Jump to content

"Side to Side" Live - Oasis & Enchantment 11/10-11/23


betatke1480

Recommended Posts

First of all great blog.

Regarding the CK , Also on the Symphony Of the Seas the CC indicates its for GS and above so I guess its a cruise ship "mistake", I guess they want the option to deny JS if there are many Pinnacles during the cruise. 

The JS keys never opens the CK , do not know why it so problematic to program the door in a way the JS key will work. 

Anyway, on the Symphony we found it very easy to book the CK  (we stayed at a JS) during the first day we just called GS and asked to transfer us to the CK and booked for the first night. after we enjoyed the first night dinner, before leaving we booked another dinner at CK ,in total we eat three times there. most of the times the CK was half empty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/16/2018 at 10:13 AM, CruisinUngs said:

What a great day. Sounds like your daughter is taking to the cruise really well and you both are getting some time. These types of reviews give me hope as we take our son a cruise next Sun.

Blackout... the whole ship? Is that abnormal? Sounds like it would kinda be fun for a min but I then I imagine all the people panicking lol.

It was the whole ship. We were in the theater, so we thought it was just time to start the show. Lights out for maybe 1 minute in there. The. The captain came on the PA about 5 minutes later to talk about what happened and say that there were no other ships near us. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apologies for being late to this great blog, but it has been an excellent read/see so far.

 

We just got off of Oasis last Sunday on an Eastern itinerary and it was fabulous.  Seriously wonderful.

The weather was great and the seas were ridiculously calm all week.  I took two martini-making classes

from Patrick in the Champagne Bar and they were lots of fun (woulda done the first one but wasn't even

aware they had one).  I made my first two today - a Coco Chanel and a Coconut martini, which were darn good.

 

We took Lady O on her western cruise in January and it wasn't nearly as nice, weather-wise.   I'm not really sure

why RC continues to go to Falmouth, as it seems like most people either stay on the ship or just get off for a 

couple of hours to shop in the "safe area", which is what we did and bought a lot of rum.

 

Congratulations on your weight loss - I can't imagine how difficult it must be to see all that "free" food and have

to remain disciplined.  More power to you!!

 

dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I promise I didn't forget.  I just got to a point yesterday that I figured I would finish this in the hotel on turnaround day.

Day 6 - Cozumel

This was our first time to Cozumel, and I would say this was our favorite port stop.  I've been to Mexico a few times, and love it.  When I was in college, Spanish was one of my majors, and I've always been enthralled with Mexican culture.  We started our day by heading to Nachi Cocom.  $20 taxi ride for the three of us, and it was worth every penny.  

IMG_0888.jpeg.4bbbe1d699d8f678dc004ef9beb95258.jpeg

IMG_0889.jpeg.61f4f73edecb19ec709cf821247f3594.jpeg

There were 5 ships in port today: Oasis, Liberty, Carnival Tragic, Carnival Vista, and a MSC one docked downtown.  Mr. Sanchos had to be a zoo, but Nachi was so calm and relaxing.  The waves were pretty strong, so we just ventured into the Gulf shortly.  The pool was freezing, but that didn't stop V.  She was all about the pool, and making friends with anybody that cam near her.  

Around 11:30 we had lunch.  I had been preaching to Abby how bad Mexican food in the USA makes me so angry. It's all relatively simple food, but you have to cook it with love.  The food at Nachi is what I would consider "above-average" food IN Mexico, but would be fantastic Mexican food in the USA.  It was amazing.  Neither one of us are huge guac fans, but we would have eaten the guac at Nachi all day.  

Also, if you've never had it, get the cheesecake.  It was phenomenal.  Virginia loved the ice cream:

IMG_0898.thumb.jpeg.af1780671d48e17433a1d6dd807045b7.jpeg

After a little while longer at Nachi, we took a cab downtown for a few shopping stops.  We stopped at COZ coffee based on recommendations from others on the board.  Their pastries looked amazing, and we had a cinnamon roll.  They also have a sandwich menu, and other patrons had sandwiches that looked amazing.  Abby got a peanut butter coffee, and loved it.  I'm not a coffee drinker at all, but we got 2 lbs of beans to go home with.  

When we were on the way to COZ, just around the corner on Calle 2A Norte, was a little place that caught our eye:

 IMG_0900.jpeg.e962cca401354569b76850d6f1be09e8.jpeg

As I mentioned before, Abby and I met in culinary school in Chicago, where we studied baking and pastry.  Seeing the "Patisserie" sign immediately caught our attention.  I wasn't able to get pictures of the two tarts we had because they were eaten too fast, but this was their case:

IMG_0899.thumb.jpeg.6ade8b51cd3473ae80d74671c8fdecf8.jpeg

The tarts were some of the best I've had period.  We had a strawberry tart and a 3 chocolate tart.  The crust was perfect, and the fillings were smooth and delectable.  We bought a croissant and a pain au chocolat, but they got taken by security before we got back to the pier, since they weren't sealed...  We tried to ask if we could just eat them, but they told us we'd have to go back through the security line...  Lesson learned, but we will be back.  It was called Sucre Sale.  I recommend everyone go there, it was amazing.  

After that, we headed just a half block down the street to Chocolateria Isla Bella, per @CGTLH recommendation from a previous blog.  No pictures here either due to distraction, but we got quite a few chocolates that are heading home with us.  Very friendly in this shop, and it was absolutely delicious as well.  

After a short taxi ride back to the pier, we did a little browsing and then back onto the ship.  Dinner tonight was in 150 CP.  

After the requisite salt introduction (for the record, the red Haitian was my favorite.  The egg was strange),IMG_0916.thumb.jpeg.aaca93fbea7666ee91c0f16008f2a31a.jpeg

I had a little surprise for Abby.  On Day 2, we had been in the jewelry store, and she found a pair of earrings that she loved.  In Falmouth, we looked at jewelry, but nothing stuck out like these on the ship. They were a snowflake cut, which I'd never heard of, and Abby loves snowflakes.  Plus, they were my birth stone.  A couple of days later, Abby went back to stare at them again, but knew she would never get them.  Little did she know, the next day, I went and got them while she was busy.  The jewelry store was great, and had them delivered to 150CP as a surprise, along with a bottle of champagne.  

IMG_0917.jpeg.e95cdeae71f82c24ed63696585604a62.jpeg

Even the waiter had to come over to see what was going on.  The rest of the dinner was excellent.  Our waiter, Srdjan, was fantastic.  We had the lobster gnocchi and the angolotti as appetizers.  Mains, I had the black cod and Abby had the chicken.  The cod was probably the best thing I had all week.  It was so tender, it almost melted in your mouth.  For dessert, Abby had the donuts, and I nibbled on the bourbon chocolate tart, which was divine as well.  

IMG_0919.jpeg.8fbe6decbac014120c3e9b2581eac66c.jpeg

After that, it was time to go get Virginia from AO and head back to bed.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 7 - Sea Day

Today's sea day was pretty uneventful.  We went to Park Cafe for breakfast.  It was a nice, quick option for something to eat with some protein.  After that, it was up to AO for Ginny.  Abby and I had our jacuzzi treatment in the spa.  Before hand, we had a few minutes in the thermal spa.  It was a very relaxing way to end the week.  

For lunch, we went to Johnny Rockets.  The #12 was very good.  Virginia is getting quite the complex, as everyone has been calling her "Princess" all week.  She's going to be a handful when we get back.  At lunch, the waitress decided that "princess" needed a milkshake, so she brought her a small one in a to-go cup free of charge.  It's been awesome to see, but V sure is going to be in a shock when we get home.  

After lunch, we decided to catch another showing of the Aqua Theater show.  It had been postponed from earlier in the week.  It was raining, but Ginny wanted to see it anyway, so we sat out in the rain.  They cut out the wire-act part of the show, but it was very enjoyable.  All of the performers seemed more relaxed, and like they were having more fun since it was raining.  The AD ended up getting towels from the pool deck and handing them out about halfway through the show, so that made it a little better.  Ginny still wants to be a "swim-gymmer".

Then it was a quick nap and back up to AO.  Abby and I went up around 4:00 for the Circus of the Seas, which was adorable.  Dinner was in Sorrentos, followed by some ice cream at Scoops and Cups, then another turn on the merry-go-round.  We took V up to AO at 7 so that Abby and I could pack... Then 10 pm rolled around, and it was time for bed.  Normally a sad sight to see, this was just a pause in the middle of our trip.

IMG_0221.thumb.jpeg.beb61552a65d6b6a9df5397d5445590e.jpeg

Disembarkation this morning took a little while.  For some reason, PC only had 4 lanes open for Customs.  We got a porter and were through in about 10 minutes, but the other line was barely moving, and because of that, we were held on the ramp in the terminal for about 25 minutes before we got to our bags.  Not sure why they wouldn't have more lanes open for such a large ship.  

Rental car was easy as could be.  Then we headed to lunch at Long Doggers, which was very good and I would highly recommend.  Now, as I type, we sit in the Holiday Inn Club Vacations room, overlooking the pool, as both V and Abby are taking their naps and we are doing laundry.  

Overall thoughts

-Motion was barely noticeable, but enough to let you know that we were on a ship.

-We definitely are #TeamSpecialty, and will be weighing the Ultimate Dining Packages in the future.  We only were in the MDR for the Character Breakfast.  Solarium one night for dinner, and the windjammer a couple of times for breakfast or lunch.  

-Giovanni's was our favorite restaurant by a long shot.  Everything was delicious, and the service was great.  150CP would be next for me, then Johnny Rockets, Chops, and Sabor last.  Chops was good, but everything we had was a bit bland.  Sabor was ok, but nothing special.  I hope this doesn't get me banned from the blog...The calamari was great, but looking back it was probably our least favorite specialty meal.  The Windjammer for breakfast and lunch was also a bit of a let down...  I was a big fan of Park Cafe.  And V loved Sorrentos.

-All of the staff we interacted with were great.  We had a great experience on Majesty with the crew, and we were hoping it would be the same on Oasis, and it was.  

-It's hard to believe there were 6,000 people on the ship.  They did a great job on design and crowd flow.  Also, the Rising Tide bar was much more fun than I expected it to be. 

-The app and Voom were iffy.  Every time my phone locked, I would get disconnected from Voom.  Abby's was fine the whole time.  I have an iphone 8 and she has the 8 plus...  Signal was good when connected, except for Facebook.  The app worked ok.  My major complaint is that it didn't update the "My Calendar" for anything you did on the ship.  So we could see the entertainment reservations we made before the cruise, but not any dining reservations we added.  That would have been a big plus.  

All in all, this was a very enjoyable voyage.  We will be booking Oasis onboard Enchantment for 2020, and probably going up to a Grand Suite, 2BR.  Looking at deck 12 so we can get the whirlpool on the balcony... 

We're tired, but looking forward to Enchantment in about 18 hours...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 9 - Embarkation Day #2

We were able to get into our hotel room yesterday pretty early, and get started on laundry.  After V took a nap, we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner.  I would skip this if I were to stay there again.  Then we spent a little time in the pool, then back to pack and go to bed.  This morning, we got up and went back to Southern Charm Cafe for breakfast.  This quickly became a family favorite.  It is very tasty food, and the servers are all great. 

We got a "late" start to the port, arriving at the rental car return around 10:15.  We were at the port around 10:30, and there was no line for security.  Much different from Oasis, and more similar to Majesty last year.  The port staff were a little rude, maybe they had a case of the Mondays.  They were already boarding when we checked in, so we went straight onto the ship.  We were playing ping-pong by 10:45.  

Part of the pool deck was being refinished, so they had it partially closed.  We went to Windjammer for lunch, and it was pretty tasty.  The rest of the day has been relatively uneventful.  We love the grand suite.  Lots of room.  Overall, Enchantment definitely seems tired, and not as well taken care of as Majesty even was.  

We did head to NextCruise after Muster drill.  We now have a 2BR ATS booked on Oasis in Feb 2020.  We're also looking to upgrade Anthem to a Grand Loft suite, as we found out we're having to cancel the Mariner GC due to scheduling with our new business opening.  

While we were at NextCruise, V passed out on Abby.  She had been getting cranky.  She napped in the Centrum for about 1.5 hours.  Then we headed back up to the room, and are currently taking advantage of the free room service, and room service from the MDR.  

IMG_0949.jpeg.e4026b344aea9c509cbf76e7d8722b70.jpeg

IMG_0952.thumb.jpeg.4c70626cb4db6ada8ed00a1a2967e50a.jpeg

 

A reminder that this is not, in fact, Oasis of the Seas, but a great view of the Ocean from the bar.

 

IMG_0938.jpeg.b1fa5dfe2ede860136ebeb6fd8ba3a53.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Woohoo!! Star Class ❤️

Sure hope you'll blog that one. I have the same thing booked a month later.  Btw...are you booked on the Anthem GC?

Yes we are on the Anthem GC.  Although we don’t think we would “need” a genie, it sure seems like it would be nice on the bigger ships for embark and debark. Plus, we are pretty sure we are specialty dining people, and that being included with the drink and voom packages is nice. Plus, for 9 nights the additional space will be nice. And I’m sure that GC will be packed. 

We see ourselves moving from more cruises per year to bigger rooms and experiences when we do cruise. Particularly since Ginny will be in real school soon. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/14/2018 at 4:24 PM, betatke1480 said:

-All of the staff has been great with Virginia, and she is having an absolute blast.  She's definitely hooked on cruising, and hopefully the post-cruise depression isn't too bad

The staff was fantastic with our 4 girls on Rhapsody, also. Our kiddos are hooked and continually asking when we can go on another cruise.

We have done a Disney cruise and now one on Royal, and much to our surprise, the girls prefered Adventure Ocean to the Disney kids clubs (or at least the staff).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, betatke1480 said:

Yes we are on the Anthem GC.  Although we don’t think we would “need” a genie, it sure seems like it would be nice on the bigger ships for embark and debark. Plus, we are pretty sure we are specialty dining people, and that being included with the drink and voom packages is nice. Plus, for 9 nights the additional space will be nice. And I’m sure that GC will be packed. 

We see ourselves moving from more cruises per year to bigger rooms and experiences when we do cruise. Particularly since Ginny will be in real school soon. 

I am officially jealous!  I don't see us moving out of our JS booking on Anthem since we are sailing Anthem, Symphony, and Navigator all within 7 weeks.  I totally get the less cruises per year and bigger experiences.  Because of work, my schedule is not flexible, so we can't cruise anytime we wanted to.  We are limited to certain parts of the year as well.  That is how I justify my bookings. lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 9 - Part 2

After a long day, we decided to take advantage of the complimentary room service, as well as being able to order from the MDR menu.  IMG_0956.thumb.jpeg.745077df2460dded713bd88961892a79.jpeg

Food was ok.  Part of it was due to coming from room service, the other was a little lack of flavor.  I didn't get butter or sour cream with my potato.  I guess that's my fault for not ordering it.  

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful, as we are all starting to get a little vacay'd out...  2 weeks seemed like a good idea before hand...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 10 - CocoCay

The seas are completely flat right now, so we were able to dock at CocoCay with no issue.  We did breakfast in the Windjammer since it is right above us.  Tendering went easy, then it was a short walk to our cabana, #12.  Overall, the cabana is quite nice, but I preferred the bungalow we had on Labadee.  The layout was nicer, and the amount of beach and water per capita was more.  The cabana on CocoCay was nice at lunch however, as there is a special lunch area for suites and cabana rentees.  It was very easy to get food, without the huge crush of people like there was at Labadee.  

Overall, I think we prefer Labadee.  The music was quite loud at the cabanas, so it was tough to relax some.  I think part of it was to cover the noise of construction.  While in no way did that ruin our experience, it definitely could be heard, and I would assume it will get worse.  

Here are some photos of the construction, pier, and from our cabana.  I'm hard pressed to believe that the will be completed with the pier by January...

 

 

IMG_0960.jpeg.143599b0b025d30bd6f13ecf93b434a5.jpeg

 

IMG_0972.jpeg.f340e8a756f7cf93a7897ca58c69d31c.jpeg

 

IMG_0973.jpeg.3a0a45a81e09965f6c45ed5a3affcec4.jpeg

 

IMG_0974.jpeg.2d8cd88d54f6624a7e9379c33ee7a418.jpeg

 

IMG_0975.jpeg.9b4f55648c4b5df0e5a66b4d570d0d9f.jpeg

 

IMG_0976.jpeg.3e87bbc69116c6b48264cf6f20aaf375.jpeg

IMG_0978.jpeg.42cd951d5448149f0f6eaec84571f722.jpeg

 

IMG_0980.jpeg.a9f9a5810e19a105861a8596107f53c3.jpeg

 

IMG_0985.jpeg.57f992c84c6a5e7ca1baf979ddeffeed.jpeg

 

Dinner tonight was in Chops, the lone specialty restaurant on-board.  We booked during embarkation day for a 20% discount from one of the waiters.  We wanted to compare Chops here vs. Oasis.  Chops on Enchantment is much better.  Food was seasoned better, and overall was more enjoyable.  We did dine with Virginia, and she loved the shrimp and caesar salad. Our waitress, Teresa, was amazing with her, and kept asking to come home with us for Christmas.  I had the same menu I had on Oasis, and each course was better on Enchantment.  The restaurant is also much bigger on Enchantment, but was not very busy.  

For dessert, Abby had the red velvet cake, but liked the one on Oasis better.  I had warm chocolate cake with ice cream.  Virginia had ice cream.  She was trying to get every last drip of melted ice cream that Teresa noticed and asked her if she was trying to put a hole in the bottom of the bowl.  2 minutes later, another bowl of ice cream showed up.  

IMG_0989.thumb.jpg.8af8cc72b4f836b0befc32c9d4ff43a9.jpg

"Don't you even think about it Mom!"

We then took V to Adventure Ocean, and we headed to an empty VCL to relax and enjoy the view.  This cruise seems very empty, even through there is almost a full load.  The captain's speech mentioned there were over 700 children on the cruise, but I feel like a lot of them are teens.  AO drop-off on night 1 was a very long process, but that's due to how the AO is set-up, and it is quite small.  Especially compared to Oasis.  Top cruiser this cruise has 1749 nights.  

After a little while in the VCL, in came the Honeymooner reception, so we decided to leave.  Young love, gross...

We picked up V and came back to the room to go to sleep.  The next day we will be docked in Nassau.

I forgot to mention on Day 9, but we did go to the casino for a little while, and ran into my favorite dealer from Majesty, Deborah from Italy.  Her and Brendan from Zimbabwe are both on Enchantment now.  They were so much fun on Majesty, and we still talk about them from time to time.  It's one of those things that you wonder if you'll ever see someone again, and it was great to run across them.  Also, the Activities Director is Mo, who was the AD on Majesty last year as well.  

Random thoughts

- Abby and I decided that we do still like small ships, but it's more for a cruise that would be just the two of us, and not V.  Ginny is having fun, but Oasis class is a lot more for her to do.  

- There is a lot of cosmetic upgrades going on.  A lot of the things @twangster pointed out in his live blog are still existent, but seem to be slowly getting remedied.  Nothing major, but she needs a lot of paint.  Theres definite signs of salt wear and rust.  

- The GS is right beneath the Windjammer, so there is a lot of foot traffic noise.  Kind of weird, since this is the only location of suites.  

- We can also hear a lot of noise from our neighbors, and people walking down the hall.  We knew when our neighbors had their breakfast delivered this morning, and that one of them stirs cream and sugar in their coffee cup. 

- The crew have been amazing, again.  And, the small ship vibe is a change from Oasis, but one we enjoy.  

- The centrum is nice and open, but the layout of the shops is very weird.  Almost a maze to get through, and the salespeople feel a little more like used car salespeople...

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm beginning to think they are taking their time on the Cococay pier because it will drop guests off right into the building construction zone on the other side of the lagoon.  Until they can get enough done with that construction area and build the walkway over to the existing side there is no point having a pier.  

Small ships do have better service but I fear the Vision class may be too small, even for me now.  I'm finding the AMPED Voyager class to be great sweet spot in between large and small.  Lots to do for kids but good relaxing areas for adults.  I'm really looking forward to see how Navigator turns out with her January AMP.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, betatke1480 said:

Day 10 - CocoCay

The seas are completely flat right now, so we were able to dock at CocoCay with no issue.  We did breakfast in the Windjammer since it is right above us.  Tendering went easy, then it was a short walk to our cabana, #12.  Overall, the cabana is quite nice, but I preferred the bungalow we had on Labadee.  The layout was nicer, and the amount of beach and water per capita was more.  The cabana on CocoCay was nice at lunch however, as there is a special lunch area for suites and cabana rentees.  It was very easy to get food, without the huge crush of people like there was at Labadee.  

Overall, I think we prefer Labadee.  The music was quite loud at the cabanas, so it was tough to relax some.  I think part of it was to cover the noise of construction.  While in no way did that ruin our experience, it definitely could be heard, and I would assume it will get worse.  

Here are some photos of the construction, pier, and from our cabana.  I'm hard pressed to believe that the will be completed with the pier by January...

 

 

IMG_0960.jpeg.143599b0b025d30bd6f13ecf93b434a5.jpeg

 

IMG_0972.jpeg.f340e8a756f7cf93a7897ca58c69d31c.jpeg

 

IMG_0973.jpeg.3a0a45a81e09965f6c45ed5a3affcec4.jpeg

 

IMG_0974.jpeg.2d8cd88d54f6624a7e9379c33ee7a418.jpeg

 

IMG_0975.jpeg.9b4f55648c4b5df0e5a66b4d570d0d9f.jpeg

 

IMG_0976.jpeg.3e87bbc69116c6b48264cf6f20aaf375.jpeg

IMG_0978.jpeg.42cd951d5448149f0f6eaec84571f722.jpeg

 

IMG_0980.jpeg.a9f9a5810e19a105861a8596107f53c3.jpeg

 

IMG_0985.jpeg.57f992c84c6a5e7ca1baf979ddeffeed.jpeg

 

Dinner tonight was in Chops, the lone specialty restaurant on-board.  We booked during embarkation day for a 20% discount from one of the waiters.  We wanted to compare Chops here vs. Oasis.  Chops on Enchantment is much better.  Food was seasoned better, and overall was more enjoyable.  We did dine with Virginia, and she loved the shrimp and caesar salad. Our waitress, Teresa, was amazing with her, and kept asking to come home with us for Christmas.  I had the same menu I had on Oasis, and each course was better on Enchantment.  The restaurant is also much bigger on Enchantment, but was not very busy.  

For dessert, Abby had the red velvet cake, but liked the one on Oasis better.  I had warm chocolate cake with ice cream.  Virginia had ice cream.  She was trying to get every last drip of melted ice cream that Teresa noticed and asked her if she was trying to put a hole in the bottom of the bowl.  2 minutes later, another bowl of ice cream showed up.  

IMG_0989.thumb.jpg.8af8cc72b4f836b0befc32c9d4ff43a9.jpg

"Don't you even think about it Mom!"

We then took V to Adventure Ocean, and we headed to an empty VCL to relax and enjoy the view.  This cruise seems very empty, even through there is almost a full load.  The captain's speech mentioned there were over 700 children on the cruise, but I feel like a lot of them are teens.  AO drop-off on night 1 was a very long process, but that's due to how the AO is set-up, and it is quite small.  Especially compared to Oasis.  Top cruiser this cruise has 1749 nights.  

After a little while in the VCL, in came the Honeymooner reception, so we decided to leave.  Young love, gross...

We picked up V and came back to the room to go to sleep.  The next day we will be docked in Nassau.

I forgot to mention on Day 9, but we did go to the casino for a little while, and ran into my favorite dealer from Majesty, Deborah from Italy.  Her and Brendan from Zimbabwe are both on Enchantment now.  They were so much fun on Majesty, and we still talk about them from time to time.  It's one of those things that you wonder if you'll ever see someone again, and it was great to run across them.  Also, the Activities Director is Mo, who was the AD on Majesty last year as well.  

Random thoughts

- Abby and I decided that we do still like small ships, but it's more for a cruise that would be just the two of us, and not V.  Ginny is having fun, but Oasis class is a lot more for her to do.  

- There is a lot of cosmetic upgrades going on.  A lot of the things @twangster pointed out in his live blog are still existent, but seem to be slowly getting remedied.  Nothing major, but she needs a lot of paint.  Theres definite signs of salt wear and rust.  

- The GS is right beneath the Windjammer, so there is a lot of foot traffic noise.  Kind of weird, since this is the only location of suites.  

- We can also hear a lot of noise from our neighbors, and people walking down the hall.  We knew when our neighbors had their breakfast delivered this morning, and that one of them stirs cream and sugar in their coffee cup. 

- The crew have been amazing, again.  And, the small ship vibe is a change from Oasis, but one we enjoy.  

- The centrum is nice and open, but the layout of the shops is very weird.  Almost a maze to get through, and the salespeople feel a little more like used car salespeople...

 

 

Woohoo! Red Velvet Cake. I am very jealous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 11 - Nassau

This, like the rest of this journey, was our first trip to Nassau.  Not wanting to spend the crazy amount of money to go to Atlantis, we decided just to wander around a little and get a feel for the city.  We were joined in port by a couple of riff-raff, the object of my next affection, and a photo-bomber.

IMG_0996.jpeg.b3355b70450e321402f3097ad4be1bcb.jpeg

 

We were in port early, and had 12 hours to kill.  Not sure what we could do for 12 hours in Nassau, but we thought we'd at least see what was offered.  We had breakfast in Chops due to Suite status.  It was almost empty, so service was very quick.  The danish were delicious, as they were heated before serving.  After breakfast, we took V to Adventure Ocean, where she was the second kid checked-in.  We had a little of the guilty pang, but she has a good time there, so off we went to Nassau.

I had researched before, and saw that Graycliff wasn't too far from the pier.  Google Maps didn't show the elevation change, so off we went on our uphill climb.  It was a little strange when we got there, as there was nobody else really walking around.  We followed signs around the back to the cigar portion.  After a quick, self-led, tour of the cigar making area, I purchased a few cigars, then we went a looked at the pool.  It was really beautiful.

IMG_0995.thumb.jpeg.8d369084350a39f2eb9a630a9ea08e3f.jpeg

 

We stopped into the chocolate shop.  We bought a couple of items just because, but after Chocolateria Isla Bella in Cozumel, nothing very special here we thought.  We started heading back down the hill, and I was getting this weird feeling that something was getting ready to happen.  There was a large, nervous, police presence at the government building.  As we kept walking, I could feel there were crowds starting to gather along the street, and I told Abby we needed to duck into a shop real quick.  We did, to get her an Alex and Ani bracelet, and while we were inside there was a large, peaceful, protest parade that proceeded down the street.  They were protesting the Prime Minister, stating he had broken campaign promises and that the electric bills were too high.  There also was an increase in the VAT recently from 7.5% to 12%.  

After the parade passed, we headed back out to the street to walk around, and wait for a liquor store to open for some Bacardi Anejo.  It was very interesting hearing all of the different conversations going on between locals about the protest.  All of them were very civil in their discussions, with multiple points of view.  

Abby and I then stopped for lunch at Pirate Republic before heading back to the ship.  Abby had the coconut porter, and I went for the low alcohol Watermelon Weiss.  Mine was very refreshing, with a slight aftertaste of watermelon.  For food we got a pretzel, portobello fries, and chicken wings.  The wings were ok, the pretzel and cheese dip was excellent, but the portobello fries I wish I could have right now.  They were amazing.  

Back onto the ship to spend a little relaxation in a hot tub without Virginia.  When we went to pick her up around 3, she gave Abby the biggest sad face ever, so we let her stay until around 5.  Once we got her a little before 5, we stopped at the Windjammer for a quick snack.  Dinner for V was a room service pizza tonight, as we watched the Norwegian Sky and Carnival Freedom leave port.  Abby and I had won a free dinner in Chops from NextCruise, so we went there again last night.  Our view after the riff-raff left port:

IMG_0999.jpeg.c01b5bddc6e0d714522aa594525474ee.jpeg

Tonight in Chops, we decided to try different things, since it would be our third time in 2 weeks.  We both had the wedge salad first.  For a simple salad, it is very good.  Then I went with the crab cake and Abby had the shrimp cocktail.  For mains, I had the chicken and Abby had the salmon.  Both were very good, very well seasoned, and delicious.  The filet would still be my go to dish, but it was nice to have a break from red meat.  We had the fries, mushrooms, and baked potato for side dishes.  The mushrooms were very good, and far exceeded those from Oasis.  Across the board, seasoning has been much better at Chops on Enchantment.  Desserts we went with the cheesecake and the key lime pie.  Both were good.  The cheesecake was the better of the two in my opinion, but neither were life-changing.  

Abby and I then went back to the room and watched Deadpool 2 on my laptop.  We had rented it before we left, and it was nice to just relax and watch a movie.  Virginia didn't want to leave AO until story time was over, so we waited outside for a few minutes, and then brought her back downstairs to bed.  Two more sleeps and then we would be heading home...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 12 - Morning (sea day)

Breakfast this morning was in the Windjammer for us.  We slept in a little, and with it right above us, it's easy to run up and grab food.  It's been pretty tasty as well.  

After breakfast, Abby and Virginia were signed up for the cupcake class.  After seeing pictures from other classes, I assumed it would be in a dining room or something, and that it would be a lot of piping work.  With our pastry degrees, I felt confident Abby could do it with Virginia and have a nice "mommy and me" memory.  Instead, it was in the Centrum.  I went with them to watch, and it's a good thing I did.  Luckily, Abby got a glimpse of the directions that the instructor was using, so we knew what we were making, otherwise we would have been lost.  Directions were very poor, and given over a speaker that we could rarely hear.  There were about 30 people, standing in a horseshoe in the centrum, many of them young children.  It was tough for the two of us to understand what was going on, I felt so bad for some of the young girls.  There was a lot of frustration.  Eventually, Virginia gave up and sat down, while I continued with her cupcake.  Instead of piping icing, we were decorating with fondant, which is difficult for trained professionals, let alone children.  People were even asking the chef what we were making, and she kept saying it was a surprise.

IMG_1010.thumb.jpeg.0cb315c40038491718caf702797ea2a2.jpeg

Eventually we were finished with our Thanksgiving favorite..... Frogs!

IMG_1013.jpeg.ae24dd07a3d3a932eb04269736112131.jpeg

After the cupcake class, we walked around for a little while, and then headed to the MDR for lunch.  I went with the buffet option, as I love a good Tutti salad.  Also on the buffet was a carving station of beef.  There also was an array of desserts, including page favorite Red Velvet Cake.  

Today they were showing the football games in Boleros, so we went to watch my team, the Bears.  They had nachos and hot dogs set-up buffet style, which was a very nice touch.  The were also running BOGO Free drinks until 4 for Black Friday.  With the Bears win, Abby and I went and grabbed our photos that we wanted, as V had been taken to AO halfway through the game.  

There hasn't been a lot of programming going on today, and most of it has been in the Centrum.  It's been a little windy and overcast outside, so I haven't left the comfort of indoors.  It has been very cold inside though, I guess preparing us to head back to reality.  This evening we are just relaxing in the room, and debating on order room service dinner, or just running up and grabbing plates from the Windjammer and eating them in our room.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/14/2018 at 10:36 AM, Susie said:

Thanks, @betatke1480 for the info and glad you got taking care of the CK problem.

That is a great price for 3 you got. My upcoming  Anthem OTS this weekend, we paid $3200 for a balcony for me, hubby and my son (6 yrs old). No other offer. Problem for me is to the school schedule and never got any good price. I only can go during holiday or summer which price is really high. Tell the truth I feel guilty if I just book for me and hubby and not take my son so my son always goes with us everywhere. 

What is the TA you use for booking your cruise?

Anthem's Junior Suites - some have a Pullman bed and a sofa "bed".  So if you have two children who do NOT want to sleep in the same bed, they JS is fabulous, with a bath and a half, tea and coffee in room, wide balcony, and Coastal Kitchen.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, betatke1480 said:

Day 11 - Nassau

This, like the rest of this journey, was our first trip to Nassau.  Not wanting to spend the crazy amount of money to go to Atlantis, we decided just to wander around a little and get a feel for the city.  We were joined in port by a couple of riff-raff, the object of my next affection, and a photo-bomber.

IMG_0996.jpeg.b3355b70450e321402f3097ad4be1bcb.jpeg

 

We were in port early, and had 12 hours to kill.  Not sure what we could do for 12 hours in Nassau, but we thought we'd at least see what was offered.  We had breakfast in Chops due to Suite status.  It was almost empty, so service was very quick.  The danish were delicious, as they were heated before serving.  After breakfast, we took V to Adventure Ocean, where she was the second kid checked-in.  We had a little of the guilty pang, but she has a good time there, so off we went to Nassau.

I had researched before, and saw that Graycliff wasn't too far from the pier.  Google Maps didn't show the elevation change, so off we went on our uphill climb.  It was a little strange when we got there, as there was nobody else really walking around.  We followed signs around the back to the cigar portion.  After a quick, self-led, tour of the cigar making area, I purchased a few cigars, then we went a looked at the pool.  It was really beautiful.

IMG_0995.thumb.jpeg.8d369084350a39f2eb9a630a9ea08e3f.jpeg

 

We stopped into the chocolate shop.  We bought a couple of items just because, but after Chocolateria Isla Bella in Cozumel, nothing very special here we thought.  We started heading back down the hill, and I was getting this weird feeling that something was getting ready to happen.  There was a large, nervous, police presence at the government building.  As we kept walking, I could feel there were crowds starting to gather along the street, and I told Abby we needed to duck into a shop real quick.  We did, to get her an Alex and Ani bracelet, and while we were inside there was a large, peaceful, protest parade that proceeded down the street.  They were protesting the Prime Minister, stating he had broken campaign promises and that the electric bills were too high.  There also was an increase in the VAT recently from 7.5% to 12%.  

After the parade passed, we headed back out to the street to walk around, and wait for a liquor store to open for some Bacardi Anejo.  It was very interesting hearing all of the different conversations going on between locals about the protest.  All of them were very civil in their discussions, with multiple points of view.  

Abby and I then stopped for lunch at Pirate Republic before heading back to the ship.  Abby had the coconut porter, and I went for the low alcohol Watermelon Weiss.  Mine was very refreshing, with a slight aftertaste of watermelon.  For food we got a pretzel, portobello fries, and chicken wings.  The wings were ok, the pretzel and cheese dip was excellent, but the portobello fries I wish I could have right now.  They were amazing.  

Back onto the ship to spend a little relaxation in a hot tub without Virginia.  When we went to pick her up around 3, she gave Abby the biggest sad face ever, so we let her stay until around 5.  Once we got her a little before 5, we stopped at the Windjammer for a quick snack.  Dinner for V was a room service pizza tonight, as we watched the Norwegian Sky and Carnival Freedom leave port.  Abby and I had won a free dinner in Chops from NextCruise, so we went there again last night.  Our view after the riff-raff left port:

IMG_0999.jpeg.c01b5bddc6e0d714522aa594525474ee.jpeg

Tonight in Chops, we decided to try different things, since it would be our third time in 2 weeks.  We both had the wedge salad first.  For a simple salad, it is very good.  Then I went with the crab cake and Abby had the shrimp cocktail.  For mains, I had the chicken and Abby had the salmon.  Both were very good, very well seasoned, and delicious.  The filet would still be my go to dish, but it was nice to have a break from red meat.  We had the fries, mushrooms, and baked potato for side dishes.  The mushrooms were very good, and far exceeded those from Oasis.  Across the board, seasoning has been much better at Chops on Enchantment.  Desserts we went with the cheesecake and the key lime pie.  Both were good.  The cheesecake was the better of the two in my opinion, but neither were life-changing.  

Abby and I then went back to the room and watched Deadpool 2 on my laptop.  We had rented it before we left, and it was nice to just relax and watch a movie.  Virginia didn't want to leave AO until story time was over, so we waited outside for a few minutes, and then brought her back downstairs to bed.  Two more sleeps and then we would be heading home...

Oh I dock next to you at Nassau.totally forgot it. I might be on the North Star when you took that photo of Anthem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 12 - Sea Day Continued

After getting Virginia from Adventure Ocean, we just decided to go to Windjammer for dinner.  There was turkey on the menu, along with plenty of desserts and sides.  Everything was ok, but it was pretty relaxing for once because there weren't many people in the Windjammer.  After dinner, V went back to AO, and Abby and I went to pack.  Then we headed to the Centrum for the parade of flags, which is always one of my favorite things.  Then it was to bed early so we could be up early the next morning for dreaded disembarkation.

Day 13 - The final day

We awoke pretty early, at around 6:00, as the ship had been quite the rollercoaster all night.  Nothing too extreme, but a constant barrage of waves coming from the east, and we were heading north.  I got ready and headed to the shops on deck 6 to pick up our liquor from Nassau, and then threw it into the one suitcase we left in the room.  It was off to Chops for breakfast, and to meet the concierge for our express exit from the ship.  

The port had the same number of customs lanes open for Enchantment as they did for Oasis, but obviously it went much quicker with Enchantment.  We were off the ship, with our bags, by 8:30.  Then we had to wait on our pre-booked shuttle to the airport.  

We got to MCO by 10:45, checked in with SWA, and then grabbed a snack before heading through security.  The line was very short for PreCheck, and we were through in about 2 minutes.  We like to eat at Cask and Larder in the SWA portion of the terminal, so we grabbed a late lunch there before boarding.  

The flight was mostly uneventful, with some turbulence throughout.  It got a little harry close to landing.  We were probably 200 ft off the deck on approach when the pilot baled out and circled again.  There was some pretty strong rain coming down, and they had detected a wind shear.  I don't mind flying, but landings are always an anxious time for me.  Adding rain, wind, and turbulence to that really amped up the anxiety.  Virginia also picked this time to start fussing about wanting to be home.  

Finally we landed safely, and V decided that was the perfect time to fall asleep.... Bags all showed up with no issue.  The first Uber we booked cancelled on us, and then I saw him pick up another ride... Got a rescheduled Uber and headed home.  Pizza was ordered on the ride home, and arrived shortly after us.  Then it was time to check out in front of the TV for a while, and put off unpacking until the next day.  

 

Final Thoughts

- This was almost too much for us.  I think we'd have been ok with back to backs on the same ship, but having to pack, unpack, launder, and repack in the middle for the changing of ships took it out of us.  

- We didn't do any trivia or anything on Oasis, but when we wanted something to do on Enchantment, they didn't have anything scheduled.  The last sea day was pretty sparse with activities, which was kind of a let down.

- The noise bleed in our room on Enchantment was really bad, especially being in a Grand Suite, from both above and next door.  

- Chops is better on Enchantment, so was the Windjammer.  Overall though, the variety of specialty restaurants on Oasis was great.  

- If we are cruising with Virginia, I think we will have to be Voyager or Freedom class and above only.  She loved Adventure Ocean on Enchantment, but I think if we were on her for another day or two, she would have gotten tired of it.

- We are really looking forward to Anthem for 9 nights, to experience another new ship, as well as new ports and a new embarkation port.

Thank you all for following along.  Hope you all enjoyed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, betatke1480 said:

It got a little harry close to landing.  We were probably 200 ft off the deck on approach when the pilot baled out and circled again.  There was some pretty strong rain coming down, and they had detected a wind shear.  I don't mind flying, but landings are always an anxious time for me. 

My father was a pilot and he used to tell me that landings are nothing more than controlled crashes.  That is always a reassuring flashback when I am flying...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, WAAAYTOOO said:

My father was a pilot and he used to tell me that landings are nothing more than controlled crashes.  That is always a reassuring flashback when I am flying...

I feel like that's when it could all go wrong.  That speed, hitting the ground, if it's not balanced...

My dad raced cars when he was just out of college, and he always said that the difference between life and death at 100 MPH is "Ah-choo".  Multiplying that with the speed and size of a plane always have me a little on edge.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, betatke1480 said:

If we are cruising with Virginia, I think we will have to be Voyager or Freedom class and above only.

Couldn't agree with you more on this one.  I don't even look at anything under Voyager class if kids are coming and my kids are older than Virginia.

Can't wait to meet you in 222 days!  And did you get that Grand Loft Suite???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Can't wait to meet you in 222 days!  And did you get that Grand Loft Suite???

I know!  Just a short 222!  We're excited for the GC.  Bummed we aren't going to make it on the Mariner GC, but glad that it will give us the opportunity to stay in the GLS! ?Definitely agree that it's nice to ignore cruise planner sales with Star Class.  lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a great, unique blog. Loved your review and feedback. Kudos on completing your trip with it being “almost too much”. Having a young kid “almost” is def a win.

Sitting in the Doubletree in Newark now to embark on an 11 day cruise in Anthem with our four year old (YAY!). I’ll be doing a “not-live” review when I’m back and can hopefully pay it forward with some tips for little ones on that ship.

Welcome home!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...