Smooth Sailing on Enchantment Feb 17 2014 Bahamas- photo review

[Familygoboston]

"I have a cruise friend who was so jazzed about cruising, but his Midwestern family was nervous, not being ocean folks, it took him ten years, but now they all LOVE it!!"

 

I wonder who you might be talking about... Hmmmmmm who could this be?

 

Great review, as always my friend.

 

 

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Hmmm, gee I don't know...maybe the same people organizing a group to sail Oasis next June! when I can't go:(

 

But it's true, a lot of folks worry about cruising, but when they try it they usually love it, look at your clan! Now you've tripled the people going;)

[okieladybug]

I enjoyed your review and all the information and pictures have helped us know what to expect and what to plan. We leave out Monday morning to head to the port for our cruise on the Enchantment. Once I got to Orlando I shared the pictures and information with my BFF Karen and she is ready to go NOW as she keeps saying LOL. I got our clothes ironed tonight and think most of my stuff is packed. Of course tomorrow I will unpack that suitcase and repack it just to make sure, I'm a bit weird about that for some reason.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough review!

[dolphinaunt77]

Did you happen to get any of the kids compasses? Going on the 34th and wanted to see an updated one. Thanks for the review! Very helpful!

 

 

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[maxs mom]

Hey!

 

I'm just now seeing this! You know we were cruising at the same time. I enjoyed this and your pictures. The Enchantment is one of my favorite ships. Thanks for the review.....I know how time consuming this is and many, many of us appreciate it!

[Familygoboston]

I enjoyed your review and all the information and pictures have helped us know what to expect and what to plan. We leave out Monday morning to head to the port for our cruise on the Enchantment. Once I got to Orlando I shared the pictures and information with my BFF Karen and she is ready to go NOW as she keeps saying LOL. I got our clothes ironed tonight and think most of my stuff is packed. Of course tomorrow I will unpack that suitcase and repack it just to make sure, I'm a bit weird about that for some reason.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough review!

Oh my! You are soclose! Have a great trip!

 

 

Did you happen to get any of the kids compasses? Going on the 34th and wanted to see an updated one. Thanks for the review! Very helpful!

 

 

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I'm sorry, The only one I had was the teen one, unfortunately. They only seemed to have them at AO or in your cabin if you have a small one...they weren't out with the other compasses near guest services. Even the teen one, we only got 2 nights of the 4 in our cabin:(

[Familygoboston]

Hey!

 

I'm just now seeing this! You know we were cruising at the same time. I enjoyed this and your pictures. The Enchantment is one of my favorite ships. Thanks for the review.....I know how time consuming this is and many' date=' many of us appreciate it![/size']

 

Thanks for stopping by, Jane;) I'm enjoying your review, but I will note, I was only gone 4 days you got two weeks!;)

 

I'm looking at your review with envy, but realizing it's only 18 months before we are "free" to go last minute! I'm leaving late 2015/early2016 wide open for the first time to try the "last minute" deal thing, decided where and when to go based on what looks enticing. It's such a departure for me NOT planning ahead, but you are leading the way!:o I'll miss not having my own kiddos at home terribly, but I will be so happy to off the school calendar, when it comes to planning trips:D

 

Looking forward to seeing what's next for Jane!

Edited March 16, 2014 by Familygoboston

[maxs mom]

LOL!! It's really fun playing the "last minute" game, but nerve wracking as well. There are some "deals" out there if you're not picky!

 

Loved your pictures of Coco Cay. And really liked your secret place. How long a walk is it to get there? That's our problem......John can't do a lot of walking. I despise crowds and that looked perfect for us.

[smeck]

LOL!! It's really fun playing the "last minute" game' date=' but nerve wracking as well. There are some "deals" out there if you're not picky!

 

Loved your pictures of Coco Cay. And really liked your secret place. How long a walk is it to get there? That's our problem......John can't do a lot of walking. I despise crowds and that looked perfect for us.[/size']

 

In 18 months I too will be retired. You must share some of your secrets.

[Familygoboston]

LOL!! It's really fun playing the "last minute" game' date=' but nerve wracking as well. There are some "deals" out there if you're not picky!

 

Loved your pictures of Coco Cay. And really liked your secret place. How long a walk is it to get there? That's our problem......John can't do a lot of walking. I despise crowds and that looked perfect for us.[/size']

 

Well, there are 3 ways to go, for mere mortals and one that you can take advantage of! the nature trail is rough, but about 1/2 mile to this spot. You have to get off the trail just before it ends, cross the dirt access road to the little trail that leads to the beach. Or you could just follow the access road all the way around, which would be much "smoother" but may be a touch longer. You can also just walk the beach, (which is shortest I think, and easiest as far as directions since you just go till you see it) though in some spots you'd have to walk through some water.

 

Since you always have a gold card you can very likely ask for one of the golf carts to take you to the gold card part of Barefoot, then walk from there, that would be very short, since it's just around the bend from BB, but out of site and would require a little wading. There are no "amenities" baths, bars, or buffets, so its like a desert island! ;)

 

We didn't return with mom because while she's had one knee done, the other is on borrowed time and we knew to would be tough for her.

 

 

In 18 months I too will be retired. You must share some of your secrets.

 

Another one! Enjoy it, Smeck! We aren't retiring, but we will have far greater flexibility with the empty nest. We still have to count the weeks every year ;)

Edited March 16, 2014 by Familygoboston

[Mrs_Tiki]

Thanks!! I noticed that you just cruised PG...wasn't it amazing??!! We loved PG, and I am trying hard to get back there, but it's hard to justify that long flight from the east coast...we may have to wait till our 30th anniversary:(

 

There is a destination expert for Tahiti who posts here frequently, you aren't HIS Mrs Tiki are you?? I think if you were, you'd have more PG cruises in your signature...LOL!

 

Hi familygoboston, I'm just now catching up on your review and see your question. No, I am not married to TikiinTahiti, and he was quite surprised when DH (Tiki_Man) and I popped up on the Paul Gauguin boards while planning our 25th anniversary cruise! DH picked the name due to his affinity for "Tiki shirts."

 

We loved PG, but are not sure if we want to go back. Our trip was so perfect in every way that we fear a repeat would never live up to expectations. So we are thinking of a similar small ship excursion to another new part of the world for us. Perhaps Greek Isles for our 30th.

[Familygoboston]

Hi familygoboston, I'm just now catching up on your review and see your question. No, I am not married to TikiinTahiti, and he was quite surprised when DH (Tiki_Man) and I popped up on the Paul Gauguin boards while planning our 25th anniversary cruise! DH picked the name due to his affinity for "Tiki shirts."

 

We loved PG, but are not sure if we want to go back. Our trip was so perfect in every way that we fear a repeat would never live up to expectations. So we are thinking of a similar small ship excursion to another new part of the world for us. Perhaps Greek Isles for our 30th.

 

Oh Yes, I remember all the Tiki confusion on the PG boards now;) I understand your fear...we feel that way a little too, but this time we want to get back for the 10 day and enjoy some of the other islands. I think every cruise is great, but you do get what you pay for:p

[europe14]

Hi Familygoboston,

 

Just wanted to say that I discovered your reviews a couple of weeks ago and now have read all of them. They are just so informative and fun to read. Thanks for hours of enjoyment! :)

[Familygoboston]

Hi Familygoboston,

 

Just wanted to say that I discovered your reviews a couple of weeks ago and now have read all of them. They are just so informative and fun to read. Thanks for hours of enjoyment! :)

 

Thank You!! Wow! I'm honored you would spend that much time reading my ramblings;) We have an eclectic mix of trips, so maybe they will inspire some new destination for you? But you've already been to some neat places I'd like to see!! My next one is a river cruise in Eastern and Central Europe in Sept...my first "Europe" cruise (we've always visited by land) so that should be fun to do!:D

Edited March 19, 2014 by Familygoboston

[tranquil14]

Thank you for your wonderful review! My husband and I will be celebrating our anniversary on the Apr. 21st sailing, and your review has been so informative! This really helps with my planning. Thanks again!

 

 

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[Familygoboston]

Thank you for your wonderful review! My husband and I will be celebrating our anniversary on the Apr. 21st sailing, and your review has been so informative! This really helps with my planning. Thanks again!

 

 

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Thanks! Happy Anniversary! Enjoy your cruise and your special day! :D

[kwazi07]

Just reread your TR and I still love it. I have to ask you: how much is the Ben and Jerry's? I am debating how much $ I need to put in my account for Sbux, B+J, and mocktails. And please shave my condolences during this sad day up in Boston.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.

[Familygoboston]

Just reread your TR and I still love it. I have to ask you: how much is the Ben and Jerry's? I am debating how much $ I need to put in my account for Sbux, B+J, and mocktails. And please shave my condolences during this sad day up in Boston.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.

 

 

Thanks for your kind words! It has been an emotional day, and now some mentally ill person just appeared at the finish line shouting Boston Strong with a big back pack (which they made him drop and now the block is shut down again:(

 

As for your question-I love Ben And Jerry's! My invoice has gone to the file cabinet, I'm pretty sure the prices are listed in the photo, but it may be too small to see on most screens. My recall and a peek just now at the photo on my biggest screen, is that they offer 3 sizes- and the smallest is 2.50, and then it jumps to 3.25 and 4.00 for the next two biggest ones. Shakes are 4.50 and toppings .50

 

Yum yum! Happy sailing!

[brookmill18]

As a fellow Bostonian, I loved your retelling of the drive to the airport!!!!

 

We are sort of new to this, and I have a question about checking on pricing:

 

Except that's not the end!! I kept watching prices and noticed that the Junior Suites were not filling, but the balcony cabins were. I was getting hopeful that I could maybe, possibly get an upgrade. Several weeks before sailing, there was a big price reduction in Junior Suites, it would still cost me about 400 dollars to upgrade, but it was intriguing enough to call. I called and asked about what the price would be to upgrade. The rep told me the price, which was just under 400, and I said "thanks, let me think about it" and left the store (see I'm getting better at this!)

 

To do this, do you need to keep going to the RCL site and basically try to book your existing cruise? I'm trying to figure out how to watch and know if there is a price drop. I called last week for a cruise this summer, and after being on hold for 80 minutes!, we did luck out and got a few upgrades and still a lower price. I'm just wondering how to check on my own without constantly calling just to see if there is a better price.

 

Thanks so much!

[Debbie166]

As a fellow Bostonian, I loved your retelling of the drive to the airport!!!!

 

We are sort of new to this, and I have a question about checking on pricing:

 

 

 

To do this, do you need to keep going to the RCL site and basically try to book your existing cruise? I'm trying to figure out how to watch and know if there is a price drop. I called last week for a cruise this summer, and after being on hold for 80 minutes!, we did luck out and got a few upgrades and still a lower price. I'm just wondering how to check on my own without constantly calling just to see if there is a better price.

 

Thanks so much!

 

We are cruising in August. I pretty much go in everyday sometimes twice a day and do a mock booking to see what the price would be. I have seen people talking about a website that you can pay a minimal fee and it will notify you of price drop. They will only do adjustments up until the date of your "final payment date." After that you could possibly get a lower price by upgraing.

 

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[Familygoboston]

As a fellow Bostonian, I loved your retelling of the drive to the airport!!!!

LOL, yes, this was by far one of the LEAST harrowing trips to Boston we've ever had;)

 

We are sort of new to this, and I have a question about checking on pricing:

 

 

 

To do this, do you need to keep going to the RCL site and basically try to book your existing cruise? I'm trying to figure out how to watch and know if there is a price drop. I called last week for a cruise this summer, and after being on hold for 80 minutes!, we did luck out and got a few upgrades and still a lower price. I'm just wondering how to check on my own without constantly calling just to see if there is a better price.

 

Thanks so much!

 

So here's the thing, yes there is and no, I can't tell you about it. Of course, you can check by occasionally, (every few days, or even, obsessively, daily) by mock booking your same reservation on the RCI website to see if prices have dropped. But there are also a couple of websites that will check for you. Unfortunately, those websites all actually serve as places where you can book cruises themselves, and so they can't be mentioned on Cruise Critic. There are two sites I know of that allow you to either for free (German company, but you can convert the prices from euros to dollars on the site) or for a small annual fee, to be alerted via email if the prices on a cruise you've selected to watch change. So you'll need to be very google savvy and do some searching to see if you can happen upon these sites. I have had good luck with the free one- many times I've been alerted by email of a drop, then I check with the RCI site and determine if in fact I can either upgrade to a better cabin (after final payment) or actually receive a lowered invoice. This same site will also alert you if a category is sold out or becomes available (though availabilities can change quickly) That's one of the ways I could see that on this Enchantment cruise, that balconies were sold out, but many JS were still available.

 

Interestingly, the price scanning websites did not pick up this latest BOGOHO deal because the price per person of my cruise went UP, and the scanner website did not detect the lower prices that could be achieved by getting the BOGOHO (by one get one half off) So monitoring Cruise Critic board chatter regularly is also very important! Good luck googling...if you can puzzle out the Boston traffic, I'm confident you can puzzle out this:p

Edited May 5, 2014 by Familygoboston

[brookmill18]

Thank you! Sounds almost like cloak and dagger like planning, but I am up for the challenge!!!!

[Karma5]

Nice review……………enjoyed it ………….

 

Thank You

[Familygoboston]

Thank you! Sounds almost like cloak and dagger like planning, but I am up for the challenge!!!!

 

Keep looking; you might net better prices the more you scan! ;)

 

Nice review……………enjoyed it ………….

 

Thank You

 

Thanks Karma...are you sailing Enchantment? If so ENJOY!!:D

[Mark_Debs]

Well, that's it! I hope if you are cruising soon, that this has been helpful, and they YOU have a wonderful cruise and that YOU will post a review. If you really aren't the reviewing type, then just come back here and let us all know how it went, anything new, etc!:D

 

For those who just like reading my overly long reviews even if you aren't sailing the reviewed ship (and I thank you and wonder why you have so much time on your hands;)) I'm including my signature in this post so you can see where we are off to next!

 

It will be a long time before I review on the Royal Board again, since we've got some other cruises and trips planned. I will review the Central and Eastern Europe River Cruise on the River Cruise section of CC. If we take the Adventure Cruise in the Southern Caribbean next April, I'll be back to review that one (still not sure if that's a definite...it's a graduation cruise for DD, but it's quite possible she may have some "pre college" weekends that happen on that week, depending on where she decides to go, causing us to have to cancel it. :eek: )

 

If that happens I will feel "owed" a cruise, so I don't rule out our taking a last minute cruise in Jan of 2014 or early fall of 2015, or BOTH. With kids all off to college we will finally have the flexibility to take last minute cruises. My DH has a theory, that I cannot exist without at least 3 trips booked at any given time:p

 

Thanks again, and I'm happy to try to answer anything that didn't get covered here (Is that possible:confused:)

 

Happy Cruising!!

 

 

Your review was amazing and answered, also put my mind at rest, about a few things despite us going on Freedom of the Seas and the only ports in common being Cape Canaveral and CocoCay.

 

Your photos were beautiful by the way.

 

I was very interested in the Cruise Compass' ..... particularly about the self disembarkation as my husband and I have a 10.45 flight out of Orlando to get to LAX to connect to Australia. A tight timeframe, but now I know (without any adverse acts of nature) we can make it.

 

All the best for your future cruises.

[Familygoboston]

Your review was amazing and answered, also put my mind at rest, about a few things despite us going on Freedom of the Seas and the only ports in common being Cape Canaveral and CocoCay.

 

Your photos were beautiful by the way.

 

I was very interested in the Cruise Compass' ..... particularly about the self disembarkation as my husband and I have a 10.45 flight out of Orlando to get to LAX to connect to Australia. A tight timeframe, but now I know (without any adverse acts of nature) we can make it.

 

All the best for your future cruises.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!! I think if you self disembark you should be fine. if something drastic happens, you wont make it, but then your insurance for delays would kick in. Pack lightly, so you can manage your own bags on the escalator. They will make you have a "hand" free for the rail or take the elevator, and there will be a line for the elevator...beat that line and you should sail through customs and immigration. You are on a week long cruise so there will be a special on Day 5 to send all you can fit in a small laundry bag for $30. If you really pack it well, you can easily get many things done mid week and not need to pack so much in your bags.

 

Good luck making your flight! I always have the approach that missing the flight home can be inconvenient, but it's not as heart breaking as missing the flight TO your vacation!:D Have a wonderful cruise!!