We originally scheduled a 7-day round trip cruise leaving Barbados, with several island stops. We purchased tickets from Seattle to Miami, then to Barbados, then back to Miami and home. We selected several excursions and were planning on going March 2022. However, with the pandemic still raging we started thinking about changing plans. The CDC had a recommendation not to go to some of the islands, Barbados had several health mandates in addition to the cruise line mandates and lastly, American Airlines canceled our flight to Barbados without warning and without giving us additional options.
We selected several excursions and were planning on going March 2022. However, with the pandemic still raging we started thinking about changing plans. The CDC had a recommendation not to go to some of the islands, Barbados had several health mandates in addition to the cruise line mandates and lastly, American Airlines canceled our flight to Barbados without warning and without giving us additional options.
After reviewing several options, mostly in the Caribbean, we decided on a round trip cruise out of Baltimore with stops in Charleston, Orlando, Perfect Day in Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean’s private island) and Nassau, Bahama’s. The cruise I had taken in October also went to 3 of those ports (all but Charleston), but I was fine with that. We booked it for April 2022.
We flew to Baltimore on Wednesday, 4/20 and stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites, Inner Harbor. Our first order of business was to take our cruise mandated Covid tests. We purchased the eMed tests from the cruise line so we each took our test verified by a proctor. Both negative, whew! That’s always a relief. We walked down to the harbor that evening and had dinner at Phillips Seafood, which was great, other than the fact that they had inadvertently given one of our entrées to the wrong person, so we had to wait quite a while. They offered us free dessert for the mix-up. Didn’t need it but it was good!
Thursday morning, we got up and took an Uber to Penn Station Baltimore to catch the train to DC. It was about ½ hour ride to Union Station in DC where we go on the light rail to ride to the National Mall area. We visited the Smithsonian Castle where we had lunch, and the American History Museum before heading back to Baltimore. We got back to the hotel after 6. Anita wanted to purchase a couple bottles of wine to take on the cruise, so we found a liquor store just around the corner from the hotel and next to a pub called the Pour House. Their menu looked good, so we ate dinner then stopped at the liquor store before walking back to the hotel.
Cruise day! We had an 11:00 am check-in so we took an Uber to the cruise terminal, and we were able to get right in line with just a few people in front of us. Once we checked in, we walked up the long ramps to the ship. The first thing I noticed was that Enchantment of the Seas was considerably smaller than Oasis of the Seas which I was on in October. I’m going to break down the descriptions in categories:
Ship
Enchantment of the Seas. There really wasn’t a “promenade” deck, however the 4th, 5th and 6th decks were all open in the center. The 4th floor was the “Centrum” which was midship. Several events were scheduled daily in the Centrum area, including group games, music, napkin folding, dance classes, etc. The main dining room was on the 4th floor forward. The casino, theatre, upper level to the dining room, a bar/lounge and “services” were on the 5th floor. The shops, Café Latitudes, Schooner Bar, the Spotlight Lounge (nightclub) and the upper theatre were on 6. The main pools, Solarium, and the Windjammer restaurant were on the 9th floor. Deck 10 was the “activity” deck with a rock-climbing wall, a track and other sport options. Our room was on the 3rd floor, about mid ship.
Ports of Call and Excursions
Charleston
I love Charleston! It is such a beautiful city with a lot of rich history and beautiful architecture. We left the ship to go on a carriage ride. We spent an hour, and our guide was informative, and funny at times. After the carriage ride, we walked around town for a while then to the straw market before we got back on the ship.
Orlando
We got off the ship and went on the Ron Jon shuttle. We spent a little time looking over the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop, then we walked across the street and had the best key lime pie whle we waited for shuttle to take us back to the ship.
Perfect Day at Coco Cay
This was a favorite of mine when I went on the cruise with Mary Kaye in October 2021. This time we opted not to purchase the Coco Club beach excursion, but instead go to beach. It is one of the less active beaches and we thought it would be a good place to swim, read and just relax. We found a couple chairs under an umbrella with no trouble at all. The water was much colder than it was in October, but not so uncomfortable that I didn’t want to go in. It was a little disappointing as I didn’t expect it to be so cold. Our lunch was buffet style at the main concession area which had a lot of seating. Overall, although I really liked the Beach Club last time, this was a great bargain for free!
Nassau
Our least favorite port. We went on a land and sea tour. Our understanding was we would get a tour of the city, then get on a boat which had windows for viewing under the sea. When we were picked up our guide didn’t explain anything. We first road to an area where we were dropped off and told to wait. No explanation. After 10 minutes in the heat and wondering what was up, another tour bus came in the parking lot. The driver said to follow him, so he walked us down to a nearby marina where we got on a boat. No lower level. He did give us a guided tour of the area and eventually we anchored next to another boat. Finally, the one we were expecting with all the windows! We climbed on board that boat and were directed to the lower level. The upper level had several people waiting to get on to our boat. Once we started touring the water we were disappointed that it was so murky it was impossible to see anything but a few fish. Our guide took us to an area where he said there were schools of fish, however even there the fish were not colorful and everything was murky. Very disappointing. Eventually we went back to the spot where we had swapped boats, got on the other boat and went back to the marina. From there we got in a van and had our tour around the city. We stopped at the Queens Staircase and another spot where there were some vendors, but most people stayed on the bus. We were ready to go back to the ship. Note to self: Next time in Nassau either look for a day pass at one of the hotels, or stay on the ship!
Food
We ate in the main dining room every evening including “Dress to Impress” night. The menu had 5 “classic” choices that were options every night, and 5 specials each night, including starters, entrees, and desserts. The food was always served at the right temperature, and the service was impeccable. The rest of our meals were at the Windjammer which was “buffet” style with a lot of choices, or continental type food at the Café Latitudes. The Solarium Park Café on floor 9 had pizza daily.
Entertainment
Headliner entertainment varied every night We usually had dinner at 7 and went to the later show. We enjoyed all the entertainment. The list of shows and performers: singer Zoe Tyler, comedian George Kanter, comedy duo Alfred and Seymour (hilarious!), and two different shows with the vocal group The Alley Cats (Doo-wop) who were our favorite. We also watched karaoke throughout the week and the grand finale the last evening.
Once we docked in Baltimore, we had to get off the ship early morning, which is always the case. Our cruise did not have a Baltimore excursion with airport transfer, as several do, so we opted to go to the airport, even though we had a late afternoon flight. Although we wanted to spend more time in Baltimore, we didn’t have a way without taking our luggage with us wherever we went.
Once we got to the airport, unbeknownst to us, the airport is very small and there wasn’t an Alaska Airlines attendant until almost 4 hours later! We couldn’t even get through security until then. So, we found a small area with some tables and chairs, so we went there with our luggage to wait. Good thing I brought the 5 Crowns game with us. There were a few restaurants open, so we ate lunch while we waited.
We loved our cruise and I can’t wait to cruise again!
