 |
 |
|
Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Peggy Paglione
Email: Terracina@aol.com
Age: 48
Occupation: Administrative Assistang
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: January 25-Feb 1, 1998
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 92
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 92
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 94
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 96
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 92
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 94
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 92
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 12 Feb 1998
Time: 00:37:15
Remote Name: 152.163.197.36
Remote User:
Comments
This was the first cruise that my husband and I went on. We looked forward to this for a
long time as it was planned a
year in advance. What made it special, is that we had 40 family members onboard from
Canada and the States. It was like
a reunion cruise. Everything was terrific basically, starting with Ken Rush. He was
absolutely superb, a terrific sport and
perfect for his job. He made our trip extra special with his congeniality. Especially when
a few of our guys decided the first
day to throw him in the pool with all his clothes on after the 'Mr. Sexy Leg Contest.' We
also played a joke on him at the
end of the cruise - ask him about the 'horse #6 in his bed.' I am sure the Royal Caribbean
cruise members will never
forget our cruise. One of the members, Tim came up to our group the last night and said
that after being on that ship for
3-1/2 years, that our cruise had to be the best one he was ever on and it was mostly
because of our group. We loved the
music around the pool with 'Heat Wave' and we danced starting 10:00 am. We danced all day
and then in the Carousel
Lounge at night with all of the activities they had planned. The most fun we had was the
night Ken had the 'Adult
Scavenger Hunt' in the Carousel Lounge. Julie, Amy and all of the crew members were just
great in all of the activities.
Especially the Shipshape exercises we did in the pool and out. We cannot forget our bar
waiter 'Anthony' who constantly
entertained us with his twirling of the tray on his finger and his dancing. Garth and
Barry were as much fun too. All of the
bar waiters had a lot of fun entertaining everyone. Stephan was great in teaching us the
'Dollar Wine' dance. We loved it
so much we bought the CD from Heat Wave to bring home. We did have a couple of days that
the weather wasn't very
good, but we still had plenty to keep us busy. We were a little disappointed that we
couldn't have the picnic on CoCoCay. I
think that would have been a lot of fun. We should have gone to Nassau that day like they
almost did, it would have been
warmer. The only thing that I think they could improve on, is the food in the Windjammer.
The breakfasts and lunch
buffets were the same everyday, and the food wasn't as good as in the Dining Room. They
need more of a different
selection at breakfast in the Windjammer every day. Over all we had a terrific time and
will certainly come back to the
RCCL line. We are looking forward to the two new ships we heard they are building that are
twice the size of the
Enchantment. Ask anybody that was on that cruise if they remember the crazy Italian group
that had so much fun and got
everyone else involved in everything. Ask them if they remember Armando and the 'Italian
Stallion?' I think we made as
much of a lasting impression on the ship, as the ship did on us.
Name: Jess Billingsley
Email: jasb@cadvision.com
Age: 40
Occupation: school aide
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: February 8/98
Itinerary: Eastern
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Feb 1998
Time: 19:33:45
Remote Name: 207.228.74.109
Remote User:
Comments
This was meant to be a family vacation and after going through many brochures and
exploring other options such as Club Med and other
all-inclusive type holidays, we opted for a cruise. It was the best decision we could have
made. We traveled with our 14 and 10-year-old sons.
To start with, we did not partake in the air sea program as we figured we could do it
cheaper on our own. We handled our own flights, luggage,
transfers, overnight hotel and it went smoothly. We arrived at the Port of Miami at 11 AM
and shortly after were registered and boarded the ship. We
took the afternoon to have lunch at the Windjammer Café and explore and get to know the
ship. The Enchantment is a beautiful ship and we were
very impressed with all. It is a big ship to get to know and one can easily spend a lot of
time going from deck to deck.
Our cabin was much better than expected. We opted for an outside cabin but on the lowest
deck to keep the cost down. We were worried about the
lack of storage space for 4 of us and came close to upgrading ourselves but as it turned
out, the cabin was fine. There were 2 twin beds and 2
berths, which came down from the ceiling for bedtime. The amount of storage space was
unbelievable, as there was more than ample room for all of
our stuff both in the room and bathroom. Once all was unpacked and our luggage put under
the beds, you would never know that a family of 4 used
that cabin. The only time we were all in the cabin at once was to sleep so I'm glad we
didn't put out the extra money for a larger cabin. It was more
comfortable and spacious than I had anticipated.
For dining, we had requested a window table months after we booked and we were quite
pleased to find out that they had indeed reserved a lovely
table for us by a window. We enjoyed many splendid sunsets while eating dinner. Our
14-year-old was quite happy to sit through the 5 course meals
and sample everything but our 10-year-old found it boring. After the first night, the
waiters knew to bring him a children's menu right away and he
was served while we were still eating appetizers and salad. He was always gone soon after
and we would meet up with him later. The meals were
enjoyable and delicious most of the time. We had requested early seating and I'm not sure
I would do that again. A later seating would have made
the days much longer and less rushed. I found the afternoons short as we had to head back
to our cabin around 4:30 to allow enough time for
showers and dressing in time for 6 PM. It is something to consider for the next cruise. I
liked the fact that we had other options than the dining room
all of the time. We only ate in the dining room for dinner and had our breakfasts and
lunches in the Windjammer Café. The food in the Windjammer
was good and adequate. With our 2 boys, we used the Solarium Café quite often too for the
pizzas, burgers and hot dogs. I would sometimes
combine both places (salad and fruit at the Windjammer + pizza at the Solarium Café). The
boys certainly did not starve and had their ample filling of
junk food when they wanted. The Coke cards for the boys are a good deal too. For $15, they
each purchased a Coke card upon boarding and could
order as many cokes and sprites as they wanted throughout the cruise. All they had to do
was not lose the card. It is a good idea to bring small
holders for the kids such as fanny packs for their key and coke cards. They sell neat
small plastic containers that you can wear around your neck for
about $8 on the ship. The kids used room service almost every night by ordering a bowl of
cereal before bedtime. The bell staff was always pleased
to accommodate them.
The children's programs are excellent. We hardly ever saw our 10-year-old as they had him
busy from 9 AM until 10 PM every day (except days in
port) with a break at lunch and dinner. He was so happy there. Our 14-year-old who is shy
and quite reserved spent some time with the 'teen' club
but wasn't comfortable with all the activities like the dances and parties and so he
didn't 'live' there like our younger son did. They had amazing
facilities for the kids with their own rooms, large screen TV's, video games,
toys…etc. We were very impressed with their program. The Youth staff
was great. The day we were in CocoCay, one of the girls spent a couple of hours with my
10-year-old son swimming and snorkeling. He had a ball
with her and this was all on her own time.
I loved this itinerary, as we were at sea a full 3 days out of the week. St. Marten was
good. We did not buy any shore packages but arranged
something on our own once we got on the island. The four of us took a cab in a mini van
along with 3 other tourists and toured the island. Don't
make the same mistake we did. We stopped in Marigot on the French side and had 45 minutes
for lunch. We only ordered fries, salad and a
sandwich and our food took 40 minutes to come and it was very expensive but our kids were
hungry and we had to feed them. We should have
brought food with us from the buffet that morning. St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands are
beautiful. Again, we didn't buy any shore packages.
Instead, we took the tram up to Paradise Point and spent a good hour or two having a drink
and enjoying the spectacular scenery from up there.
The tram is only a 10-minute walk from the ship. CocoCay was by far my favorite port. We
rented snorkeling equipment there and a couple of beach
mats. Don't bother reserving your mats on the ship like we did. They have tons of them to
rent on the island and we ended up not even using ours
because we kept so busy with other things. The island is beautiful and quiet. I wish Royal
Caribbean would spend more time there. Tenders never left
until after 11 AM and we had to be back on board by 4:30 PM. The afternoon went by much
too fast. They cooked and served an excellent
barbecue.
The entertainment was excellent throughout the cruise. Our favorite acts were Clint Holmes
and Wilde & Hanes. Another favorite of ours was The
Mudsharks in the Carousel Lounge - an excellent band.
If you are not American, beware of the Immigration people. The morning that we docked in
St. Thomas, we were made to line up at 6:30 AM (every
member of the family had to be there) to go through the passport stamping process. It was
not a fun thing to do in the middle of a holiday at that
time of morning. We must have stood in line for a good hour only to return to our cabin
and get another hour of sleep. I wish they could figure out a
more efficient way of doing this.
I was a bit surprised at how well dressed people were during the evenings. Even on
'casual' nights, men wore nice slacks and shirts/jackets; women
wore dresses or pantsuits. I have a bit of a problem with packing so many different types
of clothes but I guess that's what a cruise is all about. Don't
forget the midnight buffets - we only took in the Gala one which was a site to see. Even
if you're not hungry, you should try to stay awake just to have
a look.
If you have any questions about anything, please let me know.
Name: Mike Johnston
Email: iemwj@vwr-inc.com
Age: 36
Occupation: sales representative
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: January 11, 1998
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 93
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 97
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 96
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Feb 1998
Time: 00:11:40
Remote Name: 199.89.169.89
Remote User:
Comments
My wife and I decided to celebrate our 10 year anniversary by going on a cruise. We were
glad we signed up for the Air &
Sea package. We did not have to worry about our baggage throughout our flight which
included a connection in Atlanta.
The only time we had to wait was when we were issued our Cruise Card at the processing
center. Here we presented our
birth certificate, etc... before boarding the ship. It was nice to finally get on board!
Being that this was our first cruise, the
anticipation had been mounting. Our first impressions of the ship were not disappointing.
Monday and Tuesday we were
at sea sailing toward St. Maarten. This was a good time to see the ship from stem to
stern. There were activities going on
all the time. The casino was especially well designed. I had heard of casinos on other
ships that were the size of small
closets. Even though I did not spend much time in the casino, I was suprised how big it
was and how lavishly it was
decorated. The My Fair Lady dining room was spectacular! Larger than I anticipated, but
very well built. The sweeping
staircase, beautiful furniture, waterfall and piano music made for a great atmosphere. You
really got the feeling you were
in a 5 star restaurant. The waiters were very attentive to our needs. The selections for
all meals were posted outside the
dining room for previewing. Of course you could select from the menu when you are being
seated. There were five main
entree selection which varied each day. We highly recommend the filet! Our table was in
agreement that this was the best
tasting filet we had ever eaten. We had lobster one evening, but it was a little
overcooked. If you have something that does
not look or taste like you think it should, send it back. Our waiter, Pablo, wanted us to
enjoy our meal and encouraged us
to order something else if the first selection was not as we expected. Out of the whole
week, we only had to send a couple
of items back. The dessert presentations were excellent, from Cherries Jubilee to Baked
Alaska. Our wine steward Millie
was helpful in making our wine selections. If you did not finish a bottle of wine during
your meal, she would recork the
bottle and store it for your next meal. When you book your cruise, ask for a table by the
window. We did not have one but
kept wishing we did. The outdoor pool was small. Not big enough for any real swimming. The
upper and lower decks were
nice and spacious with lots of lounge chairs. Beach towels are provided so it won't be
necessary to bring any along.
Wednesday we were in St. Maarten. We tendered on the Dutch side and took a bus to our
destination, Orient Bay on the
French side. The beach was nice, except for the seaweed. There was a storm a few day
earlier and seaweed washed
ashore. The water was clear and relatively warm. The view was spectacular! We stayed until
1pm and then went shopping
until it was time to get back on board. This would have been a great time to snorkel had
we known what was in store for
us in Coco Cay, but more about this later. The stores were really neat and clean as were
the streets and general area.
Make sure you try a Guavaberry Coloda! Thursday we were in St. Thomas, I did some scuba
diving which was
disappointing. It was written up as a reef dive and wreck dive to 100 ft. I enjoyed the
reef dive as there were several types
of colorful fish. The wreck dive was a real dud as storms over the last several years had
torn the ship into three twisted
chunks and pushed it up into 40 ft. of water. I could hardly tell this was once a ship.
The whole dive lasted over four hours,
through lunch. I have been on other dives where a snack was provided, sometimes a lunch.
But all we had was a jug of
water. The dive masters were friendly and the equipment was in good shape. My wife went on
a sightseeing bus tour and
enjoyed it. The views were breathtaking and makes amatuer photographers look good. We met
each other later at the
Crown & Anchor Club. This is an ideal place to rendevous, make phone calls home if
necessary, check bags after a heavy
day of shopping which is what we did. Prices are about the same as St. Maarten although
you can bargain for whatever
you want. Bring cash if you want the best deals. Everything is bought and sold in American
dollars. St. Thomas has by far
the best shopping selections. From liquor, electronics to crystal, jewelry, and clothing.
Friday we were at sea. Looking
forward to our day at Coco Cay. Evening entertainment continues to please. Comedians,
illusionists, Vegas type shows and
singers headline each night. It was especially nice to have the 60's group, 'The
Association' as our main celebrity act.
They sang all of their famous songs, 'Wendy', 'Cherish', and 'Never My Love'. Later the
next day they signed autographs
and CD's and visited with the guests on board. Still haven't seen all of the ship. After
the main enterainment each
evening, we usually went to the Carousel Lounge where there was a band that played a mix
of music that satisfied
everyones taste. We were at the Midnight Buffet every night. Sometimes we ate, sometimes
we just looked. We enjoyed
the karoke, wished it was everynight. Saturday morning we found out that due to high sea
swells that we would be going
to Nassau instead of Coco Cay. A major disappointment. The excursion desk only offered
four items to choose from which
were basically sightseeing tours. We had planned to snorkel at Coco Cay so this was a big
letdown. We declined the
excursion desk offerings and decided to go out on our own. On the way out we happened to
start a conversation with one
of the crew members. As it turns out, they have been to Coco Cay only a few times but a
great majority of the time have
to change plans at the last moment and dock in Nassau. If this happens check out the
Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island.
The hotel has lagoons that contain sea turtles, hammer head sharks, manta rays, more fish
than I can name. After
several hours we took a taxi back to the ship. Reality was starting to set in. Tomorrow
morning we would be back in
Miami. What a BUMMER! We enjoyed this cruise so much, we have already booked our next one!
Name: Mike Budzynski
Email: mbudzyn@luc.edu
Age: 29
Occupation: Physician Practice Manager
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 2/22/98
Itinerary: Eastern Carribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 97
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 75
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 50
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 50
Stabilization: 60
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 70
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Mar 1998
Time: 16:13:49
Remote Name: 147.126.151.206
Remote User:
Comments
This was my wife's first cruise and my second (a four day Carnival Marti Gras about 10
years ago). The itenary was set up to be at sea for the first
two straight day. By the end of the second day, we really wanted off the ship for awhile.
The ports of call were too short to really enjoy yourself on the islands. At St. Martin,
we had to wait for a tender to take us to shore. For some
people, this took up to an hour and a half - severely cutting into any time on the island.
The cruise excursions were somewhat pricy, but at least got
you to beautiful parts of the island relatively quickly. We went on the beach trip, which
was very enjoyable. At St. Thomas, we hit another beach -
again, pretty spectacular views. The private island in CocoCay was nice. We walked a ways
to get a semi-private portion of the beach with our own
hammocks swinging from coconut trees. That afternoon was pretty relaxing. We did not
research enough about being at just three ports of call - our
mistake - we should have opted for more ports because the boat can get boring after 60
straight hours.
The good stuff - The My Fair Lady dining room was spectacular. The waitress, Laurance
(French), and her assistant were outstanding. Our dinner
partners, a couple from New York and a couple from Misouri, were super. We hung around
with them quite a bit and had a great time. The food in
the dining room was excellent. A different theme every night. Service - top notch. The
"Vegas" style shows were very good with singers, comedians,
and a magician. I was impressed with the casino - very spacious and somewhat friendly to
the players. The cabin was efficently designed (inside -
deck 8). We had an inside cabin, but the tv kept us well informed with events and even a
live camera shot from the bridge (this we used as our
window).
Some downsides - the cruise staff appeared a little faken and full of themselves. The boat
held 2,000+ people with a two pools about 10x20 - very
small. The bad part about the pools was that one was indoors with a retractable roof that
never retracted. Thus, we had to get up at 7:00am to just
get a decent spot by the pool. I saw a couple of close encounters as to fighting for deck
chairs. The band was great by the pool - however - our luck
was to have the cabin directly below the pool band - a little noisy at times. My wife
never met our cabin steward. I met him for about three minutes -
he seemed pre-occupied.
Overall - The boat is beautiful. As first time cruisers together, it was a very relaxing
week vacation. We would probably not go back on this particular
itenary (needs more islands). We would consider traveling with Royal Carribbean again.
Overall a decent value for all of the stuff - food, shows,
lounge acts, etc.
Name: Joanne Witkin
Email: jojosm33@bestweb.net
Age: 33
Occupation: Psy Case Manager
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 3/8/98
Itinerary: Eastern Carribien
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 97
CabinAmenities: 89
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 91
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 91
DeckService: 89
ShoreExcValue: 87
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 94
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 92
LoungeService:
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 89
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 89
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 97
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 87
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Mar 1998
Time: 00:37:31
Remote Name: 209.94.102.163
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise, the first being a 4 day with Carnival. Overall we had a great
time. As always it's good to get an outside cabin. The
bathrooms were very small, with the shower really needing a little extra room. The service
was great, from our room steward Cheryl, our waiters Soto
and Frank, and our wine steward Charles. The singing and dancing were not as good as
Carnival, but they had a fun time trying! The food was
always excellent in the dining room, and they would bring you as many dishes as you
wanted. Some at our table had 3 entrees! I had 4 lobsters tails
one night. The windjammer breakfast and lunch buffets were ok. We never ate dinner there,
always in the dining room. I did like the option of dining
there rather than dressing up. The midnight buffets were interesting, but didn't vary too
much. They had different themes, but only some of the items
changed. The gala buffet was of course a picture taking event, and the biggest lines we
encountered. It was nice to have food available in the
Solarim 11am to 7pm. It was only pizza, burgers and hotdogs, but it came in very handy
when returning after an excursion hungry. The boat was a
site! Lots of room except around the pool on a nice sea day. I preferred the solarim pool
after 6pm when the first dinner seeting when in. The kids
were all at club ocean (I don't have any) I'm commenting on this because they were kept
very busy, and not running around un-supervised. The
Casino was great, so great that you shoud see my picture up on the winners wall, as I won
$1200.00!!!!! On the slots. The double blackjack machine
was lucky all the time. We did an excursion at each stop. St. Martin it was the Golden
Eagle Catermaran to go snorkling. The water was quite rough,
and I had a ball in the front getting hit with all the spray. Some people did not like it,
and stayed in back. The snorkling at Tintamar was not good
because of the rough water, the sand blocked all views. At St. Thomas take the Paradise
tram up the mountin, there are great views! The St. John
sea and snorkel was a nice narrated boat ride to Trunk bay at St. John, where the
snorkling was great! Coco Cay was very lovely, the water was so
blue! The boat was not as stable as my last cruise, this was because of very rough seas.
The shows that I went to were the comedy shows, which
featured 3 leading performers. I think Rich Corso was better than George Wallace! Wild and
Hanes were also good. I didn't do many activities, but
when I walked by they were always having a great time. The bingo prizes can get very
large! The service on this ship was first class from the time you
stepped onto the pier, until you got off the pier. They are very organized, and all
activities always started on time. Overall, it was a great vacation
that I was sad to see end.
Name: Mary Crowley
Email: mcrowley@cruiseopinion.com
Age: 44
Occupation: Independent Cruise Specialist / R.N.
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: Yes
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: March 1, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Mar 1998
Time: 19:40:36
Remote Name: 206.139.120.111
Remote User:
Comments
This was my third cruise with RCI and I was a bit dissappointed with the overall
experience. The embarkation went
smoothly with very little confusion. Our luggage did not arrive until 8:10pm the first
night out, and dinner was at 8:30pm.
This did cause a bit of concern. Our cabin was very neat, clean and well appointed. The
cabin steward took exceptional
care to meet all of our needs. The food was excellent in the dining room, but not up to
RCI's standards in the Lido cafe.
The temperature of the lounge areas was to cold and many individuals were complaining
about this.
Our shore excersions were for the most part disappointing. To many people crammed into to
small of an area for the
most part. We went to seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman and stayed for 30 minutes. Limited
beach space for ship
passengers and carefully patrolled by hotel staff so that we did not infringe on the hotel
guest space. I did not like that at
all.
The cruise director Ray Rouse is one of the best in the industry. I'd sailed with him as
the CD on a cruise several years
ago on the Majesty of the Seas. He is great! Lots of energy.
The ship is beautiful...plenty of space except around the pool on days at sea. Many people
reserve deck chairs and
although this is discouraged it still occurs. My suggestion is to get up early and put
reserve your place around the pool
or you will not have one.
I would certainly reccommend this ship to my clients. The more a person cruises the more
particular they get. You
expect a certain level of service/comfort and when you don't get it you feel cheated.
Finally, the debarkation process was a nightmare...I have never had a much trouble of had
to wait as long. Customs
officials were rude, tempers were short and basically most everyone I saw was upset that
such a nice week at sea had to
end with such a mess gettting off the ship.
Name: Ed &Dorothy Roberts
Email: EDY001@JUNO.COM
Age: 42
Occupation: Test
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 03-08-98
Itinerary: Eastern Carribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Mar 1998
Time: 19:38:16
Remote Name: 192.35.39.37
Remote User:
Comments
During the Week of February 8, through February 15 1998, we took the Eastern Caribbean
tour aboard the Enchantment
of the Seas, The ship's 30th cruise. This was our second vacation on a cruise ship and our
first with Royal Caribbean
International. Our Travel agent set us up with an overnight stay at the Miami Wyndham Inn
the Saturday before the
Cruise, which made the start of our trip very easy indeed. RCCL had placed representatives
In the lobby of the Hotel on
Sunday morning to handle the details of Registration. They took care of everything ,
provided us with our boarding
passes, and shuttled us to the Ship terminal where we went straight on board.
We booked a D cabin on deck seven just forward of the Atrium on the Port side, that's left
side for all of us land lubbers .
The room was comfortably compact with twin beds that fit together to make a Queen sized
one. There was also a fold
out sofa bed, small coffee table, refrigerator, a safe, a vanity/desk, and a table with
two chairs out on the balcony. There
was plenty of storage space in the closet and drawers for all of our things, and the cabin
was kept cleaned and made up
very nicely by Alfred our cabin steward. Although we rarely saw him, Alfred was able to
attend to our cabin several times
daily to rearrange our bed pillows, refill the ice bucket and replenish our bath towels.
The meals were fabulous! Each evening's Bill of fare featured a special theme. Before
serving, the children on board
would parade about the My Fair Lady dining room in the hand made costumes of the day.
Bringing out the desserts, the
waiters would put on a show, at times with both fire and dancing. In between we were
treated to some of the best meals
that I've ever enjoyed, presented with great care and service. Delroy, our Jamaican
waiter, and Peter his French
assistant, handled our meals wonderfully. With 10 people at our table all traveling
together, they showed a great sense
of humor with the inevitable joking around that came with our group. Antonio was the head
waiter for our section. He
provided final preparation of the fancier dishes and kept things moving smoothly helping
Delroy and Peter with the
chores from time to time. There were plenty of activities provided each day to keep us
going and going. There is a
ShipShape program that we found to be great fun. A combination of games and exercise
throughout the day where we
received those Shipshape dollars used to buy souvenir T-shirts and hats. We found it to be
one of the most enjoyable
parts of the trip, giving us opportunity to meet and interact with other passengers as
well as work off a little of that
"Cruise Fat" that can add up so easily. Each evening there was a show in the
Orpheum theater featuring a mix of
comedy and music. The best act was the put on by Wilde and Haines. Those two had us
laughing from start to finish with
everything from Singing and Dancing to Magic and Juggling . After the midnight buffet, the
Mudsharks played music in the
Carousel lounge at the rear of the ship. If you prefer a more intense dancing environment,
the disco in the Viking Crown
lounge cranked up the lights and music. Overall we had the best time ever. The Enchantment
of the Seas is a Huge and
beautiful ship. Fortunately the week that we chose had some excellent weather, the week
prior had very rough seas with
high winds with rain. I guess that we were lucky, even though our trip took us through the
Bermuda Triangle on Friday
the 13th!
Hats off to the activities directors that tended to the kids, though we did not bring
children with us we greatly appreciated
their ability to keep the kids entertained........ if you know what I mean .
Name: Steve Kunnmann
Email: kunnmann@viasystems.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Info. Systems Manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 4/8/98
Itinerary: Easter Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 92
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 96
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 91
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 25 Mar 1998
Time: 15:00:13
Remote Name: 209.64.65.249
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise, in honor of our 25th Anniversary. While it took 25 years for
the first cruise, our goal is not to
exceed 25 months ‘til our next one. I realize that we have little or no reference,
but we have decided that another cruise
line could not be better, only the same or worse. So Royal Caribbean next time too!
Enchantment was wonderful! The food, entertainment, facilities are all great.
Food:
Mertol and Jorge, our waiter and assistant waiter catered to all our needs, including
those extra lobster tails on
Caribbean night! The dining room (My Fair Lady) was excellent. We ate dinner there every
night. There was a new menu
each night with different themes (French, American, Italian, Caribbean, and
International). There were choices of 4-5
appetizers, 1-3 soups, salad, 4-5 entrees, and lots of deserts. All meals were excellent!
If it were a restaurant at home,
we would return often.
Breakfast and Lunch were often taken in the Windjammer Café, buffet style. (Note: missed
the omelet station in
Windjammer until Wednesday, look for it.) Food was plainer, but very good. Twice had lunch
and breakfast in dining
room, where it was ordered from menu.
Food was available 24 hrs a day. Ate at the 4pm afternoon “snack”, which is a
misnomer, each day, because of 8:30
dinner seating.
Lunch on CocoCay was a disappointment. I think someone fell asleep and forgot to make
delivery to island.
Entertainment:
Comedy was excellent, especially Rich Corso and George Wallace. Musical revue was weak.
Music was available in several
bars and lounges including rock, country, oldies, big band and more. We spent most time at
rock 50’s, 60’s and later.
Cruise staff had a lot of fun and thus so did we.
Casino was nice. Especially when other seating was at dinner. Played blackjack for seven
days and broke even, what a
deal.
Lots of other activities. Need to realize early that you are not meant to do everything,
and decide what is important to
you.
Facilities:
Centrum breathtaking! The centrum gave a very roomy feeling and made the ship feel even
more comfortable. Great to
sit in centrum over drinks and listen to trio at night. Laura Farrel Trio great.
Cabin (deluxe outer) larger than I expected. Lots of storage room in cabin. Praneet our
steward was wonderful, she was
very sweet. Made us feel really at home. In fact, so did the whole crew, including those
who were not going to get a direct
tip.
No kids with us ( it WAS our anniversary) but the staff did keep all the kids involved and
having fun, not running around.
Ship was smoother than expected. Could only feel movement at port or aft ends. In room was
smooth though you could
hear vibration when resting on pillow.
Islands were great. Didn’t use any of the planned excursions and are satisfied. Think
about jewelry and electronics
before cruise and do some shopping at home so you know when you are faced with a real
value.
Biggest complaint we can find is that there weren't enough chairs near pool, or more
accurately, people reswerved them
when not present despite staff's requests to the contrary.
Want to book your cruise at a great rate?
Click here.
Questions or comments? Mail to webmaster@cruiseopinion.com.
Copyright ©1996-2001 CruiseOpinion.com. Last modified: January 17, 2000.