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

[bobmacliberty]

11 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

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! 😂

 

I've had the same thought after the last couple of cruises.  But I don't know if a "better class" of cruise line will actually have people with more class.  Money doesn't equal class and in fact, money can sometimes equal entitlement.  I'm working hard...not very successfully...to harden my delicate sensibilities and learn how to just ignore those people.  Or at least learn how to laugh at them. 

[BecciBoo]

10 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

it’s more cats

We only have Katie our feral cat and she just mostly sits and looks at us like "Who are you and I'm waiting for my Sheba!"  She's a love too just kidding.

[BecciBoo]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

just ignore those people.

I really don't notice a lot of it, but cutting in front of me, I just cannot dismiss, it seems more deliberate than most offenses.

[KmomChicago]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I've had the same thought after the last couple of cruises.  But I don't know if a "better class" of cruise line will actually have people with more class.  Money doesn't equal class and in fact, money can sometimes equal entitlement.  I'm working hard...not very successfully...to harden my delicate sensibilities and learn how to just ignore those people.  Or at least learn how to laugh at them. 

I agree and I see plenty of better off people with worse behavior and vice versa. In fact no demographic is a reliable indicator of kindness or rudeness or any other kind of attitude or behavior.  As I mentioned earlier in the review, in the moment these things are aggravating but I typically get over it quickly and move on and don’t let it ruin my life. 
 

I mentioned not being a repeater, with a few exceptions. The primary exception is Disney World. I had annual passes, then worked there, because it was my favorite place on the planet for a long time, and again with just the sheer number of visitors you end up getting to (having to) see all kinds. The Grand Floridian guest is not correlated to better or worse behavior or personhood than the All Stars guest. I last visited WDW about 6 months before the pandemic, got to wander around that Star Wars stuff at the Studios (didn’t ride anything, but it was cool). Don’t really have any active expectation of returning. It’s just run its course for me.
 

The second exception is Chicago. I don’t and never lived in the actual city. Calling my town a suburb is a stretch. So Chicago is a place that I visit, albeit within commuting distance. Obviously when I do hit the mean streets I find both the richest and most destitute humans you could imagine, and I observe wonderful kindness and shocking rudeness and rarely from predictable sources.

 

I never liked crowds. They’re a necessary evil of enjoying various popular experiences, and perhaps that’s another reason why I see myself scaling down this and many other experiences that I did when I was younger and could muster the patience but just don’t care to deal with anymore.

[BecciBoo]

15 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

Common curtesy! 

That's the problem, Common courtesy is rare these days!

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

We only have Katie our feral cat and she just mostly sits and looks at us like "Who are you and I'm waiting for my Sheba!"  She's a love too just kidding.

At the rescue where I volunteer, I and other volunteers have tamed several former ferals. It’s amazing the first time they choose to push their forehead up into your hand for one of those scritches you’ve been pushing on them. 😻

 

My orange cat at home comes when I call him (meowing “coming mom” as he trots through the house). He’s surprisingly doglike except he sure doesn’t like the leash!

[KmomChicago]

9 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

I really don't notice a lot of it, but cutting in front of me, I just cannot dismiss, it seems more deliberate than most offenses.

 

8 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

That's the problem, Common courtesy is rare these days!

The vast majority of people are just in their own heads so I don’t usually take it too personally. I don’t think it’s new either. I have many crystal clear memories from the 70s and 80s of lots of stupid crappy adults saying hateful and cruel things and acting like they owned the world and deserved everyone to cater to them. 
 

Again though it all might be related to more wanting to be in the peace of my own home and beautiful yard, with my own sweet pets, doing the job I really love and volunteering at a place that matters to me.

 

Vacation doesn’t need to mean travel all the time or any time.

Edited May 23 by KmomChicago

[BecciBoo]

Katie and her siblings came out from under our porch to eat some kibble I gave them and the first outa my mouth was "I gotta get me that cat".  She was the only Siamese fathered kitten and she was gorgeous.  We trapped her and she has been the best most affectionate cat I've ever had.  But she does stare at you like..."OK, where's the meat"

 

Edited May 23 by BecciBoo

[KmomChicago]

3 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Katie and her siblings came out from under our porch to eat some kibble I gave them and the first outa my mouth was "I gotta get me that cat".  She was the only Siamese fathered kitten and she was gorgeous.  We trapped her and she has been the best most affectionate cat I've ever had.  But she does stare at you like..."OK, where's the meat"

Well yeah, cats know that we know that they know. They speak clearly with those looks they give us! 😂

[KmomChicago]

I want to reiterate, none of the dumb stuff I have mentioned is a big deal to me. Nor is it anything new. 
 

I have real problems in my personal life - several at the moment, and major ones - and those are the big deals.
 

 

[sdear]

35 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

The second exception is Chicago. I don’t and never lived in the actual city. Calling my town a suburb is a stretch. So Chicago is a place that I visit, albeit within commuting distance. Obviously when I do hit the mean streets I find both the richest and most destitute humans you could imagine, and I observe wonderful kindness and shocking rudeness and rarely from predictable sources.

I used to love to sit on the streets in Chicago and just people watch.   My dad spent a year at the Chicago Rehab Institute, and that was my favorite past time.  I grew up in NW Indiana and live in Florida now.  

[renee1222]

15 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

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.)

 

Just curious if lobster was actually on the menu in the mdr as an included option. I am sailing the same itinerary/ship in a few weeks and there is no lobster on any of the mdr menus in the app, only the $16.99 extra fee. Also curious if the menu for night 6 was mostly Italian,  like lasagna, tiramisu, etc. That is what is showing for our cruise on the app right now. 

 

We almost always eat in the mdr but there is one menu listed that is not our favorite for night 5. We have other plans for that evening (Tracy's in juneau), but I'm just hoping the menus showing on the app are accurate for planning purposes. 

[KmomChicago]

I attended the military appreciation event as I do on most cruises. 
 

Being a moderate in life I can usually grasp, appreciate and sympathize with both sides of many issues.

 

I despise war, and accept that it’s inevitable. I am fiercely appreciative of military personnel and their service. My father, mother and brother all served and in fact I am a Vietnam conflict baby. 
 

I have a few crossroads in my life that I wonder if I should have taken a different path and this is one. Ma advised me against serving because in her words I “don’t like being told what to do.”

 

Though I don’t like winter or its cold and darkness, I am fascinated by the recently renamed US Space Force base Pituffik (formerly Thule Air Force Base) in Greenland. It’s an amazing, fascinating place. What a unique experience people have to complete a season there.
 

I don’t see myself having ever been successful in a live combat situation but I do appreciate having external discipline requirements (since I don’t do it well voluntarily). And I could have done any number of administrative or technical jobs. I was going to college regardless and U of I had ROTC right there on campus next to my dorm. Money was an issue for my family at the time so the financial aspects would have been highly favorable.
 

My post college career was messy and aimless and walking into a job as an Air Force officer could have provided initial direction and possibly a very solid career path.

 

I wouldn’t change much about my earlier dumb decisions but I will always question that one.

[KmomChicago]

23 minutes ago, renee1222 said:

 

Just curious if lobster was actually on the menu in the mdr as an included option. I am sailing the same itinerary/ship in a few weeks and there is no lobster on any of the mdr menus in the app, only the $16.99 extra fee. Also curious if the menu for night 6 was mostly Italian,  like lasagna, tiramisu, etc. That is what is showing for our cruise on the app right now. 

 

We almost always eat in the mdr but there is one menu listed that is not our favorite for night 5. We have other plans for that evening (Tracy's in juneau), but I'm just hoping the menus showing on the app are accurate for planning purposes. 

Yes, lobster was on the menu. You get one lobster tail complimentary and pay the $16.99 for additionals.

[KmomChicago]

The in room instant coffee tastes good to me, the best instant I ever had.

 

Couple of things- there’s no spoon or stirrers so bring them to your room or use the back of your toothbrush as I have been. 
 

The instant coffee needs full boiling water to dissolve correctly as I learned having a second cup and assuming what was left in the kettle was still warm enough.

 

My room attendant will be getting extra gratuities from me. I usually do this anyway but I want to thank him for all the Joe.

[KmomChicago]

42 minutes ago, renee1222 said:

 

Also curious if the menu for night 6 was mostly Italian,  like lasagna, tiramisu, etc. That is what is showing for our cruise on the app right now. 

 

We almost always eat in the mdr but there is one menu listed that is not our favorite for night 5. We have other plans for that evening (Tracy's in juneau), but I'm just hoping the menus showing on the app are accurate for planning purposes. 

Sorry I missed that part of the question. It was not Italian night. That was earlier but we didn’t go. The menus have mirrored what’s online across the fleet but the order does seem to vary by sailing.

 

This was night 6.

Edited May 23 by KmomChicago

[ExpressoMama]

KMomChicago, I was wondering please if you might have a chance to check at the Brass and Bock bar for me if to see if they have Daura Damm beer.(black bottle, red label) I’m gluten free and in the past RCCL have had this offered in the pub. We sail on Ovation on the 31st and have been enjoying your report immensely. Thank you!!

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

Katie and her siblings came out from under our porch to eat some kibble I gave them and the first outa my mouth was "I gotta get me that cat".  She was the only Siamese fathered kitten and she was gorgeous.  We trapped her and she has been the best most affectionate cat I've ever had.  But she does stare at you like..."OK, where's the meat"

 

Thank you for saving a stray.

[KmomChicago]

9 minutes ago, ExpressoMama said:

KMomChicago, I was wondering please if you might have a chance to check at the Brass and Bock bar for me if to see if they have Daura Damm beer.(black bottle, red label) I’m gluten free and in the past RCCL have had this offered in the pub. We sail on Ovation on the 31st and have been enjoying your report immensely. Thank you!!

I will check it out.

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, sdear said:

I used to love to sit on the streets in Chicago and just people watch.   My dad spent a year at the Chicago Rehab Institute, and that was my favorite past time.  I grew up in NW Indiana and live in Florida now.  

I always kinda wished I could have lived in the city for like a solid month in the summertime. As it’s happened it’s never been more than a couple of nights in a row and now I wouldn’t want to leave the cats that long or stress them by moving them into a temporary space. 
 

No regrets exactly but if I could go back that’s probably something I would have tried harder to make happen.

[edspec]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I have a few crossroads in my life that I wonder if I should have taken a different path and this is one. 
 

I don’t see myself having ever been successful in a live combat situation but I do appreciate having external discipline requirements (since I don’t do it well voluntarily). And I could have done any number of administrative or technical jobs. I was going to college regardless and U of I had ROTC right there on campus next to my dorm. Money was an issue for my family at the time so the financial aspects would have been highly favorable.
 

My post college career was messy and aimless and walking into a job as an Air Force officer could have provided initial direction and possibly a very solid career path.

 

I wouldn’t change much about my earlier dumb decisions but I will always question that one.

Right there with you.  I was offered a full ride ROTC scholarship but didn't take it.  17-year old self was all "what if I don't want to do that when I graduate".  My dad was not happy with me.  We didn't have any money either so I took loans and worked lots of jobs.  In hindsight I fully admit to being an idiot.

[KmomChicago]

8 minutes ago, edspec said:

Right there with you.  I was offered a full ride ROTC scholarship but didn't take it.  17-year old self was all "what if I don't want to do that when I graduate".  My dad was not happy with me.  We didn't have any money either so I took loans and worked lots of jobs.  In hindsight I fully admit to being an idiot.

@edspec yeah same about fear of committing to something and then having to follow through even if I regretted it.
 

I never went that far into the process and I wasn’t interested in engineering or a highly desired major so I won’t ever really know how it would have played out. I can do math to some degree but I kinda hate it. Never had any interest in health professions.

 

But I scored well on both the ASVAB and ACT and a recruiter (for enlistment, not ROTC) called me a couple days before I moved into the dorm, incredibly trying to seriously talk me out of plans that had been laid over the previous year. I think he was Army if memory serves but could have been any branch.

 

I don’t have many memories that clear from 40 years ago so I guess the question will never leave me.

[KmomChicago]

I have only one punch left on a coffee card that’s crossed over 5 years and two cruises.

 

I think I will leave it and maybe it will one day force me into just one more RCI voyage. 
 

I mean, Icon of the Seas will eventually be yesterday’s news, and my kid might need a college graduation present one day.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

1 minute ago, KmomChicago said:

I have only one punch left on a coffee card that’s crossed over 5 years and two cruises.

 

I think I will leave it and maybe it will one day force me into just one more RCI voyage. 
 

I mean, Icon of the Seas will eventually be yesterday’s news, and my kid might need a college graduation present one day.

Good plan!

 

Speaking of college, what are the graduate's future plans?

[KmomChicago]

5 minutes ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Good plan!

 

Speaking of college, what are the graduate's future plans?

Graduate was born in Florida where Kmom immediately purchased Florida Prepaid College Fund, then sold home at the peak of the market before the bubble burst, and moved back home to Illinois. Baby was just six months old.
 

Graduate spent senior year of HS 100% at the local community college in a fully funded dual credit program and did well but not stellar, earning 25 hours of credit. 

Awaiting an admission decision from the chosen Florida public university which will permit one more year at home taking online classes before a move the following year to campus.

 

If that fails, one more year of local community college (plan is transferable). Will have to quit fooling around with mediocrity in that case, get better grades and retake ACT and SAT. 

 

Technically all scores are solidly in the “average” range for this institution. Test scores about the 70th percentile. High school A average, college B+ average but lower for spring semester than fall. 
 

Like my job situation it should all be good enough but ultimately the institution decides.