Enchantment of the Seas

[bellringer640]

Sailing on Vision of the Seas at the moment. I have to comment on the Enchantment of the Seas as it was docked next to us on the 26th February, 2019 in Nassau. Quite a few of us were horrified  at the state of the exterior of the ship. My husband called it a "rust bucket" (and he was right, as it looked awful). I actually walked along the deck to check the name of the ship! Hopefully, the inside didn't look as bad. bellringer640

[Clarea]

Welcome to the posting side of Cruise Critic.

[Mikew0805]

Enchantments interior was just fine in September.

[Lfehlauer77]

Just left that exact cruise!   Enchantment has been physically “let go.”   Mostly external issues only.  Rooms and venues were good but externally VARNISH badly needed to railings.  Exterior flooring could also use help.  Can’t comment too much to the exterior ship itself, i only left once to tender  to  Coco Cay.   

 

Service wise i was was blown away.   Service can be hit or miss but I didn’t run into any staff I didn’t like.  They are making up on the inside what they’re missing on the outside.

[rimmit]

The interior is in pretty decent shape, but anything outside the walls, from the pool deck to the promenade area around the life boats, and just the windows are terrible.  It is an absolute embarrassment to RCI.   Several people we met on the cruise in Feb who had tried RCI for the first time were beyond not impressed with the maintenance.   

 

It really leaves a terrible first impression for anyone trying RCI for the first time

[Lfehlauer77]

I agree, if it was my first impression.

 

[tvo7]

I am scheduled to go on there.  Is it that bad when I see it that it will ruin my trip?

[Lfehlauer77]

I wouldn’t say it will ruin your experience.   We had a great time.  But if you’re looking to feel like you’re on a luxury liner, you might be disappointed.

 

The service we received far outranked her physical flaws.

[rimmit]

6 hours ago, tvo7 said:

I am scheduled to go on there.  Is it that bad when I see it that it will ruin my trip?

 

It’s not gonna ruin your trip as long as you aren’t someone who is super picky and always finding flaws in everything.  

The views out the window are middling at best as they haven’t washed the windows in years, and there is rust on open surfaces everywhere.

 

The intererior is what is expected for a ship that old,  but we recently docked beside the Vision and it was so obvious just how bad it looked and how much they let the enchantment go.  The Vision which is older looked brand new,  no rust and sparkling windows...

 

Report back when you get back and let us know your opinion.   It is an embarrassment imo.

 

Service is excellent. We still had a great time.  Food was so-so.

[garrymorere]

That's a bummer to hear. I sailed on Enchantment two years ago and definitely recall the exterior being in rough shape in spots, particularly around the MDR windows outside. I sail on her again in just over a month, hope it's not gotten that much worse. 

 

Regardless, the interior, besides being dated, was just fine and I really enjoyed the ship as a whole. I'm still looking forward to April 8 and enjoying all that it has to offer!  Definitely doesn't ruin the experience as a whole!

[gatour]

8 hours ago, tvo7 said:

I am scheduled to go on there.  Is it that bad when I see it that it will ruin my trip?

I would say no.

When we were on the Harmony last may we shared a port day with the Enchantment, I was a little disappointed with the outside appearance (esp. since we did our honeymoon on her 20 years ago)  However her outward appearance didn't deter us from booking for 2 later impromptu cruises later in the year.

 

I found interior to be fine.  Sure there was some wear and tear but things were not falling apart.  As someone else we found the crew to be good and attentive.   The other plus, is the Royal Viking Lounge is still open to the general public.

[Iowa_Vike]

Was on in December.  Although older and in need of some cleaning and maintenance,  it did not distract from the enjoyment of the cruise.  I had heard before the cruise that it had not be maintained well so I shot this picture when we got off in Nassau.  The crew was constantly doing things like this to improve the ship.  Takes time and contestant work but they are doing it. 

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Iowa_Vike

[venicia]

Was on Enchantment in January and it is one of my favorite ships.  I LOVE the Oasis class, but we all enjoyed Enchantment.  There were 27 of us and everyone had a fantastic time.  The crew on this ship is among the best in the fleet.  

 

It kind of bothers me to hear someone call it a "rust bucket", yes it is an older ship.  I probably resemble a "rust bucket" to many, but I am still out there enjoying my cruises.

 

Our entire group all expressed how much they enjoyed this ship, their cabins, the entertainment, the food and again, the amazing wonderful crew.  

 

 

[rimmit]

2 hours ago, Iowa_Vike said:

Was on in December.  Although older and in need of some cleaning and maintenance,  it did not distract from the enjoyment of the cruise.  I had heard before the cruise that it had not be maintained well so I shot this picture when we got off in Nassau.  The crew was constantly doing things like this to improve the ship.  Takes time and contestant work but they are doing it. 

 

 

I didn’t realize just how bad the shipped looked in all honesty until it parked right next to the Vision in Nassau.   Seeing the two side by side, same class ship,  the Vision being older, made me realize just how bad the Enchantment looked.

 

By itself with nothing to compare to the ship doesn’t look great,  but when side by side with the Vision,  which is a nearly identical ship except the expansion....   it’s definitely a little depressing.