Enchantment of the Seas - June 18-23

The Day Before - We try to fly to the departure port the day before sailing because the airlines and weather are both so unpredictable. I don't want to worry about the ship sailing off without me because my flight was cancelled or delayed...have heard about too many close calls (and one horror story, to be shared later). Flights from Dayton to Fort Lauderdale were uneventful and on time. When we landed, temp was in low 80's, cloudy drizzly and very humid. The Sleep Inn on 15th St. in Fort Lauderdale has a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and also from the hotel to the cruise terminal, which made it a good place to stay pre-cruise, and we had booked a room through AAA. FLL airport has free speed dial phones in the baggage collection area, and the number for the Sleep Inn shuttle was pre-programmed. The Sleep Inn rep told us where to go out and wait, and the van showed up about 15 minutes later. Sleep Inn is clean and in a safe area, but nothing fancy. The whole place had a nondescript stale smell to it that was neither pleasant nor offensive. When we checked in, we were told that the room we had reserved would accommodate only two people. Since there were three of us, we had to upgrade from a standard room to a suite (total $112 for one night). The clerk asked us what time we wanted to go the port in the morning; we decided to get on the 10:00 shuttle. We were told that with our key card we could get 15% off dinner at Pancho's Backyard, a Spanish/Mexican restaurant in a small strip center across the street from the hotel. We noticed that there also were Chinese and Italian restaurants in the same strip center. We went to Pancho's, where DS and I decided to order from the Spanish side of the menu, since we don't get that type of food in Northwest Ohio. I had a marinated skirt steak, rice, beans, and fried plantains, along with a glass of sangria. It was very reasonable (around $10 for dinner) and very good. DH ordered from the Mexican menu, and while he thought it was OK, he said he's had better Mexican food at home. There is a Walgreen's right next to the hotel for stocking up on sunscreen, flip flops, or whatever...we bought Diet Coke and Mountain Dew to take onboard with us the next day. Our room was very warm. Turned the A/C to high and crashed for the night. Beds were fine, but the pillows were puny.

Day 1 - Free breakfast in the hotel lobby included cereal, bagels, fruit, sausage gravy and biscuits, and make-your-own-waffles, along with coffee, juice and milk. Gravy and biscuits were awful...should have made a waffle. We arrived via Sleep Inn shuttle at the cruise terminal about 10:30, and passengers were still getting off of Enchantment. We had to wait outside for a little while until the previous week's cruisers disembarked, and then we were allowed inside the terminal. There were two fairly large wedding groups, and they were permitted to board first. We waited along with everyone else until about 11:30, when we were permitted to get in line for our sea passes. There was a queue for Platinum/Diamond C & A members, and since DH and I are Platinum, we got in that line. There was no one ahead of us, so we were able to check in quickly, get our sea pass pictures taken, and we were boarding Enchantment in no time. Read more