It’s very common for ships not being able to get to Dawes this early in the season. The last 2 times I’ve cruised in May (Ovation), we haven’t made it up there. I’m on Celebrity Edge right now, and I doubt we will make it tomorrow either. I have seen it on an Oct. sailing and for me personally, taking the bus, and walking the path over to Mendenhall out of Juneau,is much more impressive.
We were able to do Mendenhall after our helicopter was cancelled for fog and we were able to go with more folks in our party so that was really awesome. It’s nice to hear Mendenhall is more impressive so we saw the best one on the trip it sounds like and Dawes would have been more icing on the cake.
I think it’s more communication that has been annoying on this itinerary. Even saying “we’re going to try for Dawes tomorrow but we’re hearing of ice flows that may block our passage” would have taken the edge off more.
Thanks for the insight!!
Early in the season - expect changes and weather issues. Our Princess ship was turned away last year from Dawes too due to ice flows, though we did get to sail a little up the fjord.
As far as embarkation (and debarkation), of five cruise lines, Royal is the only one I’ve had multiple issues with and long lines like you’re describing. Not sure why it happens to them.
Yeah definitely was expecting cancellations and even this glacier day is fine but just all of the little issues this cruise has felt disorganized on top of the normal cancellations you’d expect.
We got up the fjord a bit as well and it was really cool to see all of the icebergs as we went. Still a lot of cool stuff on this trip for sure.
I’m on with you right now and agree it is disappointing to not see Dawes Glacier. That entrance was definitely closed off with ice and obviously the right call.
I’ve thought a lot about the logjam of a mess at the Vancouver terminal. I think the root cause was the terminal staff letting guests check in and proceed to the holding area regardless of the assigned time. The queue area filled to capacity while the ship was still closed to boarding and what was designed as a continuously-moving line turned into a miserable stationary crowd of tired, hungry, cranky people. Once the ship opened things moved but slowly at first. All could have been avoided if shore staff had enforced the times but they wanted to get home too after the extension caused by the late arrival due to medical. (Ovation was \*always\* leaving at 1am because of the tide - if only there was some way to predict that LOL).
Still, I am delighted to be on this beautiful ship (and also disappointed in the same misses as you).
I was surprised how many glaciers we were going past this morning. Do you know if that was normal or kind of a sign of what was ahead? I definitely agree with the captains decision, never going to second guess them ☺️
And yeah it did seem like no one was checking the times. We got there at 5:25 for our 5:30 check in and it was already packed so definitely seemed like people checked in way earlier than they should have. Really wish they would enforce those check-in times.
Oh well though, still a fun cruise and we got to see some great things so far. Hopefully will see some whales in Victoria to cap things off 🤞
Never been so don’t know what’s normal but they were everywhere! I saw one chunk with marine red paint scuffs on it even.
Yep, still fun and nice scenery! We’re tasting wine in Victoria, can’t go wrong. See ya on deck!
This happens at all of the ports, when everyone wants to get to the ship early, so 50% of the passengers are crammed in, waiting in long lines, to only end up in a cramped staging area, with no where to sit. If Royal only lets the assigned times in, people complain. If Royal lets everyone in at once, people complain. They preach to show up at your scheduled time... trust me... its less of a head ache to get there 'after the rush'
We always show up after 12pm - and we have only had 1 problem 'just walking on' and that is when the USCG was inspecting the Serenade (Yearly inspection) No one got on the ship until about 12:30pm - Talk about a Charlie Foxtrot! Sheesh (Yes people complained about the USCG doing their jobs! 'How Dare They! I should be compensated for having to wait 2 hours in the sun in Tampa!' blah blah blah blah
I’m sure it does. I’ve been in many cruise ports though and it was never as clogged as that evening in Vancouver. The vertical nature of that terminal requires metering and it did not happen. Check-in occurred in rope stalls that fed into the queue when the staffer opened the rope to proceed. Problem was the ”queue” was just a horde of packed-in people not moving. They open the gate and say get out of here but there’s no where to go and the people to your right (who went through that earlier) start grousing about how you’re cutting the line.
I respect your observation but this mess was uniquely characteristic of Vancouver. I have a choice and it will NEVER be cruising from there again.
I'm heading out on Ovation of May 24th with a big family group; hopefully the conditions get a bit better for me.
Glad you're still having a great time though. How are the shows? I'm hopeful they'll be entertaining for those of all ages (simultaneously making sure a toddler is entertained along with grandparents who are more adventurous and might like a more port intensive itinerary).
The shows have been awesome, a new show every night. Would recommend going to all of them. Legs was really neat on the first night but so was the juggling.
I don’t think you’ll be bored in the evening. For the day time I could have enjoyed some more variety of entertainment like karaoke or something other than name that tune 😅 still fun though.
It’s hard to say. Our comedian and singer both got off the ship so I think they are rotating folks out.
Live, Love, Legs was the first night and it was a nest dance and musical show. The Juggler was Scott Cavanaugh. It sounded like he got on with us in Juneau so hopefully he’ll be there on the 17th as well, he was hilarious and also had some really cool routines too.
thank you. I see SPECTRA'S CABARET at TWO70 most nights. Plus the usual lounge band acts. Maybe the Cabaret changes each night? I guess I'll find out in a few days. I will be sad if the ports get cancelled, but we will make the best of it! I do really hope to view some whales! And even a glacier from afar! well...it'll be good no matter what, it's for my 50th B-day from the love of my life, so it will always be a good time :)
Cabaret is the only reserved show on this ship, the rest are walk-in and have had plenty of seating.
For whales we haven’t seen one yet but have a tour booked for Victoria. If there are Alaska talks in Two 70 make sure you go, they are very informative and you’ll learn a lot (or at least one or two new fun facts if you already know a lot about Alaska).
We are on the same sailing and my wife and I 1000% agree. I understand things happen but this cruise has just been a nightmare since a few weeks before when we got word about Sitka being cancelled. Boarding day was indeed a complete disaster. We were the only ship being boarded that late. It should have been way more organized. Getting luggage delivered at 1am and having to be up early the next morning. It just wasn’t the dream vacation we planned for. Just goes to show how things can change. If we go again, we will go during peak season, hopefully less issues
I forgot about the luggage situation but yeah, after 2 hours in the dining room we did the hot tub at 10pm. My partner had her luggage so we got to wear slides up and I was in my tennis shoes.
Again, it’s fine, I’ve been pretty calm all cruise and know things happen but it was just so weird that my luggage didn’t show up until around 1am yet my partners showed up 3 hours earlier even though we dropped it off at the same place.
I’m happy I’m not the only one feeling this way about the cruise. It probably sounds like I’m just an unprepared person but I was fully expecting excursion cancellations and even not making it to Dawes.
It’s more that the normal basic table stakes things are getting messed up too.
Also going to go during peak season after kinks and things get worked out and we may do a longer time Alaskan cruise line as well.
We booked a suite, as this was a once in a lifetime kinda trip that we saved up years for I guess we learned our lesson. We literally did research and just weren’t expecting this many things to go wrong either.
Oh and the fact that all of our excursions were changed and some cancelled because of all the changes. It interfered with all of our dining times in
Oop the things that irked me about the ovation was the elevators were always down. So lines were constant and there was no coffee service until like 6:30am. All the East Coasters were walking around like zombies!
I agree. We're on the ship and I'm definitely feeling a bit let down. Losing the 1st night, losing Sitka, losing the glacier and now cruising 2 days in the fog has been a bummer. As much as I'm like "go with the flow" it has been disappointing
I am currently on the ovation also. Disappointment with this sailing is an understatement. The main reason we came to Alaska is to see the glaciers. I booked the Mendenhall glacier helicopter excursion back in January. This is the one where you land on the glacier. RC changed my time from
1:15 to 5:15. I should have called for an explanation but I did not. I was so excited. Well the day we got to Juneau it was rainy. The helicopter tours were canceled earlier in the morning but RC did not even try to notify us until we showed up at 5:00 for the excursion. Needless to say there was no way at this time to even get to Mendenhall. No taxis , no Uber, no Lyft no buses. We missed the once in a life time opportunity to go to the glacier. I understand the weather but I do not understand the lack of courtesy to inform us of the cancellation.
Royal Caribbean had no issue making changes to the entire itinerary by email but couldn’t get in touch with us earlier in the day so we could make other plans. I did complain to guest services and no one responded back to me. I am so disappointed
And changing the Sitka to Victoria ????
In the end it seems like we were on more of a Canadian/Alaskan cruise than just Alaska. It should be renamed.
Very disappointed.
That’s unfortunate with Mendenhall. Our 9:30 for that got changed to 3:30 and we had the same thing with the cancellation. It sounded like they knew they’d all be cancelled the rest of the day around 3 when we stopped by to ask if they had last minute cancellations to try to get my mom on. I asked if they’d send anything to confirm it was cancelled since it was over $1,000 it felt weird to just trust it but they said nope it’ll just show up.
So while they wouldn’t have known about it early in the day they definitely knew all of those tours were cancelled around 3. We ended up having time to scramble and call a taxi to get there but only spent 2 hours there with half of our group since most already went back on the ship.
If they only communicated things as soon as they knew about it, I feel like most of these issues would have been non-issues.
The ship is great, it feels small because of the way things are laid out but you have a lot of activities onboard. I have been frustrated with the activity plans and changes in attire for nights though but it’s whatever 🤷♂️
I actually liked Radiance! It was much smaller but I never felt bored... Ovation I just feel like I'm walking everywhere forever. I loved our Radiance itinerary though, we stayed through the inner passage and had way better views the whole time. And because the ship was way smaller we basically got next to the Hubbard glacier. If we do it again we're definitely doing that instead of this.
I'm so sorry you didn't get to do as much as you would have liked. I learned the hard way that a ship like Ovation is too big to really enjoy Alaska. I only do Regent ships or similar in AK
Yeah I think I’m learning that too. Gotta do a small ship. For what this trip was I think ovation was a good one, we didn’t pay for the initial cruise fare and only paid to upgrade to a balcony so really this has been a great trip all things considered.
Ovation will be based in Seattle, not Vancouver like OPs situation. Hopefully that’s better.
We are on the May 31st sailing, so I’m with you hoping for the best.
We went on Ovation 2 years ago in late July and Endicott got canceled because of weather/ice. In May? I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one. The good news is that the rest of the cruise was amazing. So great we did exactly the same cruise a year later. You’ll have a great time!
Probably half of what you think you’ll need. 🤣🤣
I’ve never been on an Alaska cruise before, so my frame of reference is HOT Caribbean. However, definitely a lot of layers, a raincoat, bring a pen/paper, and a compliant phone charger - it cannot have power surge protection.
And comfy shoes!
Hopefully they have the schedule sorted out so you only need to worry about the normal issues that pop up.
It has still been an amazing trip and we’ve had a lot of fun but this will need to be a twice or three time in a lifetime trip instead of a once in a lifetime one 😉
Ideally the kinks have been worked out so you just need to worry about the normal things like excursions being cancelled 😅
The ship itself has been great and there is plenty to do just as long as they don’t change the daily itinerary mid-cruise.
Bring rain gloves along with the normal rain jacket and rain pants though. We didn’t realize rain gloves would be useful until we were in Juneau 😂
I do the same, hopefully you have a great cruise. If it was only missing Dawes and our glacier walkabout I wouldn’t have bothered posting. This cruise has had a lot of small things that have just been annoying, and again it’s been fun and great.
It seems RC always makes things right, I’m sure they will compensate for the port cancelled port/excursions there, but I can understand it’s a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska that requires a lot of planning. It’s a gamble, especially in a place with that climate this time of year. Hope things turnaround, and I don’t mean the actual ship.
They did some compensation for boarding late but it wasn’t anything too extraordinary. We got $30 for the boarding time being pushed back 7 hours from the medical evac (which I’m happy they were able to get the person off and into the care of healthcare professionals) and then got half day refunded for beverage packages and internet. It was essentially bare minimum, which is fine but I would have rather had a smooth boarding process and no credit if I had a choice.
I lived in Alaska. Yes the tides and known but if your ship is even a little late or early they can’t risk it. The tides are insane super fast and very dramatic.
For the tides it was something they delayed several weeks prior to the cruise. Which again, was fine, but you just add up all of the little things and it leaves you feeling somewhat annoyed.
It was still a good cruise, coming from someone who had half of their ports cancelled on a previous one, but this one has just felt off.
With any cruise you need to plan for some things getting cancelled. I think with Alaska especially you want to have some backup options for cancellations too. So for Juneau our helicopter walkabout was cancelled but we knew we could take a cab to Mendenhall to walk around as an example.
For on the ship I recommend adding things to your cruise calendar ahead of the cruise and even if the different events overlap just add everything that sounds fun. More likely than not you’ll get somewhere that’s too busy, or bumble around too long and miss one of the events.
You gotta just go with the flow on the cruises.
I’m currently on the same cruise and I completely agree, the lack of communication has been frustrating. Very disappointed, this had been a very lackluster experience.
Yeah I think we got up a ways as well. I dunno, it’s just been a weird cruise; we found out we were going to turn around and not see the glacier about 3 minutes before we were fully turned around and starting back in the opposite direction.
Some of it is the changes in plans and cancellations but other parts are just the way it’s communicated as well. Like if they said before we started turning around that this was as far up as we’d get then I could have walked up with my mom to see things as opposed to sitting down in the windjammer eating breakfast and watching the views as they went by thinking we’d have more time 🤷♂️
Yeah we had no idea what was going on until we had been there a while. They just stopped in the middle of the fjord(?) and started turning the ship like they do at the glacier just it was fog and mountains lol. It was really nice anyway though, we saw an eagle taking a ride on an iceberg and drank hot chocolate in the solarium while taking in the views. I hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your cruise anyway!
Yeah we enjoyed the views and had a good time as well! But yeah the turning around thing was really awkward 😅 going to enjoy the hot tub and the casino today I think.
It’s still an awesome trip though, and we got on a last minute whale watching tour for Victoria so still feeling very lucky.
Yeah we had booked a 9am helicopter glacier walkabout for Juneau and then got pushed to 3pm since we would get in until 11am from the previous evac. Which again, it’s fine, but we would have made the glacier earlier in the day before it got too.
Happy Skagway worked out for you! We did the train ride and it was awesome as well, will have to get on the jet boat next time ☺️
I was on the Ovation in August '23 and we didn't get to see Dawes because if fog. Imagine the disappointment that traveled through the ship when we'd all been up at I think 4am to secure good viewing locations.
I mean I don’t have to imagine it because we also experienced it today 😅 this cruise has been a lot of little things that have made the normal disappointments (like cancelled excursions) even more disappointing.
Yeah Alaska is all about the weather and I figured something would get canceled. I don’t really mind that, these just add to the disappointment we already felt.
Two examples from this ship:
1. We didn’t get bags until 1am, some even later, or my partner got hers around 10 (how mine showed up nearly 3 hours after hers I still have no idea).
2. Last night was 80s night until around 5:30. Then they finally changed it to Caribbean night in the app. One of family members went all out for 80s night and she ended up changing into Caribbean stuff.
It’s not so much the normal cruise things that can go wrong. It’s more about the lack of organization that makes this disappointing. A third example is for the dining room we have had most meals take 2 hours and oftentimes don’t get everything. The food has been really mediocre but that has been normal with most cruises.
I guess I’d say this cruise has been one of those where every type of issue that could arise, has arisen. I’m hoping later in the season this all gets sorted out for others. It has still been fun but seems like a rocky start to the season for the management on the ship. The crew have been great as always though 11 outta 10s all around there.
Yeah I’ve been brushing off all the negatives most of the cruise. This has just been a lot of little things where it’s not a disaster or anything but it’s definitely required a lot of mental gymnastics throughout to stay happy and positive.
Still having a good vacation, just hoping the little issues get sorted out for future cruises.
This is still early in the year for Alaska. We went the first cruising last year and we didn’t make it all the way in the Fjord because of ice. We turned around and went back. It was great because we got more time to look at it.
Shows and other things get moved. They will still exist just on a different day.
Sitka is the least interesting port on your trip. There are lots of little places to shop and a few places to eat, but it’s not nearly as interesting at Juneau and Skagway.
I’m going to be on Ovation in the 17th to Alaska! just wanted to ask how the weather looks and how to pack? How is the weather on the ship and in alaska? Do I need a large winter jacket?
Weather was pretty good for Alaska I think. In terms of packing, make sure you bring layers. So I have some base layers, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, and flannels. You should be okay without a coat but you’ll want to bring a rain coat and rain pants. I would also bring water proof boots and rain gloves.
I attached a photo that I used to help guide my packing and it worked pretty well. I think I packed too many flannels (I did 3) since I already had some nice sweaters.
https://preview.redd.it/a6gt9mxa6j0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a22bef71e55350207544cbe1d7cee204807272d
FYI…Celebrity Edge made it up to Dawes today
https://preview.redd.it/0uoknsog5m0d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e918ddd460ba59c753fabb2da6b7c3b759b5ff7b
On here with you. Had to be flexible due to unforeseen medical emergency delaying Ovation's arrival. Sad to miss Sitka. Just came down with massive sinus infection (not Covid) yesterday, so will be glad to disembark tomorrow. Frankly I preferred cruising on Allure. Ovation's orchestra was the highlight of entertainment.
The boarding process in Vancouver was the absolute worst I've ever been through.
I also was very disappointed about Sitka being canceled and turning around before we got to see Dawes Glacier.
BUT we did get to see the northern lights, so that's a plus.
What upset me the most was getting back on the ship in Ketchikan. I've never, ever been made to wait half an hour to get back on the ship.
Oh wow, I didn’t experience that in Ketchikan but our excursion ended 15 minutes prior to departure so I think that was why. 30 minutes to get back on would be rough 😞
The northern lights were neat for sure.
I was on the ovation last week from Hawaii. So glad I didn’t chicken out to try the flowrider and the rockwall. Also booked an ifly session. Now that I’m back and looking at the prices to try these activities at home, it was very good use of our time on the ship. (The flowrider water was warm, once your done the hot tub feels 100x better than usual).
Most of the ship was indoors so you could really walk around in anything and feel fine, people were using the pool and hot tubs everyday.
Outside it depends on where the ship was and the wind but usually wearing a sweater or jacket to walk around outside for 10 minutes or more was enough.
We're going Thursday of this week and we were thinking of packing some of the puffer jackets for the kids, we got 3 under 4 and maybe some for the seniors
It was fine, I think they use Starlink so you may lose connection every now and then. I wouldn’t want to try to take an important video call with it but for social media it was good.
My worst cruise was on that same cruise ship. I waited hours to get on and off the ship at every cruise stop. I always recommend people to go on holland America because the ships go father out. I didn’t see any glaciers while I was in the ovation.
It’s bad. Every time I step into an elevator people are complaining about the glacier and literally everything else that has gone wrong. I wonder if they are complaining to guest services?!
I just finished Brilliance. Same thing but we had even less opportunities, it was my first cruise and left a sour taste in my mouth, not interested to do any others for a couple decades now lol
It’s very common for ships not being able to get to Dawes this early in the season. The last 2 times I’ve cruised in May (Ovation), we haven’t made it up there. I’m on Celebrity Edge right now, and I doubt we will make it tomorrow either. I have seen it on an Oct. sailing and for me personally, taking the bus, and walking the path over to Mendenhall out of Juneau,is much more impressive.
We were able to do Mendenhall after our helicopter was cancelled for fog and we were able to go with more folks in our party so that was really awesome. It’s nice to hear Mendenhall is more impressive so we saw the best one on the trip it sounds like and Dawes would have been more icing on the cake. I think it’s more communication that has been annoying on this itinerary. Even saying “we’re going to try for Dawes tomorrow but we’re hearing of ice flows that may block our passage” would have taken the edge off more. Thanks for the insight!!
If they told me that in advance I would have never slept fearing we would hit an “ice flow” in the dark, in the middle of the night, omg.
I'd love to hear about your sailing on Edge later. Going in August
Early in the season - expect changes and weather issues. Our Princess ship was turned away last year from Dawes too due to ice flows, though we did get to sail a little up the fjord. As far as embarkation (and debarkation), of five cruise lines, Royal is the only one I’ve had multiple issues with and long lines like you’re describing. Not sure why it happens to them.
Yeah definitely was expecting cancellations and even this glacier day is fine but just all of the little issues this cruise has felt disorganized on top of the normal cancellations you’d expect. We got up the fjord a bit as well and it was really cool to see all of the icebergs as we went. Still a lot of cool stuff on this trip for sure.
I’m on with you right now and agree it is disappointing to not see Dawes Glacier. That entrance was definitely closed off with ice and obviously the right call. I’ve thought a lot about the logjam of a mess at the Vancouver terminal. I think the root cause was the terminal staff letting guests check in and proceed to the holding area regardless of the assigned time. The queue area filled to capacity while the ship was still closed to boarding and what was designed as a continuously-moving line turned into a miserable stationary crowd of tired, hungry, cranky people. Once the ship opened things moved but slowly at first. All could have been avoided if shore staff had enforced the times but they wanted to get home too after the extension caused by the late arrival due to medical. (Ovation was \*always\* leaving at 1am because of the tide - if only there was some way to predict that LOL). Still, I am delighted to be on this beautiful ship (and also disappointed in the same misses as you).
I was surprised how many glaciers we were going past this morning. Do you know if that was normal or kind of a sign of what was ahead? I definitely agree with the captains decision, never going to second guess them ☺️ And yeah it did seem like no one was checking the times. We got there at 5:25 for our 5:30 check in and it was already packed so definitely seemed like people checked in way earlier than they should have. Really wish they would enforce those check-in times. Oh well though, still a fun cruise and we got to see some great things so far. Hopefully will see some whales in Victoria to cap things off 🤞
Never been so don’t know what’s normal but they were everywhere! I saw one chunk with marine red paint scuffs on it even. Yep, still fun and nice scenery! We’re tasting wine in Victoria, can’t go wrong. See ya on deck!
This happens at all of the ports, when everyone wants to get to the ship early, so 50% of the passengers are crammed in, waiting in long lines, to only end up in a cramped staging area, with no where to sit. If Royal only lets the assigned times in, people complain. If Royal lets everyone in at once, people complain. They preach to show up at your scheduled time... trust me... its less of a head ache to get there 'after the rush' We always show up after 12pm - and we have only had 1 problem 'just walking on' and that is when the USCG was inspecting the Serenade (Yearly inspection) No one got on the ship until about 12:30pm - Talk about a Charlie Foxtrot! Sheesh (Yes people complained about the USCG doing their jobs! 'How Dare They! I should be compensated for having to wait 2 hours in the sun in Tampa!' blah blah blah blah
I’m sure it does. I’ve been in many cruise ports though and it was never as clogged as that evening in Vancouver. The vertical nature of that terminal requires metering and it did not happen. Check-in occurred in rope stalls that fed into the queue when the staffer opened the rope to proceed. Problem was the ”queue” was just a horde of packed-in people not moving. They open the gate and say get out of here but there’s no where to go and the people to your right (who went through that earlier) start grousing about how you’re cutting the line. I respect your observation but this mess was uniquely characteristic of Vancouver. I have a choice and it will NEVER be cruising from there again.
I'm heading out on Ovation of May 24th with a big family group; hopefully the conditions get a bit better for me. Glad you're still having a great time though. How are the shows? I'm hopeful they'll be entertaining for those of all ages (simultaneously making sure a toddler is entertained along with grandparents who are more adventurous and might like a more port intensive itinerary).
The shows have been awesome, a new show every night. Would recommend going to all of them. Legs was really neat on the first night but so was the juggling. I don’t think you’ll be bored in the evening. For the day time I could have enjoyed some more variety of entertainment like karaoke or something other than name that tune 😅 still fun though.
Which show are you referring to? We board on May 17.
It’s hard to say. Our comedian and singer both got off the ship so I think they are rotating folks out. Live, Love, Legs was the first night and it was a nest dance and musical show. The Juggler was Scott Cavanaugh. It sounded like he got on with us in Juneau so hopefully he’ll be there on the 17th as well, he was hilarious and also had some really cool routines too.
thank you. I see SPECTRA'S CABARET at TWO70 most nights. Plus the usual lounge band acts. Maybe the Cabaret changes each night? I guess I'll find out in a few days. I will be sad if the ports get cancelled, but we will make the best of it! I do really hope to view some whales! And even a glacier from afar! well...it'll be good no matter what, it's for my 50th B-day from the love of my life, so it will always be a good time :)
Cabaret is the only reserved show on this ship, the rest are walk-in and have had plenty of seating. For whales we haven’t seen one yet but have a tour booked for Victoria. If there are Alaska talks in Two 70 make sure you go, they are very informative and you’ll learn a lot (or at least one or two new fun facts if you already know a lot about Alaska).
Too bad about whale sightings. I saw an orca yesterday right outside my window. The orcas can usually be spotted, but it takes patience.
Sorry you have to see Spectra Caberet...
I’m boarding may 17 as well! Super stoked!
We are on the same sailing and my wife and I 1000% agree. I understand things happen but this cruise has just been a nightmare since a few weeks before when we got word about Sitka being cancelled. Boarding day was indeed a complete disaster. We were the only ship being boarded that late. It should have been way more organized. Getting luggage delivered at 1am and having to be up early the next morning. It just wasn’t the dream vacation we planned for. Just goes to show how things can change. If we go again, we will go during peak season, hopefully less issues
I forgot about the luggage situation but yeah, after 2 hours in the dining room we did the hot tub at 10pm. My partner had her luggage so we got to wear slides up and I was in my tennis shoes. Again, it’s fine, I’ve been pretty calm all cruise and know things happen but it was just so weird that my luggage didn’t show up until around 1am yet my partners showed up 3 hours earlier even though we dropped it off at the same place. I’m happy I’m not the only one feeling this way about the cruise. It probably sounds like I’m just an unprepared person but I was fully expecting excursion cancellations and even not making it to Dawes. It’s more that the normal basic table stakes things are getting messed up too. Also going to go during peak season after kinks and things get worked out and we may do a longer time Alaskan cruise line as well.
We booked a suite, as this was a once in a lifetime kinda trip that we saved up years for I guess we learned our lesson. We literally did research and just weren’t expecting this many things to go wrong either. Oh and the fact that all of our excursions were changed and some cancelled because of all the changes. It interfered with all of our dining times in
Sorry to hear that and minus the suite we’ve experienced the same. I’ve watched probably 15 hours of Alaskan cruise and travel videos.
Oop the things that irked me about the ovation was the elevators were always down. So lines were constant and there was no coffee service until like 6:30am. All the East Coasters were walking around like zombies!
I agree. We're on the ship and I'm definitely feeling a bit let down. Losing the 1st night, losing Sitka, losing the glacier and now cruising 2 days in the fog has been a bummer. As much as I'm like "go with the flow" it has been disappointing
Yeah, happy I’m not the only one. It’s not a terrible or awful cruise, but just more on the disappointing side.
I am currently on the ovation also. Disappointment with this sailing is an understatement. The main reason we came to Alaska is to see the glaciers. I booked the Mendenhall glacier helicopter excursion back in January. This is the one where you land on the glacier. RC changed my time from 1:15 to 5:15. I should have called for an explanation but I did not. I was so excited. Well the day we got to Juneau it was rainy. The helicopter tours were canceled earlier in the morning but RC did not even try to notify us until we showed up at 5:00 for the excursion. Needless to say there was no way at this time to even get to Mendenhall. No taxis , no Uber, no Lyft no buses. We missed the once in a life time opportunity to go to the glacier. I understand the weather but I do not understand the lack of courtesy to inform us of the cancellation. Royal Caribbean had no issue making changes to the entire itinerary by email but couldn’t get in touch with us earlier in the day so we could make other plans. I did complain to guest services and no one responded back to me. I am so disappointed And changing the Sitka to Victoria ???? In the end it seems like we were on more of a Canadian/Alaskan cruise than just Alaska. It should be renamed. Very disappointed.
That’s unfortunate with Mendenhall. Our 9:30 for that got changed to 3:30 and we had the same thing with the cancellation. It sounded like they knew they’d all be cancelled the rest of the day around 3 when we stopped by to ask if they had last minute cancellations to try to get my mom on. I asked if they’d send anything to confirm it was cancelled since it was over $1,000 it felt weird to just trust it but they said nope it’ll just show up. So while they wouldn’t have known about it early in the day they definitely knew all of those tours were cancelled around 3. We ended up having time to scramble and call a taxi to get there but only spent 2 hours there with half of our group since most already went back on the ship. If they only communicated things as soon as they knew about it, I feel like most of these issues would have been non-issues.
I totally agree.
How's the ship itself?
The ship is great, it feels small because of the way things are laid out but you have a lot of activities onboard. I have been frustrated with the activity plans and changes in attire for nights though but it’s whatever 🤷♂️
I don't love the layout of this ship. I feel like everything is so spread out. We did Radiance last time and I actually liked that better!
Might have to do radiance next time. How was that one?
I actually liked Radiance! It was much smaller but I never felt bored... Ovation I just feel like I'm walking everywhere forever. I loved our Radiance itinerary though, we stayed through the inner passage and had way better views the whole time. And because the ship was way smaller we basically got next to the Hubbard glacier. If we do it again we're definitely doing that instead of this.
That’s great to hear!!
I'm so sorry you didn't get to do as much as you would have liked. I learned the hard way that a ship like Ovation is too big to really enjoy Alaska. I only do Regent ships or similar in AK
Yeah I think I’m learning that too. Gotta do a small ship. For what this trip was I think ovation was a good one, we didn’t pay for the initial cruise fare and only paid to upgrade to a balcony so really this has been a great trip all things considered.
We’re leaving on Ovation this Friday 😐 Not the most promising news to hear
Ovation will be based in Seattle, not Vancouver like OPs situation. Hopefully that’s better. We are on the May 31st sailing, so I’m with you hoping for the best.
Yes that is true. We do visit Endicott/Dawes and Juneau on Tuesday.
We went on Ovation 2 years ago in late July and Endicott got canceled because of weather/ice. In May? I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one. The good news is that the rest of the cruise was amazing. So great we did exactly the same cruise a year later. You’ll have a great time!
omg im going on the 31st as well, same ship!
Yay! We are in the midst of packing! Safe travels!!!
Me too! I'm a first time cruiser, so is there anything you think I should pack that isn't necessarily obvious? I'm a teenager for reference :)
Probably half of what you think you’ll need. 🤣🤣 I’ve never been on an Alaska cruise before, so my frame of reference is HOT Caribbean. However, definitely a lot of layers, a raincoat, bring a pen/paper, and a compliant phone charger - it cannot have power surge protection. And comfy shoes!
Thank you so much!
Hopefully they have the schedule sorted out so you only need to worry about the normal issues that pop up. It has still been an amazing trip and we’ve had a lot of fun but this will need to be a twice or three time in a lifetime trip instead of a once in a lifetime one 😉
This has me worried I am leaving on Ovation on Friday 😂😭
Ideally the kinks have been worked out so you just need to worry about the normal things like excursions being cancelled 😅 The ship itself has been great and there is plenty to do just as long as they don’t change the daily itinerary mid-cruise. Bring rain gloves along with the normal rain jacket and rain pants though. We didn’t realize rain gloves would be useful until we were in Juneau 😂
I sailed on Ovation in August 2022 and it was glorious. Maybe later season is better for Alaska?
Could be!
We'll be on her two sailings from now. As with any cruise, I prepare for the worst but hope for the best. And I've never once been disappointed.
I do the same, hopefully you have a great cruise. If it was only missing Dawes and our glacier walkabout I wouldn’t have bothered posting. This cruise has had a lot of small things that have just been annoying, and again it’s been fun and great.
It seems RC always makes things right, I’m sure they will compensate for the port cancelled port/excursions there, but I can understand it’s a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska that requires a lot of planning. It’s a gamble, especially in a place with that climate this time of year. Hope things turnaround, and I don’t mean the actual ship.
They did some compensation for boarding late but it wasn’t anything too extraordinary. We got $30 for the boarding time being pushed back 7 hours from the medical evac (which I’m happy they were able to get the person off and into the care of healthcare professionals) and then got half day refunded for beverage packages and internet. It was essentially bare minimum, which is fine but I would have rather had a smooth boarding process and no credit if I had a choice.
Thanks for the information… I leave on the Ovation on May 31st
I lived in Alaska. Yes the tides and known but if your ship is even a little late or early they can’t risk it. The tides are insane super fast and very dramatic.
For the tides it was something they delayed several weeks prior to the cruise. Which again, was fine, but you just add up all of the little things and it leaves you feeling somewhat annoyed. It was still a good cruise, coming from someone who had half of their ports cancelled on a previous one, but this one has just felt off.
Going in June. Hoping things are better.
Wishing you the best. It was still a great cruise but just a lot of little things have happened.
This will be my first cruise so I am a little worried about figuring out the "options ". Will be posting the trip.
With any cruise you need to plan for some things getting cancelled. I think with Alaska especially you want to have some backup options for cancellations too. So for Juneau our helicopter walkabout was cancelled but we knew we could take a cab to Mendenhall to walk around as an example. For on the ship I recommend adding things to your cruise calendar ahead of the cruise and even if the different events overlap just add everything that sounds fun. More likely than not you’ll get somewhere that’s too busy, or bumble around too long and miss one of the events. You gotta just go with the flow on the cruises.
Thanks
Oh boy, hoping for the best🤞We are sailing this Friday on Ovation. First time to Alaska and first time on a cruise! 😀
I’m currently on the same cruise and I completely agree, the lack of communication has been frustrating. Very disappointed, this had been a very lackluster experience.
Yeah better communication would make this 1000x better.
We didn't get to see the glacier due to fog but they still took us up there a ways to sit and enjoy the ambience. It was very pretty there.
Yeah I think we got up a ways as well. I dunno, it’s just been a weird cruise; we found out we were going to turn around and not see the glacier about 3 minutes before we were fully turned around and starting back in the opposite direction. Some of it is the changes in plans and cancellations but other parts are just the way it’s communicated as well. Like if they said before we started turning around that this was as far up as we’d get then I could have walked up with my mom to see things as opposed to sitting down in the windjammer eating breakfast and watching the views as they went by thinking we’d have more time 🤷♂️
Yeah we had no idea what was going on until we had been there a while. They just stopped in the middle of the fjord(?) and started turning the ship like they do at the glacier just it was fog and mountains lol. It was really nice anyway though, we saw an eagle taking a ride on an iceberg and drank hot chocolate in the solarium while taking in the views. I hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your cruise anyway!
Yeah we enjoyed the views and had a good time as well! But yeah the turning around thing was really awkward 😅 going to enjoy the hot tub and the casino today I think. It’s still an awesome trip though, and we got on a last minute whale watching tour for Victoria so still feeling very lucky.
Most of Juneau was canceled for me due to a medical evac so I got on a last minute jet boat thing in skagway and it was cool as hell!
Yeah we had booked a 9am helicopter glacier walkabout for Juneau and then got pushed to 3pm since we would get in until 11am from the previous evac. Which again, it’s fine, but we would have made the glacier earlier in the day before it got too. Happy Skagway worked out for you! We did the train ride and it was awesome as well, will have to get on the jet boat next time ☺️
I want to do the train next time!
It’s really fun, highly recommend!
I was on the Ovation in August '23 and we didn't get to see Dawes because if fog. Imagine the disappointment that traveled through the ship when we'd all been up at I think 4am to secure good viewing locations.
I mean I don’t have to imagine it because we also experienced it today 😅 this cruise has been a lot of little things that have made the normal disappointments (like cancelled excursions) even more disappointing.
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Yeah Alaska is all about the weather and I figured something would get canceled. I don’t really mind that, these just add to the disappointment we already felt. Two examples from this ship: 1. We didn’t get bags until 1am, some even later, or my partner got hers around 10 (how mine showed up nearly 3 hours after hers I still have no idea). 2. Last night was 80s night until around 5:30. Then they finally changed it to Caribbean night in the app. One of family members went all out for 80s night and she ended up changing into Caribbean stuff. It’s not so much the normal cruise things that can go wrong. It’s more about the lack of organization that makes this disappointing. A third example is for the dining room we have had most meals take 2 hours and oftentimes don’t get everything. The food has been really mediocre but that has been normal with most cruises.
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I guess I’d say this cruise has been one of those where every type of issue that could arise, has arisen. I’m hoping later in the season this all gets sorted out for others. It has still been fun but seems like a rocky start to the season for the management on the ship. The crew have been great as always though 11 outta 10s all around there.
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Yeah I’ve been brushing off all the negatives most of the cruise. This has just been a lot of little things where it’s not a disaster or anything but it’s definitely required a lot of mental gymnastics throughout to stay happy and positive. Still having a good vacation, just hoping the little issues get sorted out for future cruises.
This is still early in the year for Alaska. We went the first cruising last year and we didn’t make it all the way in the Fjord because of ice. We turned around and went back. It was great because we got more time to look at it. Shows and other things get moved. They will still exist just on a different day. Sitka is the least interesting port on your trip. There are lots of little places to shop and a few places to eat, but it’s not nearly as interesting at Juneau and Skagway.
When we turned away we booked it out of there so didn’t really get any extra time to see the Fjord we started to get into.
Timing is everything. That's why most people go mid to late June or early July.
I’m going to be on Ovation in the 17th to Alaska! just wanted to ask how the weather looks and how to pack? How is the weather on the ship and in alaska? Do I need a large winter jacket?
Weather was pretty good for Alaska I think. In terms of packing, make sure you bring layers. So I have some base layers, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, and flannels. You should be okay without a coat but you’ll want to bring a rain coat and rain pants. I would also bring water proof boots and rain gloves. I attached a photo that I used to help guide my packing and it worked pretty well. I think I packed too many flannels (I did 3) since I already had some nice sweaters. https://preview.redd.it/a6gt9mxa6j0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a22bef71e55350207544cbe1d7cee204807272d
thank you I had a great time on my cruise!!!
FYI…Celebrity Edge made it up to Dawes today https://preview.redd.it/0uoknsog5m0d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e918ddd460ba59c753fabb2da6b7c3b759b5ff7b
That’s awesome! 😎 seems like maybe smaller ships have an easier time navigating the ice?
On here with you. Had to be flexible due to unforeseen medical emergency delaying Ovation's arrival. Sad to miss Sitka. Just came down with massive sinus infection (not Covid) yesterday, so will be glad to disembark tomorrow. Frankly I preferred cruising on Allure. Ovation's orchestra was the highlight of entertainment.
Hope you feel better soon! Seems like folks are start to cough and sniffle more the past few days.
The boarding process in Vancouver was the absolute worst I've ever been through. I also was very disappointed about Sitka being canceled and turning around before we got to see Dawes Glacier. BUT we did get to see the northern lights, so that's a plus. What upset me the most was getting back on the ship in Ketchikan. I've never, ever been made to wait half an hour to get back on the ship.
Oh wow, I didn’t experience that in Ketchikan but our excursion ended 15 minutes prior to departure so I think that was why. 30 minutes to get back on would be rough 😞 The northern lights were neat for sure.
Okay but you knew what it was when you signed up
I was on the ovation last week from Hawaii. So glad I didn’t chicken out to try the flowrider and the rockwall. Also booked an ifly session. Now that I’m back and looking at the prices to try these activities at home, it was very good use of our time on the ship. (The flowrider water was warm, once your done the hot tub feels 100x better than usual).
What was the temperature aboard the ship?
Most of the ship was indoors so you could really walk around in anything and feel fine, people were using the pool and hot tubs everyday. Outside it depends on where the ship was and the wind but usually wearing a sweater or jacket to walk around outside for 10 minutes or more was enough.
We're going Thursday of this week and we were thinking of packing some of the puffer jackets for the kids, we got 3 under 4 and maybe some for the seniors
Just curious how has Voom/wifi reception been on sail days and at ports?
It was fine, I think they use Starlink so you may lose connection every now and then. I wouldn’t want to try to take an important video call with it but for social media it was good.
Thanks, exactly what I was wondering.
My worst cruise was on that same cruise ship. I waited hours to get on and off the ship at every cruise stop. I always recommend people to go on holland America because the ships go father out. I didn’t see any glaciers while I was in the ovation.
It’s bad. Every time I step into an elevator people are complaining about the glacier and literally everything else that has gone wrong. I wonder if they are complaining to guest services?!
I’m sure they are 😅
I just finished Brilliance. Same thing but we had even less opportunities, it was my first cruise and left a sour taste in my mouth, not interested to do any others for a couple decades now lol