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Thank you all for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying it. We are having a blast. Day 2: I woke up with a start at 6:30am because I was going to be late for work, which of course I was not. I peeked out the window and saw tiny glimmering lights in the distance. "Self," I said. "It's time to go see the sunrise." With Mom as my willing accomplice, we put on some appropriate duds and headed up to deck 9. There were clouds on the horizon so we didn't get the full effect, but it was lovely nonetheless. As we approached Nassau, I saw a castle up ahead that turned out to be the Atlantis resort. Well, since we were awake, may as well have breakfast. And that's how we ended up in the Windjammer at 7:15am. I had eggs, bacon, a grilled tomato (good!), and a chocolate covered banana. Mom hit up the gluten free area and ended up with eggs, potatoes, and fruit. We had mimosas because WHY NOT?? We had no excursions planned because I wanted us to take it easy. But how could we skip the opportunity to set foot in Nassau? After breakfast we left the ship (had the gangway photo taken because we are cruise noobs) and headed to shop. We are tourists so we stuck to the touristy area. I won't lie, being loudly solicited for hair braiding and taxis as soon as we left the pier was a bit of culture shock, but whatever. Everyone was nice, just loud. We shopped on Bay Street. I picked up some gifts for coworkers (spoiler: magnets), Mom bought some gifts for friends (spoiler: more magnets), and something for my nephew (not magnets. He's 3 1/2.) at Del Sol. I bought color changing nail polish that is a gorgeous pink in sunlight and a jaundiced yellow when I'm not in sunlight. I spend my days in a cubicle, so in retrospect that was not the best choice. We were back on the ship in time for lunch at the Windjammer, which was very empty today. Mom had a bunless hamburger, some fries and fruit. I had Caribbean curry chicken with coconut and cranberries, some mashed potatoes, a dollop of penne alfredo, a giant piece of sourdough bread, a slice of peach pie and a plop of bread pudding. As you can tell, I've taken to the concept of a cruise buffet like a duck to water. Speaking of water.... Mom told me to order bottled water for the room. I idly picked the 12-pack of 1-liter bottles but I'm an idiot who has no idea how much a liter actually is. We have a LOT of water here for just two people. Caveat emptor when buying water. Next up: POOL TIME. I suited up and headed to deck 9 while Mom chilled in the cabin for a bit. It was ridiculously hot, and even the drink of the day (Portside Punch) failed to cool me off. The movie playing was the live action remake of Beauty and the Beast, which I have serious and angry feelings about. Mom came up to join me and we (along with 2 liters of water) moved to the Solarium which was quite a piece of paradise. Back to the room to shower. (I read someone on these boards who said there is no soap in the cabins. We have bar soap and some sort of squirty soap in the shower.) Tonight is formal night. Dinner is at 6 and skipping bingo is not an option, so we suited up in our LBDs and were the most fancy-pants ladies at the 5pm bingo session. Those who brought receipts from the previous day's bingo session received even more cards and I really have a problem. I won another free tablet full of cards before the game began and I got down to waiting for one number and ... STILL LOST. Bah. Formal night dress code: Don't sweat it. Some people were in super fancy duds, some people were in nice-casual duds like us, and some people were in MDR in shorts and tees. I wore a black dress, silver heels, and a black and white Kate Spade scarf as a pashmina. I concluded that I spent far too much time worrying about how to dress. Off to MDR for dinner. Our friends from last night had a sunset cruise excursion, and the other ladies never returned so Mom and I had the table to ourselves. Mom had another amazing gluten-free night: shrimp cocktail, chicken breast au jus, and coconut rice pudding. I had a chilled banana rum soup as an appetizer. You could have just put a fancy umbrella and a straw in it and handed it to me as I sunned on the deck today. For dinner I had pan-fried corvina (a white fish I never heard of before) and dessert was a chocolate mousse-like bar. Our server is Ajay and he is the best. Mom: "I don't know how I'm going to go back to tossing chicken tenders in the oven." Me: "I think I'm buzzed from this soup." After dinner (and numerous formal night photos because we are cruise noobs) we settled into the R bar for the captain's reception. I spied that Super Mario guy at a "reserved" table and because of Michael Poole's live blog from this past weekend, I knew who he was. I enjoyed the reception, especially that each officer had their own walk-on music like baseball players. Mario was called up and given a bottle of wine because he has 7009 nights logged on Royal Caribbean ships. This is Mario's last time on the Enchantment -- he's moving to the Freedom. I tried to get Mom to hook up with him to see if we could glom some points from him (or at the very least that bottle of wine), but she was not willing to take one for the team. Whatever, Mom. I drowned my sorrow in a Captain's special peach champagne drink because the soup buzz was wearing off. Music this evening was from Mood Icons, a 3-man cover band with a repertoire of American sing-along songs. Friends in Low Places! Margaritaville! Wonderful Tonight! Sweet Little Sixteen! We asked Guest Services about the food at Coco Cay tomorrow and was sent back to talk to the head waiter at MDR. He's going to make sure Mom has a gluten-free bun at the lunch area. Everyone is so nice and accomodating. We hit the stores on deck 6 and I bought a non-magnet gift for my nephew. There's a Roxy sundress I'm lusting over but it's $64.50 and ... nah. I'll by myself something to wear in Key West. After going from deck 3 to 4 to 6 to 5 to 4 to 6 again, my feet were howling. Back down to 3 to change shoes, and then we called it a night shortly after. We are docked in Nassau until midnight so I won't get to see us leave. That's a bummer. I don't know why we're here so long - we are the last cruise ship in port. There was a snail towel sculpture waiting for us in the room. I like it here. :) Day 2: A++

My hat's off to @Sweety, @Sabrinaklai, and @Boston Babe's husband! You all have really important jobs and I really appreciate how much you and all the others like you do for the kids you teach and have taught.

Woohoo Teaching Profession!!!!! I have 27 years with Chicago Public schools and I am still going strong.

Royal requires that all TAs sell the cruise at the same price. However, that doesn't prohibit them from adding in incentives like gratuities, OBC, trip insurance, etc. Sometimes this is an arrangement they have with the cruise line; other times, part of the commission is bring used to pay for the perks. Personally, if give up the perks for better service from a full service agency.

I always use a travel agent. Let someone else fight my fights!

As a thanks for all of the information you unwittingly gave me over the last few months while I skulked in the corners of this site, here is my live blog from the Enchantment of the Seas - October 16-20. This is my first RCI cruise, so you won't be reading about any Crown & Anchor, Diamond, Platinum, or Adamantium perks. No special parties, free drinks, exclusive rooms full of puppies, etc. We don't have a suite. Or even a balcony! Just a large ocean-view room. But that's okay, we really don't know what we're missing. Travelers Me: 45, cruised with Disney 13 years ago. Lover of sunshine and palm trees. Mom: Old enough to be my mom, lover of sunshine and palm trees, first time cruiser. Mom and I usually travel to Virginia Beach for a week every summer. But this year she had an accident that resulted in surgery and hobbled her summer plans. She's 3+ months post-op and getting around well. She's using a cane on this trip. We're still taking it slow, though, mostly because I'm lazy. Mom eats gluten-free, I eat gluten-full. We take turns worrying about things. We get along swimmingly. I skipped the drink package because I can't keep that kind of pace for the entire cruise. Mom did, however, order bottled water to be delivered to the room. Our plans: Monday: Fly PHL to FLL, take shuttle to port, lie on deck with an alcoholic beverage. Tuesday: Nassau. No excursions planned. Lie on deck with an alcoholic beverage. Wednesday: Coco Cay. Rented 2 loungers & sunshade. Lie on beach with a bottle of water ... and an alcoholic beverage. Thursday: Key West. Conch Train hop on/hop off tour. Wander the town with a bottle of water ... and an alcoholic beverage. Eat a slice of Key Lime Pie. Friday: Get dumped off of the ship, shuttle to FLL, FLL -> MCO -> PHL. Mom has requested we eat from time to time and do things like "casino" and "shows" and "bingo." So demanding! I will update this as close to 'live" as I can get, considering I don't want to be tied to my tablet the entire time. On with the show!

Running that "data checker" again...lol

Joe, teachers need more parents like you!

I think we're all Uber planners and researchers, which is one of the reasons we've all been drawn together here. Fellow educator as well.

According to CruiseDeckPlans.com's info on Majesty of the Seas, the closest you'll get to a regular balcony is a Junior Suite. There are apparently 50 of those, and they are not at all comparable in price to your inside room. I did a mock booking for a Dec 10 4-night Bahamas itinerary (lowest price of all dates), and for your first room with two adults and one kid under 12, I'm seeing $535 per person for a JS, total price $1,605 after port taxes and fees. With one adult and one kid (second room), it's $803 per person for the JS, and still a total cost of $1605 after port taxes and fees. I'd expect the room with 3 to cost more, but Royal's site is final-pricing both exactly the same. Maybe because all prices are always based on double-occupancy, and with the Kids Sail Free promo you have "only two" in the first room, and a "solo traveler" in the second who's getting hit with the "solo traveler" surcharge? Anyway, if you want a balcony room, this is the closest and "cheapest" you'll get. At least it nets you double C&A points!

I agree with Matt on this. TA is the way to go. It doesn't happen often but when it does it's nice to have them fight the battles. When choosing a TA the trick is to find one that is well versed in cruise planning. As in most things, experience does make a big difference

Yes, I have found they have more available when you call them. Checking online gives me the price range and I go from there.

Very true. What I value in a TA is someone who will take things "off my plate" so I can do something else. Of course I can go and book something on the site or call RC and have it changed, but I've "been there, done that". I'd rather do something else and then get a nice text message that it's all set. The real value in a TA is when something goes wrong. I've had reservations disappear, amenities not show up, etc and having a TA to fight it out with RC has always been such a pleasure!

There is only one RoyalCaribbean and plenty of TA wanting your business. What do you think- where do you find more perks. My favorite is the one that starts with cruise and ends with com. To maximise the offer and for peace of mind I would suggest 1. Check TA online 2. Call RCL 3. Call agent from your online TA

My wife can relate to all of this!

Way to go ! I love it when I hear of someone taking advantage of a glitch ! They so rarely work in our favor. Enjoy it !

I've also received confirmation from corporate that you can't bring a nude David Hasselhoff strategically covered in Shar-Pei puppies.

Welcome Bazza. We live in Australia and have been to Dunedin twice - going again in November on Radiance. We have planned to hire a car and drive around Dunedin as we are going with friends who haven't been before. Pegasus car hire have the concession at Port Chalmers. All others you would need to catch a shuttle bus or taxi ($30) to the city to pick up a car. The drive from the city out along the Otago Peninsula is a great way to view the glacial harbour. You can go out along the top of the peninsula and come back along the southern shore line of the harbour. Lanarch Castle is a main attraction but I imagine you would have seen enough castles in the UK. At the end of the peninsula is the Royal Albatross Centre. They have tours of the breeding grounds of the albatross and also have boat cruises in the afternoon where you can watch the albatross taking off from the cliff tops. This might be too late though to get back to your cruise ship. There is also a fur seal colony that you can walk down to view. Cadbury's Chocolate factory have tours and it is good value. You can book online rather than going through the ship tours. The Otago Museum has a great Maori History gallery as well as several other galleries - all free admission. And of course Dunedin is known for the steepest street in the world. You can drive up Baldwin Street and lookout over Dunedin. The railway station is a great architectural piece to have a look at.

And this is true on all Royal Caribbean ships.

Thanks for the heads up! I’ve followed you so I’ll get the alert when you’re broadcasting.

This was so interesting to read. It's not likely to be an itinerary that I will take so I loved reading all about it! Thank you so much for taking the time to write about your incredible cruise! Jane

No worries there. I’m still 360 days away from that sailing! 360... really... LONG... days.

Actually, all room categories can be booked with a non refundable deposit, it’s only the Sky class and Star class suites that require it. On the plus side, a non refundable booking provides a little extra OBC compared to a refundable one, and also carries a slightly lower rate compared to the same room with a refundable deposit. I’m actually asking my TA to change my Anthem JS booking from refundable to non refundable with this current WOW sale, since the price will be about $100-$150 less than my original refundable booking AND I’ll get $150 in OBC. That totally offsets the extra $$ I paid to go from a D1 to this J4 (which I did during a June promo with 60% off second guest, so price diff was way less than when the itinerary was first announced).

Thanks for a truly epic blog and trip recap! I don’t know when I will have the chance to take this itinerary or one like it, but it’s definitely on my list now!

Test away - that's what it's for, LOL. They may have changed producers over the years. Zaya used to be a great rum (made by the same folks that created Ron Zacapa), when it was made in Guatemala. Production was moved to Trinidad, and the move brought it more vanilla and spice notes, and a little less sweetness. Still good, but not the same. Yes, I am a rum geek - I was a consumer judge at the Miami Rum Festival last year. http://rumxp.com/RumJury.html EDIT: OK, it appears to be a blend of rums distilled elsewhere, so it's possible the "formula" has changed. https://refinedvices.com/the-littlest-rum-factory

We are planning on booking this cruise due to your blog. My husband is ready.

I love CK! Sadly I'll miss it on Anthem in December as I'm not living the suite life on that cruise. I have tried CK on Oasis, Allure and Harmony. Service was excellent (not that MDR service isn't very good as well) and food is better than MDR (not that food isn't very good in the MDR). CK has its own kitchen right there. On the All Access Tour on Harmony the chef in Silk mentioned that the CK kitchen is independent. My son has a nut allergy. Our CK waiter asked if we were eating dinner again there which we were and the CK kitchen cooked a special Apple pie for him and another guest with a nut allergy on that night. We had a very good duck entree in CK on Harmony. Incredible flavors. Perfect sized portions. Great views. They do lobster as well on the 2nd formal night like MDR. Specialty dining is unique, love Izumi Hibachi for example. I'm doing the BOGO on Freedom soon because for $30 for two specialty? Why not! But I'd have no issue eating MDR all the time. I'm trying to turn my Anthem into a B2B for 19 nights and I'll mostly do MDR.

Enjoyed reading, thank you!!!

Seems to me that when we were in Bermuda last month, they were offering up the specialty restaurants at a discounted rate. I specifically remember it being at Chops -- We didn't take advantage of it though.... We ended up having a fantastic meal at the Frog & Onion Pub (5 minute walk from the ship) while we were there.

Is getting Mom rip-roaring drunk at Senor Frogs out of the question?

Monday: Woke at 4:30, picked up mom at 4:47 to head to the airport. The rain was falling at a steady clip. Things I hate: > Driving in the rain. > Driving to the airport. > Driving over the Walt Whitman Bridge. Unfortunately, sometimes we must do things we hate in order to get what we want. We arrived at the airport without incident at 5:15 for a 6:55 flight. The gas indicator bonged when we were almost there - I'll deal with that Friday. Parked in Economy, took the shuttle to the terminal and was greeted by the longest security line I've ever seen in my years of travelling out of PHL. My gut shook. It snaked out of security, down the hall, around the corner, and down toward the parking lot entrance. "Always fly the night before!" the Greek Chorus of message board people said in my head. The line moved at a decent clip and at about halfway, we were pulled to the front of the line because of Mom's cane. We got through (no taking off jackets, shoes, or removing the baggies of liquid from the bags!) but we literally walked up to the terminal and into the A line and onto the plane. SWA flight to FLL took off without incident. Coffee was great! WE flew to FLL and took Miami Port Express to the terminal. The line was long, but well worth it. They were selling lanyards at the terminal for the SeaPass cards (7.00 for regular ones and 9.99 for sports team branded ones) but we had some freebies from a meeting I attended so we skipped. We had the boarding pictres taken because we are cruise noobs. Gah, what a pretty boat. Totally gorgeous! We stood in the Centrum for a while, overwhelmed. Then our stomachs took over and we went to the Windjammer which was jam packed with people and some typically crappy tourist behavior, like taking over tables with suitcases and camping there until the cabins opened. Boo! Mom found the gluten-free corner and was very pleased with the offerings. I had a hot dog and fries because I'm a classy broad. The rooms opened at 1pm and we love our room! It's perfect for two people who don't hate each other. We have a large ocean view cabin, deck 3, beds separated. Next we toured the spa and entered the drawing. The spa is lovely and smelled great. Sat in the solarium and was kicked out to go to the muster drill. The spa drawing was at 4:10 and you had to be present to win. We ... didn't win. Sail-away party! We found some chairs on deck 10 and bid adios to Miami with the help of a Bahama Mama. We had zero problems with feeling movement or seasickness. Zero. It's beautiful. Our dinner seating is at 6pm and we arrived at MDR to encounter a GIANT line. It went quickly, though, and one of the waitstaff escorted us to our table. It was a six-top and ... full. Hm. Turns out there was a party of 4 adults who were split between 2 tables and rather than go and get that fixed, they decided that nobody would notice if they took our seats. We were willing to switch to the other table, but then one of them copped a HUGE attitude with the maitre'd and you know what? Nah. I want my table. You all are wrong so you can move. All four stalked off to another table and we had a great time chatting with the two who remained. DINNER WAS GREAT. You know, I was nervous about MDR because I read things but the food was great. I had a good Caesar salad, the strip steak and a warm chocolate hazelnut cake for dessert. All of the gluten free food was clearly notated on the menu and Mom had no problem at all. She also had the steak, cooked to super well done as she requested. (I prefer a bit of moo left in it.) Her dessert was a gluten free blueberry and peach cobbler, which was great. It was all great! IT'S ALL GREAT! Mom got a sneak peek at tomorrow's menu. The waitstaff is phenomenal. We went to the casino after dinner because I am weak. I ended up $5 up. Then we went to bingo in Boleros. It was $33 to play for a jackpot of $300. For that $33 you get 36 electronic cards (on a tablet - they keep track of the numbers themselves!) and 3 paper cards for us olds who like dabbing things. Buy 2 packages and you got the third for free, which we did. And then they had a free raffle for the remaining tablets and I won one of those. AND WE STILL LOST!! There were 2 winners who split the jackpot. But the hosts where hysterical and we had an expensive good time. By then were were completely feeling the long day. We stood outside and experienced the ocean at night (spoiler: dark) before going back to our room, where I fell into my tiny bed. It's a little firmer than what I'm used to but it really didn't matter. Day 1: A++

Recall though that people like us are the educated cruise minority, the majority of people (and Royal's target market) have never cruised and don't know better. This is just part of their ongoing realization that churning through a never ending stream of first time cruisers is vastly more profitable than catering to those of us that are savvy enough to know not to buy the pictures, how to work the system to wait for the sales and the discounts, that are comfortable booking private excursions instead of through the ship, etc.