Enchantment Review-4 Day 9/21 - 9/25 (Quite Long)

[aring75]

My husband and I recently returned from a 4-day cruise on RCCL’s Enchantment of the Seas to Key West and Cozumel. I have tried to give a factual and balanced review of our vacation and the ship itself. Please feel free to ask any questions. As a point of reference, we have sailed six times prior to this – Three times with Royal Caribbean, once with Disney, and twice with Princess. We prefer seven to ten day cruises, but just wanted a quick getaway as a break from work. (We own our own business and it can get quite hectic, though we can’t always take the time that we’d like for a longer cruise.)

 

Day One – Embarkation

 

We left Tampa at around 7:00 AM for a four hour drive. We always do this when we leave from Port Everglades. It allows us to stop for breakfast and still arrive at the ship close to lunch time. Unfortunately, we hit a MAJOR traffic jam just south of Ft. Myers. A large tanker truck had overturned on the interstate and we sat (and sat) in traffic for about an hour. Luckily, we found out the driver was okay, and traffic began moving again after they moved the truck out of the way. Ugh! Not a great way to start the trip, but at least we had extra time to spare.

 

Once we got to Alligator Alley (so named for the number of reptile “residents” found lining the banks of its canals) we had again picked up speed and were happily counting the number of alligators we could find sunning themselves or floating along the waterways.

 

We reached the pier around 1:30 PM and boarded with ease. We were in a Grand Suite (#8040) so we used the priority embarkation. It was not crowded at all, so I don’t think we boarded any faster than anyone else. Overall, this was a quick and easy process, and there were many associates behind the counters helping people get through the check-in process very quickly. We went up the escalator (by-passed the boarding photo) and were on the ship in no time.

 

The staterooms were ready by the time we boarded (around 1:45 PM) so we decided to go straight to the cabin. When we arrived, we were pleased with the layout and spaciousness of the room. However, we had a few items in disrepair. Our air conditioning vent had been removed and was lying on the bar counter. Not a big deal, but it took two calls (and three and a half hours) to get someone to come replace it. One of our chairs on the balcony was broken. Again, no big deal really. We informed our stateroom attendant and he had it replaced by the next day.

 

I will say that Manuel, our cabin attendant, was very courteous and attentive. He made sure that anything that needed repair was taken care of and always checked back to make sure everything was just right.

 

The lunch buffet was okay. I’ve never really been impressed with the sailaway buffet on any line so far, so take that for what it’s worth. I didn’t leave hungry, so there ya’ go.

 

After lunch we moseyed down to the dining room to check out where our table would be. We found it. It was right in front by the door as you walk in. Not exactly the location I would choose, but it was a nice size…a table for eight, so we thought we could make the best of it. We’d probably enjoy the company of our tablemates so much we wouldn’t even notice, right?

 

We turned to leave the DR and a group began walking in. They were whispering to one another and pointing at us. No kidding! It felt awkward. I looked down at my shirt to see if I spilled that lemon parfait down the front. Nope. Parfait-free.

 

They arrived at the table and I smiled. “Hi. Are you are dinner companions?” No response. None. Ooooh-kay.

 

Hubby tries. Is this your table? This garners a response.

 

“Yes. It is OUR table. And we are going to need your seats. We have two more people joining us.”

 

Hmmm. We leave the dining room. Slightly annoyed, but more amused than anything else. It is absolutely amazing. When did people stop using words like please and thank-you? When did common courtesy become archaic? If they had simply asked, “Would you mind terribly if two of our friends traveling with us could have your seats? We’d appreciate it.” Anything!

 

At this point hubby is contemplating showing up every night at their table just to annoy the ever-loving pee out of them. Yes. He lives for this sort of thing. :rolleyes: However, I rather enjoy eating dinner on the cruise. I look forward to it. I inform him I’d rather not deal with this for four nights and we find the Maitre ‘d to change tables. Ugh. Almost as bad, we get a table for two next to a wall. Ah well, at least I know I enjoy my husband’s company.

 

Dinner tonight is not nearly as good as I expected. In March on the Legend it was fantastic. I couldn’t say enough great things about it. Tonight I thought it was a bit…lackluster. Service was great though. Andrea and Navin make a wonderful team, and almost made us forget we had been relegated to the corner. Lots of people in shorts (men and women), but this is the first night. People may not have their luggage yet.

 

The entertainment tonight – Welcome Aboard show – was good. The singers were better than the ones on my last Princess cruise, the dancers about the same. There was also a comedian. He was funny, but had a strange delivery. I don’t think some people “got” him. Not everyone seemed to enjoy him, and a few people actually left. Oh well, you can’t please everybody. The bartenders are quite generous with the libations. (Especially if you tip a little extra…)

 

Day Two – Key West

 

The Captain is Tor Isaak Olsen, and I absolutely adore him! He was our captain on the Legend and he has the most fantastic dry Norwegian wit. It may not always come across on the loudspeaker, but if you ever get the chance to speak with him in person…do it. He’s great! We did a bridge tour on the Legend and the ship was in slightly choppy seas (not too bad, but you could feel it). One lady was obviously quite nervous and kept asking questions about the motion, weather, water, THE TITANIC!! LOL!! Well, the ship made an unusual lurch and she yelled out, “Oh Lord, what was that?” He just shrugged and without missing a beat said, “Hmmm, must have hit something.”

 

Anyway, Key West was (as expected) hot and hot. The ship doesn’t dock long here so we just decided to do our own thing. We walked Duval St. We took US 1 down to the Southernmost Point for the obligatory photograph. We stopped at a place called Fogarty’s for some Conch Fritters, Coronas, iced tea, key lime pie, and sandwiches (not necessarily in that order). We did a little shopping (the Coach outlet had 40% off select items, so I got a leather handbag I’ve been eyeing for a little while).

 

Back on the ship by 1:30 PM as instructed, but we were late leaving. Go figure. Took a fantastically long nap this afternoon. Never get to do that at home, so indulgence felt good. Dinner was still only so-so, but service was still outstanding.

 

The entertainment tonight was the RCCL Singers and Dancers doing “Stage to Screen.” Not bad. I wish more people would dress for formal night, though. I guess you can’t really expect that on a four day cruise, huh? Oh well.

 

Day Three – Cozumel

 

We arrived at 10:00 AM and there were already two Carnival ships anchored. It felt good to pull up and dock at the pier. Thanks RCCL for all you’ve done in Cozumel! Disembarkation began around 10:30 AM or so. We took a taxi to downtown and walked the 10 or 11 blocks to Los Cinco Soles (stopping in several shops along the way, of course).

 

I had decided before we left that lunch at Pancho’s Backyard was in order, and by the time we got there it was almost 1:00 PM. We were ready for some good Mexican eats! We both ordered a Peach Margarita. They were huge! Almost like getting two margaritas…and yummy, too. I ordered the chicken quesadillas, and my husband got Pancho’s Fajitas (a combination of chicken and steak with all the fixings). They brought us chips and salsa to start. The salsa is FANTASTIC!!!! We polished it off in no time. Luckily, they brought more with our food, because I put that stuff on EVERYTHING!

 

The food was great, the service was great, and we’ve decided we’ll definitely be back! Next time we’ll try the mango margarita. Yum!

 

Dinner on the ship tonight was a step up. I ordered the Jumbo Tiger Prawns (which I’ve had before) and they were as good as I remembered. Add the tiramisu for dessert and how can you go wrong?

 

We found out from the Head Waiter (whom we’ve seen quite a bit this cruise) that we had to leave some people behind in Cozumel. He said out of all the ports, it happens most often there. Gee. I wonder why.

 

Entertainment tonight – crazed juggler. That’s all I can say about this one. See it for your self.

 

Day Four – At Sea

 

The best days on a ship are the days spent at sea. We did absolutely nothing today. Okay, well maybe not “nothing,” but it sure felt like it. It was great!

 

We checked out the shops – typical, but fun to look at all the same. Walked the promenade deck, but the always had some portion of it roped off, so we never actually could make it all the way around. We began referring to it as the “Prome”deck or, “let’s take a stroll on the ‘menade’.” Since we never actually could walk all the way around it.

 

Dinner was again pretty good. I think the seven day and longer cruises seem to have better food. Just my opinion, however the table next to us sent several dishes back. I never had anything bad (where I would send it back), I just thought it was mostly okay. I’ve had better on RCCL and was a little disappointed.

 

Skipped the entertainment tonight. There was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us in our cabin after dinner, so we enjoyed our last evening on our balcony.

 

 

Overview

 

All-in-all this was a great cruise. The staff onboard is eager to please. With the exception of the food, we were impressed with most every area of this ship. She’s beautiful and very well taken care of. I will say, however, that there seems to be a problem with the climate control (?) or something. It was warm to hot in almost every area of the ship. We could not get our cabin cool enough, and we would never leave our balcony door open. Many people were commenting on it. Luckily, the theatre was cooled almost every night, but the casino was almost uncomfortable, as were most of the stairwells and the open public areas.

 

I would love to sail the Enchantment on a longer cruise, but I am hesitant to book another 3 or 4 night cruise. We did book a 9-night Canada / New England cruise while we were onboard though. Now if I can just wait another year…:(

[johnlcruise]

Nice review. Glad you had a good time.

Thank you for taking the time.

[Chris]

I am taking mom next thursday on her first cruise. I was on enchantment b4 the strech and enjoyed the trip. I appreciate hearing your input.

chris

[MAC749297]

aring75,

 

I've heard about Pancho’s Backyard from some other cruisers. Where is it at in Cozumel? Better to take a taxi or is it in walking distance of the dock?

 

This is my first cruise. We're on the Enchantment leaving 10/9/06! :D

[aring75]

It is inside the Los Cinco Soles store. Downtown...quite a walk, but you could take a taxi.

[LizC]

Aring75

 

I have to agree with most of your review. The ship was very warm after formal night meal I had to change it was so warm. The ship wasmostly in goodorder except the aft section of deck 7. Our room was 7144 on the way to my cabin from the Elevators or the stairs there was a horrible moldy smell. It made me ill. It continued every day . Then on day 3 I saw it. Just past room 7118 there was a patch of green mold in the carpet! I can't believe this was not taken care of. Mold is a serious issue. I reported it but I'm not sure anything willbe done. The food was good not great. My DH and I went to Chops one night the food there was very good. You did not mention my two favorite parts. The Marriage Game was so funny I'm sorry you missed it. The other game, the last night was Quest we had a blast.

 

Our room also had the vent above the shower missing and looking up made me ill, it was so dirty up there.

 

We did enjoy our cruise very much other than these issues.

[Fbofb]

I agree with most everything that you reported about the Enchantment. My wife and I were on this cruise, the staff was great. The ship for the most part was clean. We found the food to be very good, and Chops was the best. We live in the midwest and DW's uncle has a cattle farm so we get our beef from him. For us to rave about the steaks in Chops is really saying something. Yes the steaks on Chops are the best we have had outside of home. Our only complaint was the passengers. We have never ever ran into so many RUDE people in our lives. For the life of me I can not understand why people feel compelled to SLAM their cabin doors at 1, 2 or even 3am. And the chair hogs were out in full force on this cruise. I watched a couple pack everything up and start to walk away when the male stopped, grab his and her towels, walked back to the chairs and toss the towels onto the chairs. After an hour and a half a nice couple was looking for some chairs and I directed them to these chairs and a lady jumped up and said they were eating and would be right back. Um "No" they left 90 minutes ago and you can't save chairs. I won't get into the the whole convesation lets just say the RUDE seem to be the rule for this cruise. We found the embarkment process to be extremely easy, we arrived at the port at noon and we walked thru the whole process. Never had to stand in a line. We were onboard, dropped our bags off at the cabin, and eating lunch by 12:30. Now I have a story about embarkment. I decided to sneak something on that I have never done in the past nor will I ever do this again. The night before I purchased this and wrapped it up in my shorts and t-shirt and buried it on the bottom of my carry on bag. Well during the embarkment process you have to walk thru a metal detector and run your carry on bags thru an X-ray. Well the lady asked me if I had a blank in my bag. I said not that I was aware of and she asked me if she could search my bag. I agreed and she proceeded to search my bag. Now here is the shocker she didn't find it and let me proceed. All in all I would say that the ship is great, the staff is excellent, and the food is great and Chops is well worth the price. Now if you have a balcony cabin, like the wife and I had, order the room service and set out their in the morning and drink coffee and juice and watch the sun come up this is the one thing I miss. Sitting out on the balcony drinking coffee and enjoying the morning sun with my wife.

[KAJOKG]

aring75,

 

I've heard about Pancho’s Backyard from some other cruisers. Where is it at in Cozumel? Better to take a taxi or is it in walking distance of the dock?

 

This is my first cruise. We're on the Enchantment leaving 10/9/06! :D

Depending on where you dock in Cozumel, there is a Pancho's Backyard in the area of one of the piers. There is a large shopping district at this pier with restaurants and stores. We had a "boozeless" Margarita there and it was fabulous. No booze because it was so hot and we were looking to cool off and quench our thirst. It was good, good, good. I think that this pier was destroyed during last year's hurricane and when we were there last they doing major repairs, so we docked at a downtown pier. We took an excursion, which dropped us off downtown and we walked back to the ship. A little long, but it was fun.

[Fran Harp]

Day Two – Key West

 

The Captain is Tor Isaak Olsen, and I absolutely adore him! He was our captain on the Legend and he has the most fantastic dry Norwegian wit. It may not always come across on the loudspeaker, but if you ever get the chance to speak with him in person…do it. He’s great! We did a bridge tour on the Legend and the ship was in slightly choppy seas (not too bad, but you could feel it). One lady was obviously quite nervous and kept asking questions about the motion, weather, water, THE TITANIC!! LOL!! Well, the ship made an unusual lurch and she yelled out, “Oh Lord, what was that?” He just shrugged and without missing a beat said, “Hmmm, must have hit something.”

 

 

Love your description of Captain Olsen. Don't you love that deadpan Scandinavian humour? You have to stop and think if it was really a joke or not... The previous Captain on Enchantment, Per Kjonso, was so funny every day, and the Captain on Brilliance had a dry delivery...if you didn't listen carefully you'd miss the jokes...

 

Enchantment is a lovely ship too....I really enjoyed our cruise on her.

 

Thanks for the great review.

 

Fran in Toronto

[mommabean]

Who is the current entertainer in the piano bar? Does anyone know or care to look it up in your cruise compass. Thanks.

[yj2cute]

I was on this cruise also. I also wrote a review if you're interested. I agree the ship was warm and I noted that in my review, but I actually found it pleasant. Most of the time the ships are too cold for me to be comfortable without a jacket or sweater. I also agree about the food. The prawns were my best meal as well. I found the DR a better alternative to the WJ for breakfast & lunch. I agree, overall a very pleasant cruise. I can't wait to go back!

 

Liz, the vent in my shower was missing also. Wonder what that's about.

[Mystaken]

MAC749297 - come over and join us on the Enchantment Roll Call Board. We have quite a few Cruise Critic members on the 10/9 sailing, and most are first timers! We're planning our own Meet and Mingle at Sailaway, since RCCL doesn't offer one for 5 night cruises.

[phabric]

Did anybody receive the C&A gift. What was it? We will be on the Enchantment for Christmas.

[yj2cute]

I received a picture frame as a C&A gift.

[sdear]

Thanks for the review. I just booked a JS AFT on Enchantment for May 07. Never had an AFT or a JS before, so we are really excited.

 

Another poster made a comment on rude passengers...we just got off Freedom..and I tell you, there are some very rude people out there. When you are getting off the elevator, you better move quick because some of these people will trample you :eek: ! It amazed me how "in a hurry" people were and just barged around folks like there was a fire !

 

This is only our second cruise on RCI, and we are excited to see another class of their ships.

 

Thanks for the review !

 

Sue