Enchantment of the Seas

Yay!! Just booked my first cruise EVER with RCI. I understand this is not one of their fancier ships, but that's ok and chose it based on where my mother and I wanted to go and wanted to also make sure we liked cruising and wasn't going to be overwhelmed. Doing five day Western Caribbean to Cozumel and Yucatán, Mexico. Has anyone been on this ship? Was there a lot to do? What excursions did you all like? We are looking at doing the Mayan ruins. I'm so excited for this cruise!!

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Congratulations on booking your first cruise. You do know cruising is addictive.;):D;)

You will likely get lots of help if you post your questions on the RCI forum. Here is a link. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

Yay!! Just booked my first cruise EVER with RCI. I understand this is not one of their fancier ships, but that's ok and chose it based on where my mother and I wanted to go and wanted to also make sure we liked cruising and wasn't going to be overwhelmed. Doing five day Western Caribbean to Cozumel and Yucatán, Mexico. Has anyone been on this ship? Was there a lot to do? What excursions did you all like? We are looking at doing the Mayan ruins. I'm so excited for this cruise!!

We like Enchantment very much and were disappointed to see it leave Port Canaveral. Check out the bungee trampolines.:)

I have always enjoyed Enchantment and love the Vision-class ships for their smaller size.

I prefer the Eastern Caribbean itinerary, but there is plenty to do in Cozumel, and we had always done something different each time. It is a great place to dive/snorkel, and there is much more to see around other parts of the island, not just in the downtown area (we usually rent a Jeep). Now, having been there so many times, I prefer to stay onboard and enjoy the pool deck to myself! :)

The trip to/from Tulum to the Mayan ruins takes an entire day, but it is well worth it, if you have never been there.

We sailed on Enchantment out of Baltimore before it was replaced by Grandeur.

I agree, the vision class is beautiful and although they don't have anywhere close to all the amenities of the larger/newer ships, you will enjoy it for your first cruise.

The only downside of the Enchantment was that after the stretch (Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about ;) ) they added a lot of staterooms (and therefore a lot of passengers), but they didn't also expand many of the public areas...so they can be crowded at times.

If there was one piece of advice I would give you, it would be to avoid the Windjammer at embarkation. Most people, on every cruise, tend to hit the buffet as soon as they get onboard, but because of the additional passenger load on the Enchantment vs what it was originally designed for, the Windjammer was absolutely insane. Consider an alternative like the Solarium Park Cafe - I believe it was open at embarkation as well.

A little secret specific to Enchantment - on the port side (I believe it was) as you exit Windjammer toward the pool deck there is a separate enclosed seating area that looks like it might be restricted as the doors were sometimes closed. This was the only additional seating added after the stretch, but most people don't know it's there, or think it's restricted - It is not restricted or limited at all, and for the first few days (until people found it, and realized they could actually go there) it was very quiet. When the Windjammer was packed full with nowhere to sit, we always found tables empty in there.

There are a few speciality restaurants on Enchantment that are only on it vs others in the Vision class because of the additional space from the stretch, but honestly, don't fall for the upsell speciality restaurants on your first cruise unless you don't care about your budget - you will be wowed by the MDR. ;)

Any other Enchantment questions, let me know, I know the Vision class ships like the back of my hand as we sailed on one of Enchantments sister ships many times after Enchantment left Baltimore.

We sailed on Enchantment out of Baltimore before it was replaced by Grandeur.

 

I agree, the vision class is beautiful and although they don't have anywhere close to all the amenities of the larger/newer ships, you will enjoy it for your first cruise.

 

The only downside of the Enchantment was that after the stretch (Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about ;) ) they added a lot of staterooms (and therefore a lot of passengers), but they didn't also expand many of the public areas...so they can be crowded at times.

 

If there was one piece of advice I would give you, it would be to avoid the Windjammer at embarkation. Most people, on every cruise, tend to hit the buffet as soon as they get onboard, but because of the additional passenger load on the Enchantment vs what it was originally designed for, the Windjammer was absolutely insane. Consider an alternative like the Solarium Park Cafe - I believe it was open at embarkation as well.

 

A little secret specific to Enchantment - on the port side (I believe it was) as you exit Windjammer toward the pool deck there is a separate enclosed seating area that looks like it might be restricted as the doors were sometimes closed. This was the only additional seating added after the stretch, but most people don't know it's there, or think it's restricted - It is not restricted or limited at all, and for the first few days (until people found it, and realized they could actually go there) it was very quiet. When the Windjammer was packed full with nowhere to sit, we always found tables empty in there.

 

There are a few speciality restaurants on Enchantment that are only on it vs others in the Vision class because of the additional space from the stretch, but honestly, don't fall for the upsell speciality restaurants on your first cruise unless you don't care about your budget - you will be wowed by the MDR. ;)

 

Any other Enchantment questions, let me know, I know the Vision class ships like the back of my hand as we sailed on one of Enchantments sister ships many times after Enchantment left Baltimore.

I love this and my mom and I actually already decided we are going to skip upsell restaurants our first time and do everything basic. Then we will decide what we want the next time around. Thank you so much for this!!

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