"Live" Enchantment of the Seas, May 19-28

[Pumbaamd]

Roy,

Very neat thread you have going here! We did an EN B2B from FLL a few years back. Had a great time. Never a problem on EN, staff and crew were outstanding. Will be following your reports. Keep up the good work!

 

Miss you over on the SeaTerps thread. Maybe you could send a link over there?

 

Have fun on EN!!!!

 

Rick and Deirdra

 

(PS: Hi Steve!)

[rotty2]

Thank you!

 

No problem:)

[Philly Steve]

Great looking blog, Roy! :)

 

It's a shame that the beautiful Orpheum Theater is just too small now. I managed to attend only one show (sitting down) during our recent 9-day and that was because we got there 45 minutes early.

 

I wonder how long Captain Gus will be the master of Enchantment. There has been talk the former captain who was hospitalized will return. Captain Gus brings a lot of energy to the ship and we found him to be the most accessible

ship's Master of any cruise we've taken. We'd gladly sail with him again.

 

Way to go with those laps on Deck 10! ;)

 

p.s. Hi Rick & Deirdra. :cool:

[rafinmd]

Great looking blog, Roy! :)

 

It's a shame that the beautiful Orpheum Theater is just too small now. I managed to attend only one show (sitting down) during our recent 9-day and that was because we got there 45 minutes early.

 

I wonder how long Captain Gus will be the master of Enchantment. There has been talk the former captain who was hospitalized will return. Captain Gus brings a lot of energy to the ship and we found him to be the most accessible

ship's Master of any cruise we've taken. We'd gladly sail with him again.

 

Way to go with those laps on Deck 10! ;)

 

p.s. Hi Rick & Deirdra. :cool:

 

Thanks, Steve. Being new to RCI, I'm a bit puzzled about Captain Gus. I think I saw in his bio that he was involved in building the Allure, and the Enchantment seems like quite a step downward. Allure's loss is our gain. I also assume you're talking about Captain Rob and I thought I saw he was headed to another ship.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I received a comment today on my blog:

 

“I've always enjoyed following you on the Cunard forum of Cruise Critic and I'm enjoying this blog. I'd be interested in what you think of RCI. The one time we sailed on Royal Caribbean there were so many announcements during the day interrupting anything we were doing that we decided not to take them again until they limited it to the one noon day talk by the Captain. Has that aspect improved?”

 

I think there are typically about 3 announcements per day, mid-morning(10:30), noonish (perhaps 15 minutes before or after the Captain’s update), and mid-afternoon. That doesn’t really strike me as excessive but I do find it a minor annoyance that really wouldn’t affect my future booking of RCI. What I do miss more is the lack of an equivalent to the Cunard Insights/Crystal Visions programs, although I’ve been able to compensate for that by catching up on my reading.

 

While we have a port call in San Juan, PR, today, it is so late (3PM) that it feels much like a sea day. I did only walk 3 miles on deck 10 due to the opportunities for further walking in San Juan. The wind was still quite strong and making my way forward was becoming a bit tedious in the last few laps. I did look at deck 5 but it was roped off in the early morning hours, possibly due to early morning crew drills today.

 

There was an interdenominational worship service at 9 in the Spotlight lounge, something I hadn’t expected. It was led by a couple of volunteer passengers (this is the 5th cruise where they’ve done it). I get a bit concerned when volunteers handle this kind of event because it can become a forum to promote one’s personal philosophy. The leaders handled their part well but devoted a large part of the service to “sharing”, which included a number of people promoting their personal theology beyond what I thought an interdenominational event suggested.

 

At his noon update Captain Gus told us we were 40 miles from San Juan. His words of wisdom were “If you speak in anger, it will be the greatest speech you ever regret”. After lunch I spent much of my time making reservations. I frankly don’t see RCI as a major part of my cruising future but there will be times when it will be part of the picture. A group of Maryland cruisers is working on a winter break in January and I stopped by and made a booking. I am not certain that it will happen as I have an Asia cruise in February which will take my passport out of service for some time for visa processing (Vietnam, China) but I think I can work it out. I also have a reservation for Chops Monday evening.

 

We had been told to be out on deck for a spectacular arrival into San Juan. As it turns out, the weather didn’t cooperate and it was steamy almost to the point of fog and some rain. I retreated to the Viking Crown Lounge and my pictures don’t do the place justice but the arrival was still beautiful. Captain Gus got us here a bit early and we were cleared to go ashore about 15 minutes before our published 3PM arrival.

 

San is one of the 3 ports on this cruise that is new to me. It’s western discovery was on Columbus’ 2nd voyage in 1493 and for most of it’s history has been Spanish territory. I spent my time exploring old town on foot with it’s narrow streets and quait buildings going as far as the San Felipe El Morrow Castle. This imposing fort guards the San Juan harbor and is matched by a smaller fort on the opposite side of the harbor placing invading vessels in a crossfire. The fort stands high above the harbor and offers excellent views. I also did a bit of shopping before returning to the ship.

 

The My Fair Lady dining room was quiet tonight as a lot of people were in San Juan but I enjoyed the raspberry and pineapple soup, Vitality turkey and Key lime pie, then a short walk in town.

 

This evening’s show was Joey Van. He is a singer who does vocal impressions of other artists and the ease with which he moves from the styles of Michael Jackson to Sinatra to Tom Jones and others is amazing and often hilarious.

 

For today’s parting shot I found myself annoyed at the hot steamy weather here is San Juan. It is almost summer far South of Florida. What was I thinking. We want everything to be perfect but we live in the real world. I am just getting to San Juan for the first time after 60+ years and seeing things I’ve never seen before. A little heat and humidity is a small price to pay.

 

Roy

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[Pumbaamd]

Thanks, Steve. Being new to RCI, I'm a bit puzzled about Captain Gus. I think I saw in his bio that he was involved in building the Allure, and the Enchantment seems like quite a step downward. Allure's loss is our gain. I also assume you're talking about Captain Rob and I thought I saw he was headed to another ship.

Roy

Captain Rob is back on Freedom after a one week illness.

R&D

[proudpatriot07]

Glad you're having a great time- so sorry that you missed out on the Meet and Mingle. Really stinks that the staff members didn't know about it, but oh well.

 

Things like the Love and Marriage show are fun, we love going and watching them but still... they do replay it on the TV every day after it occurs, so it's not like you're completely missing out, lol.

[CruisinChic413]

Great Review. We will be sailing on the Enchament this July! If you could get some pictures of the ship I would really appreciate that, and also comment on the Kids clubs! Thanks! :D

[Philly Steve]

Captain Rob is back on Freedom after a one week illness.

R&D

 

There seem to be a lot of Captain Rob fans. Glad to hear he's back on the bridge. :)

[rafinmd]

Alysia, Angelo is in the Schooner until early July. I mispoke somewhat about Captain Gus. He was Staff Captain for the Allure build, not Captain.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

My apology for the quality of today's menu pictures, taken through the glass on the bulletin board.

 

When I arrived on Deck 10 about 5:30 the western tip of St. Thomas was visible in the distance. I walked about 2 miles, but it was strictly 1 lap at a time, pausing at the bow each time to take in a new view. There were clouds on the horizon but still a very nice sunrise through them. We picked up our pilot about 6:30 for our final entrance while deckhands on the bow were setting up a maze of mooring lines. We pulled up to the pier about 7 and were cleared by customs 15 minutes later, docked at the front end of the pier with a Carnival ship behind us.

 

I had booked a tour, “Volunteering at Virgin Islands National Park” but recieved word Sunday evening that the tour had been cancelled. This is the one port I have previously visited, on the Crystal Symphony in 2002 and the Grande Caribe in 2008. I must say I prefer St. Thomas in December to March rather than late May but that was when I was available to make this trip. I had a leisurely breakfast on the ship and left for a walk about 9:30 spending a little time in Charlotte Amalie and riding the tram to Paradise Point. I was unsuccessful in shopping or finding internet better than what the ship offered. The walk to the center of town is about a mile and a half and runs uncomfortably close to the busy street. The downtown area is very commercial but still quaint and pleasant. For my return I used a shortcut which followed the water and led to a shopping center but it was easy to get out to the street and the tramway. The ride up the tram was about 5 minutes each way and led to a short pathway and spectacular views, but was not quite at the summit (it would have been nice to have views over to St. John). I returned to the ship about 2 for lunch and remained onboard. One of the oddities of life in St. Thomas is that people drive on the left hand side of the road but all the vehicles are left hand drive. I think it’s the only place I’ve seen that system used (I must admit, I don’t remember any 2-way streets in San Juan, so it could be the same).

 

All aboard today was 4:30 for a 5PM departure. The Carnival Glory behind us was on the same schedule but did not pull up the gangway until a few minutes past 5, apparently due to some no show passengers), and we could not leave until they did. I would not want to be one of those who missed the Glory, their next port is Barbados.

 

Dinner in Chops was excellent. I had the Petite Fillet Mignon with roast potatoes and green beans, followed up by Passionberry Duo.

 

The evening show was the action comedy of Rick Novell. Novell was mostly a juggler, working from a freestanding ladder and unicycle and using a lot of humor and audience participation, quite a unique experience.

 

Today’s parting shot comes from tonight’s show. Seating is at a premium in the Orpheum Theater and saving of seats is quite strongly discouraged/prohibited. I arrived early and was at the end of a row of 5 seats. A lady came in and asked if the seats are saved I said no and the response was “save these for me”. I sure wish I had 20-20 ESP and knew what was coming so I could tell her “yes, they are, you can’t have these”. Go figure.

 

Roy

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[Keith1010]

Hi Roy, as we had a busy weekend with our son's wedding I am now catching up with all of your posts and am enjoying them including your parting shots. I enjoyed the most recent one about saving seats.

 

Continue to enjoy the cruise.

 

Keith

[rafinmd]

Thank you Keith.

 

I changed the order of things a bit by going on the internet first thing but got up for coffee about 5:45. The day was again warm and humid but comfortable for about 2 miles on deck 10. Most of the time until our arrival we were sailing close to land, much of it the Island of Hispanola. Samana is apparently relatively new as a port of call and there isn’t much right in town. The tours offered didn’t look particularly attractive to me, but I ended up regretting not booking one. The town was very close to the tender pier but seemed to have very little to offer.

 

We were told tender tickets would be available at 8:45, and there was no line to get them. Despite warnings that we should get a ticket and wait in a lounge for our number to be called, I was told to go straight down to the boats. I had also expected to be using the ships’ tenders, but there were a number of local catamarans, loading from 2 points on the ship with additional boats standing by. The 2-mile shuttle was completed and I was on shore about 9:00. The center of town was quite near but I didn’t find much of interest. There was one section of street along the waterfront that was well maintained and had a stretch of nice looking, freshly painted buildings, but the rest of town was quite ramshackle. I walked for probably 2 hours before returning to the ship for lunch (my one time on one of the ship’s tenders and it was more comfortable than most), and then back for a bit longer in a different direction. There were a couple of tours that looked interesting but I just overestimated what would be close by.

 

The last tender was listed as 5:30 but it actually arrived at that time and we closed up the ship (presumably knowing everyone was on board).

 

Tonight’s entertainment is “Stage to Screen” by the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers featuring songs from Broadway hits that have made the transition to the silver screen. I am a bit surprised that the troupe does only 2 shows since more would seem like a winner for everyone. The cast is already onboard, the shows are very good, and it seems it would be cheaper than bringing on extra entertainers for several nights.

 

 

Today’s parting shot is a bit of a downer. It was clear from my visit to Samana that the area is fighting deep poverty despite having some very beautiful locations nearby. I deeply hope that what appears to be a tourist industry in it’s infancy can give a shot to this area that needs it quite deeply.

 

Roy

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[rafinmd]

The day started and stayed overcast and I rarely saw the sun, but thankfully there was little or no rain, although there apparently was heavy rain overnight. Somehow, I had the impression that Labadee was a tender port, so I was delighted when Captain Gus indicated yesterday that we would be docking. We pulled into the dock about 6:45 and Captain Gus announced we could go ashore about 7:15. His words of wisdom today with a suggestion to keep them in mind when we talk to the vendors at the resort: “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese”.

 

Labadee is on the North shore of Hati (by Lamy’s pointer), about 85 miles from Port au Prince. It sits on the island of Hispanola, but the private enclave has little access to the rest of the island. The village of Labadee is about 3 miles across the bay; the resort is on former farmland leased by RCI about 25 years ago. There are several beaches (both open and sheltered, coasters, ziplines, water activities, and a space where a number of local vendors exhibit their wares.

 

I had a tour this morning, “Labadee Historic Walking Tour”. There are very few actual historic places in the resort, but as our guide Lamy took us around the property he spoke on the history of Hati from the first peoples to the arrival of Columbus in 1492, the colonial times, and up to the present. Hati shares the island of Hispanola with the Dominican Republic, with the 2 countries devided by rivers. Mostly a French Colony, Hati secured it’s independence in 1804, making it the second independent country in the Western hemisphere. We did visit one spot with some history, Nelli’s tower, the ruins of an ancient Bucaneer fortress.

 

Lamy also shared a bit about the Hatian education system. School starts at age 3 with 3 years of kindergarten, followed by 7 years of primary school. Secondary school is also 7 years, but all secondary schools are private and out of reach of most Hatians. University is 4 years for those who are able to go. After the tour I explored the resort some more and took a brief swim in Columbus Cove.

 

There are several pavilions around the resort where the ships staff prepared a barbecue lunch to be enjoyed in the great outdoors, and I finished off the afternoon on a deck chair on the beach finishing off “Why Geography matters”. I returned to the ship around 2:30 and spent some time in the hot tub and at afternoon tea. We pulled away from Labadee just before 4, and not all that remains is the long (but not long enough) return to Baltimore.

 

My table in the My Fair Lady dining room is on the port side. With us now heading North, the sun set today as we were finishing desert. After a cloudy day, it had cleared just enough so the sunset was spectacular.

 

The evening entertainment was puppeteer David Morgan and Chucky. There was also a Big Band performance by the orchestra so I stayed up a little past it’s 11PM start.

 

My parting shot today is ship’s security. We have had to go through quite sensitive metal detectors and have our belongs exrayed in detail at each port. Labadee is a closed environment with everything that comes in under RCI control. Lamy confirmed that we are not permitted to leave the complex. There is little to no chance of contraband, but there were still significant lines at the scanners returning to the ship. FDR once said “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”. There seems to be an ample supply of that.

 

Roy

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[JUST ADD WATER]

Thank you for taking the time to post while you are on your cruise. My family will be on the EOS in June and really looking foward to it. We have been on her twice before and loved it both times. Once again thank you for your time and I look foward to reading the rest of your journey.

[Philly Steve]

Hi Roy, thanks for the continuing updates.

 

Regarding security at Labadee on return to the ship, I guess RCI looks to intercept straw market wine/rum purchases and hold them until after the cruise?

[rafinmd]

The first of 2 days at sea was blessed with rather nice weather. When I first went up to deck 10 their seemed to be quite a brisk wind on my back walking towards the stern, but surprisingly it the wind was not bad on the return towards the bow. The overall wind is about the same as it was headed south but it is now a tailwind. During the walk there was a pleasant if not spectacular sunrise and there was a respite from the heat we had further South. I spent the rest of the morning on internet, reading, and generally catching up on things. In his noon address Captain Gus reported we are exceeding the progress needed for our on time arrival.

 

I had lunch today in the My Fair Lady Dining Room I was seated at a large table with a wide variety of people, including a young Air Force couple, and had an excellent Chicken Caesar Salad. In mid-afternoon we had an event called “Captain’s Corner”. The Captain, Hotel Manager, and Chief Engineer assembled on the Orpheum Theater for a Question and Answer session, with Cruise Director Carly Boileau mostly taking a mike to the questioners but also fielding a few queries. The session lasted just over an hour with all sorts of questions. Captain Gus said this is his first appointment as master and he is 7 weeks into a 10-week contract. Carly reported being anchored off Maui with most guests ashore and a sudden Tsunami warning. She was assigned to go ashore and herd the guests to a Walmart on high ground while the ship moved to a safe location, although the warning was lifted before the plan became necessary.

 

It was our second Formal night of the cruise. Many of the guests seemed to be dressed well below the guidelines, although the general level of attire was rather nice. The evening show was The Unexpected Boys vocal quartet producing a show based on the music of the Four Seasons.

 

Today’s parting shot comes from the Captain’s Corner discussion. The Enchantment is in the only class of ships capable of passing under the bridges leading to Baltimore. Although these cruises sell very well, it is unclear what will happen when the Enchantment, Carnival Pride, and their sister ships are retired. Other ports like Montreal are facing similar restrictions. When these ships are retired in a few years there are no clear replacements. If the trend towards bigger and taller ships continues, tomorrow’s cruising grounds may become much more restricted.

 

Roy

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[rafinmd]

Great Review. We will be sailing on the Enchament this July! If you could get some pictures of the ship I would really appreciate that, and also comment on the Kids clubs! Thanks! :D

 

I haven't had a lot of contact with the kids clubs but they seem to be popular. I'll say a bit more after I get home.

 

Roy

[TPKeller]

Today’s parting shot comes from the Captain’s Corner discussion. The Enchantment is in the only class of ships capable of passing under the bridges leading to Baltimore. Although these cruises sell very well, it is unclear what will happen when the Enchantment, Carnival Pride, and their sister ships are retired. Other ports like Montreal are facing similar restrictions. When these ships are retired in a few years there are no clear replacements. If the trend towards bigger and taller ships continues, tomorrow’s cruising grounds may become much more restricted.

I wish you could go back and ask him about this again... maybe I will try on my cruise...

 

This post from earlier this year confirms other thread discussions we have had in which we concluded that Radiance class ships could fit into Baltimore. The bridge height leading into Baltimore is 185 feet, which is apparently 10 feet higher than the bridge in Tampa Bay.

 

Many long-time RCCL fans would be ecstatic to get a Radiance class ship in Baltimore for a few years!

 

Theron

[crusinmama06]

Many long-time RCCL fans would be ecstatic to get a Radiance class ship in Baltimore for a few years!

 

Theron

 

That woud be incredible! :D BTW, shouldn't you be packing or something? ;)

 

OK Roy, we are ready for her to come back to port, you have one more night. I hope you had a wonderful cruise! :D

[buckirj1]

An enjoyable read as always, Roy. Looking forward to reading your final conclusions. Have a safe trip back to your home.

Rita (your "neighbor" in Dorseys Search)

[rafinmd]

It was another pleasant but cloudy morning, and I finished a good walk about 7:15, off the North Carolina coast. After returning to my cabin for Carly and Paul’s final morning show I went up to the My Fair Lady dining room for breakfast.

 

At 10 we had a cake decorating challenge between Captain Gus and the Hotel Manager, and the head pastry chef in Centrum. Things started well with all 3 expertly slicing the cake into 3 layers, but then the differences came out. The pastry chef did a fantastic job at each step, creating a truly superb Black Forest Cake. The Hotel Manager was a step behind creating a truly professional end product but sometimes having to redo some imperfections. Captain Gus went wild, starting with a “thin coating” of sherry that became a thick soaking, using 2/3 of the bottle, then enormous gobs of whipped cream and cherries and chocolates thrown helter skelter on the creation. At each step the Captain got the most applause, but in the end Cruise Director Carly (on pretty even final voting) awarded the title to the pastry chef. The 2 losers responded by putting messy whipped cream “stripes” on Carly’s shoulders. The Master is in charge of everything but it is a good thing they leave some things to the experts in their fields. At 11 we had a backstage tour in the Orpheum Theater, an excellent opportunity to understand all the complexity that goes into putting on the wonderful stage shows.

 

For lunch today I went for pizza in the Solarium and spent much of the afternoon with the sad task of packing.

 

Our final dinner in the My Fair Lady dining room was a bit of a sad affair. I enjoyed a tasty Strawberry Bisque, Chicken Marsela, and Tiramisu, and then we all said goodbye to our dining staff.

 

The evening Farewell Show had several parts. Starting with a video of highlights of the cruise, we next went to a performance by “Gotta Dance”, a group modeled after the senior cheerleader program of an NFL team. The main attraction was the comedy of Michael Ester, and the program concluded with a number by the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers. The singers also performed a jazz Cabaret in Boleros.

 

Today’s parting shot is a followup to yesterday’s. People more knowledgeable than me about RCI say their next class of ships will be able to make the trip to Baltimore, very good news. I think with regard to cities like Montreal and I’m sure many others, the growing size of cruise ships will still have some unfortunate implications.

 

Roy

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[rafinmd]

Just a quick note, we docked about 6:30, and Captain Gus gave his "Welcome to Baltimore" about 7.

[rafinmd]

I set the alarm this time for 4:45, and was up on deck about 5. By that time we had already passed the William Preston Lane (Bay) bridge, about 15 miles from the port. I walked about 3 miles on deck 10, finishing just after 6 as the sun rose over Sparrows Point and we passed under the Francis Scott Bridge. We docked at 6:30 and Captain Gus gave his “Welcome to Baltimore” message at 7. His final words of wisdom were “Don’t think outside the box, think with no box”.

 

I was scheduled for departure from Boleros between 8:45 and 9, and returned to my cabin for the last time after breakfast near 8.

 

I have been using Firefox as my browser of choice, and found it a little awkward when working with the ship’s internet and had an unfortunate final encounter. Although the logout screens were showing I had 2 hours left of my 500 purchased internet minutes, my final bill charged me at the per-minute rate for my last 2 days of use. A visit to guest relations was able to rectify that situation.

 

We actually left Boleros just past 9, and my transfer to BWI airport left the port about 10. My final link was my county’s transit system which left BWI at 11 and got me to my door just after 12. The afternoon was quite busy with mail pickup and grocery shopping for my several weeks coping with the real world.

 

For my final parting shot, the cruise ended much as it started. We approached and sailed past Fort McHenry, home of our National Anthem by “The Dawn’s Early Light”. While this National Treasure is not tall like the statue of Liberty, it is still a privilege to in some way trace the footsteps of Francis Scott Key.

 

Roy

[rotty2]

Roy,

Thanks for all of your posts. We enjoyed following along every day. Hope you had a great time!