Enchantment Review 5/4/06

[firsttimecruiser77]

Alright, so we're back. For those who are just looking for the short version:

We loved and can't wait to get back on next year!

 

For those of you who want the details, here goes:

 

PRE-CRUISE:

We stayed at the Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Airport. We drove down a day early so that we could relax. It was nicer than I expected after having read some derogatory reviews. The lobby was nice and business like. I inquired about internet service so I could finish up some business stuff. We were given a free upgrade to a concierge level suite since no rooms in our booked category had the internet. As it turns out, we couldn't get it hooked up on our laptop but we had a room with a beautiful view. We hung out by the pool/jacuzzi and chatted into the night. It was a very relaxing way to start our vacation. The next morning we went across I-95 to the Fishing Hall of Fame Museum where DH just had a blast. Cool place if you are into fishing. We headed for the port around 11:00am.

 

EMBARKATION

 

We reached the port, pulled into the circle, dropped off our luggage with the porter and headed to the garage. Total parking cost for the 5 days was $48. We caught the shuttle back to the terminal. We jumped in the line which wasn't too long. They checked our IDs and had me take the laptop out and send the bag through. Once through the metal detectors, we waited a few minutes and we were to the desk to receive our Sea Pass Cards. Next was a line for the embarkation photo. This took a few minutes and the option was given to bypass but we waited and it turned out to be one of my favorite photos from the cruise! Next, we made the long walk through the gangway and we were on!!! What a beautiful ship! She's in great condition. We made our way to the purser's desk to put cash on our cards. After reading all of the accounts here of unexpected charges showing up on credit cards, we decided we would just use cash and get more money from the onboard ATM if needed. This worked out great for us! We were on the ship within an hour of leaving our hotel.

 

DAY 1: Exploring

 

We were on ship around 12:30 and cabins weren't to be ready until after 1 pm so we went ahead and made our chops reservations for the next night and went to Latte-Tudes where I met the coolest woman named Sofia who worked there. I got my Vanilla Latte and sat and chilled. Once our cabin was available, we put down our carryon luggage and headed to explore. We had a little snack around 2 in the WindJammer. Food was very good at the Welcome Aboard Buffet (international flair: carved roast and ham and sandwiches, etc) Luggage arrived to the room around 4 and muster drill at 4:30 was quick and painless. We ran to our room, threw our life jackets down, prayed we wouldn't need them and ran back out to the pool deck to get a sailaway cocktail. MMMM!!! We had main seating at 6 pm so we ran back to our room after sailaway and changed for dinner and went to the dining room. Like our companions for dinner ok but didn't have much in common with them. We are married with 2 kids and they were all in college and unmarried. Kinda weird but it was fine. Loved our waiter Sorin. He was the best. I had the stuffed Chicken and it was fabulous. There weren't a lot of good dessert choices, though. Gambled a little in the casino and saw the Welcome Aboard Show with a comedian who was pretty funny and the dancers/singers. Also played Bingo but didn't win :(

 

DAY 2: Key West

 

The ship docked at 7 am. We had breakfast in the dining room and it wasnt great, but I attribute that somewhat to our choices. I picked fruit, yogurt and granola and DH picked pancakes, neither of which were exactly what we expected. We were off the ship by 8. Walked to Mallory Square and caught the Old Towne Trolley Tour. We did a little shopping at the first stop and then stayed on the Trolley for the duration. Saw the Hemingway House, Southernmost point and some other stuff. We had a yummy lunch of local fare at Red Fish, Blue Fish and got back on the ship by 1 pm (1:30 was all aboard). Took a nap out on deck for a few hours. This evening was formal night. We decided to dress nice but not formal so we scheduled Chops for this night. The service and food in Chops were unbeatable. We really enjoyed our meal here and agreed that this was something we would do several times on our next cruise. The desserts are to die for! We really enjoyed our table for two by the window too. I saw more people dressed in cocktail dresses than expected and people looked really nice. Kinda made me sad that I had decided not to participate.

 

DAY 3: PLAYA DEL CARMEN

 

We had purchased excursion tickets to Xcaret through RCI and were told to meet at 9:45 in the Orpheum Theatre to proceed. Everyone was to set their watches back an hour at 2 am. When we got to the theatre we were the first ones there. We realized we had forgotten to set our watches back and therefore, we were an hour early. We went to Latte-Tudes and got lattes and headed back. Our excursion was the second called and we made it onto the first tender BUT there were no seats left so we had to stand. The smell was a little bothersome. The tender ride was very short and before we knew it we were on the gorgeous shores of Playa Del Carmen. We had to stand in the heat for about 30 minutes and wait for members of our group who were running late and missed the first tender. We then walked a long way to a dirt parking lot to catch a bus that wasn't there yet. I was beginning to get a little grouchy at the disorganization of the excursion. But, finally we made it. Xcaret was beautiful but extremely hot. We changed into our bathing suits and went down to the beach (the most beautiful I've seen) and watched the dolphin swim program taking place. Then we headed to LaPeninsula for some lunch. We got some cool drinks made with frozen fruit juices in a pineapple. I ordered shrimp and chicken fajitas that were delicious and DH ordered steak fajitas. We sat right on the ocean and all felt right with the world. After lunch we explored some more but the heat began to take its toll and around 3, we decided to catch a cab back into town and do some shopping. We went to some stores, where we got some really cool souvenirs and two bottles of tequila. We had planned to have a drink at Sr.Frogs but the wait for a table was quite long and so we decided to head back to the ship. After a shower, we headed to dinner. Don't remember what I had but I think it was good!

 

DAY 4: AT SEA

 

The fact that the cruise was almost over was causing depression to set in. We slept in this day and played intermittently in the casino. We also visited the loyalty ambassador to book again but our requested dates weren't available for booking yet. All in all, a relaxing day. We did some last minute shopping on board for souvenirs. The ship had some great deals. Got our tips together (we put them on our sea pass but also added some cash in the envelopes). Dinner was really enjoyable and the waiters did a really cute singing number. I felt myself getting a little misty eyed because it was almost over. We went to a magic show that I fell asleep during. We went to karaoke in the Spotlight Lounge and then stayed for the Quest. This was absolutely hilarious but not something that is for those who are easily offended. This was really one of the highlights of the cruise. We laughed until our guts ached!!! We were in a group with one of the couples from our table at dinner and it was such a fun time.

 

DEBARKATION:

We had green tags and we headed to the seats in the centrum on deck 6 to drink our coffee but ended up staying and waiting for them to call our tags. This was close to being one of the last colors called. I chatted on my cell phone (which finally had service) while DH snoozed in the chair. Once called we were off pretty quickly (around 10:45am).

 

In conclusion, this was one of the best vacations we've ever taken. Enchantment's crew was wonderful and so friendly. Everyone was so willing to help. The ship is beautiful and in great shape after the refurb. Our cabin steward Clement and our dining room server, Sorin were top notch. We are going to sail her again next year with the opposite itinerary. I'll post pictures

[TrinaLC]

Thanks for the detailed review! We had a very similar experience. Great ship, great time!

[Elva]

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for posting it!! I have noticed other Enchantment cruisers mentioning the long wait to get back on the ship in Key West. Did you see this as an issue?

 

Thanks!

[Deets]

Thanks, Jennifer, for your great review. The cruise just didn't sound long enough! Our upcoming cruise on the Enchantment (not upcoming fast enough) isn't until September. Seems like I just can't read enough about this ship. Thanks, again.

 

Where was your cabin? I look forward to seeing your pictures.

[firsttimecruiser77]

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for posting it!! I have noticed other Enchantment cruisers mentioning the long wait to get back on the ship in Key West. Did you see this as an issue?

 

Thanks!

 

There was quite a line to get back on the ship and it was hot (can you tell I'm very heat sensitive? :) ), BUT I don't remember it being all that slow. I'm guessing maybe 20 or 30 minutes? I took some pictures while waiting in the line and one crew member who had been standing in the hot sun all day directing people back to the ship was dancing and singing. DH and I commented that he was in a much better mood than we would be if we had his job!

[firsttimecruiser77]

Thanks, Jennifer, for your great review. The cruise just didn't sound long enough! Our upcoming cruise on the Enchantment (not upcoming fast enough) isn't until September. Seems like I just can't read enough about this ship. Thanks, again.

 

Where was your cabin? I look forward to seeing your pictures.

 

We were in cabin 3579, which was an inside stateroom, midship on deck 3.We booked kinda last minute and stateroom choices were few but all in all, we were happy with the room.

 

The cruise definitely wasn't long enough (are they ever?)!!! Next time we are doing the 5 night in a balcony. We decided to book early to get our choice of the good cabins this time!!!

 

You'll have a blast... Let me know if you have any more questions!

[lojill]

Good review

[firsttimecruiser77]

Here's the link for pics

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/550391309CnTEXD

[jillybabes]

Great pics and review...Can't wait til we sail on Enchantment in Jan. 2007...Later, Jill:cool:

[medic123]

I can't wait until Thursday!! :D

[maggieworkman]

Thanks for the review. We will be on Enchantment in June, so I love to read about her.

 

Maggie

[jeh4554]

I enjoyed your review, firsttimecruiser. We have only cruised twice but I was hooked after the first one. Our second cruise was on the Enchantment right after the stretch. We have many wonderful memories of the trip. Our first cruise was on the Navigator. Because we have a teenager, this was our favorite ship. She had many more options for activities. I also loved having afternoon coffee in the Cafe Promenade on the Navigator and was disappointed that there was not one like it on the Enchantment. I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation. Isn't cruising the best!;)

[Jeanie821]

Thanks for the review. I'll be on the Enchantment for Valentine's Week of 2006, so I'm reading everything I can on her.

[lyndamarie6]

Hi Jennifer,

 

We will be on her in July have a few questions:

 

Was breakfast better in the dining room or the windjammer cafe?

How were the beds, heard they are not good

Heard there is no food being served after windjammer closes at 10:30 is there any food being served anywhere after 11pm?

What was on the room service menu

How was the nightly entertainment overall? Was there more than one choice offered each night?

What kind of music did they play in the disco or in any of the inside lounges?

What did they offer for lunch at the winjammer cafe?

Was there any fruit drinks, juices offered during the day and night?

How was the steak/beef dishes?

 

Thank you!!! Lynda

[phabric]

Enjoyed your review and pictures. We will be on the Enchantment for Christmas.

[kaj2870]

Nice review and pictures, Jennifer. Thanks for sharing. My family and I (party of 16) will be on Enchantment June 10 - 15, 2006. This will be me and my husband's second time sailing on Enchantment (2002). We have fond memories of her and can't wait to see her again! I'll be sure to post my review as we're going to Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

[firsttimecruiser77]

Hi Jennifer,

 

We will be on her in July have a few questions:

 

Was breakfast better in the dining room or the windjammer cafe?

How were the beds, heard they are not good

Heard there is no food being served after windjammer closes at 10:30 is there any food being served anywhere after 11pm?

What was on the room service menu

How was the nightly entertainment overall? Was there more than one choice offered each night?

What kind of music did they play in the disco or in any of the inside lounges?

What did they offer for lunch at the winjammer cafe?

Was there any fruit drinks, juices offered during the day and night?

How was the steak/beef dishes?

 

Thank you!!! Lynda

 

I'll try to answer as best I can... Breakfast was definitely better in Windjammer. It was a pretty extensive buffet of good stuff. DH said pancakes in both places were awful though.

Beds weren't awful but not great either. But, then I never expect much of hotel or cruise beds.

The solarium cafe serves up burgers, hotdogs, fries, and pizza until 4 am. Not great, but ok if you are hungry. There is also a midnight buffet one night in the dining room and a poolside buffet at midnight one night.

Room service menu had chef salad, turkey sandwich, fruit platter, cheese and crackers, cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies and pizza. At dinner, the dining room items are available via room service.

Comedian was funny. I didn't care for the magician. Dancers and singers were good but having danced my whole life, I didn't think they were any better than most people who've been dancing for a long while. Shows were well put together.

Spotlight Lounge has karaoke, Boleros has a latin band, Schooner Bar has a piano player (I think), there was a string quartet playing in the centrum most nights and singer on some nights. Viking crown Lounge had disco the first night and then a mixture of pop, hip/hop and 70's the other nights. It was a cool place.

We only ate lunch once in the Windjammer and they had carved beef, burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, sandwiches on focaccia bread, pasta dishes, and various vegetable dishes.

I am not a juice drinker so I can't definitively answer the juice question but I'm pretty sure they had juice in the AM and lemonade at night.

I don't eat a lot of beef but DH does and he enjoyed both the prime rib, the sirloin and the strip steak. I had a petite filet in Chops that was good but huge, even for a petite. The filet was not the most tender I've had ever but was still of pretty good quality. I think out of all of them, DH enjoyed the Prime Rib in the main dining room on the last night the best.

 

HTH...Have a wonderful time on your trip...

[aggie0811]

Thanks for the review! I'm going on a 5 day on the Enchantment in September and I cannot wait!

[lyndamarie6]

Thank you Jennifer for answering all our questions. :) Lynda

[wolfcathorse]

Was your captain Capt Gunnar or Capt Per.

 

P.S. Bon Voyage Vicki