Sailing the Enchantment 12 years later

By AndiD

• November 20, 2013

• Last Minute Getaway

We snuck this short cruise into our fall schedule because my husband had a week of vacation to use and we saw a good deal, offering junior suites cheaper than balcony cabins. We had sailed on the Enchantment back in 2001 so we looked forward to seeing her again. And we were not disappointed! This was a very easy, relaxed, no-hassle cruise on a beautifully-maintained older ship. The only problem we had was getting to the ship! We flew the night before into Orlando, rented a car and stayed at Downtown Disney. We thoroughly enjoyed our night there and drove to the port the next morning. When we picked up the rental car, I asked if the return facility was at the Port and the agent said "yes". I asked if there was a gas station at the Port and again, the agent said "yes". So..........we arrive at the port, follow the signs to Royal Caribbean, get up to the security booth and guess what - no return facilities and no gas station. So back we go....into town....and finally found the rental agency we needed - listed as Enterprise - even though it was Alamo. They did have a shuttle that came around about 15 minutes later to take us back to the port. It is a good thing that we are not "last minute" kind of people!

But back to the cruise: embarkation was a breeze and we went straight up to the Windjammer to wait for cabins to be available. We actually did find a table and enjoyed a typical buffet lunch.

Our cabin was #7172 - a junior suite off the back of the ship - it was great! Lots of space....upgraded bathroom (with a tub!) and a huge balcony. We met our attendant, told her we like ice twice a day, and that was all we needed to say; we had ice and a spotless cabin twice a day!

If you read Rose's review from July, she indicated that the Windjammer service was lacking, and we would agree. We schlepped our own drinks and piled the dishes to the side. They were slow to clear tables and did a half-job at that, leaving the table sticky or not wiped down at all. The food was typical, although the pastas and sauces were very good - not clumpy and quite flavorful. We had a great experience in the dining room for dinner every night. We had the Anytime Dining plan but reserved at the same time each evening and were seated in the same section each night (table for 2.) Our wait team was fabulous; they remembered our preferences, were quick with the bar drinks and took time to inquire about our day, etc. For dessert one evening I was having trouble deciding between two options. I did finally choose one but he brought both anyway - a nice suprise and something I didn't expect being on the Anytime plan. We thought the food was much better here than on our last RCI cruise.

We went to the show each evening and thoroughly enjoyed all of the entertainment. The Welcome show was a lot of fun; the singers and dancers put on two production shows that were very well-done, and the juggler/comedian was hysterical. Later in the evening they showed recent movies in the theater. We never attended but I thought that was a nice option to have.

The weather was not very cooperative. On the day we were at Cocoa Cay we woke up to heavy rain. It did clear enough at about 10:30 to send the tenders out so we went over and enjoyed a short day on a cloudy but warm beach. After the nice barbecue lunch it looked like it was going to let loose again, so we we tendered back to the ship and just made it in before the rains returned. The next day was in Nassau. We took a short island tour (very nice) and then just came back to the ship. We had not chosen this itinerary for the ports so we were happy to just walk around a bit and then relax back on the ship. Our last day at sea was windy but warm - very nice on the pool deck. Back in Port Canaveral we were looking at an 8-hour wait at the airport for our flight so we joined the tour to Kennedy Space Center. We had never been there and we were so happy that we decided to go. It was a very nice tour of the center and the grounds (Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.) The space shuttle Atlantis is housed there now along with accompanying experiences and activities. I highly recommend a visit! Being part of the tour meant that we were first off of the ship, making for a smooth and quick disembarkation. The tour included transfer to the Orlando airport where we boarded our flight and closed the book on another great cruise!