Enchantment vs. Carnival Pride ?

[vlynn]

I originally posted this question on the Carnival board with only one response which I found interesting so I thought I would see what kind on feedback I received here.

 

For anyone who has cruised both the Pride/Glory and Enchantment I was just wondering what your opinions are of the differences/similarities.

 

I loved the Pride. We have decided to try the Enchantment because of the ports and the amount of days - 9.

 

We are taking my SD who is 13 so we are also curious about the differences with the teen programs. She loved Carnivals.

 

Thank you for any input. I know we will have a great time regardless because after all how can you not when you are on a cruise. :D

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[spookwife]

I have sailed both although when Pride was in CA.

 

Royal wins hands down.. decor, ambiance, atmosphere.

 

food was comparable although I will admit David's was better than Chops.

 

I felt Carnival was too cheesy( on board entertainment was VERY unappealing) and we really hated the PA announcements that seemed to interrupt in the cabin every 15 minutes.

 

cannot comment on the kids stuff as we don't have 'em.

[dixieva]

Have sailed on the Enchantment twice and just returned from a cruise on the Carnival Pride. No children so can't comment on the kid's programs.

 

We loved the Pride. Did not have a problem with public announcements-in fact if we wanted to hear any of that we had to open our cabin door. The announcements did not come into the room. Loved the comedy club-there were shows just about every night. Did not go to any of the production shows. Food was really good. The decor of the Pride is very different-sort of a Roman theme-a lot of nude art around but once you got used to it that didn't bother us at all. We found it quite pretty over all. Staff was great.

 

Love the Enchantment too. Very nice ship. And the staff is also very nice.

[lkva]

We have done both. We cruised The Pride April of 2011 to Bermuda and then did Enchantment May 2012 to Bermuda. We cruised The Pride just husband and myself and last cruise was a family cruise. Did not have any teens with us so I can't comment on that. My sons are earlier 20's and other very late teens.

 

What we did like about the Pride was it stayed in Bermuda longer then the Enchantment did. We did not have any problems on either cruise they both were very wonderful vacation. Overall, we liked the Enchantment better. We felt the customer service was better and staff seemed happier.

 

Just depends on what you are looking for and what time of year you are doing it. When we cruised The Pride in April there we a lot of kids and The Enchantment in May there were very few.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either one.:)

[roscoegirl]

I originally posted this question on the Carnival board with only one response which I found interesting so I thought I would see what kind on feedback I received here.

 

For anyone who has cruised both the Pride/Glory and Enchantment I was just wondering what your opinions are of the differences/similarities.

 

I loved the Pride. We have decided to try the Enchantment because of the ports and the amount of days - 9.

 

We are taking my SD who is 13 so we are also curious about the differences with the teen programs. She loved Carnivals.

 

Thank you for any input. I know we will have a great time regardless because after all how can you not when you are on a cruise. :D

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I've tried them both...the Pride x2!! Loved them both...The Enchantment has a special vibe about her; the crew, the ship...just very, very nice. But, the Pride will get you hooked!! Loved it, Loved it. I'm probably not very helpful but I wish you the best with your decision. BTW: On the Pride, my son 12yrs at the time, loved Circle C--made lots of friends and had a blast! I did not have any kids with me on the Enchantment (that might be why it was so very enchanting!!:D )

[Showtune]

I have sailed both. The Enchantment on a 12 night So. Carib in December 2010 and the Pride on a 7 night Bahamas in Jan 2012, both from Baltimore.

 

We had such a bad experience with the food on the Enchantment that we refused to book her again. Although the staff were excellent for the most part, there was a significant crowding problem in the public spaces (Windjammer, Comedy Club, Theater, Pool) due to the "stretched" ship which added cabins and passengers, but not additional seating capacity to the public areas. The entertainment was unremarkable and the decor forgettable. Our balcony cabin was very nice and the ports were OUTSTANDING.

 

On the Pride, we found the food to be average to good, with only one or 2 excellents (warm chocolate melting cake, mmmmm). The coffee was undrinkable. The service was excellent, the entertainment was average. We found the crowd to be younger and drunker than on the Enchantment, but I think that had more to do with the itinerary and duration of the cruise. In general, the cabins on Carnival ships are larger in the cheaper categories than on RCI. We had an obstructed oceanview "french door" cabin and it was cozy, but comfortable. We quite enjoyed the Renaissance art theme, and the huge (naked) David statue in the Steakhouse at the top of the Atrium was always a good topic of conversation with other passengers. The itinerary on this was terrible, but a day on vacation is better than a day at work!

 

Now that our son is old enough for the kids programs on all ships, I will stick with RCI, unless there's an amazing deal or itinerary on another line.

[KeywestK]

I have sailed on Enchantment twice, and the Pride once. To quote my husband when we got off the Pride, his exact words were, "Don't ever put me on a Carnival ship again." While I saw exactly where he was coming from, he felt much stronger about it than I did. The Pride was not a pretty ship. The decor, in the Atrium, was dark, closed in, and depressing. The buffet was very spread out and hard to figure out where everything was. The food in the main dining room was inedible most nights. We sent back our food more than once. The service in the MDR was awful. Why should we have to ask for water, wine glasses, or bread? The entertainment in the main show theater was not good at all. We did, however, like the comedy club and saw all their shows.

 

The Enchantment is a beautiful ship, well laid out, and easily maneuverable in all aspects, and RCI is known for it's excellent service. The food in the MDR is very good (on all RCI ships, in my opinion.) David's Steakhouse on Pride was just as good as Chops Grill on Enchantment.

 

When I read that so many people think that Carnival and RCI offer equal products I just shake my head. That is absolutely NOT my opinion.

[Jimbo59]

I've sailed on both, too. Pride has more balcony cabins, so the price of a balcony cabin will be less than on the older Enchantment. Food on Pride was better in the main dining room. Enchantment had the better itinerary (Bermuda, Boston, and Newport), but RCI will no longer offer this itinerary. The Enchantment buffet was poorly maintained, with spilled food not cleaned up quickly.

 

We booked Pride again. Enchantment will move to Florida in 2013.

The Pride itinerary is boring. I would like to see longer cruises from Baltimore on the Pride, but the seven day schedule is it for the future.

[Cruzin RN]

agree with the post that said the Atrium was dark and closed in. I remember when we boarded the Pride, I felt a little claustaphobic. The RCI have bright open beautiful atrium..very elegant!!!

[Merion_Mom]

I have sailed both. The Enchantment on a 12 night So. Carib in December 2010 and the Pride on a 7 night Bahamas in Jan 2012, both from Baltimore.

 

We had such a bad experience with the food on the Enchantment that we refused to book her again. Although the staff were excellent for the most part, there was a significant crowding problem in the public spaces (Windjammer, Comedy Club, Theater, Pool) due to the "stretched" ship which added cabins and passengers, but not additional seating capacity to the public areas. The entertainment was unremarkable and the decor forgettable. Our balcony cabin was very nice and the ports were OUTSTANDING.

 

On the Pride, we found the food to be average to good, with only one or 2 excellents (warm chocolate melting cake, mmmmm). The coffee was undrinkable. The service was excellent, the entertainment was average. We found the crowd to be younger and drunker than on the Enchantment, but I think that had more to do with the itinerary and duration of the cruise. In general, the cabins on Carnival ships are larger in the cheaper categories than on RCI. We had an obstructed oceanview "french door" cabin and it was cozy, but comfortable. We quite enjoyed the Renaissance art theme, and the huge (naked) David statue in the Steakhouse at the top of the Atrium was always a good topic of conversation with other passengers. The itinerary on this was terrible, but a day on vacation is better than a day at work!

 

Now that our son is old enough for the kids programs on all ships, I will stick with RCI, unless there's an amazing deal or itinerary on another line.

 

Enchantment? Comedy Club?

[Showtune]

Enchantment? Comedy Club?

 

Sorry, Comedy Club was on the Pride. But in general, the public spaces on the Enchantment were crowded.

[cruiseclues]

We just came back from the cruise to Bermuda, Cruise to Nowhere due to Hurricane Sandy, 10/26/2012. The ship was extremely steady, more than most of our cruises, despite Hurricane Sandy.

 

The Main dining Room was fantastic, possibly the best in over 30 cruises. We are foodies and we were amazed (12 in our party). We did not expect much from the food before we took the cruise, because our food was very poor on our Explorer of the Seas cruise in February, 2012, except for the Cafe, it's great sandwiches & good pizza & Johnny Rockets.

 

Royal Caribbean has a new menu, and Enchantment of the Seas was only 50% capacity by the time it left Baltimore. Those could be factors why the food was so incredibly good, although I believe it would have been great with a full load of passengers. The service was outstanding, also. :)

 

We haven't been on Carnival Pride.