Ovation - One Year Ago Today

[Hoopster95]

Hey @singinalot

Great to hear from you! This whole situation just plain sucks doesn't it?

Hope you and Nate are doing well and enjoying married life.

I lurked on your last review and your other thread as you posted your wedding stuff... CONGRATS! 😀

I'm still considering posting a Adventure (Canada/East Coast) review from last year just for the hell of it..... we'll see

[SwissMiss USA]

Thanks for this review. I was supposed to be on my way to Vancouver in the Royal Suite with family (total bucket list destination and probably a “never again” room) right now. Last week was a bit of a bummer as we had looked forward to this so much. We booked a land vacation to Hawaii for Later this year. I am enjoying the review and thinking of days past on Ovation to Alaska. Thanks for the review! 

[twangster]

May 15 - Casual Night

 

 

Quiet in the wee early morning hours.  Temperature was 39°F as I took this picture but it felt great to break out of the cloud cover and rain we had experienced the day before.

 

 

In the bottom right corner of the above photo you can see the poolside restaurant has been boarded up as they convert the space into Fish & Ships.

 

 

The sun rising above the mountains both just ever so visible on the horizon through the low cloud cover.

 

 

 

Later in the day as we approach land and the entrance to the Alaskan Inside Passage we meet sunset.

 

 

 

In other news Voom slowed down since we lost O3b coverage today, switched to a legacy satellite and 4,500 of my new best friends and I all tried to drink the internet from a very small, wet paper straw.   

[AlanF65]

21 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

Hey Alan!!! How are you my friend? Great to hear from you. Hope you're doing well and staying safe in Cali.

I am doing well thank you. My shelter in place has been at work most days with My brother, office employees all working from home, shop employees were laid off,  we have been paying them to stay home after 3 weeks.

We were declared an essential business about 10 days ago so the plan is open.

Spend a lot of time searching for frozen vegetables. :=)

 

21 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

Yes those tides were super low. I was very surprised by the clearance at the bridge... Radiance clears by that much in regular waters, so goes to show you.

I think we went out a "slack tide"

21 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

This was one of my favorite cruises... Quantum Class is my favorite class, and I had a great time trying once-in-a-lifetime things at the ports on this unique itinerary. It's interesting (and super smart by RCL) that they do Juneau/Icy Strait one week, and then Skagway/Sitka the next... excellent opportunity to attract the many b2b customers.

I really liked the itinerary, was scheduled on Radiance B2B I think leaving a few days ago but when they dropped Glacier Bay I did the 14 Maasdam explorer and a princess 10 day with GB x 2.

21 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

I was supposed to just be home from sailing on Empress (Bermuda) last week, so I've been feeling the travel blues.

 

I would be final packing tomorrow and flying to Vancouver on Sunday had it not cancelled. I know the feeling

 

21 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

I was super lucky to have been cruising/traveling in mid-late February in South America, as they were one of the last to begin feeling the effects of the virus, and began shutting down long after we were home. The ship we were on (Oceania Marina) had to make a direct route back to Miami when ports began shutting down as well, but had no infections (that they know of). They returned from South America before the infamous Zaandam sailing when all hell broke loose.

 

Glad you didn't get cuaght up in the can't come ashore here scenarios. Sounds like a nice trip, did you  also go to Antarctic?

21 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

Hopefully we'll cross paths again someday. Take care and say hi every once in a while during any thread we're both speaking on 😀

 

I was originally planning to fly to Vancouver today, in which case I was going to look you up, when I made my plane reservations I needed to wait Until Sunday so it was a YVR 8pm arrival and I was just going to relax out and rest. I will be there this weekend next year so we can go to dinner if you are in town and the ships are sailing again.

I don't have any decent photos on my phone from today and I need to reload my camera photos.

 

Take care, stay safe and see you in this thread!

A-

[Hoopster95]

21 hours ago, twangster said:

In other news Voom slowed down since we lost O3b coverage today, switched to a legacy satellite and 4,500 of my new best friends and I all tried to drink the internet from a very small, wet paper straw.   

 

Thx Twangster! I see your photos here I don't recognize, I'll to try to keep it going with new photos as well. I missed yesterday's installment (May 15)  so I'll add a few here now

 

Beautiful sea day on the jogging track. We were blessed with mostly superb weather this entire 11 day cruise. I believe the sailing after us also had decent weather,  and then very poor weather for a few sailings. Weather is a crap shoot for Alsakan itineraries

 

 

 

Getting ready for the M&M held in Two70. I can't remember the exact numbers... more than 200 attended, with a great raffle from the staff incl. Specialty Restaurants and champagne

 

 

My favorite WJ in the fleet is Quantum Class by far. Floor to ceiling glass windows in all directions, including aft. Like Radiance Class, has a great open air seating aft as well. I love the WJ layout to find your favorites, and coffee bar/bakery area is excellent (1st photo below, bakery to the left of the coffee bar)... many gooey fresh cookies up here right out of the oven

 

I hope RC does not change this venue or design with regard to C19. This would easily be converted to staff served rather than public use tongs... plenty of space between stations and also good space behind the counter for staff

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Hoopster95

[Hoopster95]

As mentioned in yesterday's 1st sea day, you can do as much as you want or do very little on Quantum Class. There's always something to do somewhere on the ship. I got up NorthStar for the 2nd time today.

 

 

Salsa anyone?

 

 

Bumper cars were out again today. The line-ups were much longer than embarkation day, and progressively longer as the cruise closed to the end. Bumper cars were only operating every other day or so with a schedule posted at the entry of the SeaPlex

 

 

We were closing in on the Alaskan inside passage this afternoon, with land in site from my starboard balcony. As Twangster mentioned, internet became unbearable on this day and throughout the next week until we were returning home.

 

 

Plenty of talk/questioning on another Alaska thread in recent days about the "inside passage". The inside passage runs from approx Vancouver/southern BC up to Alaska. Ovation only enters the Alaskan portion of the inside passage in order to get into Dawes Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, etc. It was confirmed by Capt. Hendrik later in the cruise at Capt. Corner that Ovation cannot enter the British Columbia portion of the inside passage as the smaller ships do. Note the photo below... we are out in the Pacific Ocean where we have sailed the past two days with barely any land in site until now

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Hoopster95

[Hoopster95]

May 16, 2019 - one year ago today....

 

Ovation arrives at her first ever Alaskan port of call, Icy Strait Point.I, as well as Twangster and a

couple of others, were up early taking photos of the scenery as we approached....

 

Breathtaking!

 

 

This photo may be a repeat, however it shows perfectly the view from the comfortable & warm Solarium. This is an outstanding ship to sail Alaska for the best views ever, much better than Radiance Class.

 

 

Finally turning the corner and approaching the little town of Hoonah, with the ability to dock one ship.

This photo taken from the port side wing.

 

 

I wish to keep this thread mostly ship related... if anyone wishes to know more about the ports, tips, things to do, etc, definitely go over and read through the full review as many of us CC'ers on this sailing collaborated on the review with what we all did during our port days

 

I was booked on a duo morning whale watch + afternoon hike/bear watch excursion. Great views of Ovation as we left Hoonah speeding out to see whales.

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Hoopster95

[Hoopster95]

OK.... one.... maybe two ..... whale photos 😀

 

We were off in an area where no other tour boats had gone. It was a gamble as pods travel around and do not stay in one spot for long. We saw a good amount of whales, however it wasn't overwhelming.. I would have loved to see more.

 

 

 

Our boat Capt. was radioed about a pod of Orcas all away across the other side of the bay, so the decision was made to make the long treck across... took about 45 min. We got there to view several Orcas for about 15 minutes until they started moving off. On the review Alan posted some dialogue and pictures that their tour boat was with Orcas for a good hour in very close proximity. You never know what you're going to get on an excursion... you just can't time wildlife.

 

 

With the morning coming to a close, we had to get back in time for our afternoon excursion. Here we are returning to port, some cruisers obviously on board going up on NorthStar ... why NorthStar this very day and time instead of experiencing Alaska the very first time in Icy Strait is beyond me.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Hoopster95

[Hoopster95]

The afternoon bear watching was unfortunately underwhelming. I've had bears in my back yard so this wasn't a must-do once in a lifetime excursion. Hoonah is known to have the highest density of brown bears in the world. Thankfully we did get at least one to view one rummaging around. Some previous excursions (diff. ships on previous days) didn't see any according to the tour gude.

 

 

I did have time to visit the various buildings, the famous historical Cannery and shops before making my way back to the ship. It's a beautiful and easy walk back. Today was a great day to get out into the true wilderness for our first stop on this itinerary

 

 

 

As per each night, lots of options to enjoy every moment on Ovation. I headed back to Cafe Two70 for a snack, and then to the first roller skating session up at SeaPlex. I mentioned my love for Ovation's WJ and the views.... here's a sample where I enjoyed my dinner with glass of wine vs. stuck midship somewhere in the MDR with zero view of Alaskan waters.

 

 

This evening's Broadway show, The Beautiful Dream, was superb! 

 

 

And finally as was my norm more often than not, I headed to the music hall, this time to watch Ovation's Orchestra playing a set before the live dance music began for the evening, a great end to a busy day.

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Hoopster95

[twangster]

While we are on May 16...

 

 

Morning in the Alaskan inside passage.

 

 

First glimpse of ISP.

 

 

 

 

 

Excursion included an airplane ride that offered some views of Ovation at ISP as we departed and returned.   

 

 

 

In keeping this about the ship I'll avoid more excursion talk.

 

 

 

Back on the ship the NorthStar lines were short so another ride while in still in port. 

 

[twangster]

May 17

 

 

The early morning approach to Sitka in a light fog was quite breathtaking, more than mere pictures can convey.

 

 

 

 

 

My first visit to Sitka left me with a desire to return but that's a story for another thread.

 

Back on the ship it was time for a ride in NorthStar, again on a walk up basis

 

 

 

I've come to appreciate how NorthStar is a perfect compliment to an Alaskan cruise.

 

 

With the morning fog lifted by the sun while we were in town during the day the departure back into the Pacific yielded some impressive scenery.

 

 

 

 

The NorthStar bar is favored spot for a few Diamond happy hour drinks and a great way to watch the Alaskan scenery sail by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a sunet after 9pm we were back in the open Pacific.

 

[Jimbo]

Awesome pictures Twangster......................what company and what airplane excursion did you take at ISP ? do you remember cost?

[scheat]

Appreciate this.  Well done.  As in most walks of life, you really do appreciate something more when it's been taken from you.

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Awesome pictures Twangster......................what company and what airplane excursion did you take at ISP ? do you remember cost?

 

 

 

Seems like we chatted about it in the original @Hoopster95 thread at the time 🙂

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2661933-ovation-may-13-24-live-in-alaska-wlots-of-photos/?do=findComment&comment=57498731

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2661933-ovation-may-13-24-live-in-alaska-wlots-of-photos/?do=findComment&comment=57498938

 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

It was just like than when we were on Explorer - having the Flowrider to myself when leaving port.

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Wow! The beauty of these pictures and the timeliness of the thread bring tears to my eyes! Thank you Claudio and twangster! Much needed and appreciated! Stay safe during these trying times! Hoping cruising resumes soon! [emoji1317][emoji1317]


Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Hoopster95]

Simply superb Twangster...great photos!! I don't recognize any of them. Did you post these on the "blog" website or anywhere else? Thank you so much for these, it's like doing a new review in a way. For those of you who didn't follow the original review, click on Twangster's first link he provided above to watch his "Flight over Glacier Bay" video... unbelievably beautiful

 

 

One year ago today .... May 17, 2019 Ovation arrives in Sitka for the  very first time

 

 

 

Today's plan is to DIY for the entire day. If you're mobile, it's quite easy to get around Sitka to the various sites. The shuttle from the ship drops off at the Public Library area (bottom left). I walked the entire Sitka Sea Walk around the Totem Historical Walk to the Raptor Center (Raptor Way on the right and above the Totem walk)

 

 

The Sea Walk is gorgeous on it's own, and took me about 40-45mins to get to the Sitka National Historic Park visitor center

 

 

 

 

The loop around the park is another 45 minutes or so with various stops along the way to read placards and visit the various historic sites within the park

 

[Hoopster95]

I thought the Raptor Center was really well done and worth the short visit. It's not a huge or overwhelming place, I loved the interaction with the very helpful staff.

 

 

 

I walked back to town for the afternoon as there are a couple infamous food trucks in the downtown area... you can google them to see. I had one on my phone I found almost right away, exactly where they claim to be online.

 

 

Why have lunch here instead of rushing back to to the WJ? Look at this menu

 

 

The downtown area of Sitka has a ton of history, including a large Russian Orthodox involvement.

One of their main tourist sites is the still operating St. Michael's Cathedral (Orthodox). This is a great little town, and much more authentic than the "Diamonds International" infused Skagway or Juneau so the shopping is interesting as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by Hoopster95

[Hoopster95]

I went back to the ship late afternoon.... the beauty of this sailing is that we had full and long days in each port, you can spend as much time or as little as you want ashore without feeling rushed.

 

 

Chilling out on my balcony starboard side, munching away on my afternoon snack from Sorrento's

 

 

Bumper cars were out again today. If I remember correctly, they were out a total of 6 times for the entire sailing, in 2 or 3 hour time slots. These are not available 24/7, so you have to be aware when they are available from your compass, your app or from the TV screen at the SeaPlex check-in desk.

 

 

I went to Two70 to have a drink at the bar and chill out a little more before dinner and watch sailaway from inside this time, rather than above on top deck. I included this short video just so that you can see the views from Two70 while Ovation is on the move.

 

 

Tonight was another pre-arranged specialty dinner with our roll call pals, this time at Jamie's. Another fun night enjoying different food, different menu, different setting, and great company. I love this kind of dining.... trying the different specialties and mixing in WJ or special meals ashore... it's like my own version of Dynamic Dining which I sorely miss from the original Quantum days.

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by Hoopster95

[Pumbaamd]

We were also on this cruise. Had a great time!

 

[Coralc]

I wondered if the Bald Eagles were out in downtown Sitka? We walked up to the raptor center from the ship, and there were eagles on people's front porch railings and front lawns and bird baths.  It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! 

 

I am really enjoying seeing more photos' from your beautiful sailing. 

[Jimbo]

10 hours ago, twangster said:

 

 

 

Seems like we chatted about it in the original @Hoopster95 thread at the time 🙂

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2661933-ovation-may-13-24-live-in-alaska-wlots-of-photos/?do=findComment&comment=57498731

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2661933-ovation-may-13-24-live-in-alaska-wlots-of-photos/?do=findComment&comment=57498938

 

You are so right, funny how I asked the same question now after seeing your photo's...........I will have to NOW save that link for next time we are in ISP.

[twangster]

One year ago on May 18...

 

It's day 6 of the cruise and we are visiting the Hubbard Glacier. 

 

 

Not unusual for an approach to Disenchantment Bay it's cold, windy and wet.

 

 

Fortunately there is the Solarium to keep warm between ventures onto the bridge wings.

 

 

Still a few miles to go...

 

 

They first run the NorthStar through her paces empty to test it out and also validate wind speed aloft.

 

 

 

 

Crowds are starting to make their way topside.

 

 

 

 

At just about this exact moment 1 year ago this was my view from NorthStar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the sun rising the clouds started breaking up and it turned into a beautiful day.

 

 

Zan Ma and Li Bao's first visit to an Alaskan Glacier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NorthStar timelapse

 

 

 

All good things must come to an end.

 

 

To think, this started out as dreary, cold day that turned into some of the best Alaskan weather one could hope for.

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by twangster

[vivian02]

I was on this sailing last year. I remember people were not happy about not having a 7day plus cruise for 2020...… how little did we know there might be zero. Just maybe 2021 will be much better. Nice pictures posted here. I did get a nice picture of one of the higher peaks just off Sika.

[vivian02]

Jimbo,

    So sorry that you could not make the cruise on this 11 day trip. I remember you put so much time in to planning the trip and had to cancel. I hope you did get a cruise in before all of the chaos hit. We managed to do a last minute 15 day cruise to Hawaii in mid November which was so nice. Given time this virus thing will pass.