Enchantment 4/20/2023 Snapshot Review

[Engineroom Snipe]

As experienced cruisers, we would give the cruise a 9 out of 10 based on once a day cabin service, somewhat reduced Windjammer offerings, and the reduced availability of MDR options. I believe we had a great cruise for the price we paid. We did not reserve another cruise onboard as we have in the past. I would not repeat this cruise at prices more than double what we paid. I found fellow passengers to be polite and well behaved. The ship was at high occupancy with a 50/50 mix of passengers older and younger than 45 years of age with a small group of families and young children.

 

A new cruiser would most likely give it a 10 out of 10 and not notice any negative items that we knew only from past cruises. They paid the going price and would book it again without hesitation compared to us.

 

1. Boarding:

 

Arrived by car at port parking at 9:20am from New Jersey. We were requested with others to return after 10am. Returned at 10:05 am and placed in staging lines of about 20 cars in five lines. Directed towards luggage drop-off, moved around to toll booths for parking payment. We were directed to assigned parking space. Able to directly walk into terminal, no questions about check-in times (we had 11:00am). Security lines were short. Cruise check-in required passport and Set-Sail Pass. Directed to waiting area with about thirty people seated in aisles of 15 seats. We then boarded one aisle at a time. Went to our muster station for check-in. Relaxed in Solarium before 11am. Very smooth boarding process overall. I would give the experience a 9 out of 10 because there was no protected parking garage, just open air parking.

 

2. Cabins:

 

Available by 12:30pm. Interior cabin, deck three, center, center, 3571. Everything worked, cabin showed some normal wear and tear but clean and functional. No chiller or refrigerator in room. Tried to locate cabin attendant to request ice bucket but unsuccessful. This was the first cruise I did not see my attendant until the fourth day of the cruise. I did locate a cabin supervisor on day two to request an ice bucket and it was in my room within an hour. I saw my attendant on the forth day since I requested am service and we are out and about early. I believe this is a direct result assigning more cabins per steward and some stress was evident.

 

Cabin movement was minimal even during a huge storm at night later in the cruise. We did not even know we had any type of storm until we heard other people talking about it in the Windjammer the next morning. This was a QTY assignment and we were extremely happy with the location. I NEVER heard any of my neighbors  with only the occasional muffled sounds of the torpedoes being launched (toilets 🤣).

 

3. Food: Windjammer breakfast was excellent. Omelettes available with pagers (started two months ago after questioning a food server). Only reduction I noticed was fruit preparation and diversity, reduction of toppings for yogurts, no roasted tomatoes, and small things like that. Food and staff service was excellent. Staff offered to get coffee and juices every morning. The view from all Windjammer seating was fantastic. Wonderful experience to watch the sunrise.

 

Windjammer lunches were good but lacked diversity. We eat light lunches and normally try the available charcuterie. Compared to previous cruises, almost non-existent. Small, deli sliced pieces of Swiss, provolone, American, ham, pepperoni, which tasted blah. Blue cheese cubes were observed twice in eight days under  direct staff observation (I noticed the glaring eyes of staff guardians if you went for the third cube in one pass 🥹). Olives of any type were seen as an garnishment but not available individually. Egg salad spread and chicken salad spread were good. Sometimes the egg salad spread was a bit watery. No tuna fish spread at all during the cruise.

 

Windjammer dinners (five of eight nights) were OK. They were satisfying but nothing was WOW. Salad and toppings were MUCH more limited than in past cruises which is a shame because they are my cruise go to food at dinner should nothing else be found. Ribs were good. No boneless chicken except in prepared dishes with sauces. BBQ chicken and chicken had bones and the preparer was cutting them through the bone shaft so it was sharp and left small fractured pieces of bone in the meat. I let a staff supervisor know about this. I have never had bone pieces in my chicken before and I would be upset if someone else starting to choke if they were not careful. Every piece of chicken the whole week with different preparations of sauce was the same. Maybe they are supplied this way to the ship.

 

I did not go to MDR breakfasts or lunches. I would like to go to MDR lunches to see if the charcuterie is better.

 

MDR dinners were acceptable. Beef tenderloin, lasagna, and cheese tortellini were my main dishes. I ordered my appetizer, entree, and dessert at one time. I did request an additional escargot appetizer when the first calamari looked and tasted like potato crisp shoe strings. I did not order more than one entree per meal. We ate leisurely and were still out in about 45 minutes each time. MDR staff services were excellent.

 

3. Entertainment:

 

Lots of music and action in the center public area of the ship. The cruise director was visible and active during the whole voyage. The activities were appropriate for all age groups and I saw many young cruisers shoulder to shoulder with older cruises. Music on the main pool deck was augmented with DJ music.

 

Solarium was sound isolated from main pool deck if you wanted solitude. Great views all around. They opened ventilation doors at the top as needed. Temperatures were well regulated. Very little or no chair hogs noticed. Everyone was polite and pointed out open chairs as people walked in. The only problem might have been seating a group of three or more together. This was our favorite spot for late morning and late night relaxing. Great conversations with fellow passengers.

 

Viking Crown Lounge is spacious and has stunning views. We spent two evenings watching the sun go down. WOW!

 

Coco Cay was as good as ever. We had the large swimming pool to ourselves from 8:10am to about 9:20am for a great water workout. Food was excellent (did not pay anything extra) which makes me wonder why some of the hot-sandwiches and fresh taco toppings cannot be provided in the Windjammer. My wife and I thought the lunch was a 10 out of 10 and very memorable.

 

5: Weather:

 

Except for one night and last morning of cruise, the weather was mostly sunny and warm.

 

6. Leaving ship:

 

Self-assist with a few pieces of luggage each. I think most of the ship did the same thing. This was the only time I sensed a bit of passenger frustration but it was limited and dissipated once the lines started moving. It was like a Disney World ride queue which led through multiple parts of the ship. It was only about thirty minutes start to finish but seemed much longer as everyone was tired and not looking forward to going home 🥹.

 

The post ended up being longer than a "snap-shot" but I have appreciated the reviews of others and wanted to contribute something to them.

[printingchick]

Thank you! I'll be on this ship in February 2024. Different itinerary, but a lot of the topics in your review still apply. My travel party will cover both ends of the age spectrum, as I'm traveling with my adult daughter. Did the ship still include the traditional 70's party. It's a favorite of ours. 

[moposh]

I hate those omelette pagers.  They are so loud and annoying.

 

I was on Enchantment in August out of Baltimore.  I agree the Windjammer wasn't so great, but that seems to be most Windjammers.  It did used to be better.  One cruise I think we mainly ate in the WJ and the food, even for dinner, was good.  The fries were better.  😁

 

I'm going to Coco Cay in August.  From what I have seen, it looks like the food is pretty tasty so I too wonder why it doesn't translate to the ship.

 

I might sail out of NJ so good to know not to arrive too early.  They have to get everybody out.  Too bad it's not a garage, especially for $30 a day.  So you pay your parking before the cruise?  I guess it makes it easier getting everybody out.  Does just one ship sail from the port at a time?

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, printingchick said:

Thank you! I'll be on this ship in February 2024. Different itinerary, but a lot of the topics in your review still apply. My travel party will cover both ends of the age spectrum, as I'm traveling with my adult daughter. Did the ship still include the traditional 70's party. It's a favorite of ours. 

 

Yes, I forgot which night it was but they did have a traditional 70's party.

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, moposh said:

I hate those omelette pagers.  They are so loud and annoying.

 

I was on Enchantment in August out of Baltimore.  I agree the Windjammer wasn't so great, but that seems to be most Windjammers.  It did used to be better.  One cruise I think we mainly ate in the WJ and the food, even for dinner, was good.  The fries were better.  😁

 

I'm going to Coco Cay in August.  From what I have seen, it looks like the food is pretty tasty so I too wonder why it doesn't translate to the ship.

 

I might sail out of NJ so good to know not to arrive too early.  They have to get everybody out.  Too bad it's not a garage, especially for $30 a day.  So you pay your parking before the cruise?  I guess it makes it easier getting everybody out.  Does just one ship sail from the port at a time?

My ship left out of Baltimore. I traveled from NJ to Baltimore. I looked at my post and it was not clear. Sorry.

 

I have sailed out of NJ multiple times and I have never been "turned away" from parking like I was in Baltimore. I did not think much of it at the time.

 

In Bayonne, there is covered parking but access to it sometimes is limited depending on how many ships are active in one week.  In Bayonne, I paid AFTER the cruise.

 

Sorry if I confused you with Baltimore Port instead of Bayonne.

 

Yes, the (included free) food quality at Coco Cay blew away the Windjammer lunch offerings.

[OCSC Mike]

On 4/30/2023 at 9:09 AM, Engineroom Snipe said:

Solarium was sound isolated from main pool deck if you wanted solitude. Great views all around. They opened ventilation doors at the top as needed. Temperatures were well regulated. Very little or no chair hogs noticed. Everyone was polite and pointed out open chairs as people walked in. The only problem might have been seating a group of three or more together. This was our favorite spot for late morning and late night relaxing. Great conversations with fellow passengers.

 

We're Solarium people too. Since you spent so much time there, did you eat from or check out the food at their version of Park Cafe? I'm mostly interested in what they had for lunch and late night snacks there.

 

I don't even like smaller ships but if certain things line up, we may squeeze in one on Enchantment when she moves to Tampa just b/c it's close by and cheap.

[Engineroom Snipe]

5 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

We're Solarium people too. Since you spent so much time there, did you eat from or check out the food at their version of Park Cafe? I'm mostly interested in what they had for lunch and late night snacks there.

 

I don't even like smaller ships but if certain things line up, we may squeeze in one on Enchantment when she moves to Tampa just b/c it's close by and cheap.

 

Their version of Park Cafe was just aft of the Solarium itself but in the same general place.

 

The Park Cafe was normally closed if the Windjammer was open with the exception being breakfast. Park Cafe was open at 6:30am and the Windjammer was open at 7am.

 

In general, after that, if the Windjammer was open, the Cafe was closed.

 

At almost all times after breakfast, custom salads where made by staff. I did not have one but I saw many passengers eating them. They had the special RCI roast beef sandwiches. I had one during the week. It was good but maybe not as good as some of the other ships.

 

People were constantly confused about the hours of operation. I think most PAX expected it to be open almost twenty-four/seven like on other ships.

 

For instance, the Windjammer would be open from 11:30am to 3pm for lunch.

 

People from the main pool deck would come through looking for a quick pizza only to find it closed. I think they were trying to avoid going into the Windjammer in bathing suits.

 

I found their pizza to be good (I like thin crust). They had mini-sandwiches one being a "three" cheese that I liked.

 

More of a "snackeral" thing than eating something substantial. Enough to get by but not great on its own.

 

More than once, I went to the Windjammer on the same deck forward, created a snakeral plate for my wife and I and returned to the Solarium. It is like a five minute walk.

 

If you get the right price, I would absolutely recommend this ship for a "Solarium" experience. Even with a sold-out ship, I felt it had more usable room than a much larger "Oasis" class.

[moposh]

25 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

My ship left out of Baltimore. I traveled from NJ to Baltimore. I looked at my post and it was not clear. Sorry.

 

I have sailed out of NJ multiple times and I have never been "turned away" from parking like I was in Baltimore. I did not think much of it at the time.

 

In Bayonne, there is covered parking but access to it sometimes is limited depending on how many ships are active in one week.  In Bayonne, I paid AFTER the cruise.

 

Sorry if I confused you with Baltimore Port instead of Bayonne.

 

Yes, the (included free) food quality at Coco Cay blew away the Windjammer lunch offerings.

It did confuse me, yes.  😍  Yes, no garage in Baltimore, but at least was only $15 a day.

 

I think maybe Baltimore parking is smaller than other ports.  Only RC and Carnival sail out of Baltimore, although I think NCL sails out in winter months.  I wouldn't mind trying NCL if they sailed other months out of Baltimore.  

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

If you get the right price, I would absolutely recommend this ship for a "Solarium" experience.

 

Thanks for the lengthy response, appreciate it, just didn't want to quote the whole thing.

 

We're not actually looking for a Solarium cruise but good to know. That's kind of what we did in July and October on Indy, just chilled on the ship for 11 nights total and went to Cococay 3 times because we love it there.

 

Our plan for not enjoying smaller ships is actually to do longer excursions in at least 3 of the 4 ports we'd be at (2 are places we've wanted to go, 1 of which we had booked but missed b/c high winds prevented us from docking in Roatan in 2019, and the other is somewhere we'd probably go back to b/c we had a good time there before). That said, there will always be time spent on the ship obviously and I do like to eat while cruising. 🙂 Even on Indy, I missed having an additional free venue like Park Cafe, that's why I asked about it.

[gail-s]

Thank you!  We're going back on the Enchantment this summer.  She was our first cruise experience in 1999.  I'm looking forward to it.  I have zero desire to be on a gigantic ship with so many people.  My 30' fishing boat with just the two of us is more my speed 😉  I appreciate the information about the Park Cafe.  I was hoping to stop there for breakfast instead of heading to the buffet with everyone else.  

[Engineroom Snipe]

5 minutes ago, gail-s said:

Thank you!  We're going back on the Enchantment this summer.  She was our first cruise experience in 1999.  I'm looking forward to it.  I have zero desire to be on a gigantic ship with so many people.  My 30' fishing boat with just the two of us is more my speed 😉  I appreciate the information about the Park Cafe.  I was hoping to stop there for breakfast instead of heading to the buffet with everyone else.  

My wife and I would go to the Cafe for coffee at 6am and start to watch the sunrise. If you are in line at 7am at the Windjammer, you have a fantastic 270 degree view of the sunrise, just pick your side.

 

We are early risers and really like the options of view for a great start to the day.

 

There is so much warm wood on this ship which reminds us of earlier experiences. 

 

Enjoy!

[Rouque]

"I did not go to MDR breakfasts or lunches. I would like to go to MDR lunches to see if the charcuterie is better."

 

Just off Enchantment TA: I can assure you the charcuterie in the MDR was lack luster at best.

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, Rouque said:

"I did not go to MDR breakfasts or lunches. I would like to go to MDR lunches to see if the charcuterie is better."

 

Just off Enchantment TA: I can assure you the charcuterie in the MDR was lack luster at best.

Thank you. I guess I did not miss anything but I was hoping for the best.  😞