Enchantment Superbowl 2015 a Go-Pro Review

[jbr5049]

So we are a relatively young couple that got engaged on the Grandeur of the seas last year. Since then we have planned a wedding and a honeymoon on the oasis in May of 2015. Unfortunately the timeframe between 2014 and May of 2015 is very long, too long without a cruise. Thanks to my charm and wit, I was able to talk my fiancé into a short 3 night Enchantment cruise out of PC. We got a 3rd deck outside cabin for Super Bowl weekend. Flights out of Philly (We are in allentown) were about 220 a person with the pp being less than that for the ship.

 

So basically with the finances working in our favor we decided to pull the trigger and paid for the trip. So the only draw back to a short cruise is that we didn't want to tie up unnecessary vacation days, so we got a 5:30am flight and had to get up around 2 am.

 

 

 

My only complaint was that we had two girls sitting behind us in a stuffy crowded van that were coughing up a storm, we honestly thought we were going to be catching a sickness right before our trip, which was a scary thought. Now please note this was not in any way shape or form coco beach shuttle's fault, they can't control the health of those that they transfer. The shuttle was quick with a safe personable driver.

 

We got to Terminal 1 very early (they were still kicking off the passengers from enchantment when we got there). Around 10:00 we set out to find a bar which was right next to the terminal and started to partake in adult beverages. Its vacation don't judge me.

 

 

Well we listened to them kick off the the remaining passengers and heard the speakers talk about the number of passengers, 2000 something, 100 something, 2 something, not sure I was more excited to be out in 60 degree weather and my beer. We gave it about an hour and walked over to the port to drop off our bags and stand in line.

 

[jbr5049]

So take a look at that line! I was scared we would be stuck there forever, but once they opened the doors it really didn't take that long. So about 30 minutes took us to get through security, check in and board the boat. The new terminal is gorgeous and works really well. This was the easiest checkin I have ever had.

 

 

So we did pay for the Premium Package at $49 a day. This was a killer deal for us. I'll talk about this more as the review continues, but please note you will see LOTS of pictures with drinks. Its a vacation so don't judge me!

 

 

So having been on Grandeur in the past, We were very excited to see what a "Stretched" version of Grandeur would have to offer. Mainly the only difference is the addition of the latin bar Boleros, some additional store spaces, and then the only portion that really made a difference, THE OASIS BAR! This is the bar under the odd looking White curved poles behind me.

 

So we were on board, happy to be on vacation, and enjoying the sun. Since the booze was already paid for, lets PARTY!

 

 

We did ask for a water with each drink we got throughout the extended weekend. I was able to get 2 waters and 2 alcoholic drinks at every bar as long as I had both sea passes. The only exception was in Boleros which refused to give me two drinks even though I had both sea passes. I was confused and decided to steer clear of that bar the rest of the trip.

 

So it was around noon and I was getting hungry. I know about park cafe and crossed my fingers for some roast beef. So I held my breath and walked over.

 

 

ANNNNNND no roast beef. Insert sad face. I really wanted roast beef, but I guess I can handle being an adult and working through the substitute which was good just not delicious.

 

 

They sounded the horn around 1:30p that the rooms were ready so as we made our way down to deck 3 we had to stop at the R bar for a raspberry rickey and a mojito! Please note the number of fingers denote the day. So when looking at the pictures we could count how many drinks we had. (my idea because when you're drinking its hard to keep count).

 

[jbr5049]

Our room was fine for us, we were in the middle of the ship in one of the older rooms. We have never had an interior room, and the fiance is scared of not having a window, so I can make do with natural light to make her happy. Please note the literature about the Superbowl. I have more shots of the room, but do you really want to see those?

 

 

They also had squares that they were selling for $20 a piece. They had 3 total boards they sold for the ship.

 

 

So it was time for the muster, and we went to our station, it was done by paper logs which surprised me since we were "Scanned" when we were on Grandeur. it took maybe 20 minutes with some very friendly folks.

 

We then went upstairs for sail away!

 

 

After sail away we needed to get ready for CHOPS, we booked onboard for the 20% discount, but stopped in the schooner bar for a pre-shower drink, thats a thing right?

 

 

Chops was amazing. I had never eaten there and was blown away by the service and the food. My go pro took crappy photos in the dark, and I was getting tipsy at that point and had forgotten I planned to photograph my food until started eating. The only sad thing is that the food at chops set us up for extreme disappointment for the MDR food on enchantment. This is the cake we got, when I remembered that I was supposed to be taking photos.

 

 

So after this we settled in at the black jack table where many beers later the night became a slight haze. I just know i went back to my room with less money and a distaste for anyone that will double a hard 13 against a dealer 6 just because "I feel Lucky". Oh well easy come easy go, I am on a cruise, and I know that the next day is planned to spend at coco cay, which I love to snorkel in.

 

More to come!

[jbr5049]

Random Day 1 Photos:

 

 

 

 

 

Poker dedicated table, none of these on grandeur!

[jbr5049]

So we woke up very excited to snorkel at coco cay, only to wake up and hear the BingBong with very bad news. They told us that winds were going to keep us from tendering to the cay. We were upset, but remembered it was cold in PA and any day sitting in the sun was worth it. We got to the deck and decided it was time for a drink.

 

 

 

So we sat and drank until the belly flop competition. This is the other difference, the enchantment had an odd pool configuration that means the events are held in the middle, where as the grandeur held the events near the pool bar. We sat in the middle and had slightly obstructed views.

 

 

So because they couldn't tender in coco cay as planned, they high tailed over to nassau, securing a birth for 3:30p, at about 4:30 p we decided to make our way off in search of a very specific coconut rum.

 

[Cruise_Anne]

Looks like you are only a borough or two away from us! Congrats on your upcoming nuptials - love the GoPro pics! Keep em comin'!!

[jb0913]

Great start! Looking forward to more.

[rjl13666]

Good start. Chive on, brother

[travelnteach64]

Thanks for sharing! You are making me so excited for our trip!

 

Just hoping to get to Coco Cay. If I would have known about all the "misses" I might had booked a different cruise.

[Smiley4]

Did they have any poker cash games going at that beautiful table during your cruise? If so, what were the buy ins and limits?

[jbr5049]

Did they have any poker cash games going at that beautiful table during your cruise? If so, what were the buy ins and limits?

 

Yes they had cash games, I believe 1-2 no limit with $40 or $60 min buy in. I got absolutely crushed the first night playing single deck black jack, so we didn't spend as much time in the casino the other nights.

[jbr5049]

Day 2 Continued....

 

So we were docked with a few other ships that weren't able to make their tenders for the private islands. I was marveling over the Disney Dream which was docked right next to us in Nassau. I wish Royal put their deck tv screens to better use than they do. They played the same b-roll of fish and nature which got boring pretty fast.

 

 

 

So I have stayed in almost every building in the Atlantis over the last few years, so I know Nassau pretty well. I will say this is one of my least favorite ports. There are just a few blocks downtown that I personally feel safe in (This could just be me, so no offense intended).

 

We did look for the rum in two stores without luck, so we skipped the booze purchase. We did stop in the Tag Heuer store downtown that has a large collection of wonderful timepieces. I got a Grand Carrera at John Bull a few years ago at the Atlantis for a decent price and always seem to look when I can.

 

That was it for us, we spent about 30 minutes total off the ship and started walking back. They are renovating the security checkpoint down there, so you had to walk through a maze of outside stands to get back to the ship. Again, not my cup of tea.

 

Tonight was formal night so we had a drink or two once we got back on the ship and got ready for dinner.

 

 

I will say doing chops night 1 and then MDR night 2 was quite the let down. The food wasn't bad, it was just blah... which I understand has become the norm, I was just hoping for more than bland flavorless food. Chops was so amazing and then blahhhhhhhh, so on Oasis in May we booked specialty for 5 of the 7 nights so we wouldn't have this issue again.

 

I had forgotten my promise to photograph my food, so here is a shot of my booze.

 

 

We went to the show that night, it was a "Magician". He told a few one liners, but was really hokey. He did some juggling, told a joke, juggled again, told a joke, it wasn't really anything too impressive (not that I can juggle). We ended the night with some more drinks (Viva la booze package) and went to bed.

 

Day 3 will be coming soon, it mainly consists of food, booze, football, and sun. This is really the way to vacation!

[Buffettphan1]

Great Review!!!! We are on the Enchantment the end of March. Was the drink package worth the money? What were the cost of the drink? Other wise im smuggling!! LOL

[Smiley4]

Just want to verify your recent 3 day cruise itinerary. Did you board Friday, Nassau noon to midnight Saturday, Cococay 8 to 5 pm Sunday then back to the port Monday?

 

What happens if Cococay is going to be missed? Do they stay longer in Nassau or do they just make Sunday a sea day and go super slow back to Pt Canaveral?

 

Thanks

[jbr5049]

Great Review!!!! We are on the Enchantment the end of March. Was the drink package worth the money? What were the cost of the drink? Other wise im smuggling!! LOL

 

Since we didn't do any excursions we did about 10 drinks a day. So average cost of 7-8$ we made out. We got the premium package at 49 a day. Now that doesn't include the cost of bottled water which we got a lot of. The package is worth it if you plan to drink consistently.

[jbr5049]

Just want to verify your recent 3 day cruise itinerary. Did you board Friday, Nassau noon to midnight Saturday, Cococay 8 to 5 pm Sunday then back to the port Monday?

 

What happens if Cococay is going to be missed? Do they stay longer in Nassau or do they just make Sunday a sea day and go super slow back to Pt Canaveral?

 

Thanks

 

We were supposed to be coco cay cay Saturday and Nassau Sunday it's the backwards itinerary. So they canceled coco cay and we got into nassau early.

I'm not sure if it's the regular trip itinerary what they do. My guess is they will stay on nassau another half day or will spend a day out at sea.

[jbr5049]

Working offsite until Friday I should be able to post day 3 either Friday or Saturday. Sorry for the delay!

[jbr5049]

DAY 3!

 

So this was a very short cruise, but honestly was enough time to relax and unwind for a very reasonable price.

 

We ate in the MDR today around 8 am and didn't have to wait for a table. We got mimosas (Drink Package ROCKS). I ordered a salmon omelet, I hadn't seen smoked salmon anywhere on the ship, so this was the first time I got it. The soon to be wife ordered the triple chocolate carbo load (Chocolate banana bread, chocolate croissant, and something else chocolate). Breakfast was good, tasty and filling.

 

 

So after breakfast we headed to the top deck for some sun, we were still docked in Nassau so it was EMPTY. We scoped out some nice spots in-between the pools that were pointed at the screen.

 

 

I really wish they played something fun on this, even a movie with subtitles as they blast the music would be enjoyable. If you sit outside and don't plan to read a book, it can get boring. They play the same B-Roll undersea videos over and over. Good thing I had the drink package so I resorted to drinking to kill my boredom.

 

 

So we sat outside to get more and more sun to make our PA friends jealous. Around lunch we did park cafe again. They have wonderful sandwiches, soups, and salads. There is no line and the food is tasty. Some people left their food out, so we had visitors.

 

 

People began to feed them... Not a smart idea unless you enjoy bird poop.

 

So around 2 (I think, the only real thing I remember was that I was drinking) we started to depart from Nassau.

 

 

 

So we stayed out on the deck until around 6. We got tired of drinking and sun and decided to get ready for dinner. Remembering this was a super bowl cruise, Royal had to do something to celebrate: They broadcasted the Superbowl on the big screen on the top deck and in the theater. The theater had hotdogs, some nachos and they were selling buckets of beer. Not caring about either team we decided to forgo the hotdogs and go to our MDR seating. Food in general was still blah, Chops was so much better...

Edited February 13, 2015 by jbr5049

[jbr5049]

The wine was good though

 

 

Really good

 

 

We had another drink at the R-Bar and then called it a night. I did buy some squares for the game, and by the end of the 3rd quarter I hadn't won and it didn't look like I would.

 

So you might be asking yourselves, why are we throwing up 1, 2 or 3 fingers in the pictures of booze? Well that was my idea to take a photo of each of us when we got an alcoholic beverage, because we wanted to count our drinks to see if the booze package is worth it. So, the totals. Drum roll.....

 

Total Alcoholic Drinks per day

Day 1: ME 12 HER 8

Day 2: ME 6 HER 6

Day 3: ME 12 HER 11

 

Now we got the soda cups, but didn't even unwrap them, we don't drink soda. We also got at least 16 bottles of water between ourselves, so even with a $7 drink average, the $49 a day package was well worth it. Now, I will say we are not big drinkers outside of the vacation mode, so no one blacked out, threw up, or did anything stupid. We purely paced our drinks through the day and got a very fair usage of the package.

 

Now, we are sailing out on the Oasis in May and are seriously looking at these numbers to figure out if the package will be worth it, it is a 7 day cruise and we will be doing an excursion in each port, and Oasis does NOT stop at coco cay so we can't use the package there. If you are taking a longer cruise or a cruise with excursions, factor this in, you won't be sitting at the bar or on the deck boozing it up each day. The saving grace with this premium package is the included bottle water, which should cost 70$ for 2 people for a 7 day cruise if you do a water only package. So if considering the alcohol packages, remember the water, and calculate your drinks factoring in the average price of the booze you might be drinking.

 

All in all, this is a wonderful ship in a smaller class. The service was fair, the ship was clean, the food was fair to good, and there was a decent amount of activity. If considering this as a weekend getaway, GO FOR IT. The ship has a few upgrades over Grandeur, but none of which that really shout "THIS IS AWESOME". Boleros is forgettable with service I found "No Bueno", the addition of the Oasis bar is great (you have 2 choices when laying out in the sun which bar you want to go to which cuts down lines), and they added some bigger spaces for shops which is "eh". I would do this trip again in a heart beat, its a nice getaway and depending when you look you could get an amazing price.

Edited February 13, 2015 by jbr5049

[Buffettphan1]

Great review JBR!!!!!!

You are a seasoned pro.......

 

My wife and I are on the Enchantment on March 27th. I think I have a 300 $ on board credit so I might just buy the package.

 

We were on the Enchantment many years ago just before it went to get done over and it sucked. There were construction supplies everywhere ad the ship looked bad because of it.

Anyways, thanks for all the great pix. Drink up!!

[jbr5049]

Great review JBR!!!!!!

You are a seasoned pro.......

 

My wife and I are on the Enchantment on March 27th. I think I have a 300 $ on board credit so I might just buy the package.

 

We were on the Enchantment many years ago just before it went to get done over and it sucked. There were construction supplies everywhere ad the ship looked bad because of it.

Anyways, thanks for all the great pix. Drink up!!

 

There is so much you can drink with the package, and the true benefit is that if you hate a drink you have no reason to finish it. I got some suspect beverages from the R-bar when they had people filling in that were gross. I left them on the table and walked away not worrying about the price, because it was already covered.

 

Book night 1 @ chops when you board, they will give you the 20% discount.