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

[KmomChicago]

Well looky who beat us into Skagway!

[KmomChicago]

[KmomChicago]

I believe Summit is doing the one-way runs between Anchorage-ish and Vancouver and vice-versa. I also believe she’s a twin to Millennium which I sailed 5 weeks after 9/11!! 
 

I could confirm all that but I am on vacation and ain’t got time.

Edited May 20 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

So one potential benefit to the virtual balconies. Unlike real balconies you can get dressed or even dance around naked in front of them and nobody can see you. 
 

Not saying you SHOULD or you WOULD or anyone ever DID. Just saying you COULD. 

[KmomChicago]

We passed Celebrity Summit and pulling up next to some mystery ship. If I were on deck I could run around getting a better look. 

[KmomChicago]

Nice day for it, guv’nor!

[KmomChicago]

Luckily I found this at the local resale shop last week! Going over a thin long sleeved cotton T. 

[KmomChicago]

Hey you there on that mystery ship next door! Be careful on that balcony today. You’re being watched by hundreds of passengers in Steerage over here! 
 

 

[KmomChicago]

[BohJang]

@KmomChicagoEnjoy the train ride.  We did that in 2009 when we were in Alaska on the Golden Princess and loved it.

[cynt]

Thanks for this live! I'll be following along with you. We board the Quantum in 62 days. 

[pcrum]

13 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Hi @pcrum. Thanks for joining in. Yes it’s a very large TV screen turned sideways. The rail and deck are totally artificial, basically cartoon drawings, but the view is a live camera feed from out on deck that changes along with weather, time of day, and ship movement. 
 

I believe it’s only available on certain ships from a specific timeframe and I’m not sure they’re still installing this concept on the newest builds. I do like it and I am one of those weirdos who loves inside cabins for their quiet darkness. This gives me the best of both worlds, now that I learned how to shut it off. I have it on at the moment and plan to watch sail away from Sitka on it in a few minutes. 

 

Thanks for the reply.  When booking, what kind of room do you look for?  Do all interior rooms on this class of ship have this option?  It's very intriguing to me to have the view of the outside from an interior room.  We specifically booked a balcony for our NCL Alaska cruise for the view, but sitting outside it was very cold.  It would be nice to have the views without the cold.  Thank you.

[KmomChicago]

Rookie mistake, put on all the layers for mad dash to Windjammer, base layer is now all 🥵. Dumb.

 

Finally succumbed to a bagel with salmon and cream cheese in the rush. 

Smoked salmon plus baked salmon, nom nom. 

 

[JaneRetired]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

@KmomChicago, I was removing things from our old car before trading it in a few days ago, and I found our two White Pass -Yukon Route 2009 ball caps in a mesh pocket. Brought back very fond memories of our first cruise. My mom and dad organized The Alaska cruise it for all their children (5) and all the grandchildren. I got a small balcony room, mostly so they could sit out and view the glaciers, everyone else got inside rooms.  They were 80 and 82, and both died in the past year at 93 and 95.  We all rode the railroad, and you just brought back a very fond memory for me <3.

Edited May 20 by JaneRetired
typos

[KmomChicago]

32 minutes ago, pcrum said:

Thanks for the reply.  When booking, what kind of room do you look for?  Do all interior rooms on this class of ship have this option?  It's very intriguing to me to have the view of the outside from an interior room.  We specifically booked a balcony for our NCL Alaska cruise for the view, but sitting outside it was very cold.  It would be nice to have the views without the cold.  Thank you.

I have had all kinds of rooms except for the really high end Royal Caribbean suites. I prefer just the cheapest interior room I can get. I prefer a room or rooms fairly close to elevators / stairwells if I book far enough out to have my choice. 
 

I not sure whether all interiors on this ship have the virtual balcony but at the time I booked it was the cheapest cabin available - i.e. if there were rooms without the balcony they were no cheaper.

 

I am usually willing to pay a small premium to choose my location but I have done guarantee cabins if the price difference is significant enough. 
 

I am also willing to pay a small premium for a larger room or a picture window, maybe as much as 10-20% more.

 

 I am willing to pay about the same for a balcony but any more isn’t worth it to me. 

[KmomChicago]

5 minutes ago, JaneRetired said:

@KmomChicago, I was removing things from our old car before trading it in a few days ago, and I found our two White Pass -Yukon Route 2009 ball caps in a mesh pocket. Brought back very fond memories of our first cruise. My mom and dad organized The Alaska cruise it for all their children (5) and all the grandchildren. I got a small balcony room, mostly so they could sit out and view the glaciers, everyone else got inside rooms.  They were 80 and 82, and both died in the past year at 93 and 95.  We all rode the railroad, and you just brought back a very fond memory for me <3.

@JaneRetired what an awesome memory! Thanks for this. Reminds me to really double down and enjoy today! ❤️❤️

[Hogladyrider]

@KmomChicago...how are your travel companions, the graduate and friend enjoying the cruise?

[Peachestravels]

Can't wait to hear about the train ride. We sail in 67 days. We picked the train ride luxury car. Cant wait. Love your posts. 

[pcrum]

RCI has not been on our radar due to the lack of an included beverage package and having to pay for a beverage package per day, but those virtual balconies are very cool.  That key lime pie looked good too.  I live in FL and too many places here forget the meringue, even in Key West.  To me, it's not key lime pie with just whipped cream, you need the meringue.  Even Celebrity gives you the "all in" option with an option to include a beverage package.  If RCI did this, we'd definitely be on it.  We've done every mainstream cruise line except RCI and Virgin (I guess they are considered main stream now).  I think other lines need to get on that virtual balcony idea.  I believe Disney has a virtual port hole, but we've not done Disney since our kids were young.

 

Enjoy the train.  We did it on our Alaska cruise back in 2008.  I don't remember it being anywhere near the price it is now, but of course, that was 16 years ago.

 

If you live near Chicago, I'd assume you'd be all set for warm weather gear.  The coldest this FL girl has ever been was the July 4th spent in in Chicago.  I was NOT prepared for the wind that whipped across the great lakes and ended up needing to purchase a jacket.  Being from FL, I was not expecting to need a jacket to watch fireworks on the 4th of July, lol!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Were you able to dock in Skagway, or did you have to tender? We docked with Ovation back in 2022, but I think there was another rockslide after our visit and I'm not sure what the situation is there now. 

[bobmacliberty]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Pro tip for Quantum class passengers. There are only two sets of guest elevators on this massive, very long ship. The rear bank is REALLY FAR from what would be those aft balcony rooms that people enjoy so much. I often get off them on deck 5 and head back to Two70 and think, sheez, this is a hike. 
 

Since I booked 13 months ago I had nearly unlimited choice of cabins and we are very close to one of the two elevator banks and even so it’s a short walk to access our little private inside corridor. Emphasis on short, which I am really loving. 
 

As both sets of elevators are somewhat midship, motion is limited in our rooms as well. We have some gentle rocking at times, the kind that some people find soothing. And we are sooooo quiet which is the best. 
 

I will provide exact details on our location after we disembark but I am more than pleased with the rooms.

 

You touched on one of the few things that I don't like about this class of ship.  The Concierge Club (Suite/Pinnacle/possibly D+ Lounge) is all the way at the end of one of those long aft hallways.  You have a fantastic aft view from the lounge once you get there, but it's quite a hike from the elevator.  

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Were you able to dock in Skagway, or did you have to tender? We docked with Ovation back in 2022, but I think there was another rockslide after our visit and I'm not sure what the situation is there now. 

 

There was definitely another rockslide.  We were scheduled to visit Skagway in Sept of 2022 but had to cancel due to the rockslide that happened a few weeks prior.  I too would be interested in knowing the current situation.  

[The Cruiseman 1]

Enjoying your live review as I will be going on this same ship in the next 2 weeks.  We are still trying to decide where to stay prior in Seattle.  Did you like the overall location of the Hyatt House and did you feel like the area was safe?  Thanks!

[harryfat1]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Hey you there on that mystery ship next door! Be careful on that balcony today. You’re being watched by hundreds of passengers in Steerage over here! 
 

 

So finally catching up with the trip report.  It's like binge-viewing on Netflix to be current.

 

The ship is the Crown Princess.  You can tell from the shape of the Aft that was typical of the Princess-style ship of that generation.  I don't know much about cruise ships but I do have a keen eye for the ships' "Afts"...🤪

 

Here's the docking schedule for Skagway today

 

 

A couple of comments on other previously discussed topics:

 

• Carnival-designed ships (Carnival/Princess/HAL) have 3 banks of elevators.  That makes catching one easier if you have cabins on extreme ends of the ship
• When I was on the Odyssey last December, my favorite morning routine was getting coffee at cafe 270 right when they opened at 7 AM and sitting at the 270 lounge enjoying a pastry and the view of the ship's wake.  Maybe it was the Caribbeans but nobody was there that early (Alaska crowd might be different).  You have the entire lounge to yourself to drink the coffee in peace.

 

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

@KmomChicago...how are your travel companions, the graduate and friend enjoying the cruise?

They are enjoying very much in typical teen fashion. Spending too much time lying around, sleeping late, and messing with their phones.