Fantastic Cruise on the Enchantment of the Seas 7/29/10-8/710

[roscoegirl]

Hello all!

 

Just wanted to share my thoughts regarding my recent cruise onboard the Enchantment of the Seas!!

 

First, you already know embarkation from Baltimore is super easy so I'll not go into that. Next, the important things for me:

 

a. the ship is beautiful

b. the entertainment is o.k. to very good

c. the crew/ staff are very helpful and friendly

d. the Windjammer's food/selection was excellent in my opinion

e. the weather was awesome

f. the ports were very lively and interesting (San Juan, St. Thomas, Samana, DR and Labadee, Haiti)

g. the Master Captain, Espen Been is skillful, professional and approachable/ friendly

h. the professional photos are still expensive but I bought several!

i. the casino is both fun and a cash cow for RCI

j. I found room service to be superb (I used it each morning!)

k. I did not experience any rude behavior (other guest or kids)

l. the kids were numerous but they did not affect my fun/enjoyment

m. my cabin (js 8110) was beautiful and spotless; and had the ever popular upgraded flat screen TV!!

n. my room steward, Ricardo was a sweetie-pie!! No request was too much!

o. the food in the MDR was good and varied; our waiter, Nischa (sp?) was classy and fun!

p. our tablemates were fun to be with

q. Chops Grille was very good

r. I loved the sea days!! (good for checking out all the activites available on the ship)

s. the solarium WAS hot but I think it's supposed to be that way

t. the Spa treatments were too hot for my budget but several guests were enjoying their time there

u. the Centrum shops were very busy and I spent more than I should have

v. Bolaroes (sp??) lounge was GREAT; the entertainers were very good especially after a few Long Island Ice Teas:)

w. I met and made new friends which I will always remember

x. I relaxed and de-stressed

y. I laughed more than I have over the past year

z. I enjoyed spending REAL quality time with my adult daughter!!:)

 

Second, the debarkation process was also super easy; we left the ship around 9:30am and was back at my daughter's house (15min from port) by 10:30am !! Easy-Peasy!!!

 

My daughter and I both feel we had a fantastic voyage and could not have imagined a better vacation. I believe each cruise is what you make it and we decided to let go and enjoy the ride!!!

 

Let me know if you have specific questions.

 

Thanks for listening!!:)

[yogimax]

Excellent! Glad you had a great time!

[4NJCruisers]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

 

We were also on the cruise. We must have passed you in the hall. We were in JS 8130 and Ricardo was also our steward. His service was amazing. While in port, he noticed our room felt warm while making the beds, turned down the thermostat, checked an hour later - still warm. Had it repaired for us before we were back on board!! He was great, I'm still missing him:).

 

 

This was our first cruise and didn't know what to expect. It was a great experience and loved Enchantment of the Seas. The shows were fun and there was always so much to do, much more than we expected. Our favorites were the Spotlight lounge for Bingo - DS (10) won 250.00 and DH and DD(13) loved the progressive knowledge challenge and we proudly wore our medals that we won off the ship the next morning.

 

We also really relaxed, had lots of fun and made some great memories. Hope to sail Enchantment again.

[LBumb]

thanks for posting your thoughts.

[med2cruise]

I am fresh off of a Carnival Cruise, 2nd cruise - 1st was with Celebrity. We are thinking about another cruise next year and the Enchantment is one we are considering since it is from Baltimore and we live in PA.

 

We had taken our kids 19 and 21 with us and will do so again next year. They had an awesome time. Were there a lot of kids around their ages?

 

Did you feel that you had to pay for a lot of extras? I have been reading reviews about RCCL nickel and diming you. We had very little expense on Carnival other than our bar bill. We were able to take on 3 bottles of wine and 4 cases of soda, ordered some rum from bon voyage and saves some money. Does RC offer anything like this?

 

I guess I am trying to see if anyone else has done what I am thinking of doing, sailing on Carnival and then RC?

 

Thanks,

Karen

[4gomez]

Thanks for you insight and opinion. I do have a few questions:

Subjective but; is early dining better regarding shows and activities afterward compared to late dining?

What are the options for late night snack since there is no Cafe Promenade and how late does it stay open? Sounded like my type of cruise.

Thanks

Joe

[Summer_Baby]

Roscoe - glad to see you had a great time! We were on the same ship and just a few doors down at 8140. We also appreciated the flat screen (my DH - it was our honeymoon), and found Nisha to be a great server - were you first or second seating? We were table 28 second seating. I had a bit of a time getting on board (long story) but I'll agree disembarking was super simple. Home by 10:30.

 

4gomez - If it's ok I'll put my two cents in on it, and gladly open the door for anyone who had 1st seating to comment as well. 2nd seating wasn't too bad, but there were a few nights where I missed things I would have liked to do (like the newlyweds show). The other down side is that by 4pm you do tend to get a little hungry, but as most would say, there's always something to eat on a cruise at any time of day.

Options include room service, and I think the WJ stays open a little late... Chops grill might as well, but it costs extra.

[roscoegirl]

I am fresh off of a Carnival Cruise, 2nd cruise - 1st was with Celebrity. We are thinking about another cruise next year and the Enchantment is one we are considering since it is from Baltimore and we live in PA.

 

We had taken our kids 19 and 21 with us and will do so again next year. They had an awesome time. Were there a lot of kids around their ages?

 

Did you feel that you had to pay for a lot of extras? I have been reading reviews about RCCL nickel and diming you. We had very little expense on Carnival other than our bar bill. We were able to take on 3 bottles of wine and 4 cases of soda, ordered some rum from bon voyage and saves some money. Does RC offer anything like this?

 

I guess I am trying to see if anyone else has done what I am thinking of doing, sailing on Carnival and then RC?

 

Thanks,

Karen

 

Hi Karen,

 

I don't feel that I paid alot for extras...I did have a bar bill, photos, ate at the Chops Grille one nite (speciality restaurant requires $25 per person but it is TRULY a dining experience--not just a great meal) and bought a Pets At Sea stuffed animal... these were things that I wanted to do that enhanced my vacation. I paid for two excursions that were well worth the money... If at any time, I felt something was not worth the $$ asked, I simply said "no thanks".

 

RCI does not allow you to bring ANY alcohol onboard but you can buy a wine package from Gifts and Gear (similar to Bon Voyage dept) You can bring water or soda (we didn't but I saw people bring water/soda back from the various ports) If you buy alcohol while in port, RCI takes and holds onto it until your last evening onboard.

 

I'm not good with telling peoples ages but I think there was a good number of young adults...my daughter sailed with me (she's 29) and I think she would have liked to have had more people on board near her age bracket.

 

I'm actually in the reverse position from you...we will be doing our first Carnival cruise in Dec of this year and I'm anxious to see what's different.

 

At any rate, the found this cruise (ship and itinerary) to be very good...I loved the sea days, the food, entertainment (well, most of it!) and it was a good mix of guests onboard... I would say...go for it!!! and enjoy!!!:)

 

jackie

[roscoegirl]

Thanks for you insight and opinion. I do have a few questions:

Subjective but; is early dining better regarding shows and activities afterward compared to late dining?

What are the options for late night snack since there is no Cafe Promenade and how late does it stay open? Sounded like my type of cruise.

Thanks

Joe

 

Hi Jeff,

 

I've never done the early dining so I can't say if that's better...We did miss the late dinner on a few nites but that was our choice to do something else. We would eat at the Windjammer (was open until 9pm) and go on to what ever activity we chose that might have overlapped the 8:30pm dinner time... no biggie for us...there's always food available... You could try the My Time Dining so you can work around the activities better (and it's your choice what time you eat!) There's also room service available all nite--the food is free but if you order alcoholic drinks, you pay for those. Room service also charges a small fee if you order after midnite (I think--I know there is a cut-off time for the free deliveries) There's also food (pizza, hot dogs, burgers,etc. ) available in the Solarium...not sure how late that's available

 

Hope this helps!!:)

[roscoegirl]

Roscoe - glad to see you had a great time! We were on the same ship and just a few doors down at 8140. We also appreciated the flat screen (my DH - it was our honeymoon), and found Nisha to be a great server - were you first or second seating? We were table 28 second seating. I had a bit of a time getting on board (long story) but I'll agree disembarking was super simple. Home by 10:30.

 

 

Hi SummerBaby,

 

We were on the second seating at table #28!!! I think I might know which couple you guys were (former nurse, now teacher and IT guru with a ponytail OR the couple related to Daryl and Ginger?) Let me know...:)

 

 

jackie

[B-52]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise, It is convenient to drive from Nj and get on a ship.

We booked the Explorer out of Bayonne a few days after we got home, for next June.

 

The Solarium was hot, because the retractable roof was broken in the closed position.

Was reported before we sailed by a poster so it has been broken for a few cruises.

Watched them remove the motor to replace/repair a day or two before we left.

[roscoegirl]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise, It is convenient to drive from Nj and get on a ship.

We booked the Explorer out of Bayonne a few days after we got home, for next June.

 

The Solarium was hot, because the retractable roof was broken in the closed position.

Was reported before we sailed by a poster so it has been broken for a few cruises.

Watched them remove the motor to replace/repair a day or two before we left.

 

Yes...I do remember reading a post about the roof! The solarium probably would have been more enjoyable if the roof was opened...I guess I now have a reason to sail Enchantment again!! (looking at 3/2012; a 12 niter) I've also considered the NJ port; do you know anything about it? Is it as easy to embark as the port of Balto? I definately would consider cruising in 2011 and may give NJ and the Explorer a try...:)

[B-52]

Yes...I do remember reading a post about the roof! The solarium probably would have been more enjoyable if the roof was opened...I guess I now have a reason to sail Enchantment again!! (looking at 3/2012; a 12 niter) I've also considered the NJ port; do you know anything about it? Is it as easy to embark as the port of Balto? I definately would consider cruising in 2011 and may give NJ and the Explorer a try...:)

 

We sailed out of Bayonne June 2009. IMO it was easier than Baltimore. It's larger, but there are more employees there, especially baggage handlers. I have read reviews stating it was a congested nightmare for some, but we did not see any of that when we were there.

One thing, you have to take shuttle buses from the terminal to the ship. No big deal really, they borrow those large double long buses from Rutgers.

 

I like the itinerary better: Bermuda, San Jaun, St. Thomas, and St. Martin. Plus 4 sea days.

[cosaraquis1]

Thrilled to read your report, so good to hear all good things about your cruise. Sure you will have many lasting memories.

[Summer_Baby]

Roscoe - glad to see you had a great time! We were on the same ship and just a few doors down at 8140. We also appreciated the flat screen (my DH - it was our honeymoon), and found Nisha to be a great server - were you first or second seating? We were table 28 second seating. I had a bit of a time getting on board (long story) but I'll agree disembarking was super simple. Home by 10:30.

 

 

Hi SummerBaby,

 

We were on the second seating at table #28!!! I think I might know which couple you guys were (former nurse, now teacher and IT guru with a ponytail OR the couple related to Daryl and Ginger?) Let me know...:)

 

 

jackie

 

 

Jackie,

 

This is Chris... me and Charlie were at your table! The other two were Sasha and Tony. Now I know your screen name here too. WOOT!

[roscoegirl]

 

 

Jackie,

 

This is Chris... me and Charlie were at your table! The other two were Sasha and Tony. Now I know your screen name here too. WOOT!

 

 

LOL!!! I'll just talk to you/Charlie on Facebook...BTW: ssssshhh! don't tell anyone who I am!!!! ;)

[Summer_Baby]

 

 

LOL!!! I'll just talk to you/Charlie on Facebook...BTW: ssssshhh! don't tell anyone who I am!!!! ;)

 

Sounds good... *code name Ginger, code name Ginger*