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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Carla Bledsoe
Email: Cbledsoe@nsc-net.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Payroll Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 3/15/98
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 88
CruiseDirector: 79
CabinComfort: 82
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 89
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 78
CabinSteward: 78
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 88
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 92
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 75
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 88
Casino: 88
AirSeaProgram: 25
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 88
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 89
Stabilization: 75
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 79
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Mar 1998
Time: 14:14:44
Remote Name: 209.36.142.2
Remote User:
Comments
For the most part our trip was enjoyable, but we did not feel that RCCL was as impressive
as NCL is. The ship being fairly
new is shiny and beautiful but rather strung out which meant a lot of walking and you were
often left wondering on which
deck and at which end of the ship you were suppose to be on. The casino was beautiful with
entrance floors that looked
like you were walking on an aquarium, but is not quite as roomy as others, leaving people
elbow to elbow playing slots
or waiting to play slots, which did not seem to be very user friendly the duration of our
trip. The casino also had
blackjack, Caribbean poker, roulette, and craps. They were good about opening up extra
blackjack tables after the shows
when the Casino was packed. There was also Bingo which had some pretty good jackpots. The
pool area on sunny sea
days was a nightmare to find a lounge chair at. Others put towels on the chairs the night
before to save their spots for
the next day, which I did not feel should be allowed. I think the congestion at the pool
was partly due to the 2nd pool
being enclosed in the Solarium (which was beautiful but hardly used), as most people want
to be outside in the
sunshine. Other ships that I have been on had several outdoor pools eliminating 2200
people trying to use the same
10x20 pool. Bar service in the pool area was very good as was the band that played pool
side. There were several
different lounges with entertainment. The Viking Crown at the top of the 11th floor had a
blasting disco and the Carousel
had a band called the Mud Sharks which played a little bit of everything from
50s-60s to current and they were very
good. The food in the dining room was good and attractively presented and our waiter,
Earl, was excellent. The midnight
buffets were so so, not nearly as lavish as NCL. The Gala buffet on the final night at sea
had some ice carvings as well as
some other sculptures made from fruits, chocolate and bread, but again, not as lavish as
others I have seen. The
Windjammer Café (off the pool area) was for informal dining and was buffet style. The
food there tended to be the same
thing day after day with very little variety. There was also the Solarium Café which
served pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs
and fries and everything was hot and very tasty. They had your basic cheese pizza and
pepperoni pizza every day along
with a special pizza of the day and the pizza was surprisingly good. I was not real
impressed with the entertainment. It
was OK, but again not much variety. It was either a comedian or musical. The famous name
entertainment for our cruise
was "The Association" and they were good. The Orpheum Theater which hosts the
shows is set up very well with the
seats graduating upward so everyone has a good view of the stage. I was also disappointed
in the shopping area which
consisted of 5 or 6 small shops that were rather expensive (didnt many good deals).
The photo area seemed to be
fairly organized and did a good job of being out and about getting a variety of settings
and they also put together a
video of each cruise with the different events that took place for $19.95 which I thought
was a nice touch. We were on the
Western sailing and were disappointed in the ports. The Fiesta Party Boat tour at Conzumel
is a lot of fun, with music on
board and unlimited rum punch and Margaritas and Carlos and Charlies is a fun place. We
did the Dunns River Falls in
Jamaica and we really enjoyed it, but that was all that we enjoyed about Jamaica. The
Jamaicans are very aggressive
and simply will not leave you alone. Most people did not feel safe walking around there.
Georgetown in the Caymans is
nice and the people were friendly and didnt bother you but everything is fairly
expensive there. Our biggest
disappointment there was not getting to go to Stingray City and snorkel with the
Stingrays. The ship had only three tours
going there (about 100 in each group) and a ship of 2200 passengers. We went down the
first evening to get tour tickets
and they were sold out leaving at least 200 disappointed people not to mention those who
waited until the second day to
try to sign up for tours. The part that really made me angry was that I asked at the
Excursion Desk if there were private
tour operators available in port that could take us to Stingray City since the ships tours
were sold out and was told no.
So we ended up booking a snorkeling tour instead. The first thing that we saw when we got
off the ship was private tour
operators for Stingray City which were even less money than the Ships tour was for the
same amount of time. Due to the
timing of our snorkeling tour we could not fit in the Stingray City tour and have enough
time. I felt that the Ships
employees should have been honest with us since they could not accommodate us rather than
lying to us to get us to
book a different tour that we really didnt want. Finally, I would encourage anyone
that needs to fly into Miami, to avoid
the air/sea package and book their own flight. Unless you pay RCCL extra for their air
deviation program which allows
you to pick your own flights, you are assured of the getting the worse possible flight
schedule available as they get bulk
rates from the airlines which means that they get the left over flights that no one else
wants. We live in Illinois and on our
return flight was bussed to Ft. Lauderdale, flown to Detroit, then to Minneapolis, then
back down to Illinois not arriving
home until 11:45pm and we were off the ship at 9:00am. That was a really long day enduring
2-3 hour layovers in each
airport. We felt that our travel arrangements were lousy given the fact that we had booked
and paid for our cruise 10
months in advance. We were a group of 16, so we did make the best of our trip and did
enjoy ourselves but I wouldnt go
to the Western Caribbean again and RCCL will not be my first choice of cruise lines.
Name: Christie Jones
Email: StieJones@mindspring.com
Age: 20
Occupation: Still Hunting
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 3-22-98
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 97
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 88
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 97
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 100
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 97
BeautySalon: 100
EntertainmentPoolside: 99
CruiseActivities: 99
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 99
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Mar 1998
Time: 23:13:13
Remote Name: 209.86.2.206
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise. Our first was on one of RCCL's smaller ships , the Nordic
Empress. This was also our
honeymoon. We had a Category C balcony suite. It was a pretty good sized room with a
wonderful balcony (it also had a
tub). My only complaint, and I will get this out of the way early, was this boat rocked an
awful lot. I was a Dramamine
Queen some nights. Was it entirely too uncomfortable? No, not really, but I could have
definitely lived without it. Staff: You
could not ask for anything better. Our dining room staff was outstanding. They were funny,
entertaining, and they were
darn good waiters. Phillipe, Umit, and Mossimo get thumbs up. Owen was our cabin steward.
Not only was the cabin
spotless, but he helped us with a disembarkation problem we had. Food: Dining room food
was great. Windjammer
food..okay..but I guess you have to remember..it is a buffet. Room service left something
to be desired..but as
honeymooners..we slept in late most mornings so you had to eat what you could. Ports: St
Maarten: The islanders will
harass you from the moment your tender reaches the store. You will be bombarded with hair
braiders, tour guides, taxi
drivers, and leaflet solicitors. You will however get good deals. They love to barter
there. The first price is never the last.
Just remember..your customs allowance is lower here. Our dining companions recommended the
tour to the French
side. St Thomas/St John: Beautful..That's all I can say. Havensight Mall, which is right
next to the pier, is okay if you are in
a hurry. However, if you have the time take the taxi downtown. A.H. Riise will deliver
your tasty beverages if you buy them
before 2:30AST. Saves you from lugging it around. Coco Cay, Bahamas: RCCL's private
island. It too is beautiful, but there
are far too many people to enjoy anything. My husband got kicked in the head snorkeling,
although he did get some nice
stingray pictures. Overall: A perfect honeymoon. We spent too much, of course. I still
love RCCL. I am looking forward to
our next cruise so we can get our Gold status in the Crown and Anchor Society.
Name: Florence Accardi
Email: Florence.Accardi@ey.com
Age: 44
Occupation: Production Assistant
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 3/1/98
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 89
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 100
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities: 100
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Apr 1998
Time: 21:27:40
Remote Name: 199.50.26.4
Remote User:
Comments
My husband and I sailed on the Enchantment of the Seas on March 1, 1998 to the Western
Caribbean for our 25th wedding anniversary. This was
also our first cruise. Our itinerary included Key West, Cozumel, Ochos Rios, and Grand
Cayman. Even though the ship held 1,950 people we did not
feel the least bit crowded. There also were 760 crew on board.
I could not say enough praises about the ship. It was the best vacation that my husband
and I have ever taken. It was so relaxing. From the start of
our trip we chose the land sea package so our baggage was picked up in Fort Lauderdale and
delivered directly to the ship. The cruise staff met us
at the airport gate and proceeded to show us where to wait for our bus. The only problem
in the airport was that since our plane was delayed at
least 45 minutes because of bad weather the bus could not be waiting at the curb for us.
Within a half hour we had boarded our bus and were on
our way.
Once we arrived at the port it took us less than a half hour to board the ship. We were
issued our room keys, had to show our birth certificates and
were on our way on board. We arrived in our stateroom which was located on the 7th deck
(Commodore Deck), and were immediately greeted by
our cabin boy Ian. He was very friendly, showed us how all the equipment in our room
worked. In no time at all we were on our way up on deck to
explore our ship. It also seemed that Ian always knew when we were returning to our room.
When we had packages in hand, and even when we did
not, he was always courteous to open our door for us. It seemed like he always knew after
we had been in our cabin to freshen up because
whenever we returned the bathroom was freshened and we always had clean towels on hand. He
really gave us excellent customer service.
Another nice thing about our room was that it contained a small but roomy safe. We were
able to leave our valuables in the room without any fear of
them disappearing.
The ship had lunch for us when we arrived in the WindJammer Café. It was a lovely dining
area which looked over the aft of the ship. They had a
buffet luncheon which was excellent. After eating lunch we proceeded up to the top deck to
take part in the embarkation celebration. It was a lot of
fun, band playing, the excitement building as we made our way up the waterway to the
ocean. Royal Caribbean seems to have this part down pat.
It was nice to stand on deck and watch Miami move away on the horizon. Then it was down to
our cabin to get ready for dinner. By the time we came
downstairs our baggage was outside our cabin. We were able to put everything away in not
time at all, I was actually surprised at how much storage
we had in our stateroom. We had an inside larger stateroom and I found it plenty big, I
feel funny in confined spaces, but with mirrors on the one
wall it made the room seem much larger than it was. The only problem was the small
bathroom. It reminded us of our days as campers when we had
a mini-motorhome. The shower was not very large. f The dinners on board were really
excellent. We had an excellent waiter named Rowan, from
Jamaica. And an excellent assistant waiter named Erik from Hungary. The wine steward, also
from Hungary gave us excellent service, she would
suggest wines from different countries after ascertaining what our tastes were. We tried a
new wine every night. The waiters both were very
attentive, never had to ask for something, they always seemed to know when you were in
need of anything. The food was excellent, I never had to
send anything back to the galley. Once the waiters learned our preferences it seemed we
never had to ask for our coffee, etc. We were also very
fortunate to have a great couple from Scotland at our table. It was a table for six. They
were also accompanied by their 24 year old daughter and
her friend. We enjoyed asking questions of each others culture, it is amazing of the
differences and likenesses. We also accompanied them to
several shows, and had met them for after dinner drinks in the Centrum.
Every night dinner was different, one night was French cuisine, Italian, Caribbean,
America the Beautiful, the Captains Gala Dinner, and an
International Dinner. For the Italian Dinner the Wait staff sang Italian songs and danced
for us. It was quite entertaining. For the Caribbean night the
waiters came out of the galley with Babaloo cake on their heads. These were cakes made of
fruit, and meringue that have candles on top. The
waiters danced around the dining room. It was really amazing for them balancing the cakes
on their heads and singing and dancing. For the
International Dinner the wait staff came out waving flags from every country, and singing
different national songs.
The ship was very clean. It always seemed that you saw an employee cleaning brass or
floors that were dirty.
I did use the beauty salon for a wash and set for one of the formal dinners. The value was
good for the service, but when I bought a barrette for my
hair it was more expensive than if I had bought it at home. Also went to the spa on
another day for a facial. I did not notice anything different, my
skin seemed to be the same. The value of this service also did not match the price that I
paid. The personnel at both places were very attentive and
customer service oriented. I just don't think I would have this service, the spa again.
The only disappointment on our itinerary was that we were not able to tender outside Key
West. The seas were too rough that day and the captain
did not want to put the passengers of his ship in any danger. So to make up for this he
offered complimentary drinks that afternoon on deck.
My most enjoyable place on deck was on the promenade deck. It was quieter than up on the
pool decks, and was able to get some quiet and
relaxation. It was nice to just sit and enjoy the sea breezes and read and relax. They had
nice deck chairs with foot stools, and you could sit for
hours at a time with not much disturbance. The only problem that no personnel were around
to get cold drinks for you like on the pool deck.
Our second port of call Cozumel was okay, but they put you in tiny little compact cabs to
whisk you into the shopping part of the port. While it was
easy to catch a cab by the ship it was a feat to catch a cab coming back. Dont catch
the cabs near the dock where day cruises come in, try to catch
them further in town near the shops. We waited forever to get a cab because of all the
people coming off another ship and little ferry boats.
We really loved Jamaica. We went on the Prospect Plantation tour which was narrated by a
cadet from the Prospect Estate Training Center. We saw
how they grow coconuts, sugar cane and other topical fruits. We viewed the gorge of the
White River and Jamaicas first hydroelectric plant. The
plantation tour was interesting, we learned both a lot about Jamaicas culture and
saw a real working plantation We stopped briefly at Dunns River
Falls. We were able to climb the falls and take plenty of pictures. The only thing I
didnt enjoy was walking back through the flea market. Vendors just
seemed to come out and grab you to show you what they had to sell. Shopping stops were
made at the Taj Mahal and Sonis Plaza.
The next stop was Grand Cayman. We took the 7 Mile Beach Excursion. The only thing I
didnt like was we were told there were no beach umbrellas
available. I unfortunately got a very bad sunburn and ended up with sun poisoning. Also it
was difficult to get served lunch, they wouldnt allow us
even though we paid an entrance fee to use the outdoor dining area of the hotel. The
waiters were very rude, I waited for at least 60 minutes to get
one waiter to wait on us. He kept saying one moment please! And helping the other waiters
and taking checks, and money from the other waiters.
There were only 3 tables inside where we could eat so we ended up eating lunch in our
beach chairs. Lunch was also very expensive. $9.50 for a
cheeseburger, with no fries. If this had been our first port of call, I dont think
we would have gotten off the ship again. We did complain to the
pursers desk, but they seemed not to care, which was a shame because they had suggested
this hotel beach on their tour.
On board ship the entertainment was awesome. The first night was comedian Jimmy Wallis and
the Wave Revue Singers and Dancers.. His act was
very good. The second night was comedian Norm Crosby. The third night was Dario Vazquez
and the Wave Revue Singers and Dancers. The fourth
night was Jimmy Wallis again and Dawson Chance & Company. Dawson Chance & Company
was a ventriloquist act. The fifth night was the Wave
Revue Singers and Dancers Again. And the sixth night was El Gaucho and Marlene Ricci. The
final night we saw the song stylist Jeff Harnar and
comedian Steve Scott.. All the acts were very entertaining. I can honestly say that there
was not a single show that I did not enjoy.
There was always something to do during the day. You could attend travel and tour talks
given by the shore excursion manager. There was a casino
on board. They also had fine art previews by Parkwest that included works by Dali, Tarkay,
Max, Agam, Warner Bros., Disney, Picot, and Miro. They
had stretch classes, and exercise classes in the Ship Shape Center. They held walkathons.
They also held arts and crafts classes, slot machine
lessons, and several seminars that you could attend throughout the week.
On the final day during debarkation, it seemed to take forever to debark. The main problem
was that they kept paging passengers who had not paid
their bills and so made it unable to let all the passengers to disembark. Once we were off
the ship in port you had to find your luggage amid all the
bags that had been on board the ship. This was a very frustrating experience. Although our
bags were color coded for each area of the ship, there
were still a large amount of bags to look through. Since we are seasoned travelers we
specially mark our bags with tape, and a multi-colored band,
but it was still difficult to find. Once we found our bags we were able to check them in
directly at the port with the airline and they transported them to
the planes.
I can honestly say that when we take our next cruise it will definitely be on Royal
Caribbean. From the waiters, to the cabin staff, to all staff on board,
everyone was always very helpful and courteous.
Name: David Kroen
Email: dkro@comsource.net
Age: 52
Occupation: Psychologist
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: March 22, 1998
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 65
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 65
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 65
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 75
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 55
ShopsOnBoard: 60
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 65
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Apr 1998
Time: 23:11:25
Remote Name: 208.216.140.81
Remote User:
Comments
My wife and I were looking forward to cruising with RCCL for the first time. We have
cruise previously with Carnival and were looking forward to a
comparison of sorts. We made our own travel arrangements and arrived at Dodge Island (Port
of Miami) around 1:00 P.M. and were amazed at how
quickly and smoothly the embarkation process was. You got your sail and sign cards and
onboard you went and someone accompanied you to your
room. You then go to Deck 6 to activate your sail and sign card. The room is somewhat
smaller than Carnival but was nice. We booked a Cat D with a
veranda and the windows and doors overlooking the veranda were dirty and although we
requested several times to have them cleaned we finally
did them ourselves so we could enjoy the view. The lunch in the Windjammer is a buffet
style and was rather bland but with a nice selection. Our
luggage was delivered before sailing and everything was stowed with plenty of room. We
walked around the ship to get acclimated and the center
atrium is mmagnificient. Woods and tiles were in evidence throughout and when the ship was
in motion you could look up at the atrium and see the
seas roll by. The dinning throughout the week was fair to good, this is the food not the
service which was the finest we have ever had. Our waiter,
Jennifer and her ass't Peter were wonderful and made the dinning experience memorable each
and evey night. The night they have lobster tails, get
your order for an extra in early, they ran out on our cruise. The cruise director was okay
have seen better and worse. Didn't work audiences like a
lot of them and this gets him a thumbs up. There were quite a few children on this spring
break cruise and the staff and parents did a marvelous job
of keeping them entertained. Several times during the cruise the children would parade
through the dinning room with costumes. The dinning room a
two tiered affair, we were on the second with a table next to the window, which afforded
us a panaramic view of the ocean and the walkers on Deck
5. The pizza and hamburger outlet on deck 9 was a tasty suprise with hot quick food. You
may have to stand in line during peak moments but it
moved quicker than the buffet line in the Windjammer. The midnight buffets were okay, the
ice and food sculptures during the gala dinning were
impressive, the food so-so. Our cabin steward did take care of our needs, except for the
windows but other than that she was very attentive.
St. Marteen was a pleasant enough trip, the Dutch side has some bargins but you really
should wait for St. Thomas to do your shopping. This port
requires you to tender into port. On this cruise the seas were significantly rougher than
we had encountered in previous Eastern Caribbean trips.
Everyone was blaming El Nino... It was so rough that the captain had to change anchorage
to block the waves so the tenders could load. It was said
that if some of the early tenders had not left they may have cancelled the port because of
the problems. The Explorer tour was pleasant got some
high octane punch went to a private beach for some swimming or riding wave runners (very
expensive) than back to the french side which was
shockingly expensive even with a 6 to 1 exchange rate. Back to the ship with a rather
bumpy tender ride. The next port was St.Thomas and this is
one our most favorite islands. So you know, Fat Tuesday's has rebuilt from the last
hurricane, it is somewhat smaller but the rum runners and 190
Octanes are still top notch. The shopping is wonderful. I would recommend shopping for
your liquor at Bolero it is on main street in St. Thomas past
A.H. Rise, they will deliver to the boat and are several dollars cheaper than Rise. Other
shopping you just have to explore yourself. The emeralds are
worth looking at...
Cocay, RCCL's private island was nice, once again you tendered in but he seas were not as
rough. It is a pretty island and some of the snorkerling is
wonderful. The fish come right up to you and I got some great photos. The lunch on the
island was buffet style with hamburgers, ribs, chicken and
such and was fair. Take your cruise charge card for beers and other drinks. The main beach
was very crowded but if you are willing to walk a little
farther you will find other places.
The tours that are touted during the cruises you can get once you get to the islands on
your own. I know many people think that RCCL is responsible
for the tours but they act only as an agent. Some of the tours you can get yourself are
quite a bit cheaper and it gives you the opportunity to
schedule your own fun. So if you are adventurous than do your own thing. If not, the tour
sheets await you.
The casino is much smaller than most other casinos but were a bit more friendly than
others we have been on. The dealers are first rate and friendly
which makes it easier to loose your money. The lounge waiters are attentive without being
pushy. I thought the drink prices were a little steep
especially when you add 15% to each order, but it is a vacation.
The weather as I mentioned earlier was rough and this lovely lady does not ride well in
large swells. The pitch and yaw was dramatic at times and you
could here the engines throughout the ship and a vibration. While I did not witness anyone
getting sick while on the cruise, I know that dramamine
was dispensed in large doses according to several of the bartenders. The stabilization was
not what I would have expected and did not compare
with the comfort and ease of the Carnival Destiny.
While the bang for buck meter is low, I would probably and most likely will cruise RCCL
especially when their Eagle class of ships come on line.
Disembarkation was as smooth as embarkation. Even with our gray tickets, made your own
arrangements, we were off the ship by 10:30 a.m.
Name: Cliff & Chris Olivero
Email: DFTE11A@prodigy.com
Age: 45
Occupation: self employed
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: Feb 15
Itinerary: Western Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 99
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 99
WheelchairAccess: 85
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 99
CruiseActivities: 99
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 50
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Apr 1998
Time: 16:03:55
Remote Name: 206.173.113.175
Remote User:
Comments
Stop, Don't let RCCL make your airline reservations. Do it yourself or you will get what
is leftover. RCCL makes reservations only 30 days before you
set sail. We got home at 3:30 a.m. Had a great time on the ship, thought the photographers
took too many pictures, every night a different backdrop
to stand in front of. Our waiter Soto gave us superb service. Food is always great on the
ship. Especially the Main dinning room. When we returned
we came back here to cruise opinion to read the letters and they made a lot more sense
because we could put a face to the names mentioned in the
previous letters. It is really true!! Ken Rush is a character; he should have his own game
show. What a great guy to have as a cruise director. It is a
very beautiful ship indeed. When we left Miami we sailed into gail force winds and 18 ft
waves. this caused us to bypass stopping at Key West
because it would be unsafe to get onto a tender boat so we continued on to cozamel. It
takes a lot to rock this ship, although it occasionally made
you stumble in the hall it wasn't much a problem for anyone and after a few hours things
settled down and were fine the rest of the trip. Myan ruins
were interesting, just wish there were someone there to explain more in depth what you
were looking at. The bus tour guides did the best they could
at explaining but it wasn't enough. Climbing Dunns river falls in Ocho Rios was fun,
surprised nobody sprained an ankle or got hurt in some way.
(bring water shoes). Everyone works for tips around these islands. Strangest man I saw was
called a bulb man he eats light bulbs and glass bottles, I
am told you can here the crunching of the glass. Didn't stop the bus to see him perform
though. Jamaica seemed a little unruly. Grand Cayman was
the nicest stop on our trip. Clean and orderly, people were very friendly. Stingray City
was fun, if you're not adventurous enough to get real close to
wild stingrays then you might want to go to the coral reef instead. Looking forward to
planning the next cruise.
Name: Mark & Nancy Pageau
Email: mpagnh@banet.net
Age: 43
Occupation: Registered Nurse
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 4-18-98
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 70
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Apr 1998
Time: 11:17:36
Remote Name: 130.189.244.113
Remote User:
Comments
Let us start by saying....avoid the air-sea program. Our flight was via Miami Air charter
which resulted in a crowded plane (six seats across in a 727), no
terminal service and a return flight nightmare. Returning to Boston were started an hour
late, were dropped off on the runway in the rain, herded onto a
bus and again dropped off at the rear door of a Northwest terminal. This was compounded by
the fact that three flights luggage was attempted to be
unloaded onto one carrosel resulting in 600 people waiting 4 hours to search for their
luggage. Solution: book your own flight with a real airline and taxi to
the cruise terminal.
Now that we got this off our chest....the cruise was wonderful! This is our fourth RCCl
cruise and we are constantly surprised with each ship and the
continued vacation quality. This cruise we brought along our 15 year old son hoping to
expose him to some of the finer things in life besides pizza and
hamburgers. Although the teen program looked interesting to us, he was more content
exploring the ship on his own and making friends that way. In fact
most of the teen group seemed to be around 13 and the older teens appeared to strike out
of their own like our son. Our son really enjoyed himself, room
service was a big hit, dressing up in tuxedos also drew rave reviews and he thought this
was his best vacation ever! The size of the ship and the 'security'
really allowed us all to find our own space and be together when we wanted to be. A side
note regarding the younger children programs, there were many
young children on board and as we have heard in the past you really never see the children
except for dinner...the cruise staff really does a great job
keeping the young ones entertained.
The Enchantment of the Seas is truly a beautiful ship. Very open and bright, a fabulous My
Fair Lady two story dining room ( everyone thought the
staircase reminded them of the Titanic's). As with all the other RCCL ships you can find
lots of people activities and still always find quiet areas to just get
away from everything. Our room was a 'large' inside stateroom which provided plenty of
space for the three of us. The ceiling retractable bed also
provided more room during the day. Our cabin steward Danielle was great assembling our
room each day and providing the most organized sleeping
space our son has ever been a part of! One point was that our room was over the Carosel
lounge which meant you could be part of the show until 1230
am if we were in our room, which we were not so it wasn't a problem. One last ship
critique is that seas were generally calm so movement was minimal
however, you could feel vibrations throughout the ship especially in the dining room, a
small detail but one I thought you might like to know.
Food on board was plentiful as always, a the room service midnight pizza was a big hit
with our son. It is amazing how they can provide such quality food
in such mass production. In the dining room our server Rene brought multiple entries for
our tasting and by the end of the cruise our 'pizza/hamburger'
only son was ordering and trying two entries and dessert at each dinner. The Windjammer
also provided good casual food and breakfast. The Galla
Midnight Buffet was exceptional as always but the other nights we found so-so but I guess
when you've been exposed to that much food everyone
becomes a critic!
This cruise spent three days a sea...a wonderful idea that really allows you to enjoy the
ship and relax. St.Martin & St. Thomas were nice, shopping
appeared to be the big draw and we had a great snorkle tour in St.Thomas: the Scenic
St.John Snorkel tour...a great deal. Our final island was
CoCoCay...all we can say is ahhhhhhhhhhhhh If they had cruises just to this island we'd be
on it. Again 3000 people on the island and with a short 1/2 mile
beach walk my wife and I were completely alone except for white sand and blue-green ocean.
It doesn't get any better than that and a perfect way to end
a cruise.
In summary, RCCL provided a great vacation. The air-sea program needs some work and I will
book my own flights in the future. If you want a classic cruise
that is very relaxing try the Enchantment of the Seas....you won't be disappointed.
Name: Karen May
Email: kmay@telxon.com
Age: 30
Occupation: Communication Manager
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: May 10, 1998
Itinerary: Western Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 85
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities: 85
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 May 1998
Time: 10:57:38
Remote Name: 149.23.7.30
Remote User:
Comments
Overall my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise (our second). RCCL does a good job
of taking care of you. Dining: Our waiter could not have done a
better job (Chris)! He gave personal recommendations for dinner every night and really
helped you order if you weren't sure what to get. He made our dining
experience very enjoyable. The food was great every night (especially the soups and
desserts). Entertainment: The live band on board was great. We kept
finding ourselves ending the each night listening to them in the Carousel lounge. They did
a variety of music (Beatles, 50's, current pop) and were very good.
They appear under different names a couple of nights but are actually the same 4 guys. Bar
Service: On occasion we found the bar waiters to be a little
unfriendly at times, especially when asking for information. Their tips (gratuity) is
included in all bar bills, so they don't have to work as hard as the dining room
waiters. Although the dining room bar waiter actually gave me a recipe list for all of the
liqueur shots that we enjoyed after dinner. Warning - when you first get
on the boat and begin to wander around the waiters will hand you drinks - they are not
free, so don't take one unless you want to pay for it.
Cabin: This boat has
2 decks of balcony rooms that are well worth the extra money they cost. Each balcony has
chairs and a small table. It is great to wake up each morning and view
the new port from your own cabin. The bathrooms in these rooms are also a manageable size.
Lots of storage space in the room also (closet, drawers and a
refrigerator)! Stabilization: This is a big boat and the only time we felt any motion was
in the Orphium Theater which is at the back of the boat. Key West, Florida:
There was free shuttle service (trolley/train service) into the main shopping area. They
didn't tell you about the free shuttle service until that morning and the
excursion tours used the same shuttles for their tours around town. Key West was a nice
first stop, but other than shopping and site seeing there is not a lot to
do. There were some water sports but the waves were too high for us.
Cozumel, Mexico: It seems it is always hot there. We went on the horseback riding
excursion through the jungle. It was definitely hot but we had a good time. The bus ride
to the ranch was scenic but hot (air conditioning not working well on
bus). The ranch staff was very comical and helpful. They made you feel comfortable and
gave informative tours, but they also expect tips, as do the bus drivers.
Ochos Rio, Jamaica: We took the SunDancer boat tour excursion to Dunns River Falls. It was
well worth the money. We had a great time and since the boat drops
you off on the beach you can avoid the vendors at the top. The tour guides will actually
carry everyone's cameras and take pictures of you. RCCL and the tour
guides take their own picture too and will sell them to you later. Climbing up the falls
is great fun for water lovers - you will get completely wet. Of course tour
guides expect tips and our guides well deserved one for their extra efforts. I do have to
give RCCL credit for giving extra warnings to cruise passengers about
the people on this island. This cruise line really seems to take good care of their
passengers and try to educate them for each port so they won't get taken
advantage of. Pay special attention to the Jamaica Shopping talk (it repeats several times
on the TV) about going into town shopping. They will tell you exactly
how much to pay for cab fare and where to go. They also say don't venture on you own - I
would listen to this advice.
We enjoyed Jamaica mostly because RCCL
had prepared us for what to expect. Grand Cayman: The most beautiful beaches in the
world!!! We walked around everywhere by ourselves and felt safe. We did
not buy an excursion package for the beach chair and lunch, so we went to the Royal Palms
on our waiter's recommendation. We received no trouble from the
hotels for not being guests. We walked to the Peninsula hotel for their water sports (wave
runners). We were treated nice there and enjoyed the ocean. One
word of caution on Grand Cayman, although nearly everywhere accepts US dollars, some
places will not give you US currency change back. So you may want to
carry small bills and change. Tender service from the boat to the dock went smoothly and
frequently. Disemarkment: This went fine for us because we knew what
to expect. Others were impatient waiting, but we played cards and made the most of it. We
took the opportunity to check out other rooms (suites) while the doors
were open and we were careful to keep out the cabin stewards way. We flew out of Ft.
Lauderdale instead of Miami so we just got our luggage and boarded a
bus to the airport; this enabled us to avoid the long lines with the airline carriers to
check in your luggage for Miami.
Overall: The staff of RCCL did an excellent
job to make our cruise wonderful. We are Crown and Anchor members so we got all the perks
(discount in the onboard shops and an invite to a cocktail party
with free drinks). We will definitely cruise with RCCL again!!
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