Enchantment Review: May 16th w/15 month-old

[Sunkissed Mommy]

This review will be a little bit all over the place! I do not have the eloquent writing style of some of the other people who frequently do reviews on here, but I like to share my experiences to help others :)

 

Some of the major things I will cover are

-the ship (Enchantment of the Seas)

-Royal Babies & Tots Nursery

-the dining room with a toddler

-my first C&A Upgrade

-how to travel with a 15 month-old

-random photos of the ship

-food (yes, I know, subjective)

-off-site parking with Radisson

-and more

 

Here's the background information on the trip and us.

 

Every year my mom and I take a Mother's Day trip. We've previously done the Grandeur (2010), Navigator (2011), and Disney Dream (2012). We skipped last year because my son was only two months old at the time. We decided to do our trip with my son this year. So it was me (30), my mom (55), and my son (15 months).

 

This was my son's second cruise. You can see my review from the Carnival Glory this past December for information about traveling with a 9 month old. Glory

 

We tend to stick with Royal Caribbean because we love the ships and are happy with what we get for our money. They also have nurseries onboard and that's important at this stage of my life. I do branch out to other cruise lines if the itinerary grabs me or the ship is new/innovative. I have my eye on the Getaway once my son is 3!

 

We chose the Enchantment for a few reasons. 1) It has a nursery. 2) It has newer features like Park Cafe! 3) My mom hates the Majesty and didn't want to go on it again! 4) I was on the ship back in 2008, when I got engaged to my husband.

 

We're from South Florida, so we decided to drive up to Port Canaveral the morning of the cruise. It's about 2.5 hours.

 

My next post will include the upgrade, drive up, parking, and getting on the ship! Be back soon :)

Edited May 23, 2014 by smileyperry

[Kayla103]

Can't wait to hear all about it. I'm on Enchantment in June!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

The Upgrade:

 

I originally booked this cruise back in June of 2013. I chose one of the new Panoramic Ocean View Cabins on deck 7. We were supposed to be in 7100. I chose it because it had additional space compared to an inside, OV, or balcony cabin. I thought the window would be great for my son to look out because there is a little seat/lip area in front of it from what I saw in photos.

 

Exactly two weeks before the cruise I logged in and saw that my cabin number had changed. We were now assigned to 7030. At first I was disappointed. I was looking forward to the extra space and large window. In hindsight I am so happy we were upgraded from that room to the balcony cabin 7030. My son spent 75% of his awake time in our cabin, out on the balcony! I liked the bathroom. It looked new and modern, however I wish there was a sliding shower door instead of the yucky curtain!

 

 

 

 

I have never received a Crown & Anchor upgrade before. I firmly believe it's all about being in the right place at the right time! The next category above mine was balcony, so we had the highest "ranked" oceanview cabin. I am Emerald currently, 8 nights away from being Diamond. So we had that on our side as well. I don't really expect to get another upgrade ever again. Typically we book inside cabins and we're happy with that. Although now I wish I had booked balconies for our future cruises. We have an October Brilliance cruise (myself, husband and son) in a OV and a November Liberty cruise in an inside. My son has only been in balcony cabins so I don't know how he'll react in an OV or inside this fall! We booked those under Kids Sail Free so if I change the category now we'll pay A LOT more!

Edited May 23, 2014 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

The Drive Up & Parking-

 

I had planned to leave at 8am. The 2.5 hour drive would get us there around 10:30am, then from the parking area over to the ship another few minutes. I like to board as early as I can so I can finally begin my vacation! Well we didn't get on the road until 9:15am because my mom wanted a sit down breakfast before we left.

 

It took us 2.5 hours to get up to Cape Canaveral. I had paid ahead of time to park at the Radisson. They have a lot at the hotel for people who stay at the hotel and they also have a lot across the street dedicated to cruise passengers. We arrived at the parking lot, which is gated at night, and pulled up to the attendant. I went inside to show my prepayment receipt. While I did that my mom and the attendant unloaded our bags from the back of my SUV. We left our bags there and parked the car. There was not a lot of parking left in the lot. I think I snagged the final spot. We walked over to the small transfer bus. It held 10-15 people. The drive placed all of our stuff on the bus for us, even the stroller. Of course I took my son out first!

 

It was a 5-minute drive to the terminal. They dropped us (Enchantment people) off first, then the other people who were headed off on the Disney Magic.

 

 

We paid $7.95 per day plus tax for parking at the Radisson.

[SeminoleFan]

Enjoying your review. Thank you!

Edited May 23, 2014 by SeminoleFan

[Kayla103]

Thanks for the review! Like it so far! And that is awesome about the unexpected upgrade! :)

[wesnmiles]

Enjoying your review so far. Can't wait to see the rest!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Security

Going through security was a hassle. I had a large bag, smaller cooler for my son's drinks, and a stroller, along with my son. They separated my mom and I for some reason. She was told to go through the machines on the left, I was sent on to the right. So I struggled with taking everything apart to go through security. They searched the cooler and questioned me what was in his cups... Um, toddler formula! I think the woman thought I was smuggling alcohol on. My son ran off in the other direction when I took him out of the stroller, I was reprimanded for leaving my bag and stroller behind when going after him. I think the woman that was doing the checks in my line just didn't like kids. She gave me a hard time. Made me collapse my stroller to put through the xray even though it was empty. On a side note, I have flown 3 times with my son and cruised once previously with him. This was by FAR the most frustrating experience with security with my travels. I completely understand why there is security and I am not debating that, I just felt like the woman was picking on me. A number of things I don't feel like listing, for the sake of time, also went on. Once I was on the ship I had realized that my son's hat, sunscreen, and snacks must have been left back at security. I didn't want to deal with the lady again. A crew member onboard told me it would all be there when we return on Monday morning and I could collect it then.

 

MTD

Check in was very quick. We were on within minutes. I went right to the dining room to check on our MTD reservations. I had made them in advance, but when our cabin number changed our reservations disappeared from the website. The lady at the desk confirmed that our 5:30pm reservations were in fact still there. We chose 5:30 because we felt it would be calm and empty to eat with my son.

 

Royal Babies & Tots

We went right up to Adventure Ocean to fill out the paperwork and register my son with Royal Babies & Tots. Caution: the girls that work in Adventure Ocean don't know the facts when it comes to the Nursery. They told me that the children will be given food (lunch & dinner) in there so I should be specific about food allergies (which my son has). This is not correct. The nursery only has juice and crackers, it is a parent's responsibility to feed their kids!

 

Later in my review I will tell you all about the nursery services and open play.

 

Here are photos of the Enchantment Nursery.

 

At first I thought it was stupid to have the nursery right next to the arcade. But surprisingly they have insulated the walls well and the sounds cannot be heard in the nursery.

 

Sorry this photo is blurry. It was a simple point and shoot camera. Things look good on the screen, but not so good once you view them on a computer!

 

Here is a view of the play floor and counter where drinks and snacks can be left by parents.

 

A view from the counter area and the play floor. The other side of the short blue wall is where the changing area, cribs, and cots are located.

 

More photos in next post.

Edited May 23, 2014 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

There were three cribs and one cot from what I could see.

 

 

There was a small restroom as well for children that are potty trained.

 

When I registered my son they gave me a small Fuel bag. They told me it should be used for diapers, wipes, snacks, blanket, etc for when he comes to the nursery.

 

Keep in mind, these photos were taken right when we boarded. So the nursery looks disorganized in some places but that's because it wasn't open at this time.

Edited May 23, 2014 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

After taking care of those few things we went to the spa to reserve massages. I quickly called up the nursery and reserved the times we'd be in the spa. I wanted to be sure that someone else didn't snatch up those time slots. They follow US standards in that the ratio is 4 children to 1 adult.

 

We wanted to avoid the Windjammer on day one. I know how hectic it can be. We decided to eat at Park Cafe. We really enjoyed it on both Oasis and Allure. I was so happy that we could get the same yummy foods on our short weekend cruise! It was never busy, but there was always a stream of people getting food from the cafe all weekend long.

 

We asked the staff there if it was okay to keep my son with us while eating in there. They had no problem with it as long as we kept him within the Cafe area. They didn't have a highchair, but it was fine. My son sat on my mom's lap and scarfed on fruit, pasta salad, and bread.

 

 

 

[Sunkissed Mommy]

From there we explored the ship. I was on the Enchantment 5 and 1/2 years ago with my, now, husband. So I was interested in seeing what they did in the refresh.

 

Some of the features (not necessarily new) are:

 

Jump Zone- Bungee trampoline. I ended up doing this on Sunday. The winds were really quick. The ship was sailing. The sports staff said they really should have closed it down, but were trying to give everyone something to do since we were at sea. He told me I was not allowed to do flips. Last time I was onboard DH and I were doing flips all the time, I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't, but oh well!

 

Big Screen & Kids Splash Zone

 

Solarium- I love Vision and Radiance Class Solariums because they can be completely enclosed in the event of bad weather.

 

Wind Spot! There is this one place on the ship that the winds are crazy whether the ship is sailing or docked. I remember it from years ago. We were standing there while exploring and I snapped this picture of my son's wild hair from the wind!

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review and nice photo's, thanks for posting.:)

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We went back to the room to give my son a nap before muster drill was supposed to begin. The announcement came over the PA that muster would begin shortly and that all crew must close public areas down. Approximately 5 minutes later we had someone knocking on our door. It was a random crew member who instructed us that we were late for the drill and if we chose not to attend it could be grounds for disembarkment from the ship. I was confused because we had not yet heard the horn and the CD had just asked for the crew to close down public areas.

 

We quickly headed down to deck 5(?) where the promenade deck is. As we stepped outside we saw that we were NOT late, as other people were just strolling up. They placed us at the front of the line because we had a young child with us. THEN the horn sounded and masses of people started to fill in the promenade deck. I totally understand that Muster needs to be taken seriously, but there was no need for that crew member to threaten us when we weren't even late!

 

Here we are standing at the muster drill before it began.

 

We decided that we would hang out on our balcony during sail away. Usually we go up on deck for all the excitement, but with my son being a very active little boy we chose to hang out on our balcony to help him stay contained. We were on the port side of the ship, therefore we had the scenic view of... construction and dredging! So we played with bubbles on the balcony.

 

Edited May 23, 2014 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I always choose to do My Time Dining. I find that we can get in and out quickly. We are not a fan of long drawn out meals. So I made 5:30pm reservations for the three of us. I was nervous that my son would be cranky having to sit through a meal on a cruise at this age.

 

We made our way to the dining room and were the second people seated. The first people were a couple with a baby as well. As soon as we approached the table our wait staff greeted us then went to get a high chair. They were back in under a minute. One had the high chair, another had a bowl of fruit! They gave the bowl of fruit to my son as soon as we sat down.

 

What a great idea. They know how to keep kids busy and prevent a fuss!

 

 

 

My mother and I studied the menu and found close to nothing we wanted. The last time I sailed on Royal Caribbean was when I was 6 months pregnant on the Liberty in November of 2012. This was just before the menus began to change. I really enjoyed the old menus. I felt like there was a good variety of choices and there was something I would be excited for each night (Sopa de Tortilla, warm chocolate cake, Indian dishes, etc). Now I struggled to find something to eat on most nights of this cruise. I found that 50% of the menu was seafood, which I don't eat. The only chicken dish was the same one each night, marinated grilled chicken breast. Cold soups (blegh, they all taste like applesauce!) The pasta almost always had seafood in it unless I wanted regular spaghetti, and so on. I know a lot of people like the new menu, but I don't which is disappointing because we love to cruise on Royal. The lack of chocolate or decadent desserts was also very disappointing.

 

One thing I do like is having the bread on the table. No more tracking down the waiter for more. Although I'd like more savory bites to be included. My mom let me have hers so I could have two each night ;)

 

My son on the other hand devoured his spaghetti with meat sauce!

 

We were in and out of dinner in about an hour. Our waiter and his assistant were very nice. They kept my son busy by playing peek a boo with him, feeding him, etc. The dining room was slow this early which was to our benefit. I was so fearful of dinner and it turned out to be painless! On our way out we asked the hostess to make sure we could be seated with the same waiters for the rest of the cruise.

Edited May 24, 2014 by smileyperry

[Ctrinh225]

Ur boy is sooooooo cute! Loving ur review so far. I'll be on the Enchantment in July.

 

 

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[Sunkissed Mommy]

After dinner we had to prep the room for my son. He is an amazing sleeper. He goes to bed around 6:30pm normally and gets up around 6am. I have to be at work by 7am and my husband has a long drive to his shop, so we're on an early schedule in our house. He generally sleeps through the entire night.

 

Back in march we had a major problem. I went out to Dallas to visit my dad with DS, just the two of us. DS refused to sleep the entire 5-day trip. He would sleep for, maybe, 90 minutes at night then wake up screaming bloody murder for an hour straight. It was an awful trip as far as that was concerned. I was afraid he might do it again on this trip, although he's been a fantastic traveler all other times we've gone away.

 

So my mom and I devised a plan. We brought a cloth shower curtain, magnetic hooks, and DS's Monkey blanket that he sleeps with every night. We created a divider wall between the beds and the pack n play. If DS sees someone in the room he wants to play instead of go to sleep. He had is own "room within a room."

 

Here's what it looked like:

 

 

 

 

This plan worked perfectly. We went to sleep quickly. We even turned the TV so we could watch something while he slept.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Just before putting DS down to sleep we gave him a bath. Last time we cruised I brought an inflatable Sesame Street tub with a suction hook. It worked great. I had planned to bring the same one along until my mom found a collapsible tub at BJ's (like Costco if you don't have them near you) the day before our trip.

 

It is a Summer Infant Newborn to Toddler Fold Away Tub. Pictured below.

 

 

I liked it better because I did not have to blow anything up! It folds in half. The downside is that it does take up a lot more room than the inflatable. On our next cruise I will most likely bring the inflatable again because we have to fly in to Boston and I don't want to sacrifice precious luggage space! But because we drove to this cruise we were not as worried about space.

 

Last Cruise- Inflatable

 

Now, on our last cruise we had used the inflatable as a pool for DS. It was great for him to get in some splash time. I highly recommend it to anyone traveling with a child who can't yet go in the big pools or splash areas due to being in diapers.

Last Cruise

 

 

On this cruise we had planned to do the same thing. We never ended up going to the pool. It just didn't happen on this trip between the weather in Nassau and having a sea day (crowded pool deck), I'm okay with it though!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I will continue to update soon. I noticed that about half of the photos frrm my trip are missing (I think my mom forgot to send me all of the pictures form her camera).

 

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend in the mean while.

[firestopr]

Just before putting DS down to sleep we gave him a bath. Last time we cruised I brought an inflatable Sesame Street tub with a suction hook. It worked great. I had planned to bring the same one along until my mom found a collapsible tub at BJ's (like Costco if you don't have them near you) the day before our trip.

 

It is a Summer Infant Newborn to Toddler Fold Away Tub. Pictured below.

 

 

I liked it better because I did not have to blow anything up! It folds in half. The downside is that it does take up a lot more room than the inflatable. On our next cruise I will most likely bring the inflatable again because we have to fly in to Boston and I don't want to sacrifice precious luggage space! But because we drove to this cruise we were not as worried about space.

 

Last Cruise- Inflatable

 

Now, on our last cruise we had used the inflatable as a pool for DS. It was great for him to get in some splash time. I highly recommend it to anyone traveling with a child who can't yet go in the big pools or splash areas due to being in diapers.

Last Cruise

 

 

On this cruise we had planned to do the same thing. We never ended up going to the pool. It just didn't happen on this trip between the weather in Nassau and having a sea day (crowded pool deck), I'm okay with it though!

 

 

Hello, thank you for the great review? i have a few questions about the baby pool did you have to ask permission? and how did you get it filled up?

 

Thanks

Edited May 27, 2014 by firestopr

[Kayla103]

Love the review!

 

Your son is also too cute!

 

That is great idea with the shower curtain as the divider. I would have never thought of that

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Hello, thank you for the great review? i have a few questions about the baby pool did you have to ask permission? and how did you get it filled up?

 

Thanks

 

I did not have to ask for permission to use the baby pool.

 

On the cruise back in December by husband took the bath tub and put it in the regular pool to scoop up water (yes, the tub was clean). He's pretty strong, so he carried it back to where we sat. Later in the week I carried the pool over to the outdoor shower by the pool and filled it with the shower water, then dragged it back to our pool chairs.

[anandaindonesia]

We will be cruising with our grandson who will turns 15mo next February.

Following with interest.

 

Thank you fof sharing. Great!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We will be cruising with our grandson who will turns 15mo next February.

Following with interest.

 

Thank you fof sharing. Great!

 

Everything should be back up by tomorrow evening. I'm getting my mom's memory card from her in the morning and then I can continue!

[Tapi]

Your review couldn't come at a better time. We are sailing in less than a month an our daughter will be in the Royal Babies and Tots program!

 

 

Caution: the girls that work in Adventure Ocean don't know the facts when it comes to the Nursery. They told me that the children will be given food (lunch & dinner) in there so I should be specific about food allergies (which my son has). This is not correct. The nursery only has juice and crackers, it is a parent's responsibility to feed their kids!

 

About food, I remember that when we sailed on the Allure, they did feed our (then) 17 month old dinner at the Royal Babies and Tots facilities. I distinctively remember the trays with chicken nuggets, fruit, and pizza. Would you know if the limitation to "snacks only" is exclusive to the Enchantment, or is this a fleet wide change?

 

 

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Edited May 31, 2014 by Tapi

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Your review couldn't come at a better time. We are sailing in less than a month an our daughter will be in the Royal Babies and Tots program!

 

 

 

 

About food, I remember that when we sailed on the Allure, they did feed our (then) 17 month old dinner at the Royal Babies and Tots facilities. I distinctively remember the trays with chicken nuggets, fruit, and pizza. Would you know if the limitation to "snacks only" is exclusive to the Enchantment, or is this a fleet wide change?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

I do remember her saying that they did not give meals in the nursery on Enchantment but that some of the other ships do. She pointed to the counter, but I don't remember exactly what she said when explaining why. We're going on the Brilliance in October and Liberty in November. I'll see what they say on those ships. It's not a deal breaker for me, but it sure would be nice!

 

 

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