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Onboard Enchantment February 17-25, 2022

rafinmd

By rafinmd,
in Royal Caribbean International

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rafinmd "Live from...." Rare

rafinmd

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Obviously not onboard yet but packed and ready to go.  First, a little bit about myself.  Royal is not really my first choice in cruising, that has been Crystal (RIP).  Without Crystal long term I will probably sail mostly HAL and Cunard but Royal has been a part of the picture for a number of years, and I'm D+ (Love the double points for solos).  I largely sail them out of Baltimore and Royal was my first cruise with them back in 2011, and this will be my 4th time.  I've also sailed Grandeur, Empress, Anthem, Allure(TA),  Majesty, and a couple of Radiance class ships, so it isn't exclusively Baltimore.

 

Why this trip.  A couple of things.  2021 was not a good year for me in a couple of ways.  I had a B2B booked on Empress, and had a couple of cruise credits that had to be redeemed fairly quickly.  Worse, 2021 was not a good year for me medically with a heart valve repair in the first half and a course of radiology for my prostate cancer in November-December.  That has sapped my energy levels so I wanted something with a low stress level.  This cruise fits that bill perfectly with barely a half hour drive to the port.

 

I'm not sure what level of reporting my energy levels will allow but I'll do the best I can.  I may post more photos to a companion blog:

 

https://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com

 

I'll also try to answer as many questions as possible.

 

Roy

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Rogueperson "Live from...." Rare

Rogueperson

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Nice.  I was planning to do my own live thread in a couple weeks.  I'm on Enchantment on March 5th.  Fortunately, my itinerary and yours are totally different, but i will be glad to follow along until i'm able to get my fix.  If you can find out how many passengers there are for this sailing, it would be greatly appreciated.

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rafinmd "Live from...." Rare

rafinmd

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Thank you all.  I am actually onboard, arrived about 12:10 and was onboard about 12:45.  I haven't heard how many are onboard, but was surprised at the check-in line.  Seemed a bit long but that may have been an illusion due to the need to check vax and covid testing documents but I did make it.  Still a lot of unpacking to do.

 

Roy

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rafinmd "Live from...." Rare

rafinmd

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Thanks everyone:

 

Day 1, Embark Enchantment OTS, Baltimore

I left home a little after 11.  I had planned on stopping for lunch at McDonald’s on Fort Avenue to help adjust my arrival time for my 1230 checkin appointment.  I was there about 11:45 and at the port about 12:10.  Car parked and lined up at 12:10 and the checkin line was longer than expected, perhaps due to the necessity to check vaccines and test records.  Other than that boarding was pretty routine and I was on board about 12:45.  

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/arrival.jpg

Rooms on Royal are not ready until 2 so I headed up to the pool deck, waiting, doing the muster exercise, and getting first coffee and later ice cream at the station just outside the Windjammer (WJ) entrance.

The muster goes something like this. There is a “Royal App” and the muster message is a video I played on my IPAD.  After watching the video, I go down to the boat deck and check in at my muster station (an oddity at least on the vision class is that there are more boats than muster stations so I do not really know what boat I would board in an emergency.  Just report to muster and be assigned to a boat.

There were also a couple of surprises with respect to dining.  I normally do fixed early dining but like to be on deck as we go under the two bridges.  I usually stop briefly at my table and introduce myself, go out on deck getting dinner in the WJ and perhaps joining my tablemates for desert.  First surprise was that the WJ does not appear to be open for dinner.  Second surprise was that fixed dining is on the unvaccinated level while my time is among all vaxed customers.  Once settled in my room I went up to the dining room and was easily able to change to my time dining, which will be 7:30 most days.  I also found a bit of a hitch with my luggage.  My big bag was sitting by a cabin 5 away from mine.  I retrieved it on the way back from the dining room, the earliest my luggage has ever been delivered on Royal.  

The default seems to be that outside rooms are set up with a king/queen bed.  I prefer twin beds so I can sit on the edge of the bed and look out the window.  I asked Imadi, my room steward, to separate them and it was done while I was at dinner.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/ing.jpg

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/twin.jpg

We sailed about 4.  I wasn’t really aware of us leaving but saw water out my window.  When I went up to the pool deck it was quite chilly and windy, and there was a touch of fog but no rain.  I thought I saw a few of the new cranes for post-panamax ships just before we arrived at the Key bridge but could not be sure.  

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/keybridge.jpg


After the bridge I went up to the Diamond Lounge for a Diet Coke and then returned to my cabin and finished unpacking.  On the ship all adults must be vaccinated.  There are some kids onboard who cannot be vaccinated and their entire families are considered unvaccinated.  A number of venues on the ship are reserved for vaccinated passengers and with the new CDC guidelines masks are not required in those areas, including the upper level of the dining room.

My dining steward tonight was Reel assisted by Alan.  I pulled a little fast one on Reel that would not have happened before the Pandemic.  We now automatically get paper menus but they are also listed on the Royal App, the WHOLE menu.  I thought the fruit medley from the starters on the kids menu looked nice so I asked Reel for that.  People want to see “food porn” but my tastes are pretty pedestrian and that does not really work for me.  I have compromised by putting together a little collage of the dishes I choose, including spaghetti bolognese and Key Lime Pie.

dishes17.jpg

 

 


I didn’t leave my cabin after dinner.  The traditional Welcome Aboard show did not happen.  Instead the movie Falling for Figaro was presented in the Orpheum Theater at 5:30 and 9:15.  Other entertainment of interest was Ross Leatbeater in the Schooner (Piano) Bar Fresh Beat in the Centrum, Latin Dream Trio in Boleros, and Riddim Wave in the Spotlight Lounge.  DJ Ditello played the Centrum 6-7 and the Viking Crown Lounge after10.  I was in bed about 10:30.  I slept pretty well but with a lapse from 3-4 and woke about 5:15

I love sunrises and am posting a daily sunrise photo in a couple of places.  I will normally not post until after sunrise.  Sadly, this is a very stormy morning with gale force winds, seasick bags out and not a trace of the sun.  When I first went out on deck we were about 20 miles offshore, due east of US 64.

My parting shot will be brief.  23 months and a day is too long to be on land.  It’s great to be back at sea.

Roy

 

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LorraineP

LorraineP

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2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Thanks everyone:

 

Day 1, Embark Enchantment OTS, Baltimore

I left home a little after 11.  I had planned on stopping for lunch at McDonald’s on Fort Avenue to help adjust my arrival time for my 1230 checkin appointment.  I was there about 11:45 and at the port about 12:10.  Car parked and lined up at 12:10 and the checkin line was longer than expected, perhaps due to the necessity to check vaccines and test records.  Other than that boarding was pretty routine and I was on board about 12:45.  

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/arrival.jpg

Rooms on Royal are not ready until 2 so I headed up to the pool deck, waiting, doing the muster exercise, and getting first coffee and later ice cream at the station just outside the Windjammer (WJ) entrance.

The muster goes something like this. There is a “Royal App” and the muster message is a video I played on my IPAD.  After watching the video, I go down to the boat deck and check in at my muster station (an oddity at least on the vision class is that there are more boats than muster stations so I do not really know what boat I would board in an emergency.  Just report to muster and be assigned to a boat.

There were also a couple of surprises with respect to dining.  I normally do fixed early dining but like to be on deck as we go under the two bridges.  I usually stop briefly at my table and introduce myself, go out on deck getting dinner in the WJ and perhaps joining my tablemates for desert.  First surprise was that the WJ does not appear to be open for dinner.  Second surprise was that fixed dining is on the unvaccinated level while my time is among all vaxed customers.  Once settled in my room I went up to the dining room and was easily able to change to my time dining, which will be 7:30 most days.  I also found a bit of a hitch with my luggage.  My big bag was sitting by a cabin 5 away from mine.  I retrieved it on the way back from the dining room, the earliest my luggage has ever been delivered on Royal.  

The default seems to be that outside rooms are set up with a king/queen bed.  I prefer twin beds so I can sit on the edge of the bed and look out the window.  I asked Imadi, my room steward, to separate them and it was done while I was at dinner.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/ing.jpg

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/twin.jpg

We sailed about 4.  I wasn’t really aware of us leaving but saw water out my window.  When I went up to the pool deck it was quite chilly and windy, and there was a touch of fog but no rain.  I thought I saw a few of the new cranes for post-panamax ships just before we arrived at the Key bridge but could not be sure.  

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/keybridge.jpg


After the bridge I went up to the Diamond Lounge for a Diet Coke and then returned to my cabin and finished unpacking.  On the ship all adults must be vaccinated.  There are some kids onboard who cannot be vaccinated and their entire families are considered unvaccinated.  A number of venues on the ship are reserved for vaccinated passengers and with the new CDC guidelines masks are not required in those areas, including the upper level of the dining room.

My dining steward tonight was Reel assisted by Alan.  I pulled a little fast one on Reel that would not have happened before the Pandemic.  We now automatically get paper menus but they are also listed on the Royal App, the WHOLE menu.  I thought the fruit medley from the starters on the kids menu looked nice so I asked Reel for that.  People want to see “food porn” but my tastes are pretty pedestrian and that does not really work for me.  I have compromised by putting together a little collage of the dishes I choose, including spaghetti bolognese and Key Lime Pie.

dishes17.jpg

 

 


I didn’t leave my cabin after dinner.  The traditional Welcome Aboard show did not happen.  Instead the movie Falling for Figaro was presented in the Orpheum Theater at 5:30 and 9:15.  Other entertainment of interest was Ross Leatbeater in the Schooner (Piano) Bar Fresh Beat in the Centrum, Latin Dream Trio in Boleros, and Riddim Wave in the Spotlight Lounge.  DJ Ditello played the Centrum 6-7 and the Viking Crown Lounge after10.  I was in bed about 10:30.  I slept pretty well but with a lapse from 3-4 and woke about 5:15

I love sunrises and am posting a daily sunrise photo in a couple of places.  I will normally not post until after sunrise.  Sadly, this is a very stormy morning with gale force winds, seasick bags out and not a trace of the sun.  When I first went out on deck we were about 20 miles offshore, due east of US 64.

My parting shot will be brief.  23 months and a day is too long to be on land.  It’s great to be back at sea.

Roy

 

The only places then open for dinner is the main dining room & Chops?  Any venues for dancing?

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Sharon in AZ

Sharon in AZ

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Thank you for sharing your food pictures Roy!  They aren’t pedestrian to me at all, I enjoy food in any and all forms. Food inspires me. 
 

I am glad it was easy to change your dining time and location. I’d prefer to be with vaccinated people also. 
 

Looking forward to more!

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rafinmd "Live from...." Rare

rafinmd

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1 hour ago, LorraineP said:

The only places then open for dinner is the main dining room & Chops?  Any venues for dancing?

There's also Chef's table and Park Cafe a bit later.  Dancing would be Boleros, Spotlight Lounge and Viking Crown Lounge (all assuming one is vaccinated).  Not attractive for the unvaccinated.  The only dancing not requiring vaccination is the Centrum 6-7PM.

 

Roy

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