Enchantment of the Seas - trip report with pictures

[CruisinCrow]

Because the islands of the Bahamas don’t have the geography for growing cacao, the cacao beans were imported from Jamaica but roasted and turned into chocolate right there at the factory. Jermaine walked us through the whole chocolate-making process. We even got to meet Graycliff’s pastry chef and chocolatier, Erika Davis of Top Chef Just Desserts fame, who was very gracious and welcoming. After the tour, Ron and I each got to sample one of the 16 different chocolates. We chose dark chocolate bacon (yes, bacon!) and white chocolate key lime. They were both awesome. I ended up buying an 8-piece assortment to take home.

 

The last stop on our “Tour of Vices” was the distillery, which just opened to the public five months ago. First we sampled all three of the rums, the two-year Pale, three-year Amber and five-year Buena Vista. Then Bryant, our tour guide, walked us through the warehouse where the rum was aged. He told us that the Pale and Amber rums are aged in whiskey barrels purchased from Jack Daniels while the Buena Vista is aged in Cognac barrels, giving them their distinctive flavors. We bought a couple of bottles of rum from the gift shop and then took a seat in the distillery’s bar, where Uncle Will whipped us up some fabulous mojitos. What a great afternoon. As the saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having rum”! Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ship.

 

 

 

[CruisinCrow]

That night at dinner we were in Teresa and Natalie’s section again. We had made reservations for 7:30 so we’d be able to get to the 9 o’clock Illusionist show. But for some reason, dinner took FOREVER. It was a good half hour before we even got our appetizers, and we barely finished dessert in time. Well, I guess we could have skipped dessert….Ha! Like I’m going to skip chocolate soufflé! :) Anyway, the Illusionist was very good but Ron and I could barely keep our eyes open. As soon as the show was over, we went straight to the cabin and fell asleep.

[CruisinCrow]

Day 3 - Coco Cay

 

 

 

 

 

The forecast for Sunday had been calling for heavy tropical rains, so I wasn’t sure we would get to Coco Cay. But Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny with light seas. Yay, we were going to make it! We had a quick breakfast (at the Park Café this time) and got on a tender around 9 o’clock. Not many people were on the island yet so there were plenty of open lounge chairs. We settled in under a shady pine tree near the water sports area, where we sat last time. It was a great location – away from the crowded spots but not too far from the lunch tables and snorkeling area.

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2013 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

We decided to take a walk around the island before the day got too hot, so we walked down to the end of the beaches. The farther we got, the more peaceful it was. There were a few palapas scattered here and there and lots of sea oats and pretty palm trees. The water was impossibly blue. It looked like something straight out of a travel magazine.

 

 

 

 

[TheSweetPotatoQueen]

Great review, Susan! We're sailing EOS the first of Dec. This will be our 2nd trip to Nassau. We did a walking tour last time to Queen's Stairs and Fincastle Fort. However, I would Love to do what y'all did! We're very unfamiliar with the area! Are the hotel and distillery close together? Did you have a map? We have no idea where they're located. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated!

[CruisinCrow]

On the way back from our walk, we found the inflatable water slide. That looked like fun. It cost $4 for one ride or $20 for the whole day. I went ahead and signed up for the whole day. While I was waiting for my turn, there was a lady on the slide who I think was part of a large church group called OASIS (Older Americans Still in Service). She was laughing the whole way down the slide and obviously having a blast. Everyone should have that much fun. And I’m not going to add “at her age”. Everyone should have that much fun at any age! I wanted to be just like that lady. At the top of the slide, I got a little nervous because it looked so high. But then I thought, if she could do it, so could I. Wheee!! Down I went, and then again and again. I was glad I got the full day pass. :)

 

After lunch, we went snorkeling and found some sunken cannons we hadn’t seen before. The water was cloudier than it was last year (we probably should have snorkeled in the morning before everyone stirred up the water), but it was still worth the long swim. There were tons of fish, just like swimming in a fish bowl. It was a perfect beach day.

 

 

 

 

[shipshape sam]

We loved our sailing on Enchantment many years ago right after they put in the section with the bridge.

 

Glad you made it to Coco Cay too!

 

Enjoying the review and pictures. Almost like sailing on Enchantment again.........almost. :)

[evelyn51]

Wow! In such a short time on Enchantment you did so much! We were on her for 7 days our first RCCL experience. Now we can't entertain the idea of any other line.

 

A word of warning if anyone enjoys the Cranberry Bread as much as I did, you may gain an extra pound over and above the typical 5!

 

I relived our cruise with your review. Thanks :)

[CruisinCrow]

Great review, Susan! We're sailing EOS the first of Dec. This will be our 2nd trip to Nassau. We did a walking tour last time to Queen's Stairs and Fincastle Fort. However, I would Love to do what y'all did! We're very unfamiliar with the area! Are the hotel and distillery close together? Did you have a map? We have no idea where they're located. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated!

 

Graycliff and John Watling's are very close together, about a 15 minute walk from the port.

 

Here is link to the Frommer's Walking Tour map. Graycliff is #12 on the map.

http://www.frommers.com/images/destinations/maps/jpg-2006/470640-mp0405nassauwalk.jpg

 

The distillery is just a few blocks from there. There's a map on their website, which shows it in relation to Graycliff and the National Art Gallery:

http://www.johnwatlings.com/

 

I would definitely recommend going to Graycliff first. That way if you decide you want to buy some rum, you won't have to carry it around the chocolate factory. Also, it is all downhill back to ship - which is good if you have a mojito buzz like I did. :)

[CruisinCrow]

A word of warning if anyone enjoys the Cranberry Bread as much as I did, you may gain an extra pound over and above the typical 5!

 

That cranberry bread is one of my favorite foods on Royal Caribbean. I had it every morning.

[CruisinCrow]

That night we didn’t have dinner reservations, so when we got to the dining room, we were seated at a different waiter’s table. I was really surprised when Teresa came to take our order. She said that she and Natalie were going to take care of us even though it wasn’t their table. There was another couple seated in Teresa’s section who wanted the other waiter so it all worked out. Except that poor Teresa and the other waiter kept getting mixed up and going to the wrong tables. :) I was really glad we got the chance to see Teresa and Natalie again and tell them thank you. They were a great team.

 

Dinner was delicious – I had the Caprese salad, chilled strawberry bisque and garlic tiger shrimp. Ron ordered one of just about everything and ended up being way too full. I really didn’t want to fall asleep at 10 o’clock again so after dinner we went to the Centrum to watch the “Finish That Lyric” game. Then we took a walk around the pool deck, enjoying the full moon and the lights on the arches.

 

In the morning, we did the “self-carry departure” and were in our car by 9. We made it almost all the way home before the rains started.

 

Sunset reflection:

 

 

 

 

Happy cruising to you all!

~Susan

Edited September 27, 2013 by CruisinCrow

[TheSweetPotatoQueen]

Thanks, Susan, for the info/links!!!

[Lexi731]

Thanks for the review - sooo looking forward to my turn!

[Hobbsey]

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. :)

 

 

 

 

 

This is exactly what I have been planning to do with my Dad when we go on Enchantment next week!!

 

I absolutely love your review and the way you embrace the experiences you find for yourself. Becky and I would love to wind up on board with you at some point.

 

Thanks.

[dreadpirate3]

Can't wait to cruise her. Your review and photos were fabulous! Thank you!

[alfaeric]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Oddly enough, we did a lot of the same that Susan did on the same cruise, yet never met.

 

We bought a bottle of the rum, too- and it made it home safe and sound today (when we got back from the B2B trip). Our visit there was after a run to Paradise Island and back, and it was a great trip to the distillery.

 

We were up on deck 6 during the finish the lyric contest- it was really fun.

 

Enchantment is a great ship filled with an awesome crew. We will do it again.

[migirl23]

I will be on enchantment with my dad on 10/4...giving me some great ideas...

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

[SeagoingMom]

CruisinCow,

 

Can you tell me, does the Enchantment have a wrap-around promenade deck? Thanks! Great review, BTW!

[givethemwings]

Great journal and pictures! We have our trip on the Enchantment planned for February, and you gave some great tips. We've been to Nassau only once, and while we'll probably walk along the beach again to a restaurant we liked, I really like the idea of a chocolate tour! (What's not to like?)

 

I'll have to try the cranberry bread, and I hadn't read about the bungee trampoline. Thank you for sharing!!

 

Sorry you missed your trip to Maine (our neck of the woods), but you certainly made the most of your cruising time.

[iloverags2]

Wonderful review and beautiful pictures! I can't wait to sail Enchantment myself!

[lyban]

Can you give me an idea of the prices for a bottle of rum?

If you remember.

Thanks

[CruisinCrow]

CruisinCow,

 

Can you tell me, does the Enchantment have a wrap-around promenade deck? Thanks! Great review, BTW!

 

Thanks! Yes, you can walk all the way around the ship on Deck 5. The view from the bow is blocked by the anchoring equipment but the view from the stern is wonderful.

 

The sunrise and sunset pictures I posted were taken from Deck 5. We spent a lot of time there, just looking at the water. Best part of cruising. :)

[CruisinCrow]

Can you give me an idea of the prices for a bottle of rum?

If you remember.

Thanks

 

It's fairly pricey. The Pale is $28, the Amber is $35 and the Buena Vista is $55. We bought a "special occasion" bottle for ourselves and another for a gift. Definitely try a sample and have a drink at the bar. The mojitos are excellent.

[CruisinCrow]

Great journal and pictures! We have our trip on the Enchantment planned for February, and you gave some great tips. We've been to Nassau only once, and while we'll probably walk along the beach again to a restaurant we liked, I really like the idea of a chocolate tour! (What's not to like?)

 

I'll have to try the cranberry bread, and I hadn't read about the bungee trampoline. Thank you for sharing!!

 

Sorry you missed your trip to Maine (our neck of the woods), but you certainly made the most of your cruising time.

 

Lunch and chocolate sounds like a good combination to me. :) Graycliff is worth a visit. They have a cigar factory too but it wasn't operating when we were there (Saturday). The cigar shop was open though.

 

Make sure you pack socks for the bungee trampoline.

 

I was really sad to miss Maine. Oh well, maybe another year. At least we still got to get away and had such wonderful weather.

[CruisinCrow]

It's fairly pricey. The Pale is $28, the Amber is $35 and the Buena Vista is $55. We bought a "special occasion" bottle for ourselves and another for a gift. Definitely try a sample and have a drink at the bar. The mojitos are excellent.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that the Buena Vista Estate, where the distillery is located, is a beautiful property. We were told that the bar was used as the poker room in the James Bond film, Casino Royale. We're going to have to pull out our DVD and watch that movie again. :) Other parts of the movie were filmed at the One and Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island.