LIVE from the Enchantment 8/14-8/21 #1

Greetings, fellow CCers! This is Merion Mom, in the CONCIERGE LOUNGE of the beautiful Enchantment of the Seas. ckrobyn, we LOVE the GS! We keep marveling about how luxurious and roomy it is. (we've only had E cabins before) I am not sure how comfortable the sofabed is, because I think that my son is STILL asleep (and it's after 11........so it must be pretty darned comfortable!).

Embarkation in Philadelphia was a breeze. We were in the first group on board! That IS one heck of a long gangway, but no problem for the able-bodied.

There are MANY passengers in wheelchairs and scooters. Surprisingly low percentage of kids. I'm not sure what that's about.

Cruise Critic concerns: As most of you realize, life on board is NOT life on "the boards." I realized last night, that I in fact DON'T NOTICE at all what anyone else in the dining room is wearing. Sure, I saw a kid in a baseball cap, which drives me nuts, but that's just me. :)

Booze: Most people on the ship HAVE NO IDEA that they were EVER allowed to buy bottles and take them back to their cabins. Our protestations are not going to have any effect on RC's policies. Give it up.

Dress code: I'll tell you about that later, when I have the Compass in front of me. It is worded in such a way, frankly, that jeans are more clearly not appreciated. But I don't want to misquote, so hang in there for that report.

So far, no CHOG sightings. It was so hot in Philadelphia on Sunday, that the water level in the pool was noticeably lower. The water in the main pool was just as warm as the hot tubs - as my kids said, the ONLY difference was "the bubbles."

Dinner was very good. I had the steak off the "alternative" always-available menu. It was RARE, as ordered! And it was tasty, and just the right tender/chewy texture.

Not HORRENDOUSLY crowded in the WJ, except yesterday, when no one could get to the cabins until 1, so where else could you go?

Our waiters are Andrej and Leo. Love them already. Giuseppe the Concierge is adorable, too. Our suite attendant (oh my, I *do* love saying that!) is the cutest and friendliest guy - Deroy. He immediately took my CHAMPAGNE, and returned with it in a HUGE Champagne bucket, and STILL gave us a regular ice bucket of ice. The only thing he had to say about our booze on the bar was, "If you notice the level of the vodka going down, that'll be me. (ha, ha)

and I'll share with you! (winking at my daughter). He couldn't CARE LESS about the bottles. He said that if we take any water or soda out of the refrigerator, he'll just make note and bring us a slip to sign, so there'll be no surprises there.

Going to send this before I exceed my character limit.

Post questions, because I forget a lot of what people were asking. :)

Tonight, the Platters.

Oh, I LOVE Matt Baker.

CArol

thanks for posting this thread! It's almost like being on board....well, not really, but still a nice break from work!

Merion Mom,

Glad you're having a great time and I'm sure it will continue. You got out of town just in time. Last night we had a wicked thunder & lightning storm. Be glad you missed it. Have Fun.

Sandy from Narberth

Happy to hear you are having a good time. I have asked this question before & have not received an answer but since you are still on the ship perhaps you have the answer. Please tell me the name of the Captain of the ship & Head Chef. Thank you

I was on that exact same cruise the week of July 31 - Aug. 7th.... Trust me - you are in for the time of your life!!!! I am so jealous!!! I've been suffering serious cruise withdrawal ever since I got home!!!!!

I, too, LOVED Matt Baker!!! He will have you laughing so hard your stomach will hurt by the end of the week!!!

Could you please do me one big favor???

If you get a chance, please head back to the rock climbing wall and tell Chris (a guy) and Amy from the sports staff that Amy from Philly (Yes, we're both named Amy) from the cruise 2 weeks ago says 'hello'!! Also, please tell Chris I better get an email from him soon or he's off my list!! LOL!!! But seriously... they're 2 great crewmembers I got to know and spend some time with during the week. They're both very friendly and outgoing and I hope to stay in touch with them. So if you could please tell them hello from me I would really appreciate it!!!

Enjoy your week and please post throughout your cruise so I can live vicariously through you!!!!!

As for me.... I have to get back to work now.... :(

Carol,

Thanks for the update - so happy to hear you're luvin' it so far. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Cathy

Hope you're having a GREAT time Merion Mom! I've been anxiously waiting your reports. Did you leave Philly on time? What time did you get to the ship? My husband called RCCL and he was told that as of July 3rd(?) there was wireless computer connection and then called again to make sure and was told they have wireless "hotspots" on the ship where you could go to get the connection. They are actually supposed to get in touch w/the engineering dept. of the ship to find out for sure which is true. If you could shed any light on that I would so appreciate it. He can't live w/out his laptop and unfortunately must keep in touch w/work!

Thanks in advance.

Patty

Hi Carol,

so I assume you made it on the ship;) .

Thanks for taking your valuable vacation time to let us know how everything is.

Its great to hear that you are having a good time.

Keep enjoying your cruise and suite.:)

Great update--Sounds like you are having a wonderful time!

Hi Carol,

Just returned fom the Enchantment on 8/7. What a great week we had. Sorry to be back in mundane old New York. You're right, Matt Baker is extremely funny. Don't miss Quest.

Can't wait to cruise again.

Enjoy.

Regards

Glad all is well! We will be on the Enchantment next March and look forward to seeing it in person. I know what you mean about the "suite" life. Don't wear out the cappacino machine in the concierge lounge! It was our favorite machine on the Radiance.

Glad you arrived safely and are having fun. Gotta love the suite life.

I have a description of the booze man at the other place. Look for him upstairs at My Fair Lady. Have a great time and can't wait to hear more. Wish I could run over to see the Enchantment in Port. Where are heading now???

 

Could you please do me one big favor???

If you get a chance, please head back to the rock climbing wall and tell Chris (a guy) and Amy from the sports staff that Amy from Philly (Yes, we're both named Amy) from the cruise 2 weeks ago says 'hello'!! Also, please tell Chris I better get an email from him soon or he's off my list!! LOL!!! But seriously... they're 2 great crewmembers I got to know and spend some time with during the week. They're both very friendly and outgoing and I hope to stay in touch with them. So if you could please tell them hello from me I would really appreciate it!!!

Chris is really great! My son had some trouble on the Rockwall and Chris was really good with him! He had me trying the green path several times after going up the blue path with no trouble :)

We just got off when you got on! ENJOY!! Hope the seas are not too rough - the Hurricane (Irene) did stir things up a bit on Saturday - was splashed with droplets of salt water on Deck 5 - outside the Theater Late Saturday Evening!

Check out "Evergreen" in the Centrum on Deck 4 - they are quite good! I only wish they knew what they were singing!! :D

Keith

Chris is really great! My son had some trouble on the Rockwall and Chris was really good with him! He had me trying the green path several times after going up the blue path with no trouble :)

Yes, I agree... Chris is really great!! He's very encouraging... especially with first timers on that wall!! Unfortunately I never got the chance to do the wall. I put it off till the last day of the cruise... but never got the chance cause they were swamped with people all day waiting to climb!! I keep waiting for the crowds to die down, but a steady stream of people just kept coming and before I knew it the wall was closed. :(

Oh well... there's always the next cruise!!

What week were you on Enchantment??

 

What week were you on Enchantment??

July 7th (right after the stretch)

Carol, sounds like your cruise is starting off in the right direction! Keep enjoying every moment because as we all know, you turn around, blink and it's all over before you can say "another mango tango, please".

Wishing you a smooth sailing filled with wonderful memories.

Looking forward to more of your review.

Merion Mom-

Thanks so much for your updates. We are on the Nov. 7th sailing and have the concierge lounge for the first time as a diamond member. I heard there are a couple computer terminals in the lounge - my questions is - do you still have to pay for them in there? If so how much?

We usually take our laptop on the Voyager class and pay for unlimited internet but it is my understanding they don't have that option on this ship?

We have to keep in touch with work and kids.

The drinks are free - cool.We are in a JS right next door Cabin 8608 - If you get a chance to see it please let me know how it looks. I know it is handicapped but I don't mind those cabins are actually bigger.

I am so excited as we are celebrating our 20 year wedding anniversary.

Please keep us posted. Have a great cruise!

Patty

Merion Mom-

Sounds like you're off to a fantastic cruise! We're on the 8/30 sailing out of Boston, so I'll be checking frequently for your posts.

Really appreciate any info you can provide, but it can wait until you're back....

Wendy :)

Merion Mom-

Thanks so much for posting and it sounds like you are off to a great start. I am so jealous! We have to wait all the way to Dec. for our cruise. And we booked way back in February. I hope you have a great time the rest of the week and I look forward to reading more of your posts. Have fun! :D

Thanks for the posts Merion Mom. My husband and I will be on the same cruise next week. It is our first and we can't wait!! We booked the Owner's Suite!! I'm so glad to hear your positive reviews. I'm finding alot of negativity on these boards and sometimes question if a cruise was the right vacation choice. Then I read a post like yours...and I'm just delighted. Have fun! I'll keep checking back to see what you have to say!!

Thanks for the posts Merion Mom. My husband and I will be on the same cruise next week. It is our first and we can't wait!! We booked the Owner's Suite!!

Which OS do you have booked? We are in a OS on the Oct 2 sailing and would love to hear about your experiences when you get back! Bon Voyage!

Murphy,

I'm J2Kitty's husband.We're in #8520. I am taking my laptop,so I'll be able to post pix .I need to know more about the wireless on the Enchantment. so if any one can post that info I'd appreciate it !

Chuk, we are in 8520 too! Can't wait to hear all about it. Someone posted on one of the first cruises after the stretch regarding the wireless connections. It appeared to work quite well.

Thanks for checking in Carol, glad to read you are having a FANTASTIC vacation :D

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