Stayed in Ft. Lauderdale the night before at LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Hollywood. Wonderful hotel, free continental breakfast, free parking during our cruise, free shuttle service to the port for a group of 34. There is a shopping area very close by with restaurants, theater, and stores to pick-up last minute items. We had dinner at the local Sweet Tomatoes. Free Shuttle arrived at hotel approx. 10:45 am we were loaded and left by 11:15 am. Very easy embarkation at the port. We were all on the ship by noon and eating lunch in the Windjammer by 12:15 pm. Wonderful lunch! Our rooms were ready by 1 pm so we dropped off our carry-on luggage and then explored the ship. The Enchantment of the Seas is a beautiful ship with a wonderful staff. I did check on our table arrangements and we had four (4) large tables just as requested with 3 of them overlooking the water on deck 4 in the dining room. All of our luggage arrived by 5:00 pm in time for our 6 pm dinner. The first dinner on board was great. We had one table that was comprised of 8 teens and their waiter Vic and assistant waiter Simona were OUTSTANDING!!! All of the teens ate dinner each evening in the dining room without being asked to do so. They were excited about dressing for dinner and refused to eat in the Windjammer even though some of the adults chose to during the cruise.

Vic their waiter catered to them each evening. On the first night he took the time to find out what types of foods they liked and he made sure they had what they wanted to eat even if it was not a choice on the evening menu. My own DS had chicken parmigiana one night upon request. Every night when we entered the dining room their drinks were already on the table thanks to Simona. Vic also entertained them each evening with different tricks and they in return showed him some of theirs. I asked him one evening why he catered to them so much and he replied, "because I want them to stay for dessert." The other 3 tables in our group also received wonderful service in the dining room but the kids deserved a 5-star rating. Tuesday and Friday evenings were the formal nights with most people dressing appropriately. Some of us also had breakfast and lunch in the dining room which was very nice while others in the group chose to eat in the Windjammer. If you prefer a quiet atmosphere for those two meals choose the dining room otherwise you may enjoy the variety in the Windjammer. Other meal options included the Solarium each evening, the Poolside Caribbean Party on Thursday evening, the Gala Buffet on Friday evening in the dining room at Midnight and the Bar-B-Que during lunch on Sunday by the pool. For activities there are many choices. We attended the evening shows including the late night Karaoke competitions, adult spelling bee, love & marriage game show, and of course the Quest. During the day we participated in the walk a mile, line dancing, adult art classes, and salsa dancing, art auction and many games of bingo. Even the kids played bingo! Some of our group spent time in the casino playing blackjack, poker, and the slot machines. I went in the casino on the one evening that no smoking was allowed. I chose not to visit there on the smoking nights, otherwise, you will leave there reeking of smoke which is not a great smell to take to your stateroom.

Next, our stateroom was actually a little larger than what we expected. There was plenty of storage for myself and my 2 teens. We booked a "K" inside stateroom on deck seven with two pulldown bunks. Our stateroom attendant, Shadeen, pushed the two twin beds together to create a queen bed and pushed it up against the one wall allowing a larger space underneath the one pull down bunk for us to place our rolling cooler of water and soda. Our suitcases fit neatly under the bed and all items were easily unpacked into the many drawers, closet, and cabinets. Our stateroom attendant even provided us with extra hangers upon request. We could not have asked for or received better service. Shadeen was wonderful! She was kind to the kids, always spoke to each of us when she was in the area and asked if we needed anything. She kept our room spotless and we never had to ask for clean towels. The teens loved her evening towel animals and took pictures of each one. I would definitely want her again on a cruise as our attendant. Now, for some interesting happenings. We had to have the Coast Guard helicopter fly to the ship on two separate occasions for emergencies. The first time was on Wednesday for a waiter and the second time was on Sunday morning for a passenger. Sunday morning we were able to view the entire thing from the Viking Crown Lounge on Deck 11. It was an amazing site to watch. The Coast Guard did a fantastic job hovering the helicopter above deck 10 to pick up the doctor and the passenger. The cruise ship employees handled everything on their end beautifully. Also, on Wednesday due to weather conditions we were unable to tender in Labadee. This was a little disappointing especially for the kids who were looking forward to getting off the ship and playing in the water park. However, we were able to dock in Jamaica and we took a shuttle to the Sunset Beach Resort and Spa for the day. It is an all inclusive resort with pools, hot tubs, water slides, lazy river, beach area, paddle boats, kayaks, floating tubes, beach towels, and plenty of pool and beach chairs. We had a fabulous day hanging out, eating the Buffet, enjoying the grilled foods, and the open bar. The kids consumed alot of Virgin Strawberry and Pina Colada Daiquiris. The cost was only $20 per kid, and $40 per adult (which included alcoholic beverages if you chose) Great way to spend a safe day in Jamaica. Our next stop was Grand Cayman, beautiful spot. Then we were off to Cozumel where most enjoyed snorkeling while some chose to shop. Overall, this was a wonderful 7 night cruise with our family. We had time to relax, participate in activities, enjoy delicious food and spend time together. We all decided this was a great way to spend Thanksgiving as a family. I should start planning next year's trip.