Don

Glad to answer (try) any questions you may have.  You'll love the staff and crew, they were one of the best we have seen on Royal Caribbean.

Just got back from same cruise on the 20th.  Our detail report is in discussion items "Enchantment Bahamas".  We had planned on parasailing in Coco Cay, but due to bad weather it wasn't safe to operate tenders and we did not get to stop there.  In Nassau, we did the Tru Bahamian Food Tour -- suggested by Shawn another blog member.  We found it excellent and one of the best tours ever.  If you like food, want to know the culture, and history of Nassau and the Bahamas, that's the tour.  We have been there 4 times and learned more on this tour than all other trips combined.  $69 per person as I recall, 7 food tasting stops in great off the tourist track local restaurants.  All are immaculately clean, the food is great, and the friendliness of the owners fantastic.  Our tour group was 10 with a family of 4, family  of three, one single, and ourselves.  Very enjoyable people.  If you choose to go, ask for Murray as your guide, he was fantastic.  www.trubahamianfoodtours.com  It's not a Royal Caribbean tour, but ran and operated as well or better.  The meeting place is easy to find and only about 3 or blocks from the ship -- ask for directions at the pier after disembarking.  Tour duration is 3 hours, but ours lasted 3 1/2 to 4 -- extended only with the groups permission.  What ever you do, enjoy.

If it is Liberty of the Seas, Royal Caribbean web site shows departure time of 5:00pm.

 

www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/transport/barcelona-cruise-port.html appears to be a good web site for airport to cruise terminal information. It says taxi time is 25 minutes / 25-30 euro cost + some supplements.

NO! It must of been the pouting! We did get an open booking while on our Enchantment pre-christmas last week & Enchantment was our gift to each other this year -- so does that count?

Thanks Don.  So Radisson it is.

It was 2 yr ago when we stayed, you may want to reconfirm current deal. Looking at their web site it looks like they charge a higher room rate to include parking package -- comes out to about $38 - only one night stay required. Last week we payed $75 for port parking garage for a 4 night cruise. See Raddison Hotel web site, Cocoa Beach location.

Thanks Matt.  I will have tons of other questions before our May cruise.

We have stayed at the Raddison. Nice hotel, great pool area, breakfast included, parking is free, shuttle is free. It's only about 10 minutes from the Port. Make a reservation for your shuttle time to port.

Agree, if Anthem doesn't run itinerary we want we will probably sail Celebrity for British Isles and use the cert for Caribbean trek.

Day 4 at Sea

 

Started day with breakfast in Windjammer -- not crowded at all, lots of folks probably slept in on this day at sea.  A little Christmas shopping at the special sales.  Good variety of merchandise and reasonable quality for the price.  Did not purchase Invicta watch, but they were 75% off -- thought they were great deals.  Cake decorating challenge in the Centrum with Captain as participant and Cruise Director as event narrator -- hilarious!  Reading and relaxing in the solitude of Schooner Bar until Parade of Flags at Noon in the Centrum.  Crew from 50 nations parade around Deck 6 to Deck 5 of Centrum was impressive.  Cruise Director presented every country, many countries had dance routines for their presentation, great entertainment.  It always amasses me that a world diverse crew can work together to pull off the magic known as Royal Caribbean WOW.

 

Art Auction at 1:00, complimentary champagne and lot's of raffle prizes.  It's great to see Park West Galleries back on Royal Caribbean.  Have been collecting their art for 20 years.  They offer art available in a wide price range to suit the causal collector and the collector of old & new masters.  We believe good stuff at very reasonable prices.

 

A stop at Latte'tudes and Ben & Jerrys provided our afternoon delight.  Then on to future cruise desk to purchase open booking for future cruise.  Would like to use it for 2015 British Isles on Anthem, but looking like Anthem will replace current itineraries that don't include British Isles?  Schedule should be out in Feb or Mar?  Open booking does not expire, $100 per person deposit, and up to $200 cabin credit at time of confirmed booking.  Confirmation & Certificate came to us via e-mail the day after booking -- impressed and surprised with speed.

 

Early My Time Dining with small table got us out fast enough for the 7:00PM show finale.  A little late in arriving so straight to the front where there are always empty seats even in a crowded theater.  Great show by the Enchantment singers and dancers with tribute to Broadway revue.  Cocktails and music filled the evening.  Then -- pack time, on no!

 

Departure day very smooth.  We got an 8:30AM departure time, so MDR for breakfast and then upstairs in MDR to await departure in Crown & Anchor waiting area.  The schedule listed special time and MDR wait for Diamond members only, but if you read the fine print at the bottom of the schedule -- MDR waiting for Gold & above members is also included.  Departure number called exactly on time and direct shot to departure just outside dining room.  Port Canaveral is as easy to depart as it is to board.  Baggage carousel makes luggage retrival a piece of cake, then easy Customs, and off to parking garage.  All completed in <30 minutes and we were on the road at 9:00AM.

 

Overall, another fantastic Royal Caribbean cruise.  The 3 & 4 day Enchantment trip is an easy and inexpensive weekend or short week get away.  In Sep & Oct you can often find fares in the $100 -125 price range for interior cabins.  Fares are always very reasonable, but holidays i.e Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years do garner higher fares due to the popularity.  This was our first trip on Enchantment which replaced an old favorite Monarch of the Seas.  The ship is fantastic, crew exceeds every expectation, food is best afloat, and entertainment is great.  If you are looking for a short getaway cruise this is it; WOW!

Day 2 Detail:

 

Coco Cay -- port cancelled due to weather -- too rough for safe tender operation. No parasailing today!

 

If you want to take a Cruise with a Royal Caribbean private island stop by all means book it -- just make sure we are not on board!  This is our 5th trip to such a place and we have yet to get into the water.  Labadee stop canx several years ago due to fire emergency and return to Port of Miami.  This was our 4th trip to Coco Cay; 3x canx due to weather (seas too rough for safe tender operation) and once got on the Island but could not get into water due to Jelly Fish Swarms.  A disappointment for water lovers, but it really was a great experience to see the swarming -- one of those memorable experiences.  Couldn't swim, but could wade with the Jelly Fish and enjoy.

 

Captain was able to negotiate early docking in Nassau, so we proceeded on without dropping anchor.  So long Coco Cay, did get to see the Island.  Norwegian at nearby Great Stirrup Cay, and another RCL ship for Coco Cay aborted as well.

 

Alongside at Nassau at 2:00 PM, gangway in place at 3:00PM for those choosing to go ashore.  Berthed at outer pier in Nassau and extremely forward to make way for later arrival of Norwegian Sky at same pier.  Later in the evening, the Port Master asked Captain to move forward another 10 feet at request of Sky Captain -- suspect that was a posterior pain.  Getting to port early for overnighter in Nassau was a Royal Caribbean great and unexpected recovery from the Coco Cay canx.  We choose to stay on-board and enjoy the sights and sounds from the pool deck as we had an early Chops Grill reservation.  From pier side, the Enchantment was hidden behind 4 other ships, so not great pictures from Senor Frogs water side tables this trip.

 

Chops Grill is simply THE BEST steak house on the high seas regardless of what RCI ship you are on -- PERIOD!  Ronaldo, who sold us wine package on day one had suggested we ask for him as our waiter -- we did and were very pleased.  The service in Chops is incredible.  Enchantment has not converted the Conference Room next to the Schooner Bar to Giovonis so Chops does not share the space and is thus the largest Chops of the fleet, at least in this class.  The 10oz filet and shrimp make for a great surf and turf combo -- filet as usual can be cut with a fork.  Caesar salad is listed as "not your basic", and it wasn't -- fantastic.  Saved a little spot for dessert; Myra chose Crème Brulee and I chose Mississippi -- both were as good as it gets, and enough to share.  Oh No, 157 days until our next Chops reservation!

 

Day 3 -- Nassau

 

Since we were already in port, got an early start with breakfast in the Windjammer.  Great as always.  Omelet line is most convenient anywhere.  Place your order, take your number and they call you when it is ready -- no waiting in line.  Thus, you can go get other breakfast items while they are cooking.  Breakfast fare variety leaves nothing to desire. 

 

After breakfast, proceed ashore to do a little sightseeing and exploring along Bay Street before meeting up with our tour.  For our tour we had selected the Tru Bahamian Food Experience (recommended by Shawn).  One of if not the best tour we have taken.  Murray, our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable of the Bahamas and it's history and was as well a chef so knowledgeable of the food choices on our tour and it's preparation.  Just a remarkable tour.  It's not a Royal Caribbean tour and is off the tourist track, but it is one we would highly recommend.  This was our 4th trip to Nassau and we saw a side of the City and learned more from Murray's knowledge than ever before.  Tour lasted from 11:30AM to 3:30PM (scheduled 2:30PM).  Murray extended only after agreement of all in the tour group.  The tour group does a little bonding with 3 or 4 hours of walking the city and dining together -- very interesting people as you always find.

 

For dinner we choose to dine at a table for 2 and got a window table with a beautiful water side view.  It was dark, but you could still see the massive yachts entering and leaving the port.  Choosing a table for two gets you through dinner quickly (if you choose) so you can get onto other evening activities.  We opted to pass on the show (magic) and enjoy shopping, Latte at Latte'Tudes, and the evening music.  Music varied in the several venues and you can find a little of everything.  The one thing we missed was the Centrum aerials -- did not have on this ship.  The rigging was in place?  Maybe Christmas decorations in Centrum interfered.  Decorations were very basic but classy, including the 4 deck tree in the 10 deck Centrum. 

 

More on our Sea Day 4 later.

The more detailed report:

 

Day 1

 

Arrived at Port Canaveral at 11:30 from overnight stay with relatives in nearby Flagler Beach.  Port Canaveral remains our favorite and is easiest to navigate -- probably because it is designed as a passenger terminal rather than a retrofitted cargo terminal.  Markings to port and ship berths are clear and easy to follow.  Entering port, you are directed to baggage drop off and we had only less than one minute wait que - great.  After baggage drop off you proceed to parking and have choice of multi-level garage or open parking (slightly closer to boarding gates but not worth open vs garage).  Both are immediately across the street from boarding area -- 100 yard walk at most.  Boarding area had separately gate for Priority (Diamond Plus) and separate gate for all others -- believe the Priority gate was actually a longer line.  10 or 15 minutes to get from entry through security and check-in all very smooth and uncrowded.  Entering the ship, separate line for My Time Dining and they took you to reservation desk to set up your dining for the week.  We had completed ours on line so bypassed it and headed straight for to the Windjammer for lunch -- only 30 minutes after arriving at port!  Buffet area is huge with many separate stations for entrée, salad, bread, drinks, desserts -- thus even with typical first day rush, not overly crowded.  I went for Matt's favorite, the Honey Stung Chicken -- great as always.  RCI buffets are in our opinion best of float on par with sister line Celebrity.

 

After lunch, quick ship tour as this was our first cruise on Enchantment.  Ship is beautiful, well maintained, and has a basic eloquence feel -- we really liked it, maybe best interior décor.  From the time we stepped on board, we noticed professionalism, friendliness, and attentiveness of the crew -- it didn't change during the cruise.  Probably the best overall crew we have experienced in sailing on many Royal Caribbean / Celebrity ships, and for sure several ticks above the competition -- they were great.

 

Cabin available announcement at about 1:30.  We had opted for our usual inside cabin, low deck, center of ship.  Cabin was good size and immaculately maintained and serviced.  Yes, same size as ocean view, just mirror on wall instead of window / port hole.

 

Continued to enjoy and explore ship taking care of the basics until time to get ready for dinner.  Reconfirm Chops Grill reservation, purchase wine package, 3 bottles $99, & confirm cabin credits from travel agent and bank card were in place - confirmed even though credits typically don't post 2:00PM day 2.  Life Boat drill @ 3:30PM.  Pay attention folks, we have been on ship with fire emergency and spent night at life boat stations with boats in place for boarding if necessary -- knowing what to do in an emergency may save your life. 

 

Used large table of 8 dining option for first night.  Quality of food was very similar to other RCI ships -- best afloat.  Menu offered many selections and included the typical standard fare that stays the same each night.  We dined with first time cruisers who were blown away with the menu variety, food quality, presentation, and dining room staff.  They had two 10-12 year olds who were in awe -- especially liked the magic act the waiter performed for them.  We noted their parents ordered hamburger & fries for them rather than using the opportunity to let them explore new foods and tastes -- could have ordered the burgers as back up if needed.  Dined too late to get to the show, so enjoyed shopping and after dinner cocktails.  Shop area is very large for this size ship and nice variety of shops -- we typically spend our share in shops.  Myra entered raffle drawing in the jewelry store and started the week off right with a win on first ticket drawn -- Inch of gold bracelet take away.

 

More on Day 2, Coco Cay to come:

We have done two & would recommend both. Panama Canal, San Diego to San Juan on Celebrity. This May, Honolulu to Vancouver, 13 nights. Overnighter in Honolulu, 5 of 6 days on 4 Islands, 5 night Pacific crossing to Victoria & then on to Vancouver. Great itinerary on Raphsody of the Seas. They do the reverse itinerary in Oct.

Safely home--always good to get back into your own home. The Golden Arches off I-95 was a couple of clicks below our culinary standard of the past week and a graphic reminder that you are back in the real world. Alas, only 167 days until our next Chops Grill experience.

Both ships have nurseries now.  When Enchantment got its revitalization last year they added a nursery.

 

But yes, a nursery is ALWAYS something I look for!

Children on board ( about 30 or 40) did their farewell show last night in the Centrum -- Pirates of the Carribean, a classic! Loved it.

Post some photos Don, would love to see some of your experiences

Will post some in the morning -- had limited internet time & downloads are slow at $0.56 per minute. Haven't transfered them to tablet or pc but believe some are worth a look.

178 days until next Chops Grill visit on Serenade -- can't wait! In RCI cruise time that is tomorrow!

Congratulations & Thank You Enchantment of the Seas crew & staff -- excellentrating on every satisfaction survey item -- these guys are GOOD. Crew parade of flags was impressive as usual!

Looks like great weather for our sea day!

So glad to hear! Did you enjoy the Thai conch chowder? Jerk chicken? Great local places!

Loved both the chowder & fritter - chowder was awesome.

Glad to hear lots of positive things about this ship. I have a cruise's in Jan and Feb booked on it, so this is all making me happy.

 

Can I ask about the jerk chicken you mentioned

 

 

 

 Shawn? I didn't see it before in Nassau, but obviously I didnt see anything. Big fan of jerk chicken since Jamaica, so if you could let me know where/what to look for in Nassau, it would be much appreciated!!

On our food tour yesterday -- Pepper Pot Grill & Juice Bar, King Street between Market & George, Mon - Sat 11 to 5. Traditional Jamaican Dishes. Jamacian crew members dine there. We had jerk chicken, rice, fruit juice, mango something. It's off the tourist track, but if we were looking for authentic jerk chicken that's the place. 5-10 minute walk from terminal entrance.

Beautiful day in Nassau. Special THANK YOU to Shawn for recommendation of TRU Bahamian Food Tours -- SPECTACULAR!

O

Had a great time on this itinerary earlier this year. Crew was wonderful. We never got to coco cay either and left for Nassau early! Really hope you enjoy the food tour tomorrow! We loved it! Chops was nice and quiet on our "Tuesday night" in Nassau. Great table overlooking the city!

The larger Chops provides more table for two window seats, they are wonderful! Off to food tour & conch chowder. Weather forecast looks good for today.

Chops Grillfor formal night - as halways fantastic. Venue is not split with Giovani's so largest Chops. Enjoyed 10oz Filet & Shrimp. Mississippi mud pie is chocolate lovers delight.

 

Overall impression of Enchantment = your basic eleogence! Crew remains one of best we have seen?

 

Docked at outer berth, port master asked Captain to move 10 feet foward at request of Norweigan Sky Captain, not to happy.

By all means go to Coco Cay, just make sure we are not going to be on board, I think our last name is Jinx.

Captain negotiated Nassau early with overnight - yet another RCI great recovery!

Day 1 -- Port Canaveral easy boarding port on East Coast - 15 min. Bag drop to on board @1130. Straigqht to honey strung chicken in windjammer, great as usual. Beautiful ship, great size inside cabin, great crew, perfect dining. Coco.

 

Coco Cay canx Day 2, high winds, can't run tenders ergo sea day, maybe Nassau early? Our4th trip to Coco Cay, have never been in water -- 2x, now 3x high wind canx, 1x jelly fish swarm. Working on new plan for today -- what everit will be a great RCI day!