Ovation of the Seas - May 2022
I was fortunate enough to travel to Vancouver and set sail aboard Ovations first sailing back after lock down in May. Such a beautiful ship, she looked brand new, my husband even thought we were upgraded as our balcony cabin was so spacious and modern.
We were able to board at 10am and booked the North Star on the Royal App as soon as we were on. We also had pre-booked a 2 night dining package, which included Chops and Wonderland, you must book Wonderland as soon as you board as seating times book out fast.
Straight to the bar with a celebratory cocktail, i normally start with a Colada of some sort, check out our cabin, and unpack once for the next 8 nights.
Drink package is a must and well worth it, I tried many different cocktails on this sailing, mostly at the Schooner Bar, we met some wonderful people at this bar.
North Star was fantastic, fabulous views over Canada Place, this was a great start to our cruise.
Dining - We enjoyed both Chops Grille and Wonderland, well worth it for a special night.
Ports of call:
Sitka - my first time to this port, it was quite chaotic with another Mega Ship docking at the same time, which pretty much doubled the population of Sitka. If you haven't pre-booked a tour I recommend you do, otherwise you need to line up to get the free shuttles into town. Town is quaint and beautiful with great shops and fabulous views of the snow capped mountains.
Cruising Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier - definitely worth the 5.30am wake up call, just so spectacular with massive chunks of glacier floating past and just the serenity, we spent hours on our balcony with a beanie on :) watching the scenery.
Juneau - this is my second time here, so this time we went up Roberts Tramway, unbelievable views up the top, and they had a massive snow dump just days prior so it was really picturesque. This stop if famous for Tracy Kings Crab Shack!
Skagway - this is my seocond time here, so this time we booked the White Pass Rail, wow so stunning, highly recommend this, we ended up going up and down by train. You are dropped in town which is only a 5-10 minute walk back to the ship.
Ketchikan - this is my second time here, the weather was 2 degrees today with an unusual cold snap today, our canoe tour was cancelled so we opted to stay at the Schooner Bar for the day.
Seattle - this cruise ended in Seattle which is perfect for those who want a one way cruise, and it's a fabulous city to explore. I recommend at least 3 nights here.