Semi-Live Enchantment of the Seas! (Solo!) 8 Night, Southeast Coast and Bahamas, Jan 26-Feb 3

[Cruise Kay]

Hi, everyone!

First time doing a blog here. 

I'm traveling to Baltimore tomorrow and will sail on Thursday. SUPER excited.

 

This is my billionth cruise, and my fifth one solo. I almost always cruise with RCCL. I've never been on Enchantment, and never sailed out of Baltimore before. I've seen videos of Enchantment and read reviews (here) and it sounds like a wonderful ship. I have been on the Oasis and Quantum class ships and like those a lot, but I am definitely seeking something quiet, laid back, and less crowded this time.  And from what I hear, the crew on Enchantment is extra-great!

 

Our itinerary: We sail on Thursday, have sea days Friday and Saturday, then stop in Port Canaveral, Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Nassau, then two more sea days and then we're done.

 

I booked this cruise for a few reasons--and price was one of them. I know, you're not supposed to pick solely on price. But it was a great bargain, especially for a solo traveler, as we have to go ahead and pay nearly full price for two people. I got this eight night cruise (inside stateroom) for under $800.

 

Enchantment has the latest and greatest internet---only "Surf and Stream" was available (Not just plain old "Surf", which I normally buy.) This is great news as I need to work a little while on board.

 

I have one excursion booked--a mad dash to Universal Studios and back again. I've never been, and though I will spend half the day on the shuttle bus, I decided to go anyway. I want to dash around, see the Harry Potter corner, get a few souvenirs for the grandkids, and take a few photos. That's about it. If I have time for a ride or two, great....if not, that's fine.

 

This may not be the most exciting blog in the world, because I don't have a suite, I don't buy the unlimited dining package OR the beverage package, etc. But I'll share whatever there is to share! 

 

It's been a stressful few months here and I'm happy to have this sunshiney little getaway to look forward to. If anyone has any specific questions about Enchantment, I'll try to find the answers.

 

See you in Baltimore!

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[ginnynj]

Bon Voyage. Thanks for your blog. Will be sailing the end of March and interested to read your reviews. 🙂 

[Rubyfisch]

I loved Enchantment over Christmas - also traveling solo. Have a great time (and hopefully much better weather than we had ...).

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Following.. I have been super curious about this intinerary/ship.  It would be an easy drive for us to Baltimore but haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet.   I too have heard some great things about enchantment & the crew.  Intinerary being underwhelming combined with ship size has been holding us back - hopefully your experience will give us the push we need!! 🍻 Cheers!  Thanks for sharing.

[Nessa1dc]

Really Excited to follow.  We will be getting on the Enchantment the day you depart.  So very excited to hear your take on things.

 

Thank you for sharing.

[Rogueperson]

4 hours ago, Cruise Kay said:

 

 

I have one excursion booked--a mad dash to Universal Studios and back again. I've never been, and though I will spend half the day on the shuttle bus, I decided to go anyway. I want to dash around, see the Harry Potter corner, get a few souvenirs for the grandkids, and take a few photos. That's about it. If I have time for a ride or two, great....if not, that's fine.

 

 

 

 

 

Get butter beer.  Unless you get a two park pass, you're only going to be able to see 1/2 of the Harry Potter experience.  You will have to choose either Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, or Hogmeades at Islands of Adventure.  You can get butter beer on both sides fortunately.

 

My opinion, the rides are better (more thrilling) at Islands of Adventures.  You have quite possibly one of the best roller coasters in the country with the Velocicoaster.  Plus an awesome fun Harry Potter coaster with Hagrid's Magical Motorbike Adventure as well as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey indoor ride.  On the Universal Studios side, you got Escape from Gringotts, kind of a hybrid indoor rollercoaster like ride.  Outside of Diagon Alley, I think the rides here explore the imagination better, like the Mummy Ride, Men in Black and Simpsons ride as well as a Transformer ride and the Fast Furious.  Also, without a 2 park pass, you cannot ride the Hogwarts express.

 

The issue is that in the short time your there, a 2 park pass may not be worth the extra money to experience everything Harry Potter has to offer unless you have an express pass.  If you have money to burn, get a two park pass with an express pass and you will be able to do averything and have time to spare.  We got the hookup when we did that (I had a friend who worked there).

[Cruise Kay]

Great advice, thank you!

I have selected a one-day pass to Universal. I would love to see both, but there really isn't time. And I will not be riding any roller coasters, that is for sure. 🙂  

 

A butter beer is most definitely on the agenda!

[Rubyfisch]

59 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Following.. I have been super curious about this intinerary/ship.  It would be an easy drive for us to Baltimore but haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet.   I too have heard some great things about enchantment & the crew.  Intinerary being underwhelming combined with ship size has been holding us back - hopefully your experience will give us the push we need!! 🍻 Cheers!  Thanks for sharing.

Baltimore is such a nice and easy port. Vision has some slightly more interesting itineraries when it gets there.

[shipgeeks]

2 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Following.. I have been super curious about this intinerary/ship.  It would be an easy drive for us to Baltimore but haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet.   I too have heard some great things about enchantment & the crew.  Intinerary being underwhelming combined with ship size has been holding us back - hopefully your experience will give us the push we need!! 🍻 Cheers!  Thanks for sharing.

What sorts of itineraries would interest you?  We think the RC Baltimore cruises are nice because they never do the same thing twice in a row; there are different lengths and different destinations throughout each month or so.

[Rogueperson]

1 hour ago, Cruise Kay said:

Great advice, thank you!

I have selected a one-day pass to Universal. I would love to see both, but there really isn't time. And I will not be riding any roller coasters, that is for sure. 🙂  

 

A butter beer is most definitely on the agenda!

Universal has Escape from Gringots.  It is officially an indoor rollercoaster, but the initial drop is only about 30 feet.  For scale, splash mountain's drop height is 49 feet.  It combines high tech scenery, with the ride to give you an unique experience.  The Mummy, if its still open (I heard it maybe down for extended maintenance) has a drop for 40 feet and is a similar experience.  Neither of them have any inversions.  In my opinion, they are equivalent to kiddie roller coasters, though the Mummy does have a launch that can be a little intense.

 

I say this because if you are in any way a Harry Potter fan (and it sounds like you are), Escape from Gringotts is a must do, in my opinion.  The only caveat is that if you physically do get sick because of these rides, then skip them, but if you're worried that the ride is too intense, i think its worth it for the experience.

 

[Rogueperson]

2 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Following.. I have been super curious about this intinerary/ship.  It would be an easy drive for us to Baltimore but haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet.   I too have heard some great things about enchantment & the crew.  Intinerary being underwhelming combined with ship size has been holding us back - hopefully your experience will give us the push we need!! 🍻 Cheers!  Thanks for sharing.

 

The 12 night itinerary that goes all the way down to Barbados is AMAZING.  Granted you need 3 sea days to get down and back, but all those ports, St. Croix, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St Lucia and Barbados are awesome ports.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

31 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

What sorts of itineraries would interest you?  We think the RC Baltimore cruises are nice because they never do the same thing twice in a row; there are different lengths and different destinations throughout each month or so.

Just always felt underwhelming to visit S carolina and Florida.  We’ve been used to caribbean, alaska, bermuda mostly.

[Rogueperson]

Just now, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Just always felt underwhelming to visit S carolina and Florida.  We’ve been used to caribbean, alaska, bermuda mostly.

 

I miss the 9 nights they used to have.  I'm actually reading one of my old live threads i did on Grandeur from Baltimore.  I've always enjoyed going to Charleston.  I think that port is underrated.  The 9 nights used to stop in Charleston, Canaveral, Miami, Nassau and cococay or Freeport.  They do 8 nights now, but i thought 9 nights had a better schedule.  8 nights seems rushed.

I found Miami to be a great port as well.  I've usually used Miami as a boarding post and never really explored it until I visited on my 2 solos out of Baltimore.  With uber/lyft, you pretty much have the freedom to go wherever you want.  You're still in the states, so most people have data on their phones without extra hassle.

[Lady Hudson]

Following!  Our group will be boarding on 2/23 so interested in your impressions of the ship.  Enjoy!  Katherine 

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Just always felt underwhelming to visit S carolina and Florida.  We’ve been used to caribbean, alaska, bermuda mostly.

She definitely does Bermuda and Caribbean, as well as 9-nighters to Canada/New England.  Alaska, round-trip from Baltimore, would be a winner for me, but longer than most people could do!

See Rogueperson's post, above, re Caribbean.  That will be our next one; 12 nights is great.

[VTSKIandCRUISEGUY]

We're on this cruise too.

Can't wait to compare our experience with yours.

This is our 4th time on the Enchantment. It's nothing like the Oasis or Quantum ships, but she's great (in a smaller and quieter way).

Here's to a great cruise!

[clochette]

looking forward to your review

[JamesEM]

Following along, have a great cruise, and I'm also a solo cruiser.

[Cruise Kay]

I arrived in Baltimore last night, where it was freezing cold and pouring rain. I caught a shuttle to the hotel and had a quiet night. I'm staying at the Hilton Garden Inn BWI airport. Room is very nice, shuttle was very nice, and the room ran about $150. They have a small area downstairs where you can buy a very limited selection of snacks and drinks and for an extra charge you can get a little grilled breakfast like eggs or toast or whatever. 
 

Today is sunny and cold and the weatherman on TV says it's going to be super windy all day long, especially if you're out on the water. Probably will be doing sailaway from the solarium! But we'll see. I'm not afraid of cold or wind and it looks like a gorgeous day. Leaving soon to head over for my boarding time at 11. I've answered my health questionnaire and done all of the things I need to do on the app so I'm ready to go.  Whoo hoo! 🚢

More soon!

Edited January 26, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[ecslady]

Enjoy your cruise!  I haven't sailed out of Baltimore or on the Enchantment in years so looking forward to your thoughts.

[Cruise Kay]

Onboard!
The ride back to the empty Baltimore airport was uneventful and I quickly found the long line of taxis sitting there waiting for somebody to come along. The ride to the cruise port took about 15 minutes and cost a little over $40 in cab fare, plus tip.

 

My giant, somewhat intimidating driver never asked me which cruise line or ship I was on, so I assumed we were the only ship in Port today and I was right about that. It is a cold grey day so everybody is inside wearing their coats.

 

boarding was easy. I arrived at five minutes after 11 and I was on board by 1130. Just as I was stepping onto the ship the smell of sewage hit me. It hit me so powerfully I thought for a moment the guy in front of me had an accident in his pants. It was quite bad. It's faded inside but it's very prevalent in the centrum area. I'm hoping that will pass once we get out to sea.

 

it didn't take long to explore the ship. Yes, she is small and dated as I knew she would be, but she is in very nice condition and has beautiful touches and lovely art all throughout.

 

I did muster drill, then got sandwiches and coffee at Café latitudes, but discovered that all of the sandwiches have mayonnaise on them, which I am allergic to. I came up to the solarium for a salad and pizza and pretty soon this place filled up. There's not a single table available in sight. Just for kicks I did take a peek in Windjammer and my goodness. What a zoo. There was literally not one single seat to be had, not even the single seats barstool style facing the windows. And even though all of the tables were full there was tons and tons of people wandering around filling up their plates so I have no idea where they intended to sit.
 

The pools are currently empty and being scrubbed or worked on in someway by several crewmembers down in their depths working with some sort of tools. There is one hot tub on deck bubbling away just daring anyone to get in it but it's awfully cold out there and nobody is jumping in. Down here in the solarium, the two indoor hot tubs are chock full of people.

 

My lunchtime salad was crisp and fresh and made to order, and the pizza is hot and delicious. If you like your pizza extra cheesey and extra greasy, this is the place for you.

 

Rooms are ready (1 pm!)  but I'm in no hurry to get down there and start the unpacking process. We have a full schedule of events today, including shopping, free gaming lessons in the casino, trivia, a comedian this evening, and of course tons of live music. I saw the Schooner bar and it is beautiful, though it was occupied by two parties of three women each and they were all just shrieking at the top of their lungs and slamming down the drinks.
 

So far the most beautiful place on ship is the spotlight lounge on deck six. It is just gorgeous and it's right at the end of the ship so you have lovely views looking out.

 

 

 

[Cruise Kay]

[Cruise Kay]

[kfnesq]

Following along!  We board next week on the 3rd!  

[ginnynj]

Thanks! Bon Voyage. Definitely following along. 😊