rccl-enchantment16

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Julie Herr
Email: joolymon@aol.com
Age: 30
Occupation: Federal Grant Program Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: September 24, 2000
Itinerary: Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios
Cabin: 7534, Category D
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 93
CabinComfort: 96
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 93
FoodLidoDeck: 87
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 97
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 88
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 87
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 93
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 93
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 93
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 88
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 92
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Oct 2000
Time: 15:49:58
Remote Name: spider-tm034.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

This was our first cruise and we learned so much from reading everyone’s reviews, that we wanted to be
sure and submit one ourselves. So anyway, here it is……sorry this is so long, but hopefully others will find
the information helpful.

Pre-night We flew out of DC on Saturday night with a direct flight to Fort Lauderdale (by the way, this is
quite possibly the ugliest, dumpiest airport I’ve ever seen). We briefly considered flying down the same
morning, but given that it’s hurricane season we were worried about the possibility of weather-related
flight delays. In retrospect I’m glad we did, as we were well-rested by the time we boarded on Sunday. We
booked our airfare separately ($180 per person on US Airways) and saved a considerable amount over
what RCI was charging. We had reserved a room at the AmeriSuites in Fort Lauderdale which was very
nice and a great deal at just $69 a night. There was a free shuttle which took us from the airport to the
hotel (just look for the courtesy phone near baggage claim to call), and we walked to dinner at the
Outback Steakhouse across the street. The next morning we ate at the complimentary breakfast buffet,
and then walked down the street a few blocks to Publix where we bought two twelve-packs of Diet Coke (I
am a true addict) to bring with us on board. We didn’t purchase RCI transfers as there was another free
shuttle from the hotel to the pier. I was worried that the shuttle wouldn’t take us to the ship until official
boarding time at 2:00 (we wanted to go earlier), but it turned out that this wasn’t a problem. We were at
the pier by 11:15. All in all this worked out very well and we were very pleased with AmeriSuites.

Embarkation Thanks to everyone’s advice, we were at the pier early and avoided the crowds. Even
though our documents said that boarding began at 2:00, it actually started much sooner. In general, the
embarkation process seemed very well-organized—I was pleasantly surprised. We had our Supercharge
cards and were on the ship by 11:45 or 12:00. This left plenty of time to explore and take pictures while
the ship was still relatively empty. We found our cabin easily and went straight to the Windjammer for
lunch. Our luggage arrived at the cabin by 4:00pm or so—just prior to the mandatory Muster Drill. Soon
thereafter we were on deck with fresh piña coladas, watching as Fort Lauderdale slowly vanished in the
distance. If you plan to frequent the pool on Sunday I would suggest packing a swimsuit in your carry-on.
If you have early dinner seating I would play it safe and also pack a change of clothing other than shorts.

Accommodations We had reserved a cat D stateroom with a guarantee about three and a half months in
advance. Although we weren’t upgraded (I believe the ship was full) we got a terrific price to begin with
and were very pleased with our cabin which was on the seventh floor, starboard side. The cat C’s (which
we had seriously considered) were bigger of course, and had bathtubs, but I felt the D was quite
adequate and was glad to have saved the extra money. There were just two of us and we never felt
cramped. Our cabin was located just across from the bow elevator bank. Although I was a little worried
about noise from the hallway, we heard nothing. The walls must have been quite thick as we also heard
no noise from the cabins on either side. The beds, pillows, and sheets were quite comfortable. On the
first afternoon, Clement, our cabin steward, asked if we wanted the two twin beds pushed together. We
indicated that we did and thereafter he made them up as one. Clement cleaned our room twice a day and
did a fine job, although we rarely saw him. Each morning he would organize the bed and sofa pillows in a
new and interesting design. The cabin had plenty of storage space—we couldn’t use it all—but do plan to
bring extra hangers. Even though the bathroom was small, it was much nicer than I expected. We also
had a comfortable couch, color TV, refrigerator (not a mini-bar) and lighted vanity. There is no hairdryer
or iron (fire hazard), but we packed a travel steamer which worked almost as well. The balcony was small
(no room for lounge chairs) but quite adequate and we used it a lot. It was nice to have a little bit of our
own private deck space, and it was especially nice to eat breakfast there in the mornings as we pulled
into port. My only (brief) disappointment was that the floor was concrete rather than wood. All in all, I don’t
think I could cruise again without a private balcony.

The Ship The Enchantment was a very pretty ship. The public areas reminded us of what you might find
in a nice Hyatt or Marriott hotel—lots of brass, glass, and soft colors. It seemed to be well laid-out and we
had little trouble finding our way around. The Centrum is beautiful and I loved all the windows. My only
complaint is that many of them were dirty. The carpet was also a little worn and dirty in selected spots.
Other than that everything seemed very clean and it was difficult to tell the ship’s age. For quiet spots, try
the seating areas on the 7th and 8th floors. The library has a large balcony which I never saw anyone
use. Royal Caribbean Online is located on the 8th floor. Here you can surf the web or send e-mails at
$.50/minute while gazing at the waves through floor-to-ceiling windows.

For the fitness buffs out there—although RCI advertises that the ship has a jogging track, it runs right
past the pool area on the 10th floor and there would be too many sunbathers in the way unless you used
it very early in the morning or late in the evening. There are, of course, treadmills in the ShipShape
Centre. The ShipShape Centre also had a few Stairsteppers, Lifecycles and Elliptical machines. We
never had a wait to use the equipment. There were also a few Cybex weight machines (shoulders, quads,
chest, back, and hamstrings) and dumbells up to 35lbs.

Food and Drinks Overall, we found the food to be good, but not excellent. We ate in the dining room
every evening, where the service was outstanding. I can’t remember the last time I had someone cut my
meat for me or remove my seafood from it’s shell! Our waiter, Alex, from Thailand, was wonderful as was
the head waiter, Earl, from Jamaica. Follow their recommendations for the best dishes. If you don’t like
something they’re very quick to bring you another selection. We had second seating which was perfect
for us, since we generally are night owls. It was nice not having to rush back from ports to get ready for
dinner. We were seated at a table for 6 (we had requested one for 6 or 8) and our tablemates were two,
very nice honeymoon couples about the same age as us. One couple showed up only three times, so in
many ways it was more like having a table for four. I think the next time I would request a larger group of
10.

The first night, Sunday, was casual (Welcome Aboard), Monday was formal (Captain’s Gala), Tuesday
was casual (Caribbean night), Wednesday was smart-casual (Captain’s favorite), Thursday was casual
(Italian night), Friday was formal (French night), and Saturday was casual (International night). Most
everyone was dressed very appropriately on all seven evenings (I’d say about 30% in tuxes and 70% in
dark suits for the men on formal nights). For the women—if you want to have your hair done for formal
night it costs around $40 and they do a nice job. Be sure to book this immediately after boarding, as slots
fill up quickly. Bring your camera and don’t miss the waiters’ flaming baba-loo and Macarena dances on
Caribbean night, O Sole Mio on Italian night, or their farewell show on International night. My favorite dish
was the Rosemary chicken on our very first evening. In general, the fish was excellent. The steaks (filet
mignon, New York strip, etc.) were quite good as well. I would avoid the seafood pasta (too salty). Lobster
tails are served on Friday, the second formal night and if you want extra the waiters are quick to oblige.
Try the Escargot as an appetizer on French night—it was very good and I didn’t expect to like it. Desserts
were somewhat disappointing to me. I’ve had much better even in casual restaurants here at home. The
best selection was usually the ice cream.

We stuck to the Windjammer for lunch on all but one day. Food was better in the dining room, but for
lunch we preferred the less formal atmosphere. If you do try the dining room at lunch go for the Seafood
Brochettes (sp?) on the first day at sea. This was one of the best meals we had all week. The garlic
mashed potatoes were awesome. In the Windjammer food was much better than we expected and, in my
opinion, there was good variety and selection as well.

We had breakfast in the Windjammer twice but stuck to room service on the other five mornings. I wished
they had offered a wider selection on the room service breakfast menu. By the fifth day we were getting
tired of scrambled eggs, omelets, cereal, and danishes. The selection during breakfast in the
Windjammer was very good and the food was fine. Our tablemates felt that breakfast in the dining room
was even better.

Room service is available 24 hours a day from a somewhat limited menu. In general the portions were
small, so you may want to order more than one thing. I’ve heard that you can order anything being served
in the dining room during dinner hours but we never tried this. On one day our food arrived in less than
10 minutes and the next day it took thirty. I think it largely depends on the time of day. Food wasn’t piping
hot, but it wasn’t cold either. Pizza, hot dogs, etc. are available in the Solarium up until 4 am. The pizza
was OK, but nothing great. The Windjammer also serves a nice afternoon snack (cookies, finger
sandwiches, etc.) between 4 and 5 each afternoon.

Alcoholic drinks were good and most were quite strong. I especially liked the frozen rum runners and piña
coladas. Fancy frozen drinks will run you around $6 unless you order the specials which are usually
$3.25. Beer ran about the same price as in nice bars at here at home. We aren’t wine drinkers, so I can’t
provide much information in this area. We were glad to have brought Diet Coke from home, which we kept
in our cabin’s refrigerator. Except in the dining room where it’s free with your meal, soda will run you
$1.50 per can. I only saw milk, lemonade, water, or iced tea at lunch in the Windjammer.

The gala midnight buffet is on Friday night and it’s truly spectacular. Picture-taking is from 11:30 to 12:30.
Pig out between 12:30 and 1:30. We took a million pictures, but were too tired to stay up for the eating
part. You won’t believe what they can do with bread. The butter sculptures and the gorgeous floral
bouquets made from turnips and peppers are incredible. Look for the melon carvings as well. There
appeared to be a million different chocolate desserts and we also saw chocolate-covered strawberries
(my personal favorite). In addition, there were plenty of non-dessert selections. Smaller scale buffets are
served on several other nights at the same time.

For those who are interested, we each gained about 3 lbs. over the course of the week, which I can’t
believe given that it seemed we were eating or drinking constantly! Maybe using the stairs helped….…

Ports We chose the Western itinerary, which stopped at Key West on Monday, Cozumel Tuesday, Grand
Cayman on Thursday, and Ocho Rios on Friday. Wednesday and Saturday were sea days. I have to say,
it was really nice having that last sea day to rest and relax before the end of our cruise. If you plan to
book a ship-sponsored shore excursion, be sure to do it immediately upon boarding. Some of the more
popular ones fill up very quickly. We couldn’t believe the incredible blue water at nearly every port, but
especially in Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

Key West was very nice, but probably my least favorite stop. We didn’t book a ship-sponsored excursion
and spent much of our time just shopping and walking around. It was a short day here—only 8:00 to 2:30.
Watch for the wild chickens and roosters. The shops we were in seemed pretty touristy for the most part.
We weren’t in the market for diamonds or other really expensive items so I can’t comment on those
stores. Definitely try the frozen, chocolate-dipped key lime pie on a stick from the Key West Lime store—it
was incredible. We also stopped at Key West Aloe and picked up some sunburn ointment (something we
really needed by the end of the week!).

In the afternoon we chose to take the Conch Train tour and wish we would've taken the Old Town Trolley
instead. I’ve heard that both are equally nice island tours, but the train is non-stop with the exception of
one bathroom break about halfway through. It's my understanding that the trolley allows you to get off
and spend some time at popular sights. When ready, you can catch one of the next trolleys to continue
your tour. We would like to have taken more pictures along the way on our train tour, but we were moving
too fast and couldn't get off. Once it was over, there really wasn't time for us to go back to any of the neat
places we’d seen. In particular we’d like to have stopped at the Southernmost point marker and at
Hemingway’s house. If I had it to do over again, I might take a ship-sponsored excursion here. Two of our
tablemates did the snorkeling tour and really enjoyed it. Others really enjoyed the petting Aquarium.

Cozumel was lots of fun and along with Grand Cayman was one of my favorite ports. Once again, we
opted to go out on our own. It was great having the chance to practice my rusty Spanish, although almost
everyone seemed to speak English anyway. We didn’t dock here until 12:30—the ship had to drop people
off first at Playa del Carmen for the Tulum tour—but it was really nice to sleep in. Immediately after
disembarking we took a cab to Pancho’s Backyard for lunch. I can’t recommend this restaurant enough.
The food was outstanding and reasonably priced. The outdoor patio didn’t have water views but it was
still beautiful and, Fernando, our waiter was one of the nicest, most helpful people we met in any port, all
week long. After lunch he took our picture with the two marimba players who played wonderful music
throughout our meal. If you eat lunch on the ship here you’re really missing out!

After lunch we took another cab (I think these guys train on the Indianapolis motor speedway) to
Chankanaab National Park—about 10 minutes away. The entrance fee was $10 per person but well worth
it. The beach here is very nice, with lounge chairs, bar service, and grass umbrellas. They also have a
dolphin park. Although we chose not to do it, you can actually swim with the dolphins for around $120 a
person (be sure to reserve a spot well in advance for this). It looked like great fun. At Chankanaab we
were able to do some very good snorkeling right off the beach. They rent equipment if you don’t have it,
although we brought our own masks and snorkels and were glad to have done so. Be careful not to get
salt water in your eyes—it really burns. Chankanaab also offers clean dressing rooms with showers and
lockers. If you plan to go in the woods at all, be sure to bring bug spray. I had multiple bites after only 5
minutes. Also, don’t miss the large (almost cat-sized) monitor lizards. I don’t believe they’re dangerous,
but they do make for a great photo opp. We saw several within only a few hours.

Before heading back to the ship we decided to stop in at the infamous Carlos and Charlie’s for a drink.
We ended up having several. What a party! This probably isn’t the place to bring your kids. I felt like I was
back on college Spring Break again. Although we only had time to stay for about an hour, we had a blast.
If you like to party this is definitely the place to go. Watch for the shooter girl who pours shots directly into
your mouth and then shakes them up for you.

Although we didn’t buy much in Cozumel they seemed to have some very nice Mexican crafts. Some
vendors will call out to you as you walk by, but this is nothing compared to Jamaica. Be sure to bargain
with them if you want a good price. We bought a pair of Onyx cuff-links for half the price they originally
quoted.

Grand Cayman was definitely the most expensive of the islands, but very clean. The waters were too
shallow for the ship to dock, so we had to tender in. It was here that we took our only ship-sponsored
excursion, the swim with stingrays. Stingray City was lots of fun and the stingrays really do seem very
tame. They will eat right from your hand if you let them. Don’t worry if you’re a non-swimmer—the water
on the sandbar is only waist deep and life vests are available.

After the tour we took a taxi to The Treehouse for lunch. The views here are beautiful. Although service
was slow, the food was very good. Try the conch fritters for an appetizer (excellent!) with a bottle of
Stingray beer which is available only in the Caymans. The Treehouse also has its own pair of colorful
parrots which live in a tree next to the patio.

In the afternoon we opted for some more snorkeling but wanted to do it on our own. We decided to try
Eden Rock, which is immediately around the corner from the cruise ship pier. For the best views we were
directed to an area which, unfortunately, looked to be about 300 feet off shore. The water here was quite
deep and by the time we swam out we were already tired. This made me a bit nervous as I am not a
strong swimmer, so we turned back just short of the spot we were aiming for. Although the water was very
clear we really saw very few fish. I would not do this again. We also were of the impression that Eden
Rock was a part of seven-mile beach, when in actuality it is not. As per our waitress at the Treehouse,
there really is no good snorkeling off seven-mile beach anyway. If I had it to do over again I would either
spend the afternoon at the beach or take an organized snorkeling tour from a boat.

I really can’t comment on the shopping in Grand Cayman other than to say that the vendors are not
aggressive. If you do shop here, be cognizant of the exchange rate. One US dollar is worth only $.80 in
Cayman money.

In Jamaica we also had a very nice time. After quite a bit of research we pre-booked an independent
island tour with Peat Taylor for $25 per adult (or $15 per child). Peat came highly recommended on the
Cruise Critic message boards and given our experience I would highly recommend him as well. Anyone
interested in additional information can fax Peat at 876-975-0205 or phone him at 876-975-0028. He is
extremely nice and seems both well-known and respected on the island. Peat met us inside the gates to
the cruise ship dock at 8:00 am and took us wherever we wanted to go in his air-conditioned van. Our
tour had only 4 people. An additional 3 persons had also pre-booked with him but, unfortunately, they
never showed up. Peat waited well over an hour for them in the hot sun after dropping us off at Dunn’s
River Falls, so I would have to say that he's very reliable. We felt badly for him that someone would be so
inconsiderate. If he had known that our group would have only 4 persons he could have saved money by
renting a smaller van.

Our first stop in the morning was at Dunn’s River Falls (the $6 entrance fee is included in Peat's tour
price) where Peat dropped us off and made arrangements to pick us up again 2 hours later. The falls are
gorgeous and they are a must-see. Climbing them was lots of fun and minimally strenuous, although with
the slippery rocks it can be easy to slip and fall. Climbing is easier if you take the guide’s advice and hold
hands with the persons in front and behind you. The ship’s photographer was there to take pictures and
the park’s guide also took some for us with our own waterproof camera. Beware—the guides expect a
large tip and don’t hesitate to let you know it. I gave ours $2 and if looks could kill I would definitely be
dead. Be sure to bring water shoes and count on getting pretty wet here. Both changing rooms and
lockers are available. The only downside to this experience was walking the gauntlet of extremely
aggressive vendors at the park’s exit. When we chose not to buy anything we were insulted and accused
of failing to support Jamaica’s economy. If you wish to avoid this go out through the entranceway instead.
Also beware of the Jamaican women (?) with a flower-covered donkey along the walkway leading to the
falls. If you attempt to take a picture she will charge you $5. We passed on this.

After the falls Peat took us on a driving tour of the Jamaican countryside including Fern Gully, which is a
small patch of rain forest. We were able to pull over and take pictures anywhere we wished. Peat seems
to be extremely knowledgeable and pointed out all sorts of plant and animal life along the way. The
countryside is beautiful but there also is a great deal of poverty. Afterwards and at our request, we drove
to a nice shopping area called Soni’s Plaza. Here we ate lunch at a place called Café Mango which was
OK, but nothing wonderful. We also attempted to cash a traveler’s check at a jewelry store which,
unfortunately, was a huge hassle. Although we got our money I wouldn’t recommend trying to do this. Our
only purchases here were some cheap jewelry and a bottle of rum. When Peat picked us up again we
moved on to the beach. Mahogany beach is blissfully vendor-free and I believe it is used almost
exclusively by cruise-ship passengers. Although the beach area is small it’s also quite pretty. There is no
entrance fee and lounge chairs, umbrellas, and bar service are all available. Promptly at 4:15 Peat
returned us to the ship. Along the return drive he serenaded us with Jamaican songs.

All in all it was a terrific and very full day—a much better value than the ship's excursions where a visit to
the falls on its own is more expensive than our entire day of activities. Regardless of what you choose to
do in Jamaica I wouldn’t recommend going out on your own. Although I don’t fault anyone for trying to
earn a living, the aggressive taxi drivers, hair braiders, etc. can get to be quite annoying. We also were
offered drugs during our time at the shopping center although in this case a simple no thank you was
sufficient. Unlike the other islands, in Jamaica we always felt a little uneasy when by ourselves. I was very
glad to have toured with Peat.

Entertainment and Activities Overall we found entertainment on the Enchantment to be quite good.
Although we aren’t big fans of song and dance numbers, the wave revue dance team seemed very
talented. They did production numbers on two separate nights—‘Sweet Dreams’ and
‘Flashback’—although we missed the second of these. The first comedian, Dave Heenan, was so-so, but
we thought the headliner comedian, Dave Orion (who opens for Jerry Seinfeld) was very good. The
magicians were good as well. Don’t miss the Newlywed/Not so Newlywed game which takes place only
once, after the second seating. It is hilarious. The juggler, Jeff Traveggia, was also pretty good. Our
headliner was a lounge singer from Australia named Greg Bonham. I had never heard of him but he
seemed OK if you’re one who enjoys lounge music (we generally don’t). If I had it to do over again, I would
probably skip this night. The best part of the farewell show was definitely the cruise staff’s ‘If I were Not
Upon the Seas’ skit.

Our Cruise Director was Kyle Dodson. I thought he did a good job but this being our first cruise, I don’t
have much basis for comparison. We really didn’t participate in too many ship-sponsored activities. The
bingo was lots of fun, and on the last day they gave away over $4,000. We didn’t do much gambling but I
understand that one man won $22,000 playing Caribbean stud poker. Unfortunately, my only experience
was losing $20 on the slot machines, although I didn’t compete in the official slot tournament. The Casino
had a pirate theme and wasn’t nearly as smoky as I had anticipated. Western Quest was
hilarious—definitely don’t miss this. We didn’t play but it was lots of fun to observe. The horse racing was
also fun to watch. We spent much of our time on sea days laying out by the pool listening to Calypso
music by the band Mega 4 (Who Let the Dawgs Out??) which was very relaxing. In general, I preferred to
use the 10th deck which is one deck above the main pool area. I didn’t want to swim, and there seemed to
be a better breeze here. Also, there were more lounge chairs available. Yes, there was chair saving but
this didn’t seem to be much of a problem. If all I saw were towels I assumed the chair was available. The
Solarium pool was beautiful but we didn’t make much use of this area. We also enjoyed the Viking Crown
lounge which played popular dance and alternative music till late into the night. There always seemed to
be a good crowd here and lots of dancing. Ballroom/Oldies/Country & Western music and dancing was
offered on several nights in the Carousel Lounge although this really isn’t our thing. There was a Toga
party on Thursday night which looked like lots of fun and also Karaoke. We also saw a decent crowd at
the Art Auctions which took place on several different days.

If you want to watch TV onboard, there is a satellite feed which allowed us to get CNN, ESPN and TNT on
most days. The ship also played tapes of recent movies (something different every day) on several of the
stations. A few other channels included previews of shore excursions, shopping talk, and the view from
the bridge. We also enjoyed the television map which plotted our ship’s location and reported on the
temperature, winds, and sea conditions.

Debarkation On Saturday evening we packed our bags and were to have them in the hall outside our
room by midnight. It hurt having to vacate our cabin by 7:30am the next morning, but in general we felt
that debarkation was as well-organized as possible under the circumstances. Our Supercharge bill was
outside our door when we exited the cabin and there seemed to be no errors. Be sure to look for this
early. If there are mistakes you have only 15 minutes (between 7:30 and 7:45am) to contest them at the
Purser’s Desk. After 7:45, any challenges must be made via an official letter to Royal Caribbean. We went
directly to breakfast after leaving our cabin, and then to the photo gallery to select and purchase our
pictures. After this we searched for a spot in one of the public seating areas to wait for our blue luggage
tag color to be called. Tag colors are assigned based upon the time of your return flight. This was,
perhaps the only occasion when the ship felt crowded to us. There really weren’t enough seats to go
around so people were sitting everywhere. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. We were off the ship
by 9:30 and soon were searching for our luggage. We did have a brief moment of panic when one of our
bags seemed to be missing, but we found it about 15 minutes later where it had mistakenly been placed
in the gray tag color group. Definitely tie a ribbon or something else that’s brightly colored to the handle
of your bags—it will help tremendously when you go looking for them at debarkation. We quickly caught a
taxi to the airport, which cost only $9.00 plus tip, but our return flight wasn’t until 12:30 so we waited more
than 2 hours for boarding. If I had it to do over again, I would schedule something a little earlier. Fort
Lauderdale airport isn’t somewhere that you want to spend a lot of time waiting.

Miscellaneous Our Captain was Per Arne Kjønsø (Captain Per) from Norway. Although we never met him
(we missed the Captain’s cocktail party), he made announcements on the PA system nearly everyday with
updates on the weather and sea conditions. He seemed very personable and we heard several other
passengers comment that he was the most talkative and easygoing Captain they had had in quite a few
cruises.

I would have to say that all age groups were well-represented on this cruise, with the possible exception
of school-aged children. Actually, we saw very few children in general, which was one reason why we
chose to sail in late September. Many of those our age (30 and 31) were honeymoon couples (156 of
them total) and there were also many older couples celebrating anniversaries. I’d say the average
passenger age was 40-something, and most looked like anyone we might see dining at a
moderately-priced restaurant here in the DC area. There were quite a few (10%?) non-English speakers
as well.

Our late September weather was very nice—mostly sunny with temps in the mid- 80’s, although (per the
Captain) there were hurricanes all around us at one point. I was a little worried about sailing during the
height of hurricane season, but everything worked out just fine and, given the great prices at this time of
year, I would definitely choose a September sailing again. It rained only twice during the week—once in
Grand Cayman for about 10 minutes just as we finished the Stingray City tour, and the second time
during dinner on our final sea day. It was quite humid throughout the week, but I’m not sure how much this
actually varies from season to season.

Although I’m quite prone to motion-sickness and was a little worried about our cabin’s location near the
bow, we had mostly calm seas and in general we felt very little movement. What we did feel consistently
was a slight bumping, which must have been the engine vibration that everyone talks about. It jiggled our
water glasses at dinner and kept me awake a little the first night but I quickly got used to it had no
problems thereafter. It didn’t bother my fiancé at all. With that said, I would still recommend that anyone
who is prone to motion sickness bring along some Bonine or ginger. I took 2 ginger capsules each
morning and evening as a precaution, and was glad to have it with me on the 2 occasions when it did get
a little rough. The worst night was the last evening of our cruise when I also took some Bonine. I’m fairly
certain that I would have been sick without it, even though I would guess that the motion was minimal
compared to what happens in truly rough seas.

Throughout the cruise there were many opportunities to have our picture taken by the ship’s
photographer. I would highly recommend to others that you take advantage of this. We always seem to
come back from vacation with pictures of beautiful scenery and one or the other of us in the foreground,
but hardly any photos proving that we actually were on the trip together. If you’ve had the same
experience here’s your opportunity to change that. The pictures aren’t cheap ($19.95 for an 8 x 10, and
$9.95 for a 5 x 7) but you don’t have to buy anything that you don’t like. It was especially nice to have our
picture taken in formalwear. For us this is a rare opportunity.

If you plan to do any shopping in the ship’s boutiques, be sure to wait for the end of the week. Although a
few items sell out, there are also a number of things (T-shirts, etc.) which will go on sale. We didn’t see a
lot of great deals (except maybe on watches), but prices definitely get better as the week progresses.

Just a quick note about the Supercharge cards—be careful! Things add up very quickly and I saw quite a
few folks with sticker shock at the end of the week. We ordered no more than a drink or two a day, but our
bill for drinks alone was still more than $80 for the week.

In retrospect, there are only a few things about this vacation which I would do differently. First, I would
make better use of the ship’s excursions on port days, even though I definitely think they’re over-priced.
We enjoyed most of the places that we went on our own, but we were a little bored in Key West. Also, with
the exception of Jamaica it was a bit of a hassle getting from place to place and worrying about what to do
next. This leads me to the second thing I would do differently, which is to schedule fewer activities for one
day. Port days were generally fun but not relaxing for us. We definitely tried to pack way too many things
into a very short time period.

Overall I have to say that we were very pleased with this vacation. In my opinion, the ship was both
elegant and beautiful. Service was very good. Those who wanted to party had adequate opportunity to do
so, while those who preferred to relax could do that as well. I really felt that the crew went all-out to show
us a good time. We would definitely sail with Royal Caribbean again.

Name: Alan Jacobson
Email: amjacob@home.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Computer Scientist
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 10/15/2000
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: 8554/C
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 88
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 88
FoodLidoDeck: 93
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 97
ShoreExcVariety: 97
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 83
GoodForHoneymoon: 98
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 83
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 88
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 87
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 88
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 89
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 79
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 83
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Oct 2000
Time: 11:48:45
Remote Name: cc49298-a.owml1.md.home.com
Remote User:

Comments

This is my wife’s and my first cruise. I had extensively researched all the cruise lines and itineraries in
order to find the one that fit our requirements. We decided to take Royal Caribbean’s (RC)
Enchantment of the Seas to the Eastern Caribbean for several reasons. Among the most important
requirements were: (1) We wanted a balcony; (2) We wanted a modern and large ship; (3) We
preferred both a ship and time of year where there would be fewer children than normal; (4) We
wanted a good mix of times at sea and in ports of call; and (5) We wanted a cruise line with a good
reputation.

We had a smooth and on-time strait-through flight from Baltimore to Ft. Lauderdale on US Airways.
Representatives from RC met us at the airport and made sure that we got our transportation to the
port terminal. Others had told us that the check-in process might be cumbersome. Because we had
filled out all the paperwork ahead of time, and a RC representative personally helped us when we
walked into the terminal, we found that the check-in process was unbelievably smooth and fast. We
were on the ship at noon – well before the 5PM sailing time. That gave us time to get acquainted with
the ship. Although our bags were not expected to be at our cabin for a little bit, we were able to check
out our cabin. We were struck by how nice the cabin was. It had all the accouterments of a nice hotel
room. For those that have the RC Enchantment of the Seas brochure, we had room 8554/Category
C/Superior Ocean View Suite. We were impressed with our balcony. There was plenty of room for two
lounge chairs and a table. Of course, all cruise lines make use of smaller than normal furniture in
order to make the room look bigger. However, based on the dimensions of our room, I believe we got
large size room for a cruise ship.

The ship had all the amenities that one would want on a ship. I’ll just mention the most noteworthy
items that impressed us. There were two pools. One pool was outdoors and for someone with a more
active lifestyle. For the more sedentary crowd, like us, there was one pool considered indoors
although the canopy opened for most of the day. Each had two hot tubs. We made extensive use of
those amenities. My wife, a gambling nut, immediately got attracted to the casino, which was opened
mostly when the ship was in international waters. It had quite a good selection of slot machines (for my
wife) and tables (for myself). I was disappointed that the craps table was only opened after about 8PM
while the other tables, like blackjack, were opened much more often. Although a few people won
decent money on the slot machines, don’t expect them to pay as well as Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
The theater was in our estimation was quite large had very comfortable seating. We didn’t make much
use of the lounges and bars, but they were everywhere. One thing you can never do on the ship is be
hungry or thirsty.

We were quite impressed with the large dining room. We had the early dinner seating. You may want
to bring one-up sizes for your clothes because, unless you intend on working out every day, you will
probably gain weight. We did. There was more food than we can eat. The types of food corresponded
to different themes, such as Italian night. My wife and I are very casual dressers, such as jeans and
shorts. Thus we had the most angst with the two formal nights and the one semi-formal night.
Nevertheless, we were pretty much prepared with nice clothes. However, for those that don’t care to
go formal, you can eat dressed in casual clothes elsewhere on the ship although you won’t get the
variety and class of food. We did manage to change quickly into our normal casual clothes once the
dinner was over. Despite what other people think, it is not necessary to stay formally dressed for the
ship activities on those dressy nights. Our waiter was pretty much on top of things and got us anything
we wanted. He was cordial and friendly. He always encouraged us to try different things. We had a bit
of trouble with the assistant waiter in that we had to keep flagging him down and asking for things that
he should have been on the ball with in the first place. You should bring a camera to the dining room
because the staff does special things on many of the nights. I advise you try different foods that you
may never have ordered anywhere else. You might be surprised how good they are – even if you
can’t pronounce them.

We had a good mix of being at sea and in the ports of call. RC did a nice job of outlining the different,
and extensive list, of tours available on the islands. I was most impressed with the amount of
information RC gave on the itineraries. They have an excellent production crew so if you missed the
numerous talks they had in their auditorium, you could catch the talks on one of their many television
channels. We stopped at St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau. I though St. Maarten was a bit
backward but still interesting. St. Thomas was more U.S.-like since it is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It
was much more crowded with tourists than St. Maarten, mainly because there were at least three
cruise ships docked at the same time. The only things we decided to see in Nassau were the Atlantis
resort (very nice!) and the straw market. If you are interested in shopping, the islands are the place to
go since you can get a lot of things duty-free and with no tax. You must be careful in that there are
good places and bad places to walk into. RC gives you a list of their ‘approved’ shopping haunts. We
did manage to find a good bargain on a diamond heart necklace on St. Thomas. The aggressive folks
peddling their wears on each of the islands drove me crazy, but that is something to expect in tourist
traps. There is plenty to do both on the ship and in the ports of call. You can define the level of activity
you are comfortable with. We decided to stick mostly with the standard island tours.

While we were on the water, and since we decided to do a lot of relaxing both at the semi-indoor pool
and our balcony, we didn’t participate in a lot of the ship activities. Our biggest activity was losing
money in the ship’s casino. However, we did manage to see three shows. The best, and funniest,
show was the not-so-newlywed-game. We also managed to get a tour of the ship’s bridge. A lot of
people didn’t know that they could do that tour. It’s not advertised, so you have to ask the Purser
about it. We also walked around the ship a lot in a losing battle to rid ourselves with the extra weight
put on by the extensive amount of food. We even tried the fitness center, which had a good amount of
equipment. You may want to bring a lot of sunscreen. The sun is quite strong at the lower latitudes
and you can get burned quickly. We both got burned in non-sun screened body areas in only about
one hour.

There were only a few things that I had trouble with on the cruise. I was disappointed that I had to pay
for cans of sodas. You would think for the mega-bucks you pay for a cruise that sodas would be
included. Luckily I didn’t pay extra for the sodas I got in the dining room as part of my dinner. I had
trouble finding clean towels by the poolside. I don’t know if people were taking a whole bunch at a time
and thus they were running out quickly, but it was frustrating. I had a significant amount of trouble
sleeping due to the creaky walls and ship vibrations (the rocking itself didn’t bother me) of being on
choppy waters. Note that you will do a lot of walking up and down stairs if you are impatient with the
ALWAYS packed elevators.

After seven days of relaxing, we left the ship and proceeded to Ft. Lauderdale’s airport for the flight
home to Baltimore on Delta. This was the part of the trip that made us the most exasperated. Once we
were off the ship, the disembarkation process was a bit confusing. In addition, I had to wait for our
baggage to show up at my home (the next day) since Delta misplaced it somewhere in the connection
in Atlanta’s airport. Despite being frustrated on our way home, I would say that we had a very good
time overall.

Name: Jon & Angie Radabaugh
Email: radabaaj@bp.com
Age: 26 & 27
Occupation: Engineers
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 9/3/00
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: Balcony
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 88
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck: 82
DiningRoomService: 88
CabinQuietness: 79
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 88
ShoreExcVariety: 88
FoodVariety: 84
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 86
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 83
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 88
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 88
EmbarkDisembark: 88
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 82
Stabilization: 65
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Nov 2000
Time: 09:00:54
Remote Name: inetgate5.bp.com
Remote User:

Comments

This was our 3rd cruise- second on Royal Caribbean. We had a very nice time on this cruise & got it
for a great price. Overall, we prefer Princess cruises, but if RC keeps offering us these great prices,
we will keep going on their cruises. Hope this review helps every one out there in planning their next
vacation. For this cruise, we booked our own airfare & saved about $100 each. We figured since it
was just a flight to Ft. Lauderdale, there wasn’t much risk in missing the boat. Maybe that isn’t smart
thinking, but it worked for us this time. If we were doing a cruise out of Alaska or Puerto Rico, I would
never book my own air. Fortunately we arrived on time with out any problems. We claimed our luggage
& took a cab to the pier. This only cost us about $10 total, so it was about half what the cruise line
wanted for ground transfers. Really, I can’t see any reason to use the cruise lines ground transfers if
you arranged your own airfare. They charge double & you still have to mess with your luggage.

The
cab dropped us at the curb & a porter promptly took our luggage & loaded it onto a cart. This brings
me to my first complaint- Royal Caribbean needs to control its employees constantly asking for tips.
The porter made us feel that if we didn’t tip him for putting our luggage onto the cart, something might
happen to it. This really irritates me. I don’t mind tipping a porter for assisting me with my bags, but I
do not like being intimidated into tipping. This is very unprofessional. Needless to say we gave a good
tip & got our bags in one piece. Upon entering the terminal building they gave us a numbered card & a
new form to fill out. This also begins their first of many attempts to get your to purchase duty free
alcohol. They do have good prices, but by the end of the cruise you will be glad if you never see
another alcoholic beverage. We waited maybe 10 minutes & were called into another room. In this
room, they are supposed to verify you have tickets, birth certificates, ect. Royal Caribbean did not do
a very good job at this. The lady reviewing our documents never even looked at anything except to
verify we had tickets. We were then allowed to go to the check in booth to get our cruise card. At this
desk I asked the guy if he needed to see our driver’s license or birth certificate- he told me that it had
already been checked. I told him that it hadn’t been checked by anyone & he replied ‘oh well’. I think
that lapse in security needs to be dealt with by Royal Caribbean.

Once onto the boat we headed to
our room. We had a balcony cabin that was very nice. We have always splurged for a balcony & think
it is very much worth the extra money. The room was not very large at first glance, but there was lots
of storage space. I think whoever designed the room made good use of space considering the square
footage of this cabin wasn’t very much. My only disappointment with the room is that hairdryers &
bathrobes were not included. I think you have to have a suite on this ship before you have robes in
your room. Our room steward was very efficient. He kept the room clean & tidy, but never disturbed
us. If we did need anything, he was right there. We didn’t have any complaints about noise, except
one night there was lots of noise above us. Apparently our room was below one of the small lounges.
Fortunately, the noise was over by 11pm & didn’t bother us the rest of the week. After settling in to our
room, we headed off for lunch at the Windjammer. This was a buffet lunch, but very tasty. I think
buffets will never be gourmet, but Royal Caribbean has very much improved their buffet food since our
’97 cruise. I think people tend to have greatly varying opinions on food. I guess that is because
everyone has different tastes & likes.

Personally, I can appreciate a fine meal, but I still don’t mind a
McDonald’s cheeseburger on occasion. In my opinion the buffet food was good to above average. It
wasn’t 5 star, but I didn’t expect it to be. I think it was better & more flavorful than typical buffet food
from a Ponderosa or Hometown Buffet. There were some dishes that were wonderful & some that
weren’t. But since it is all you can eat, you can always go back for more of the good stuff. We ate all of
our lunches in here & all but one breakfast. We had one breakfast in the dining room & it was very
good with lots of choices. You can also get pizza, burgers & fries from the Solarium at certain times of
the day. This food was ok- basically I would only recommend it as something to tide you over until
dinner. As we got closer to sailing time, we had to do the mandatory muster drill. This is one area
where Royal Caribbean could take a lesson from Princess. On RC every person on the boat must put
on a life jacket & report to their muster station. This takes too long & is boring. You always end up
waiting on someone who doesn’t want to show up. On Princess, you report to one of the lounges, sit
down, & listen to the exact same safety drill. However, your participation is optional & you don’t have to
stand & wait on people. Princess handles this much better. After the drill, we got ready for dinner. We
had second sitting. We have done first seating before, & while it isn’t bad, we prefer second sitting.
We like being able to come in from a day in port & rest up before dinner. With first sitting, you have to
start getting ready immediately upon returning to the ship. Most of our dinner companions seemed to
be close to our age. I think RC tries to pair people in this manner, thinking it will make for a more
enjoyable dinner. Everyone at our table was nice, but we were a bit overwhelmed by one of the
couples at our table.

One night our tablemate decided we would all like to see the tattoo on his chest. I
guess this is ok at the pool, but I didn’t think it was very polite at the dinner table. This same guy also
didn’t wear a tie to dinner on one of our formal nights. That was very rude. If you don’t like the dress
code, you can go to one of the other dining areas where you don’t have to dress up. I think it is
enjoyable to dress up for dinner, & it isn’t polite to blatantly violate the dress code. I don’t mean to
sound like an old prude, I am only 26, but I just think you ought to be respectful enough to follow the
rules the cruise line establishes for dress codes. Despite these gripes, we still had a nice time at
dinner & the food was very good. My hubby & I still think Princess’s food is better, but RC does a nice
job. Their filet mignon was excellent & so was the lobster. My only major complaint about the dining
service is that the waiters guilt you into giving them an excellent rating on your comment cards. These
waiters do an excellent job & deserve a very high rating, but I hate to see them grovel for it. Our waiter
went as far as to say he would lose his job if we didn’t rate him excellent. I don’t know if this is a scam
by the waiters to make you feel sorry for them, or if RC really treats them that poorly. Either way, it
made me uncomfortable & I wish this practice would stop. One other small complaint about the wait
staff is that it seems like they are always pushing drinks- this doesn’t apply to your main waiter, but
every other service person on board. Every single night at dinner, we had a wine steward ask for
orders, & a waiter selling shots. They came back every single night even though no one in our group
ever ordered any alcoholic drinks. These people also come up to you at all the shows & whenever you
sit down to relax in a lounge. They also drive you insane at the pool. You cannot relax because every
5 seconds, someone is screaming ‘Frozen drinks here! Try a cool beverage’. This gets so
annoying!!!! I imagine they must be making a killing on these drinks, or else they wouldn’t hassle
passengers so much. This was never a problem on our Princess cruise- they were there if you wanted
them, but didn’t get on your nerves. I tried to participate in RC’s ship shape program. I did the morning
walks & several of their stretching classes. I also did the aerobics class once, but that was a bad
experience. The teacher was very unprofessional. He showed up 10 minutes late & the room was so
packed that there was hardly any room to stand. He should have never begun the class with that
many people in the room. I know what I am talking about because I used to teach aerobics classes.
Before we were even 10 minutes into the class, three people had fallen due to the over crowding. He
also looked at those of us in the front row & said ‘Don’t worry I will clear this class out’. He then
proceeded to launch into full-scale high impact aerobics with out warming up. This is a big fitness no
no- I am surprised I didn’t pull a muscle. He then went on & did a very difficult workout. I exercise five
times a week, every week, & I had a hard time keeping up. Needless to say all the out of shape &
elderly left within minutes. He looked at us & said ‘See I told you I would clear it out’. I think an
instructor should be able to teach a class so that it is challenging to all fitness levels. This guy should
be ashamed. At least the ship has a nice workout room with treadmills & weight machines. The boat
itself was very pretty & well decorated. I don’t really notice the decoration as much as I do the
cleanliness. I think the staff kept this ship immaculate. Yes, the carpet is worn & stained in spots, but
what do you expect with 2000 people onboard each week. The activities throughout the week were
nicely planned & seemed to have good turnout. We did bingo, exercise classes, shopping talks, & I got
to be a judge for Mr. Sexy legs contest. That was pretty fun & I won a small prize. There were so many
more activities on board, but we really just wanted to relax, so we didn’t participate in many things.
This was a much needed vacation from stressful jobs, so we just lounged around a lot. This is the
main reason we picked a cruise which had 3 days at sea. I did spend a lot of time by the pool. There
are actually two pools on this ship, but one of them is adults only. I liked to go to this one because it
was quieter- no screaming kids. However, it never failed that some parents would bring their kids to
this pool. Usually someone would complain be cause the kids were splashing or being loud. I was
impressed with RC because they did force the kids to leave. It isn’t that I hate kids, but if you are trying
to relax & read a book, screaming/whining/splashing kids are not conducive to a relaxing atmosphere.
All in all we didn’t have too many kids on this cruise since it was in September. The main pool did get
crowded, and it was hard to get a chair right by the pool. You could get a chair away from the pool on
the upper deck very easily. There also seemed to be room at the adults only pool. That pool was also
much quieter as I mentioned above. We went to most of the evening shows. Some were very good,
some were ok. I loved the Newlywed game- we saw this same game on our other cruises, but it is
always funny. I wouldn’t book a cruise just for the entertainment, but it is nice to see a good show after
dinner. The only bad thing was that on a couple of nights they wanted second seating to see the show
before dinner. Well, that interfered with our nap, so we missed out! Our first island stop was St. Martin.
We had been here before & thought it was an enjoyable island. This time we did a snorkeling &
catamaran ride tour. This was lots of fun even though the snorkeling was only marginal. The boat ride
was fun & the scenery was gorgeous. We were very lucky to have had nice weather the entire cruise.
After returning to shore, we went to Everything Cool for lunch. This was a nice lunch under a palm
tree. Plus they have every combination of mixed drink you could imagine. After eating we walked
around a bit & returned to the boat. St. Martin is a great place to get souvenir T shirts & the like. Next
stop is St. Thomas. We did the Captain Nautica snorkeling tour. We had done this last year on our
Princess cruise. We liked it better last year because they served more food & we saw stingrays &
turtles. When I asked why they wouldn’t take us to the same location as before, so we could see the
stingrays again, he wouldn’t answer me. But, it was still enjoyable & I did get to see some different fish
than before, plus some unique jellyfish. After the tour we went to town for shopping. We got a very
good deal on some gold earrings & some nice watches. I got a Movado watch for $200 less than it
sells for in the US. Last stop was Nassau. This was a marginal stop at best. We decided to walk to the
pirate museum- this was much cheaper than taking the ship’s excursion. The museum was pretty neat,
but we enjoy historical stuff like that. We learned lots about pirates & would highly recommend this
museum to anyone. We walked through the shops, but the prices really weren’t that good on jewelry.
There were some great buys on T shirts & liquor though. Everyone always talks about Nassau’s straw
market. We took one look & said no way. There is hardly any space between the booths & it is a prime
place for pickpocketers. Some of our dinner companions braved it out, but said they couldn’t wait to
get out. The salespeople scream at you & beg for you to buy stuff from them. They even fight over
who saw you first. I guess there are some deals to be had, but we didn’t feel like dealing with the
hassle. I also had problems with the hair braiders in Nassau. As soon as you get off the boat, they all
want to braid your hair. I had a lady ask me if I was interested- I told her maybe later. So at the end of
the day, I decided to get a couple of braids just for the heck of it. I went up to the first lady who
approached me & said ok. Well, the lady from the morning remembered me & got into a fight with the
lady who was helping me now. I seriously thought they were going start punching. Finally they settled
things & she came back to do my hair. I realized I only had a $20, so I asked if she would give me
change. I learned on our previous cruises, they never have change. She doesn’t answer me, but
proceeds to start my hair. I had to ask 3 more times before she finally told me she couldn’t give
change. Likely story- especially considering they had been braiding all day & had lots of dollar bills in
their purses. I had to ask 3 other ladies to do my hair until I found one who would give me change.
Then she got hassled by the other girls for agreeing to make change. I should have just forgotten the
whole thing & went back to the boat. But, at that point it was a challenge & I wasn’t returning until I got
my braids & change! All in all, I think shore excursions are overpriced on all cruise lines. But, you have
the convenience of having everything organized for you. Usually if you are interested, you can
research things on the internet & arrange for your own tours for less money. As for the salon &
casino, we didn’t try either. The salon prices are 3 times what they are at home. They do run some
limited specials, but they are usually only while the ship is in port. One of our tablemates had a
massage- she enjoyed it, but said they tried to talk her into buying an additional $100 worth of oils &
lotions. They also added an automatic 15% tip onto the bill. Then the girl said ‘I added 15% unless
you don’t think I deserve it’. What can you say to that? Of course you aren’t going to scratch it out &
lower the tip at that point. Speaking of tipping, I think RC emphasizes it way too much. The cruise
director is constantly reminding you to tip, the salon people add their tips to the bill, the shore
excursion guides ask you to your face for a tip, and they even run a video on the TV about tipping. I
have no problem tipping everyone because they all work hard. But, I really don’t like having it shoved
down my throat. I guess they are afraid first time cruisers don’t realize you should tip. On Princess, tips
were never mentioned. On debarkation day, we waited on the ship as long as we could. Since we had
several hours before our plane departed, we waited until the last possible minute to leave the ship,
even though they had already called our luggage color. We figured we would sit & enjoy the lounge.
No point getting in a mad rush to just go sit in the airport. After leaving the boat we got a taxi to take
us to the pier. All in all this was a great trip. Even though I mentioned several negative items, we still
had lots of fun & got to relax. It is probably obvious that I prefer Princess, but I would definitely be
willing to go on another RC cruise, especially if the price is right. Miscellaneous- 1. Bring on board
your own soft drinks if you plan on drinking very many. Pop is free in the dining room, but costs $1.50
per can everywhere else. 2. The library is a nice & quiet place to sit & read. 3.There was a lot of
movement on this cruise- on the trip from St. Thomas to Nassau, lots of people got seasick. I think this
is because the captain has to sail very fast to cover enough distance to make it to Nassau in time. 4.
The pictures the photographers take are high priced- $13 to $20- this was bit higher than our last
cruise which offered 5 x 7’s for only $6. 5. Watch your liquor bill- all those drinks add up. I saw several
very shocked people when they saw their bill. 6. Bring bottled water if you can because the water out
of the faucet doesn’t taste very good. 7. You won’t need towels for laying out; they are provided. 8.
Bring your own underwater camera if you are going snorkeling- you will pay a premium price once
onboard. Bon voyage!!

Back to RCCL Enchantment