 

Have not sailed Joy.  Have sailed Encore and Escape in the Caribbean.  Wonderful ships.

 

As much as NCL really botched the way they were supposed to handle my refund request when things started up again, they seem to be the only ones coming out of the restart with all their ducks in a row.

 

Celebrity is my new Fave cruise line, though.  I LOVE the EDGE class ships.  They are elegant and beautiful.  Service was impeccable on both the EDGE and APEX.

 

Want to sail Beyond next.  First, it’s their newest ship.  2nd, I have the utmost respect and admiration for Capt Kate.  She embodies everything I like about cruising.  She’s engaged with the passengers, she’s obviously accomplished as a top flight mariner, and is the chief of probably the best run staff on any cruise ship I’ve sailed on.

I was excited to hear what you said about Beyond and Capt. Kate.  We are on Beyond in the Fall for the “CEO cruise” to Greece and Malta. Come on along!

[graphicguy]

5 hours ago, Shadow Figure said:

Thank you for this post. It was nice reading and imagining being on the ship again. Our last cruise on Ovation was in the beginning of October and it was great! Does anybody have any pictures of the main singer/performer of the show Pixels? Last year it was Christine and I really enjoyed her, so just wondering if she is back! It does look like the “harmony sisters” are different people..

Posted pics earlier of the singer(s) for Pixels.  Don’t know any of their names, though!