The first full day on our Ovation of the Seas sailing was a sea day. Today we sailed off the western coast of Vancouver Island and British Columbia on our way to Ketchikan.
I woke up around 7am and met my dad for breakfast at the Windjammer. Since we are so far north and winter is approaching, the sunrise was not until around 7:30am. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the buffet and sat down at a table near a window to watch the water go by.
So far, the weather on our way to Alaska has been quite unpredictable. This morning, it was very overcast but only slightly chilly. We took a walk to the outdoor seating area at the back of the Windjammer to catch views of the aft. I think this is the best view of any dining location onboard Ovation of the Seas.
After breakfast, we planned to walk around the running track, but the windy and wet weather prevented us from doing so. Instead, we headed to the Solarium to relax for a while. The seas this morning were rougher than those I had encountered on my previous Caribbean sailings. They even had seasickness bags available in the stairwell! The ship didn’t rock too much, though, and we spent about an hour watching the ship make its way through the dense fog around us.
Later that morning, we went down to Schooner Bar for a quick round of trivia. Interestingly, several of the trivia questions seemed to be geared for guests primarily from Australia. Since Ovation often sails around Australia and New Zealand, I suppose this makes sense, and now I can say I know some random facts about Australia.
The Schooner bar also features a digital map so guests can see where in the world the ship is sailing.
Following trivia, I grabbed a quick snack at Cafe at Two70 before heading back up to the indoor pool to relax until lunch.
Today’s lunch was at one of my favorite specialty restaurants onboard, Jamie’s Italian. The restaurant is located in “The Via” area on Ovation of the Seas and features colorful decor and views of the promenade deck.
We started the meal with the crispy black truffle arancini rice balls and tomato bruschetta drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
For the main course, we ordered the eggplant parmigiana and baked lasagne with penne pomodoro. All of the food was extremely fresh, especially the pasta, which is made from scratch daily! I also really enjoyed the arugula salad I got with my meal.
Our lunch came to an abrupt halt, though, following the main course. The captain came on the loudspeaker to announce that there were whales spotted on both sides of the ship. We immediately ran out to the promenade deck and saw around fifteen whales pop up ever so slightly above the water.
I had never seen a whale in the wild before, and while I wish I could say I got better photos of the whale sightings, I was simply too excited in the moment to even think about taking pictures.
It was a cool experience to see everyone running out to the deck to catch a glance of such magnificent creatures. This is something you wouldn’t normally see on a Caribbean cruise!
After our lunch hiatus, we finished our meal with dessert. The epic brownie and raspberry pavlova were a perfect end to a delicious lunch at Jamie's Italian.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of walking around the windy running track, listening to classical guitar at Boleros, and looking out at the ocean hoping to see more whales.
Then came time to try an activity I haven’t done before onboard: bumper cars. It is nice to be on a Quantum Class ship for this cold-weather sailing so we can take advantage of the indoor activities offered in the SeaPlex such as bumper cars. While the line for bumper cars can get long, it went by quickly, and it was fun to try an activity I normally wouldn’t do at home. With music and commentary from guests and staff, the atmosphere in the SeaPlex during bumper cars was really exciting as well.
The weather cleared up nicely in the evening, leading to a wonderful sunset at sea featuring a gigantic rainbow.
After the sun went down, I headed back to my cabin to get ready for our first port day. Tomorrow we will reach Alaska and spend the day in Ketchikan.
Stray Observations:
While often misty or sprinkling, the weather is a bit warmer than I thought it would be.
This is the first ship I’ve been on with an indoor pool and I really enjoy having an indoor option aside from the Solarium. It would be nice to have this on all ships so there are more options in case of inclement weather.
My stateroom is directly below Adventure Ocean and it is pretty loud in the evening with kids running around above the cabin. While I will sleep through it fine, this is something to consider when selecting a cabin if you sail on Ovation of the Seas.
The internet is much better onboard than I thought it would be and I haven't had any connectivity issues so far.
A short note: I am so excited to experience the nature and culture of Alaska and cannot wait for tomorrow!
