{"id":336179,"date":"2025-12-09T10:44:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/a-three-generation-adventure-on-the-ovation-of-the-seas\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:44:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:44:15","slug":"a-three-generation-adventure-on-the-ovation-of-the-seas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=336179","title":{"rendered":"A Three-Generation Adventure on the Ovation of the Seas"},"content":{"rendered":"


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This post contains affiliate links<\/a>. If you click one and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you<\/strong>. It helps support the site so I can continue to offer you great content!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Most of the time, I plan trips my own way. Cruising would never have been my first idea of a vacation, but my brother and sister in law love it and invited me along. That is how I ended up on Royal Caribbean\u2019s Ovation of the Seas and discovered that cruising is its own fascinating, fun little universe.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like suddenly living in an airport where the rules of life are suspended. People order espresso martinis at breakfast. Entire families walk around in matching shirts. And for one set price, you get lodging, food, entertainment, and transportation \u2013 which, unless you\u2019re hosteling and hitchhiking, is hard to beat.<\/p>\n

This trip was a 5-night cruise on\u00a0Royal Caribbean\u2019s Ovation of the Seas<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas. We had three generations onboard: my Baby Boomer brother and sister-in-law in their 60s, my two Gen Z kids (24 and 22), and me, the Gen Xer in the middle. Here\u2019s what it was like.<\/p>\n

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Getting There: Road Trip in a Tesla (and Coffee Failures)<\/h2>\n

We drove from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in my brother\u2019s Tesla, making two charging stops along the way. The first was in Kettleman, California, at a Jetsons-like Tesla charging station with \u201ccone of silence\u201d pod chairs and high-tech vending machines.<\/p>\n

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\"Kettleman,
Kettleman, California Tesla Charging Station sunrise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Kettleman,
Dr Evil chairs at Tesla Charging Station<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I learned the hard way that their coffee machine requires you to move the cup mid-process \u2013 otherwise, your long-awaited caffeine pours straight down the drain. (Yes, I paid twice.) At least the waiting area was spotless and comfortable while the car charged.<\/p>\n

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\"trtl<\/a>
Not particularly attractive, but really comfortable \u201cTrtl Pillow\u201d. Check it out! Great on a road trip or flight. Amazing to actually sleep and then wake up without a sore neck!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Embarkation: The Wow Factor<\/h2>\n

Driving into the Port of Los Angeles was a mix of traffic, confusion about which lane to be in, and sheer excitement at seeing these floating buildings up close. If you are cruising from the Port of Los Angeles, allow extra time because signage is not the clearest and the traffic flow changes depending on ship schedules.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Ovation of the Seas<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is 3.2 football fields long. If you lay the Empire State Building on its side, the ship is nearly the same length. How is this even possible?<\/p>\n

Check-in went quickly: luggage drop, security line, health questions, and then suddenly we were onboard!<\/p>\n

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First Steps Onboard<\/h2>\n

Before you can relax, you head to your assigned\u00a0muster station<\/strong>\u00a0for a safety briefing. Think: how to use your life jacket, and what those seven short alerts followed by one long sound mean (hint: it\u2019s not a drill).<\/p>\n

With that checked off, we grabbed lunch at the caf\u00e9 near the Solarium, then tried to get our phones and devices hooked up to Wi-Fi. Even our fairly tech-savvy group needed help from the crew\u2019s internet desk. By the time we were sorted out, our cabins were ready.<\/p>\n

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Our Cabins: Balcony vs. Virtual Balcony<\/h2>\n

I splurged on a balcony cabin on Ovation of the Seas, and it was worth every penny. Waking up with the curtains open, watching the sun rise over the ocean, sliding the door open for fresh air and the sound of waves \u2026 heaven.<\/p>\n

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\"Royal<\/figure>\n
\"Royal<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

On my last cruise<\/a>, I stayed in an\u00a0interior virtual balcony<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>to save money. It\u2019s surprisingly comfortable, with a massive \u201cwindow\u201d (actually a live camera feed) showing the view outside. You can see weather, land, and the horizon, which is super clever. But there\u2019s no fresh air, and that\u2019s what I missed most.<\/p>\n

This time, my kids stayed in a virtual balcony cabin. They found it roomy enough, though they had to call to get their king bed separated into two twins. It worked well for them.<\/p>\n

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Sea Days: Solarium Bliss<\/h2>\n

One of my happiest memories came from the\u00a0Solarium<\/strong>, the adults only retreat at the front of the ship. It is a glass covered oasis with palm trees, shallow pools, hot tubs, and rows of loungers that overlook the ocean. If the main pool deck feels like spring break, the Solarium feels like a spa day.<\/p>\n

On our first sea day, my brother and I got there before 9 a.m., grabbed breakfast from the nearby bistro, and claimed five loungers.<\/p>\n

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\"Lounging<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

One by one, our family arrived. We read, dipped into the pools and hot tubs (with our coffees), listened to music, and chatted. It was pure relaxation and togetherness: the kind of day you dream about.<\/p>\n

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\"Lounging<\/figure>\n
\"Lounging<\/figure>\n
\"Lounging<\/figure>\n
\"Lounging<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
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Dining and Entertainment<\/h2>\n

We had\u00a0\u201cYour Time Dining\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0at 6:45 each night in the Silk Dining Room, decorated in what I\u2019d call an \u201cI Dream of Jeannie\u201d style. Our waiter and assistant waiter memorized our names the first night and greeted us like old friends every evening after. A small thing, but magical.<\/p>\n

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\"Royal
The Kids do an escargot toast!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dining on Ovation of the Seas ranged from very good to occasionally mediocre, but the fun is that you can order more than one entr\u00e9e or dessert. Sharing across the table meant very little went to waste.<\/p>\n

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\"Royal
My salmon entree with a \u201cspare dinner\u201d of Chicken Cordon Bleu for the table to share! Such is Cruise Life!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Evenings included a funny comedian, a Las Vegas\u2013style \u201cLive, Love, Legs\u201d show with showgirls who had posture and confidence I can only aspire to, and a hilarious dance-off game where passengers attempted everything from the Twist to Gangnam Style.<\/p>\n

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\"Live,
\u201cLive, Love, Legs\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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One night there was an 80s Dance Party, which was a blast for all of us. The music was right out of my high school years, and my kids somehow knew every lyric thanks to years of being trapped in my car with 80s playlists blasting\u2026all hail New Order and Human League!<\/p>\n

Apparently the cool thing to do at a nightclub is to wear your sunglasses so you look mysterious and no one knows who you\u2019re looking at. I didn\u2019t have my sunglasses but wore my reading glasses to look equally cool. \u2b07<\/p>\n

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\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n