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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Nancy Smith
Email: Rhkr29a@Prodigy.com
Age: 50
Occupation: Consultant
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: May 17-24
Itinerary: Eastern Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 75
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 May 1998
Time: 13:33:16
Remote Name: 207.115.59.108
Remote User:
Comments
Our trip on the EOS of the Sea was wonderful, it was a beautiful cruise, the itinerary was
one that gave us a number of days at sea, which we really enjoy. My
son and husband loving to cruise also.
Transportation between the airport and pier could have been alittle less confusing, there
were a number of people that were going to other ships and all of us
were delayed waiting for buses that were also running late. Once arriving at the pier,
boarding went very smoothly, although we were not escorted to our cabin,
they did tell us how to get there. We were on the Comm. deck, we found the cabin to be a
bit larger than we expected and grateful that they found a way to
keep the shower curtain on a track instead of sticking to you body. The cabinet in the
bathroom which is mirrored is great and has quite alot of room to store
everything. There is plenty of closet and storage space in the cabin, and a safe is
availble. The verandah has two upright chairs, I would have preferred at least
one lounge chair.
The food and shows are very good but are the same as a number of other cruises we have
been on with RCI. They really should change them more often. The
Windjammer Cafe is a quick place to have a meal, but we never did get there for any
alternative dining all our dinners were in the Dining Room, we had a second
tier table at the Main seating overlooking the 2 tier Waterfall. The wait staff was
excellent. However the cabin stew. could have used a few lessons on cleaning
more often and wiping down the mirrors daily.
The islands we stopped at were great, and suggest a tour if its your first time there,
we've been to them before so shopping was my quest. The Crown & Anchor
in St. Thomas for RCI passenagers is a great place to stop and rest while there.
Although those that got off at Coco Cay said they were not impressed with the island, they
did have a fun day, no BBQ was offered the day we were there. We
chose to stay aboard and pack to have more time for the shows and Casino that night.
Yes we would sail again on RCI. I do suggest that when they say do not save chairs, you go
ahead and put a shirt, book, shoes etc.. on one really early on the
days at sea or you will not get a chair around either of the pools. You really should use
alot of sun protection it is very strong and the reflection from the water
will burn you really quickly.
I realize this is quite lengthly but if I did manage to miss something, please feel free
to e mail me. Nancy in Ct.
Name: Philip & Wendy Parmer
Email: wwpp@mindspring.com
Age: 34
Occupation: business manager & secretary
NumberOfCruises: 12
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 06/07/98
Itinerary: western caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Jun 1998
Time: 19:58:39
Remote Name: 209.86.9.90
Remote User:
Comments
This was our 12th cruise (the first with Royal Caribbean). We traveled with our 3 children
ages 13, 10, and 8 and a couple of friends of ours. We all
agreed this was the best all around cruise we've ever been on. The embarkation was a
breeze. We walked right up to the counter and checked in and
walked right on the ship around noon (5 hours before the ship sailed) total time about 10
minutes. It has never been that easy before. This was also the
biggest ship we've ever sailed. When we got on the ship, we went striaght to our cabin
which was on deck 2. It was about the size of any other cruise but
we didn't mind since we hardly ever spend time in the room anyway. It was an outside cabin
with large windows (no portholes). We loved that. After
checking out our cabin, we headed straight to the food (our favorite part of cruising). It
was a nice buffet lunch. Then, we checked out the rest of the
ship. Very impressive with granite and marble everywhere. We had the lifeboat drill right
before sailing. It lasted longer than any other cruise we've been
on but it did have alot more passengers. Entertainment: The best we've ever seen. The
dancers wore modest costumes (unlike Carnival) and had about
8-10 costume changes both nights they performed. Very professional too. We had 2 comedians
on the ship - Ralph Achiles and Gary Muledeer- both
were very funny. We had one magician - Maverick- he was great. We had one juggler - Kip
Reynolds - he was very energetic and funny. Ben Vereen
performed one night as well as Dolores Parks. Dining Room: We had a teriffic waiter named
Manuel. He would bring us anything and everything we
wanted to eat. As many appetizers, soups, salads, entrees or desserts as we wanted. Some
nights we had several from each category and he never
frowned about it. There were too many good things to choose from, we couldn't make up our
mind including lobsters, prime rib, filet, veal, lamb, pastas,
pork and the desserts - aah. Enough said about food. Our busboy Laurent was a little slow
with the drinks but he was kind and friendly and we liked him
as well. The midnight Grand Buffet on Friday night is a must see. It is unbelievable.
Childrens programs: The club ocean and fantasea rooms were teriffic
for kids. It looked like Discovery Zone. The kids enjoyed going to their programs and
receiving Adventure Ocean dollars for participating in activities. The
redeemed them at the end of the trip for glow in the dark boxers. They never wanted to
leave their classes. Fitness center: There was a jogging track on
deck 10 and their were 8 treadmills as well as other exercise machines, weights, etc. in
the fitness center. We collected shipshape dollars for every
activity and redeemed them for t-shirts at the end of the trip. Ports of call: We had
already been on this itinerary before so we just took taxi's to wherever
we wanted to go in each port. We went snorkeling in Cozumel to Chankanaab lagoon. The
shopping lecturer had told us that the best margaritas were at
Pancho's Backyard but we did not think so. We preferred the ones we had 2 years ago at Las
Palmeras. They were huge and tasted good and you only
needed one. We went to Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica and climbed all the way up. We went
to the Seven mile beach in Cayman as well as all the Tortuga
Rum shops to eat alot of rum cake samples. We just walked around Key west shopping areas.
The disembarkation was not as easy as the embarkation.
We had to be out of our rooms by 8:30 and wait in a crowded lounge. We waited out on the
deck instead and watched all of the delivery trucks delivering
fruit, seafood, etc. for the next cruise. It was interesting. We finally got off the ship
around 10:00 a.m. We will definitely cruise Royal Caribbean again. It is
tops.
Name: Joan Belenson
Email: MJBBELEN@AOL.COM
Age: 45
Occupation: Resident Adjuster
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: May 3, 1998
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 75
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 50
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 70
CabinQuietness: 79
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 79
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Jul 1998
Time: 17:32:01
Remote Name: 152.163.205.49
Remote User:
Comments
Though I have mixed feeling about my cruise experience, one thing is for certain-the
Enchantment of the Seas is a very beautiful ship. I was impressed
with the beauty of the ship from the minute I boarded her. The public rooms are well laid
out and tastefully decorated. The dining room is reminiscent of
the Titanic, with it's grand staircase. The two story theater has comfortable seats with
drink holders and has no obstructions to anyone's view. The 7 story
Centrum is quite impressive, with it's white marble, brass, and lots of glass. You can sit
in a lounge and look out both sides of the ship at the same time
while enjoying your favorite libation.
Though I did not use the Solarium pool, the area is covered in stone look tile and has
several waterfalls. This pool is covered by a glass enclosure, and
though the area was quite beautiful, it was hot and muggy. RCL should open the dome in hot
weather so that passangers can make use of this area. The
main pool was very nice, but as most other past passangers have reported, you need to get
up early to save a lounge. I only had one confrontation in
the 7 days of my cruise, when a couple had taken my lounge while I was swimming in the
pool. When it comes to lounge chairs, it's every passanger for
themselves! The pool games were fun, and I spent most of my three days at sea tanning at
the main pool. I had met a fellow passanger on the internet
prior to the cruise and we spent a lot of time together at the main pool. I also found
that at the pool, you could easily strike up a conversation with other
passangers, and most people seemed eager to make new friends and acquaintances.
The shows were very good. I have sailed quite a few times before and have never had this
level of entertainment. Ray Rouse was our cruise director, and
though he is exactly how I would write the part of a parody of a cruise director, he is
quite good at his job. The comedians were funny, the singers could
sing, and the dancers could dance. I have not always found this to be the case on past
cruises.
The food was ok-not great-just ok. I have sailed on Dolphin before, and even though the
ships were old, the food and the service were first rate. I did not
find this to be the case on RCL. The meat orders were usually tough, the shrimp tasteless,
and there was no attempt at presentation. The only dinner I
enjoyed out of the seven nights was the filet which was excellent. Our waiter rushed us
through our orders, always served our table last, (even when we
were seated before other tables), and got our orders wrong much of the time. On the other
hand, the assistant waiter was very good, always keeping
our glasses and bread basket full.
Now for the really bad stuff. I found the purser staff to be uncarring, condensending and
downright rude. We had booked an inside cabin with the hopes
of being upgraded to an outside. My husband found the lack of a window to be too
confining, and he actually got sick to his stomache just after we
boarded. I asked if there was an outside cabin available, but was told that the ship was
sold out. I learned the next evening that another passanger who
had been given an outside cabin had asked for a change to an inside because he was afraid
of the water and did not want to look at it from his cabin. He
was also told that no changes could be made. He spoke to the same staff members that I
did, prior to the ship leaving port. Instead of taking action on
both of our requests, the purser staff found it easier to just blow us both off rather
than taking the time to switch our cabins. When I learned about this, I
questioned the staff, and was told that yes, they guess they should have taken some action
but they didn't and now it was too late. The attitude of the
staff was basically we didn't do our job, but we don't really care if that upsets you.
There were a couple of other instances during the cruise when the
purser staff and the excursion staff upset me. It would take too long to go into it, but I
think this example says it all. I am not really a difficult person to
please, but when I pay a lot of money to go on a vacation, I don't expect the staff to be
rude.
Unfortunately we were not able to go to CoCo Cay due to a fire on the island the day
before. We went to Nassau instead, but as I live in South Florida, I
have been there many times and was disappointed that we missed our day at the private
island. St. John is wonderful-heaven on earth. I could take or
leave St. Maarten/St. Martin. I have never been there before, but there is an awful lot of
poverty on the Dutch side. The French side has clothing optional
beaches which my ten year old son found quite interesting.
My son felt the children's program was just ok. He had been looking forward to the night
activites, but when he would go it seemed to be mostly younger
children and it was more like babysitting than a youth program. He did have fun during the
day though and they kept him busy. When we went on our
cruise, school was still in session, so there were only about 30 children on the entire
ship.
Well there you have it, the good the bad and the ugly. I am not sure at this point if I
will sail with RCL again. Maybe with the passage of time, I will only
remember the good, and forget the bad and the ugly.
Name: Kimberly Hay
Email: rikihay@erols.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 6/28/98
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 96
CabinComfort: 97
FoodRoomService: 92
CruiseStaff: 96
CabinAmenities: 96
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 93
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety: 94
FoodVariety: 96
DeckService: 88
ShoreExcValue: 89
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 92
TenderService: 94
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 92
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 93
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 94
CruiseActivities: 96
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 93
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 88
Stabilization: 92
ShopsOnBoard: 89
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jul 1998
Time: 16:36:39
Remote Name: 207.172.143.166
Remote User:
Comments
Let me first say that this was our first cruise. Nothing to compare to, but very pleased
with our maiden voyage.
We opted for the Air-Sea program since we weren't sure what to expect. Our flights were
booked 2 weeks prior to leaving eventhough we
booked the cruise a year and a half ago. The reason I mention this is that our flight
times caused much time to be spent in the airport (4 hours
going and 10 hours returning). I think next time we will book our own flights.
When we finally arrived on the ship it was lovely. Our room was ready,though I heard
several people say they had to wait. Considering they only
have about an hour to turn the ship around for the next sailing I would not have minded
anyway.
All staff and crew were very friendly and helpful. The Cruise Director, Ken Rush, was
entertainment in himself. An excellent host! We also found
Lianne, the Shore Excursion Manager to be very helpful and honest about the best
excursions to take. Gina Wade, the Shopping Lecturer gave
invaluable info on places to shop for best selection and prices. Going ashore was very
simple.
Food was available 24 hrs a day. We usually opted for breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe and
lunch and dinner in the dining room. There was
plenty of variety to choose from. Even our tablemates who were vegetarians were pleased.
Our Head Waiter even made them a special soup
each night using vegetable instead of meat stock. I thought the food was excellent and
especially enjoyed the desserts.
We chose a room on the seventh deck (Commodore) with a balcony. Though it was nice we used
it seldomly. The chairs were not very
comfortable. I think an outside room next time would meet our needs just as well.
The one coment we found over and over was there were not enough chairs poolside. The main
pool was more crowded and it was difficult to find
a chair in the sun, however we enjoyed the solarium pool more. It was quieter, less
crowded, and we always found a chair.
For shore excursions we loved the Leland Sneed Sea and Snorkle on St. Johns. We also chose
the Everglades tour in Miami since we had plenty
of time. Nice trips!
All in all an excellent experience. I researched thoroughly before choosing the
Enchantment. I would sail her again anytime and certainly hope
to.
Name: Leanna Reynolds
Email: Drail444@aol.com
Age: 39
Occupation: Homemaker
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: July 19, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 92
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 97
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 97
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 92
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 93
Casino: 98
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 93
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 93
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 89
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 29 Jul 1998
Time: 14:42:01
Remote Name: 205.188.193.158
Remote User:
Comments
We thought the Enchantment was a beautiful ship. This was our third cruise and our
favorite. First time on RCI but won't be our last. The ship was great. We
enjoyed the dining room service and the midnight buffet. Having the option of the
Windjammer cafe was nice. The staff in there were very efficient. I think the
bar staff could have been more friendly. We purchased the drink sticker for our two
daughters. 14 and 17. The charge was $15 plus gratuity. Don't really
think that was a good value. The cups were VERY small and since they were purchased upon
boarding the bar staff did not get a tip. Therefore they were
not friendly about serving them. We recommend either bringing your own sodas on board are
purchasing them in your first port. Ice is always available
outside the Windjammer and in your room. Bring your own plastic cups also. Our cabin was
adequate. We purchased 2 cabins, one for my husband and I
and one for our daughters. That worked great. Instead of a larger cabin for all four. This
way we had two bathrooms. Our cabin steward was very efficient
we did not see him much but he kept our cabins perfect. We were on Deck 7, a very central
and convenient location. Our waiter, Rowan was very good and
a lot of fun. We found all the food just a little above average. Though the variety was
outstanding. The Cruise Director, Ken Rush, was OK. He seemed to be
more of an onstage kind of person and not very personable offstage. The rest of his staff
was average but the activites were very good. Some of the late
night entertainment in the Carousal Lounge could lean a little to the PG13 side. Some
could be offended by that. They always warned you upfront if that was
the case. All the major entertainment was very good. We had two comedians, a acrobatic
family and the Wave Revue Singers and Dancers. Barry the ship
piano player was Spectacular. Very talented. The shore excursions were all very well
planned. Take in the talk on the different excursion right after boarding
or try to catch it on the TV very helpful. We enjoyed shopping in Key West, Snorkeling in
Cozumel, Beach Horse Back riding in Ocho Rios (SPECTACULAR)
though a little pricey and Sting Ray City in Caymans. All were great. The ship was so
large you did not feel the rocking at all, even in rough seas, but we did
feel vibration under our feet in the Orpheum Theater and Carousal Lounge. The Embarking
procedures were very quick and efficient but the disembarking
was slow. We knew this going in and were prepared with things to keep us busy after
getting out of our cabins. One major drawback and a big suprise to us.
After leaving the ship you are responsible for locating your luggage among all the ships
luggage and getting it to the airport. It was tagged and seperated
by color but this was a pain. It was very warm and crowded and searching through all that
luggage took a while. With a famly of 4 we had 8 bags in addition
to our carry-on luggage. That was difficult to get it all out on the walkway and find
someone to carry it to the Delta Area to be checked in and loaded on a
truck to the airport. The ship has many lounges for relaxing and we were continually
amazed that they were never crowded. All in all we had a wonderful
time and would highly recommend RCI. We are already planning one for next year.
Name: Daniel J. Gall
Email: dgall@injersey.com
Age: 58
Occupation: network administrator
NumberOfCruises: 0
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: 7/19/98
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 92
TenderService: 99
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 92
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 89
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Aug 1998
Time: 18:17:38
Remote Name: 206.139.57.36
Remote User:
Comments
This was our 1st cruise, which included my wife and I. We had taken the air sea package
and flew down to Miami the day before the ship was scheduled
to leave. Royal Caribbean put us up at the Wyndham hotel which was 5 miles from the
airport and 3 miles from the port of Miami. Flying down the day
before gave us time to relax and enjoy Miami a bit, it also enabled us to board the ship
early the next day.
By 11:00 AM all passengers who had stayed at the Wyndham met in the Lobby of the hotel,
Royal Caribbean representatives were there to check
everyone's Proof of identity (passports, birth certificates, etc.) then we were issued our
super charge cards. We then boarded buses and were taken to
the ship.
We were on board the ship and in our state rooms by 12:30 PM. We immediately went to deck
6 to activate our super charge cards. We had booked an
outside state room on level 3 amid ships, the room was small but manageable. It had a
large window, two single beds, a love seat, dressing table, closet,
bathroom with a shower stall , and plenty of mirrors. We had the room Stewart put the beds
together to form an over sized queen bed. We had taken 3
suitcases with us and 2 pieces of carry on luggage. Two suitcases could be stowed under
each bed and the third in the closet. I was a little concerned
because the 3 pieces of luggage didn't show up in our staterooms until after we sailed.
We immediately toured the whole ship from top to bottom, we were impressed with granite
and marble everywhere. The dinning room reminded me of the
pictures of the dinning room aboard the Titanic. The theater was two stories, one being a
balcony, it had comfortable seats with drink holders. The
Centrum is located at the middle of the ship and is decorated with white marble, brass,
and lots of glass. On our self tour of the ship we found the Library,
game room, Solarium pool, outside pool, Dinning Room, Vicking Lounge, Club Ocean (for the
teen crowd). We were impressed on how well kept and clean
the ship was.
There are large quantities of food which can be consumed through out the day and night. My
wife and I had limited our intake to two meals, either
breakfast and dinner or lunch and dinner. On one occasion we had breakfast sent to our
stateroom. We especially enjoyed dinner, we had the main
seating (6:00 PM) our table was on the balcony near a window, which by the way I had
requested through our travel agent. There were two other
couples seated with us, one from Savanna Georgia, and the other from England, we totally
enjoyed their company. Our headwaiter's name was Maximo
our waiters name was Hasan, and our assistant waiter's name was Joanne. They could not
have been more attentive to our needs. If we could not decide
on a menu item, they would bring both items. Every night they had a different theme
(Caribbean, American, French, and Italian etc.) and the food would
be tailored to that theme. The food was great and soda with the meal was Free. On
different nights all of the waiters and assistant waiters would entertain
us by singing and parading up and down the isles.
After dinner (about 8:00 PM) we would go to the casino and gamble for about a half-hour
and then go to the Orpheum Theater. This would guarantee us
choice seats, since it is first come first serve. The show would start at exactly 9:00 PM.
The cruise director (Ken Rush) was master of ceremonies, he
would introduce all the acts and would inform us of up and coming events. We were
entertained nightly by a variety of singers, and dancers in a musical
reviews, One night (Sweet Dreams) , another (Flashback) and yet another (Broadway Review)
. Two comedians each on separate nights had us laughing
so hard my side hurt afterwards. There was a magician who performed illusions on stage. I
was a little disappointed with his act, he used too much smoke
in his first illusion and the lights were turned down so low, the audience could not see
what was happening on stage. I wonder if he ever caught on why
he did not get any applause for his first illusion. There was also an acrobatic act and a
comedian juggler which were very good.
There are two pools on board, we used the one in the Solarium, primarily because everyone
else was using the other and it was crowded . The attraction
at the main pool is the music by the calypso band, and the bar stewards serving drinks.
Since neither my wife nor I drink, and I like to actually swim, we
chose the Solarium pool. The Solarium pool is enclosed with a glass roof , which the they
open up in sunny weather.
My wife and I played Bingo on several occasions, they would have five games at each
seating with winnings from a couple of hundred dollars to the fifth
game on the final night of $11,000.
The ship stopped a four port of calls, Key West Florida, Cozamel Mexico, Jamaica, and
Grand Cayman.
We stayed on board the ship when it had stopped at Key West, the stay there was only 4
hours and that was a little rushed for us. We had the ship to our
selves.
The ship arrived at Cozmel Mexico by 11:00 AM on Tuesday the 21st , we did not take any of
the planned tours that the ship had arranged. We had
heard that this was the place to purchase jewelry, gold, silver , gems at very good
prices. We wanted to devote all our time to shopping, so when the ship
docked we took a taxi in to the town of San Mequel and proceeded to shop till we dropped.
The ship arrived in Ochos Rios Jamaica at 6:00 AM on Thursday the 23rd . We were told from
the informative lectures that the ship had given that the
Jamaican people were a bit aggressive and they suggested that we should not strike out on
our own, but rather go on a tour or in groups. We decided to
take the shopping bonanza tour. There was a bus which met us on the pier and drove us to
two shopping plaza's in which we were able to spend an
hour at each.
The ship arrived in Grand Cayman on Friday at 8:00 AM, it had to anchor off shore because
there was no dock which could accommodate that size ship.
We had elected to take the seven-mile beach tour, which would give us some time to swim in
the Caribbean waters and then do some shopping. We were
brought a shore by a boat to the main land, they also used some of the lifeboats from the
Enchantment of the Seas to take people a shore. Since this
was our first cruise I was impressed at how modern the life boats were. I have always
thought of lifeboats being open sided and propelled by the use of
ores. The lifeboats aboard the Enchantment are all enclosed sealing the occupants from the
outside weather. They all have comfortable seats, and are
propelled by on board motors, they are all equipped with communication equipment.
There is nothing I disliked about the cruise except Disembarkation. We had to have all of
our suitcases out side of our cabins by midnight of the last day.
They had color-coded tags on them indicating what time your flight was the next day. Ours
was red indicating our flight was before 11:30 on Sunday. The
ship takes all of the luggage aboard ship (about 6,000 bags) and deposits them on the
pier. After leaving the ship you have to find your own bags
among hundreds. It is a bit unnerving to say the least, knowing you still have to pass
through customs and still make the plane on time. The airlines do
have representatives there to check the luggage through to the final destination at the
pier, this takes the pressure off a bit We had 15 min. to spare
before boarding our flight.
To sum things up this was the best vacation that my wife and I have ever taken. As soon as
we can save enough money, we will definitely sail on Royal
Caribbean again.
Name: John Ling
Email: ent@ozemail.com.au
Age: 31
Occupation: Physician
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Enchantment
SailingDate: Jun 7, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 92
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 94
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Aug 1998
Time: 00:44:15
Remote Name: 203.5.126.2
Remote User:
Comments
Embarkation & Disembarkation: Having flown all the way from Australia to Miami it was
a very nice surprise to find the RCI (Royal Caribbean International)
Help Desk in the airport luggage pick up area. Our travel agent did not know it existed
and we were preparing to find either a shuttle or taxi to get us to
the ship. They took our bags at the airport and boarded us on the coach that delivered us
to the ship. Disembarkation was also very efficient with bags
waiting for us in the allocated rows according to where we were going.
Land Tours: We had four stops. Key West, Florida…. I recommend that you do the tour
by yourself. Just buy the shuttle ticket from the ship and head
downtown and wonder around the town. The shuttle ride would go through most of the
interesting architectures of the town, hence saving you the money
spent on conducted tours. Mayan Ruins of Tulum, Mexico…. is an absolute must tour of
the cruise, remember to bring our own water to drink, as it is a
long tour. Ochos Rios, Jamaica…. cheapest option here is to grab a taxi and go to
Dunn’s River Fall and then to town to do some shopping. I did not find
the plantation tour worthwhile having seen similar plantations in South-East Asia.
Georgetown, Cayman Island….the most enjoyable & beautiful island to
visit. I recommend you do the tour which includes a visit to Sting Ray City and Sea Turtle
Farm.
Onboard Facilities: The dining facilities were good considering the kitchen had to feed
more then 2000 mouths three times a day. With the exception of
breakfast, lunch and dinner menus changed daily. Cheeseburgers and pizzas were nice by the
pool. The only buffet meal we had been was when we first
boarded the ship at lunch time and it had quite a large spread of food available. I
recommend choosing the second seating for dinner as you tend to
come back quite late from the tours and you will be rushing for the first seating at
6:00pm. Also more importantly you get to enjoy the sunset every night.
The pool and fitness center did get crowded at times but otherwise it was manageable. The
pool’s salt water was drained nightly and refilled in the
morning. The centrum pool was absolutely gorgeous. After dinner shows included magician,
musical cabarets, comedians and singers. Mr. Ben Vereem
performed on our second night there. Daytime activities that I found most interesting were
the art auctions, bring your credit card as it is quite a bargain.
The Ride: Quite and steady with the exception on the third day when it was a little rough.
Otherwise we did not get seasick at all. The ships doctor
recommended that the bets way to beat seasickness is to keep active and look out to sea to
get your bearing.
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