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My Reviews of this Cruise
We sailed on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas western itinerary on May 23, 1999. This was our third cruise and our second with Royal Caribbean. The first was on the Grandeur, so the ships were pretty much identical. There were 7 people in our group who included myself (32), my husband (35), my father (62), my mother (51), my niece (9) and my husbands Aunt (53) and Uncle (57). Day Prior We purchased the air/sea program with the air deviation so we were able to choose which flights we wanted and had more control over arrival and departure times. The $35 per person you spend for the air deviation is well worth the additional cost in my opinion. We arrived in Miami around 4:30 PM where a Royal Caribbean representative was waiting and took us directly to a bus and then to the hotel. We stayed in the Miami Airport Hilton, a very nice and clean hotel. We arrived fairly late so we didn’t have much of an opportunity to look around that evening but the next morning we did and I loved the hotel's grounds. The hotel itself was very beautiful and had a very nice pool area. The hotel was also surrounded by a lake where we were able to see baby alligators and a few turtles swimming around. After taking a short look around we then checked in for our cruise and activated our SuperCharge cards. Last year we had to activate them onboard the ship, which took more time, so this was a nice improvement over last year. Next was breakfast in the Coral Café and for a buffet style breakfast it was great. After breakfast we sat by the pool until 11:00 when it was time to board the bus and be taken to the pier. After arriving at the pier we were able to walk right on ship and get settled into our cabins. Cabins There were 7 people in our group so we booked 3 category C cabins for all of us. When we checked in for the cruise one couple in our group had been upgraded to a category B. I loved our cabin but after seeing their cabin we booked our next cruise with a category B. The category B cabins have more amenities than what is described in the brochure and by reading the brochure the only difference seems to be in the size of the room but it's much more than that. For one thing there is a much larger sitting area, there's a small bar area, a lot more storage space with full length mirrors on all four closest doors, a much larger TV with a VCR (not so important), a stereo system, cushioned lounge chairs on the deck, two sinks in the bathroom, storage drawers in the bathroom and a very large tub. I'm sure there's more but I can't remember all of them. Our cabin number was 8042 and as before we enjoyed the balcony immensely and were glad we were able to have one. I spent every evening just sitting on the balcony enjoying a few moments alone and listening to the sound of the waves. The storage space in our cabin was more than the two of us could use and the bathroom was larger than the Category D we had on the Grandeur last year. The cabin in general was bigger than the category D so we were very satisfied with the amount of room we had. The only item I would like to see them add would be a hair dryer. Our cabin assistant, Rosalinda, was outstanding and did a great job with my 9-year-old niece, Rachelle. She gave her a pile of mints every night and even gave her an entire box to take home to her classmates. Rachelle enjoyed her company so much she went out of her way every time we were anywhere near the cabin to say hello to Rosalinda and even stayed to help her clean the room on a few occasions, something we can't get her to do at home. She attended to our every need and never missed a thing, the best I have had yet. Ship & First Day After settling into our rooms we took a moment to look around the ship, take a look at the surroundings and check out the kids center. Of course the atrium is beautiful and gives the ship a more open feeling. The lounge chairs available on each deck surrounding the atrium make for a nice area to sit quietly and enjoy a drink. The schooner bar has a calming atmosphere and is nice in the evening, especially if you enjoy piano music and it never seemed overly crowded. In fact we never felt crowded except at the pool and even then it wasn't unbearable. We then went to the Windjammer for lunch but there wasn't a single thing that looked good and I was very disappointed, especially when compared to the Grandeur last year. By the time the Muster Drill was over our bags had arrived so we unpacked and got ready for dinner. We missed the Bon Voyage because the ship was late sailing and by the time we were sailing away we were in the dinning room having dinner. When we first arrived at the dining room we discovered two people in our group weren't seated with the rest of us but we immediately spoke with the Maitre`D and he put us at a different table to fit our entire group. We had the main seating for dinner and after having both I've decided the late seating is best for me. With the main seating we always felt rushed to get to dinner on time but considering we had a child with us it was probably best for this trip. Our waiter, Sylvian from Romania, was not that great at first but he did improve as the week went on. We loved our assistant waiter, Lincoln from Jamaica, and for the first time we had an outstanding headwaiter, Downtown Brown from Jamaica. On previous cruises we never saw much of the headwaiter except for the last evening when he came around to collect his tips. This is why I never tipped the headwaiter before but this guy was great and well deserving of a tip if just for his friendliness. He came to our table every night and spent a few minutes talking and actually listening to us. He seemed to take an active role in making sure everything was to our liking. I would tip the headwaiter every time if they were more like this guy. We missed the entertainment for this evening, so I'm not sure how it was. Day Two - Key West We were up early for breakfast in the Windjammer, which was adequate but nothing special. We didn't have any excursions planned for this day so we were able to take our time getting ready. Just a few of us got off the ship and went into Key West for a look around. The ship provided free transportation into the center part of Key West by way of the conch trains. They ran about every 20 minutes and you could catch a ride back from the same location you were dropped off. After an hour or so of wondering around we returned to the ship and went to the Viking Crown Lounge for the ultimate view as were pulling away from port. I was surprised to see how empty this room was during the day considering it's great view, especially when pulling away from a port. This became our routine look out point whenever we left port. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner again. Tonight's menu was French. A few people in our group were feeling adventurous and tried the escargot. They said it actually tasted good unlike their previous experiences when it was gritty and tasted burned. I think that's part of what makes cruising so much fun is being a little more adventurous in you food selections and even my father loosened up and tried a few new things. He even liked most everything he tried. The entertainment this evening was a comedian Norm Crosby. We all enjoyed his humor and had a great time. Tonight was also the Galley Buffet at midnight and according to my father was some of the best food he had eaten on the cruise. Day Three - Cozumel My parents were up very early this morning (like every morning) and were able to see a whale off in the distance. It was about 5:00 AM and although it wasn't very close they were still able to make it out as did a few other people who were out that early. I was very disappointed I didn't see the whale but we were able to see dolphins on two other occasions on this cruise. First we went on the Ocean View excursion, which was very nice and even informative. My family had never seen anything like this before so they were quite amazed by it. My father was a little uneasy at one point when you could no longer see the ocean floor beneath us but he was OK and thought it was one of the highlights of our trip. Next we were off to Chancanaab Park for the Dolphin Discovery swim with the dolphins. We had reserved this event over the Internet well in advance of our tip so we wouldn't miss out. It was an experience of a lifetime and I would recommend it to anyone who loves dolphins. After that we did some snorkeling in the park and then back on the ship. A couple in our group did the Cozumel Scuba Tour, which took them to Palancar Reef and they were very impressed. They said the diving was the best they had ever seen and the guides were extremely helpful and courteous (unlike the dive they did in Key West the previous day). They said there was a variety of fish and some of the largest Angel fish they had ever seen. We boarded the ship at 7:00, too late for dinner (which was Italian) so it was up to the Windjammer and what a disappointment that was. The food was once again terrible, so we opted for room service instead. On the Grandeur last year I remembered the Windjammer food being very good so it surprised me when I couldn't find anything I liked. The entertainment for tonight was a comedian, Dave Heenan, and a comedian/juggler, Dan Bennett. My niece was with us at this show and she was laughing with the rest of us, especially when the juggler came on. On our previous cruises we didn't go to any shows so I was determined to see at least a couple of shows and I must say I really enjoyed them and will plan to see more on our next cruise. Day Four - At Sea A much-needed day at sea was both relaxing and enjoyable. We were able to sleep in just a bit, stroll around the ship, look at our pictures and then have lunch in the dining room. I must say the dining room was far superior to the food in the Windjammer. Next it was off to the pool for a little lounging. By the time we arrived at the pool (around 2:00) most of the chairs were being used but we were finally able to find 3 chairs together so we took a seat and listened to the calypso music (a very nice touch). Of course there were the usual activities by the pool like the belly flop contest and horse racing but aside from these activities the pool itself wasn't too crowded. After baking in the sun we were off to the showers and then dinner. Tonight's menu was America the Beautiful. I had the Stir Fried Shrimp and Crisp Oriental Vegetables with Fried Rice, which was very tasty and another favorite of mine. Most everyone else had the prime rib and since this is one of my father's favorite dishes I was happy to hear from him that it tasted great and was done to perfection. The entertainment for this evening was the "Sweet Dreams" performance. I really enjoyed this performance but I think it would have been much better had we been sitting further from the stage, especially for the illusion portion of the show. In fact I would suggest sitting in the balcony for the best results. Day Five - Jamaica Today we decided to explore Jamaica on our own since we had been there before. I know a lot of people don't like Jamaica but we have enjoyed it both times and have never felt frightened or unsafe. We hired a taxi for the day at $20 per person and our first stop was the Prospect Plantation. The driver of the jitney at the plantation and the tour guide were fabulous and very friendly and the scenery was spectacular. Since Royal Caribbean has cancelled all plantation excursions until their investigation is over the only way to see this is on your own and I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy scenic tours. I'm sure it's not the best available but the tour guides really made it enjoyable. After the plantation we were off to Dunn's River Falls for a refreshing climb up the falls. We all enjoyed the falls but going through the maze of street vendors to get out of the park was an uncomfortable event for me (I don't like to barter). The people were very pushy and quite rude when I wouldn't buy anything. I later discovered that several people in our group went back through the entrance to get out of the park rather than the marked exit and were able to avoid this area and is highly recommended to those who don't like this type of shopping. My husband on the other hand loves to barter so I always go back to the ship and let him do the shopping. After the falls all of us returned to the ship except for my husband who wanted to do more shopping. The driver took him to a shopping center in town. The reason I mention this is because our driver kept telling us the prices in town were cheaper and they had more to choose from but I figured he was only saying this because he got kick backs for taking us to his people. Although this me still me true my husband did say the driver was right and the prices and selection were much better where he took him. He also said the people were not as pushy as those at the falls. Tonight was Caribbean Night for dinner so most everyone had the lobster and loved it. I chose the Beef Tenderloin, another favorite. We missed the entertainment this evening but our friends caught the show and said they didn't really care for it. It was the magic act of LaRaf and according to our friends they only did 4 tricks during the entire show and spent most of the time strutting around the stage and showing off their bodies. Day Six - Grand Cayman My husband and I chose to do the "Research Submarine" excursion which goes down to a depth of 1,000 feet. This was one of the highlights of our trip since this is the only place in the world where the public has the opportunity to go to these depths. There wasn't much to see at 1,000 feet but as you got closer to the surface (about 400 feet) we saw some very beautiful coral and a few fish. You should also know that the submarine only fits two passengers and a guide with little or no room to move. You sit on the floor crossed legged with the guide directly behind you. In other words if you are the least bit claustrophobic DO NOT go on this excursion but otherwise it is highly recommended. Next we went to Sting Ray City (sandbar). My niece was really excited about being able to swim with stingrays but once in the water and seeing how large they were she became hysterical and screamed until we took her back to the boat. After she watched my mother and me touching them and getting our pictures taken with them and she could see she wasn't going to get hurt she suddenly decided she was tuff and wanted back in the water. We never got brave enough to actually feed them but enjoyed the experience just the same. A word of advice, if you want to feed the sting rays don't wait until you feel more comfortable being in the water with them because the food will probably be gone by then. There were a few people who were upset because by the time they decided to try and feed the sting rays, the food was gone, so watch for the guy who brings out the bucket of squid because on our tour they didn't announce it. I was a little surprised by the aggressiveness of the stingrays even though we were warned about it before getting into the water. It was a little startling when you look around and you are surrounded by stingrays and then you feel them brushing up against you. Tonight was the Captain's Gala menu and most of us had the Filet Mignon and thought it was superb. The entertainment was a singer/impressionist, Martin Dube, which I missed but others in our group caught and absolutely loved it. In fact, they felt it was the best show of the entire trip, a must see according to them! Day Seven - At Sea Today was another day at sea and unfortunately the last day of the cruise. Today we decided to try the dining room for breakfast and we really enjoyed it. The menu has the regular choices you might find in a restaurant. The food was great and much better than in the Windjammer. This time we decided to get to the pool early so we could find chairs but to my surprise most of the chairs were already being saved with a book, shoes, shirts, etc. and this was at 9:00 am. We couldn't find two chairs together so we had to move some chairs around in order to be next to each other. My father was up early this morning and said most of the chairs were already saved when he was up at 7:00 am. We spent the remainder of the day roaming the ship and relaxing on our balconies. For lunch we ate in the Solarium (which was where we ate most of our lunches) we had pizza, hot dogs and fries. I am a fry lover and these were some of the best fries I have had. Tonight's menu was International. I had the pasta and although I wasn't very hungry it was very good. Some also had the duck and thought it was very good and others had the prime rib again. The entertainment was "Flashback" and although I missed it others in our group really enjoyed it and felt it was another must see. I also want to mention the kids program. Rachelle attended the program every day and had a great time. The kids seemed to be well entertained and watched pretty close. On one of the evenings Rachelle chose to stay for the 10:00 pm to 1:00 am program and at $4 per hour it wasn't a bad deal. We checked on her about every hour because we figured she would get tired and want to go to bed but to our surprise she stayed up and had a blast. She did however crash as soon as we got back to the cabin and fell asleep in her clothes. There seemed to be a lot of activities for the kids and the supervisors were great. Rachelle made a few friends and was really excited to meet a girl from England. Before the cruise ended they exchanged addresses and plan to write to each other. According to Rachelle she had the best time of her life on this cruise and can't wait to go on another one. So if you're not sure if your child would enjoy a cruise rest assured they would have a great time and it would be a great experience for them. Disembark Always the saddest part of the trip but it all went very smooth. Before we knew it our fantasy week had ended and we were back to reality eating airline food. Everyone in our group had a great time and couldn't wait to book the next cruise. My parents were told by another couple who had been on a cruise that they would get bored but it was actually just the opposite for us. We felt like we were always rushing and doing something every minute but we still didn't get to do everything we wanted to do. The next cruise for me will have more days at sea and I will do fewer excursions on the islands. In short we had a great cruise. The food in the dining room was great, the Windjammer for breakfast was good but any other time pretty poor and the pizza, hot dogs and fries in the solarium were very tasty (especially the fries). The evening shows I saw were great, and most of the staff was very pleasant. The islands were beautiful and the activities we chose at each island were perfect. The ship in general looked very clean to me but I didn't go looking for flaws either. A great experience overall for everyone in our group and something we will be talking about for years to come.
Me (age 33) and my friend Paula (age 40) sailed on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas western itinerary on October 22, 2000. We wanted to go without any men so we could relax and not have to worry about taking care of anyone else. I also thought it would be nice to be able to get dressed up for dinner without having to struggle with my husband about getting dressed. This was my sixth cruise, my fourth with Royal Caribbean and my third on the Enchantment of the Seas. This was Paula’s second cruise, her first cruise was about 15 years ago on Costa Cruise Lines so she was in for a treat. Day Prior We purchased our airline tickets through the cruise line with the air deviation so we could choose which flights and times we wanted. Our flights went smooth and we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale about 5:30 PM. The Royal Caribbean representative was at the gate waiting for our arrival and we were immediately taken to the bus and then to our hotel. We had been given the day prior hotel, compliments of Royal Caribbean since we were flying in from the west coast. We stayed at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport Sheraton Hotel. The entrance to the hotel was nice and our first impression was good but upon inspection of our room our opinions soon changed. The room itself was nice enough but looked a little worn. Paula had not slept for 3 days straight and I had only gotten a couple hours of sleep. We were both pretty exhausted so we decided to relax in our room for the remainder of the day/evening. We watched “A Perfect Storm”, ordered room service and then went to bed. Unfortunately the wall of this hotel must be really thin because we could hear the people in the next room and also anyone who was talking the halls. Another irritation was we could smell cigarette smoke coming from the ventilation vents, which we assumed was coming form the room next to ours. I’m not use to cigarette smoke so it was very repulsive and made it even hard to sleep. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone and if I had to do it all over again I would pay the extra money to stay in a nicer hotel. Embarkation We were up fairly early (about 6:00 AM) and were ready by 8:00 AM for our cruise check in. It was all very efficient and we had our onboard charge cards and boarding pass by 8:30. After checking in we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and returned to our room to pack up. Although the cruise line provides your transportation to the pier we didn’t want to wait that long so we took a taxi to the pier, which cost us only $12. Once there we waited until about 11:00 and were able to board the ship. Everyone else at the pier had to go through the entire check in process first before they could board and the guests at the hotels hadn’t arrived yet so we were some of the first people on. We went directly to our cabin. I had been on this ship twice before and had stayed in this category of cabin so I knew what to expect but it was all new for Paula. We were in cabin #8010, category B, “Grand Ocean View Suite”. Paula was more than pleased with the cabin and especially loved the balcony. Although she had been on a cruise before it was quite a long time ago and the ships were nothing like they are today so she was quite impressed with the elegance and vastness of this ship. After dropping off our carry on bags we decided to roam the ship and look around a bit. It was all very nice and I was relieved that Paula was happy with the ship thus far. While roaming the ship we stopped by the Salon to make our hair appointments for the two formal nights and ended up taking the tour of the salon. They take you through each of the services they offer and I must say it is a great selling tactic, especially for Paula. She made an appointment for a foot massage, the “De-Stresser” routine, and then the “Seaweed Wrap and Massage”. Next on our list of things to do was to decide on our excursions and turn them, which was done by 3:00 PM. After looking around we decided to go to the Windjammer Café for some lunch. The food was good and we returned to our cabin to begin unpacking. The storage on this ship is more than sufficient with plenty of room left. About 4:30 we attended the lifeboat drill (Muster Drill) and returned to our cabin for the Bon Voyage. Of course we opened a bottle of Pierre Jouet champagne and made a toast to a great cruise ahead. As we left the port we were both excited about the coming week and couldn’t believe it was finally here. We went down to the shopping area and bought a few items then returned to our cabin to get ready for dinner. Paula had her foot massage before dinner and enjoyed it immensely. We had the late seating (8:30 PM) for dinner and were assigned to a table of 10. Four of our tablemates had already arrived but four others were still missing. There was Raneek from New York, her half sister, Karen, from Jamaica and a husband and wife couple, Helen and Murray, from Pennsylvania. Our first impression of our tablemates was that Karen and Raneek seemed to be uncomfortable but Helen and Murray were quite talkative. For dinner I had the steak and Paula had the Prime Rib and we both thought it was very good. After dinner Paula wanted to do a little gambling so I returned to our cabin and she went to the casino. She ended up gambling until about 1:30 in the morning but finally returned to our cabin to get some sleep. Day Two - Key West We were supposed to be up early for an excursion but our tickets never
arrived. They were supposed to be
delivered the night before but since it was their mistake we were able cancel it
and sleep in a little. We were up
by 9:30 and had a very nice breakfast delivered by room service out on our
balcony. We got ready and left the
ship around 11:00 AM for a little shopping in Key West.
The ship docked right down town so we were able to get off the ship and
be right down town without taking the conch train like we had to on my previous
visit to Key West. The harbor was beautiful and Key West is a very pleasing
little place to visit, a much nicer location for the ship to dock.
We shopped for about an hour and then returned to the ship to prepare for
our busy night ahead. Paula went to
her “De-Stress” appointment while I stayed in the cabin to have a little
quiet time and listen to some music. Our
hair appointments were fairly early so we had to begin getting ready for dinner
and then went to our appointments at 5:30.
We returned to our cabin and finished getting ready.
Tonight was the “Captain’s Welcome Aboard” party before dinner
which we attended. From there we
went directly to the dining room and as we walked in I saw Julian (the
headwaiter) who remembered me from my previous cruises.
Day Three- Cozumel The ship didn’t even dock in Cozumel until noon today so we slept in a little and finally got up around 11:00 AM. We left the ship around 12:30, did a little shopping and then left for our swim with the dolphins at Chankanaab Park which we booked on our own in advance. First we had to sit through a video orientation that took about 20 minutes and then it was off to get in the water with the dolphins. The first 30 minutes was for structured activities. The first activity was the push off where the two dolphins come up from underneath you and they use their noses to push on your feat to push you out of the water. I didn’t do this activity because I was a little nervous but Paula was the first to volunteer. Next was the dolphin pull where the two dolphins swim up beside you and you grab a hold of their fins to be pulled back and I did do this one. The last activity was the jump where they have two people go out in the middle and they hold a pole for the dolphins to jump over. They also had the dolphins give each of us a kiss. After all the activities it was the freestyle portion of the swim where we got to swim freely with the dolphins. Although the dolphins never really got close enough or held still long enough for us to really have contact with them, it was still a lot of fun trying to catch up with them. I would have to say it was one of the neatest experiences of my life and I would do it again. After the swim we were going to do some snorkeling but Paula remembered she had made another appointment on the ship, this time to have her hair colored, so we returned to the ship. I chose to stay in the cabin again and enjoy some time alone while listening to some Kenny G music. I started to get a little worried after about 2 ½ hours so I called the Salon to make sure Paula was still there and sure enough she was. She probably thought I was nuts for checking up on her but I’ve never known it to take that long so I was a little concerned. The whole thing ended up taking about 3 hours but she said they did a very good job. We rushed to get ready for dinner. We both had the Ravioli for dinner and the banana cream pie for dessert. The food was again very tasty. We returned to our cabin and called it a night but still stayed up pretty late talking. Day Four - At Sea Our Dinner with the Captain (I am on the left side of the Captain and Paula is on the right.)
Day Five - Grand Cayman We were up early for our first excursion (8:30 AM) of the day to Stingray City. I tried to explain to Paula what to expect but I don’t think she really understood until we headed out to sea. I told her it was out in the middle of the ocean but she still thought it was off the shore of a small island and of course it was not. She was excited and still a little nervous so I went in the water first but it only took her a couple of minutes before she was headed to the food bucket to feed the stingrays. I didn’t feel comfortable feeding them so I just watched her enjoying it. She hesitated for a second when she saw the squid in the food bucket then dove right in and grabbed a handful of squid. She wasn’t uncomfortable at all feeding the stingrays and enjoyed it quite a bit. Paula’s not at all afraid of animals and loves to have any sort of interaction with them. Our next excursion was on the “Atlantis Research Submarine”, which goes down to a depth of 800 feet. It took us about 15 minutes to get down to 800 feet but it took about 30 minutes to go back up since we were taking our time to look at all the beautiful corals. Grand Cayman is the only place in the world where the general public can go to this depth and we were glad we had the opportunity. This was my second time but it was Paula’s first and she really enjoyed it. We were both impressed with all the colorful corals and although we didn’t see many fish we felt it was well worth the time and money. We were both pretty tired so we returned to the ship to relax a little before dinner. Paula stayed in the room for a little time alone and I went up top to take in the sunset and try and get some good photos. While we were dressing for dinner a plate of chocolates was delivered to our cabin from Cheryl at the Pursers Desk who had helped us on several occasions when my SuperCharge card was demagnetized. She was very helpful and extremely nice and seemed to really hit it off with Paula. I had the Shrimp Scampi and the Spaghetti for dinner and Paula had the steak. After dinner we watched the Newlywed Game and then returned to our cabin to prepare for bed. Day Six - Jamaica Our excursion to the Brimmer Hall Plantation left at 8:30 AM so we were up early and had breakfast in the Windjammer. We boarded a bus and had a 45-minute drive to the plantation. Once there we had a little time to do some shopping and then boarded a jitney for a tour of the plantation. We learned that pantyhose are made from the banana tree. It was all very beautiful. We were back on the bus for the ride to our next stop at the Taj Mahal for some shopping. Neither Paula nor I did much shopping but we did buy a few small items. Our final stop was Dunn’s River Falls where we climbed a 600-foot waterfall. Everyone holds hands and helps each other up the falls making it easier to get up some of the more difficult spots. The water was cool and felt very good in the hot humid air. The climb was fairly easy for both of us and we had a lot of fun doing it. The only time I felt pressured was by the tour guide. She kept trying to get us to have our hair braided and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I really don’t like that look and the people in Jamaica don’t do a very good job or at least that’s my opinion. The braids are too thick which is why they can do them so fast. Since it had been a long day for us we returned to the ship to prepare for our next formal night. We had hair appointments again and this time we were both finished within 20 to 30 minutes. Tonight I was a little braver than I usually am and tried the Escargot. It didn’t taste too bad and I doubt I would ever eat it again but at least I can say I’ve tried it. For dinner we both had the Lobster Tail and Filet Mignon. Paula ordered us a bottle of our favorite Champagne, Pierre Jouet. After dinner we wondered the ship until 11:30 when we went through the dining room to take pictures of the Gala Buffet. I am amazed every time I see this display and can’t believe the things they can do with food. Paula was also astonished with the beautiful display of food and kept saying she couldn’t believe it. Next we decided to go to the theater to watch the comedian, Dave Heenan, until it was time to actually eat some of the food in the buffet. We had some shrimp, a couple of chocolate covered strawberries, and best of all, a piece of very good carrot cake. We finally decided to return to our cabin and called it a night. Day Seven - At Sea Today we slept until 1:30 and then rushed to get ready in time to make it to the dining room for lunch. We made it just in time for Paula to order the Monte Cristo and I ordered a pasta dish with a white cream sauce. It was a very good lunch and we were glad we were able to make it since we hadn’t eaten in the dining for any other meal beside dinner. We then roamed the ship and bought a few last minute items and pictures. We finally made it up to the Viking Crown Lounge and Paula was impressed with the great view and so few people so we sat and enjoyed a couple of daiquiri’s. Unfortunately it was now time to begin packing but not before we watched the sunset and what a beautiful sight. It was very peaceful to sit on our balcony and enjoy the sunset in privacy. Dinner tonight was a little more dower than other nights with the pending end of our most perfect cruise. Even so, it was a very nice evening with our tablemates. For dinner we both had the steak, quite good as usual. We said all of our good byes and well wishes to everyone and then went to the Viking Crown Lounge for one last daiquiri. We reluctantly returned to our cabin, put our luggage out and then went to bed. Disembark Although we were sorry to see our cruise come to an end we still had one last excursion before going to the airport so we did have something to look forward to. We were up by 6:00 AM so we could enjoy a relaxing breakfast in the dining room and indeed it was. We met in the Fascination Rhythm Lounge for our Everglades tour and left the ship by 9:00 AM. A bit of advice for those who have not yet disembarked in Ft. Lauderdale on Royal Caribbean. Previously in Miami when you left the ship and collected you luggage you would then take your luggage to the appropriate airlines truck and check in right at the pier so you wouldn’t have to do it at the airport and they would then take your luggage. That is not how they do it in Ft. Lauderdale. If you want to check your luggage at the pier then you need to check in on the ship, before you disembark. Apparently they changed their procedure and each airline has a table set up by the theater where you can check in but we never saw it so we were forced to take our luggage on the tour and then check it at the airport. Once at the “Sawgrass Recreation Park” we were loaded on an airboat to be taken out in the everglades in search of alligators. Our first sight of an alligator was from quite a distance but the second site was very close-up and personal. I even got a little nervous at one point because the alligator was so close to the boat but Paula wasn’t at all and traded me places so she could get a better picture. After the airboat ride we toured the park. The first area was the alligator exhibit where we were allowed to hold a baby alligator and of course Paula couldn’t wait but I passed on the opportunity. Next we were taken on a bit of a historical tour explaining the history of the Indians in the Ft. Lauderdale area and then to the best part of this entire excursion. We were taken to an area with a few different animals but the most exciting animal was the endangered Florida Panther where we were allowed to enter the area with the panther and pet him. I couldn’t believe they were letting us do this but it was so exciting that I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity and Paula was the first to volunteer. It was probably one of the neatest things I have ever done. It cost $5 and it was more than worth it. After the excursions we boarded the bus, which took us to the airport. When the bus dropped us off at the terminal we were told the bus isn’t allowed to stop in front of the terminal so instead they drop you off several yards beyond. It’s so far down that there are no sky cap people to take the luggage and you have to try and drag it back to the terminal. My bags are all very large and heavy so it was very difficult to manage. Just one more reason to make sure you check your luggage at the pier. Our trip was finally over and we were boarding our plane home but we had a lot of great experiences and a lot of fun. |
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He
was my headwaiter on two other cruises and I couldn’t believe he remembered me
but that’s probably why he’s so good.
Today
was a day for relaxing and we took full advantage.