Back from the Enchantment 8/7/05 cruise

[GeoSci64]

I must second everything Bucko said! We did the "EXPRESS" disembarkation and made it home - in Southern Delaware - by 10am!! They called us at 7:15 and we walked off - piled everything in the buses - got to the parking lot and walked through CUSTOMS with no more than a glance!

 

I think everyone can see a few pictures at:

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/424157396FAQbMy

 

They are also ALL available at:

 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=19k3z95g.flvjr0k&Uy=-i2vk3h&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=119582017627_39097824308

 

but that system is not really user friendly!

 

I am setting up many more at my website at: http://home.comcast.net/~ourcruise/

 

Keith

[GeoSci64]

ALL of my pictures from the trip are currently on line at:

 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/geosci64/

 

but this site is a bit bothersome. If the WEBSHOTS address (above) does not work - this one might! -- http://community.webshots.com/user/geosci

 

Keith

[sueinphilly]

Keith,

 

great shots, I'm having flashbacks even though I was only there the week before you!

[whale-watcher]

great pictures -- thanks for posting!

[memphismimi]

We were also on 8/7 sailing and especially loved the whale watching trip in Bar Harbor...thought that RCI did try to improve the tendering from Martha's Vineyard from the comments I'd read before the cruise - loved the food in the main dining room - and GeoSci - just wanted to let you know that we stretched out on deck chairs Friday night to watch the meteor shower - my 17 yo left Fuel the teen club to come watch - it was foggy but the fog cleared and the stars were great - did see some meteors - thanks for the tip!

[wishful]

Bucko, Thank you for the info. Yes I was still interested. Great Pictures Geo Sci

[whale-watcher]

We were also on 8/7 sailing and especially loved the whale watching trip in Bar Harbor...thought that RCI did try to improve the tendering from Martha's Vineyard from the comments I'd read before the cruise - loved the food in the main dining room - and GeoSci - just wanted to let you know that we stretched out on deck chairs Friday night to watch the meteor shower - my 17 yo left Fuel the teen club to come watch - it was foggy but the fog cleared and the stars were great - did see some meteors - thanks for the tip!

wow-- meteor watching at sea-- what an amazing experience that must have been. Thanks for the whale watching report; we were thinking about that excursion (bir surprise, I'm sure;) ), and it is nice to hear positive feedback!

[GeoSci64]

My website is about 1/2 complete at: http://home.comcast.net/~ourcruise/

 

I will continue to work on it this week - Some images from shore excursions too!

 

I saw a few meteors - even with the ship lights and fog - it was better viewing than many of us in the East ever get! "Seeing" was tough all week because of the fog (one thing among many we cannot control!).

 

Keith

[PABirder]

My website is about 1/2 complete at: http://home.comcast.net/~ourcruise/

 

I will continue to work on it this week - Some images from shore excursions too!

 

I saw a few meteors - even with the ship lights and fog - it was better viewing than many of us in the East ever get! "Seeing" was tough all week because of the fog (one thing among many we cannot control!).

 

Keith

 

I tried for meteors the nights of 8/11, 12, and 13 but to no avail. Even found an area with relatively little light. However, I never had much luck with Perseids anywhere. I did see some spectacular Leonids a few years back, though.

 

Great shots of the cruise. Thanks for sharing.

 

For some reason, I never got the hanging towel animals. My mother, brother/sister-in-law/nephew, and sister/nephew/niece all got them.

 

Also, half my group left the ship in Philly at 9:45 or so (light blue) while the other half (my half) got off dead last (pink) around 10:30 or so. Fortunately, we had no deadlines to meet.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Have any of you who have been on Enchantment of the Seas tried the bungee trampolines? I can't wait to try them, but would love to hear from someone who has actually done it.

 

We'll be sailing on EotS in October. I don't care if the food is good, bad or indifferent, but I'm just mad to try those trampolines. In fact, that is why I booked passage on the ship.

 

If no one can tell me about the experience, I will post here when we return about how it went and if it was as much fun as it sounds or if it was too scarey.

[Boomer23]

My son (28 y.o.) tried the bungees while I took pictures. We were in dock at Halifax, so there wasn't any wind from the moving ship. He enjoyed it, but it wasn't incredible. It was only a 2 minute experience. The guy operating the bungees encouraged him to do a back flip, but it was harder than it looked. He decided that back flips were for the 12 year old girls that were up there at the same time, rather than for full grown men. I got some good pics, though, and he had a big grin when he "dismounted".

[whale-watcher]

I tried for meteors the nights of 8/11, 12, and 13 but to no avail. Even found an area with relatively little light. However, I never had much luck with Perseids anywhere. I did see some spectacular Leonids a few years back, though....

Hi PABirder -- just wondering if you had any luck with pelagic sightings (birds, mammals, or otherwise?). Also, did you do any birding on shore? We are trying to decide whether to pack a spotting scope and big binoculars, or to stick to the pocket-sized optics in September...

Thanks!

[PABirder]

Hi PABirder -- just wondering if you had any luck with pelagic sightings (birds, mammals, or otherwise?). Also, did you do any birding on shore? We are trying to decide whether to pack a spotting scope and big binoculars, or to stick to the pocket-sized optics in September...

Thanks!

 

Whale-watcher - Yes, we did see some pelagics but on a private (non-cruise) excursion from "Bah Haba" for whale- and puffin-watching. Saw some jaegers, shearwaters, black guillemots, handful of puffins, and a gannet. It was tough, though, with the pea soup Thursday morn. Did not see many birds from land or from on the ship except while in port areas and then mostly just gulls and cormorants. If you are going in September, probably less of a chance for puffins, though. We also saw some humpbacks. I purposefully did not bring my spotting scope on the trip - just binocs. When you say big, I am not sure how big you are thinking. My binocs are Leica 8x42 Ultras (I threw them in my backpack wherever I went).

 

Hope this helps.

[PABirder]

Have any of you who have been on Enchantment of the Seas tried the bungee trampolines? I can't wait to try them, but would love to hear from someone who has actually done it.

 

We'll be sailing on EotS in October. I don't care if the food is good, bad or indifferent, but I'm just mad to try those trampolines. In fact, that is why I booked passage on the ship.

 

If no one can tell me about the experience, I will post here when we return about how it went and if it was as much fun as it sounds or if it was too scarey.

 

HeavySurf - I tried it last week. Had mixed emotions about it. I kept swinging either too far off one side of the trampoline or the other and never really got a chance to get a good try at a flip although it seems many were having pretty good luck doing them (forward and backward). As for myself, I was never exactly the most physically adept at things like that, anyway.

[whale-watcher]

Whale-watcher - Yes, we did see some pelagics but on a private (non-cruise) excursion from "Bah Haba" for whale- and puffin-watching....

Thanks for the info! Whom did you use for your excursion in Bar Harbor? My son and I are currently signed up for the ship's excursion, but sounds like you had a good experience. I guess I will plan on packing the full-sized Leicas; we are trying to go only with carry-on luggage this trip, but I have so little opportunity for pelagics here in MN ;) , I think it will be worth the extra weight. Still thinking about a spotting scope for shorebirds...

When we were in Alaska last year, we were amazed at the number of shearwaters/etc we saw from the cruise ship, and we were equally amazed by the lack of pelagic species in the carbbean.

How is the shore birding this summer at Bombay Hook? We used to live in Baltimore, and would make it there several times each summer. We really miss it, as we have no good shorebirding sites here in northern MN (so we have to make do with owls instead:D )

Thanks again, and have a great fall.

[kenandlaura06]

Thanks for the review.

[roamingfromroanoke]

My son (10) daugter (9) and I (48) tried the bungee trampolines - they're definitely fun! As someone who's not a fan of heights I was very happy just jumping up and down without any desire to go as high as possible or do flips.

 

Each jump is limited to 2 minutes (long enough for me, not long enough for my son) and if the line is long you only get one, two minute chance to jump. The trampolines are only open during certain hours (generally two hours at a time - the latest was 5-7PM) and there was always a line when we went to jump. When the winds are high the trampolines are closed. There are three trampolines - one actually blew out into the ocean one evening and had to be rescued.

 

As the commercial said, "Try it, you'll like it!"

[PABirder]

Thanks for the info! Whom did you use for your excursion in Bar Harbor? My son and I are currently signed up for the ship's excursion, but sounds like you had a good experience. I guess I will plan on packing the full-sized Leicas; we are trying to go only with carry-on luggage this trip, but I have so little opportunity for pelagics here in MN ;) , I think it will be worth the extra weight. Still thinking about a spotting scope for shorebirds...

When we were in Alaska last year, we were amazed at the number of shearwaters/etc we saw from the cruise ship, and we were equally amazed by the lack of pelagic species in the carbbean.

How is the shore birding this summer at Bombay Hook? We used to live in Baltimore, and would make it there several times each summer. We really miss it, as we have no good shorebirding sites here in northern MN (so we have to make do with owls instead:D )

Thanks again, and have a great fall.

 

Whale-watcher, we used "Bar Harbor Whale Watch" - http://www.barharborwhales.com . It may be that RCL uses same but a different tour. If you set up your own nature tours (or rent a car to tour areas yourself), you may want a scope but I was with a large family group where we had several excursions set up and had little time on our own or could only stay in places for short periods so having a scope was un-realistic. However, there did seem to be potential for shore birds in Martha's Vineyard (tidal marshes) and probably Acadia (tidal flats) if you are on your own.(I've been to Acadia other times on my own car tours).

 

Where were you in Alaska? I did a cruise and land tour in '90 and saw a goodly number of birds all over. In the Carribean, I've seen the best birds on land. Only semi-pelagics I ever saw down there were tropicbirds and frigates.

 

As far as Bombay Hook - I have not been there for about 10 years - mostly I go to Cape May. The neatest things I ever saw at B.H. (Delaware, not Maine) were a snow bunting in November (around '83) and a stilt (spring - '95) - I won't even get in to the snow geese!

 

Good Luck!

[whale-watcher]

Where were you in Alaska? I did a cruise and land tour in '90 and saw a goodly number of birds all over. In the Carribean, I've seen the best birds on land. Only semi-pelagics I ever saw down there were tropicbirds and frigates.

We did a northbound inside passage with princess last year, as well as a land tour...it really was fantastic; just amazing numbers of pelagics and waterfowl...also visited Alaska in '87 (Attu, but that is an entirely different experience....). We had some good birding in Dominica on the Aerial Tram excursion, as well as great whale watching just offshore, but otherwise, found relatively few birds on the other Islands we visited last winter.

We are planning a RT Panama Canal cruise this winter, with stops in Jamaica, Costa Rica, Cozumel, Grand Caymen, as well as Panama, of course...so hoping to see some different birds then! Perhaps we need a thread for birders who cruise!;)

Thanks again for the info, and hope you have a great fall at the Cape! Our migration is already in full swing up here with a nice flight of nighthawks this evening, as well as loads of migrant passerines...they should be at Higbee beach any day now.