LIVE from the Ovation Nov 29-Dec 10

[WNcruiser]

If anyone knows how I can put a space between the photos please let me know! 

[WNcruiser]

4 hours ago, mcondition said:

Hi WNcruiser, do you know approximately the number of passengers? Is Ovation like half full?

We have 299 passengers on board. So almost exactly 50%

[WNcruiser]

MUCH different weather today. We are sailing through a storm and it’s pouring rain. Feels like a transatlantic 😁

Edited December 1, 2021 by WNcruiser

[WNcruiser]

10 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Can't wait to be back on board in a few months.  Wondering who is Hotel Manager, Sky Bar and Obs Bar tenders, and Captain?

Captain is Stig Betten and HD is Kevin, not sure of his last name. 

[fdnycruiser]

Enjoying your detailed reports. We’re currently on the last day of a Silversea Trans Atlantic. However, we’re looking forward to our holiday cruise on Ovation in 3 weeks. 

[Heather White]

Who is your Cruise Director?

[2SailingNomads]

4 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

Captain is Stig Betten and HD is Kevin, not sure of his last name. 

Thanks!

[WNcruiser]

2 hours ago, Heather White said:

Who is your Cruise Director?

Chris Holly 

[amusea]

The chefs in SUSHI are really artists and respond to special requests.  On our Ovation cruise in July 2018 we made friends with a great couple who were very knowledgeable about Japanese cooking and the chefs made some very special dishes for us.

 

Your itinerary is almost identical to the one we took on January 2020 just before the pandemic. The day at Carambula Bay in St. Kitts is really over the top.  The great beach area is reserved for Seabourn guests, the food is amazing including caviar served on floating trays by the staff IN the sea.

 

We are elite plus on X but we love Seabourn and will be on the 32 day cruise on December 10 and also the 14 day cruise from Miami on March 13.

 

Jay in Tucson

[madrick]

Jay in Tucson, hi!  We are on the same March 13 sailing from Miami.  I know you cannot say their name, but could you check with your agent friend and see how this sailing is booked?   Thanks, Rick

 

 

[amusea]

Madrick,

 

Will do. And I'll do a post on the March 13 roll call.

 

Jay

[planitohio]

Thanks for posting. We are doing out first Seaborn cruise on Ovation in February. This is all helpful. 

[Hobar]

15 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

Good morning cruise critic. The seas have picked up and there is noticeable movement this morning. Nothing that bothers us though. 

We didn’t see anything we loved at the restaurant last night so tried the sushi. It was good but not great. Maybe our expectations were too high after so many recommendations.

 

We went to the show Latin Quarter last night. I would call it entertaining. We have seen better and have seen worse. Most people removed their masks once seated. It was the first time we were in a crowd since we boarded. I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all but some chose to keep their masks on. 
 

I will post todays menus and activities before breakfast and get to your questions later today. Planning on another lazy pool day before our only formal night tonight. 

 

Just FYI, and in my opinion - I am not a fan of The Restaurant menus.  Maybe try Colonnade or Fire & Water (or whatever it’s called - it’s been renamed from the Patio Grille).  I always prefer the food selections there better - more casual, less formal, more fun and relaxed food.  Also, TK Restaurant for what I consider kind of old-style, old-fashioned food - it’s really good, but I think that’s because it’s all laden in butter and lots for fried stuff 🙂 

[WNcruiser]

Good morning from San Juan. So nice to have data back and be off Wi-Fi. Yesterday turned out to be a great day with blue sky and sun around noon. 
 

At 2:00 they had a champagne and caviar party at the pool which was a lot of fun. They were handing out Gray goose shots in the pool..a first for me. We had dinner at Thomas Keller Grill and the food and service were excellent. The guest entertainer Jonathan Roxmouth was also really good. He is currently the phantom in the Phantom of the Opera and sang several broadway tunes. 
 

I will post a few photos from yesterday and the dinner menus for tonight. Later I will post more thoughts on the ship and cruise itself. 
 

Im sorry the pictures all run together, still can’t figure out how to put a space between them. 

[WNcruiser]

We returned to our cabin to find a red rose on the bed. A little touch that goes a long way. 
 

[WNcruiser]

Entering San Juan. Looks like another beautiful day! 

[WNcruiser]

Tonight’s dinner menus. 

[claranda]

Looks really yummy! Can’t wait to be on board in February… Hope no-one was found floating belly down after the Grey Goose. 😋

[WNcruiser]

Summary of first 5 days. 
 

I wanted to write a little about our experience so far as the next several days are port days and we will be pretty busy. 
 

Wifi: The free surf Wi-Fi is decent. Fast enough for email, apps and posting on cruise critic. Downloading photos and some websites are quite slow. I am just happy Seabourn is now including this which I understand is fairly new. 
 

Crew: This is by far the best crew we have had on a ship. They just can’t do enough for you and don’t know the word no. The crew are constantly asking if you need or want anything and you will never have to wait for a drink! So many nice things like bringing us champagne or cold water as soon as we get in the hot tub.  I dozed off for 5 mins at the pool and when I woke up I had a new mimosa sitting there. Cold towels, frozen fruit, gray goose shots at the pool. Many crew have greeted us by our name in the first couple days which is impressive. So many examples of how fantastic the crew are. 
 

The Hotel Director, Kevin Huxhan (?) is the most friendly, approachable, visible and engaging Senior Officer I have ever met. Such a nice guy who always stops to talk to us and make sure we are happy with everything. He says if we need anything just “snap our fingers”. 
 

The Ovation: Besides the Paul Gauguin this is the smallest ship we have been on. I was worried it may be too small but so far it’s not. Last night someone asked us to meet them at the sky bar and I didn’t even know where it was lol. Very easy to get anywhere in just a couple minutes. The gym is pretty small and sometimes can’t use equipment. We also thought the shower is quite small for a large suite. The ship is spotless and extremely well maintained. At 50% we know a large majority of the passengers and crew which makes it nice. 
 

Fellow passengers: As I said earlier I would say 50-70 is the average age. Everyone we have met or talked to has been very friendly. We have noticed everyone being polite and respectful to the crew which is always nice to see. Most are very well travelled and we enjoy sharing past travel experiences. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by WNcruiser

[WNcruiser]

The Food: Food is so subjective I wasn’t sure I was going to post about it. The first couple days we were not impressed with the food at all. All we heard was how great it is on Seabourn. We talked to several Seabourn regulars who agreed the food was not up to par on this sailing. Some had been on Ovation this summer in Greece and said it was fantastic then but not now. 
 

From speaking with some officers and restaurant crew apparently they are not happy with their supplier in Miami. Two of the three trucks didn’t show up on Monday. They were completely out of berries,  most sodas and some beers. Seabourn quickly made arrangements to have everything delivered here in San Juan today. With that said dinner at Thomas Keller last night was amazing. Breakfasts have also been great minus the berries. 
 

The Restaurant hours are very short, only one hour for breakfast and lunch (8-9 and 12-1). Even dinner is only from 645-9. That was surprising to me but not a big deal. I like how the Sushi is open everyday including port days. I liked the lunch better than the dinner. We really enjoy eating breakfast outside behind the colonnade. 
 

Of course we aren’t starving but I do have high expectations for the food and expect things to improve with more supplies on board. 
 

I will continue to post the menu’s daily and try and give quick updates each day, Thank you all for reading. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by WNcruiser

[rkacruiser]

50 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

 

The Restaurant hours are very short, only one hour for breakfast and lunch (8-9 and 12-1).

 

That has been a concern of mine when I have sailed on other ships.  I tend to be late riser and am "forced" to have breakfast in the buffet restaurant or order room service.

 

Have you tried your ship's room service?  

[WNcruiser]

1 minute ago, rkacruiser said:

 

That has been a concern of mine when I have sailed on other ships.  I tend to be late riser and am "forced" to have breakfast in the buffet restaurant or order room service.

 

Have you tried your ship's room service?  

We have not tried room service yet. I like how they have a full menu for breakfast and not just “continental”. I will definitely try it soon on one of these port days. 
 

I will post that menu later 

Edited December 2, 2021 by WNcruiser

[WNcruiser]

16 hours ago, Hobar said:

Just FYI, and in my opinion - I am not a fan of The Restaurant menus.  Maybe try Colonnade or Fire & Water (or whatever it’s called - it’s been renamed from the Patio Grille).  I always prefer the food selections there better - more casual, less formal, more fun and relaxed food.  Also, TK Restaurant for what I consider kind of old-style, old-fashioned food - it’s really good, but I think that’s because it’s all laden in butter and lots for fried stuff 🙂 

Thanks for the tips. One thing I was surprised about was when we went to colonnade one night to look at the desserts. There was no food out at all as it is a table service for dinner. Seems kind of strange as it is a buffet. They told us we could sit at a table or call room service. This is a big change for us from Celebrity where you can always go to the ocean view cafe to check out desserts. 
 

I was told the 72 hour short ribs at Earth & Ocean is the best dinner on the cruise. I am keeping an eye out for that. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by WNcruiser

[LMB01]

27 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

That has been a concern of mine when I have sailed on other ships.  I tend to be late riser and am "forced" to have breakfast in the buffet restaurant or order room service.

 

Have you tried your ship's room service?  

Before the cooties, we sailed Seabourn in Alaska June 2019.  We ordered room service breakfast many days.  It was great and timely.  You could also write in any special requests.  

[WNcruiser]

Here is the breakfast room service menu. Wi-Fi has been terribly slow since this afternoon.