Enchantment Part I Review February 19th

[lauren0309]

We were on the Enchantment for the February 19 sailing. To start off, we flew into Ft. Lauderdale a day before the cruise so we wouldnt have to worry about any delays and missing the ship. We thought we would be able to spend the day on the beach but it was too cool and windy out. Our hotel was right on the waterway so we just watched all the ships and boats and walked around. We had dinner and went to bed early in anticipation of waking up early the next day for our cruise.

 

Day 1 of Cruise:

 

We woke up early and took a shuttle over to the pier. We were there by 11:00. There were alot of people there already waiting in the waiting area to go through customs to get on the ship. It went pretty quick, a matter of about 15 minutes and we were finally aboard! What a great feeling it is to finally step onboard and know the fun has begun. We couldnt get to our rooms because they had the hallways locked which lead to the cabins so we decided to go to the Windjammer for lunch. They had a variety of hot and cold foods and sandwiches, salads, fruit, etc. The drinks were lemonade, water or iced tea. If you wanted soda you pay extra. After we had our lunch we decided to explore the ship. The setup was the same as the some other ships we've been on already so we got to know our way around fast. The only two things that were missing from this ship as compared to our other cruises were that there was no movie theater and there was no basketball courts which disappointed my sons. At around 3:00 we went to the Viking Crown lounge to meet some people we had been in contact with on the crise critic message boards. They were all very nice and it was nice to actually meet those people in person who you have been corresponding with for so many months. Then we went to the dining room to see where our table was. At 4:30 it was time for the muster drill which went pretty quickly. When we got back to our room our luggage was finally there. We were upset because we were oon the ship early and we got our luggage quite late, later than other people that boarded the ship later than us. We changed for dinner and sat at a table for 8. For dinner it was my husband and I and our 2 sons, 12 and 17 and our friends and their two sons 13 and 18. The dinner was very good in comparison to our last cruise on the Serenade. Also I forgot to mention, they were giving out raffles for prizes in the main lobby . I had 3 raffles and won an alpha capsule in the spa. It was a massage in an enclosed capsule, very relaxing. After dinner we went to the show, which was a juggler. He was very good. Our cruise director was Danny O who was very good too. He really mingled with all the passengers. After the show we walked around a little, checked out the casino and by then were all tired and went to bed except for our kids who stayed out later than us! Day 2 to follow.

[lauren0309]

Day 2 - Sea Day

 

Today was our sea day. There was no rush to get up early for an excursion so we slept a little later and had breakfast in the dining room. In my opinion, I enjoyed breakfast in the Windjammer more because I felt there was more of a variety to choose from. After breakfast we headed down to the Carousel Lounge to play Bingo. Kids play free when you purchase a package of cards. It was $35.00 for 5 cards and your child gets one card to play. The game lasted about an hour and a half. By this time, we were hungry and went to the Windjammer for lunch. We tried to get some sun by the pool but it was too windy. There was a belly flop contest by the pool which we watched and then went indoors out of the wind. Tonight was formal night so we went back to the room, showered and got ready for dinner. For dinner we had lobster tails and shrimp. There is also a childrens menu which consisted of chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese or hamburgers. After dinner we had our formal family pictures taken. The lines weren't too bad. They had about 4 photographers in different areas. Next we went to the Orpheum Theater to see Can't Stop The Rock which is music and dancing. It was very enjoyable and colorful. When the show ended we went to the Carousel Lounge to play Majority Rules game show. It ended at 11:00 and we went back to our cabin because we had to get up early for our first excursion in Ocho Rios.

 

Day 3 - Ocho Rios

 

We had a quick breakfast in the Windjammer and headed off the ship in Jamaica. We met our tour guide, Ionie McBeam at 8:30 and was driven in an air conditioned van to Dunns River Falls. We were one of the first ones there and it was not crowded at all. Our group consisted of about 20 people. We started at the bottom where the beach is and had to all hold hands to start the climb up the falls. It was a little slippery but not too bad. The water was a comfortable temperature. We had about 3 tour guides with us that guide you up the falls. They also hold your camera for you and take pictures. I don't know how they can keep track of whose camera is whose. One tour operator had about 6 cameras on his arm and he knew whose picture to take with what camera. The climb lasted about 45 minutes to an hour. It was alot of fun and I wasnt tired at all. We tried to go out the entrance so we wouldnt be hassled by the vendors but were told we had to go out the exit so you couldnt avoid the vendors. They were very nasty to us. They were trying to sell us things and we all walked by with our heads down. They were yelling all kinds of comments to us because we wouldnt stop to look at their things. I couldnt wait to get out of there. After we met our tour operator we boarded the van and headed to Fern Gully which is a rain forest. It was very pretty with lots of ferns. It started getting very dark and before we got out of there it started raining. We got dropped off at Margarittaville and Island Village shopping area. It was still raining so we walked in and out of the stores in the rain and bought some souvenirs. We stopped at Margarittaville but it was pretty empty and no one was even on the beach there because it was rainy and cool so we decided to walk back to the ship which is a 5 minute walk. We had lunch and by this time it was pouring out. Then I went for my alpha capsule massage in the spa. It was very relaxing and almost puts you to sleep. Tonight was Caribbean night so we went back to our room and changed into our caribbean clothes for dinner. The show tonight was The Grand Illusions of David and Kathie Haines. The show was very good. We always sat in the balcony in the theater because we felt we could see more. Right after that show ended was the Love and Marriage Game Show, similar to the Newlywed Game only they have one couple that was married 6 months which were the newlyweds, another couple married 6 years and other older couple married many years. They picked the couples out of the audience. They had to audition and they picked the couples which were the funniest. After the show stopped in one of the lounges for a drink and then went back to our room because we had to wake up early to get a tender to Cayman Islands. More to follow...

[Boo's Mom]

lauren0309....

 

I am enjoying your review of the Enchantment.

 

...waiting patiently ! :D ...for more

[lauren0309]

Day 4 - Cayman Islands

 

Today we woke up bright and early. We had a fast breakfast in the Windjammer at 7:00 because we wanted to get downstairs early enough to get the first tender out. Our tour operator was Nativeway and we were told to meet at the dock at 8:15. We were downstairs at 7:45 and were fifth in line to get on a tender. They generally only let the people who booked excursions through the ship to get off first but we didnt say anything to them and just got on line. The tenders they used were actually the tenders from the ship that also serve as lifeboats. They seat about 120 people. The ride to the island was about 10 minutes and the tenders went back and forth pretty quickly. We got to the North Terminal about 8:00 and walked over to the South Terminal to meet Nativeway. We were early and had to wait for them to get there so walked around a little bit. The island is very clean and beautiful. It was nothing like Jamaica. Georgetown is a nice little shopping town with lots of stores. We finally met up with our tour operator and was taken in a van to the dock where the boat was to take us to Stingray City Sandbar. The boat was 2 levels and we sat on top. There were about 4 tour guides with us on the boat. The ride out to the Stingrays was about a half hour. The water was a beautiful turquoise and so clear you can see right down to the bottom. We finally arrived at the Stingrays. Everyone got snorkels and a mask and jumped into the water. There were stingrays all around and I sort of freaked out when one rubbed against my leg and I jumped right back on the boat! I sat on the boat and was observing the other people feeding them squid when I started feeling queasy from the boat rocking back and forth. I thought to myself, either I stay on the boat and get seasick or go into the water with the stingrays. I chose going back into the water with the stingrays rather than feeling sick. I jumped in the water and clung onto my husband and stared up at the sky. I didnt want to look down and see them coming towards me. One of the tour guides brought one over to me to pet which I did. He also told how to tell the difference between male and female and gave a little bit of history about the stingrays. After we left the stingrays the boat made another stop for snorkeling. The water was getting rough and since I'm not that great a swimmer I put on a life jacket and held onto a rope and just stayed by the boat. My husband snorkeled and took some amazing pictures underwater of all the colorful fish. We left the snorkeling spot and the boat headed back to land. We got dropped off in town and decided to go back to the ship to shower and have lunch because we still had plenty of time to go back to Georgetown. We got a tender within 5 minutes and was back on the ship. We had lunch and then tendered back to Georgetown for some shopping. We were back on the ship by 3:00. We hung around the pool a bit and then got ready for dinner. After dinner we saw a show with singers and dancers called Stage to Screen. They sang and danced to the broadway shows of Little Shop of Horrors, West Side Story, Hairspray and Chicago. Next at 10:30 was The Quest in the Carousel Lounge. This is an R rated scavenger hunt game. No children are allowed. It was a riot! I will not tell any more about it, you have to see it! When the show was over we went to one of the other lounges for a couple of drinks and then decided to call it a night.

 

Day 5 - Sea Day

 

Today we slept a little later because we were at sea and didnt have to worry about getting up for an excursion. We had breakfast in the Windjammer and then headed for the pool. The chairhogs had taken over the chairs already but we didnt manage to find some. Today was the men's sexy leg contest which was very funny. They had 4 girls who volunteered to be the judges and the men had to walk up to each girl and impress her with their legs. The winners each got a medal. Also by the pool the Enchantment Crew paraded around the pool with flags from different countries. At 3:15 they had an ice carving demonstration which was amazing. Out of a block of ice a horse was carved. When we were finished by the pool, we decided to pick out our pictures that were taken all week. They were all on display and we always wait till the last day so this way we can choose which ones we like best to purchase. We went downstairs to start packing and rest up a bit and then got ready for dinner. It was our last night and we were all sad that the cruise was ending. We had our last dinner on the ship, said good-bye to our waiters and then headed off to the farewell show which first was a comedian and singer, by the name of Billy Fellows. Then we saw a movie of the cruise in review of the whole week. After the show ended we went to the Carousel Lounge where the game was Battle of the Sexes, Guys vs. Girls. It was very funny but the guys won. After the game was the Adult Karaoke talent show. We watched a little bit of that but then I started getting seasick because we were in the back of the ship and there seemed to be alot of rocking so we left and went somewhere else on the ship. We went to another lounge where there was music and dancing, had a drink and then left to go back to our cabin.

 

Last Day

 

We awoke and had to be out of our cabins by 8:00. We had breakfast and then went to our waitiing area to be called so we can leave the ship. Our color was called at 10:00 and we got a cab and headed to the airport. Our cruise had finally ended. I have nothing bad to say about the ship considering she is due for a stretching. They are still keeping up with what has to be cleaned and taken care of. I had a little hesitation at first when I heard about the stretching because I thought maybe I would see wear and tear but that wasnt the case. Well thats all for now. Until my next cruise!!!

[TheWog]

Nice review, thank you. Sounds like you had a really good time. Glad you enjoyed it.

[NYCchic]

I'm glad you enjoyed it too considering I am going on Enchantment this Saturday, March 5th! I can't wait...got to get away from this snow! Can't believe we have more snow headed our way here in the Northeast!

 

Great review - thanks for sharing. I'll post a review when I get back next week.

[TheWog]

I'm glad you enjoyed it too considering I am going on Enchantment this Saturday, March 5th! I can't wait...got to get away from this snow! Can't believe we have more snow headed our way here in the Northeast!

 

Great review - thanks for sharing. I'll post a review when I get back next week.

 

Bet you can't wait. Snow started yet? Scheduled to arrive here tonight. 12+ inches coming!!!!!:eek: Wonderful!!!!

[NYCchic]

Hi Wog - yes I really can't wait to get away! Saturday can't come soon enough...

 

Snow has started already - started here about noon. It's just been a very wet snow though - nothing is really sticking to the ground - just seeing it stick to the car windows. The streets and sidewalks just look very wet. I think it's supposed to get much heavier tonight and go into tomorrow...should be a fun commute to work tomorrow!:eek:

[TheWog]

I think it was a dud. Only around 6 inches or so.

[NYCchic]

Us too! We really didn't get that much.