Enchantment Review. Sept 21, 2015. 4-nights.

We just returned from our first sailing on the Enchantment. I thought I'd add my change to the collective here...

The sailing was Monday, September 21 to Friday, September 25. 4 nights. The itinerary was:

Day 1: Embark at Port Canaveral

Day 2: CocoCay

Day 3: Nassau

Day 4: Sea Day

We are:

Me. Anita. DW. 43 years young. Homemaker. I love to cruise because it feels like a true Momma vacation. No cooking. No cleaning. No laundry. Sometimes, land vacations still feel like work for me...my men look at me and ask about what we are doing, what/where are we eating, etc. I still have to make all those decisions. Just doesn't happen on the cruise vacations...everyone knows the whats and wheres and we all can do what we want (within reason, of course!).

DH. 42. Project Manager aka Cat Herder. DH is riddled with decisions and schedules at work...his idea of vacation is not making ANY decisions.

DS. 14 years young but looks way, way older. He's had a beard since 7th grade and he sings bass so...definitely looks and sounds older.

I have cruised 7 times. We have cruised together 5 times now. I have a bucket list with Royal in that I want to cruise on every type of ship at least once. I enjoy the new to me thing. But we are not exclusively loyal to Royal.

It's been a crazy 18 months...we have been on 5 cruises since Spring Break 2014.

Spring Break 2014: Celebrity's Constellation (Connie!)...5 nights.

Fall Break 2014: Carnival's Fascination...5 nights.

Spring Break 2015: Celebrity's Summit...7 nights.

April/May 2015: Allure of the Seas...Eastbound TA (I took this with my Mom and Dad...my men were left at home to fend for themselves!)

Fall Break 2015: Enchantment of the Seas...

Our first cruise together was on the Mariner of the Seas for Spring Break 2012. My very first cruise was on the Sovereign of the Seas in 1990, back when she was the biggest cruise ship on the high seas...

Point being...we aren't nearly as experienced as some...but we aren't newbies... Our experience means that we can make some fairly knowledgeable comparisons and offer some fair opinions.

I picked this cruise because DS's school district has a Fall Break this year. School started on August 4, but marching band camp started July 21. DS is a Freshman this year...super involved at school. The marching band is a competitive band...band camp is 9 am to 9 pm Monday through Saturday for 2 weeks before school starts.

So we feel like we've been in school for 2 months already...

Fall Break is a good break for us. We did virtually the same itinerary on Carnival last year...it was an excellent little break for a single week off school. A bit of time off before and after the cruise...

The private beach day is a perfect port day for what we hope to be a more relaxing than touring vacation. Nassau is not an especially attractive port to us, so again, a good port for a more relaxing vacay.

I booked this cruise back in May 2014 when there was a great BOGO50% passenger 2. I don't mind sharing that we paid just over $1200 (including gratuities) for the family to cruise in what was then called a Panoramic Oceanview Room. I think they have altered the name of this room to Deluxe Oceanview now? because of the new Panoramic Rooms on Deck 12 on Freedom (and maybe one of the Voyager ships?) We were in Stateroom 8600.

We live outside Atlanta. I debated driving to Orlando but got a good deal on Southwest for $108 pp round trip. We flew into Orlando on embarkation day. *gasp* I booked the first flight of the day...departing ATL at 7:00 AM! There are multiple flights between ATL and MCO all day...several that would get us to the ship before all aboard. It was the thing for us to do for this vacation.

I plan on doing a bit of a combo day by day recap as well as a focus on some things...like our stateroom.

I'm pretty sure that I have all the Cruise Compasses still.

I know that I took photos of some of the drink menus.

If anyone has any specific questions...I'm happy to answer to the best of my ability...

Otherwise...stay tuned. There will be pictures...

Looking forward to reading your review.

I opted for Early Bird check in for both flights on Southwest. We were unplugging on our vacation...so no internet for checking in...and who really wants to worry about that on vacation anyway?

Unfortunately, we probably should have left a bit earlier for the airport than we did...

Because you have to account for security. OMG.

We opted to not check baggage. It's just a 4 night cruise...didn't want to worry about the luggage arriving since we were traveling on embarkation day.

Apparently, TSA has never seen these tubes before:

http://www.target.com/p/up-up-travel-accessory-set/-/A-15124373#prodSlot=_1_5

And we had 3 that were filled with sunscreen. They freaked out the TSA agent. He completely unpacked DH's personal item...finally found these 3 bottles in the 3-1-1 bag...tested the contents? OMG...

We made it to the gate before the plane left...

We were not the very last people on board...2 more boarded.

So much for a high number A boarding pass!

Fortunately, we each got an aisle seat...I thought we were doomed to middle seats. And we were close to each other...

It's a short flight, so no big really...

I schedule shuttle service with Cortrans.

http://www.cortrans-shuttle.com/

A flat rate of $40 round trip to and from MCO and the Port. They will also go to local hotels...and from local hotels to the Port.

The reservation system is unconventional. You put your information into the online form, then they send you an email...you have to reply to the email to confirm your reservation. When you comfirm, you receive another email with instructions.

That's it.

You pay for either the one-way or round-trip ticket when you first get on shuttle. You can pay with a major credit card or cash. The credit card system is the kind where you end up signing on the driver's iPhone or similar device.

I needed to call Cortrans because I mistakenly hit 2 instead of 3 for the reservation. I ended up talking with Jaime. He said that the shuttle would stop at a Publix that was close to the port if everyone was agreeable to that stop.

That meant we could pick up our wine allowance!!

All went according to plan.

The shuttle itself was a 14-passenger mini-bus shuttle. It was clean. The air conditioning worked well. Our fellow passengers were fine with the stop...in fact, they appreciated it...each for various reasons. There were 8 of us on our shuttle.

We arrived at the ship some time after 10 AM.

Porters were on hand. I did not deal with luggage tags prior to arrival. I just showed the porter the picture from the Set Sail documents. He made the tag. We made sure our bags were loaded onto the cart.

And off we went to check in.

The terminal is easy.

Ground level is security.

There were 4 lanes in operation for checking the Set Sail docs and IDs. 2 were designated for Suite guest and loyalty Emerald and above. The other 2 were for everyone else...which I guess is Gold and below.

The line moves along quickly but is dependent on how prepared people are with their IDs, etc.

Then you walk around to put your luggage and yourself through the screening process.

Note: If you travel with what could be called Durable Medical Equipment...if that is in a separate bag, it does not count against your carry on baggage allowance on Southwest. I have a significant knee brace...I ruptured my ACL in February...so my brace is a custom job that doesn't pack well. I carried it in it's own carry bag and received no issues for having that "extra" bag.

It came to mind because the dudes wanted to put it through the machine again at the cruise line security screening...

There was no wait to get through the security screening after waiting in the show your ID line.

Upstairs is the actual check in process.

When we arrived here after 10:30 am...I could see that they were boarding Diamond level passengers. The waiting area seemed nice enough and it was quite full.

There was no line in the Gold line...which was designated for Gold alone.

Fill out your health questionnaire...verify the credit card to be hit on your vacay...take your security picture for your Sea Pass...receive Sea Pass...and wait to board.

It was right at 11:00 am when the boarding switched to Gold level...and it was like the entire waiting area stampeded to the line.

Except that it was way more slow than an actual stampede...

A lot of walking to get on the ship. I'm always aware of this because of my knee situation. Long ramps...lots of walking for those that feel the walking more than others...

You enter the ship on Deck 4...which is the "main floor" feeling area of the interior of the ship.

I swear...pictures will be coming!!

Looking forward to more of your review - we are a little more than a month away from boarding. :D

Thanks for your review, we will also be in a PV room right below yours next month. Did you find the location noisy? I'm debating a white noise machine/ app in addition to earplugs.

This will be our first cruise and have read good reviews about EN. Please publish the Compass if you can. We would really appreciate it!😀

Enchantment is a unique Vision class ship...I read that they cut her in half in 2005 and expanded her. I didn't do a ship by ship comparison, but I do think there are some unique features on Enchantment that aren't available on all the Vision class ships...

Regardless...I think that overall, Enchantment is still representative of a Vision class ship (for bucket list purposes :))

OMG...you can SEE the SEA! EVERYWHERE! Well...just about everywhere!

I'm not a big fan of the promenade. Sorry to those that love them...but I find it very hard to find an ocean view in the public areas of those ships. I recall being extremely disappointed on the Mariner, which was my second cruise...22 years after my first cruise...but I felt like I never saw the ocean...

And don't get me started on the Allure and trying to find views of the ocean on her...

So I was very much looking forward to this smaller class of ship and what I perceived to be a ship design that was more connected to the outside...

And I was not disappointed.

The indoor public gathering area on Enchantment is the Centrum. It feels a lot like the atrium area of an Embassy Suites hotel...if you have ever stayed in one.

Deck 4 is the bottom level and Decks 5 through 8 overlook. Deck 4 has a stage, a dance floor and the R-bar as well as seating at tables and in couch groupings and other chair groupings all over. Decks 5 and 6 have a TON of seating...also in conversation groups and in chairs that just flat out overlook the Centrum.

The Centrum is lined with floor to ceiling windows on Decks 4 through 6. It is a bright, light-filled area. Two elevators in the near-by bank are glass and overlook the Centrum.

Ronilo is one of the piano players currently on board. He was often in the Centrum playing during the day. He played on Embarkation. Very pleasant...he has a nice repertoire, you can listen and enjoy but you can also continue to have a conversation...

We hadn't eaten much today...it was too early in the morning to really eat before we left home. I packed Lara Bars for us to supplement Southwest peanuts... But we knew the buffet was the first thing on our list...so we were saving room and patient!

We needed to be just a little more patient because the buffet didn't open until 11:30 am...

Looking forward to more.

Thanks for your review' date=' we will also be in a PV room right below yours next month. Did you find the location noisy? I'm debating a white noise machine/ app in addition to earplugs.[/quote']

 

Noise is relative...

 

Relative to the times for when you want to be sleeping v. what is happening in the Centrum. Which is what I am supposing you are most concerned about?

 

There is an overlook kind of walkway in the Centrum on Deck 8. The PV rooms seem like they overlook the Centrum...but there is a wall that separates the little hallway for the PV rooms and the overlook for the Centrum.

 

There are two "doorways" into the hallway...one on each side of the PV rooms. Those are the hallways that most everyone else on the floor uses to either go aft or forward to all the other staterooms on Deck 8. So really...the only people that walk in front of the PV rooms are the people staying in the PV rooms. We rarely heard "pedestrian traffic" noise from the hallway.

 

We never heard anyone walk in front of our room having a conversation. We never heard kids running. Etc.

 

During the day...the piano player could be heard. Sort of. You couldn't tell what song was playing? It was very, very far in the background. What could be heard more often...because we were on Deck 8 was the pool deck above.

 

However that wasn't too bad because of the side of the ship we were on. The Oasis Pool Bar was on the OTHER side of the ship above the 8100 side rooms.

 

That would be a major advantage to Deck 7 over Deck 8.

 

At night...I'm sure that the noise level from the Centrum was much louder. The wall did serve as a sort of "sound wall" though... However, this was never a problem for us because we were never trying to sleep when there was still activity going on. We like the night life on the ship.

 

I would definitely stay in our room again. I didn't find the pool noise to be too much of an issue and I LOVED the location. Also...the layout of the room was fantastic for our family of 3. Probably the best room we have ever had for 3 so far...

 

I debated and debated Deck 7 and Deck 8. I had my pick of all the PV rooms when I made our reservation. And I switched rooms several times.

 

I can say that I think it is better to be one of the interior PV rooms over the outside PV rooms...because you are just that much further away from the entrance to the hallway.

 

I think I read that the Deck 7 rooms were 9 feet bigger than the Deck 8 rooms? But that would not have been a big deal for us.

 

Noisewise...the biggest con for me was the pool deck above...but honestly, it just wasn't a big deal after all. The convenience of Deck 8 more than made up for the occasional noise that we dealt with. Deck 7 will be just as nice really...the proximity to the Centrum elevators/stairs is what made our location so convenient.

Thanks so much! It looked on the deck plans I saw that it was open- so glad to hear there is a buffer wall/area. Basically 10pm-8am. I'm not worried about it now, thanks! Also loved hearing that it is spacious- there will be 4 of us in there!👍

Great review.

Keith

I love your review.

Very well done.

Cannot wait for more, but guess I have to :D

Thanks again.

I'm gonna jump ahead to the stateroom...

Maybe there was an announcement when they were ready? I didn't hear it though...I think we hit the room at 2:00 pm.

Like I said, this is a PV (Panoramic View) Stateroom. However, the coding on it changed at some point and it became a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom? IIRC?

Anyway...these are among the newest staterooms on board Enchantment. They were added when the ship was expanded in 2005. They are extremely unique in the world of OV staterooms because they are MIDSHIP and an UPPER DECK.

We have been in one other OV room. On Carnival. The window was small...it was a lower deck. It was hard to see out the window because of the salt water coating on the window? Didn't love it.

We tried an OV though because a balcony with 3 people is pretty useless when the sofa bed is made. DS had a Pullman bed back on the Mariner...he was 10...had a bit of a hard time dealing with the ladder, etc., and I didn't love the bed over my head.

DS had a Pullman on Carnival. That was a normal twin sized bed with a great ladder and he slept awesome. However...the bed situation made it seriously difficult to navigate around the double bed on the floor and I think both DH and I smacked our heads on it several times. It was NOT located directly above our bed...more off the side at the foot...so you had to duck under that bed to get to the window/other side of the bed. Didn't love.

Balconies...OMG...you can't get past the sofabed to the balcony. Especially if you have knee issues. And when you travel with a teenager...totally negates the functionality of the balcony...the times when we would love to use it...like in the morning...or in the evening...yeah...not happening...so not worth the money for us.

So I was beyond excited to get the functionality of the balcony room...that is...191 sq ft...midship...deck 8...but in an oceanview.

I can't say enough about how wonderful the functionality of this room is if you are a family/party of 3. It's AMAZING.

Stateroom 8600 is a bed by the bathroom room. Good for us because the parents were awake well before the teenager...

You can see that the window is very large...and there is a sort of window seat:

That handy dandy seat is wide enough to lounge in and enjoy the view...(I'll share those photos later...)

That seat is also a very handy "heated seat" for putting mostly dry clothes...the seat is plastic?...we laid out our rashguards there one day...swim trunks/suits...sneakers caught in the rain...the sun shining in on those items really helped to dry them out much faster than the typical hang in the deep dark bathroom.

Storage is plentiful. There is the typical 3 door "clothes pantry"...IDK why but we always call that thing a pantry...2 doors cover the hanging space...and one door covers the shelf space. Then there are two hooks that hang in that little hallway at the cabin door.

The desk area has a LOT of storage:

Under the tv is a sort of chest of drawers. 3 large drawers...I'd guess 30 inches wide?

The door to the left of the chair below is the fridge/cooler. The upper door has shallow shelves and is where the safe is located. My Kindle fits in the safe. I have an HD Fire. I think it's a 7 inch screen? I don't think any bigger tablet would fit.

The refillable Coke glasses are sitting on another wide shallow shelf above the TV. Perfect for sunglasses. Eyeglasses. Drink containers.

There are several more shelves, one very small, shallow drawer, and 2-3 hooks in the bathroom.

I looked and looked and couldn't find a picture of the single sofa bed. So here it is:

The cushions for the seat of the couch aren't really cushions at all. There are just strategic seams in that one big cushion to make it look like a 3 cushion couch...however, that is just one big foam "mattress" that forms the seat of the couch.

The back rests ARE removable...however...the whole bed moves out just enough so that the bed is a full sized twin without having to remove the cushions:

Here you can see a black trundle mattress under the green couch "mattress". I've never seen the bed made for 2 as opposed to the single? But my guess is that the trundle moves all the way out. There are supportive springs underneath the couch mattress, which is why it looks like there is a gap between the green cushion and the black trundle.

I hope that makes sense.

Anyway...point is...for 3, you don't lose any floor space with the bed made.

Now the bed was never UNMADE. It always had the bedding on it. The covers were folded as shown during the day and then all laid out for sleeping. So DS could continue to lounge on his bed...we could lounge on our bed...we could use the chair...and we could use the window seat.

The bed was typical...with the typical open with a shelves night stands:

There are reading lights. One for each side of the big bed and one on the wall by the couch.

The nightlight in the bathroom didn't work. On the Allure...there was a glow in the bathroom somehow. It was like the light above the sink glowed? There was NO LIGHT in the bathroom. AND...there is NO PLUG.

The bathroom was problematic. The age of the Enchantment really showed when it was time to flush the toilet. I swear...there were times when both DS and I could not get the stupid thing to flush. DH had the knack and he could always make it work...but I swear...UGH!!...so frustrating to push and push on that stupid button bar and not have it work.

Toilet horror stories running through my mind as I think to myself..."maybe this time"...push..."maybe this time"...push with 2 thumbs..."maybe this time"...push with six fingers..."maybe this time"...push with my foot...

DH!!!

Flush.

Ah. It worked again.

Seriously. Multiple scary moments. Nothing like hearing your teenager tell you they think they plugged up the toilet.

No. Please. No.

DH...flush...

Ah. It worked again.

And the dreaded smell. (Not from us).

Sorry, but there WAS a bit of a funk in the bathroom. It didn't enter the stateroom. And once you used product and took a shower...or flushed the toilet several times (multiple people using)...then the smell would go away...but something about the bathroom sitting unused created an unpleasant aroma (faintly sewer like) that was another way that Enchantment showed her age a bit.

For the curious...DS and I have a system for getting dressed. We open the bathroom door and one of the pantry doors to create a sort of dressing room. It isn't completely private...the doors don't perfectly meet...but it serves us well enough to feel like we can get dressed in privacy. This is when those hooks really come in handy for me...

And now I completely understand why everyone hates the shower curtain.

The biggest problem with the shower curtain is the fact that it doesn't work. DS could not take a shower without creating an absolute PUDDLE on the floor of the bathroom. If there were a drain in the bathroom floor, it wouldn't be as big of a deal...but there isn't. There is a very stupid toe stubber that separates the shower floor from the rest of the floor...and the puddle ends up on the other side of the floor divider.

Such a pain.

I forgot that some people bring clothes pins or alligator clips to try to help the shower curtain hang down better...

I never thought to make a bigger towel bumper (until now)...that might have helped.

I did try the shut the very bottom corner of the curtain in the door trick...that helped me a bit. The curtain didn't attack me as much as I heard it got the men...

I seriously think that I would do both a towel bumper and blue painting tape. Just take a roll of tape and tape that shower curtain into place on either side...and maybe the middle if it wasn't too wet.

Seriously.

Totally get the hate on the shower curtain now...

I already talked about the noise...

The ease of getting to the elevator bank/stairs was rock solid.

It was easy peasy to hit the pool deck bar for a grab and go...the proximity to the Solarium was awesome. The ability to walk out the door and look out onto the Centrum was handy.

I loved the location.

Hated the pillows... They were hard. One was flat and hard. One was big and hard. If I could've taken my own pillow...I would have. The bed itself was fine. I could stay on my side with no problems...And I didn't have a back ache in the morning. Just a bit of stiffness around the neck/shoulders...

Would book again.

By any chance do you remember who was the Loyalty Ambassador?

I'm sorry. I don't. I never dealt with that person.

They used to print out all the officers on board and give that to the passengers...but I've noticed that they stopped doing that.

I've searched through all my paperwork and don't see any reference...

Everyone wants to see the Cruise Compass...I know.

I've tried to figure this out. I scanned in the Cruise Compasses. These are PDF files. Let me know if there are any problems accessing these files:

Day One: http://1drv.ms/1JvDXUW

Day Two (CocoCay): http://1drv.ms/1KC9mZD

Day Three (Nassau): http://1drv.ms/1KC9qst

Day Four (SeaDay): http://1drv.ms/1KC9vwc

Meanwhile...back on embarkation day...

We were on board before the buffet opened. :eek: Yes...they will allow passengers on board with no food currently available...I couldn't believe it.

I've posted the Compasses...so you can find this info there...but the Windjammer buffet opened at 11:30 am.

Several other couples and passengers had made their way to Deck 9, FORWARD. I know...I couldn't believe that I was experiencing the Windjammer on the forward side of the ship! Totally messed with my food aft, entertainment forward knowledge of cruise ship design...

If you picture the buffet set up in a very long legged U-shape...with the curved bottom of the U being the most forward part of Deck 9...and the tips of the tops of the U actually extending beyond the official entrance to the Windjammer.

On one side, the tip of the top of the U is still indoors. There is a beverage station inside there. There are 2 Freestyle Coke Machines and an array of the complementary beverages, including coffee, tea, water, etc. There is also ONE food station...it's almost like a secret food station...and this is where you can find some great INDIAN dishes when the buffet is open. (We discovered this later this night...)

On the other side, the tip of the top of the U is outdoors...but completely covered and equipped with tables and chairs. This is where the soft serve ice cream dispensers are located. As well as another beverage station:

I never saw any bowls here...just the styrofoam like cones from the dispenser on the white divider.

That the pool area in the bright distance...

(If you are looking at a deck plan...these two sides that I am describing are the weird side areas the are on either side of the movie screen on the deck plan).

We had been sitting on the inside side...sorry, no pics...when a crewmen informed the entire room that the other side of the buffet had opened already. The side we were on would be open soon...

And everyone hightailed it over to the open side...

Inside the Windjammer...still on the leg of the U...there is a cold selection. For lunch, this includes a salad bar, cold cuts, cheeses, breads for making your own salad. For breakfast, this is where you find cereal boxes, individual milk cartons, cut fruit, yogurt, grits? oatmeal?, mueslix, and toppings for such things (sunflower seeds, pepitos, raisins, brown sugar, etc.)

There is a mirror image on the other side...

Then there is the beverage station on either side...

And then all the hot food is in the middle...the curved bottom of the U. The concentric circle area on the deck plan.

On embarkation day, that circle area had what I would think of as All American favorites. Fried chicken. Mashed potatoes. Corn on the cob halves. Premade salads. The carving station.

One side buffet had Asian? I think they called it? There was a Cauliflower Curry, Stir Fried beef with Veggies, Chow Mein noodles, some sort of chicken?, and a couple soup offerings (not Asian themed).

The other side of the buffet had Mediterranean flavors. This was the pasta bar...I think there was a pork dish?

There were two dessert stations with a wide selection.

And there was a grill area fronting the kitchen that was hidden from view. (The hidden kitchen is actually the big rectangle on the deck plan...it is walled off and is the reason why I am describing the Windjammer as U-shaped). Here there were hamburgers, hotdogs, French fries. These were not made to order...they were build your own with all the toppings there.

The buffet was BUSY. But we were able to find a seat. As time passed, it did feel like some people were struggling to find a seat. You could sense that desperate look in some eyes as they scanned the crowd as they walked.

There were several announcements made welcoming the passengers to the buffet...touting the excellent food and service to be found...and encouragement to move on when you have finished enjoying said excellent food and service so that other passengers may also enjoy...

I liked the set up of the buffet. The circle of food worked for me. I liked the way the tables ended up being...it could be a little bit tight between the chairs at the tables for getting in and out...but by and large the actual walkway worked.

There was a bit of ramp action to get to and from the food though. At times, if the floor seemed freshly cleaned (especially from a spill which there seemed to be quite a bit of)...the flooring could feel rather unstable...especially for someone that is walking very carefully. (Me, always).

You just have to get the lay of the land though and figure out the right path...and then you can find the ones that have the hand rails (if needed)...or at least hand holds...they face the front of the ship. Avoid the large paths on the sides (you'll know when you get there...)...those large paths are just a mess with the way people overload their plates and try to navigate through lost people trying to figure out which station is the one they want...

Unless you are stuck behind one of the cleaning stations...just about every table can see the ocean...which is all that really matters to me.

Foodwise...I was happy to see that there were a few signs saying "Gluten Free". I wouldn't rely on this for a true allergy because I don't know that the food prep was actually careful for cross contamination...but for someone like me that does better when I don't eat wheat (but can eat wheat) and wants to limit their wheat...the signs were helpful. I didn't have to wonder about hidden flour in the food prep.

I ate the Cauliflower Curry. Nice heat build up, but not too much variety in the contents for the sauce. I think it literally was ONLY cauliflower...LOL.

Also the stir fried veg and beef. Very nice. Good variety of crisp tender veg with meat that wasn't too chewy. It was cut well so that you could easily bite the bite sized pieces and you didn't get a bunch of meat strings in your teeth. (Sorry if TMI...)

Also a hot string bean dish with garlic. Very good.

For dessert, I had a bite of one of the squares of mousse. The entire family decided that all flavors of the fluffy, rather tasteless mousse were not worth whatever calories they contained.

The rolled cakes were pretty good. Roulards? There was a white one and a chocolate one.

The key lime wasn't tart or lime-y. The chocolate tart wasn't too chocolately.

The hot apple crisp with the vanilla sauce was the one I thought worthy of the calories. I enjoyed that.

On this day...the desserts were very disappointing overall.

On a different day, I LOVED the cappuccino cheesecake! OMG...YUM yum.

It was time to move along and let someone else enjoy...

Now that we had eaten...we needed a Cruise Compass...

And we needed to figure out the caffeine situation. I used to say that I liked coffee flavored drinks...hence my love of lattes. I'm still not a big coffee drinker...but I have weaned myself from the milk intensive caffeine...but I can't really handle the complementary coffee.

Needed to check out Cafe-Lattetudes and the pricing and figure out if we were or weren't going to get a beverage package of some sort.

Ultimately, we decided to splurge...and just live it up on this cruise. It would be the last vacation for a while...and yes, we like to drink.

Sometimes. We like to drink A LOT.

It's one reason Celebrity cruising has been so much fun...the beverage package (booking perk).

Thing is...we needed the middle alcohol beverage package because we like cocktails. DH loves to try different whiskies... I really enjoy beer, but I prefer darker, more microbrew type beers if I indulge in all that gluten...

So we did the big Premium Package splurge.

We had sat down at the one table that is next to the library wall/RC Online/Cafe-Lattes...and we discovered the daily trivia sheets and Soduko sheets. They are in the glass cabinet by that ONE TABLE.

There were also packs of cards.

A couple puzzles.

I grabbed all our Sea Pass cards and headed down to Deck 4 where there was NO WAIT at a temporary table set up to take my money for the privilege of drinking myself silly for the next 4 days. ;):rolleyes:

We purchased whatever the ultimate non-alcoholic beverage package is for DS. He does like to drink specialty virgin cocktails...and he does prefer what I think of as "off brand" soda. He likes Fanta, Mello Yellow, Mountain Dew, Ginger Ale...etc. So he would have fun with the Freestyle machines too...but I wanted him to be able to order a fun kid cocktail too. Especially on CocoCay.

A whopping $238 each for DH and me...and $88 for DS. *gasp* They don't count debarkation day as a day...because that is someone else's Day 1. So the per day cost is more like per night...

DS filled up his cup at the Freestyle machine on Deck 6. It's located right by the Ben and Jerry's/Cafe-Lattetudes. That machine never had ice. Probably because it is one of the only machines in the Centrum...the only one we found anyway.

DH and I got Stellas from the R-bar. We were sitting there doing the trivia and suduko when we heard other people talking about going to their staterooms...

Somehow we missed that announcement...but it was a good idea to hit the room and drop off our carry ons...

And then explore the ship some more before Muster at 3:30 pm.

Of course...

One of the first places DS wanted to explore was the Park Cafe. :p

This worked for me because I was curious as to how the food there compared to the offerings in the Windjammer...

From left to right, top down: Fruit cups, Roasted Turkey Wall Climber, Ham and Cheese Sandwich, Three Cheese Panini, Reuben Sandwich, Tomato Mozzarella Panini, Parma Ham Brie Arugula on Pesto Baguette, Vegetarian Quesadilla, Roasted Turkey and Ham Wrap, and Chihuahua Quesadilla.

Same order: Tiramisu, Fruity Mousse, Pound Cake, Key Lime Mousse, Turkey and Mozzarella Sandwich, Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich, Chef Salad, Shrimp Salad, Chicken Salad, Garbanzo Bean Salad, Pasta and Ham Salad, and Potato Salad. Everything in this display was available in the Windjammer.

Available Hot Food:

The soups were the same as the buffet. Chicken Noodle and Potato and Leek. I had the Potato and Leek soup (I forgot!) and it was actually very good. Not too salty at all.

Looked like pork on the carving board...not the famous roast beef.

Salad bar station where they will make it into a bowl for you:

DS wanted the Chihuahua Quesadilla:

DS said it was yummy...and he should know...he is a TexMex aficionado having lived for over 6 years in Texas...

On a different day...I was able to take other pictures of the Park Cafe.

On the Enchantment, it's located at the back of the Solarium. There are many tables...all throughout the Solarium.

Generally, the Park Cafe is much, much quieter than the Windjammer. The Solarium is a more peaceful place, in general. I think there might be calm music playing...you can smell the yummy spa-like smells wafting into the Solarium on that side...the sound of water. It's kind of library like...everyone is more "hushed."

There is also a bar in the Solarium...

DH had grabbed a cup of coffee to take to the bar to be doctored into an Irish coffee. They added Jameson Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Creme.

I ordered a Mojito on the rocks. I think there was a frozen Mojito on the menu...but I like them on the rocks.

I also took these photos there:

There were a few pitchers of some premade drinks. My thoughts were that if I were going to pay through the nose for a cocktail...I want someone to make my cocktail specifically for me. And thus, I never ordered the drink of the day.

This became something of a moot point with the beverage package...but still. I understand the need to speed up service...but that's just wrong IMO. Make mine fresh please.

There were few others at the Solarium Bar. We didn't wait long at all. Soon enough we were touring the Fitness Center with our drinks in hand. LOL.

They hide that Fitness Center. You walk up an unassuming stair case from the lobby of the Spa. It was a nice enough Fitness Center. Lot of light...lots of machines facing the windows.

I saw about 5 recumbent bikes (my PT machine when I do PT). Freestyle was the manufacturer of the machines. There were some free weights. There were two under inflated exercise balls. Looked like they could host a spinning class.

It was our one and only visit to the Fitness Center...

I know that Marc Walker was the Cruise Director but who was the Activity Manager on your sailing?

Your review is outstanding and I have learned so much already! Your writing and pics are very comprehensive and I know that future cruisers will be thanking you for a long time to come!!!:)

The suspense is killing me- did the roast beef in Park Cafe happen???

Everyone wants to see the Cruise Compass...I know.

 

I've tried to figure this out. I scanned in the Cruise Compasses. These are PDF files. Let me know if there are any problems accessing these files:

 

Day One: http://1drv.ms/1JvDXUW

Day Two (CocoCay): http://1drv.ms/1KC9mZD

Day Three (Nassau): http://1drv.ms/1KC9qst

Day Four (SeaDay): http://1drv.ms/1KC9vwc

Ooooo! Thank you!!!! I am on EOS in 37 days and would love to see these!

I know that Marc Walker was the Cruise Director but who was the Activity Manager on your sailing?

I only crossed paths with him once...I don't recall his name. I THINK it was something along the lines of Marvelous Marvin? He was a youthful looking black man. He was thin and fit and about as tall as Marc Walker. He might have had facial hair...IDK if this info is helpful for you? Do you know of different Activities Managers?

Your review is outstanding and I have learned so much already! Your writing and pics are very comprehensive and I know that future cruisers will be thanking you for a long time to come!!!:)

 

The suspense is killing me- did the roast beef in Park Cafe happen???

Thank you! I try to offer info that will be helpful.

Honestly...IDK if there was ever roast beef in the Park Cafe. We ended up there for late night snacks more often than during the day for lunch. It's just what happened for us...

I can say this...whenever I saw the carving station...the turnover of whatever roast being carved was often. I would ask the workers if and when there might be the roast beef. I'm sure that everyone on there is aware of the popularity and they might be in the know...no guarantees on that though. It's surprising how tunnel visioned the crew can be...they know what they know....but they don't have all the answers you want.

jayblue...please let me know if you have any problems seeing the files. I'm trying to put it out there to see and I've never tried to share files like that before.