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I've created a Monster-in-Law! Enchantment Feb. 7 - 12, 2020


melmar02

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MIL and DH took a nap once rooms were open and I took the kids to register for Adventure Ocean and to walk around the ship a bit. We got back in time to meet our room steward, Yopi.

After muster, we all went up to the top deck for sail away with a Bahama Papa. Then back to the room briefly and we noticed the pilot ship waiting on our side. It's always cool to see them jump between ships, but it's not something I would try! Next it was off to the concierge lounge for a pre dinner drink and snack. We had MTD reservations for 6pm, and we were seated between two huge tables for 10+. Service was very slow. 

After dinner, we came back to the room where Yopi had made a towel birthday cake for MIL - she loved it! DS wanted to go to Adventure Ocean. DD and DH stayed in the room, and MIL and I headed to the casino where she hit a minor jackpot and walked out with $500 more than she walked in with...after only putting $20 in the machine! Not a bad birthday!

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Sunrise was beautiful this morning,  and everyone woke up relatively refreshed. The mattresses are a lot better than what we had on Liberty in September. We went to Chops for breakfast, but it will probably be the last time we eat there this trip. ? DH is dying for some hash, MIL only eats eggs with salsa on them, and DS likes the eggs better in the Windjammer. We dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean and headed back to the casino where MIL won another $400. ? DH and I broke even on the low limit blackjack tables.

We picked up the kids and headed to the Windjammer for lunch. I tried to just stick to salads today, but I may have had 3 desserts. I've found my favorite bar tender, Troy, who mixes the Kraken in with the strawberry for my lava flows. And he calls me "Princess", so he's been getting good tips. ?

According to the windy app we have a 20 mph cross wind and the ship is rocking a little, but it's not too bad. I'm hanging on the pool deck in the wind while my crazy kids are swimming,  and DH and MIL are napping. 

Tonight's "formal night", and we're going to try to catch the late production show.

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2 hours ago, melmar02 said:
1 hour ago, melmar02 said:

We dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean and headed back to the casino where MIL won another $400. ? DH and I broke even on the low limit blackjack tables.

 

MIL and I headed to the casino where she hit a minor jackpot and walked out with $500 more than she walked in with...after only putting $20 in the machine! Not a bad birthday!

 

I want to gamble with your MIL! A couple more wins and the next cruise is on her!

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Unfortunately the rest yesterday just got rockier and rockier. We got ready for dinner, stumbled out of the cabin, and headed toward the suite lounge when my shoe broke. Fortunately I had another pair back in the suite, so I hobbled back and changed them. I caught up with the family in the concierge lounge where I promptly downed my lemon drop. Big mistake. We were running a little behind,  so after just a few minutes in the lounge, we rushed off to our dinner reservation. We figured pictures after the meal. We all sat down, and the waiters both asked us how we were all doing with the waves...come to think of it, the dining room was really empty for 6PM. I left as soon as my appetizer was set before me, and everyone else came straight back after dinner. I didn't get formal night pictures of the family. ? Oh well, there will be a lot more photo opportunities. We were all in bed with bellies full dramamine before 8:30PM. 

This morning is much better. Here's today's sunrise. Let day 3 in Costa Maya begin!

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Seas were much calmer today, and everyone woke up feeling fine. We spent the morning trying to pick out our next cruises before we waited for the MDR to open for breakfast. Yep... plural. ? We've talked MIL into going on another with us and then watching the kids for a week while DH and take one by ourselves. 

For all of us, we're trying to decide between Jewel 7 day to Key West, Nassau, and Cocoa Cay or Adventure 5 day to Costa Maya and Cozumel. Both out of Galveston. There's a bit of a price difference, but we're leaning toward the 7 day. For me and DH, we're looking at something the kids wouldn't be interested in anyway, 7 days New England and Canada. This was DH's idea, and I don't know anything else about it!

 

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I left off at breakfast in the MDR on day 3. We dropped the kids off at AO and decided to play a round of bingo. We had $30 worth of fun, but sadly didn't win anything. We picked up the kids as the ship was pulling into Costa Maya. Since we had all just eaten a big breakfast, we decided to snack ashore. The team was running, but MIL wanted to try to walk it. We only had to stop once, and made it into Mexico! We had no real plans - MIL wanted to look for a watch, and the kids wanted to see the aviary. We sat down at a restaurant, ordered waters and chips and salsa. DH and MIL stayed at the table, and I took the kids to see the birds. We came back to find an empty half yard in front of MIL. We wandered through the shops and bought a few trinkets before getting back on the ship. DH and MIL took a nap while I took the kids to the pool for an hour. 

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1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

Your MIL looks adorbs, maybe that drink is why she had to walk it?

Its also awesome they let everyone handle the birds, some aviary's have strict rules about that.

I think she's pretty cute! 

Yes, they gave us instructions. DD still got a couple scratches and I was bit pretty hard. They loved it though!

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Dinner last night is a bit of a long story. I had been in contact with Jorge, the suite concierge, before the cruise about setting up a couple of surprises for Mimi's birthday. We ordered her some chocolate covered strawberries, and because we were planning on eating in the MDR the whole cruise, he was going to have the wait staff sing her happy birthday on night 1 which was her actual birthday. When we stopped in the suite lounge on night one, Jorge waited until MIL went to look at the food and came over to me to say he had confirmed her surprise song in the MDR. He looked so excited - like my son when we talk about Christmas! Well...it didn't happen. Somewhere there was a breakdown in communication. It really wasn't a big deal as she wasn't expecting it, and she was having a wonderful time. I mentioned it to him brfore we left the ship on day 3, and I emphasized that we were fine that it didn't happen, we just wanted him to be aware that somewhere the wires got crossed. He was so upset and said it was unacceptable (my DH'S favorite saying at the office when someone doesn't meet their commitments) and that he would fix the issue. Again, not a big deal. He called last night saying how embarrassed he was and offered us all complimentary dinner at Chops. We're in! He stopped by during the meal with a bottle of champagne, and then our head waiter stopped by with one of the gifts and gear cakes and had the waiters at Chops sing to my MIL. We thought all of this was above and beyond, and we went to bed with very happy tummies. ?

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Just now, Va4fam said:

Following.....looks like you are having a great time so far on Grandeur.   What's your MIL 's secret to winning at the casino?  Our money becomes extinct anytime we are in the vicinity.

We're actually on Enchantment out of Galveston. I think Grandeur is somewhere along the east coast right now? Baltimore maybe?

I'm not sure what her secret is, but everytime I have gambled with her, she has won...maybe I'm her lucky charm!

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Yesterday was our stop in Cozumel. We were going to Paradise Beach, so we took our time getting ready and ate breakfast in the MDR. We got off the ship around 9:30am and caught a taxi for 5 to the beach. It's $17 for a cab for 4, $21 for 5 people. We went all inclusive again, but it wasn't worth it this time. The kids didn't eat near as much as last time, and somehow the grown ups didn't drink as much either. We spent most of our time at the pool and everyone had a great time. Around 2:00pm we made our way back to the ship, and got ready for the evening.

We had an appointment with Next Cruise at 4:30 pm but no other plans. Mimi's going on another cruise with us! We booked the 7 day on Jewel from Galveston to Key West, Nassau, and Cocoa Cay. For DH and my date-cation we went with something that worked better with DH work schedule. We're taking a 4 day on Enchantment from Galveston to Cozumel. We'll drive down on Sunday, embark on Memorial Day, disembark that Friday which he also has off work. He only has to take 3 days off, so it was a winner for us.

After that we went to the suite lounge where it was starting to get a little rocky again as soon as we pulled away from the dock. We went to the Windjammer and we were all stumbling around too much. DH helped MIL get her plate while the kids and I found a table. By the time they got back with her food, DS was feeling queasy. I took him back to the room. The rest of the family decided they didn't want to eat anything, so they were just a few minutes behind us. DD and I ordered grilled cheese sandwiches from room service, and everyone went to bed early again. 

The first picture is the full moon peeking out from behind the clouds as the sun is rising on the other side of the ship.

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Sadly we've reached our last full sea day, but fortunately it is beautiful! The seas calmed overnight again. And we were ready to take on the day. DS requested breakfast in the Windjammer. It was breakfast in the Windjammer  - not bad, not great, but a good breakfast buffet. We managed to go when it wasn't too crowded. After we ate, the kids hit AO and we all went to the casino where we all made donations to Royal Caribbean. ? We had the Suite Cocktail party at 11:15am, so we used that as an excuse to stop opening our wallets. On Liberty the event was held on the first sea day, which I think I prefer. The officers would see you around the ship the rest of the week and talk to you. There's no real chance for that in this case. The good was on display and self serve as opposed to passed on Liberty. I liked this because I could go back for seconds of my favorites. ? DS wanted a snack when I picked up the kids, so we quietly walked through the Solarium to visit Park Cafe and grab him a slice of pizza. Now DH and MIL are napping and DD is getting her daily dose of RCTV. Ds and I are at the pool, soaking up the last bit of warm sunshine before it's back to 40 degree weather. It looks like a lot of people had the same idea this afternoon - it's pretty packed.

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Last night ended with two rounds of trivia in the Schooner Bar accompanied by two grapefruit habanero daiquiris. The first was all grapefruit, so I ordered  the second one extra spicy, and it was perfect. We didn't want a long dinner, so we went up to the Windjammer for a quick bite and then went back to the room to pack. The kids were interested in heading to AO, but by the time we finished filling our suitcases they were ready for bed. We all called it a night. 

This morning we woke up to fog. We brought our carry on bags to Chops for breakfast  because the ship was still moving, and that's our departure lounge. As soon as we were seated the announcement was made that the port was closed and we were dropping anchor. We would be delayed for at least 2 hours and everyone could go back to their cabins if they wanted. However, the anchor was back up by the time we finished breakfast. The captain said we were coming into the berth at a reduced speed, and it would be about an hour and 45 minutes before we docked. MIL's flight isn't until 3:00pm. She was going to try to catch a 1:00pm flight instead, and now that we're moving again, she can still probably make that happen. We have no real plans for the rest of the day other than a little laundry at the hotel. But, for now we are comfortably spread out in our room, where we can finally see land, waiting for the announcement to go back to Chops. 

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We were escorted off the ship by Joege and made it to our car around 11:00am. We dropped MIL off at Hobby airport, and she decided the fare change of $200 to move up her flight wasn't worth it. I called the hotel to see if we could check in early, and they said they could have the room ready in an hour. It was noon, and we were going through major cruise food withdrawals since we hadn't eaten in 5 hours. Off to Chuey's by the hotel! We're a predictable bunch - offer Mexican food and we'll take it every time! We checked in, unloaded the luggage, and told the kids we were taking a nap. 2 hours later, and here we are. This room is set up a little different than the other 2 br suites we have been in at this hotel. The previous rooms have felt backwards. Now the master suite is actually a master suite with the bathroom inside it. The second bathroom is accessible from the main living space, and they put the two doubles in the smaller bedroom. This leaves a lot of dead space in the master bedroom (they could put in little seating area), but it feels like it should in my opinion. 

Final thoughts on the cruise to come a little later when I'm staring at a washing machine. 

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Forgot to mention how we got off the ship. The gangways still weren't working, so they connected the ship to the dock with the little metal gangways like you use in port. We exited on deck one, walked across the dock, and entered the terminal through a side door right into the luggage area.

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Final thoughts on the cruise

The two br suite is still the right call for our family. With our just off enough sleep cycles we really like having a place for the early risers to go so the rest of us can continue to sleep. This set up also give our autistic DD a place to decompress in the afternoon by skipping around the living room with the tv on while an adult takes a nap in a bedroom with a door to close out the noise she needs to make. The forward GT suites on this ship have a bit of a weird design at the entrance of the cabin. The narrow hall has three doors that all open into the hall along with the make up vanity chair all before you get into the open living room. This means when entering the room, if anyone stops to go into the bedroom, put something in the closet, or drop something off at the little counter, everyone else has to come to a complete stop and wait. There's no wiggle room especially if someone is sitting at the counter getting ready.

The interior of the ship is pretty well maintained. If you looked hard, you could find an issue. For instance, there was a little rotting of the wood at the bottom of our living room window, one of our balcony doors wouldn't lock (our room steward said maintenance had looked at it and couldn't figure out how to fix it), and the metal brackets that held the rail the exterior window cleaner runs on were all really rusted. However, all the decor and public spaces were just as up to date and clean as Liberty was in September. They were actively painting railings while we were in port. I didn't think the outside looked too bad; she just looks like she's been in the water 20 years.

The beds were the best we've had on our four cruises. Liberty's seemed like camping mats compared to Enchantment's. No sagging, and a middle of the road level of firmness. We all slept well.

I've read several reviews that say the service is a level above on this ship. With the exception of a couple of really stand out crew members, it just seemed like the same good level of service we've had on every other Royal ship. Jorge the concierge will get a huge mention in our survey. Yopi our room steward was good, but we had an amazing room steward back in September who set the bar higher for everyone else. The MDR service was really slow, and I do think that part of that is how the room is set. It seemed all the 2 and 4 tops were together and and all the 6+ tops were together. It was hard for our waiters to keep up with the 12 top to the right and left, us, and the other big table or two in our vicinity. The head waiter was working hard to help, but it was just too much. MIL asked for salsa in Chops at breakfast on day one which they didn't have, and we didn't eat breakfast there again until the last day. Our waitress apologized over and over, as she had made sure salsa was there for MIL days 2-4 and just thought we weren't coming back again on day 5. It was nice that she made a note and was prepared for MIL's special request, even if we weren't there. MDR breakfast service seemed like it was used as training for the assistant waiters - we didn't see any waiters. It really showed at times. 

Food, subjectively of course, seemed better on Liberty. They really like raw onions on this ship, and meats in the WJ were overcooked every  time we ate there.

The kids liked AO on this ship even though it was smaller. That's a bonus in my daughter's eyes anyway. They went every morning session except for the day we were in Cozumel. 

Overall we had a wonderful time - enough to book that short 4 day back on Enchantment in May. Since it's just going to be me and DH, I'm sure it will be a completely different experience as far as our activities go. We're looking forward to the late night shows and quest that we just don't get to when the rest of the family is with us. 102 days to go!

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Thank you for this wonderful review! My sister, her best friend, and I will be sailing out in 11 days. First Royal Caribbean cruise for all of us.

Do you remember if there were many loud speaker announcements from the cruise director? Our only other cruise was on a Carnival ship last year, and the announcements seemed a bit excessive ... ?

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On 2/19/2020 at 2:22 PM, pamici said:

Thank you for this wonderful review! My sister, her best friend, and I will be sailing out in 11 days. First Royal Caribbean cruise for all of us.

Do you remember if there were many loud speaker announcements from the cruise director? Our only other cruise was on a Carnival ship last year, and the announcements seemed a bit excessive ... ?

Yes, but we didn't really "notice" them. You could hear them in the background, but they have announcements turned off in the rooms. I only remember a couple a day. We could hear announcements clearly in the halls, in the Windjammer, and on the pool deck. 

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