First Post-Covid Cruise: Expectations Exceeded on Enchantment OTS

[mcmarya]

For background, it has been 10 years since we last cruised on RCCL and that was on the Vision OTS.  Since then we have primarily sailed Holland America with a couple of Princess cruises thrown in, often on smaller ships.  Since we hadn't cruised since early 2020, it was our 50th, the cruise was cheap, and no flying was required to get to Baltimore, we booked a 6 day to Bermuda.  Once we booked, bad stuff kept coming up--confusing Bermuda TA, testing, hurricane season, St. George's ferry out, Labor day holiday, old ship, staffing issues, My Time Dining lines, etc., etc., we were not terribly excited about this cruise. 

 

It was surprising to be able to immediately board with a 10:30 am check-in time--how do they turn over the ship that quickly!!  Our room was nothing fancy with the tiniest bathroom ever, but adequate for 6 nights and we had a great room steward.  Muster was super simple--check in on deck with card scan and watch the video.  The first nice surprise came at the dining room.  We signed up for 5 pm MTD thinking we could avoid the chaos by being early.  After being assigned a table for 2 next to several others at a window we were told that, if we came every night at 5, we could have the same table and walk right in.  That was an offer we could not refuse, especially considering the terrific service we received--dinner took an hour or less each night.  Food was generally decent though Prime Rib and the first night's salmon were overdone.  Shrimp Cocktail every night was a plus even if the shrimp were smaller than those on HAL.

 

Staffing was adequate everywhere we saw, they even had lifeguards at the pools--never seen before on a cruise.  There were a number of bands performing here and there, plenty of entertainment opportunities though that is not a priority with us.  Evening shows were a bit sparse, but again, not a priority.  The main pool deck was chaotic but we avoided it by sticking to the Solarium pool for adults only.  If you like the belly-flop and sexiest man contest and various games, there were plenty of those and plenty of energy.  Lots of kids were on board but most were younger--lots of infants and pre-schoolers so no gangs roaming the ship that we saw.

 

Weather forecasts had not been great, but with only a stray shower here and there, weather was gorgeous. The Hamilton ferry was running on the regular schedule despite the holiday.  We missed getting tokens or passes, but, when we got on the first ferry, the ferry guy said that , instead of paying the $10 cash, he would go into the office with us in Hamilton so we could buy the tickets--$37.50 for 15.  That enabled us to use all the public transportation we needed on 2 days for the price of one day passes.  The trip to St. George's was accomplished with the ferry and a #11 bus ride.  Then a walk up a steep hill (wasn't that steep 10 years ago!) got us to Tobacco Bay and great snorkeling.  No crowds when we were there.  We bused back to Hamilton on #10, then took a #7 to Dockyard for variety, getting dropped off at Seaglass Beach.  That was certainly not worth much effort, but Black Bay (a couple of coves up) is OK for a swim or snorkel.  It's about a mile back to Dockyard but very safe to walk except for a couple of very short spots.

 

Since we breezed through Hamilton the day before, we took the early ferry back to Hamilton and walked around town until it was time for the 10 am ferry.  The only disappointment was that the moat garden was closed at Ft. Hamilton.  Back at the Dockyard, we went back to the National Museum of Bermuda since we had run out of time when visiting the afternoon we arrived.  This museum is well worth visiting and deserves at least 2 hours of your time.  The exhibits are well curated and views are wonderful.

 

Maybe our enjoyment was enhanced by low expectations, but, if you don't require all the bells and whistles of the humongous new ships, don't hesitate to sail the Enchantment.  The crew is as good as any we have experienced and every effort is made to help you have a good time.