sailingrose

Welcome aboard. I'm going on the Jewel a few weeks after you. Doing Christmas with my family. Can't wait till she begins sailing so we can hear more.

Tough time of year for us to do it gogetter. DH is a CPA.

They shouldn't have promised RCI new berths unless they were going to deliver. They had been talking about it for a long time. Sorry that RCI moved as I really wanted to sail out of NY.

Lucky you! First cruise and Alaska! I've been there 3 times and will continue to go back. Here are my tips...... If you take 35mm film bring lots, film is expensive on the ship and in the ports......also a panoramic throwaway for amazing pictures of the glaciers is wonderful. Pack for layers.......t-shirt, sweater/sweatshirt, light jacket. Gloves and hats may be very useful. Also go to the dollar store and get plastic ponchos.....lots of them so you'll always be prepared in case of rain. When your done with them just toss them. Juneau, I second Orca Enterprises for the whale watching. Excellent experience! We also landed on the Mendenhall Glacier with Temsco. Also excellent. Ketchikan, we've done the Lumberjack show and the Floatplane to Misty Fjords. The Lumberjack show was lots of fun. The Floatplace was amazing!!! Absolutely beautiful! If you want to know who we used I'll look it up....as the name escapes me at the moment. Skagway, we did the helicopter to the glacier also with Temsco. Loved it! The RR is also wonderful if you like that kind of stuff. Be prepared......some of the shore excursions are very expensive but remember that this is a very special trip and you may never get the chance to do it again. Take advantage of the opportunity. Feel free to ask as many questions as you have......we'll be glad to help.

Enchantment of the Seas 9/25/03 We drove to the port and arrived at 12:30. Parking in the garage at Ft. Lauderdale was a breeze as we were the only ship leaving from the port that day. Check in was very quick and we were having lunch in the Windjammer before 1:00. The Enchantment is a Vision class ship that was built in 1997. She was in wonderful shape with very little sign of wear and tear. The itinerary on this 4 day cruise was Key West and Cozumel. We did no shore excursions having been to each port before and only went to one show that was excellent. More about that later. The ship itself is beautiful. The centrum was lovely with it's marble floors and Champagne Bar. This is where the art auctions and cooking demos were held. The casino is laid out well and we spent most of our evenings there as both my husband and I like to gamble. The staff was friendly and we had a lot of fun with them. The Dining room was lovely with a few statues and a grand staircase. The pool deck was in excellent shape and the solarium was one of our main hangouts. We enjoyed just laying out and I loved the hot tubs. No kids were ever in the solarium pool or hot tubs when I was there. There were only about 110 kids on board for this sailing. The food was the typical RCI fare. Good to excellent. Please listen to your waiter when he makes suggestions each evening as they are very honest with you and usually know which items are the best. The coffee on this ship was the worst I have ever had. Nothing helped remove the bitterness. Bring a french press or a coffee pot if you don't want to pay for the coffee at the Seattles Best kiosk in the centrum which is about $3.00 a cup and higher depending on how fancy you like your coffee. The crew was wonderful. From the cabin attendent to the purser's desk everyone was helpful and very friendly. The one show I did attend was the Beatle Maniacs. If you are a Beatles fan and love to sing their music then this show is a don't miss for sure. We sang, danced and even screamed like it was the 1960's all over again. The 4 musicians weren't trying to copy the Beatles but salute them and they did a wonderful job, from early to late Beatles. It was the finest show I have seen in years and a don't miss it if your lucky enough to be aboard with them. We also attended the Love and Marriage game that was quite funny. I do with RCI would go back to picking the couples out of a hat as the OOOeeee baby routine just has gotten old. The ship also had production shows, belly flop competion, Quest, Disco night, Horse racing, etc. I attended the Crown and Anchor Diamond and Platinum party held on the Key West Day as we were sailing out. We enjoyed meeting many of the staff and other Crown and Anchor members. This was the only recognition that the C & A members got. Usually there is a party for all the Crown and Anchor members but there was none this trip. We also received the fanny packs and the postcards in our cabin as well as our coupon books. I was surprised that we received no chocolate covered strawberries in our room as we have on all our previous trips since becoming Diamond members. Guess they are cutting back. Not a big deal as my head waiter brought me some at dinner the last evening. All in all a great cruise aboard the Enchantment of the Seas. I would not hesitate to sail her again in the future but next time bring my own coffee pot.

We Made History.......Radiance of the Seas 12/21/03 We stayed pre-cruise at the Holiday Inn on 17th. Decent hotel but no coffee pots in the room. Close to port and convenient to shopping and restaurants. There were 6 of us in 3 cabins on deck 7. 2 balconies and 1 inside. This was the first time that Port Everglades had 16 ships and 50,000 passengers sailing. We tried to get into the pier at around 10:20 and were told we couldn't. We did get in but found no where to drop our luggage. We went to the parking garage and sat there for a while and then shlepped all the suitcases across the street to the RCI area. Found a porter immediately. Went into the terminal and into the Diamond, Platinum and Suite area and waited for checkin. They served coffee and danish and later on finger sandwiches. Check in started around 11:30 and we were among the first to get on the ship. Very smooth embarkation but remember we went very early. We watched the traffic from the ship and it looked to be a mess around 1:30. The ship was as lovely as I remembered her to be. She is elegant with lots of wood accents. I enjoyed roaming the ship and rediscovering her beauty. Also met many crew members I'd sailed with before. We dropped off our carry ons at our cabin and headed upstairs to the dining room to check out our table. Then on to the Windjammer for lunch with a stop at the pool bar on the way. There I found an old friend Yoman. We sailed this same ship with him 2 years ago. After some more looking around I stopped at the Schooner Bar one of my favorites and there was Rey another one of my favorite bartenders from 2 years before. Spent plenty to time with him this week. The Schooner Bar is where they have a piano player and a sing along nightly. The Cabins: First time we had 2 cabins. Balcony for us and inside for the kids. Worth the few extra dollars to have 2 bathrooms! Small but layed out well. Still hate the shower curtain. The Ship was in excellent condition. She has been well taken care of. Very little wear shows. The Crew was always friendly and very helpful if we had questions. Our Assistant waiter Iko was outstanding. Our cabin steward and Dining room waiter were OK. We also enjoyed the Concierge club with Giusseppe Campagna. Always willing to be helpful and he had a true caring for his passengers. Hope that we meet with him again. The Casino is nicely laid out. We didn't win a fortune but we broke just about even. My 18 year old son was able to join us this time and he truly enjoyed it. Stay away from the slots........awful. My only disappointment was the Roulette table that was missing the board with the previous numbers. The staff was wonderful and very friendly. The Food. I must say I had several surprises while on board regarding the food. The Windjammer food was much better then recent cruises and I must admit I enjoyed eating breakfast and lunch there. Fresh made omlets for breakfast as well has hot and cold cereals. My usual lunch consisted of salad or sandwich. There was also fresh carved meats. Very good quality. Also loved the tuna in the Solarium cafe. They served a few kinds of rolls as well as pizza in the afternoon. Also enjoyed the nacho chips in the Seaview cafe. They came with guacamole, salsa and sour cream. Wish they had the cheese too. This cafe get very crowded at some times especially when it first opens around 2:00. The Dining room food was a true disappointment to all of us. We did enjoy the Beef Wellington. I would avoid most of the pasta sauces except the seafood pasta they served one night at dinner. The beef and pork tended to be quite tough. We had to have steak knives to cut these and sometimes it just wasn't worth the effort. The worst was the last night, Prime Rib was OK but they served my daughter a black potato. I found the food to be bland in the Dining Room but much better in the Windjammer. You won't starve but don't expect gourmet food. The Ports. St. Thomas, St Martin, San Juan, and Nassau. Really didn't do anything in any of them as this really was to be a restful trip and we have already been to all of them. Celebrating the holidays at sea........There was a Menorah lighting each evening of Hanukkah. The ship had $60,000 worth of decorations but I really felt the ship was underdecorated in comparison to our previous holiday RCI cruises. There was no tree in the centrum which was disappointing so there were no Christmas pictures taken. RCI did a marvelous job with Christmas Eve. There was caroling (the captain joined in also), a holiday show and midnight mass. On Christmas morning Santa came to all the children. The smaller ones got backpacks and the teens got beach towels. Sorry don't remember what the middle group got. You didn't have to go to Santa to get your gift if you didn't want to. The festivities were held in the Centrum and candy canes and egg nog served. When we returned to our cabins RCI had given each cabin a rolling bag. Very nice touch on their part. My family enjoyed this vacation and won't hesitate to sail RCI again. There are rumors that a new menu will be instituted next year and hopefully some improvements will be made in the Dining Room. All in all a very restful and pleasant trip.

Welcome back to the board Allison. An Affair to Remember for sure!

HAL Oosterdam? Looks like a HAL ship.

Have your kids go to the meeting on the first evening of the cruise in their respective programs. It is very important for them to start the first evening as lots of bonds are formed on that night. I doubt that your kids will be bored if the kids programs are up to par. Can't comment on Carnival's programs as it's been years since we sailed them. My kids have been sailing with us since they were 6 and 8. I have never heard either of them say they hated the cruise. My son gets seasick so that's his only complaint. My daughter would go tomorrow if we could. I hope that you chose early seating as the kids programs especially for the 8 year old are geared toward the early seating. Relax, and think positive thoughts.......also there is a teen message board on cruisecrazies.com that your older ones might use to be able to meet some friends in advance.

Have your kids go to the meeting on the first evening of the cruise in their respective programs. It is very important for them to start the first evening as lots of bonds are formed on that night. I doubt that your kids will be bored if the kids programs are up to par. Can't comment on Carnival's programs as it's been years since we sailed them. My kids have been sailing with us since they were 6 and 8. I have never heard either of them say they hated the cruise. My son gets seasick so that's his only complaint. My daughter would go tomorrow if we could. I hope that you chose early seating as the kids programs especially for the 8 year old are geared toward the early seating. Relax, and think positive thoughts.......also there is a teen message board on cruisecrazies.com that your older ones might use to be able to meet some friends in advance.

Have your kids go to the meeting on the first evening of the cruise in their respective programs. It is very important for them to start the first evening as lots of bonds are formed on that night. I doubt that your kids will be bored if the kids programs are up to par. Can't comment on Carnival's programs as it's been years since we sailed them. My kids have been sailing with us since they were 6 and 8. I have never heard either of them say they hated the cruise. My son gets seasick so that's his only complaint. My daughter would go tomorrow if we could. I hope that you chose early seating as the kids programs especially for the 8 year old are geared toward the early seating. Relax, and think positive thoughts.......also there is a teen message board on cruisecrazies.com that your older ones might use to be able to meet some friends in advance.

Nice Pictures. Thanks

Nice Pictures. Thanks

Nice Pictures. Thanks

Welcome back!

Welcome back!

Welcome back!

Wine for the mostpart. Sailinglisa whats an Ocean Breeze and Bishop's Mitre?

Wine for the mostpart. Sailinglisa whats an Ocean Breeze and Bishop's Mitre?

Wine for the mostpart. Sailinglisa whats an Ocean Breeze and Bishop's Mitre?

Wouldn't want a job on a ship but if I had to ........ Bartender. I did this in my past life and really enjoyed it. You hear and see lots of interesting things for sure.

Wouldn't want a job on a ship but if I had to ........ Bartender. I did this in my past life and really enjoyed it. You hear and see lots of interesting things for sure.

Wouldn't want a job on a ship but if I had to ........ Bartender. I did this in my past life and really enjoyed it. You hear and see lots of interesting things for sure.

I have about 4 years worth. I've looked back at many of them particularly for the wonderful ship articles. Would never throw our cruise info.........

I have about 4 years worth. I've looked back at many of them particularly for the wonderful ship articles. Would never throw our cruise info.........