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Enchantment of the Seas - trip report with pictures


CruisinCrow
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Hi All, a little background here. We are Susan and Ron and we are in our 40's. We'd been looking forward to a trip to Maine for months but then we had a couple of family emergencies and had to cancel. Once things settled down at home, we decided we still really needed a vacation so we booked the Enchantment last minute. We were on the 3-day sailing, September 20.

 

I like to write journals of our trips so this is more of a journal than a review. I hope you enjoy!

 

Day 1 - Port Canaveral

 

After a miserable August, I don’t think we’ve ever been more ready to get out of town for a few days. No, it wasn’t the Maine lighthouse and lobster trip we had planned, but it was just what we needed. Three days of sun, fun and relaxation.

 

We got to Port Canaveral at 10:30 and were in the very first group on the ship. Time to explore! After three cruises on Monarch of the Seas, I was excited to see her replacement. I wasn’t disappointed. Built in 1997, Enchantment of the Seas was “stretched” in 2005. They literally cut the ship in half and added another section in the middle. As a result, the pool deck on Enchantment was huge. There were two outdoor pools and a kids’ Splash Zone, as well as the glass-enclosed Solarium pool. My favorite parts of the ship were the arching suspension bridges on either side of the pool deck. Also added in 2005 were the bungee trampolines on Deck 10. I definitely wanted to try those!

 

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Edited by CruisinCrow
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Enchantment had some fun technology features too. There were digital screens placed all around the ship with interactive deck plans and a list of all the current activities and where they were taking place. They even had a “Restroom Finder” button, which gave directions to the nearest restroom. It sounded funny but it was a brilliant idea. It always seems to take three days to figure out where the restrooms are. :)

 

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After getting our bearings, we had lunch at the buffet in the Windjammer. Here is where we discovered the drawback to the stretch. They had added an additional 151 cabins but they hadn’t expanded the restaurant to compensate for the extra people. The place was a mob scene! There weren’t nearly enough places to sit and everyone was bumping into each other, trying to get to the plates or the drinks. We ate and got out of there as fast as we could. Fortunately, the staterooms were ready by then so we headed down to Deck 3 to unpack. We were in 3528, which was a nice, quiet ocean view cabin.

 

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We spent the afternoon checking out the spa, signing up for the soda package, having the obligatory “welcome aboard” mojito and just enjoying being on a ship. The weather was spectacular – drier and not too hot. We could feel the stress melting away as we left Port Canaveral behind.

Edited by CruisinCrow
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Since we’d booked the trip last-minute, the only dinner seating available was My Time Dining, which was great since that was exactly what we wanted. We headed to the dining room around 7 and were seated at a table for two with a fantastic wait team – Teresa from the Philippines and Natalie from Trinidad and Tobago. Girl power! The menus had changed a little since our last Royal Caribbean cruise. I had the spinach salad, scallops gratin (which replaced the escargot – booo), seafood spaghetti (one of the new entrees) and chocolate sensation cake. Ron ordered the prime rib, which was so tender he could cut it with his fork.

 

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Day 2 - Nassau

 

We went to the Windjammer for breakfast at 7, hoping to beat the crazy crowds. We found a couple of “bar seats” by the windows, and I filled my plate with my favorite cranberry bread, grits and scrambled eggs. As we ate, we watched the Majesty of the Seas and Norwegian Sky heading towards their respective private islands. I love breakfast with a view!

 

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Pool deck in the morning:

 

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Solarium:

 

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The ship didn’t arrive in Nassau until noon so I thought it would be fun to spend the morning trying out the bungee trampoline. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any line. All the kids seemed to be playing in the Splash Zone. That was good – I wouldn’t have an audience. :) I signed the waiver and the attendant got me strapped into the bungee harness. Then I started bouncing and the attendant adjusted the bungee cords so I would go really high up. I was hollering “Not so high!!!” The attendant was laughing at me, but Ron got some good pictures. In my defense, the bungee trampoline is on a raised platform on the top deck. So when you’re jumping, you really are waaaay up there. Awesome view though! I could see the ocean for miles.

 

Finally, the attendant lowered me back down. Whew! But it was so much fun that I decided to go for a second round (a little lower that time). Ron said he was surprised there was no charge for using the trampoline. Go figure – you have to pay for orange juice at breakfast, but the trampoline is free.

 

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It was much hotter that day than it had been in Port Canaveral, and after all that jumping I needed something to cool off. Oh, hello! They were selling pineapple drinks by the pool! I always wanted to get one of those. The pineapples were filled with a drink called the Dreamcicle, which had frozen pina colada, papaya, mango and rum. Perfect! Ron and I hung out on deck as the ship made its way into Nassau.

 

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Since we’d booked the trip last-minute, the only dinner seating available was My Time Dining, which was great since that was exactly what we wanted. We headed to the dining room around 7 and were seated at a table for two with a fantastic wait team – Teresa from the Philippines and Natalie from Trinidad and Tobago. Girl power!

 

We too had Teresa and Natalie last weekend. They were fantastic as were all the meals. We were there at 6:15 except Saturday when we did Chops :) Great pictures and review!!!

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Fun review and great photos - thanks! My daughter and I did a 4 night cruise on Enchantment in August and had so much fun we are going to try the 3 night cruise early next year. We will definitely have to check out the trampoline this time around - it looks like great fun.

 

I'm looking forward to your review of Nassau. On our last cruise we got into port at 7am and stayed until midnight so spent the day at Atlantis. We will be looking for something else to do this time around.

Edited by kccrzr
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My wife and I and about 30 friends were onthis cruise with a group called rule 62 tavel club everyone had a blast .perfect wether , good friends good food (in the dining room) we all enjoyed it so much we already reseved a group for next year same weekend. We were in cabin 3128 so we were just on opposite side of ship, I hope you all had a wonderful time the only think is it was to short

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I took the 3 night Enchantment cruise in July and will be boarding her again 2 weeks from today. Thanks for posting your report, great pictures - looking forward to the rest. I guess I didn't realize you had to pay for orange juice at breakfast. Wow.

 

Only if you want fresh-squeezed. :) There is a machine just inside the Windjammer that squeezes it for you but it charges your Sea Pass card. You can get free juice from the regular drink dispensers.

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Only if you want fresh-squeezed. :) There is a machine just inside the Windjammer that squeezes it for you but it charges your Sea Pass card. You can get free juice from the regular drink dispensers.

 

Exactly! My mom loves the fresh squeezed and thinks its very much worth it over the concentrate out of the machine in the WJ though.

 

She doesnt drink alcohol so thats one of her "splurges" while on a cruise. A glass of fresh squuezed OJ with her breakfast every morning.

 

Im just fine with whatever is "free" myself :)

Edited by ryano
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Only if you want fresh-squeezed. :) There is a machine just inside the Windjammer that squeezes it for you but it charges your Sea Pass card. You can get free juice from the regular drink dispensers.

 

Got ya. I remember seeing those machines. I am embarrassed to say that I prefer my orange juice from concentrate. I also don't like real salsa and prefer Pace :)

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Ok, back to Nassau...

 

 

Our plan for the afternoon was to check out a couple of Nassau’s new attractions – the chocolate factory at the Graycliff hotel and the John Watling’s rum distillery. First stop was Graycliff, about a 10-minute walk from the cruise terminal. Graycliff is a beautiful, historic hotel which has hosted the famous and infamous, such as Al Capone, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Sir Winston Churchill. We wandered around the hotel grounds, stopping in the cigar shop so Ron could buy a few cigars. Then we made our way to the chocolate store. The lady at the counter said that they could give us a tour of the factory for $10 a person, so we signed up. Our tour guide, Jermaine, made us don disposable robes and hair nets. For health and sanitation reasons he said, but I noticed the employees weren’t wearing them. I teased Jermaine that the outfits were just to make the tourists look funny. :)

 

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