Enchantment Review 10/15/05 - 10/20/05

[Glory.Bound]

We're just back from the 10/15 - 10/20 cruise on Enchantment of the Seas - had a great time! Our scheduled stop at Grand Cayman had to be scrapped thanks to Wilma. I've got a few choice words for "her" but I'll refrain from using them here. I was really looking forward to Grand Cayman since I had a dive trip planned, but that's the risk sailing during hurricane season.

 

The ship looked great to us – in fact our balcony stateroom was one of the new ones added during the famous 73 foot “stretch” operation this past summer. Our cabin was on deck 8, portside. One of the differences added was to the sliding glass door leading out to the balcony. I’ve heard a lot of folks talk about using something to keep the door open (towels, duct tape, etc.). Our door had a locking handle that would lock the door in any position from fully open to closed, so there was no risk the door would slide with movement of the ship. While our cabin was not large, we had room under the bed to store our luggage and plenty enough space in the closet to hang our clothes. There weren’t much drawer space, though.

 

We spent Sunday at sea, and there were lots of activities that day. The sea day gave us a chance to get used to being on board, and further explore the ship. People were out in force in the pool areas, but I did see empty lounge chairs throughout the trip, so that wasn't a problem.

 

We went to Ocho Rios Jamaica on Monday. It rained for most of the day, but we still enjoyed the trip. We booked Orville Taylor for a private tour, and he got us to Dunn's River Falls before anyone else. In fact, thanks to the rainy weather, my wife and I had our own personal guide up the falls. We saw a few other people who chose to walk up the falls using the walkway, rather than enter the water (which wasn't as cold as I expected). Orville then took us around town and into the rain forest. We couldn't do the tubing as we had hoped, since the rain had caused the river to swell and that made the river more dangerous. He took us to a local restaurant and we had a good meal and enjoyed the view from our table. The food was good and they had a singer there who was fun to listen to. Orville was very pleasant and told us a lot about Jamaica. He kept our stuff safely on his van while we visited the falls, shops, and had lunch. We both enjoyed his company and highly recommend him to anyone looking for a tour guide in Ocho Rios.

 

We went to Labadee, Haiti on Tuesday in place of Grand Cayman. Lots of water sports there, from swimming (several beaches) to parasailing, wave runners, kayaks, and snorkeling. They also had a marketplace area where island people sold merchandise and performed dances. Food was brought ashore from the ship. We tendered in since there is no dock in Labadee. It’s a nice stop, and RCI has done a good job with the place. I understand it’s strictly a RCI property so only RCI ships stop there.

 

Wednesday was another Sea day, and we slept in because we kept staying up till past midnight every night with all of the late night entertainment.

 

Speaking of entertainment, Tuesday night was The Quest, and I could kick myself for not bringing my camera – next time I’ll know better! In fact I started to take it with me everywhere, since I never knew when something would happen that I’d want to have pictures of. We really enjoyed all of the shows on board. The RCI singers and dancers were fantastic – super high energy shows! The juggler/comedian was amazing. Another comedian had us in tears, particularly the first show he did. The Love and Marriage show was funny – but I’d recommend getting there early to watch the tryouts for the show – that’s hilarious!

 

 

Chris Armas was our Cruise Director, and he seemed to be almost everywhere! From dance lessons to all of the shows, he was there. I enjoyed him and he did a great job of providing entertainment on board. I wish I could have done more of the things available – but it’s hard to be in two places at one. Hat’s off to Chris!

 

Our room attendant (Cris), Assistant Waiter (Maria), Waiter (Abel), and Head Waiter (Cecelia) were all excellent. The service on board was always top notch.

 

The process of embarkation and disembarkation was the most trying for me - I don’t like waiting in lines. We arrived at the pier Saturday around noon time, and there was a long line waiting to check in. It was close to an hour before we got on board. Leaving the ship Thursday was somewhat better, although we were highly encouraged to vacate our rooms by 8:00 am, and had to find other places to hang out waiting for our color luggage tags to be called. That line actually moved faster, and from the time our color was called we were off the ship and through Customs in 15-30 minutes. Each color tag group was asked to wait in different lounges or seating areas. Ours was to gather in the Spotlight Lounge, but when we got there, there was a sign indicating it was for crew members only, so we had to find other places to wait. Overall, the disembarkation process was a downer from being spoiled for almost a week.

 

Captain Per was great – he has an interesting sense of humor. Must be a European thing.

 

Dining was actually more enjoyable than I anticipated. I’m not really a formal kind of guy, and even wearing dress slacks to dinner is more formal than I like. But I didn’t mind this on Enchantment, since most folks kept to the suggested dress guidelines. Formal night was mostly suits, with a few tuxedos mixed in. The food was very good overall, with some food excellent and other food not as good as it should have been. Food is a personal taste thing, and I found that dishes I loved were not appreciated by some others. So I assume that some of the dishes I didn’t care for were enjoyed by others. I have no complaints regarding food and enjoyed the whole experience – even eating escargot for the first time. Getting that first bite into my mouth was challenging, but after that I liked it!

 

We had a great time, and Enchantment of the Seas is a beautiful ship. I’m hoping we get the chance to go cruising again (this was our first), and if we do choosing a ship will be tough. Going back on Enchantment would be great, but then exploring a different ship would be fun, too. Oh well, such decisions are part of the fun, right?

[VernRDH]

Thanks for the review. We are looking at going on the Enchantment in 2007.

[jeeppartsman]

did you try out the trampolines?

[lojill]

Did you try out chops. What did the casino look like. Big or Small

[Glory.Bound]

did you try out the trampolines?

 

No - and I didn't see it in operation. I don't know if it was the weather or what, but I never saw the trampoline in use. The Compass indicated times for both adults and kids, though. It was probably closed due to rain.

 

 

 

Did you try out chops. What did the casino look like. Big or Small

 

Oh Yes!! I forgot! We went to Chops Grill Monday evening and loved it! I had a large filet mignon, and my wife had a small one. Had to be be best steak I've ever eaten, and I love steak. The baked potato was just right and the desert (Mississippi Mud Pie) was fantastic. Great service, too.

 

Hard to compare the casino, since I don't have any experience with other casinos. There were lots of slot machines, and other various computer gambling games, too. Blackjack tables and craps, roulette. A lot of folks spent a lot of time there, most probably losing their money.

[curiousjly]

I was wondering, how cool is the dinning area, the deck in the evenings?

 

Would I need to bring a sweater?

 

Thanks

 

Jly

[fungirl28]

Did you go to Boleros and how was it? On my last cruise I didn' get a chance to got and this time it will be one of my first stops:D

[Glory.Bound]

I was wondering, how cool is the dinning area, the deck in the evenings?

 

Would I need to bring a sweater?

 

Thanks

 

Jly

 

My wife is more sensitive to the cool air than I, and it seemed that the temperature varied a little. If you tend to get cool easily, I'd suggest carrying a sweater just in case.

 

Besides the dining room, the Orpheus Theater was pretty cool sometimes as well. Out on deck depends on outside temperature - but there was a substantial wind on our trip south, since our speed combined with the fact we were heading into the wind made it quite windy. Coming back wasn't as bad. During the day it wasn't cool, but at night it's a different story.

 

Better to have a sweater and not use it than to not have one and need it.

[Glory.Bound]

Did you go to Boleros and how was it? On my last cruise I didn' get a chance to got and this time it will be one of my first stops:D

 

Well, sort of. I passed thru Boleros. Looked like a nice area, but the only lounges we spent any time at were the Spotlight (where The Quest was played) and Schooner, where we spent a little time with the piano player singing songs. We don't drink so there's not normally a whole lot to do there for us.

[logan1_2000]

We're booked on the February 9th 4 night cruise on Enchantment. Might be an odd question, but what is the story on ice cream and where/when/extra fee(?) on board? I confess, I do like my soft serve vanilla, and different ships have different availability--is there a ben & jerry's that charges, for example, ...

[Glory.Bound]

We're booked on the February 9th 4 night cruise on Enchantment. Might be an odd question, but what is the story on ice cream and where/when/extra fee(?) on board? I confess, I do like my soft serve vanilla, and different ships have different availability--is there a ben & jerry's that charges, for example, ...

 

Ben & Jerry's charges for ice cream - and that's about the only option for ice cream unless it's dessert in the dining room or Windjammer. I didn't normally see (but didn't ask) about it at the Windjammer, but during a late night buffet it was available there. We had Ben & Jerry's ice cream one time, and it was good.

 

They aren't open all night, but are open most of the time during regular day and evening hours.

 

hope this helps...

[shirleygr]

I was wondering what the requested attire is for chops. I want to do dinner there one night with my dh as it is our anniversary. Thanks and so happy you enjoyed your cruise, even with Wilma throwing a wrench into your itinerary.

[Glory.Bound]

I was wondering what the requested attire is for chops. I want to do dinner there one night with my dh as it is our anniversary. Thanks and so happy you enjoyed your cruise, even with Wilma throwing a wrench into your itinerary.

 

The recommended dress style for Chops is the same as the My Fair Lady dining room - dress casual. It's not formal. You'll love the food there - it's well worth the extra expense. I would have wanted to dine there everynight except that the cost would add up, and our table mates in the dining room were too nice to miss at dinner.

[lojill]

Hey logan we are booked for Feb13th 2006 right after you. Have you got any feedback on what the seas will be like in Jan or Feb

[pinkaboo]

Nice review Glory Bound

Can you tell me how to get in touch with the private tour guide in Jamaica. Does he have an email or ph#.

[Glory.Bound]

Nice review Glory Bound

Can you tell me how to get in touch with the private tour guide in Jamaica. Does he have an email or ph#.

 

We booked with Orville Taylor - his email address is: orvilletay@yahoo.com

 

He has group and private tours. If you want private, make sure you're clear on that since most folks do the group tour so that's what's assumed. Orville is very professional and was willing to go anyway we wanted, or stop anyway we wanted. He has a great singing voice, too!

[whale-watcher]

did you try out the trampolines?

we used them extensively in Canada/New England last month. They are mostly open in port, as they cannot be used in windy conditions. Also, they cannot be used in the rain...but they were open on embarkation day before sailaway, and all of our dry port days. We thought they were a blast!

[Merion_Mom]

The trampolines were open extensively during sea days on our Enchantment cruise in August.

[lojill]

Hey Mom do they have couple massage classes on Enchantment

[lojill]

Hey Mom do they have couple massage classes on Enchantment

[shirleygr]

thanks, glory. can't wait to get on the ship and check it out. now I just need to decide which night to go to chops for dinner.

[nannyny2002]

Glorybound,

wonderful review, I couldn't say it better myself and it was great meeting you and your lovely wife.

 

Shirley, she's a bit smaller than the Dawn but with lots of charm. You will enjoy her tremendously.

 

Boleros was wonderful! my spot every night as I love to dance!

 

Quest was a real hoot. Sure hope to see some of your pics soon Glorybound.

 

TL,

Nan

[shirleygr]

We'll have to check out Boleros. How were the Mojitos?

When we sailed the Majesty of the Seas this past January, we fell in love with the champagne bar (and Bellinis) and intend to scope it out on the Enchantment. Now we're just waiting to see what we do instead of going to Cozumel. Take care!

[nannyny2002]

Shirley, I was coerced into buying a mojito but it was really strong, I had the bartender prepare a lovely Margarita for me and mom.

 

Glorybound, I've got some Quest pics ready to send out on Monday. Too FUNNY.

 

Awaiting my by daughter's arrival, hopefully she'll be on time.

 

Connie, here I come.

 

TL,

Nan

[Glory.Bound]

Glorybound, I've got some Quest pics ready to send out on Monday. Too FUNNY.

 

Great. Can't wait to see them. I still kick myself for not taking my own camera. Next time...;)