Enchantment comes to PC -April 25-29 2013- A mini review

[poncho1973]

We caved and decided to join the inaugural Port Canaveral party. This is not a comprehensive review, nor will it include pictures, but I will cover our main points and such.

 

 

The Good

Almost everything is included here. We enjoyed the Blairs and felt they did an excellent job whenever we saw them. They weren't obnoxious. They weren't everywhere, but they were quite visible.

 

The shows (with a caveat) we enjoyed the shows we saw, but found them extremely difficult to get to. They were all mixed up and all over the place. They weren't timed similar to other cruises we have been on and several people mentioned this. More on this later.

 

The food. The updated menus were nice. There were one or two stinker items and some meh items, but in general, it was nice. We found many old items had been slightly upgraded. We had great service and enjoyed dinner very much!

 

Our inside stateroom being sideways. We found we enjoyed this layout. It had its challenges, but it was kind of fun.

 

The solarium was an excellent space. There is a whopping bad to this, but you'll see that below. Park Cafe was superb. We had salads, paninis, sandwiches, late night pizza, fruit, etc. It was a huge cut above Sorrentos or the Promenade Cafe. The layout was great. It looked great. There was plenty of seating. Everything except my worst part of the cruise (below) was great.

 

I finally got to visit Coco Cay! I really enjoyed it. It is not Disney's private island and tendering isn't ideal, but it was a decent place to visit. We had a great time.

 

The ship was really easy to get around and it was laid out well. It is SUPER LONG, but it was easy enough to get around. The lounges/clubs were old-style, but nice. Everything was great in the ones we hung out in.

 

The crew/staff were really nice. We enjoyed everyone we met and talked with.

 

The Bad:

Back to the shows. The Quest was not on the last night, it was on a port night and took place BEFORE the last call back to the ship. Love and Marriage was at 10:45 on the last night. The early shows were still pretty late and the late shows were even later. We enjoyed them all, but attendance was much poorer than we have typically seen no matter which shows we went to.

 

The interactive menus outside the MDR were wrong every day. It listed some other day's menu. This was really annoying the first night when we had already decided what we wanted before arriving. I checked each day and it remained wrong. I pointed it out and it remained wrong.

 

The sideways inside staterooms had no where to sit down. We had the old shower curtain that leaks & never stays closed... this is fine with me, but Mrs. Poncho doesn't enjoy a draft in her showers.

 

The solarium was SO HOT YOUR FACE FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO MELT OFF LIKE IN RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK OR SOMETHING! No joke. It was hot, damp, stale, lifeless in there. We tucked ourselves up under the awning (or as close to it as possible) to get a little air conditioning, but it was really rough. You could hop in the pool and cool off, but we kept having to do this over and over. Mrs. Poncho is quick to get cold and she said it felt like a sauna in there. Crack a window, eh? It was very unpleasant and was mentioned on our survey and I made a phone call when we got home.

 

Our only other issue was that Boleros was too close to The Smokers Pit (AKA the casino) and it was basically off-limits to us the entire cruise because of that. Sad. We wanted to hit several things there. The large party of people in the rooms across the hall from us were saying the same thing one night when we came back to our room and they were deciding what to do for the night. It stank down there.

 

The Summary:

This ship isn't the best in the fleet, but it was fun and perfect for a weekend getaway. We enjoyed ourselves. We had a great cruise. The good massively out-weighed the bad. The bad stuff was all VERY specific and not deal-breaking material. The trip was very much a success!

[Clarea]

Thanks for the review. Hopefully they can find a way to reduce the temperature in the Solarium. It would be a shame for that space to be so uncomfortable.

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for your review; I just learned tonight that my Brillinace cruise has been chartered ( Buckeyes, maybe you and Mrs poncho plan to go;)) since maybe they might call me to actually cancel it one day soon:rolleyes:, I started looking into other options. I already have the air fare so it has to fit, and this does.

 

Some questions:

 

DD likes the bungee jumping, any experience with that?

 

Does the ship stay in Nassau late- is that why the shows started before the all aboard? (I think it was midnight on Monarch) how late do they get in? The only thing I might like to do there is go back to Blue Lagoon, but that's a day thing!

 

Does the park cafe have the "you pick you salad, they toss" station like on Oasis? Paninnis, or only cold sandwiches? Oops you mentioned the paninnis!

 

Of you have your own gear can you snorkel in Coco cay without paying?

 

Btw- who are the Blair's?

 

We were hoping for a quick girls get away cruise on Brilliance while visiting my mom and dad in Ft Myers, now I'm stuck with a cross state odessey and the crappy Bahamas again:mad:

[Fla Mike]

Thanks for the review, we'll be on her May 17th.

[Clarea]

Thanks for your review; I just learned tonight that my Brillinace cruise has been chartered ( Buckeyes, maybe you and Mrs poncho plan to go;)) since maybe they might call me to actually cancel it one day soon:rolleyes:, I started looking into other options. I already have the air fare so it has to fit, and this does.

 

Some questions:

 

DD likes the bungee jumping, any experience with that?

 

Does the ship stay in Nassau late- is that why the shows started before the all aboard? (I think it was midnight on Monarch) how late do they get in? The only thing I might like to do there is go back to Blue Lagoon, but that's a day thing!

 

Does the park cafe have the "you pick you salad, they toss" station like on Oasis? Paninnis, or only cold sandwiches? Oops you mentioned the paninnis!

 

Of you have your own gear can you snorkel in Coco cay without paying?

 

Btw- who are the Blair's?

 

We were hoping for a quick girls get away cruise on Brilliance while visiting my mom and dad in Ft Myers, now I'm stuck with a cross state odessey and the crappy Bahamas again:mad:

Yes, you can snorkel for free in Coco Cay. They do want you to wear a snorkel vest, so if you don't have one, they will rent one for $6 per person, charged to your SeaPass card.

[jakenashleysmom]

A question about the solarium....did they ever open the retractable roof? that may cool it off a tad LOL!

 

To answer familygoboston's question about the bungee jumping, the kids loved it! They have specific hours, but close down if its too windy. The kids need an adult present, first time you need to sign a waver. I thought after we signed the waver we didn't need to be present but they said we needed to be there. There is plenty of area around to hang out while the kids are jumping, and they need socks.

[poncho1973]

Thanks for your review; I just learned tonight that my Brillinace cruise has been chartered ( Buckeyes, maybe you and Mrs poncho plan to go;)) since maybe they might call me to actually cancel it one day soon:rolleyes:, I started looking into other options. I already have the air fare so it has to fit, and this does.

 

Some questions:

 

DD likes the bungee jumping, any experience with that?

 

Does the ship stay in Nassau late- is that why the shows started before the all aboard? (I think it was midnight on Monarch) how late do they get in? The only thing I might like to do there is go back to Blue Lagoon, but that's a day thing!

 

Does the park cafe have the "you pick you salad, they toss" station like on Oasis? Paninnis, or only cold sandwiches? Oops you mentioned the paninnis!

 

Of you have your own gear can you snorkel in Coco cay without paying?

 

Btw- who are the Blair's?

 

We were hoping for a quick girls get away cruise on Brilliance while visiting my mom and dad in Ft Myers, now I'm stuck with a cross state odessey and the crappy Bahamas again:mad:

 

It would be nice to do a Buckeyes cruise. There was a small O-H-I-O chant during the parade of nations. That was fun.

 

It wasn't bungee jumping, but more like a trampoline with wires. We went out and watched, but they only had 1 of the 4 stations open and there were like 5 kids in line ahead of us and the muster drill was in like 45 minutes. We wanted to try it, but never made our way back out there. Our fault, not theirs. It looked fun. It is way out on the front upper deck, so you will have to search it out.

 

We stayed in Nassau until 11:30pm. I do not know if this is going to be typical or not.

 

Park Cafe sounds the exact same as the Oasis-class from what I have read. Roast beef sandwiches, cold sandwiches, hot sandwiches, pasta salads, antipasta, fruit cups, salad station, drink station, etc.

 

We took our own gear to snorkle. We have vests, but I chose not to wear mine and no one said anything to me. I was in 4 feet of water (low tide) most of the time and that is ridiculous to request a 6'2" man to wear a float in less than chest-deep water. I would have told them so, if they asked, but they didn't say a word. I saw the $6 rentals mentioned above.

 

John Blair was the CD. His wife Katrina Blair was the AD. They were a team at many of the larger events and shows.

[poncho1973]

A question about the solarium....did they ever open the retractable roof? that may cool it off a tad LOL!

 

We were down there for lunch every day, down there for the pool every day, and were there several times in the evening.

 

The roof was never open when we were there and I have no reason to believe it was opened a single time during the cruise. It was 80-90 degrees every day and there was little-to-zero chance of rain the entire trip. For about 30 minutes in the afternoon in Nassau it looked kind of cloudy in the far distance, but that passed extremely fast and never came really close to us. It's hard to judge miles on the water, but it was far away.

 

 

ETA: The area up by the Park Cafe had nice a/c blowing in and if you picked a close table it was pretty nice. If you got too far away from there, the melting began.

[jakenashleysmom]

Thats strange, of the 4 times I have been on the Enchantment I have only seen the roof open one time.....and that was a looooonnnnngggg time ago. Seems like a waste of an excellent feature to me! :confused:

[Cheryl H]

Thanks to whomever said to take socks to the trampoline. I'm sure our 8 year old is going to want to try it out.

 

What a bummer about the hot solarium. I usually like to plant myself in the hottub every night after dinner, but it sounds like that might not be for this cruise.

[Mightygator]

I was on the same cruise.

 

I uploaded the Compasses here for anyone curious.

 

http://s1363.photobucket.com/user/mightygator/library/Compass%20Enchantment%20of%20the%20Seas%20April%2025%202013

[GraphicsChyk]

I was on the same cruise.

 

I uploaded the Compasses here for anyone curious.

 

http://s1363.photobucket.com/user/mightygator/library/Compass%20Enchantment%20of%20the%20Seas%20April%2025%202013

 

THANK YOU! I'm going on the September 23rd sailing so this is great to see. I'm thrilled they have the silent dance, that looks fun.

[OTownNick]

Just a few weeks for me. Can't wait

[cruisenfever]

Thats strange, of the 4 times I have been on the Enchantment I have only seen the roof open one time.....and that was a looooonnnnngggg time ago. Seems like a waste of an excellent feature to me! :confused:

We were on the April 1 cruise and the roof of the Solarium was opened at least once that we were aware of. We were able to watch activity from the Concierge Lounge.

[poncho1973]

I was on the same cruise.

 

I uploaded the Compasses here for anyone curious.

 

http://s1363.photobucket.com/user/mightygator/library/Compass%20Enchantment%20of%20the%20Seas%20April%2025%202013

 

 

Thanks!

[Fun2snorkel]

We were on the Enchantment in Feb and the Solarium was open the day we got on! We had decided to meet friends that were on a B2B there and had to keep our coats on.:D I don't remember it being open any other time but was not in there some days. The Park Café was wonderful! We learned to ask for the fat to be cut away and double the meat.:) Also they will make your salads for you or you can get the pre-made ones.

 

I am in my 60's and must say the trampoline is so much fun!:D It was closed a lot for winds but when leaving a port, it was a fun place to be.

 

We also had one of those side ways rooms once - never wanted it again!

[poncho1973]

We also had one of those side ways rooms once - never wanted it again!

 

We didn't have much choice considering how we just decided to go, but I can respect and understand that.

 

The couple we went with had a similar room, but it seemed a lot more updated than ours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few additional comments:

 

Both rooms (ours and the couple mentioned above) had number pad safes.

Our room had the curtain in the shower, theirs had the rounded doors.

The quest had an amazing moment of one woman removing her entire dress and standing there for a good 10+ minutes in her underwear. Saw her in the elevator later and she told a man who commented on it that she had no shame and didn't care in the slightest.

The fat removal on the sandwiches was a great tip we also got from someone in line.

The piano man in Schooner Bar wasn't quite as good (technically speaking) as the others we've seen, but he was very entertaining.

[Buccaneergirl]

DH and I were on this cruise also and I totally agree about the solarium. We never stayed in there because it was stifling hot!

 

I put on my comment card how I hated the dreaded shower curtain. I am so surprised that they did not put in the doors when it was in dry dock!

 

It is a good ship for a short cruise and I am sure we will sail her again.

[bbgordon]

How late was Park Cafe opened for pizza?

[poncho1973]

How late was Park Cafe opened for pizza?

 

It is on the compasses above, but I think it was like 4:30am? Something like that. Way into the middle of the night.

[nyllrap]

We sailed on Enchantment twice when it was in Baltimore. Now, we are moving to Palm Coast, Florida (100 miles from Port Canaveral) in July. I have booked a cruise from there on Freedom of the Seas, which will be the largest ship I have been on to date.

 

My question is: Was the Enchantment in dry dock prior to being moved to Port Canaveral? I am just wondering if improvements were made, should I decide to sail on her in the future.

[Mightygator]

THANK YOU! I'm going on the September 23rd sailing so this is great to see. I'm thrilled they have the silent dance, that looks fun.

 

Silent dance was fun! Switching back and forth between the 2 channels to listen to completely different types of music and then picking which one you liked dancing to. I also got a kick out of the number of people that did not attempt to dance but got headphones anyway just so they could listen what we were dancing to.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review.

 

Keith

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for all the answers! Since its unlikely I will get any relief from Royal on flights, I'm glad this sounds like a viable option... DD loved Jewel, but I think she will like the Park Cafe and bungee, since we just got off Allure and she loved those kinds of activities.

 

Coco cay is nice; the snorkel vest thing is so weird, but if they make me i guess I don't have a choice. She also liked Blue Lagoon, where we did the Dolphins and we thought we could go back as the beach break if we do this one,- weirdly though its not listed as an excursion for this cruise:confused: They have the BL swim, and BL dolphin encounter, but no beach break listed! Puzzler!

 

Thanks Mighty Gator for the Compasses- that is awesome!

[poncho1973]

You can just buy a vest on Amazon or something for really cheap. It packs flat and weighs basically nothing. It is not a burden to travel with at all.