eel

10 hours ago, Esahuma said:

It is not a major dry-dock - most likely getting Ovation converted back to the English market and a few 'required/standard' maintenance type things - I am thinking positive that this will stand - but definitely booking on Air2Sea! 🙂

 

It is Ovation’s 5 year dry dock. Probably not extensive but fairly major. They will need to service all of the internal systems as well as refresh the public spaces.  

1 hour ago, molly361 said:

 

 

 

If they cancel this type of cruise and there are no alternative similar cruises available to switch to are you just SOOL or do they offer some other type of compensation for the inconvenience?  

We booked the Ovation Singapore to Tokyo and Tokyo to Seattle B2B for spring 2021. We already had Celebrity Millennium B2B booked for Japan and the TP in April 2021.  As a hedge we are going to hang onto that booking until just before final payment. I would hope that any cancelations or changes for the Ovation sailings would be known by then.

These cruises are proving very popular with experienced cruisers.  I know over a hundred people that have booked and the CC threads and social media pages are blowing up.  I think that will negate the “immersion” aspect of the first leg.

One question: if you book a flight with Air2Sea and the cruise is cancelled, will your airfare be refunded?  I think yes but would appreciate confirmation!

12 hours ago, Sunny AZ Girl said:

We were in 8520 forward of the lifeboats. We loved the location. The forward elevators are less busy and we were close to the Solarium and the Diamond Lounge. No view obstruction. 

We were in 10558 which was just off the forward elevators.  We also thought forward was a great location on Ovation for the same reasons Ginny have. The only issue was getting up to our room after the show let out. We would often just take the stairs when the elevators where super busy.

We are in 10532 for our Transpacific next spring. I was worried it was too far forward but feel much better about it now!

For those who are curious about the top brass on board, here is a list they gave out.  Note the hotel director was going on vacation today. And I am sure others will depart as contracts end.

8 minutes ago, AlanF65 said:

Lee 

Was uber or Lyft simple or long wait? 

When did your group get off?

We had a group of 6 and used Seattle Express shuttle.  Only $15 per person pre- booked (discounted due to group size).  We did not have luggage because we used port valet but many on the shuttle did.  We left ship about 9:45 am and where at the airport by 11 am.

Now that we have good WIFI at the airport (and a long wait for our flight) I thought I would post a few more pics from the cruise.

First there are a few pictures of Hoopster95 and the lovely Julia from Guest Services during Dancing with the Stripes. 

Also another from our last ride on Northstar, a shot of the fabulous indoor pool, and some impromptu entertainers at the Windjammer.

On our way to the Windjammer this morning I passed by Fish and Ships.  It looked nearly ready but I suspect they won’t start serving for a few more days.  I took the following pics including one of the menu.  I suspect you can get the first two items free with cover charge but the other items have an up charge.

Currently on board Ovation in Alaska.  The good news is they have two Pickleball nets  available for use indoors in the Seaplex. The bad news is they only play on port days!  With the great ports in Alaska that made it difficult to exploit.

if you sail on Ovation in Alaska, please lobby for Pickleball on sea days!

4 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

I was wondering how Ovation was going to support Tracy Arm Fjord...now we know... a tour. Thanks for sharing.

 

When we viewed Sawyer Glacier, they actually sailed Radiance of the Seas all the way to the inner turnaround pool in front of it.

 

Like my previous compare photo post about Mendenhall Glacier, it has become obvious that these beautiful nature wonders  are decreasing in scale over time (comparison views to your background glacier shot below from 2014 - the last one is pretty close to the same area view as your photo).

 

The tour to Sawyer is an independent one and takes 10 hours.  Your ship will need to be in Juneau for a long stay to do it.  Royal offered nothing comparable.

Great shots of Sawyer and it makes for an interesting comparison!

Took Adventure Bound tour in Juneau to Tracy Arm.  We got up close and personal with Sawyer Glacier. Great wildlife and iceberg viewing along the way!

Great time at Hubbard Glacier today.  But that guy photobombed us again! 😄

A few highlights from our tour in Icy Strait.

Including a strategic photobomb by Hoopster95!😄

We stayed at the Hilton Barcelona last October.  We spent one night there prior to the Symphony Transatlantic.  It is a very nice hotel and great for a one night stay. We have been to Barcelona several times before so did not plan to do any touring.  In fact we came from Portugal where we had spent the previous two weeks and our main objective was to do laundry!  We found a laundromat a short walk from the Hilton so that worked out well.  

If you plan to do to do a lot of touring I don’t think the Hilton is the right place to stay.  It is pretty far from the touristic center of Barcelona.  You may want to stay closer to Las Ramblas. Someplace like Hotel Jazz May fit the bill better  An AirBnB apartment may also work out well for you.

Royal Caribbean has an official site on that large social media site that may not be named here in Cruise Critic. I have found the customer service reps there to be very responsive to messages sent there. Much more responsive than to phone calls or emails!

If you want to find out if a specific ship has  Pickleball you should ask there.  Also, it is a great place to lobby for Pickleball to be added to any ships that don’t have it yet.

34 minutes ago, oceangoer2 said:

I would love it if they NEVER put a pickle-ball court on any X ship.  Hear it for blocks in Florida and it's one of the most annoying sounds - from sun up to sun down.  Any ship is too small in area to accommodate a proper game and basketball court is too close to a relaxing away-from-everyone deck to quietly read.

Probably no more annoying than a bouncing basketball! If they provide sport courts on ships, then some noise is an expected bi-product. 

Royal Caribbean has begun to put Pickleball on some of their ships. So have several other cruise lines. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US, especially for the over 50 crowd which seems to fit with Celebrity's demographic. If you have never heard of Pickleball, do a google search or watch the video HERE

Have there been any Pickleball sightings on a Celebrity cruise?  I believe the basketball courts on Solstice class ships are large enough to fit a court or two.  I really like the game and since I currently have more Celebrity Cruises booked than Royal so I am kind of curious. 

9 hours ago, Ttprincess1226 said:

So what happened?  Do they play on Oasis?  Trying to decide if we should pack paddles

9 hours ago, Ttprincess1226 said:

So what happened?  Do they play on Oasis?  Trying to decide if we should pack paddles

They had it on Allure but I don’t think they have it yet on Oasis. They had very good paddles for people to use on Allure so if you are tight on space, just leave your paddle home.

i have found the most responsive way to get answers to questions like “does Oasis have Pickleball” is to message the official Royal Caribbean International page on a certain large social media site that rhymes with racehook. I asked there about Pickleball on Ovation and I was told that they don’t have it now but have equipment on order and should get it in February!

1 hour ago, iluvit! said:

What’s up with the non- refundable deposits on European cruises? I’m tempted to book for 2020, but a $500 penalty is a bit severe. 

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

If you book a Junior Suite or below, you have the option to get refundable deposit.

1 hour ago, NancyIL said:

 

The penalty is $100 pp for a changed cruise or cancellation. The rest of the deposit amount is available to apply to a future cruise: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy

 

Non-Refundable Deposit Fares

Outside of final payment, when a non-refundable deposit cancellation occurs, you will receive a Future Cruise Certificate in the amount of their designated cruise deposit, less a $100 per guest change fee. Such Future Cruise Certificates can be applied towards your future Royal Caribbean cruise vacation when reserved within 1 year of the issue date. Thereafter, the Future Cruise Certificate will expire and becomes invalid.

I think the issue is the additional cost in terms of the cruise fare for a refundable deposit compared to a non-refundable.  We would have liked to book the Brilliance TA for 9/2020 with a refundable deposit. We really can't predict if we can go or not yet. However the cost of the refundable was over $500 more than the non-refundable. Normally I would take the risk to save the money but this time there is just too much uncertainty.

19 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Does Royal do any cruises around Ireland, Scotland and England? Looking at 2020 and I don't see any.

Wed did Brilliance around the British Isles in May of this year.  I suspect they will use a Radiance class ship out of Amsterdam for a similar itinerary in 2020.

Edit: Just saw another post here and it looks like Brilliance will be doing this itinerary again in 2020.

3 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Trying to remember, pretty sure Mariner of the Seas did a cruise around South America Atlantic to Pacific few yrs ago...

 Yes it did.  The famous "Hornblower" cruise (2009?) when they deployed Mariner on the west coast for a few seasons.

13 hours ago, springaussie said:

Sounds like a Radiance Class would be needed for those ports. I think Quantum Class would be too big.

 

Celebrity Eclipse (Solstice class) is doing South America and Antarctica this season.  Voyager class is only slightly larger than Solstice class so I suspect a Voyager class would work for those ports.

Did you find this out ahead of time or did you go to the DL expecting a drink and were then sent to Blaze?

The letter in our room from the Diamond Concierge explained that the Diamond Happy Hour would be in Blaze and not in the Diamond Lounge.

And yes, there was food in Blaze.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

So overflow in blazes on 4 is alive again. They weren't serving any cocktails in d lounge on deck 11 during happy hour?

 

Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk

Correct for the Sept. 16th sailing.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

When did you cruise allure? Last I knew, it was no more overflow for d lounge.

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

September 16 sailing. They actually only had the Diamond Happy Hour in Blaze. There were never any Happy Hour drinks in the Diamond Lounge.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I was able to order a Moscow Mule recently in the overflow Diamond lounge they set up in Blaze on Allure. Never tried it on any other ship but it can't hurt to ask.

I always get Margaritas in the Diamond Lounge. They don't usually have Triple Sec so it is really a pseudo-Margarita.

One of my go-to drinks in the Diamond Lounge is a Madras - vodka, OJ and Cranberry juice.

Always looking for new ideas.