First time on Enchantment, a report with pictures!

[Beachcampin]

Dearth, we're going to be on in a couple weeks and was wondering if you knew who was playing in the Schooner bar at night?

 

Thanks

[DarthGrady]

Day 1:

After the quick embarkation we stopped by the Schooner Bar to meet some folks from our Cruise Critic roll call. This was followed by a sail away gathering on Kathy's balcony. Unfortunately the Port Canaveral webcam was down, so no-one got to see the flag she brought to hang on the railing.

In the evening we headed up to the Diamond Lounge. They had an area of the lower level set aside as overflow for the two lounges, so we sat by the large windows for the better view. Hors d’oeuvres were being served as were a limited selection of wine, beer and cocktails.

After having a few drinks we had dinner in the main dining room. I had the mojo marinade pork chop, but didn't care much for it. On the plus side, our serving team (Emmanuel and Ivon) was very good.

The exterior promenade, just after muster drill

 

Still tied to the pier

 

Thats more like it

 

Kathy was kind enough to share her balcony with us during sail away

 

[DarthGrady]

More sail away pics

 

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Dearth, we're going to be on in a couple weeks and was wondering if you knew who was playing in the Schooner bar at night?

 

Thanks

 

Her name was Roxy, but I never went in there when she was playing.

[DarthGrady]

In the Diamond/Concierge Lounge the first night

 

 

 

The atrium at night

 

[groinky]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post these pictures. We are going on her in January and after looking at all your photos I realize she is a much nicer ship than I expected. I am anxious to show my husband your photos.

 

I am very excited and ready to cruise. Thanks again!

[riclop]

After spending ten days on Vision last year Enchantment seemed familiar, aside from the extra features added during her lengthening. She also boasts many freshly refurbished areas. The old Champagne Bar that sat at the bottom of the atrium has been replaced by the elegant and modern R Bar. The Enchantment also has a Boleros lounge between the lobby and the casino which looks like a smaller version of the one on the old Monarch.

 

The R Bar and the atrium lobby

 

 

 

 

 

As usual you pictures are outstanding.

[DarthGrady]

Day 2:

We started our second day onboard at Park Cafe. They had the breakfast sandwiches and burritos pre made, which should have been a clue. I had the ham, egg and cheese muffin sandwich, but it was cold. So I went back for a freshly toasted bagel which was much better. We got our workout over with in the gym before going to the Crown and Anchor Top Tier event in the Viking Crown Lounge.

The C&A Top Tier Event

 

 

 

Pulling into Nassau

 

[DarthGrady]

As usual you pictures are outstanding.

 

Thank you :)

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to post these pictures. We are going on her in January and after looking at all your photos I realize she is a much nicer ship than I expected. I am anxious to show my husband your photos.

 

I am very excited and ready to cruise. Thanks again!

 

No problem, have a great cruise!

[DarthGrady]

After the Crown and Anchor party we headed ashore. On Kathy's recommendation we walked to the John Watlings distillery in Nassau for their free tour. The grounds there are impeccably kept, and it was interesting to learn about the distilling process. They also offer a tasting room after the tour, and a rum bar. We hung around after the tour and had a few drinks, definitely one of the best pina coladas I've ever had. We briefly walked through the Graycliffe Hotel before returning to the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

 

 

 

 

The ladies and our tour guide

 

Yours truly, enjoying a taste (or two). Pro tip: Try the Buena Vista rum

[DarthGrady]

The rum bar at the distillery

 

 

Beth, Kathy and your humble author with our new friends

 

Some of the coolest ceiling fans I've ever seen, all driven by a common belt

 

Enjoying drinks on the patio, luckily the weather was perfect that day

 

Saw this on the way out, had to take a pic

[DarthGrady]

At the Graycliff Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Pretty stuff around Nassau

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Heading back to the ship

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

After some relaxation on the ship, we headed up to the Diamond Lounge. This was formal night, and Carlington (the new Diamond Concierge) runs a tight ship. He asked several guests to leave the lounge due to dress code violations, mostly flip flops. The drinks flowed freely though, so I wasn’t too upset while I waited for my wife to return in proper footwear. The formal dinner was good; I had the filet of beef. I was also happy to learn that they had the escargots in stock.

 

We had a treat waiting for us in our room

 

 

Night shots

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2013 by DarthGrady

[Pumbaamd]

After the Crown and Anchor party we headed ashore. On Kathy's recommendation we walked to the John Watlings distillery in Nassau for their free tour. The grounds there are impeccably kept, and it was interesting to learn about the distilling process. They also offer a tasting room after the tour, and a rum bar. We hung around after the tour and had a few drinks, definitely one of the best pina coladas I've ever had. QUOTE]

 

Great photos. Thanks! Do you have directions to the distillery from the pier?

We will be on EN for the holidays.

Rick and Deirdra

Edited November 20, 2013 by Pumbaamd

[DarthGrady]

Day 3:

Our last full day on board started late, since we had no desire to go to Coco Cay. The Park Café had already switched into lunch mode, so I had one of the delicious roast beef sandwiches. The rest of the afternoon was spent in and around the pool deck.

I also took full advantage of the espresso machine in the Diamond Lounge. Later in the day we hit the gym before going up to the Diamond Lounge for our last cocktail hour. Since the menu in the dining room was pretty unspectacular we opted to dine in the Windjammer.

Not quite sure what to make of this one, but it was neat. It appears to be three birds in a boat.

 

 

The view as we took one last walk around the ship on the final night

[DarthGrady]

Conclusion:

We had to debark early on the last morning since my wife had to go to work. We utilized the Diamond/D+/Pinnacle debarkation area, and were among the first off the ship. It only took about five minutes to get out to the parking lot and on our way.

This was one of the few times that we’ve parked at the pier. Their fees are ludicrously high, now $60 for a three night cruise. It seems that the port authorities actually enjoy gouging their customers. It really make off-site parking a no brainer unless one needs to be near their vehicle as we did this cruise.

I wasn’t a big fan of the new e-coupon system that they’ve switched to for the Crown and Anchor discounts. It seems more a way to cut costs than to make redemption easier on the guests. They also have apparently (and quietly) cut some of the benefits from the old paper books. We did not get the match-play coupons for the casino, or the laundry discount. Kathy checked her D+ coupon list and found that the one bag of free laundry had also been nixed.

While I still feel that RCI offers one of the best past guest programs around, they need to be careful with the benefit slashing. Carnival’s roll back of their past guest benefits is one of the main reasons I mostly cruise RCI now. If Royal goes too far down that road I’ll be glad to explore other options again.

The Enchantment is an awesome ship, plain and simple. With all of her improvements she actually looks newer than some of her younger fleet-mates. It was nice to see some familiar faces from the Monarch days, including Desmond who will be onboard through the first half of next year. All-in-all it was an excellent cruise that flew right by. I look forward to another trip on Enchantment, hopefully in the near-future!

[Scotty G]

The Enchantment is an awesome ship, plain and simple. With all of her improvements she actually looks newer than some of her younger fleet-mates. It was nice to see some familiar faces from the Monarch days, including Desmond who will be onboard through the first half of next year. All-in-all it was an excellent cruise that flew right by. I look forward to another trip on Enchantment, hopefully in the near-future!

 

Glad you had a good time. We have been a few times since we were on Monarch's farewell together. Also nice that you got to see Des. He was in the Diamond Lounge during out last cruise. Hope to see you again!!!

[buttrfly78]

What type of camera did you use? The pics are fantastic. I wanted to eat those strawberries off the page!

[charliegirlac]

Thanks for the review! My brother and his girlfriend are travelling around the USA and she has been asked not to fly as she has a terrible ear blockage and could cause damage if she flies. So I quickly found them a cruise to go on. They boarded on Monday for their first ever cruise. I didnt know much about enchantment so this has given me a good overview - hopefully they enjoy their 4 nights and her ear heals so they can continue their trip!

[DarthGrady]

What type of camera did you use? The pics are fantastic. I wanted to eat those strawberries off the page!

 

Thanks, it's a Nikon D5100, 18-200VR lens.

[PH8]

 

Great photos. Thanks! Do you have directions to the distillery from the pier?

We will be on EN for the holidays.

Rick and Deirdra

lets see if this attachment works

 

Grady....these are really amazing photos.....

 

I got an email from JWDs.....that night at the event Mayor Boomberg,from NYC,was there...

Map_-_JWD.pdf

Edited November 20, 2013 by PH8

[DarthGrady]

Glad you had a good time. We have been a few times since we were on Monarch's farewell together. Also nice that you got to see Des. He was in the Diamond Lounge during out last cruise. Hope to see you again!!!

 

Thanks Ian! Yes, hopefully we'll see you guys again soon. :)

 

Thanks for the review! My brother and his girlfriend are travelling around the USA and she has been asked not to fly as she has a terrible ear blockage and could cause damage if she flies. So I quickly found them a cruise to go on. They boarded on Monday for their first ever cruise. I didnt know much about enchantment so this has given me a good overview - hopefully they enjoy their 4 nights and her ear heals so they can continue their trip!

 

You found them a good ship, I'm sure they'll have fun.