just cruised on the Indy Jan 2

[carmenOH]

for the wife's 50th birthday and had a great time. Loved cruising with family and friends but we realized that we didn't get to spend some quality time together so we are doing it again in April:)

 

Our 5 previous cruises have all been to the Caribbean but I'm thinking of doing a four night on Enchantment in April to the Bahamas. How do the Bahamas compare in regards to the beaches and snorkeling? We were not able to snorkel in Cozumel due to the rough waters and she was really disappointed.

 

Any thoughts about the Enchantment of the seas would be appreciated. We enjoy sitting around the pools when we are at sea.

 

Also, we have never cruised out of Orlando and the port seems a long way from the airport. We will be coming in a few days early and staying at one of the Marriott cruise port hotels.

 

Thank you.

[emory2001]

As you can see in my signature, I've cruised Enchantment to the Bahamas several times, and I'm going again this summer. For your 4-night, are the ports Nassau and Coco Cay (with a Sea Day), or Nassau, Coco Cay, and Key West?

 

For beaches, Coco Cay's water has beautiful aqua water. The sand is nice (for comparison, the sand is better than the Atlantic side of Florida but maybe not as fine and bright white as the Gulf side of Florida). I haven't snorkeled in Coco Cay and haven't done beach in Nassau. I usually do something at Atlantis, which is fun and very nice. I've done the water park there and the dolphin shallow water experience. Transportation to Atlantis on the Royal excursions is a breeze.

 

The pool deck on Enchantment is wonderful, as is the Solarium. If you have cruised the larger classes of Royal ships, Enchantment doesn't have everything they have (not as many specialty restaurants, and I forget but I think no Coke Freestyle machines? I don't drink soda so that doesn't stick with me), but the ocean experience is great and the main dining room is magnificent.

 

Port Canaveral is about a 40 minute drive from the Orlando airport, down State Road 528 a/k/a The Beachline. The port is nice and lines move smoothly, and at least once I have embarked Enchantment at the new terminal.

Edited January 21, 2016 by emory2001

[carmenOH]

Thank you for the feedback Emory. We are looking at the CocoCay/Nassau trip. I have heard that this trip can experience some crazy weather at times and sometimes it can be difficult for the ship to stop at CocoCay. Have you had this experience?

[Tiggercat]

Hi! We were on Indy the same time as you celebrating one of our friend's 50th bday! Were you guys the ones with the cute sailor hats? We had so much fun on that trip even though the weather was not perfect. (It could have been worse!) We have sailed on Majesty on the 3 and 4 night cruises many times. I much prefer going out of Miami because of the proximity to the airport and Miami Beach is a fun place to spend a night or two before we cruise. We really did not like the Port Canaveral area. I am super excited that Enchantment is being moved to Miami soon! We will be sailing on her this fall instead of Majesty.

The best snorkeling that we have experienced is in the southern Caribbean. If you ever have a chance to cruise out of Puerto Rico it is a great experience. All of the islands that they go to are incredible and waters all seem calm which makes the snorkeling great. We tried to snorkel in Belize on this last trip and the water was so rough it made visibility in the water very unclear, which was a shame since Belize is known for its snorkeling. Regardless, as long as you are on a cruise, you will have a great time!

[emory2001]

Thank you for the feedback Emory. We are looking at the CocoCay/Nassau trip. I have heard that this trip can experience some crazy weather at times and sometimes it can be difficult for the ship to stop at CocoCay. Have you had this experience?

 

 

I missed Coco Cay once out of three visits, but I was surprised by it because the weather was nice and the ship wasn't rocking and rolling at all. The water was just too rough for the tender boats. I've read it misses about 20-25% because of that.

Edited January 21, 2016 by emory2001

[carmenOH]

Haha I don't think we were wearing cute sailor hats but there is one night that is a bit foggy. It's funny I was just looking at the cruises out of San Juan and they look amazing but those flights are so long and I'm looking for 4-5 days on the ship.

 

I guess I have some decisions to make. Thanks for the feedback Emory and Cat.