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Enchantment of the Seas Trip Report Sept 20-25, 2003
Just returned from our Enchantment cruise, DH and myself, in celebration of
our 19th wedding anniversary. I'll share some of our experiences on the Enchantment. The Precruise Experience (or how we almost missed the boat!) We booked our own non-stop flight out of Newark NJ, to depart Friday September 19th, one day pre cruise. Our hotel was booked and paid for via Priceline at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Marina. All was in place for months in advance, that is, until Hurricane Isabel came into existence-and it was to hit our state when else, but on the morning of Friday the 19th!! Near midnight on Wednesday the 17th, I was visiting the Continental Airlines website, and upon pulling up my e ticket itinerary, I was horrified to learn that our pre cruise flight was completely cancelled!!! Worse yet, Continental had re booked us on a flight, due to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday the 20th, TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE the ship was to sail. DH and I went into panic mode---should we drive? No, that would be crazy!!! Back to the phones, and by one A.M. we had re-scheduled to a non stop flight out of Newark, leaving in less than seven hours!!! The Marriott was booked, and could not accommodate our request to arrive a day early-on to Priceline again, and booked the Hilton at Ft Lauderdale Airport for Thursday night. From there, we would check in to the Marriott Marina Friday. Jeesh!! Okay, then-for all of you naysayers who don't pack until the night before, or who may look upon my overplanning/prepacking as a bit obsessive, I am giving you a great big raspberry!!!! Getting on a plane with less than seven hours' notice is a truly unique experience, and if my bags weren't almost completely packed already, I would be in serious hot water! As it stood, I got not one hour of sleep. I did not rest until I had boarding pass in hand, knowing that we would indeed get to Florida for our cruise. Fortunately for both DH and myself, our bosses were extremely understanding about our need to be no-shows for work that day, especially since we were unable to contact our jobs until early Thursday from the airport! So, we made it-checked into the Hilton, ordered some food, then spent the entire next 24 hours sleeping, watching TV, having lots of hot tea, and behaving like total blobs. Next day, Friday the 19th. Checked out the yellow pages in the hotel, and booked the manicure and pedicure that I missed by leaving a day earlier than planned. We spent the rest of the day with DH's dad, on his neat cabin cruiser, plying the Intercoastal waterway, and docking at a fun Greek restaurant in Hollywood called Taverna Opa! It was a great meal, and loads of fun. Cruiseday! Sailaway day-Saturday the 20th finally arrives---we hit the port at ten thirty A.M. We were pleased to discover that we were eligible for priority boarding because we were booked in a suite, albeit only a C cabin. Well, we were amongst the first five parties to board! Yay-our cruise has already started, and its not even 11:00 on sail away day.. We began exploring the beautiful Enchantment. This was our second cruise, the first being this past April, on the mighty Explorer of the Seas. With this in mind, I had some concerns about starting huge, then going smaller. As it turns out, we absolutely LOVED the Enchantment, especially its smaller size, which lended a sense of intimacy, elegance, and almost coziness. The single centrum served well as the "heart" of the ship; very bright and sparkling, sort of like a magnet that pulls you in with music playing, and passengers congregating there. We had requested a table for two, but were assigned a table for six on the second level of the dining room, right at the railing. Well, we'll meet our wait staff and tablemates tonight and decide afterwards if a table change would be in order. On to the spa for an appointment for a formal night up-do for me, then more exploring. At 12:30, we were able to check into our cabin. We were in cabin 8544, a C cabin right near the elevators. Our steward was Zethro Ebanks from Honduras. He was always smiling and cordial, and kept our cabin in excellent condition, with plenty of towels, full ice bucket, and evening turn down service. Two items to note about this deck 8 location: we found that being close to the elevators was extremely convenient, and was never noisy. Second, with respect to being one level below the pool deck, we did hear some scraping of deck chairs as they were being rearranged by the crew each night at around 11:30 P.M. This usually lasted all of 15 minutes, then it was over. Our C cabin was a bit smaller than the C on the Explorer, and had a double closet, not a walk-in. All in all, we loved the cabin. The storage space was amazing, and we came no where close to using it all. Our balcony had a recliner, two small chairs, and a small table. I do wish that we brought a power strip, though, as there were just two outlets, and we had our camera charger, and cell phones to keep charged. Dining on the Enchantment We joined our tablemates for second seating. They were nice enough people, but not too talkative. My husband and I were exhausted after the meal, as we tried to make conversation, and it was hard work! Our waiter Videk from India was excellent, as was David, the Asst waiter. Next day, I paid a little visit to the Maitre 'D and arranged for a table for two. They ended up placing a table near the foot of the grand staircase. As much as we felt that our tablemates of the previous night were pleasant enough, we were relieved that it was just the two of us for the balance of our cruise. We found the food to be consistently very good to excellent in the dining room. I'll give an overview of some of the dishes we chose at dinner. Some of the appetizers we enjoyed included shrimp cocktail, escargots, smoked salmon, and creamed mushrooms in puff pastry. Entrees of prime rib, salmon, jerk chicken, lobster tail, shrimp scampi were all very good. Surprisingly, we both really enjoyed the Jerk Chicken. It was great! Salads, soups, and desserts were all enjoyed. We usually followed our waiter's recommendations with good results. Our waiter was Bogdan from Romania; he was adorable and excellent. Jinky, our equally adorable assistant waiter was from the Philippines. Formal night attire varied from very dressy to very dressed down. The only formal night, which was on Day Two, was also our anniversary. A dozen red roses ordered for me by my DH, were waiting for me at our table. The waiters sang "Happy Anniversary" for us, of course. It was a great night. We enjoyed the Windjammer daily for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks. No complaints at all. We thought the coffee was very good, but DH and I like strong coffee. I have a feeling that this is why people complain about the coffee-unless you prefer it to be strong- tasting the way we do, you may not like it. Room service came promptly, although we only had it once, for breakfast. I will note that we did tip our first night's waiter for that one night, since we didn't think it would be fair for him to miss out because we switched tables. How We Spent Our Two Sea Days I absolutely love the Solarium. The canopy was left opened most days. Soft music played, and the noise of the main pool was left behind. The snack bar served pizza (not bad at all) burgers, fries, and hot dogs. Coffee, iced tea, and water were always available there. Believe it or not, we had no problems finding a deck chair near the pool, even on sea days. One reason, I think, is that our ship was booked with a large contingent of church-going ladies who were either too elderly or too modest to wear a swimsuit.. (This was an observation of mine, but I'm not sure how accurate it is) I spent hours alternating from the hot tub to the solarium pool, to my padded deck chair. A few breaks for snacks and drinks. This is how I spent the sea days. It was heavenly! By the way, the pool sign there has a new plaque nailed onto it that reads, " Pool is reserved for guests aged 16 and over". The pool crew strictly enforced this. I was shocked to see a woman bring an infant to the pool, strip it naked, and prepared to dip the baby in the solarium pool. I informed an officer who was passing by, and he immediately alerted one of the pool staff, which managed the situation very quietly. The women obliged, and left the solarium with baby. DH smokes, so wasn't as enamored of the solarium as I was, but he did enjoy the peacefulness of it. Ports of Call Jamaica-we booked a tour including Dunns River Falls, with Peat Taylor. He was wonderful! I discovered that we were sharing our tour with the KC Parrotheads and some other Cruisecritic surfers. The falls were awesome! We also toured Fern Gully, traveled up through the mountains, and shopped at an areas recommended by Peat. I do not think I would feel safe touring Jamaica on my own. Peat Taylor was perfect. Grand Cayman-we LOVED this stop. After an early tendering, we grabbed a cab and hit the Holiday Inn at Seven Mile Beach. A hotel employee was situated there, and for $10 each we were given two lounge chairs, use of the facilities on the beach, and a soda or water. Since we arrived early (around 9 A.M.), we shared the beach with just a few others. The water here is unbelievably clear, blue, and clear. Trees provided shade if you wanted it. We spent the morning lounging in the water, sun, and shade. This was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It was getting a bit crowded as noon approached, so we used the outdoor shower, then hit the small changing room. It was starting to become cloudy as we hopped a cab back to town. No sooner were we seated under a sheltered outdoor table at a restaurant opposite the pier, then the rain poured down. Only the Enchantment and the Carnival Inspiration were docked this day; our waitress noted that some days have four or five ships at a time, creating huge crowds in town. After an excellent lunch, we shopped, and headed back to the ship. Entertainment We didn't catch every show. The production shows were pretty good, sometimes a little corny. The Beatle Maniacs were good, especially for Beatle fans, natch. The juggler was absolutely phenomenal! The comedian, Ralph Achilles grew on us after a while. Quest was hilarious. Last but not least, the Cruise Director, Matt Baker, was adorable, hilarious, and friendly. He was highly visible, and warmly received always. Final Comments We absolutely loved the Enchantment. The size and number of passengers seemed just right, and it is in excellent shape. The cleaning and upkeep activities of the crew were non-stop. The staff was friendly and helpful. We hear that the Enchantment is slated to be enlarged-actually cut in half to add a new section to increase its size. We like it just the way it is, but you can't stop progress, as we all know. Finally, thanks to all the Cruise critic posters who helped me in planning my cruise. |
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Enchantment of the Seas Trip Report Sept 20-25, 2003
Teddie
Glad to see you had a great cruise on the EOS. We share your enthusiasm for this ship. We loved it. SUNNY...........Wishes they had PC S'nd I |
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