RoyMartin

Thanks so much, Crystal. Will check it out.

Thanks for all the great answers. This is our first cruise (in case that's not obvious) so we're not sure what to expect. The ship seems so huge. I know neither of us will be interested in the shopping mall or the casino but we there's a lot of ground to wander. We have an eight-year-old son who's unlikely to want to go to the children's program. He's a brilliant but not typical child. The kind who enjoys time with adults more than other children unless he finds another kid like himself. We home school so he's not used to being away from us. So I'm imagining one of us (or both of us) spending a lot of time trying to do things that interest him. It probably won't seem hard to keep track of each other once we're on board. We weren't planning on getting wifi. We were hoping for a week free from computers and internet. Does the app work without the wifi package? We'll be on a Royal Caribbean ship, "Ovation of the Seas". They call it a Quantum class ship.

Thanks guys. I imagine one just has to experience it to know. We'll find out if we're cruisers. It's funny that my wife and I own half a 38 foot sailboat in Bellingham. Well, except that she hardly ever comes aboard. Mainly it's a toy that a friend and I enjoy together. Most of my concern is for her because she's very noise sensitive. Sensitive in all ways -- to light, noise, smell, etc. An amazing, brilliant woman. I love her sensitivity but there are times it can be a challenge. Our home is buried in the woods. We rarely hear a car, which suits us both. I'm quite sure our son is going to love cruising. He loves hotels and eating out. Being away from computers will be his biggest challenge. But we'll find things to do. I look forward to introducing him to bumper cars. He's done go carts but never bumper cars. He loves air hockey, has a table in his room. Not sure if this sort of travel will appeal to my wife or me. Until now, I never had any interest. I find the part of the ship that looks like a mall repulsive. Neither of us will go anywhere near the casino. We don't drink (really anything but water). When I was young, I'd throw on a backpack and hop on a plane to Europe. I went to places where few spoke English, far off the tourist path, and had a blast just getting to know people (as best one can without a common language sometimes). But I'd sometimes sleep on floors in train stations and bus terminals. A couchette on a train or a bunk in a hostel was luxury. Sometimes people would take me into their homes (both of us when I traveled with my ex-wife), which is much more common in Europe than in the U.S. But it doesn't happen when one travels in luxury. It happens when one travels very close to the ground. Once took a ferry down the Adriatic from Split to Dubrovnik. That felt a bit like a cruise, the water so blue and beautiful. But I slept on deck. When I think of this cruise to Alaska, parts of it sound interesting and I'm excited. I imagine gorgeous scenery (though we may be a bit immune, as Bellingham and the Pacific Northwest are gorgeous, as are the woods we look out on daily). I imagine a chance to enjoy a lot of dining and try new things. Hopefully I can refrain from outright gluttony. Hopefully the food will be good -- I hear many say it is and some say it's not. I can imagine trying some shows, if we can find stuff that's age appropriate for our son. Perhaps he'll enjoy the kid's center but we'll have to see. He's brilliant but not neurotypical. We home school. So he's not going to dive into a scene with a bunch of kids and feel right at home. He's the kind of child who likes to spend time with adults unless he finds another kid like himself. So this will be a new kind of adventure. We'll see . . .

I'm almost 60 so I know there's a way. I've just forgotten what it was like to live in a world without a cell phone in my pocket and my wife's purse. If I go one direction on this enormous ship and she goes another, how do we find each other? How have others dealt with this? Thanks.

Thanks Shaz. The room I'm in is quite a bit closer to the elevators but perhaps just fine. Further than taglovestocruise's room and he reported zero noise. It may be that this ship is just built and soundproofed well. I get that impression from the design of the doors that connect certain cabins. Someone reported that there are two doors, one closing from each side, with heavy gaskets around them. He reported that noise comes through the walls more easily than the doors. Seems to be different than a lot of ships, where people complain about noisy neighbors and adjoining doors.

Just ran across this. The bottom paragraph indicates that your room and mine can get noisy when the elevators are busy. You said it was quiet. Would you say you're sensitive to noise. It's such a subjective thing. My wife is particularly sensitive. Still wondering if I should move our room.

Thanks. Will make sure we have Bonine.

We signed up for a specific time in the hope it would get us in more easily. Our son struggles if food isn't there when he's hungry. He's a tall kid who grows like a weed with appetite to match.

Thank you. It's our first cruise so we'll be figuring things like this out. My wife and son are often inclined to be inside. That's why I thought it important to have a balcony. Didn't spring for a Junior Suite. Perhaps I should have. But if we like it, this won't be our last cruise. We'll know if next time we need to go larger or maybe we go more often in simpler cabins. Or maybe we're not cruise people and we do something else. Heck, I'm almost 60 and never wanted to cruise until now. Did a ton of travel with a backpack, solo, when I was young and then some with my ex-wife, overseas, staying at B&Bs. Something like a cruise felt way too stuffy and formal.

Thank you. You're setting my mind at ease.

Thanks. What's the MTD?

I'm anticipating you'll say there wasn't noise from the elevators, stairwell or the children's program so I've tentatively changed my room to 12,156, which was available. Also available is 12,558, so right next door to where you were. I had heard somewhere that the best view MIGHT be on the port side when riding near the glaciers into one of the ports. I'd be open to opinions on that too.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. You guys are awesome! Still figuring it out.

Thanks so much for your reply. This is super helpful. What do you mean when you say there's a restricted view if you look straight down? I see a support pole coming off one side of the balconies that creates a slight restriction that far back from the "bump out". Is that what you're referring to? With 12560, did you have noise from the stairwell or from the children's program, Adventure Ocean?

Hi everyone. Just signed up for our first cruise (for my wife, our son and me). Very excited. And we have questions, only some of which are easily answered by browsing online. Hoping an experienced cruiser who knows this ship well might have info. Would love to be working with a travel agent but couldn't find anyone who had time so we booked ourselves. We went for a balcony cabin that we chose. The cost is lowest to book mid-ship so I'm looking for something in that region that's both quiet and will have a great view. At first I booked on deck 10, figuring that's high enough to see well and to be insulated from the sounds of public areas by several decks of cabins above and below. But then I thought it might be best to go to deck 12 for a more panoramic view. So we switched to a balcony cabin on deck 12, port side. If anyone knows, I'm wondering if it might be best to relocate again. As said, we like quiet. Public areas are on 14 so I'm hoping that one deck of cabins on deck 13 will provide enough sound insulation. Decks 14 and above are public. There's a children's area on deck 12 but we're nowhere near it. We are a decent distance from the elevators too. Thanks in advance for your insights.