Smooth Sailing on Enchantment Feb 17 2014 Bahamas- photo review

[MHATW2]

Great review so far! My fiance and I are sailing on Enchantment in October after she becomes DW!

[Familygoboston]

I'm afraid I must give you a mild poke on that phrase. Enchantment was stretched some years before Oasis was even announced. I want to say 2005, but my own memory might be a little off there.

 

But still, a great review! :)

 

You are right...The Oasis-ization happened after Enchantment was stretched...but in any case, the same result...stuff is tucked in here and there and these "unintended consequences" happen.

 

Great review so far! My fiance and I are sailing on Enchantment in October after she becomes DW!

 

Congratulations!:D Enjoy!!

[Familygoboston]

Wow...love the cabin pictures. we are going to be in our first JS and it's 7172...just a floor below this one but I"m sure it looks the same. Thanks...can't wait to just hang out on the balcony...going in August...Teacher here so have to go when school is out.

 

Loving the review...and love the way you write.

 

Thank you!! I think you will love that cabin...if you check the "show us you aft" thread, Cruisinangie posted photos of your exact cabin at the end of the thread (last page):D

 

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1243860&page=21

[kruzinkel]

First- i love your review. i was on the enchantment right after the stretch and i love that ship! Secondly- i am leaving tomorrow and will be traveling with my DD, but NOT my DH. I have been told that since there is an "intact realtionship" with my DH, i do not need a letter from him saying he knows my daughter is leaving the country. Did you have any issue traveling with you 16 3/4 year old? Mine is 15 1/4- i know how much it matters:)

[Familygoboston]

First- i love your review. i was on the enchantment right after the stretch and i love that ship! Secondly- i am leaving tomorrow and will be traveling with my DD, but NOT my DH. I have been told that since there is an "intact realtionship" with my DH, i do not need a letter from him saying he knows my daughter is leaving the country. Did you have any issue traveling with you 16 3/4 year old? Mine is 15 1/4- i know how much it matters:)

 

I've flown with my girls and cruised with them alone many times and never once been asked for any paperwork, and I have never had had it...DH is stuck with them and ME...we are comin' back;)

 

I think this is a bigger issue when you travel with someone else's kids! I did have the paperwork when we took our niece to Fl

 

Thank you for your kind words and enjoy your trip!!:D (tomorrow?!! Lucky!!;)

[kruzinkel]

i have flown with her a lot, but first cruise with her and not DH. I just remember YEARS ago when my mother, brother, and i went on a trip to Mexico. we had to get a note from my dad. maybe that was a border partrol thing. matters not-for tomorrow i CRUISE!

[jakenashleysmom]

I'm afraid I must give you a mild poke on that phrase. Enchantment was stretched some years before Oasis was even announced. I want to say 2005, but my own memory might be a little off there.

 

But still, a great review! :)

 

This is correct, also the Enchantment went through a complete refirb recently and that is when the Park Café was added as well as R Bar and big screen at the pool etc.....love the Enchantment, and great review as usual!

[Familygoboston]

i have flown with her a lot, but first cruise with her and not DH. I just remember YEARS ago when my mother, brother, and i went on a trip to Mexico. we had to get a note from my dad. maybe that was a border partrol thing. matters not-for tomorrow i CRUISE!

 

My DH took DD to London last summer, no note from me, had no problem and Heathrow is super picky about everything!! Not to worry, if anything happens slap a luggage tag on her and have them deliver her to your room, or claim she's not yours either, she got left behind after the Fun Time tour;):p Have a blast!

 

This is correct, also the Enchantment went through a complete refirb recently and that is when the Park Café was added as well as R Bar and big screen at the pool etc.....love the Enchantment, and great review as usual!

 

Yes Bonnie! One of the things I loved was how nice and modern all the furnishings are (chairs, curtains, rugs, etc...I love that sheer on our balcony door! and the Diamond Lounge chairs were really nice too!)

 

Thanks for your kind words! If PC was closer to my Mom's I would be more inclined to take Enchantment more often, but it's so far:(

 

Im working on more sections, battling a cold, but I hope to get more up this afternoon!

[LBumb]

great job

[jerseygirl226]

Thanks...hope the noise from below isn't too bad...will have 5 year old granddaughter with us...maybe she'll be so tired that she'll just crash. I'm hoping that she will like the kids club and that she's not too young. It would be fine if she stayed with us but I want to make sure she has fun!

[Familygoboston]

I think most times, if you are planning to take a 3 or 4 night cruise, it's really designed to get away from the demands of home and work. Seems to me the whole point of a short cruise is to get out of touch...and in touch with whichever loved ones you are cruising with!

 

I think therefore that most people on Enchantment aren't terribly interested to "stay connected at sea", but Royal offers it anyway!! But here forth with is the "Stay Connected at Sea" info for anyone with frail elders, frazzled babysitters, clingy kids and/or psychotic pets at home;)

 

(page 4 and 1)

 

(page 2 and 3)

 

We, in fact were one of those people who connected at sea;) I'm not going to admit which of the above categories we left at home, but lets just say whenever I called DH from FL, Daisy overheard my voice on the phone an hopped around DH like a lunatic, so much that half the conversation was him telling her "calm down", "stop jumping" and "whats wrong with you?, you were just out" . Its almost as if she was asking to have a chance to chat with me before he disconnected:rolleyes:

 

Here are some Enchantment specific tips for "staying connected"

 

Internet

- to get started you have to go to the Internet Cafe on deck 6, right near the Cafe Lattetudes, and swipe your seapass and set up you user name and pass word. Then you can use the internet anywhere on board by logging in with your user name and password on your own device and you'll be charged per minute (unless you select a package option when you set up your account) You C & A free coupon time is deducted automatically but watch the log off for how much time you use because if you go over the clock is ticking at the "rack rate".

 

Here is the Internet Cafe:

 

 

 

 

 

-before you log on, book mark the "Log Out" address so you can log out quickly when you are done and save your minutes. Some people recommend, if you don't have an unlimited package to download your messages, log off, then respond to them, then log back in and upload them all at once. This also saves time and most devices will "hold" your messages to send until you log back on.

 

-the wifi is really pretty good, fast and pretty strong even at the very aft of the ship. On other ships which have not been upgraded, often you can only get wifi in the "Internet Cafes".

 

- if you don't have plans to buy internet, you can use the free internet in the terminal building in Nassau. Right near the security checkpoint to get back on board there is a little area with pay phones (how quaint!) where there is a pretty good free wifi signal, and a bunch of chairs. You'll find a healthy contingent of crew persons there and they spend more time than the cruise passengers. Mid afternoon, when they have a few hours "off" is when that area is busiest and the wifi is a bit slow.

 

Phone

- If your phone is international "enabled" you will get a text when you get to Nassau, letting you know what carrier offers service and how much it will cost per minute. It's usually not cheap, and if you must use your phone; it's usually cheaper to text with a per outgoing text price of around 50 cents for most plans and 5 cents for someone to reply back to you. If you can avoid phone service use, you really are only 2 days without service on a short cruise. Embarkation and disembarkation days, you can usually get access to your own US carrier while in port. So the only day you'd be out of touch would be Cococay and Nassau (tho you could grab your emails in port for free)

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: Cococay

 

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!

I promise that things will go faster...lots of photos not so much blah, blah, blah!

 

 

We ordered room service breakfast to enjoy on the balcony and got dressed for the beach, which for me involves spreading copious amounts of sun block on every inch!

 

Breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

We passed by the Estero Cay on the starboard side (see somebody is listening to the captain when he speaks!! And taking notes!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "supply" tender waiting to get everything set up before the passenger onslaught. See the large blue cages to stack all the food bins?

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived at 730 AM and anchored and the tenders started about 8:00 AM. We got to the tender loading area about 8:30 and walked right on, and the whole process was very efficient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first glimpse of Cococay...someone had an early para sail excursion, or maybe they were "testing it out" before the first customers arrived!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another look at the tender; you have the choice to sit up top in the open or down below under cover. We stayed down because it's only 3 stairs down and several stairs to get up.

 

[niksmom630]

Yay! An Enchantment review! I'll be following along. She is one my fav's--although I'm probably one of the few that liked her better pre-stretch. That pool bar area is just odd to me. Bars should be facing forward or aft--not port or starboard! Never liked the Squeeze Juice Bar on Freedom class for just that reason. Looking forward to more!

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

 

a very colorful private island

 

 

 

 

Arrivals

 

 

 

 

and to review- here is the stuff you can do and what it costs...

 

 

 

Here I am going to bloviate a little on the relative "worth" of these excursions.

 

During our stay, we noticed that the Caylanas Aqua park (24) only seemed to be open sporadically. We heard that there was a jellyfish problem and they closed it, but I can't confirm that. I can only tell you that we were seated near the park and shortly after it reopened I saw dead jelly fish washing up on our part of the shore, where there had not been jelly fish before. Now they sell hourly access to Caylana's, and it may be that no one had purchased an all day pass that day, so they only staffed the park and had it open when they had people who bought a 50 minute session. We saw people snorkeling, taking the glass bottom boat tour and the jet ski tour as well as parasailing, and everyone looked like they were having a good time...but for my money...here is what I think are the best value propositions

 

*Beach mat 14 bucks for the day; sure you could buy one for $7, but you do get to enjoy it for the whole day and it will float 2 people if you choose to share and don't mind getting a little submerged.

 

*The jet ski tour for $95 plus $29 bucks for the passenger for an hour tour looked like a lot of thrill for the money compared to the other activities. But it's not cheap either!

 

*Parasailing is one of those "bucket list" activities; and while 79 bucks is a lot for 8 minutes in the air...it is cool to do, and if this is your chance...

 

*You can walk the nature trail by your self. You won't get the naturalist, but there are several very nice plaques that I thought covered the major highlights. I'm not sure I'd spend extra for that activity.

 

*the water slide at $22 all day can be a good value if you have an active kid on your hands and want something fun but a little more reasonably priced. It is NOT in the water though, it's on land and has water running down it and the end is more like a slip and slide.

 

*The kayaking and snorkeling are really over priced, IMO. But if you are jonesing to do it, it could be worth it. Here is my advice about the snorkeling. There really is no one to stop you from bringing your own mask and snorkel and just going off the beach. I didn't check to see if someone would stop you from snorkeling the plane wreck, but there are plenty of spots to just head into the water and look around underwater, and it's been reported that people have brought their own stuff and snorkeled in the snorkel area. Maybe someone who has done it can report back!

 

All in all, doing a lot of excursions on CC will add up in a hurry, but you can have a wonderful day without any...there was plenty to discover and explore on your own; which is what we did!

 

Map of Cococay

 

 

 

I will refer to each of the areas from the map by number when I post the photos, so you can get an idea of where you would like "go" when you arrive!

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

 

Where to set yourself

 

When you disembark the tender, there is a lot of infrastucture right there, the straw market, the buffet area and rest rooms, the "excursion" meeting areas. Lots to see and explore. But I suggest deciding where you'd like to set yourself for the day first. Thanks to the copious amounts of loungers and the closed nature of the island, you can chair hog all day long and leave your stuff without fear of crime (other than your fellow passengers, so I would avoid leaving anything valuable at your chair if you leave to explore.

 

There are lots of chairs, in different areas, I'll post some photos then expound (well, what did you expect, that I WOULDN'T give you my opinion) about what areas would appeal to which sorts of cruisers!

 

water sports beach (between 18 & 32 on the map)

 

 

Best For:

-People with mobility issues (close to the buffet and tenders)

-people planning lots of snorkeling or sporty adventures

-sun worshippers (there is only a little shade out here and on our visit, this is the windward side of the island and bit breezy which would keep you cool while soaking up rays)

 

 

 

Coconut Willies beach (between 17 & 24 on the map)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best For:

-families who want proximity to the aqua park, basket ball court, volley ball court, and water slide

-people looking for a little shade

 

 

 

 

 

hammocks and chairs at the far end of Coconut Willies Beach (around 26 & 27 on the map)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best For:

-folks looking for a little quieter area, you can set up in a sunny chair and then use a shady, quiet hammock too

-folks who want to be close to the bar

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

 

Where to set...(con't)

 

Barefoot Beach(34 on the map)

 

(im going to digress here to point out another example of where DH would have done a much better job with the photography...instead of the lovely beach- what do you see here? You see the trash can. :-( This would absolutely NEVER happen had DH been on this cruise taking the photos!)

 

Best For:

-folks who want a quiet experience

-sun lovers

-people willing to walk a bit to access the other amenities, such as the buffet

 

 

 

The Gold Sea Pass Cabanettes area (34 on the map; at the end of Barefoot, you'll see this sign, but the first section of Barefoot Beach before this sign is accessible to all)

 

 

Best For:

-Only for Gold Sea Pass holders, and you can get a golf cart ride out there if you need. I also think that there is a separate private lunch served out there.

 

 

 

Island Oasis Cabanas Club (2 on the map)

 

I won't discuss cabanas, because we didn't get one, and I didn't visit the area, but you can google search Cococay cabanas for photos and instructions on how to secure one of those if that's your choice. But I did take a photo from the tender.

 

 

Best For:

-folks who like an exclusive experience and are willing to pay for it; first dibs go to Gold Sea Pass holders

-folks who really need the deep shade of a structure.

 

 

 

Super Secret Private beach (Beyond 34 and off the map!)

 

Now, I am going to share my favorite place on CocoCay...it's super secret private beach. Like most cool experiences it requires a little effort, but if you take the Nature Trail almost to the end or walk along the water past the Gold Seapass Cabanette area, you will find this delightful little area. There was exactly NO ONE there when we hiked out here, and there are a few little chairs set up under a palapa and the ocean is just lovely. We didn't get to enjoy it long even and though DD wanted to pick up our stuff and come back; I knew it was too far for DM to walk. SO I am sharing this super secret location with you, dear readers, with the caveat that, should you find me on your roll call; you are going to have to beat me in a foot race to get to this location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best For:

-honeymooners, anniversary couples, amorous teens

-active, fit folks willing to explore and be "off the grid"

-and if you are on a Roll Call with me, you have to be able to run faster than I can ;-)

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

So now that you've set up and you have your excursions booked...time to explore!!

 

Here is where we decided to set, in a shady spot on Coconut Willies, where we could have a little shade and separation from the rest of the folks.

 

 

 

 

This was a good option because not 15 minutes after we settled in, all 380 of the Fun Time chicas arrived and filled the chairs in front of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a photo with one of the Chaperones- the good looking guy in the middle. I also included it because you can see the jet ski tour in the distance.

 

 

 

 

Again I have to say, that other than the buffet; it really didn't bother us that they were there, and they were well organized with events and lunch scheduled at certain times and they all had to participate in the events. There was a secondary area that looked like it could be set us as a buffet in this seating area, and I think the cruise line absolutely should have arranged for these girls to have their own buffet area. More on lunch later!

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

 

The Straw Market and a Little Wildlife

 

 

The first thing we did was check out the Straw Market...as I mentioned earlier, DD and DM do like to have a look around whenever there are shops! And I indulged them since I need photos of the area, for you, dear readers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we discovered there is a little "wildlife" on the island

 

I've heard all the meat is USDA inspected and obtained from PC before leaving...but... ;-)

 

 

 

 

iguana posing

 

 

 

 

pelican found a quiet place to perch

 

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

 

An attempt to access the buffet and retreat to the Nature Trail

 

DD rented a mat, 14 dollars and we went for a swim. We read and napped and decided to get lunch at 12:30. We had seen the girls leave at 12 noon for lunch and thought that maybe there had been enough time for the line to clear out.

 

Uh, No...

 

 

 

Nature Trail (21 on the map)

 

The line was epic so DD and I walked the nature trail and planned to meet DM to eat at 1:30; still a half hour before the buffet was scheduled to shut down.

 

 

 

 

 

This gives you an idea of the footing and the path; you'll need sneakers or amphibious sandals to make the trek; there is a mix of sandy and rocky spots with roots and volcanic rock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and you'll notice DD decided to do it in flip flops (I'd insert a roll eyes smiley here, but I'm out of images for this post, you know I want to!)

 

 

 

 

 

Example of the signs posted along the trail

 

 

 

 

This one is the poisonous tree; glad they let us know right away on the trial!

 

[FinallyCruisinIn2014]

Absolutely LOVING this review!!! (and the pictures - they are "real" and I get a sense of being there)

 

We are going on our first cruise in, I can't remember - however many days it says down there - and reading this has me so excited!!

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

 

Here comes the bad part...

 

Unfortunately, when we went back to the buffet at 1:30 PM on the dot, a full 1/2 hour before it is advertised as "closing"; the crew had shut down and was cleaning every station except one grill station, where the grill was shut down and they had meats sitting in warming trays, they were out of corn, and one salad station, where there were few salads left, and no fresh salad, only prepared potato and macaroni salads. The dessert buffet was decimated, the only item left was cut fruit fresh fruit. I didn't take photos, because I had to grab what I could to eat before they put it all away, and after I ate, there was nothing left to photograph at 1:45 PM.

 

We were very disappointed about this. The crew seemed more interested in getting cleaned up and things put away than serving the customers who still had a 1/2 hour of open buffet. I'm sure the teens affected the sweets availability, but the shutting down early was not due to the teen group; the ship has a set number of guests and they should know how much food is needed and they should be willing to grill you a fresh hamburger at 1:30 if they claim to be open till 2 PM.

 

We had a word with the officer on duty and he defensively pointed out that one of each station was open, but we had to point out that there was not much food left at the buffet, and that the crew seemed more interested in shutting down than preparing more for the additional passengers who were forced to eat later due to the huge group all eating at once. It was a major damper on an otherwise beautiful day in Cococay. I made sure that this made it onto my online survey when I returned home.

 

The buffet station area (9 Black Beards Grill on the map)

 

 

 

 

what was left...this was the last piece of corn

 

 

 

 

the seating area near the Black Beards Grill

 

[Familygoboston]

Absolutely LOVING this review!!! (and the pictures - they are "real" and I get a sense of being there)

 

We are going on our first cruise in, I can't remember - however many days it says down there - and reading this has me so excited!!

 

It says it's in 30 days, just 30...one month to go wha hoo!!!:D

 

Thanks!! I like to read reviews where you "cruise' virtually, so thats the kind a write with tips and planning ideas tossed in there! Glad you are enjoying!

[FinallyCruisinIn2014]

It says it's in 30 days, just 30...one month to go wha hoo!!!:D

 

Thanks!! I like to read reviews where you "cruise' virtually, so thats the kind a write with tips and planning ideas tossed in there! Glad you are enjoying!

 

Duh! Of course - we sail the 7th of April and today is the 7th. My brain is frozen from the Polar Vortex!!

 

Bummer about the buffet :( I've made a mental note to tell my family we are eating

first thing when it opens.

Edited March 8, 2014 by FinallyCruisinIn2014

[Familygoboston]

Day 2 Feb 18: CocoCay

 

Heading back to the ship

 

The Fun Times group headed out at 2:00 PM on the dot, so after lunch we moved to the sunny chairs vacated by the chicas, because it was getting later in the day and little cooler. We had another swim, but it was more like a wade because the tide was low and the water was very shallow,

 

We headed back to the tender at 3:30 PM to leave enough time for a nap and to get gussied up for "Formal Night".

 

A few photos of Cococay and Enchantment from the tender

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This nice treat was waiting for us when we returned from Cococay!

 

 

Given the complete lack of sweets on the islands, these almost didn't last long enough to get a picture!

 

Coming Up Tomorrow: "Formal Night" and the 70's party

[Familygoboston]

Duh! Of course - we sail the 7th of April and today is the 7th. My brain is frozen from the Polar Vortex!!

 

Bummer about the buffet :( I've made a mental note to tell my family we are eating

first thing when it opens.

 

Good advice, try right at noon, or skip it (the stuff was only meh anyway) and go back on board for a late lunch at Park Cafe or WJ, both which are advertised in the Compass as being open till 3 PM