Thoughts on Enchantment of the Seas 4 Day - 11/26-11/30

[disneyfan1313]

My wife and I just got back from a fun little 4 night getaway on Enchantment of the Seas so I thought I would post some of our thoughts since I don't see a ton of reports on shorter cruises.  Just for some context - we are DINKs in our early 40s who primarily cruise on RCCL (will finally make Diamond based on booked cruises next year) and DCL but have sailed all the major lines.   Enchantment was our first RCCL cruise pre-stretch so we wanted to sail her again before she left for Galveston.  I'm going to separate this into the good, the bad and the weird about this cruise.   Please feel free to ask any specific questions abut the ship or this cruise.

 

The Good!

• I really love sailing out of Port Canaveral.  Parking and embarkation are always so quick and it just seems friendlier than the other Florida ports.  If we are sailing by ourselves we generally don't arrive until 1pm or later and are on the ship are quickly as we can walk through the process.   We chose just to do carryons for this sailing including bringing a 12 pack of water per the new guidelines.  In the past we have always checked a 24 pack, but we decided to follow the new rules this time and had no issues.
• Service was really good throughout the ship.  I don't think we encountered someone who seemed distracted or not engaged in their job as we have on our past few RCCL sailings.  
• I liked having a longer port time in Nassau.  Having the ship there until 8pm allowed us to get up later, have lunch on the ship and then take our time off the ship.  We've been to Nassau 15+ times so we decided to do something different and hire a taxi to take us to the Caves (never been there before - and was really cool to see) and then from there to Atlantis to walk around a bit.  I still don't like Nassau as a port option, but having a later time gave us flexibility to do it a little differently.
• Coco Cay isn't really our thing since we aren't beach people, but the construction had zero impact on our experience except not being able to explore the island as much.  That being said, it seems crazy far behind and I would be shocked if they made the May date.
• Really enjoyed having the jump zone as an option.  Miss having the activity options of the bigger ships, but the jump zone bungee trampoline was a ton of fun even with very limited hours and few adults participating.  
• Loved having an enhanced sea day lunch in the main dining room.  Not only the huge salad bar set up, but there also was a huge pasta station, a carving station and desert station.  Really makes up for super crappy Windjammer (see bad section).
• The "flying bridges" on the top deck area  great feature and make for some awesome photos.
• Debarkation was a breeze - they actually lined us up outside on the promenade deck (which was actually really nice with good weather).

 

The Bad!

• All food on the ship was really, really, really bad.  Flavorless, or tasting completely off, etc.  We just were on Majesty in January and September and while it wasn't great - it was significantly better than this.
• Chops had awesome service but the food has gone down hill.  Steak was just OK... my fillet wasn't as good as an $11.99 sirloin at Outback, much less a high end steakhouse.  Mac and Cheese literally was the same crappy mac and cheese from Windjammer.  Apple Pie was exactly the same crappy apple pie from the main dining room menu, etc.  
• Windjammer was the worst windjammer experience I have ever had.  Drastically undersized and packed with 1/2 the dining room closed almost all the time making the seating area smaller.  Food stations 1/2 empty, dirty serving items, messy stations everywhere, etc.  
• Not having a Sorrento's and/or Johnny Rockets really limits your late night options.  Park Cafe in the Solarium isn't a great option... way undersized and understaffed with long lines during the gap periods when there isn't other food options.  Limited seating which is either dirty or taken up by crew members eating, etc.  
• We really liked the location and size of our ocean view room (3014) but for some reason it seemed to have absolutely paper thin walls.  I've never been able to hear every word of the people on both sides of my stateroom before - but for some reason I could with this room. 
• Cruise Activity staff wasn't great.   They had a tendency to make the shows and activities "all about them" and kinda ignore the guests.  Hard to explain but it just felt very off.  Was also one of the worst Quests we have ever done.   Very rushed and disinterested and felt like he was just going through the motions instead of having fun with it.  
• It has been a while since we saw a production show on a smaller ship and ugh.. it was pretty rough to watch.  Really in need of an update, especially with the decent new ones they are doing now.

 

The Weird!

• The ship just doesn't feel like other RCCL ships and I can't really put my finger on why.  Perhaps it is the weird layout with the stretch, perhaps it is because it hasn't gotten much love since the stretch, but it just feels "off".  
• The begging for "10s" on the survey has gotten out of control.  We heard it from all the dining room staff (main and windjammer) on every day.   Our server on the last day must have mentioned it 6-8 separate times.  The funny thing was that he was a good server and we probably would have given him a 10 if he hadn't begged for it each day.   Does RCCL not care that they are doing it?  
• They hardly used the "Spotlight" lounge at all.  They crammed the activities that normally would happen there into the Centrum, Bolleros, etc.   You would walk into it any night (except the last when they finally used it) and it would be completely empty with all the lights on... kinda creepy!   Not sure if it is because it is a bit tough to find or if it was a cost cutting measure (don't have to staff additional bars, etc) but it was super weird and made the other areas of the ship feel over crowded.

 

Considering the cost and the length of cruise, we had a good time but it isn't a ship that we feel that we need to sail on again.

 

[disneyfan1313]

Forgot to put one more item under "bad" which would explain a few of the photos!  The ship was in *rough* shape on the exterior decks.  I was honestly shocked with how much rust, railings that needed varnishing, etc.   I have never seen the exterior decks of an RCCL ship in this bad of shape.  

[disneyfan1313]

I decided to upload 3 out of 4 days of the Cruise Compass from my recent 4 day on Enchantment of the Seas.  Sorry no day 4 (Coco Cay), not sure where it went!

[Iowa_Vike]

Will be on her for the 2nd time on Monday.  Thanks for the review. 

 

[whitewater]

Leaving Jan 11 for my 75th birthday. 

[fla gang]

We were on the Enchantment is August. I believe it was our third time on Enchantment, and we won't be sailing on her again. We thought the food was ok, but just not much to do and the entertainment was sub par.

We were just on the Brilliance and the food was a little better than Enchantment in the windjammer, but not a big difference. 

The orchestra and the shows on the Brilliance were very good. All in all, we have enjoyed all of our Royal cruises but we are just not into the older ships in the fleet.

[Jcol5786]

Thanks for  the review. We did the same cruise during the last week in October. Our first ever cruise was on EOS 5 years ago and we thought it would be interesting to go back. We enjoyed our cruise on her but I do agree with most of your observations. After Oasis class the entertainment was a disappointment. We weren't expecting a Boardway type show but when the main act is a comedy show you know you are not on Oasis or Allure. I also agree that she needs some TLC on it's outside public areas. Didn't see anyone out and about doing touchup painting. We have seen this many times on other RC ships. Food wise I didn't find it bad at all. Perhaps we are not that hard to please - we tend to avoid WJ anyway but did drop by once for a late lunch and it was fine. MD room service was fine and we liked our food. Didn't do Chops this time but 5 years ago we felt that it was not worth the upcharge. You are also absolutely correct about the under use of the Spotlight lounge. You would think that on a smaller ship all of the available spaces would be used to the max but this area was a dead zone most of the time however this was also the case on our previous cruise. Really don't understand why. It was nice to revisit EOS and the views of the ocean that you get were great however even if she wasn't moving we probably would not cruise on her again.

[clean1owner]

Enchantment pre-stretch was my first ever RCCL cruise, and that trip made me a RCCL believer. Did the 4 nighter almost 2 years ago, and like you, it just didn't feel right.

 

Had this been my first ever RCCL trip, I wouldn't have impressed enough to make me really want to come back.

[lazydayz]

I used to be a huge fan of the Enchantment, but after our last cruise on her, we said no more.  With all the other ships out there, I just can't see using my vacation time on Enchantment.  

[whitewater]

Wow!  All these comments. I thought I would be having a great birthday on this ship. 

[lazydayz]

7 minutes ago, whitewater said:

Wow!  All these comments. I thought I would be having a great birthday on this ship. 

 

I bet you will!  An awful lot depends on your expectations.  What I have learned is that I am a fan of the newer, bigger ships, but that doesn't mean others won't like the smaller, older ships.  I have never had a bad cruise, just some are more enjoyable than others.  YMMV, and I hope it does. 

[whitewater]

Thanks I feel better now!  As long as they have a casino I will be fine!  As far as food, how can you mess up Bacon and eggs. I know the ship is old but so am I.

[disneyfan1313]

1 hour ago, whitewater said:

Wow!  All these comments. I thought I would be having a great birthday on this ship. 

 

You will!  Just enjoy being on a ship and away from all your worries!  Enjoy the great service, the beautiful views, the casino and time with your traveling companions.

 

25 minutes ago, whitewater said:

As far as food, how can you mess up Bacon and eggs.

 

Well..... 😉  As long as you enjoy soggy bacon and powdered eggs, you should be fine.    All jokes aside, food is very subjective.  I consider Golden Corral Buffet and CiCi's pizza the lowest of the low, but millions of people eat there daily and enjoy it.  Everyone has different tastes and  I'm sure you will find things you will enjoy on the menus!

Edited December 7, 2018 by disneyfan1313
forgot line

[whitewater]

Soggy bacon and powered eggs are ok. and yeah one of the people that love the Golden Corral.  All kidding aside.   I'm really looking forward to it. I have been on over 25 cruises. Mostly Disney. But I like RCL and Carnival also. 

Edited December 8, 2018 by whitewater

[superduper123]

21 hours ago, whitewater said:

Wow!  All these comments. I thought I would be having a great birthday on this ship. 

Hope you have a great cruise! I am of the minority opinion I guess, but I actually like the Enchantment. We all have our preferences and expectations, and Enchantment suits me well. 

[Clarea]

26 minutes ago, superduper123 said:

Hope you have a great cruise! I am of the minority opinion I guess, but I actually like the Enchantment. We all have our preferences and expectations, and Enchantment suits me well. 

 

We are with you on Enchantment.  Love the huge pool deck and Boleros. Minimal carnival attractions reduces the attraction to the kiddos.

[pequita]

I agree with the OP.  The pictures of the railings and trim are accurate.  The outside of the ship is in the need of a lot of stain, varnish and TLC.  This is not normal for any other of RCL ship to be in this much disrepair. The windows around the lido deck had no been cleaned for a long while.  The inside of the ship, hallways and staircases are spotless.  I don’t know why corporate let  the lido deck get so bad.  

 

Just got off this ship on Saturday.  Got off at 8:20 and had luggage tag number 1.  Left the customs hall at 9:40.  Had only five custom agents, (one for the porters, one for the handicap and 3 for all the rest.). Do yourself a favor and use a porter and save yourself an hour. Never before have I ever spent that much time clearing customs.

 

 

Edited December 8, 2018 by pequita
Typo

[Scotty G]

3 hours ago, pequita said:

 Just got off this ship on Saturday.  Got off at 8:20 and had luggage tag number 1.  Left the customs hall at 9:40.  Had only five custom agents, (one for the porters, one for the handicap and 3 for all the rest.). Do yourself a favor and use a porter and save yourself an hour. Never before have I ever spent that much time clearing customs.

 

 

 

Agree about  terrible exterior of balconies.

Just wondering how you cleared Customs on Saturday since Enchantment sails Fridays and Mondays

[pequita]

You will have a great time.  The pictures of the railings and trim are accurate.  The outside of the ship is in the need of a lot of stain, varnish and TLC.  This is not normal for any other of RCL ship to be in this much disrepair. The windows around the lido deck had no been cleaned for a long while.  The inside of the ship, hallways and staircases are spotless.  I don’t know why corporate left the lido deck get so bad.  

 

Just got off this ship on Saturday.  Got off at 8:20 and had luggage tag number 1.  Left the customs hall at 9:40.  Had only five custom agents, (one for the porters, one for the handicap and 3 for all the rest.). Do yourself a favor and use a porter and save yourself an hour. Never before have I ever spent that much time clearing customs.

 

Happy Birthday!

 

 

[pequita]

Sorry about the re-pet.  I did dis-embark on Friday.  Sorry, right church, wrong pew.

[CCC3]

We sailed her in June, out of Miami.  My biggest complaint was the WJ.  It was hard to find something decent to eat...and I’m not picky, trust me.   We chose not to go to the shows, but instead spent some time at the casino...and actually won.  We decided for a 3 day, she was all right, but anything longer and we’d look at a different ship.  

[LFCgirl]

On 12/7/2018 at 5:05 PM, whitewater said:

Wow!  All these comments. I thought I would be having a great birthday on this ship. 

I will be on this same sailing.  You will have a good time.  I was on Enchantment 2 years ago and it was a little rough on the outside then.  But the service was great.   Looking forward to kicking back and relaxing on this cruise.  Catch me in the Schooner bar and I'll buy you a birthday drink!

[Biker19]

On 12/2/2018 at 5:48 PM, disneyfan1313 said:

 

• The begging for "10s" on the survey has gotten out of control.  We heard it from all the dining room staff (main and windjammer) on every day.   Our server on the last day must have mentioned it 6-8 separate times.  The funny thing was that he was a good server and we probably would have given him a 10 if he hadn't begged for it each day.   Does RCCL not care that they are doing it?  

RCI cares enough that they ask about this on the post cruise survey, but not sure if they actually do anything about it.

[whitewater]

Back from the Jan 11 to Jan 14 2019 Enchantment of the Seas cruise. Had a wonderful cruise. Food in the buffet was very good. All the crew couldn't have been nicer. Can't comment on the shows because I spent too much time in the casino.  Had no complaints on this cruise. 

[joker34]

On 12/2/2018 at 5:48 PM, disneyfan1313 said:

Not having a Sorrento's and/or Johnny Rockets really limits your late night options.  Park Cafe in the Solarium isn't a great option... way undersized and understaffed with long lines during the gap periods when there isn't other food options.  Limited seating which is either dirty or taken up by crew members eating, etc.  

Can you tell me if they have the same pizza you find at Sorrento's on other ships in other areas on this ship? Maybe at the Park Cafe?