Royal Caribbean President's Cruise: Memories Of Alaska

Royal Caribbean International's Annual President's Cruise missed a couple of years, as did we all. During that time, Royal Caribbean went through some things. A lot of things.

Then again, so did their customers, especially the loyal ones who kept trying to rebook and kept getting cancelled.

With that as backstory, the departure of the 2022 RCI President's Cruise round-trip Seattle to Alaska on Ovation of the Seas marked a milestone in the company's recovery. There were 4,000 passengers aboard, the majority of them members of RCI's Crown & Anchor Society, a multi-tier loyalty program for past guests.

They were glad to be back, and the crew, including RCI President & CEO Michael Bayley and many other shoreside senior executives, were glad to see them.

A heat wave was just taking off in Seattle and it followed Ovation north to Alaska. The rain gear and sweaters were largely unnecessary for the entire cruise.

I brought my brother-in-law as a guest. He hasn't travelled that much and had never cruised. I was really looking forward to seeing his reactions to the experience. The snoring and terrible jokes were the price I had to pay, but he likely has his own niggling complaints.

He had no complaints about our stateroom, especially the balcony with the ever-changing view. The storage space somehow absorbed his incredible amount of camera and computer equipment, and the largest, heaviest raincoat I've ever seen. (Narrator: it never rained, not a drop.)

Some of the guests we met on the President's Cruise had travelled with Royal Caribbean more than 150 times. So you can bet there were some joyful reunions with crew members who have become friends over repeated sailings.

The hundreds of guests who attended a presentation and Q&A session with RCI President and CEO Michael Bayley gave crew members an extended standing ovation.

Michael Bayley welcomed guests to the 2022 President's Cruise by frankly discussing the disappointments of the past two years. But guests -- including some travel advisors in the audience -- praised the company for its efforts to get crew home, help keep partners afloat, and successfully demonstrate that cruising can provide a safe environment.

Crown & Anchor Society members brought memories aboard, including branded trinkets, old Compass newsletters, photo albums and more. Veteran Royal Caribbean execs including Bayley -- who started with the line more than 40 years ago as an Assistant Purser -- and Raimund Gschaider, VP Hotel Operations, saw pictures of their younger selves posing with guests among the memorabilia.

The star of any Alaska cruise is the state itself. The scenery is constantly changing and always beautiful.

An excursion on a smaller boat to look for whales is pretty much a must-do in Alaska. Our trip from Juneau's Auk Bay not only brought us humpback and bald eagle sightings, but glorious scenery and a very special sunset.

The North Star offered a unique view of Alaska's scenery, especially during the visit to Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.

With Alaska in a heatwave, guests didn't have to crowd into the beautiful 270 with its two-storey windows to view Dawes Glacier and Endicott Arm. Instead it was shorts, sandals and t-shirts for many.

The combination of green water and trees, grey granite, white snow and blue glacial ice makes for a pretty picture.

From a rolling 'Stowaway Piano' that shows up in the strangest places to a kilted piper hosting 'Name That Tune,' there's entertainment for everybody on Ovation of the Seas. We enjoyed seeing five-piece rock band Phoenix and solo acoustic acts too.

"Dude, there's a piano in the elevator. And a guy playing it," said my brother-in-law. "This place is too much."

Previous President's Cruises have featured talent like Patti Labelle and Hall & Oates. This time it was American rock hitmakers Foreigner, who were touring on the 45th anniversary of their first album, with songs including 'Feels Like The First Time,' and 'Cold As Ice.' Amazingly, their singing and playing was as good as ever, and the Ovation crowd was rockin' like 20-year-olds.

On a beautiful day in Skagway, Ovation guests took a ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, set off on a nautical adventure or stepped back 120 years at a Skagway block party.

Things aren't normal right now, and Royal Caribbean warned guests that some items might be in short supply. I sure didn't find anything lacking, quite the opposite as there's was definitely more of me coming home than there was going out.

My favourite meal of the cruise was hosted as a special event at the Solarium, using the recipes of a local Alaskan chef, who came on board to work with the team. The Alaskan halibut dish was to die for, and the 100% Elk cheeseburger got a big thumbs-up from Linken D'Souza, RCI's Global Head, Vice President Food & Beverage, who joined us for dinner.

There's Linken D'Souza himself, leading a team of ship chefs and a young guest in a 30-minute cook-off versus the culinary talents of the Jamie's Italian Ovation team. D'Souza, pointing out that he represents both food and beverage, tried to bride the judges with a noon-hour Aperol Spritz.

We loved going down the rabbit hole at Wonderland. The decor, music, food and service all combined for a really fun and unique evening. The menu introduced elements of molecular gastronomy -- like clear tomato soup topped with a bread foam and served in a test tube. Another dish saw a smoke-filled glass dome lifted off a pair of devilled eggs on a bed of crispy, smoke-infused noodles. Main courses were more substantial and equally flavourful, ensuring guests left satisfied.

Gord lucked out on his first cruise as my guest. The Ovation of the Seas barely rocked, there was no rain to be seen and temperatures in Alaska climbed into the 80s. Not to mention he had the chance to see Foreigner in an intimate theater -- "The real Foreigner?" he asked me.

He wasn't so lucky on the way home, as Seattle-Vancouver-Halifax became a 48-hour ordeal -- about 7 hours less than it would have taken to drive.

Gord says he was blown away by the ship, the amount of things to do, the quality and selection of food and the beauty of Alaska. But most of all, he enjoyed meeting and chatting with both crew members and guests from all over the world, who were sharing the pleasures of a wonderful destination