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March 9, 2009
 This
article is in reference to the first
cruise we took in 2009
http://www.icangarden.com/pix/jpgs/cruiseRC-2009/Slideshow-Cruise2009/index.html
and then again in 2010 -
http://www.icangarden.com/pix/jpgs/CruiseRC-2010/Slideshow-Cruise2010/index-new.html
March 2009
So...You Want to Go Cruising? Don't Miss
The One Then!
Cruising in Panama Aboard The Royal
Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
7 night Southern Caribbean Cruise
It had been a while since we had last
cruised…and when I arranged this cruise
I wondered at the size of the ship – it
was large and held a lot of people –
2,730 to be exact…would we get lost on
the ship? Would we be treated like
cattle, have long lines to wait for to
do anything off the ship? What was it
going to be like boarding the ship for
the first time? I am sure you might have
the same questions and I am here to tell
you that it was perfect – in every way.
The Enchantment of the Seas went through
a major overhaul in 2005 which gave it
73 extra feet in length. This ship is
spacious, modern and full of activity.
It is run by people who care about you
as an individual – from our cabin
attendants’ right up to the Captain and
yes, we even had a chance to visit the
Bridge as well as the Kitchen.
When you decide to book a cruise with
RCI you are given a Reservation ID. This
ID is in the system and when you log on
using your ID you are taken to your area
where you are able to pre book off shore
activities, pre order any items you may
need and tick off the list of things to
be done prior to your sail. It’s called
Countdown to Cruise and it does simplify
things. When you arrive at the port –
for us, it was the Port of Colon in
Panama – you are directed very
efficiently to your sign in station,
your luggage is taken and then you board
the ship. Simple as that. You can have a
rest in your stateroom or watch the
others coming on board until you sail.
Very impressive but it does make sense
to get there early because as the time
draws down to when the ship leaves,
there is always a flurry of activity and
luggage. I would much rather get there
early and enjoy the experience on ship,
getting to know where things are and
having lunch than madly rushing to get
there.
We set off on our adventure by enjoying
a wonderful meal that night, then taking
in the nightly show. Off to bed because
tomorrow we were arriving in Cartagena,
Columbia.
There were many people signed up for the
excursions but we find it more relaxing
to just go at our own pace. Getting off
the ship was a breeze and off we went.
We took a cab and had the driver stop at
the places that he thought we should see
and we were not disappointed one bit.
This was a fabulous city to visit.
Surrounded by a 12 foot high stone wall
which took 194 years to build, this city
of pastel coloured walls and splashes of
brightly coloured banners and flowers
was a delight. There are even some
buildings that have been fully restored
showing off their Spanish colonial
architecture while others are still in
their original condition – a sight that
I find endearing. After all this touring
around we headed back to the ship for
some r & r. After dinner and the show,
it was off to our stateroom to discover
the first of many ‘little towel animals’
who would greet us each night upon our
return. Our next port of call was Santa
Marta, Colombia. Again many things to do
here like the city tour, or the
botanical garden or just walking around
and discovering for yourself. Santa
Marta was founded by Rodrigo de Bastides
in 1525. Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino:
Built in the 17th century, was the last
home of Simon Bolivar, and today it is a
house/museum in his honor. There are
also other beautiful places to visit
like the Cathedral and the Customs
House.
Part of the fun of a cruise is that you
have nothing to worry about. You arrive,
unpack then enjoy and eat…so, that being
said one must watch their weight,
especially on this ship where there were
so many places to eat and so many
varieties of food that it still staggers
me to think about. The ship has an
excellent fitness room that faces out
the front so you can walk on that
treadmill for as long as you want and
enjoy the scenery along the way. Below
the fitness room there is a spa where
you can get glammed up or totally vegged
out. The choice is yours and every time
we walked through it on our way to
exercise it had the nicest floral
fragrance.
Oranjestad, Aruba was our next port of
call and after a restful night – did I
tell you that the staterooms are oh so
quiet and of a good size too? Just
remember to watch how many suitcases
your bring as you have to store them in
your room.
I should also tell you that at each port
there is a stand where you can ask the
locals questions and pick up maps.
Again, as I mentioned, the ship is very
well organized and when you do get to a
port you don’t have to go off right away
if you are not booked on an excursion,
you can take your time and go when you
want..it is wonderful.
The historic Dutch Capital of Aruba,
Oranjestad is a cool and fun place to
visit. We walked over to the town as it
was very close to where the port was.
Past the town there is a hotel resort
that you can walk along the beach and
there you will find the neatest
critters. Iguanas every where, sunning
themselves and munching on lettuce when
we arrived courtesy of a hotel guest.
The beach was gorgeous and so warm to
walk along the water just enjoying
having nothing to do, no one to account
too, in no hurry to go anywhere…that is
what a holiday should be about. We then
took our time walking around this
beautiful city with its gaily coloured
buildings. Located about 20 miles off of
Venezuela, Aruba is the ‘A’ in the ABC
islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.
It is not very big at only 19.6 miles
long and 6 miles wide with one third of
the 105,600 people living in Oranjestad.
Where the ship comes in to the port, it
is perfectly positioned so that you get
a fantastic view of the city. Back to
the ship for some r and r before dinner
and a show…ahh times are tough.
Our next port of call was Willemstad,
Curacao, a UNESCO site. This little
island lies 35 miles north of Venezuela
and 42 miles east of Aruba. It is the
largest of the 5 islands that comprise
the Netherlands Antilles at 38 miles
long and 7.5 miles wide. 170,000 call
this island home.
The cruise just kept getting better and
better. Here in this picture postcard
perfect city there is a floating bridge,
and not just a small one. It opens to
let the ships through. The houses and
buildings are painted in pastel colours
and the ambiance of this city is just
plain welcoming. Outdoor cafes line the
waterway and with locals playing music
the happy holiday feel of the place just
takes your breath away. There is an open
market which is a floating market
consisting of small boats selling fish,
fruits and vegetables and all kinds of
handicrafts. There is so much to see
here that the time flies bye and before
you know it you have to head back to the
ship, feeling so much better for having
spent the day here.
Kralendijk, Bonaire was our last port of
call. It means Coral Reef and again
there are many examples of Dutch
architecture here, but it is small
enough that the highlights can be seen a
very short time. The island is 24 miles
long and 7 miles wide with 15,000
inhabitants.
Of special interest are two things, the
Flamingos and the Donkeys. Bonaire is
one of the four places in the world
where flamingo colonies breed. In fact
they outnumber humans here. There are
two places to see them, the Cargill
Flamingo Sanctuary in the south and the
Goto Lake in the north.
Donkey Paradise Safari Park is a
sanctuary for donkeys. They were brought
here in the 17th century to transport
water, salt and the Spaniards. Nowadays
they do not have much to do but
entertain the tourists. A foundation was
set up to help these animals live out
their lives in safety, peace and good
health. All the help is volunteer help
and it is their passion that is keeping
this alive – as well as donations. It
costs just 10.00 to feed one donkey for
2 weeks.
http://www.donkeysanctuary.org/donkeycam.html
We spent our last day cruising towards
Colon and while doing so had an
opportunity to visit the Kitchen being
toured around by the Executive Chef
himself, Ramil Buhian, from the
Philippines. You could see that he was
very proud of his kitchens, and rightly
so…everything in the kitchen is planned,
even with pictures showing what the
finished product should look like. I
have never seen so many ranges, counters
and coolers. All is planned, it has to
be as there is no turnover on a ship.
The meals are turned out with precision
and are all delicious, everywhere they
are served. On our cruise we would
consume 6600 eggs, 1300 gallons of ice
cream, almost 9400 bottles of beer, 6700
lbs of chicken, 8800 lbs of beef plus an
assortment of other foods.
Meeting the Captain of this ship, Srecko
Ban, from Croatia was a nice surprise.
He toured us through the bridge area
telling us what the different
instruments were meant to do. The length
of our ship was 989 feet and at 105 feet
wide it was too wide to go through our
Panama Canal right now, but when the new
lane is built, who knows? There are 840
crew on board from 60 countries.
There were so many things to do on the
ship as well, want to learn to dance?
How about a battle of the sexes game
show, and there is a whole array of
things planned for the children so you
can have some time to yourself. For
those who love special coffee and ice
cream there is Ben & Jerry’s and
Seattle’s Best.
What a beautiful cruise. The weather was
perfect, the places we visited were all
memories that will live on. This was the
first time we had cruised on Royal and
already another cruise is planned ...
where? well the same cruise, we enjoyed
it so much!
Tips:
Yes, there were children on board, but
this ship has areas for them and they
are rarely noisy.
Pack less than what you think you need
... truly, this is the Caribbean. You
don’t need much!
Bring a water bottle for off shore
excursions and for exercising.
Make use of the off ship internet cafes.
Sit and relax at each port, take in the
ambiance of where you are. Have a local
drink.
Always leave with just memories and
above all, enjoy being in the moment.
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