Enchantment of the Seas

[leepep]

We are thinking of a Bermuda/Northeast cruise next summer...however, reviews are mixed with many complaints of crowding in public areas (especially Windjammer) due to room additions. Any thoughts would be appreciated- Baltimore is an easy drive for us- have done NE/Canada and all Caribbean itineraries...married in Bermuda so wanted to revisit for 10th anniversary.

[roenoe]

Enchantment due in drydock soon. Wouldnt rule it out.

 

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[dixieva]

I love the Enchantment! Have been on one cruise on this ship and have another booked.

 

Didn't experience any more crowds than any other ship.

 

At peak times the Buffet will be very busy-we just go early for breakfast and/or lunch and have no problems.

 

Every ship we've been on has always been hard to find a seat for a show unless you show up really early.

 

The Enchantment is a great ship with a great crew.

[ozzy77]

Enchantment due in drydock soon. Wouldnt rule it out.

 

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before october??? Any clue as to what they will be doing

[Hstergo]

My first cruise was on the Enchantment and had a wonderful time. I have nothing but good things to say about that ship and her crew I never noticed any crowd issues anywhere on the ship.

[Philly Steve]

We cruised Enchantment in May and had a great time. The ship features one of the best pool decks in the fleet and the Solarium is an oasis of calm.

 

Our party of two never had a problem finding a table in the Windjammer and the staff is very helpful in that regard.

 

The only problem was scoring seats for a show. The space is totally inadequate, post stretch. There are reserved seats, I believe, for Diamond and suite guests.

 

But...it's all about the destination and we'd take a rowboat to Bermuda (with periodic swizzle breaks) if the currents were right. ;)

[roenoe]

Last drydock schedule i saw was december or january. Dont know what they will be doing. Does anyone know?

[B-52]

Last time on the Enchantment, I noticed the theater got very crowded to the point that there were people backed up standing in the entrances every night.

We had reserved seating, so we were right there in the center back witnessing this.

Pool decks, usual crowds.

Windjammer - could not say. On our last 3-4 cruises we have never eaten in the buffet area.

Casino, crowded at night, empty during the day.

[Merion_Mom]

We cruised Enchantment in May and had a great time. The ship features one of the best pool decks in the fleet and the Solarium is an oasis of calm.

 

Our party of two never had a problem finding a table in the Windjammer and the staff is very helpful in that regard.

 

The only problem was scoring seats for a show. The space is totally inadequate, post stretch. There are reserved seats, I believe, for Diamond and suite guests.

 

But...it's all about the destination and we'd take a rowboat to Bermuda (with periodic swizzle breaks) if the currents were right. ;)

I'll be your coxswain!

 

;)

[Philly Steve]

I'll be your coxswain!

 

;)

 

Yo, ho, ho! Now I know we'll make it through the cut! :D

[checkard]

Enchantment is scheduled for Drydock in December 2012.

 

We'll miss our 12-night sailing next year since it looks like that is what is being skipped for the drydock.

 

We love Enchantment and the port is only 1.5 hours from home.

[tOSUSteve]

I echo what others have said. The theater is really where I noticed any issues with crowds. Windjammer they had additional seating up front that they would open at times & that helped a great deal.

[ksadonnab]

We are thinking of a Bermuda/Northeast cruise next summer...however, reviews are mixed with many complaints of crowding in public areas (especially Windjammer) due to room additions. Any thoughts would be appreciated- Baltimore is an easy drive for us- have done NE/Canada and all Caribbean itineraries...married in Bermuda so wanted to revisit for 10th anniversary.

 

I've only been on two ships but by far I loved Enchantment more than Explorer.

It's older but in much better shape. There also were no crowding issues.

Enjoy!:D

[ORB]

It's been a while since we were on the Enchantment, but we loved it. We didn't find it particularly crowded--no more so than any other cruise we've been on. We didn't find the theatre crowded either, but perhaps that is because we always did the Late Seating in the MDR. It's possible the show for the Early Seating was more crowded. We tended to arrive 15-20 minutes before showtime, and there were usually fewer than 20 people in the theatre at that time.

 

On our last Enchantment cruise, we had the best service and the friendliest crew we have ever had on any line or ship in our limited experience. There is no question that is part of the reason we loved the ship--maybe even most of the reason.

[QueenGlassHalfFull]

We just returned last week from the 5 day Bermuda cruise on the Enchantment. This was our first cruise on Royal Caribbean. It was our 13th cruise overall (we have over 200 days sailing on another cruise line). Let me share with you my thoughts about the good and the bad about the ship.

 

GOOD

 

1. The officers and crew are extremely friendly and very focused on helping you have a good time. Even in 5 short days, we made many new "friends" whom we hope to see on future cruises.

 

2. The cabin (we had a Grand Suite) was nicely furnished (queen/king bed, sofa, two chairs, large bar, dressing/desk table) with more than ample closet space.

 

3. The food was good to very good. There was always something available to eat, including pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers between lunch and dinner and at late night. There is also room service which we did not use.

 

4. There are many, many options for evening entertainment. We did not attend any of the shows so I can't comment on the space availability issue; however, we did go to the Schooner Bar every evening to listen to and sing along with the piano player (Angelo on our cruise). In addition to evening musical entertainment, there were other activities scheduled, many of which appealed to the children. It is a very active and fun ship at night.

 

5. If you live within driving distance of Baltimore, it is very easy to find the cruise terminal and to park. There is a cruise terminal exit off of Interstate 95 that takes you directly to the cruise terminal. There is ample parking available and plenty of staff to direct you where to park and how to get into the cruise terminal. When leaving, there is staff available again to direct you on how to leave and there are signs directing you to the interstate. It is quite painless and stress-free.

 

6. Embarkation and Disembarkation were painless. Check-in took less than 10 minutes. After check-in, you are directed to seat where you wait until boarding. Guests are boarded in the order in which they arrived (first to check-in is the first to board after suite guests). Suite guests sit in a separate section and board first. We opted for "carry our own luggage" when we disembarked. Within 30 minutes of leaving our cabin, we were through Immigration and in our car leaving the cruise terminal parking lot.

 

7. The public areas are very nicely maintained and offer plenty of space to sit and relax.

 

8. The Concierge Lounge (for certain suite guests and for certain RCL frequent cruisers) offers free drinks in the evening from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There is also a nice selection of cold items offered for breakfast; small sandwiches, fruit and cookies throughout the day; and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres along with some chocolates and fruit in the evening. There is a Concierge in the Lounge in the morning and evening to provide you with assistance (making dinner reservations, offering suggestions on shore trips, etc.).

 

9. Smoking is limited to certain public areas and to the cabin verandahs.

 

BAD

 

1. The Windjammer was very crowded at breakfast and dinner. As a previous poster mentioned, if you go early or late, you can get a table. You can also have a sit-down breakfast in the dining room every day and a sit-down lunch in the dining room on most days.

 

2. The 9th deck pool area, and all open areas on higher decks, were extremely crowded on the sea days. It was very difficult to find a place to sit outside after 9:00 a.m.

 

3. The cabin verandahs are "ok". As a suite guest, we had a double balcony with a table and two chairs along with two chaise lounges. The chaise lounges were very uncomfortable. There was a dripping pipe (from the humidity) running across the ceiling of our balcony. We had to move the furniture around in order to sit at the table without having dripping water on our head. In a way it's a good thing that the chaise lounges were uncomfortable - we put those under the dripping pipe and didn't use them.

 

4. Many of the public areas (e.g., the Schooner Bar) are used as walk ways to other venues. As a result, there was a constant flow of people walking in front of us as we sat and listened to the piano player.

 

5. The Casino was basically unusable for most of the trip due to smoking being allowed. There was one non-smoking evening in the Casino. Other than that evening, everytime I went into the Casino, it was filled with smoke. This is not unique to RCL - I have experienced this on another cruise line.

 

6. The amenities offered to suite guests are not as extensive as those offered on other cruise lines.

 

I hope this helps. I would not hesitate to sail RCL again, particularly on the Enchantment out of Baltimore.

[Merion_Mom]

We just returned last week from the 5 day Bermuda cruise on the Enchantment. This was our first cruise on Royal Caribbean. It was our 13th cruise overall (we have over 200 days sailing on another cruise line). Let me share with you my thoughts about the good and the bad about the ship.

 

GOOD

 

1. The officers and crew are extremely friendly and very focused on helping you have a good time. Even in 5 short days, we made many new "friends" whom we hope to see on future cruises.

 

2. The cabin (we had a Grand Suite) was nicely furnished (queen/king bed, sofa, two chairs, large bar, dressing/desk table) with more than ample closet space.

 

3. The food was good to very good. There was always something available to eat, including pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers between lunch and dinner and at late night. There is also room service which we did not use.

 

4. There are many, many options for evening entertainment. We did not attend any of the shows so I can't comment on the space availability issue; however, we did go to the Schooner Bar every evening to listen to and sing along with the piano player (Angelo on our cruise). In addition to evening musical entertainment, there were other activities scheduled, many of which appealed to the children. It is a very active and fun ship at night.

 

5. If you live within driving distance of Baltimore, it is very easy to find the cruise terminal and to park. There is a cruise terminal exit off of Interstate 95 that takes you directly to the cruise terminal. There is ample parking available and plenty of staff to direct you where to park and how to get into the cruise terminal. When leaving, there is staff available again to direct you on how to leave and there are signs directing you to the interstate. It is quite painless and stress-free.

 

6. Embarkation and Disembarkation were painless. Check-in took less than 10 minutes. After check-in, you are directed to seat where you wait until boarding. Guests are boarded in the order in which they arrived (first to check-in is the first to board after suite guests). Suite guests sit in a separate section and board first. We opted for "carry our own luggage" when we disembarked. Within 30 minutes of leaving our cabin, we were through Immigration and in our car leaving the cruise terminal parking lot.

 

7. The public areas are very nicely maintained and offer plenty of space to sit and relax.

 

8. The Concierge Lounge (for certain suite guests and for certain RCL frequent cruisers) offers free drinks in the evening from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There is also a nice selection of cold items offered for breakfast; small sandwiches, fruit and cookies throughout the day; and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres along with some chocolates and fruit in the evening. There is a Concierge in the Lounge in the morning and evening to provide you with assistance (making dinner reservations, offering suggestions on shore trips, etc.).

 

9. Smoking is limited to certain public areas and to the cabin verandahs.

 

BAD

 

1. The Windjammer was very crowded at breakfast and dinner. As a previous poster mentioned, if you go early or late, you can get a table. You can also have a sit-down breakfast in the dining room every day and a sit-down lunch in the dining room on most days.

 

2. The 9th deck pool area, and all open areas on higher decks, were extremely crowded on the sea days. It was very difficult to find a place to sit outside after 9:00 a.m.

 

3. The cabin verandahs are "ok". As a suite guest, we had a double balcony with a table and two chairs along with two chaise lounges. The chaise lounges were very uncomfortable. There was a dripping pipe (from the humidity) running across the ceiling of our balcony. We had to move the furniture around in order to sit at the table without having dripping water on our head. In a way it's a good thing that the chaise lounges were uncomfortable - we put those under the dripping pipe and didn't use them.

 

4. Many of the public areas (e.g., the Schooner Bar) are used as walk ways to other venues. As a result, there was a constant flow of people walking in front of us as we sat and listened to the piano player.

 

5. The Casino was basically unusable for most of the trip due to smoking being allowed. There was one non-smoking evening in the Casino. Other than that evening, everytime I went into the Casino, it was filled with smoke. This is not unique to RCL - I have experienced this on another cruise line.

 

6. The amenities offered to suite guests are not as extensive as those offered on other cruise lines.

 

I hope this helps. I would not hesitate to sail RCL again, particularly on the Enchantment out of Baltimore.

 

 

Angelo?!?!?!?? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Gina130284]

Hi, did you notice if there were any wedding taking place on the ship?