Off the Enchantment on 9/20/08; Diamond C&A comments, too

Well, this was one of the best cruises I have EVER had, and I've taken 20 of them on RCCL. This is a terrific ship, the crew is unbelievable, the food was very good, and the weather was very good last week, too. All in all, a fabulous 5 day cruise: Key West, Cozumel, Belize.

Belize is very poor, and I recommended on my comment card to eliminate the city tour on the Tale of Two Cities shore excursion. Much better to to to Altun Ha and have lunch somewhere, not drive around looking at the slums.

Yes, they had lobster on the last night, and yes, I got two servings.

The ship stretch several years ago added some very nice touches: the pool deck is really nice, and it has a long bar on one side where you can sit and look directly out at the ocean.

Yes, they charge 3% for money in the casino, BUT you can cash personal checks at Customer Relations for no fee.

Beef in the dining room was very good.

We asked our head waiter if we could have another night with escargot, and he sent it to us THREE more nights!! We were in heaven!

They cram a full 7 night cruise in to 5 nights! I was impressed.

Additonal comments regarding Diamond C&A perks:

The coupon booklet has the free money coupons and not the slot pull. My friend had the slot pull in her Gold booklet.

They gave us BOTH the baseball cap.

Julian, the Concierge, is the sweetest, nicest man. He look a LOT like he's related to Denzel Washington! No kidding!

I introduced myself and my girl friend on the first night, told him she was a Gold level C&A, and he went immediately and got her a key card to the Concierge Lounge! Very nice of him. He said as long as she was sharing my cabin, she was welcome to come in with me.

They had the repeat cruiser cocktail party, AND they had the Platinum and Diamond event, too. Like I said, all the stuff from a 7 day cruise was there.

Disembarkation was amazingly fast! After the usual horse poo-poo of finding the missing deadbeats and custom scammers, our Diamond and Suites group was escorted from the upper level waiting area in the dining room, all the way down the stairs to the exit. From the time I got in that escorted line until I found my departure gate at the airport it was 30 minutes!!!! Off the ship, luggage, customs, taxi, check luggage, security at the airport, to the gate: all in 30 minutes. We were off the ship by 8:30 AM.

Thanks for your comments. Glad you had a great time!

Oh, I forgot. They are also pretty generous with what you can get with the Ben and Jerry's and Seattle's Best coupons. Instead of the plain fudge pop, I got a scoop of any B&J's flavor I wanted. I got my friend one of the fancy-schmancy coffee drinks, too.

They didn't do that on the Enchantment the last time I sailed her, nor the Monarch.

Thanks for the review.

But no coffee out of the faucet (brown water)?

;)

:) We just had our first experience with Julian,,,,what a trip and a treat. We are looking forward to sailing again with him.

Thanks for the review.

 

But no coffee out of the faucet (brown water)?

;)

Nope. But, the toilet just made our "water" look like we were slightly dehydrated all the time..... :D

That sounds like a wonderful cruise Peggy! Thanks for the great review. And now you are off to Hawaii on Serenade! LOL :D

Welcome back Peggy, glad you enjoyed your cruise :) Was there a limit as to how many checks you could cash or the amount of the check?

Did you hear any complaints from your fellow passengers regarding brown water?

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I love the Enchantment...still my favorite ship...thanks for sharing.

We go on her at least once a year...usually more than that.

Love Julian...will miss David, former manager of Chops...many fond memories attached to this ship.

Really nice crew.

Rev

That sounds like a wonderful cruise Peggy! Thanks for the great review. And now you are off to Hawaii on Serenade! LOL :D

Yeaaaaaaah, baby!! :D

Welcome back Peggy, glad you enjoyed your cruise :) Was there a limit as to how many checks you could cash or the amount of the check?

 

Did you hear any complaints from your fellow passengers regarding brown water?

 

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No, I didn't ask, but the casino will still allow up to $2k a day, so I'm assuming the Customer Relations Desk allows that, too.

Not a murmur about brown water, but some folks were ticked about them turning off the toilets in the cabins. However, it's the best way to do it: most people are off the ship in Cozumel.

Will Julian be the on the ship 10/04?

I had read somewhere that he was taking time off (getting married)??

Vickie

Peggy, Glad you had a great cruise. The Enchantment was also one of my favorites. It is a wonderful ship and the staff is tops. Julian is the best. I know he is getting married soon, not sure when.

Julian is getting married in Zimbawe on 10/25, and will be taking his 2 months off then. He and his bride are moving to London. His Mom just passed away in Trinidad, so he doesn't want to go back and live there. He and his wife have both lived in London at one time or another, so they are going there.

Then, he will be back for another 6 month contract in late December / early January.

Thanks for the review... this is the cruise I am looking at for taking my niece and mom on in June. It sounds like it wouldn't be a bad choice!:D

In the coupon book - did they have the photo copy or is gone with the doodoo bird? Did they still have a free drink?

Also, if you don't mind, a question about your roomie - did she get the gold or diamond coupon book?

thx

Your quote:

"Disembarkation was amazingly fast! After the usual horse poo-poo of finding the missing deadbeats and custom scammers, our Diamond and Suites group was escorted from the upper level waiting area in the dining room, all the way down the stairs to the exit. From the time I got in that escorted line until I found my departure gate at the airport it was 30 minutes!!!! Off the ship, luggage, customs, taxi, check luggage, security at the airport, to the gate: all in 30 minutes. We were off the ship by 8:30 AM"

We too returned Saturday from this wonderful cruise. Couldn't ask for better weather considering the 4-5 weeks of hurricanes prior to the trip. Great trip and great crew.

However, we did not find disembarkation to be so wonderfull. The ship did not clear customs until 9:00..how were you able to get off at 8:30? I never saw so many rude people since my last visit to NY (no offense). Pushing, shoving, yelling and intimidation was what I witnessed. Complete calamity would describe it. This is definately one area that RCCL needs to refine.

Hi Peggy,

Hello from Harry and Joyce (we were also on this cruise). I have to agree with Peggy. We've cruised quite a bit in the past few years and this one was one of the best. I got the feeling that the crew were actually happy to be working on this ship. Smiling faces everywhere and they appeared to be genuine smiles, not the painted-on type. We thought that the food was superb and the service was even better. Our waiter was Kemal and his assistant was Manuel. They were a real first-class team. Our stateroom attendant was John and our ocean-view stateroom was spotless and spacious. We were in the newly-added section rm 2578 and we had the new shower enclosure as well. There was a bit of brown water one day but no biggie for us. Julian's Michael Jackson bit was just the best. If you cruise on the Enchanment, you will be sure to have a good time. I'll be doing a lengthy review in the next week or so. Bon Voyage to all!

Glad to hear that Julian will be on our 10/04 cruise!!! :) I have heard such great things about him .... can't wait to meet him.

This is our first RCI cruise and I am glad to hear these wonderful reviews after hearing so much negative about the "brown water". :mad:

Vickie

We are sailing this Thursday....9-25. We sailed last year at this time also and had so much fun that we had to do it again. Not fond of the shorter cruises, but this one is the best. Julian is my hero! Are you sure he will be on the 10-4? We were told that the 9-25 was his last, so that's why we booked this cruise. I just upgraded to a balcony cabin today (7578). I believe this is in the new section as well. I'm all packed.....can't wait!!

Oh, I hope not. I was really looking forward to Julian. :)

Does anyone know who will be taking his place?

Vickie

We were on the 9/1/08 Enchantment, and Julian told me his last day was either 10/18 or 10/19. So, he SHOULD be on the 10/4 cruise for you! I can't remember who is taking his place. He is the BEST! Very entertaining and very talented!

Also, in our Diamond C&A coupon booklet, we received the "free pull" coupons rather than the "free money" We had the "free pull" on the Radiance in May/08 also. Oh, and by the way, I did win a free t-shirt on the free pull!

YEAH!!!! We are getting VERY excited.

We are celebrating our anniversary and have splurged on an owner's suite!! Can't wait ..... counting the days!! :D

Vickie

Thanks for the review!! My daughter and I are leaving Monday. Not our first cruise but the first on EOS. My sister was on the ship last July and that was a big reason why we chose it. I'm glad the water was a non-issue. I can't wait to read Peggy's review!!

Oh, I hope not. I was really looking forward to Julian. :)

 

Does anyone know who will be taking his place?

 

Vickie

It will most likely be Carlos (he is in guest services and usually fills in for Julian's vacations) he is a doll! Does not have the impressions of Julian but is very attentive.