Review (with pics) Enchantment 3/31- 4/7

[vavasmom]

I am going to try and put together a detailed review (with pictures) of our Enchantment of the Seas cruise that ended yesterday (31 March – 7 April 2012). This may take awhile because I go back to work tomorrow. I need to scan a couple of the ship’s pictures I purchased. Please feel free to ask any questions.

 

The cruise could be summarized as: Overall a very nice cruise with a few bumps in the road.

The Enchantment may not be the newest or the largest but I really enjoy the ship. Her stretched pool deck is unique (giving the feel of extra room on sea days). She has some wear here and there but nothing major. With a few exceptions the staff was top-notch. The Captain was Gus Andersson; Cruise Director was John Blair; Activities Director was Katrina Blair; Concierge Renyo Varkevisser; Loyalty Manager Teodora Marshall; Hotel Director Mark Rook.

 

It was spring break week (I am tied to the school schedule for vacations). There were over 900 kids onboard which included 2 High School Bands that accounted for approx. 250 of the kids. Overall the kids were well behaved – some incidents of pushing all of the elevator buttons but not too bad. The food is subjective to each person but I felt it was typical RCCL.

Ports: Baltimore (embarkation); Port Canaveral; Nassau Bahamas; Coco Cay Bahamas. DD and I had been to all of these before. She did not remember much about Coco Cay from 2006. This cruise was booked while on board last July when my BFF and I cruised to New England/Canada on the Enchantment.

 

Room: Grand Suite 8032. The same room we had in 2010. Our room steward was from the Philippines. I cannot begin to spell his name correctly. He did an excellent job. He worked around our schedule – DD and BFF like to sleep in on sea days so often our room was one of the last he serviced. He was very friendly in the halls and always asked if we needed anything. He was very proactive in reporting maintenance issues (like a burnt out light bulb and the loose door handle) before I could mention it. He provided ice and emptied the mni-bar fridge so I could load the water I had prepurchased. I have a series of room photos from both cruises (click on the one photo to display):

 

About Us: We were a party of 3

Myself (Barbara): Mid 40’s; divorced mother of one. This was my 12 cruise; 8th on RCCL; 2 Disney; 2 Carnival. I admit that I love to cruise. I spend more time on CruiseCritic than Facebook – I was responsible for most of the research/planning.

DD: 16; sophomore in High School; her 11th cruise (she missed New England/Canada last summer while she was away at camp)

BFF: 40’s; single. We have known each other for more than 20 years; his 4th cruise; all on RCCL;

 

Please note that most days will require multiple posts due to pictures

[vavasmom]

Day 1: March 31 Baltimore, MD

BFF was at my house right on time at 7:45. We attached a luggage tag to his bag; loaded the rest of the luggage into his SUV and were off for breakfast. We always eat pre-cruise at a Manhattan Bagel shop near my house. It was quick and tasty as always. We were off to Baltimore (drive time was just over an hour ) at just after 8:30. At about 9:40 I caught my first view of the ship from I-95.

 

 

We pulled into the parking lot and were told it was not yet open for parking. They verified we already had luggage tags (these are given out at a separate area in Baltimore not by the porters who take your bag) and we were given the green parking sheet. After this we were directed to a spot in the waiting line. DD got comfortable in the back while we waited. The weather was cool, gray, and overcast. The Baltimore skyline is nicer on a sunny day.

At around 10:20 the lot opened. We gave our 4 checked bags to the porters; paid cash for the parking ($105 –$ 15 per night); and were directed to a parking spot. It was a very short walk to the terminal; though the metal detectors; filling out the health form; and directed to a check-in agent. She was very fast but her passport scanner was not working so she had to type all the numbers in by hand. Soon we had our SeaPass cards and were directed to the waiting area for suite passengers (just a different set of equally uncomfortable chairs). I estimate that from leaving the car to sitting down in the waiting area was less than 20 minutes. The lines quickly formed. They had coffee, tea, and cookies in the waiting area.

Just as an FYI - From my seat we could see two of the metal detectors and bag search stations. I saw several bottles of wine taken from carryons while we waited.

Boarding started at approx. 11:30. We skipped the boarding photo (never turns out for us) but had to stop at the adventure ocean table to be given the teen compass (that was different – in the past only those under 12 had to stop to get their YEP bracelets). The AO table became a mob scene quickly – hopefully they abandoned the idea of stopping every teen to give out the compass. We then had our security photo taken and made the long walk up the ramp to the ship.

When we stepped on-board and were welcomed by some of the Cruise Director/Activity staff. They were handing out “Expert” and “New” cruiser stickers. I thought it was funny that BFF was given our sticker – he will admit that I am the “expert” of our group.

 

 

Everyone was directed to the Windjammer for lunch.

 

Handicapped individuals and their families use a different entrance (less steep) onto deck 1 (or 2?). Please be aware of the ramp if you are carrying a lot of "stuff" yourself.

[cmse9]

Thanks for mentioning the steep ramp and that H/C have access to another boarding deck. The photo does look like a very steep ramp.

[geesherry]

Great start!

 

I had friends on this cruise, their first, and I'm looking forward to reading more.

[vavasmom]

Day 1 – Continued

We were some of the first people in the Windjammer there – it was still very empty and we quickly found a table for 4 with a view out the front of the ship. I had my traditional first lunch of honey stung chicken; mashed potatoes, and green beans.

 

 

After lunch we walked around the ship. We found our table in the dining room - this will become important later. It was a round table set for 5 on the lower level, deck 4 of the dining room. We than sat in Boleros to review the Compass, review the plan for the week, and made a few cell phone calls. At about 1:20 we went to check on the room since some people were saying that they were available early. We checked out the room, noted the bed needed to be separated, and dropped off our carry-ons. I read the information in the room about the suite (the room key now works the lounge) and we met the steward and his supervisor. I asked about separating the bed and emptying the mini-fridge. He said that he would do both during turn-down unless we need either done right away – he is the first steward to offer to correct the bed if we needed it ASAP.

 

During our walking around we visited the concierge lounge and saw the Planning event in the Centrum. We did not need to plan anything but it was well attended. I love the way they do the piano to advertise the Romance Package.

 

We visited the library since BFF needed a book to read and then we went in search of the gym. My DD used the gym several times during the trip. It is small but it is also a small ship. Sometimes it was crowded; other times she was one of the few people there. The gym has treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. There are also several different weight machines. The spinning bikes are for class use only. DD noted they did not have any ergs or kettlebells. The floor space was somewhat limited for yoga or core work but there are mats available for use. The gym was kept clean – she saw employees wiping things down during her visits. The deck 10 track was popular many days. She did not attend any of the fitness classes offered.

 

After our walk-around, we returned to the room to check for luggage and get ready for muster drill. The drill was conducted at 3:30 on deck number 5. We walked down to our muster station, no life jacket required, and were checked in by one of the station staff. We were placed in rows to wait for the information session. During this time, the AO staff was very busy verifying every child had the correct YEP bracelet. While waiting, we spoke to two very nice women who were part of a group from Canada. At least one of them was on their third cruse in the past year (I later learned she was 88). They were not aware that it was spring break when the group booked. We had to wait awhile because I assume some people took a very long time to show-up. The muster announcements were made, life jacket use demonstrated, and we were dismissed.

 

After the drill we walked back up the stairs (including the 2 Canadian ladies) and returned to our room. I was surprised to see that there still no luggage – which seemed very strange. We had carried on some clothes for dinner but I forgot to include my shoes – black pants with white ASICS were going to be my fashion statement. The room steward checked again with us about bags since many rooms around us seemed to not have theirs yet. He took our baggage information and we decided to go up to deck 10 for sail away.

[ledouxgirl]

My hubby and I leave tomorrow on the Enchantment to Bermuda. Loved reading your review. You answered quite a few questions about the first day and that's a huge help.

One quick question if you have time. Are they still allowing kids in the solarium pool throughout the day? Earlier reviews from Jan/Feb said they opened it twice a day for two hours for kids. I hope not, it is our 20th wedding anniversary cruise and first time we go w/o kids so I was hoping that it would be adults only still. Not sure it will be warm enough to swim but just wondering.

Thanks!

[beachnative]

I am going to try and put together a detailed review (with pictures) of our Enchantment of the Seas cruise that ended yesterday (31 March – 7 April 2012). This may take awhile because I go back to work tomorrow. I need to scan a couple of the ship’s pictures I purchased. Please feel free to ask any questions.

 

Please note that most days will require multiple posts due to pictures

 

Nice pictures and looking forward to more. I'm glad you are posting because we enjoy being on the Enchantment.

[beachnative]

Are they still allowing kids in the solarium pool throughout the day? Earlier reviews from Jan/Feb said they opened it twice a day for two hours for kids.

Thanks!

 

Because the OP stated that the rest of the review will take time AND because you are sailing tomorrow, I'll answer your question:

 

We were on a B2B beginning Feb. 27. They discontinued that policy on our cruises because "The demographics do not call for it." As the weather warms they will not have the need to allow children in the Solarium. Enjoy your cruise.

[ledouxgirl]

We were on a B2B beginning Feb. 27. They discontinued that policy on our cruises because "The demographics do not call for it." As the weather warms they will not have the need to allow children in the Solarium.

 

 

Thanks for the quick answer:) Hopefully they don't need to use the solarium on our trip either.

by the way...what's B2B just curious, is it back to back cruises?

[beachnative]

Thanks for the quick answer:) Hopefully they don't need to use the solarium on our trip either.

by the way...what's B2B just curious, is it back to back cruises?

 

Yes it is. Royal Caribbean is now using the words "consecutive cruise" but B2B is easier to type.:)

[Candleonwater]

As of last weekend they were still allowing kids in the Solarium, 12-2 and 4-6 (I think it was). We had this schedule the first two days and the last day.

 

One quick question if you have time. Are they still allowing kids in the solarium pool throughout the day? Earlier reviews from Jan/Feb said they opened it twice a day for two hours for kids. I hope not, it is our 20th wedding anniversary cruise and first time we go w/o kids so I was hoping that it would be adults only still. Not sure it will be warm enough to swim but just wondering.

Thanks!

[vavasmom]

My hubby and I leave tomorrow on the Enchantment to Bermuda. Loved reading your review. You answered quite a few questions about the first day and that's a huge help.

One quick question if you have time. Are they still allowing kids in the solarium pool throughout the day? Earlier reviews from Jan/Feb said they opened it twice a day for two hours for kids. I hope not, it is our 20th wedding anniversary cruise and first time we go w/o kids so I was hoping that it would be adults only still. Not sure it will be warm enough to swim but just wondering.

Thanks!

Family swim was 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon on our cruise.

[vavasmom]

I am hoping to finish the review this weekend - thanks for all the nice comments - between going back to work and DD being back to school and sports practice every night I have not had time.

[vavasmom]

Day 1 Continued – Sail-away and Dinner

As we were about to leave the cabin, we realized the ship was starting to move. We quickly made our way up to deck 10 to watch the sail-away. It was still gray, cool, and breezy on deck as we said good-bye to Baltimore. There was party going on near the pool with the DJ but we did not attend. Instead we watched as we sailed by Fort McHenry but decided that we had sailed under the bridges before and could watch that from our balcony while hopefully unpacking.

 

We returned to the room, found bags (YES!), and unpacked as we sailed under the Key Bridge. We had main seating (6pm on this cruise) so we got ready for dinner. BFF and I went to visit the concierge lounge before dinner while DD got ready.

 

We met the concierge Reyno who is often discussed on the boards. I will say every nice thing said about him is true. He always greeted us by name made us feel welcome. He answered any questions we had and I will say the plaque stating the Happiest Lounge is defiantly true. We enjoyed the lounge every night before dinner and ate breakfast in there 4 of the 7 days. Frank the bar tender/server provided excellent service. We met several people who I would enjoy sailing wait again.

 

I want to briefly discuss children in the lounge. I know this is a very controversial topic since the rule change. As a parent I do not object to well behaved children – they were present every night (including my daughter from time to time). I do object to the behavior the first night of some small children crawling between the chairs and chasing each other around.About 5:55 the three of us went down to dinner. This is where the bumps in the road started …

 

We were shown to our table – now set for 6. I thought hopefully another family with a teen. After being seated for a few minutes, the waiter handed us our menus. The other people still had not arrived. The assistant came to the table with the bread – she did not serve what I asked for but I though no big deal. She then came back to the table take drink orders. I said we wanted to order a wine package – which brought a slight blank stare. I pointed to the brochure on the adjacent table which she handed me. When I said we wanted 5 night diamond with the first bottle being the Spy Valley Pinot Noir. I gave her the brochure opened to the page and pointed to the selection – normally spending money is not this difficult. She said she would get help. My DD asked for skim milk; BFF and I both asked for a diet coke using the soda package (showed her the SeaPasses with the preprinted package). She said all coke was from the bar waiter who would come by soon. The waiter came by and took our order; there still seemed to be confusion about ordering the wine package. The bar waiter came by and told us that he did not do the soda package just by the can. I asked for the head waiter at this point because I felt the assistant waiter/waiter combination needed some serious training (enough was enough). He said he would just get the soda the one time. I asked once again for the section head waiter (DD was getting upset that I was getting upset). The waiter then brought the receipt for me to sign for the wine package. I noted the amount seemed incorrect (too low) but he assured me it was the 5 bottle diamond. About this time the head waiter Saul arrived at the table. I explained that there were some issues and I was far from happy. He listened to my issues; said he would ensure tonight ended ok and would find us another table for the next night. Saul served our onion tarts and went to get the wine the assistant had ordered. We are now 45 – 50 minutes into dinner and the other people had not arrived but I noticed that a group of 4 teens was being walked down the aisle. They stopped at our table – the waiter walking them down seemed confused – there was no room for 4 people at the table – the 6 chairs were almost touching. She checked our seapasses and the group of 4. She then went back to the front while the 4 teens stood in the aisle. She came back, told us we had to scoot closer together because she needed to add another chair and make it a table for 7. I told her a firm but polite no – my DD was almost in tears at this point. She tried to cram the other chair – there was no way it would fit. About this time Saul came back – with the wrong wine and a shocked look at the attempt to cram in a chair. At this point I told him enough was enough and we were leaving – the teens would fit but one of our places needed to be cleaned.

 

DD and I left while BFF talked to Saul. We went back to the room hungry and upset. All agreed there was no way we were sitting at that table this cruise. BFF came back to the room. Saul promised to correct the situation. DD and I went to the lounge to eat a few appetizers and calm down while BFF changed. We ended up eating some food in the Windjammer before DD went to the teen mix ‘n mingle at 8. Not the dinner we had planned.

 

BFF and I sat on the balcony for a while but it was a little cool. Saul from the dining room called. He apologized again for what had happened and said he had a new table for us – just ask for him tomorrow night. Just before midnight we passed the Carnival Pride making her way into the bay. I was able to grab a few pictures and this reminded me of last spring break when we passed the Enchantment going out on the last night of our spring break cruise. DD came in just before 1am. She said most of the kids at the teen event were from the band so it was harder to “break the ice” than normal.

[vavasmom]

Because the OP stated that the rest of the review will take time AND because you are sailing tomorrow, I'll answer your question:

 

We were on a B2B beginning Feb. 27. They discontinued that policy on our cruises because "The demographics do not call for it." As the weather warms they will not have the need to allow children in the Solarium. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Thanks for answering - I can't surf the boards at work

 

Someday (once DD is in college) I hope to do a B2B

[spookwife]

I am looking forward to your review and pictures, esp of the cabin.. we have 8032 in May for a Bermuda run.

 

sorry your first night of dining failed, hopefully your subsequent posts will reflect that the issue was satisfactorily resolved. we have late dining and its just the two of us.

[ready2sail40]

I have a couple of questions....were there drink specials, like buy one get one alcholic drinks?

 

We have always went as we were on the first night to dinner. Other suggestions?

 

What were the daily drink of day specials each day?

[KathyPet]

Sorry you had such a bad dining room experience. A friend of mine and her DH sailed with a group of 3 other couples on Enchantment last fall on the Canada and NE cruise. They had the early dinner seating. After two nights at their table the contacted the dining room manager and insisted that they be moved to another area of the dining room because the service from their waitress was so incompetent. I have known this couple for 6 years and if she said the service was bad then believe me it was bad.

[vavasmom]

I have a couple of questions....were there drink specials, like buy one get one alcholic drinks?

 

We have always went as we were on the first night to dinner. Other suggestions?

 

What were the daily drink of day specials each day?

There were drink of the day specials each day advertised in the compass. I did not see any BOGO offers but they may have existed. I saw sign for a special price during certain hours for a specific drink in the viking crown.

 

There is nothing wrong with go as you are the first night if you don't have bags. I like to clean up a little and change. My first night was black docker pants and a blouse - nothing fancy. Luckily the bags came so I did not have white tennis shoes and black pants - my DD would have disowned me - she was offering me a pair of her shoes from her carry-on

[vavasmom]

Day 1 Addendum

I knew we did something else the first night but had forgotten until I looked at the compass. BFF enjoys the NCAA tournament. The final four was on Saturday night (night 1). It was shown on screens in Bolereos lounge. We saw most of the second game and enjoyed a Mojito from the bar. They were yummy – he had Pineapple – I had Mango. The lounge was pretty full and I will admit it was fun to watch with the crowd. After the basketball game we ordered a cheese plate from room service and an order of Chocolate Chip cookies for DD (which were enjoyed at 1am). We were eating the cheese plate when the Pride sailed by.

 

 

We missed the welcome aboard show while dealing with the dinner fiasco. The show was at 7:45. The comic was Matt Henry. We also missed the liquor tasting in the shops. I was planning on trying Sherdans as a possible gift for my sister – oh well there is always June.

 

 

A couple of other day 1 notes: Drink of Day was George Town Tea – 6.25;

 

 

The late night movie was Jack and Jill (11:30 in Spotlight)

[vavasmom]

Day 2 – Sea Day

We tend to sleep in on sea days. My definition of sleeping in is 7:30 – 8:30ish. Both BFF and DD think 10:30 – 11:00 is a fine time to get up. I learned how wonderful out room steward was – I said good morning around 8:00 and told him the others will still sleeping. I had a light continental breakfast (Danish and fruit) in the concierge lounge and then found a diet coke and yogurt in the Windjammer – which was busy but there were tables available. I walked around a little bit and returned to the room. I decided that I would sit on the balcony and read until about 10:30 when I decided that it was time for the others to get moving. They got up and dressed and had a light breakfast from the Windjammer eaten in the concierge lounge so they could both have coffee. We went back to the room to tidy it up some (I assume we had missed the steward) before our M&M. Turns out he came in after we left the second time and did a much better job than I did at cleaning up. When I saw him later that day he was surprised I had figured out how to put the sofa/futon back into a sofa.

Luckily I saw the Meet and Mingle invitation in the room and opened it the night before. The time and location had been changed from Viking Crown at 10am to Spotlight at 12:30 (or maybe noon I have the envelope but not the invitation). I would have had a mutiny on my hands if I woke everyone up early for an event in the afternoon. I think the change caught several people off guard or uninformed. We had 36 people registered and had group of over 20 people (6 room types) for a cabin crawl I had tried to organize. They had to clear out the bingo crowd first and clean-up (bingo appeared to have been well attended). The M&M was hosted by someone from the CD staff. She said a few words of welcome; they had some snacks on the table (I was still full from breakfast) and drew numbers for prizes. DD won a gift pack with RCCL Breath Mints, Visor and nice sling style bag. Another family won the exact the same thing. Someone else won internet minutes. The hostess then said we should meet each other – not exactly the best I have ever attended but someone started asking who was who. We discussed past cruises and excursion plans. We also decided that while we were missing several people from the cabin crawl list we would still do the inside room (I wanted to see that); a JR. Suite that had a “pole” (I also wanted to see that), and our Grand suite. Thanks to mistygr and her family for sharing their two rooms. I think the group on the crawl had fun. This is my lucky winner wearing her stylish visor:

After the cabin crawl ended we went to the Windjammer for a quick lunch. I was the Indian buffet (yum!!). We all enjoyed it. DD left to get her book, find a spot to read/sun, and planned to go to the gym before dinner. BFF and I also put on suits and found a spot by the pool to read. We did hear the Ballroom Dance Class in the Centrum going on. Looking down there were many people there that seemed to be having a good time.

BFF and I returned to the room a little after 4pm to get ready. There was a plate of Chocolate Covered Strawberries in the room when we returned. I will admit that of the three of us I am the only strawberry eater and we enjoyed them. BFF and I went to the lounge while DD got ready. We went to the dining room at six and were met by Saul. He took us to a table in the far rear of the dining room. It was a table for two nicely set for three. I noticed that the two nice ladies from Canada were part of a large table on one side and a couple we had met in the lounge was at another table in the same section. This was the view from the table

 

Our new assistant, Jose from the Dominican Republic introduced himself. He took our non-alcoholic and wine package orders. Soon our waiter Ronnie from India arrived. He gave us menus to look at. While he never “suggested” items to order, they both did a very good job. We learned that they did not know each other’s names yet – Ronnie had just boarded the ship when we left Baltimore. Dinner was the standard first formal night menu. We did have Escargot available (I had read many ships were having a scallop dish instead). We let Saul know we were very happy with the service and thanked him for the table. We also let the dining team know that we would not be in the dining room the next two nights due to port plans. BFF arranged to pick-up a bottle of wine the night we decided to dine in our suite. Note that the picture with the waiters was taken the last night of the cruise. The rest show how much happier we were

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After dinner, DD and I had a few photos taken by the ships photographers. She then changed and met-up with a couple of teens (a sister and brother) that she met the night before. I believe that she attended the teen dance party for a while and I know that she also used the hot tub.

BFF and I went back to the room and found this new friend on DD’s bed

After we changed, we walked around the ship some, checked out the Schooner Bar piano player, the band in Boleros, relaxed on the balcony, and had a nice time speaking with the family in the cabin next door. I think I went to bed a little after midnight, he went to bed not long after that, and DD came in at 1am.

 

A couple of notes: the morning bingo session offered 2 for 1 drink specials on Bloody Marys and Mimosas (front page of the Compass). The drink of the day was Pirates Punch 6.25; Two for 1 House Margaritas in the Viking Crown from 3:30 – 4:30

Late Night Movie was New Years Eve in the Orpheum at 11:45

Show was “Your Three Tenors” (we did not attend) it was 8:45 and 10:30

Captain’s Reception (we did not attend) was at 5:15 and 7:45 in the Spotlight

Family Swim in the Solarium Pool was noon - 2 and 4 - 6

[vavasmom]

Day Three – Port Canaveral

We were scheduled to arrive in port at 10 am so I got everyone up by 7:45. While they were getting ready, I took the beach bag up to the Windjammer to get breakfast. I will admit getting a few strange looks putting boxed cereal, utensils, bowls, yogurt, peanut butter, and milk in the bag. I also made a plate of bread, bagels, and danish. I dropped this off in the room and went to the lounge for BFF’s cup of coffee and some fruit. We ate breakfast on the balcony while we pulled into port. I like having a cabin at the front of the ship because you can watch the captain on the wing bridge as the ship docks. We docked at the older terminal in port Canaveral near the gambling boat close to Jetty Park– I had never docked at that area there before.

 

Once we were docked, we made our way to deck one to exit the ship. I will say they were being very strict with the teens getting off. My DD who was exiting between BFF and me was stopped and asked who she was with. Kudos to the RCCL security who noted we had three different last names. She was comfortable with our answers and we quickly departed – it probably helped that we all three said at the same time DD was with us and my daughter.

Once off the ship we walked through many RCCL excursion buses taking people to Orlando and Kennedy Space Center. We kept walking past all of the tours and came to the Hertz shuttle bus waiting. It was sitting in the location they described on the phone when I called Saturday. The bus quickly filled to capacity and we were off. I had made the reservation months ago after researching all the discounts available – I used a promotion from Marriott Rewards that was better than AAA, Costco, Sams, or BJs. I also needed a rental agency that offered after hours drop-off. I discovered that not all in Port Canaveral do. The Hertz office is small but the staff was friendly and efficient. We turned down the insurance (covered between BFF’s auto and credit card) and the return the car empty/ prepay the tank of gas upsell. We had to wait for them to fill up the car but soon we were in a newer Toyota Corolla and on the way to Aquatica in Orland. The drive took just under an hour – we paid all the tolls in change – just keep right on the road.

We all have Platinum Busch Gardens passes so both admission and parking was included. I was surprised to see that they gave us preferred parking two aisles from the front gate. We were quickly through the gate, rented a locker for the valuables, and found three chairs. Overall the park was beautifully landscaped with a mix of water park attractions. The park has two wave pools (I think they are identical), a lazy river that goes past the commerson’s dolphins or fish, and a swift river that you float in. There are also tube and body slides. I was surprised to see the sand area near the wave pools. The concrete was hot in the sun so I suggest some type of shoes for walking around. The lines were mid-length (they waited 35 minutes for the dolphin plunge) when we arrived but got longer as the day went on. The worst line was for lunch. It took almost 40 minutes to get food, everyone must have decided to eat at the same time, but we received an unexpected 30% platinum discount when I paid for the meal. The clasp on DD’s bathing suit broke while she was in line for the Dolphin Plunge Slide. Luckily BFF is a good knot tier – she spent the rest of the day with her suit tied. When I tried to throw it away in the cabin the next day, the steward removed it from the trash thinking it had fallen in by mistake. She had two other suits on the ship so we did not need to go shopping on the way back. They did not see the dolphins while doing the slide but we did see them in the observation tank.

 

 

 

 

We had a lot of fun and left at about 6:30 – the park closed at 7pm. We hit a little traffic back to the port it probably took almost an hour and fifteen minutes. We bought gas at the Racetrack gas station near Hertz and dropped the car off using the after hours drop at Hertz. Make sure you have a pen to fill out the form! When we dropped off the car a taxi/van was in the lot. I had initially planned to walk to the Marriott for a cab – it is in the same parking lot. The driver quoted me $15 including the $5 port entry fee. Since this was consistent with what I expected to pay we said yes. He also loaned us a pen to fill out the form. There was no traffic back to the ship and he quickly dropped us off.

 

 

People often ask if it was worth it to rent a car – I would say yes. We wanted to do Aquatica and that was not offered through the ship. It was also less money – we spent $68 ($47.30 for the car + 13.16 for gas + approx 7.50 for tolls) compared to the $33 bus ride per person to Sea World. From Sea World, we would of needed to walk across the busy street and would of not been able to come back until a couple of hours later. The car pick-up and drop off was painless. The roads were well marked.

[vavasmom]

Day Three Continued

We were quickly through security and back on the ship. Because the dining room menu was my least favorite – the strange beef stroganoff that is not beef stroganoff - we decided to eat in the Windjammer. It also helped that we could eat in out shorts and tee shirts. The Windjammer was busy but we were able to find a table near the windows. The service was excellent. They brought drinks and cleared the table. There was a bar waiter selling drinks and a cart was being pushed around with the small wines to purchase. The food was hot and tasty. We had a mix of different items.

After dinner, we cleaned up and DD went to meet with her friends. It was the teen club pool party that night. All aboard was 9:30 and we left a couple of minutes early just before 10pm. BFF was watching the NCAA final on the stateroom TV and talking to me on the balcony. I was speaking with the neighbors again and discussing the turn the captain was making as we left. Not too long after we pulled out we lost all TV (not good for the basketball fan). We walked down to Boleros where the game was being shown – the screens were blank and the crowd not as large as Saturday. Guest relations said that all TV and internet had been lost but it would be back soon. We found a great viewing seat in Boleros and the game came back on in about 10 minutes (we saw the second half). While watching we had Mojitos again – Mango for me; classic for BFF. After the game the DJ started to set-up in Boleros but we were both tired from the sun and day at the water park so we headed back to the cabin. DD came in at 1am from the teen activity. She said family karaoke was well attended (it was at 10:15 pm in the Spotlight Lounge)

 

Other Notes from the day – Drink of Day was Margarita – 6.25;

Headliner Show was Steve Shaffer (Comedian) show was at 8:45 and 10:30 pm. (We did not attend)

Movies: J Edgar @1pm; New Years Eve 3:30; Jack and Jill 6:00; Tower Heist 11:45 all in the Spotlight.

Michael Jackson Dance Party was at 11pm in the Viking Crown

There was no family swim in the Solarium – it was 92 degrees outside during the day

[will773]

Great tips about renting a car. Aquatica looks great!

[vavasmom]

Day 4 – Nassau, Bahamas

We treated the morning like a sea day since we were not due in port until 1pm. I was up by 8am; DD and BFF slept in until 10ish. We all had a quick breakfast in the concierge lounge. We checked three towels out for our excursion and DD used the gym. BFF and I walked around the ship some – we met DD for lunch in the dining room – love the Tutti Salad bar and then walked around the ship. We had been invited to the C&A “top” tier party but had forgotten about it until we walked into the Viking Crown just before 1pm (the party was from noon – 12:45). The ice sculpture and fruit carvings were still out. We watched us pull into port from the Viking Crown. We were the sixth ship of the day.