Enchantment, Feb. 5-17. It was....enchanting

[shipgeeks]

We have just returned from 12 nights on Enchantment, sailing out of Baltimore.  It was one of the best cruises we've done, out of 40+.  I believe that for anyone who can handle the stress of covid testing, and the possibility of having to wear a mask and/or missing a port, this is an ideal time to cruise, due to low passenger numbers (hence no crowding in WJ or elevators) and full crew numbers (hence even better service than usual).

The itinerary was 3 sea days, 5 Caribbean ports in a row, and 3 sea days to return.

Weather was cold and snowy on the day of departure, but became milder each day.  The islands were lovely and warm, but not uncomfortably hot.

In case anyone is curious about the food, I will begin with that.  In a word: excellent.  In a few words: a step up from all our other RC cruises.

We had all dinners in the MDR, and all breakfasts and lunches in WJ.  There was a good variety of selections in both.

Most WJ items are served.  Grab a plate and cutlery/napkin roll.  The usual variety was available around the inner and outer circles, the omelet station, etc.  As well, there is a grab-n-go section near the entrance with cups and plates of fruits, yogurts, granolas, muesli, etc., or at lunch, salads, little sandwiches, etc.  Juices, iced tea, lemonade and other cold drinks are in glasses ready to be picked up. Coffee can be requested, or acquired from a server with a coffee cart moving among the tables.

One of my favorite options, at both breakfast and lunch, was the Indian dishes.  Curries, scrambled eggs, grain dishes, breads.  DH liked the bacon, tots, and pastries.

At lunch, I especially enjoyed the fish and chips.  Salads could be composed by requesting any of a variety of greens and other elements.

Almost all our dinner selections were winners.  My only disappointment was the mac-n-cheese from the children's menu, which I tried because the children's brownie was so delicious.  Too many excellent dishes to even remember!

Service in both locations was outstanding.  With a limited number of passengers, there is time for a lot of attention if one so desires (not pushy, just available).

Which reminds me.....we experienced no pushiness from photographers, spa people, crew asking for "10" on the survey, etc., nor from any vendors ashore.  It was nice.

 

I welcome any questions, and will try to post more thoughts about other elements of the cruise in the days to come.

[lovelife]

Thanks for the review!  It has been a few years since we sailed Enchantment but we'll be on her for 12 nights in April.  Just a 90-minute drive for us.  A couple questions:

 

Was the Windjammer open for dinner?

How was the entertainment?

[shipgeeks]

As of our cruise date, the WJ was not open for dinner.  It was used for crew, along with the regular crew dining room, in order to allow them to distance. (When we had breakfast and lunch in WJ, only every other table was used. That was not a problem, with the small number of passengers.)

 

The entertainment we took part in was excellent.  Our favorite was the band and singer in Bolero's, Latin Dream.  Outstanding for listening and/or dancing.  There was also a party band in Centrum, and a Caribbean band in various venues.

We only attended two evening shows: musician Kuba, and "Can't Stop the Rock", with the big production company.  Both were good.  There was a show every evening, but we usually had other things going, and missed most of them.  I believe there were several movies shown at various times.

Lots of trivia, bingo, dance classes, games, etc.

[lovelife]

Thanks for the info.  Any photos?

[shipgeeks]

Sorry, no, we don't take any photos.  I stopped being interested in using a camera when I was 13, and that was a l o n g time ago!

[Smhp]

2 hours ago, lovelife said:

Thanks for the info.  Any photos?

We took tons of photos, we were on same cruise. Let me know if you want to see anything specific.

 

I agree 100% with Shipgeeks about everything on the cruise. It was magical and we made a lot of friends with the crew. We saw a few more shows, a Beatles cover band, two comics and a former gymnast. 

 

My only teeny tiny complaints are our waiter in MDR was super nervous. He also said some strange things about the food, like apologizing for the food before we even ordered and blaming the kitchen staff for lack of supplies. BTW the food was amazing so we have no clue what he was talking about. He did give us a lecture twice about the survey and reminded us he didn't cook the food, only served it. I think he was a fluke since the rest of the staff we encountered were amazing, especially at specialty restaurants and Park Cafe.

My only other complaint is our window was filthy on the outside but I honestly don't know how they could of easily cleaned it since it was an 8th floor OV.

Edited February 19, 2022 by Smhp

[vagolferbob]

Sounds like Enchantment  has been a consistent winner, we sailed on NYE with the same experience.

[shipgeeks]

Before the cruise, I anticipated that I would be quite emotional when we got our test results, when we boarded the bus that would take us to the port, and when we stepped onto the ship.  That did not really happen.  But as the hours and the days on the ship went by, I found I was becoming "misty" just realizing how happy I was to be there, at that time and place, with all the pieces in place.  I feel exceedingly fortunate to have had that experience.

We plan to be back in June...and September...and perhaps November.

Now I'm misty again, so will post some more thoughts later.

[Smhp]

1 minute ago, shipgeeks said:

Before the cruise, I anticipated that I would be quite emotional when we got our test results, when we boarded the bus that would take us to the port, and when we stepped onto the ship.  That did not really happen.  But as the hours and the days on the ship went by, I found I was becoming "misty" just realizing how happy I was to be there, at that time and place, with all the pieces in place.  I feel exceedingly fortunate to have had that experience.

We plan to be back in June...and September...and perhaps November.

Now I'm misty again, so will post some more thoughts later.

I told my husband to be totally prepared to miss multiple ports and getting quarantined to 2nd deck. When were in St. Croix I started to let myself believe everything was going to work out.

[BSocial]

Your title drew me in.  Nice!   Thanks for posting your comments, and glad it was a great cruise for you

[shipgeeks]

Some further observations and thoughts about dining:

As you might know, WJ is currently not available for dinner.  It is being used for crew, along with the usual crew dining area, in order to allow for spacing.  I do appreciate all they are doing to keep all of us healthy!

We have always enjoyed a leisurely MDR dinner, but I know that some prefer a quick bite elsewhere.  If that is the case, I believe Park Cafe, and the little sandwich/snack bar next to the coffee and ice cream concessions, have food available at dinner time.  (Coffee and ice cream are extra charge; food is free.  However, there is no place to sit down to eat, apart from the little drink tables.)

Alternately, I would suggest going to the MDR, stating that you are in a hurry/don't want a full meal, or whatever your preferences are, to the head waiter and/or waiter.  They want to please!  If you don't want what is on the menu, you can always ask for something from the children's menu, such as mac&cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.  The chocolate brownie is fabulous!

 

Another element of dining is distancing, and seating.  WJ has every other table closed.  MDR, at set dinner seatings, has tables spaced apart.  We are a twosome, and were given a round 8-top.  One solo woman was seated there as well, with a space between us.  We expected it to be awkward, but it was not.  It was reported that at Anytime Dining, solos are only seated by themselves, not with any other singles or couples.

[shipgeeks]

Continuing....

The checkin process:

Arrive at your scheduled time!  We had the 12:30-1pm time.  We arrived at 12:45, and were put into that line.  The 1:00 line was forming separately, each one monitored.  A woman stepped up to our line, with a 2:30 checkin time.  She was told she would have to wait in the warming hut (weather that day was below freezing, and snowy).

Our line moved well.  Although there were fewer passengers boarding, each one has to show additional documentation (vax card, test results) compared to two years ago, so the process at the counter is slightly longer.  We were asked to remove our vax cards from their plastic bags.  We were given wristbands at the counter.  Very thin and light; we never even felt them, and they dried almost instantly after a shower.

Cruise cards were at the cabin.

I might mention that we were given Cruise Compasses, and dinner menus, in paper form every day.  I don't know if this was shipwide.  However, refreshingly, there were no paper deliveries from spa, art auction, excursions, etc.  

[cruiseguy1016]

On 2/19/2022 at 3:01 PM, shipgeeks said:

We have just returned from 12 nights on Enchantment, sailing out of Baltimore.  It was one of the best cruises we've done, out of 40+.  I believe that for anyone who can handle the stress of covid testing, and the possibility of having to wear a mask and/or missing a port, this is an ideal time to cruise, due to low passenger numbers (hence no crowding in WJ or elevators) and full crew numbers (hence even better service than usual).

The itinerary was 3 sea days, 5 Caribbean ports in a row, and 3 sea days to return.

Weather was cold and snowy on the day of departure, but became milder each day.  The islands were lovely and warm, but not uncomfortably hot.

In case anyone is curious about the food, I will begin with that.  In a word: excellent.  In a few words: a step up from all our other RC cruises.

We had all dinners in the MDR, and all breakfasts and lunches in WJ.  There was a good variety of selections in both.

Most WJ items are served.  Grab a plate and cutlery/napkin roll.  The usual variety was available around the inner and outer circles, the omelet station, etc.  As well, there is a grab-n-go section near the entrance with cups and plates of fruits, yogurts, granolas, muesli, etc., or at lunch, salads, little sandwiches, etc.  Juices, iced tea, lemonade and other cold drinks are in glasses ready to be picked up. Coffee can be requested, or acquired from a server with a coffee cart moving among the tables.

One of my favorite options, at both breakfast and lunch, was the Indian dishes.  Curries, scrambled eggs, grain dishes, breads.  DH liked the bacon, tots, and pastries.

At lunch, I especially enjoyed the fish and chips.  Salads could be composed by requesting any of a variety of greens and other elements.

Almost all our dinner selections were winners.  My only disappointment was the mac-n-cheese from the children's menu, which I tried because the children's brownie was so delicious.  Too many excellent dishes to even remember!

Service in both locations was outstanding.  With a limited number of passengers, there is time for a lot of attention if one so desires (not pushy, just available).

Which reminds me.....we experienced no pushiness from photographers, spa people, crew asking for "10" on the survey, etc., nor from any vendors ashore.  It was nice.

 

I welcome any questions, and will try to post more thoughts about other elements of the cruise in the days to come.

 

This will make me happier than removing the mask mandate.