bassmk

We were briefly switched to Sydney, but then back to BH.

Uh oh...if you hate tenders, I have bad news for you about Newport...🫠

I believe that's only going forward. Any cruises already booked before it went into effect are still stopping. Our cruise is still scheduled for Bar Harbor.

The earliest meeting time for self-debarkation on our trip was 6:30. There may have been one at 6:15, even, but I know for sure 6:30.

This is excellent, thank you! We usually only have 1 large suitcase plus my backpack, so we wouldn't be *too* in the way I don't think. We could for sure be able to post up somewhere and hang out for a while. Maybe we'll try this next time!

It was HUGE and we were so far away!

Unfortunately, the "walk your own luggage off" options are the early ones. And the way my anxiety is set up...I need to carry my own bags off. 🤣 I'm pretty much a rule-follower, but has anyone had any experience carrying their own bags off and disregarding the assigned meetup times? Like could I just drag my bags up to the buffet and hang out until I'm ready to leave? Is that rude? Does it cause a backup or inconvenience anyone? I'm willing to experiment with that if it's not going to be a nuisance. Also your username is excellent.

I have NO idea how I've missed it on my other sailings! It was one of my favorite things I ate all week.

Thank you! I bought it on sale for Easter 2020 and...well, it got buried at the back of the closet. I found it with the tags still on while packing for this cruise.

I booked an excursion very recently (within the last month) and wound up cancelling it shortly after. The amount was refunded to my credit card within the week.

I tried everything! I had 5G service, even, but I think it was just overloaded. I couldn't get the Lyft app to load. Other apps were working okay, but Lyft just got stuck in that loading phase for me. There were a ton of people in the area trying to get cars, so I'm sure it was just too many. I should have connected to the app before I got over there.

Disembarkation – Saturday, 4/27: We had an alarm set for 6:30a, but we were up at 6a on our own. We did the Walk-off option, carrying all our own luggage, and we were in group C. We were to meet down in Santorini, so after we got dressed and did a last once-over to make sure we didn’t forget anything , we gathered up our luggage and made our way to the Piazza. Bob was on the hunt for coffee, and I don’t remember if he found any. I know I didn't. On our way to meet the group in the Santorini dining room, someone from staff, who was posted outside the elevators to help folks find their way, asked if we were in the Walk-off group. I said yes and he pointed us right to the gangway. We went right on out, and were in line for Lyft by 7:30a. I absolutely couldn’t get any service over in the rideshare area and I was getting super irritated. Disembarkation day is always stressful for me that way. I’m annoyed my vacation is over (LOL) and I just want to teleport home. So I gave up trying and we went over to the cab stand instead. We got to the airport by 8a, got our luggage checked, and immediately found the Centurion lounge. We finally got our coffee and some breakfast, and that helped my mental state immensely. We had about 3 hours to kill, and the lounge was pretty comfortable. About 15 minutes before boarding, we found our way to our gate. The gate area was WAY too small. I was very glad we had access to a lounge because it was crowded, hot, and stuffy at the gate. We had another long stop in Charlotte, and yet again we made use of the Centurion lounge. (Hey, I gotta take advantage of any and everything AmEx wants to offer me!) Both flights went smoothly and were on time. On our plane back to Nashville, there was a sweet little nugget baby, maybe 6 months old, who was UP. SET. It was a tiny plane, and the flight attendant mentioned that he had been flying for 20 solid hours. She paced with him for a minute up and down the aisle, and he’d cry occasionally. It was so pitiful we couldn’t even be annoyed. When he stopped, you could tell it was only bc he wore himself out and dozed off. He’d wake back up and just SCREAM. I felt so bad for him and his poor mama! He was the cutest little thing and I sure hope he slept good that night. We were home by 6:45p, greeted our old blind pup, and I immediately started laundry. LOL We were so offended we had to make our own dinner, and the frozen pizza didn’t come anywhere close to the amazing food we’d had all week. Thoughts and Reflections: This was our 3rd cruise on Princess, and our 2nd on Enchanted. We’ll be back on Enchanted in October for a New England/Canada itinerary, the same cruise we did in 2022. My parents will be with us in October, and they’ll be in A429 like we were this week. I have yet another cruise planned for Enchanted (I can’t help it…that’s the ship they assign to all the itineraries I like!) next May, and we’ll be in the same cabin we had in 2022 and will have in October! Like I said…creatures of habit. We had such a good time on this cruise. We love Princess, it’s so laid-back but with plenty of activities still. The food is great. The amenities are great. We like that there’s fewer kids. I know that might be a controversial Hot Take, but we just like being around adults. Enchanted is a beautiful ship and the layout is nice. It didn’t take long to get used to, as long as I could remember which way I was facing. LOL The staff is amazing, and I can’t say we had any complaints. The first Princess cruise we took was our honeymoon, and we reserved a Sanctuary cabana. That’s where we got hooked on that. I’ll always do that as long as they’re available. We even did it on our New England cruise in 2022, even though it was a bit chilly. They provided blankets and hot cocoa and coffee…it was still so cozy! I highly recommend to anyone wanting a quiet lounge day. Knowing that, I knew I would enjoy the Sanctuary cabana on Princess Cays. They book FAST, so if you book a cruise stopping in Princess Cay and want to try one out, be sure to purchase that on the excursions page right away. (I’ve already done it for our May 2025 cruise!) That’s my review, and I’ll happily give more info if there anything else anyone wants to know! Thanks for reading!

At Sea – Friday, 4/26: We slept in today! We got up around 7:45a, half the day wasted away already! LOL For a change, we decided to have breakfast in the buffet. LOL There was a general knowledge trivia game in Princess Live at 9a, and I had a PITIFUL showing…only 9/20! So shameful. I couldn’t believe it. Do I even know ANYTHING? Is my entire life a lie??? LOL I gathered up the shattered remains of my self-worth and we went down to the Piazza for espresso and reading/scrolling/people watching. In case you hadn’t noticed, we are creatures of habit. The relaxation and lack of schedule was so welcome, too. Our jobs are so stressful and regimented that once we get some downtime, we really take advantage. (Bob couldn’t stay away from work completely, though. His anxiety won’t let him do that!) We sat so long down there that I finished my book and got halfway through the next one! We did take a break during that time to have lunch in the buffet, but we went back down to IC for dessert and more coffee and continued our slothful behavior. It got to be about 3:30, so we decided to go get dressed for dinner and then come back down to hang out until we got hungry. We listened to the band in O’Malley’s again, and the singers in the Piazza. We eventually got hungry enough to go up to Capri. Bob’s appetizer was the seafood medley and the ravioli, I got the crab cake with a poached egg and hollandaise on top (YUM). For the main dishes, I got prime rib, and Bob got the bacon-wrapped meatloaf. We also got the bacon-wrapped shrimp to share. Since it was the last night, they had the Baked Alaska Parade! Always fun. I got the baked Alaska for dessert, Bob got apple pie, and we got something to share…I think it was chocolate mousse cheesecake? Terrible that I can’t remember, but I’ll post a photo. Of course everything was delicious and we were entirely too full. I guess we were trying to make the most of our last night onboard. We got back to the cabin about 8p and started the whole sad business of packing up and getting ready to leave in the morning. We watched the remaining episodes of Always Sunny that were available, then did some reading before going to sleep.

Tried to post a video of the wavy pool but I didn't work. 👎

At Sea – Thursday, 4/25: We were up a 7:00a, had breakfast in the buffet, and then went down to the Piazza. Bob drank espresso from the IC and did some work while I read and watched all the stuff going on. Bob finished up what he was working on and we talked about what we might want to do. We decided we might want to go swimming, so we went back to the cabin to change. We thought the aft pool would be the most fun, but it was pretty full and there were no available chairs. So we went up to the Retreat pool and found some loungers on the upper deck. It was VERY windy, but we were going to try to stick it out. We were rocking and rolling, so the pool looked like a wave pool. I wasn’t interested in dealing with that, but sitting out in the sun felt pretty good. After a while, the wind got to be too much for us, so we went down to the buffet for lunch. I noticed there was a chocolate buffet, and made note of that for later! Around 1:00p, we took some dessert from the chocolate buffet back to the cabin and settled in for some more reading and working for a while and then took a nap. To us, there’s not much better than a good nap on a sea day! Around 4:00p we went back down to the Piazza for coffee and some people watching. We did that for about an hour and a half before going back to the cabin to get ready for formal night dinner. We had dinner in Capri at 6:30p, and I watched my 10 y.o. nephew’s baseball game online while we ate. (Gotta be a good auntie!) The special appetizer tonight was escargot, so Bob of course ordered that while I had a wedge salad. As our entrees, Bob had some kind of fish…I can’t remember what kind! I had the surf and turf. We both really enjoyed them. For dessert Bob had the sugar-free cherry mousse thing, and I had cheesecake and crème brulee. We finished up about 8:00p and decided to sit at the Crown Grill bar for a while. I got a couple of drinks and we sat watching the goings-on and talking. We didn’t hang out for too long for several reasons. The couch smelled like someone’s terrible perfume. It was VERY strong, and it was heavy like patchouli. Absolutely awful. There were people yelling…like they were having an animated conversation and I guess the combination of alcohol and the loud music was causing them to have to yell at each other. Very loud laughing and talking over each other. I’m all for folks having a good time, but it really was kind of over the top. Lastly, the singer in the area that night wasn’t very good. He was playing the guitar and singing, but we didn’t like his style or voice at all. It got to be too much so we wandered around, went over to Crooner’s, thought about finding a spot to sit, but realized maybe we were just overstimulated in general, so we went back to the cabin around 9:00. We watched more Always Sunny and read a little until we went to sleep.

I'm almost positive it was on the menu and wasn't one of the specials that day. Next time I will get two for sure! I wanted to lick the plate!

St. Thomas – Wednesday, 4/23: Yet again we were awake at 6:45! We did our usual routine of getting breakfast in the buffet, and then back down to the cabin to digest and decide what we would do for the day while Bob’s phone charged. We’ve been to St. Thomas several times, so we decided not to get off the ship this time. The IC and a double espresso were calling Bob’s name, so that’s where we went. He had some work stuff come up, so while he answered some emails, I read my book. We liked sitting in that gazebo-type area in the Piazza. We could always find a place there to sit and observe. Also while he was working, I went over to guest services to check on a weird charge I couldn’t figure out on my folio. Turns out it was from the wine tasting…they charged me when I signed up and then inadvertently also charged for Bob, even though he didn’t participate. They happily took it off, and I thought that was nice of them. We wanted pizza for lunch so up to Gigi’s we went. I had some kind of caprese salad and a fancy burrata/truffle pizza, and Bob had a calzone. I was shocked to see actual chunks of truffle! Usually it’s a drizzle of truffle oil, but not this time! I might even say it was a bit too much. I LOVE truffle flavor, but this was a whole lot. I wound up picking off about 1/3 of them. But man, it was a good pizza. Bob loved his calzone, too, but he’s a pizza hound. He loves any and all pizza. After lunch we went up on deck to look out at St. Thomas. It really is a pretty island, and the port area is cool with all the boats anchored and docked. I saw some big cruise ships docked on the other side of the island, and I wondered if one of them was the behemoth Icon of the Seas. I took a photo, but I couldn’t tell for sure. We also wanted to get some dessert in the buffet. We love that little area with all the pastries. Bob is a sucker for cookies, so he detoured there several times during the week. We did some more walking around, some sitting and reading, then went back to the cabin for a nap. After an EXCELLENT, very long nap, we decided to sit on the balcony while leaving St. Thomas. There was a big group of stragglers, and we guessed it must have been a late excursion. I think I saw that there were several ships in port that day, so I wonder about traffic. It also appeared that there was some kind of medical evacuation maybe. I saw a stretcher and a wheelchair come on board with an ambulance on standby. I saw someone wheel out some luggage, but I guess I got distracted and missed if anyone was actually loaded into the ambulance. I hope everything was okay in whatever that situation was! Tonight’s dinner was at The Catch by Rudi. We’d eaten at Rudi’s Sea Grille on Mardi Gras back in 2021, so we knew we were probably going to enjoy The Catch. It was really delicious. Everything there is a bit silly and quirky, so that added to the experience. I can’t wait to take my parents there in October. As an appetizer we shared whipped feta with “ratatouille” (as an appetizer it was non-traditional, with olives and pine nuts in it), I had a crab cake, and Bob had calamari. As entrees, I got the Triple S Platter, which was shrimp, scallops, and salmon, and Bob got the Catch of the Day, which was a choice of 4 different fish. He chose red snapper I think. For sides we got ratatouille (traditional version), parmesan fries, roasted fingerling potatoes, and garden greens. The garden greens were not a salad, it was roasted bok choy and spinach. Very delicious. For dessert Bob had the pavlova, and I got crepes Suzette. Excellent, 10/10 would recommend, can’t wait to do again. Of course, as we are wont to do, we overate and were entirely too full, so we went back to the cabin to wallow. It was about 8:15 so we watched some Always Sunny on TV, then read/scrolled until a decent bedtime. Overall, it was a great day.

San Juan – Tuesday, 4/23: Up early again at 6:45 and had breakfast in the buffet. We took our time eating and then went back to the cabin to get into swimsuits for our Sanctuary cabana day! We spent the entire day up here, lounging, reading, scrolling, napping…it was glorious. Bob and I both have crazy, hectic, chaotic jobs, so vacation time is for pure slothfulness. The cabanas in the Sanctuary are the perfect way to do that. The staff is so attentive and nice, the loungers and other couches/chairs are comfy, there’s plenty of shade…it’s pretty much the ideal way to spend a quiet, restful day. It POURED rain at one point, and under the cover of our cabana, we stayed pretty dry. It didn’t last very long, and after it cleared up, they brought around the afternoon tea! We both got coffee and some “picky bits.” We spent the entire day up there, from about 9:45a-4:45p. It was really hot, but I mean…it’s the Caribbean. We expected that. But if you were on that sailing, you know that day was H O T. We were parked next to Mardi Gras, so occasionally I’d get up and wander over there to see what was going on because we could hear them at times. For those who are curious, a full-day cabana rental is $220, and I’ll post photos. (I didn’t make note of the cost of loungers or the cost of a half-day cabana rental, sorry!) They set you up with a bowl of fruit, some snacky things (nuts, raisins, etc.), and some alcoholic beverage options to stock the refrigerator in the cabana. We opted to get mostly non-alcoholic beverages. I got a bottle of Prosecco, but also a mix of regular water and seltzer instead of beer, wine, or liquor. There’s a menu of food options, and at lunchtime they take your order for that. There’s a hot tub in the Sanctuary area and two restrooms. When we’d had our fill of relaxation (I’m not sure what time the Sanctuary “closes” but we weren’t the last ones out, even at 4:45), we went back to the cabin to clean up for dinner. We ate in the dining room with Gerald again. We sat at the same table every time we were in the dining room, and that was nice. Reserve Class dining doesn’t have a set time or table, but it’s small, so if you get to know the waitstaff and want to be in their section, they’re happy to accommodate you. Bob loves escargot, so he had that as an appetizer, and I had the goat cheese souffle, which was about the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. As entrees, Bob got the lamb chops, and I had beef wellington. We couldn’t finish our desserts, but we shared both the crème brulee and some kind of chocolate mousse cheesecake-y kind of thing. The evening trivia was 80’s movies. It was HARD, even for me! I thought I’d sweep this one because my mom was a movie buff when I was growing up, and I saw EVERYTHING, even if maybe I shouldn’t have. LOL (For example, I saw Poltergeist and Vacation when they were brand new and I was about 4 years old.) Part of the trivia had photos from the movie with the faces/heads removed, and while some were obvious (Dirty Dancing) some were annoyingly difficult. I was so mad at myself after the reveals for a few of them! My score on that was 13/20, and I should have made note of what the winner got, but I remember it being not as high as the winners of other trivia games. It was so hard, y’all. But so much fun! We thought about going to Crooner’s, but it was packed and there were no seats, so we went down to the Piazza and could still hear and sing along. We also listened to the band playing at O’Malley’s. That’s a great addition to Enchanted. When we were on in October 2022, that area was the Salty Dog pub, and it was fine. The food was good but there was nothing else to it. Having the Irish band play is really cool. They play Irish tunes but also other popular songs in an Irish band style. That place was always very packed, but there’s plenty of seating around nearby in the Piazza where you can still hear and participate. Bob wanted something sweet, but not anything heavy like gelato or a treat from IC, so he ordered a virgin Miami Vice. I think that scratched the itch for him. I was still so full I didn’t even have room in my “dessert stomach.” LOL We were back in the cabin reading and scrolling in bed by 9:30.

Now that could be. Even shills winning the bids to make folks think they’re worth that much. Bc there is NO. WAY. I took this pic on the sly bc I was afraid I’d get in trouble…THIS “SOLD” FOR 5 FIGURES.

Thank you!