June 3, 2013 Enchantment Review ... Going Coco Loco and the Suite Life

[ksawyercruiser]

I sailed Enchantment on 5/10, and had a ball! Looking forward to hearing more.

 

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the review so far! :D

[ksawyercruiser]

 

OP I can't wait to read more of the review. Thanks for sharing!

 

Glad you're enjoying the review! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! :)

 

Glad you liked BLT- we went in Feb ( not members, and we couldn't rent points because DFIL was ill and had to be able to cancel - cringe, cringe:o)

I cant believe you hadn't seen the water pageant! It's one of our fav things to do since I've been seeing it since the 70s! It's so hokey, it's great! There's so little at WDW that hasn't been updated to death- ( remember the iago Tiki room fiasco:rolleyes:) this is still so old school!

 

I completely agree with you about the pool, we had one warm day and everyone was trying to wedge chairs into the shade of the towers! I also agree about he Chef Mickey food- except for the desserts; we pretty much loved the desserts!

 

Thanks for your review- takes me back, a great vacation - except for the night DD1 had Noro:eek: (see can happen anywhere!)

Can we get on the ship soon? Huh? uh? Are we almost there yet? ;-)

 

We loved Bay Lake, but it definitely had a couple drawbacks. The pool, which is so disappointing compared to many other Disney pools. The pools at the Polynesian, Boardwalk Villas, even Saratoga Springs are so much more inventive. And the lack of a restaurant was a bit of a drawback. But we would stay there again based on the view alone. :)

 

Thanks for checking out the review!!

[ksawyercruiser]

Looking forward to your review as we are sailing on Enchantment after a week on Oasis - same sort of concerns as you:will there be enough for our teen and tween? We're spending a few days in Universal, not WDW, before our cruises.

 

Hopefully, you can give some insights as to how your kids coped with the difference of sailing on the smaller ship ;).

 

I really hope you manage to get to Europe some day; it will be a wonderful experience for your children :).

 

Wow. You're sailing the Enchantment right after Oasis? My best advice would be to prep your kids about the differences so they won't be disappointed. The Enchantment is a lovely ship, but I was glad there were several months between our two RCI cruises because there are so many more activities and areas to explore -- especially for teens -- on the mega-ships.

 

That's not to say they won't have a great time! The teen club on the Enchantment looked like a lot of fun. Tommy enjoyed the arcade. And he watched a couple movies in the theater. Mostly, he enjoyed his freedom and being able to get sodas and munchies whenever he liked.

 

If all else fails, remind them that cruising any ship is a lot more fun than being in school. ;)

 

We will definitely get the kids to Europe. Tom and I have been a couple times. And I actually went to high school in Germany. So it's on our list. Just not this year.

 

Thanks so much for checking out the review! :)

 

-Kim

[ksawyercruiser]

Fantastic review so far! Can't wait for the rest. Many thanks!

 

Awwww ... thanks! I really appreciate the positive feedback! :D

 

Were were on Enchantment in May and had a wonderful trip, looking forward to your comments.

 

So glad you had a great cruise! Thanks for reading the review! :)

 

-Kim

[maureencruiser]

Subscribed - I'm going on Labor Day! :D

[kelleigh229]

Looking forward to reading more. We will be on her in September. I don't get the freestyle machines that keep breaking on the ships. We use them weekly after my son's gym class at the restaurant next door and they have never been broken in 3 years...

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[Fla Mike]

Your are bringing back some memories...

 

We did not know about Park being in the back of the Solarium either. We did not locate it until the 2nd day!

 

Keep it coming!

[GJM]

Looking forwarded to reading more - I think I will miss the promenade - me and DH would love to sit and have coffee and dessert and I could people watch!

[rushedmom]

Great review so far.. Looking to hear about your time on Coco Cay

[MrJimmyDale]

Op mia?????

 

:)

[stazerd]

Subscribed. Was on the 4 day in early June. Freestyle machines were both Out of Order.

[Scotty G]

I don't get the freestyle machines that keep breaking on the ships. We use them weekly after my son's gym class at the restaurant next door and they have never been broken in 3 years...

I think I know why there is a difference. RCI does not have a technician on board to maintain these high tech machines They must wait until they return to home port where a technician will respond to fix the problem.

I have seen that with the espresso machines in the DL and CL. I sat there with one of the technicians one turn around afternoon as he totally disassembled a machine and rebuilt it but did not have a needed part for the decaf section. He said he would be returning next turn around day to install it. So, no decaf for that cruise.

[ksawyercruiser]

So when we left off, we were about to head to our suite.( I apologize for the delay in posting, we’re in the process of moving to a new home and things are a wee bit hectic right now. But I promise to get back on it.)

 

Back to our story … we found our cabin # 8532 in the front of the ship. Very convenient to the forward elevators.

 

We stepped inside and – WOW – now I know what we’ve been missing! Like I said, we’ve been very happy with all our cabins. Both ocean view and balcony. But this much space was a real treat. Tom, Marissa and I ran around like idiots. Tommy spied the iPad on the desk and got busy figuring out what he could … and couldn’t … do on it.

 

We had no idea about the iPads in the cabin. It was cool. They had a few preloaded games (which the kids loved) and then pay-per-view movies. I believe you could also visit Royal Caribbean’s website on it without being charged. My husband visited the website a few times without opening an Internet account, and he says we weren’t charged.

 

Now about the room. When you walk in, there is a large “bar” area immediately on the right. That’s where the mini-bar is located, plus plenty of drawers. Although it looks like a bar or kitchen island area, it’s really where the drawers are for your clothes. The top of the bar looked like marble or granite. And there was an ice bucket and glasses on top. As well as a welcome fruit plate. Very nice!

 

On the wall behind the bar was not one … not two … but three big closets with plenty of hangars. THREE? Are you kidding me?? On our previous cruises, closet space was always tight. Not this time!

On the other side of the bar was a nice sitting area with the pull-out couch, television, a couple chairs and a coffee table.

 

Across from the sitting area was the bed, nightstands and desk. But what I loved most was the heavy curtain that could be pulled for privacy. When it was closed, it completely separated the living and sleeping areas. Great for privacy. With four of us in a cabin, it’s always a bit awkward to be changing clothes and having one of the kids exit the bathroom.

 

Speaking of the bathroom, it was incredible. Very spacious with double sinks in the vanity, a separate large counter area AND a tub! A real bathtub. Large enough for an adult to take a relaxing soak.

This was the first cruise where I didn’t bring my over-the-door shoe hanger. And I definitely didn’t need it!

 

Also in the room were our Gold Crown and Anchor coupons. It made us feel very special because this was our first cruise as actual members. We didn’t use most of them. But we did use the ones for arcade games (spend $25, get $25; spend $15, get $10). We also used the ones for BOGO beer or wine. I thought it was funny that the coupons were obvious photocopies even though there was a disclaimer on each offer that photocopies would not be accepted. We didn’t have any problems.

 

Back to the sweet suite: The balcony was also impressive. A table and chairs on one side and two loungers on the other. So spacious. I felt totally spoiled.

 

Overall, the room completely exceeded my expectations. It was a beautiful cabin and you could see that it had been recently upgraded. No wear and tear at all.

 

Our room attendant Sandra stopped by to say hello. She was very nice and kept our cabin in tip-top shape. We honestly didn’t see much of her. But I have zero complaints. She obviously was very good at her job because the room was always spotless.

 

Our luggage arrived shortly thereafter, and I got busy unpacking. Once everything was in its place, Tom and I decided to go to the rebooking area to inquire about a New Year’s cruise. The kids elected to watch a movie on TV. I think it was Sherlock Holmes.

 

Tom and I got to the cruise rebooking office and spoke to a very nice representative. You could sign up for appointments later in the cruise, but Tom and I just wanted some general information. Later in the cruise, we did fill out the paperwork to get the benefits of rebooking (reduced deposit, account credit) at a later time.

 

Tip for new cruisers: Be sure to fill out the form before you disembark! You get the same benefits even if you don’t book on board. We’ve since booked another cruise, but I’ll leave that announcement for the end of the review.

 

As we left, I grabbed a cruise itinerary catalog to review later.

 

By now, it was definitely time for a drink of the day. So we went to the Schooner Bar and met Noel who ended up being our favorite bartender of the trip. Noel is from Jamaica and is very upbeat, friendly, wickedly funny and a great singer (which we found out later when we back to hear the piano player).

 

I was surprised when he gave us our drinks in actual glasses that we could keep. He explained that if you buy the drinks by the pool, you get a plastic glass. But if you order at the indoor bars, you’ll get an actual glass. I announced then and there that I wanted a complete set by the end of cruise. Tom said, “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem!” Heehee.

 

I started to look through the cruise itinerary catalog, and Tom asked if I was supposed to take that from the rebooking office. I said, “I think so. They had a bunch of them.” Tom pointed to a huge label on the cover. “DO NOT REMOVE.” Oops. We dropped it back off before getting the kids for the muster.

 

B]UP NEXT: SAIL AWAY AND OUR FIRST NIGHT AT SEA![/b]

 

A view of the closets and "bar."

 

 

The desk by the bed. You can see the in-room iPad.

 

 

The sleeping area. You can see all four of us in this shot!

Edited June 24, 2013 by ksawyercruiser

[DreaAST]

I'm enjoying your review! Can't wait for the rest!

[ksawyercruiser]

 

One of the THREE closets!

 

 

The balcony was HUGE!

 

 

 

Our buddy Noel and our DOTD glasses! I have eight of them now. :)

[ksawyercruiser]

Subscribed - I'm going on Labor Day! :D

 

You're going to have a great cruise! Thanks so much for subscribing! :)

 

Looking forward to reading more. We will be on her in September. I don't get the freestyle machines that keep breaking on the ships. We use them weekly after my son's gym class at the restaurant next door and they have never been broken in 3 years...

 

It was weird seeing "Out of Order" signs on the machines every time I passed them. Makes me wonder why they installed them in the first place. But hopefully they will get it figured out. Thanks for checking out the review! :)

[ksawyercruiser]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

 

Thank you very much! Glad you're enjoying! :D

 

Your are bringing back some memories...

 

We did not know about Park being in the back of the Solarium either. We did not locate it until the 2nd day!

 

Keep it coming!

 

Yeah. I really had it in my head that it would be like the Allure. We would have eaten there on embarkation day but it was closed. Every other time, it was just too toasty in the Solarium. I know the food is excellent so maybe next time!

 

Thank you for reading the review and taking time to comment! :)

[ksawyercruiser]

Looking forwarded to reading more - I think I will miss the promenade - me and DH would love to sit and have coffee and dessert and I could people watch!

 

You can grab some cookies and a gourmet coffee at the Seattle's Best coffee shop and enjoy some great people watching. The Enchantment is very different from the mega-ships but very charming in its own way.

 

Thanks for reading the review! :)

 

-Kim

 

thank you for the review.:):)

 

You're welcome! Thanks for checking out the review! :)

 

-Kim

[ksawyercruiser]

Great review so far.. Looking to hear about your time on Coco Cay

 

We had a great time on Coco Cay! Can't wait to tell you about it.

 

Thanks for checking out the review! :)

 

-Kim

 

Op mia?????

 

:)

 

Totally MIA. Sorry! This weekend just slipped by. We've spent the whole weekend furniture shopping and at Home Depot. We close on our new house next week. :eek:

 

I promise I will do better! :)

[ksawyercruiser]

Subscribed. Was on the 4 day in early June. Freestyle machines were both Out of Order.

 

Thanks for subscribing! :)

 

 

I'm enjoying your review! Can't wait for the rest!

 

Why thank you very much! Glad you're enjoying so far! :)

 

-Kim

[rushedmom]

We had a great time on Coco Cay! Can't wait to tell you about it.

 

Thanks for checking out the review! :)

 

-Kim

 

 

 

Totally MIA. Sorry! This weekend just slipped by. We've spent the whole weekend furniture shopping and at Home Depot. We close on our new house next week. :eek:

 

I promise I will do better! :)

 

We moved 2 days after our first cruise on Enchantment so I understand the rush and crazy post cruise you are going thru!

[welshrich]

Great review, we are sailing on her in September so looking forward to reading more, can't understand why the don't open the solarium roof more, especially in that climate as well, it's normally our favorite place to relax.

[LBumb]

great job

[Buckeye State Cruisers]

Staying in a Grand Suite will spoil you :p I am enjoying reading your review since the smallest ship we have sailed on is Voyager class. I really do want to try a Vision or Radiance class but the big ships keep calling me :rolleyes:. You have a beautiful family.