We were in no particular rush that day and got up just before 08:00. As we had lunch booked at Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, we did not want a substantial breakfast and headed to Cafe Promenade. We both had a cup of coffee. Graham had some fruit and a bran muffin. I had a strawberry yoghurt parfait and a blueberry muffin. Then we headed outside on deck 5 for some fresh air and to check out the weather. The captain had been right. The weather was glorious.
Once we started to feel cold, we went to Sound Cellar to get some seats for morning trivia. We scored 14 out 20, which was not bad at all. However, the winning score was 19.
After morning trivia, we quickly headed to the cabin. I got my iPad and Graham picked up the various optical equipment. Then me headed to the solarium for a while. There was not a great deal to see, but I was quite happy to just relax and read my book.
When our lunch reservation came up, we headed downstairs. They had the green screen set up on deck five and we stopped for some photos. Then we went to Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen for lunch.
Clarice spotted us as soon as we got to the restaurant. The host wanted to seat us in a different section, but Clarice insisted that we were her guests. The host looked at me, and I confirmed that this was the case. This matter was settled. For the rest of the cruise, whenever we ate at Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, Clarice was our server.
Lunch was amazing again. We both had a glass of Moscato. Graham started with the meatball gigante with sautéed spinach, mozzarella, marinara sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese and some grilled bread on the side. For his main, he had the Lasagna Classica. I had crispy polenta served with Alfredo and marinara sauce followed by Chicken Parmigiana with tomato sauce, mozzarella, spaghetti and fresh basil. We both had pistachio panna cotta for dessert.
After lunch, we headed back up to the solarium. All the seats with view were taken in the solarium and by the indoor pool. We sat down outside the Solarium Bistro. I took a couple of turns around the place and on the second go around, I was in the right place at the right time. A family was just vacating some sofas by the indoor pool. I left my bag there and quickly went to get Graham. Throughout the afternoon, we had different people joining us.
It did not take long until we saw the mountains near Hubbard Glacier. The captain had mentioned in his noon announcement that narration by a naturalist would be broadcasted to all stateroom TVs for people enjoying the glacier viewing from their balconies, but it would also be broadcast on the pool deck. We never heard anything of the thought, but going on past experience, this was not exactly loss. It did not take long until we saw the first ice in the water. There was a lot of this. Actually, this was the most ice I have ever near a glacier and we have always gone to Alaska around that time of the year. With it being a completely clear day with beautiful blue sky and great visibility, there was no problem. All it meant that we could not get quite as close to the glacier. However, with great visibility and the sheer size of Hubbard glacier this did not matter at all. I actually felt that all the ice added something truly magical to the experience. There was absolutely no way we could have made this in poor visibility. A bar server came around. Graham had a virgin pina colada and I had a watermelon margarita. This was better than the one I had on the first cruise, but still not as good as I was used to from the ships that have Lime and Coconut.
The people on the opposite side of the ship got to see the glacier first. To give everybody the chance to enjoy the glacier viewing, the captain always does a couple of 360 degree turns stopping for a while when one side of the ship is facing the glacier. I did not mind at all as the scenery was still stunning and we saw seals, sea otters and sealions. At some stage, Graham headed to the bathroom, which was on the side of the ship that was facing the glacier at the time. When he came back, he told me that the light was great and I may want to head over to the opposite side to get some photos. I decided to do this. The windows were quite dirty, and the photos were not great. I headed up on deck and managed to get some photos through a gap in the glass panels. I was just about to head back downstairs when I saw a photographer. I got some photos while I was there. Then I headed back downstairs. Shortly after I had settled back down, the glacier started to come into view on our side. We stayed in that position for a while before making another turn. This time round, we did not stay stationary for quite as long. Once we had our second chance to get a good look at the glacier, we turned around and made out way out of the area. There were still some pretty views for a while.
Time definitely flies if you are having fun. At one stage, I looked at my watch, and it was just over half an hour until dinner. We headed to the cabin to get changed. Then we quickly got some photos done before heading for dinner. Dinner that evening was at Chops Grill. Chops Grill is the flagship specialty restaurant for Royal Caribbean. It is their steakhouse concept, which can be found on every single ship. It is also the most variable in terms of quality. We have had everything from great to absolutely awful over the years. Traditionally, it has been very good on Ovation and thankfully, it did not disappoint this time either.
We both had a glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. Graham started with the colossal shrimp cocktail with horseradish cocktail sauce, remoulade, and lemon. He then had the filet with grilled jumbo asparagus with sea salt, and lemon and the Yukon gold mashed potatoes with salt, and sweet cream butter. I started with the grilled black pepper bacon which was slow-cooked Berkshire pork with a sweet and spicy glaze. I then had the petite filet with Yukon gold mashed potatoes with salt, and sweet cream butter and sautéed mushrooms with demi-glace, and thyme. The only disappointment were the mushrooms, and this was not the restaurant’s fault. I am an incredibly fussy eater and have huge issues with certain textures. I had this dish before and it was a mix of button and chestnut mushrooms, which I love. This time round, it was mostly forest mushrooms. I picked the few button mushrooms out and left the rest.
After this little lot, I was stuffed. I really like their red velvet cake, but I had no room. I decided to order a slice to go and figured I could have this for breakfast the next day. We took this up to the room and then we headed to the solarium to relax for a while. Once the light started to fade, we headed back to the cabin. We got ready for bed. I read my customary chapter in my book and then I settled down to get a good night’s sleep ahead of three busy port days.
Dolphingirl’s Travels 
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