Onboard Enchantment February 17-25, 2022

[BND]

37 minutes ago, LorraineP said:

On my Enchantment 3/25/22 cruise looks like on 3/28 we are docked in CT5, not within walking distance to restaurants. 

Our day to be in PC was switched a month or two ago and on that old schedule we were supposed to be at 5 also, but our new schedule  has us at 1.   I know there's nothing at 5 as it's over on the other side.

[Happily@Sea]

Roy, 

RCCI charges for some of the beaches - on their own private island. Guess I won't have to worry, my mobility issues do not allow me to walk on loose sand. 

 

I'm glad you are mostly enjoying your cruise - sorry for the small inconveniences.

 

Carole

[babchia]

48 minutes ago, Happily@Sea said:

Roy, 

RCCI charges for some of the beaches - on their own private island. Guess I won't have to worry, my mobility issues do not allow me to walk on loose sand. 

 

Carole

Carol / @happy@sea,

 

In case you weren't aware, Royal's private beaches do have sand wheel chairs available for use if you do want to get onto the actual beaches or loungers.  You would have to reach out to Royal about how that works.

 

Also, Coco Cay does have one extra cost beach, but all of the others are free (Chill Island, South Beach, etc.).  Labadee does have one private beach for Suite guests, but the rest are all free.

 

Jim

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, babchia said:

Also, Coco Cay does have one extra cost beach, but all of the others are free (Chill Island, South Beach, etc.).  Labadee does have one private beach for Suite guests, but the rest are all free.

 

Jim

I thought it was more than one but I'm not a beach person.  I'm convinced there is more than one water venue (including things like snorkeling areas) with a charge but plenty of free beaches as well.  With 2 ships in port yesterday it still looked like at least 80% if the loungers on the beach are free.  I also think CocoCay is among the most friendly for mobility limitations with a dock instead of a tender.

 

Roy

Edited February 22, 2022 by rafinmd

[BND]

1 minute ago, rafinmd said:

I thought it was more than one but I'm not a beach person.  I'm convinced there is more than one water venue with a charge but plenty of free beaches as well.  With 2 ships in port yesterday it still looked like at least 80% if the loungers on the beach are free.  I also think CocoCay is among the most friendly for mobility limitations with a dock instead of a tender.

 

Roy

The island can handle 12,000 guests and even with two large ships in there with the current numbers, there isn't any issue.  Even if two Oasis class ships are in at full capacity, it's not a problem and remember, not everyone gets off the ship and even then, not everyone stays ashore all day.  People are constantly coming and going. 

 

There are plenty of spaces for people that are "free".  Beaches, the lagoon, oasis pool.  

[dramamommao]

Roy- If you are so inclined and have time, I would love to know if there is still a "Lucky Larry's Lobstermania" slot machine on Enchantment.  

Have a B2B in April and am working on a prank for my husband that would turn out pretty well if one of those slots is still onboard....

 

 

[rafinmd]

Day 5 Monday, February 21, 2022, Nassau, Bahamas

 

I’m no stranger to Nassau, it was my very first port of call from a cruise ship back on the then new Carnival Fantasy in 1993.

 

It was a delightful day for weather with a high of about 75F and mostly sunny.  While the port is not new it is certainly changing with a lot of construction work.  Gone are both the iconic tower at the exit and the rickety terminal building, and all the piers are being redone.  At the moment the middle pier is out of service for redo.

 

We arrived about 7:30 passing the Celebrity Edge on the way in and coming to a stop at what I think is a new berth, the outer pier beyond the walkway over to the terminal.  Soon after us the Jewel of the Seas (My second RCI ship) pulled into the berth next to the shore.  I believe a new terminal is being built there but right now it’s just a concrete dock next to construction fences.  The 45h and final ship to arrive was the Harmony OTS which docked immediately behind us.

When I looked out the window from my room I was looking at what appeared to be an extension of the dock, in service but not yet finished.  Most of the piers now have a mosaic tile surface although ours does not have it yet.

 

I had no real plans for Nassau except a little bit of sundry shopping and a walk around town.  When I left the ship about 10:30 the weekly crew drill was still in progress.  I walked for about an hour, stopping in a pharmacy and at a place for a diet coke.  I left foreign soil for the last time just before noon.

 

I believe the order of departure for the ships was supposed to be Edge (2), Jewel and Harmony at 5, and our stay was extended from 5 to 6.  I tried to catch a bit of each ship’s departure, Edge was really early and when I went out at 2 it was already past the breakwater.  I could almost have set my watch by Jewel’s ontime departure.  Harmony had some stragglers but also late shore excursions and I gave up waiting just after 5.  When I went on deck for our departure at 5:45 our gangway was already closed but Harmony was still there.  I watched her slowly back away at 6 and we started moving about 6:15.  There was a beautiful sunset as I watched.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/dusk21.jpg

Dinner at 7:30 went very well.  I chose the kids Fruit Salad, Steak au Poivre, and Strawberry Shortcake and was finished just about 8:

 

The featured entertainment (7 and 9:30) was juggler Manny Zuniga, He was not my cup of tea. I forgot to mention yesterday that the entertainment after CocoCay was movies in the Orpheum Theater, “Eternals: at 5 and “Falling for Figaro” at 8.  “Space Jam: A new Legacy” was also shown at 9:30 on the Pool Deck.

 

I slept very well again but woke with a somewhat sore back.  I walked about a half hour on deck 10 followed by grits at Park Café just before sunrise. There were clouds and I took the grits out to the pool deck.  When the sun found an open spot I walked up the stairs and decided a nice “angle” for catching the sunrise was deck 10 floor level from the middle of the outdoor stairs.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/dawn0222.jpg

 

My parting shot is about Royal Caribbean but comes from the Holland America forum.  I’m part of a virtual community there called “The Daily” and one of our people boards Mariner of the Seas today.  They were notified they would be several hours late boarding because the ship had to divert to a medical evacuation on the way to Port Canaveral, Godspeed to the passenger who had to leave unexpectedly.

 

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

39 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I’m part of a virtual community there called “The Daily”

I have a question this time.  I just read on The Daily that today is National Wildlife Day.  My last several Royal cruises there was a partnership with World Wildlife Federation and I haven't yet seen any word of it.  Does anyone know if they are still doing it?

 

Thanks

Roy

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, dramamommao said:

Roy- If you are so inclined and have time, I would love to know if there is still a "Lucky Larry's Lobstermania" slot machine on Enchantment.  

Have a B2B in April and am working on a prank for my husband that would turn out pretty well if one of those slots is still onboard....

I might have missed it but I thought I looked pretty closely and did not see it.

 

Roy

[dramamommao]

Thanks so much for the effort-  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[erewhon]

Thank you for your update.

Enjoy the remainder of your time at sea.

[Missusdubbya]

@rafinmd Roy thank you for the great review so far, and my condolences for the loss of your brother Roger last year. 
 

[perfect match]

Hi Roy! Nice to see you here on the RCCL board. 
 

I’m sorry to hear of all the medical issues you’ve been going through, and also the loss of your brother. I hope that 2022 will be a much happier and more healthy year for you and your family.
 

I’ve followed several of your past cruise reviews on both HAL and Crystal, and have always enjoyed cruising along with you. Hope you’re enjoying being back at sea again after such a long time on dry land. 

[rafinmd]

Day 6, Tuesday, February 22, 2022, At Sea, Enchantment of the Seas, Formal

Despite some fairly strong morning wind it was a beautiful day at sea.  I think I had forgotten how far south Nassau is as our latitude there was about the same as Key West and it takes sometime to work our way north.

There was one change in the ship today.  The store that had been “Facets” has now been rebranded (or perhaps co-branded; the Facets sign was still there) as Little Switzerland.  When I think of Little Switzerland I think of knives but it’s just jewelry (oops, should have known they would NOT be selling knives on the ship).  

I did hang out on the Promenade Deck for a while as Imadi made up my room.  Most of it is wide and there are chairs but not loungers and the deck does circle the ship but the mooring area is open do the bow section is frequently closed off.

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

 

I often snack my way through both breakfast and lunch but today got it all together at WJ, baked pasta, potatoes, and jello for desert.  In his noon update Captain Ivo indicated we were about half way to charleston and would arrive at 8AM.  It looks like good weather will continue into Charleston with a high of 68.  Delightful.

 

 

While Baltimore’s 2 recent ships are nominally sisters there are significant differences in layout.  One is the Diamond Club where continental breakfast is served in the morning and a happy hour around dinner.  On Grandeur it was at the back of deck 6 while Enchantment’s is in the balcony of the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

I’ve been trying to get around to the various lounges for the different singers and groups but always seem to arrive during breaks, I finally got up to the Schooner Bar while Anna was playing.  She does not sing but was good and puts together a nice blend of styles for a varied program.

Tonight is the second Formal night although it isn’t really very formal.  With a blazer and tie I was probably a bit more formal than most.  Normally on a Royal Caribbean ship I would make a visit to Chop’s Grill.  I decided not to this time since it does not require everyone to be vaccinated, The alternative was to get one of their entrees in the dining room as a premium item.  This was the night, I would normally get the 6oz petit fillet and the 9oz was an awful lot of meat but it was all delicious, My other courses were Minestrone and Pineapple Sunshine Cake.

 

The evening show (7 and 9:30) was the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers with “Can’t Stop the Rock”.  I was in bed soon after the show ended.  I slept well but did not walk Wednesday morning since I plan to do that in Charleston.  I went to deck 5 aft for sunrise, which came just

about the time we passed Fort Sumpter on the way into port.

 

A simple parting shot today.  It is great to be back at sea but the end is getting far too close on an 8-day cruise.  My next is just 5 days and that is WAY too short,

Roy

 

[LorraineP]

Did you have to make reservations for shows or just walk in?

[puppycanducruise]

Loving your reports, especially the food pictures.

Thanks.

[rafinmd]

27 minutes ago, LorraineP said:

Did you have to make reservations for shows or just walk in?

Just walk in.

 

Roy

[LorraineP]

24 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Just walk in.

 

Roy

That’s good unlike Anthem when we had to make reservations once on ship through app. 

[cruisingn09]

we are going on the Enchantment on April 2nd for 12 nights. I have enjoyed your review. Thanks so much for sharing. 

Quick questions:  What times are the shows?  Do you have copies of the dinner menus or a link to them?

 

Thanks in advance. 

[Another_Critic]

30 minutes ago, cruisingn09 said:

we are going on the Enchantment on April 2nd for 12 nights. I have enjoyed your review. Thanks so much for sharing. 

Quick questions:  What times are the shows?  Do you have copies of the dinner menus or a link to them?

 

Thanks in advance. 

Dinner menus are in the app.  But they may change closer to your sailing date.

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, cruisingn09 said:

we are going on the Enchantment on April 2nd for 12 nights. I have enjoyed your review. Thanks so much for sharing. 

Quick questions:  What times are the shows?  Do you have copies of the dinner menus or a link to them?

 

Thanks in advance. 

I normally post dinner menus but once they moved to the app I can only get a snipped at a time and haven't figured out a decent way to post them.

 

Shows are typically 7 and 9:30.

 

The dinner menus are generally what they have been and varied but I think what you would see on a 12-day would be a lot different than what I see with 8 days.  If you have a specific dish you're wondering about I could try to check it.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day 7. Wednesday, February 23, 2022, Charleston, SC

 

There are a lot of photos today most of which will likely be of limited interest so I am posting them as links to keep the narrative together.  You should be able to click on any of the links to see the photo.

 

When I went to the back of deck 5 to watch for sunrise we were bounded by a breakwater on each side.  The starboard side view was Sullivan’s Island.  While in the Navy Roger made his home there and I’ve been there many times. 

Just after sunrise we passed Fort Sumter on our port side.  After Sumter I returned to my room until we were closer to the terminal.

 

Sullivan

 

I’m not sure if I’m officially returned to the US or not.  We would normally meet US Immigration at our first US port and I expected to do it today, but they only wanted to see foreign nationals.  I had not planned to do much and did not leave the ship until past 10 with just a couple of plans. 

 

Seems Enchantment has run out of milk and I took a short walk inland to Harris Teeter and picked up a jug of milk and sunscreen.  After Harris Teeter I walked towards the ocean and Broad Street, visiting my bank’s ATM.  I returned along Meeting Street.  While there are many historic buildings along the street the only one that really caught my attention was the Circular Congregational Church.  I returned to the pier along Market Street sometimes within the market building and sometimes along the street.  

 

Circular

An iconic structure right across the street from the cruise terminal is the Custom’s House.  I remember visiting there in 2002 when my family stayed on Sullivan’s Island and registered some items there with Customs before a long trip (we don’t seem to do that any more).

I was back on the ship about 11:30.

Customs

I went up to the WJ for lunch just past noon, A pork chop looked inviting.  The carrier Yorktown was just across the river from us.  

Yorktown

 

All aboard was 6:30 but people were back earlier and when I went on deck at 6:30 the gangway had already pulled away.  The sun had already gone down but there was still nice color in the sky.  The featured entertainment was Derek Floyd, a Lionel Ritchie tribute artist. He was quite good but I only stayed briefly before dinner and did not stay up for the late show.  While we were apparently ready to leave before 7 we did not actually start moving until 7 as the show started with the rumble of the thrusters quite evident in the Orpheum Theater.

dusk 2/23     Floyd

The dining room seemed a bit more crowded than usual but Ruel and Alan were on top of it with

very quick service.  I chose the Garden Salad, Lasagne al Forno, and Bannanas Foster.

 

After dinner I did stop up in the Schooner Bar to listen to a few songs bu piano entertainer Ross Leadbeater.  I thought he was quite good and the room was pretty well packed.  I was in bed about 10;30

 

I am starting my last sea day with a limp that I think is a pulled muscle.  I did walk a leisurely 30 minutes on deck 10 first thing.  While it was cloudy I caught the sun just finding an opening as my walk ended.

 

Today’s parting shot is about Charleston.  I’ve long enjoyed the city but had a strange visit Wednesday.  I had just left the ATM and was starting to walk along Meeting Street when a car passed.  It had a loudspeaker blaring first “Welcome to Charleston” immediately followed by a political rant laced with a string of vulgar language.  Welcome?  And then I saw the sign outside the Cruise terminal.  Welcome to Charleston?  Really?

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

 

Roy

 

[Rogueperson]

I haven't been through Baltimore since 2018.  I'm wondering if they have the facial recognition things there for customs.  It was super easy in Port Canaveral in September.  We literally just walked past a scanner and that was it.  No live customs agent, just our robotic masters.

[shipgeeks]

24 minutes ago, Rogueperson said:

I haven't been through Baltimore since 2018.  I'm wondering if they have the facial recognition things there for customs.  It was super easy in Port Canaveral in September.  We literally just walked past a scanner and that was it.  No live customs agent, just our robotic masters.

Not that I am aware of when we disembarked Enchantment a week ago.  But departure times were observed, and with the smaller passenger numbers, our line moved so quickly that I never even had a chance to open my passport to the picture page before I got to the agent.  Super quick and easy.

[Rogueperson]

3 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Not that I am aware of when we disembarked Enchantment a week ago.  But departure times were observed, and with the smaller passenger numbers, our line moved so quickly that I never even had a chance to open my passport to the picture page before I got to the agent.  Super quick and easy.

 

Brilliance in Tampa in December was like that.  But then again, we were also one of the last ones to disembark the ship, so there was just 1 agent there and we just walked up to him.