rccl-enchantment21

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Barb Colasante
Email: BColasante@cs.com
Age: 41
Occupation: PT office manager/homemaker
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 3/11/01
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 8078/C
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 60
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService:
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Mar 2001
Time: 16:37:10
Remote Name: spider-wd034.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

Enchantment of the Seas

We just returned from a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise, following the same route as Carnival’s
Paradise, which is the one we took last year during spring break. We couldn’t help comparing
Enchantment and Paradise all week, especially since we saw her docked near us at 3 of the 4 ports!

We arranged our own airfare, arriving in Ft. Lauderdale at 12:50pm. Embarkation took 75 minutes w/lots
of standing. My parents (late 60’s) arrived at 10:45 am and had no wait at all. This was a negative
comparison to Paradise since last year we arrived at the same time and got right on.

Our family of 4, including 15 & 12 year old girls, had a category C suite aft on deck 8. My parents were
midship, same type cabin, same deck. We booked this cruise with only 3 weeks notice. At first we had 3
outside cabins on deck 4, but my husband balked at paying almost $6000 for the girls to have their own
cabin. Then our travel agent found a suite that slept 4, had a balcony, and cost only $3450. We decided
to do it since the cabin was bigger (245 sq. ft), had a 55sq ft balcony, and last year we all bunked
together on Paradise in a 190 sq ft cabin with no problem. My parents upgraded to the same deck for
ease of communication between us. The cabin was nice but we decided we prefer bunk beds because
they take up less floor space. It was tight walking past end of beds and the only vanity/mirror in the
room. The bathroom was bigger than on Paradise and had a tub, which enabled 2 people with swimsuits
on to get showered at the same time. The girls shared a queen size sleeper sofa, which the cabin
steward opened at night and put away during the day.

The balcony was very relaxing, but we didn’t spend as much time on it as we thought we would. A few of
us would use it before dinner and before bed, while waiting for the others to get ready. We watched as
we took off from ports, and coming into ports, also. It was nice because my parents were on the opposite
side so we could switch, depending on which had a view or shade. The balconies have small overhangs
above, but the sun angle was such that it comes directly onto the balcony frequently anyway.

Food: I had read the bad commentaries and generally like anything if I don’t have to cook or clean up.
The food isn’t bad, just plain. However, I do highly recommend the chilled fruit soups that come with
dinner and lunch. They are great! Paradise did not have anything like them, although the food on
Paradise was definitely better. Service in the main dining room was also incredibly slow. We sat at a
table for 6 with my parents and the first night we couldn’t believe how long it took between courses. We
were seated at the entrance to the dining room and the kitchen was in the back, so maybe just walking
took up part of the time, but it was a huge negative in our comparison. The waiter and asst. waiter were
very friendly and Enchantment has a “head waiter” (8 of them) instead of a maitre’d. He actually helped
once in a while, too, and visited us every night. He was also very friendly. Our waiter and head waiter
were from Jamaica which was one of our stops and they gave us good info about touring there. The
asst. waiter was from Turkey, very nervous, and new. We really liked helping him relax and getting to
know them all. But the best service we had all week was when we were in Cozumel and 2 of their 3
tables didn’t show up for dinner.

The midnight buffets were very small, mostly appetizers. The grand buffet was not grand. Paradise’s
was much better and bigger. My 12 year old did not like the food at all and lost 4 lbs. We asked for a
children’s menu since she wanted macaroni and cheese, and they didn’t have one. They did bring her a
bowl of cheese noodles, tho. They really did try to please, it’s just that they have too many people to
take care of so dinners always took at least 2 hours. Other people left before us so not everyone had
our delay.

We didn’t ever order 2 main courses. On Paradise we did that several times. Also on Paradise, both
formal nights offered lobster and filet mignon. On Enchantment only one night the whole week had
lobster. We ordered an extra one for my daughter, knowing she wouldn’t eat it, because to have asked
for another one after the first ones were delivered would have taken another half hour!!

Windjammer Café was always buffet style and we had breakfast there 6 times. It was very good but a
staff member is positioned at the coffee machine to pour your coffee into the mug and it was annoying.
That area is crowded to begin with, then to put an extra person there was one more obstacle to
maneuver around. Lunches there were also good, but not varied. The only ethnic thing offered all week
was on St. Patrick’s day. We were hoping for Mexican while in Cozumel. Breakfast and lunch in the main
dining room were much faster and their Eggs Benedict were done perfectly. By the Solarium (quiet pool)
is a hot dog, hamburger, pizza counter. The burgers were okay but the pizza was lacking. My 12 year
old thought the pizza we got on the way home on US Airways was the best food she had all week!!!

There is no ice cream machine on Enchantment as there is on Paradise. No hot chocolate machine
either. The only beverages offered for free during the day are water and iced tea. We missed the fruit
juices and lemonade on Paradise.

Shows: Very good. The dancers are energetic and skilled. The comedians were good. We especially
enjoyed getting to know the juggler/comedian personally during the cruise. He offered free juggling
classes, which my girls attended. We also were seated with him at open seating lunch one day and he
joined us for coffee one day. Really nice guy – so talented and funny! One of the best things about
Enchantment was that the sight lines from every seat were great, even though the theater seemed
smaller than on Paradise. You can show up 20 minutes before show time and still get a great seat! On
Paradise you had to get there 45 minutes early just to get a seat because they played bingo there every
night and the best seats went early. It was great here because we could shop and look at photos after
our slow dinner, without rushing straight to the theater to hold a seat.

My parents were thrilled because the surprise show was “The Platters”, a singing group they grew up
hearing.

Pools: We never had a problem getting chairs because we seek shade. We used the quiet pool
(Solarium) all week. It’s for 12 yrs and up, no music or ball playing and the rules were enforced by a
“deck patrol.” I’m glad because one day some loud 17–21 yr olds showed up and started playing beach
ball in the pool. Since it’s salt water, people were not happy getting splashed in the eyes. After about 15
minutes, a patrol man told them to stop. The 2 hot tubs in this area are great. They never had more
than 7 people in them, compared to Paradise’s 13!!, and the people didn’t stay in too long. On
Paradise, the quiet pool’s hot tub was clogged with the same group of college kids all week. This was
another great positive for Enchantment.

Excursions: We took the kayaking excursion in Key West. It was okay, no insects at all as some have
reported here. We saw baby jellyfish, lots of mangrove trees, and some birds. We had frozen key lime
pie on a stick ($5.00) at a shop right by the pier. We don’t highly recommend this excursion. We like to
kayak and it was interesting, but not repeatable any time soon.

In Cozumel we went to Chankanaub Park on our own, by taxi. My parents came, too. The snorkeling is
absolutely awesome!! We saw all kinds of beautiful fish. My mother couldn’t snorkel, but just standing in
the water waist deep, she saw tons of fish swarming around her! Admission = $10.00 cash. Taxi = $8.00.
They don’t take credit cards. Shopping in Cozumel at the pier is frustrating. Deduct 70% for every price
tag you see and stick to your guns. Paying too much is irritating.

Grand Cayman: We did the 8:30am stingray snorkel. We did the 9:30am one on Paradise last year. This
year they were hungry!! My 12 year old got back in the boat after only 10 minutes!! Last year she loved
it. They were all around, rubbing on our legs. At first, nobody at all was snorkeling. It was too crowded to
begin with. The boat operators group you between boats. After more people got on the boat, we were
able to snorkel and see puffer and trumpet fish as well as stingrays. I’m much more comfortable with my
feet off the ground anyway! My husband fed a big one with his hand in the wrong position and had his
fingers sucked into a ray’s mouth. He could feel the two bony plates as they scrapped his fingers. Ouch!
He had small abrasions to show for it all week, but he did learn to hold the bait the right way!

Jamaica: My daughters, husband, and father did the horseback riding. We did it last year, too. They had
a great time, especially my father! My mother and I took a taxi to the Taj Mahal shopping area. She
bought some gold jewelry at good prices. When my daughters returned I took them there again for
souvenirs. It’s only a two-minute cab ride from the pier. RCI’s pier there is ugly! Paradise is at the new,
pretty pier and they can walk to the shopping center.

Noise: Our cabin, 8078, was 2 floors above the Carousel Lounge, but I could still hear them the first and
second night thru my pillow. They also hold pool parties on deck 9 and my parents heard that several
nights until 1am. I didn’t think vibration would be noticeable since we had sailed on Paradise and
enjoyed ship movement, but on Enchantment, there is definitely some major quivering going on when
they dock. It’s weird! The whole bed would shake rapidly back and forth like a vibrating bed. It only
lasted half a minute at a time, repeating for several minutes, but it would wake us up! I imagine lower
decks felt it more. We also heard lots of drawer banging, door closing and other loud bangs (?) during
the night. It was much noisier than our cabin on Paradise. The sofa bed creaked loudly, too, so we
ended up putting the mattress on the floor every night. The very first night the intercom started blaring
at 6:30 am and again at 8:00 am. Then at 10 and noon! We complained to my parents and they showed
us that it could be turned off altogether. Thank goodness!

Teens programs: Mine refused to go. We did pass through one evening about 10:30pm to go to the
observation deck to see the stars. It’s a great view! There were about 15 teens sitting on 2 sofas talking.
They were there for a good hour doing nothing but talk. The one 17 year old girl that tried to befriend
my 15 year old (who is 5’11” and looks older) at the beginning of the cruise, later told her how she was
hanging out with the singles groups, being offered drinks, and staying out until 2:30 am. Made me glad
my girls didn’t want to join!

Overall, we had a fun cruise. We wish the ship were totally non-smoking like Paradise, though. We had
to leave a late show in the Carousel lounge because of smoke, and once in the Centrium, while my
parents were dancing, two men were smoking and making nasty comments to people who complained
about it. There is no smoking in the dining rooms and main show room. We smelled smoke in the
hallways occasionally and while in port, the halls smelled like latrines. Uggg!

I would cruise RCI again, but we’ll probably get 2 cabins for privacy sake. The balcony was nice, but I’ll
settle for an outside window. We will try Princess, Celebrity or Holland America next time in order to
attempt to find the best of both of these ships in one.

Name: abe Kestenbaum
Email: Samharris@aol.com
Age: 43
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: Yes
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 4/8/01
Itinerary: Western Carribean
Cabin: 2568
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Apr 2001
Time: 08:54:31
Remote Name: spider-wm062.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

This has been the second time on this ship. Each time we travelled during the Easter vacation. On both
occasions the ship was full, however we did not feel cramped. The food we found to be excellent in the
dining room and the service superb. The lobster and the filet migon was the best I ever tasted. The food in
the Windjammer is fairly good for a quick snack. If you are a soda drinker like my wife and kids are, it pays
to purchase a kids coke card, which allows you unlimited drinks by the poolside. The main pool is can be
somewhat crowded but at the Solarium it is quite pleasant because no chilren are allowed. There are plenty
of beach chairs available but after 11 it begins to get crowded. you are not suppose to save chairs but I got
up early to exercise and I saved 3 chairs. The exercise facility is also quite nice and the steam room is
relaxing. The only thing I found somewhat disappointing were the shows at night. I have been on Carnival,
Disney and Norweign and these shows were much better. But this is the only fault I found on this ship. The
private Island, Lamberdee is quite nice. The water was nice and there were plenty of places to get sun and
shade. It can get quite hot on this island if you do not stay in the water. we are planning to cruise in August
on the Voyerger. ,.

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