5 Night Enchantment Review

[willycruise]

Our 8th cruise, first on RCCL

 

 

Just got back from the 5 Night 1/30 sailing to the western Caribbean. Ports of call were Key West, Cozumel, and Belize. We had a Junior Suite, room 8562, just in front of the "new" section.

 

Getting on the ship was a breeze, we arrived at the pier at 11:30, and were on the ship by 11:45, being in a JS got us in the shorter line, and first to get on the ship. We even got on before they had set up the "Welcome Aboard" pictures.

 

The halls were blocked off, so you could not get to your rooms before 1:00, but that was expected, so off we went to the Windjammer. I thought it was a VERY good buffet, with a large selection. The set up is a little confusing, but after a day or two, very easy to navigate. We always were able to get a table. After Lunch, off to the room. I thought the room was wonderful, nice size bathroom with tub, VERY comfortable bed, good lighting and nicely decorated. Although not brand spanking new, I thought the room looked great. Our cabin steward was very efficient, and always seemed to know when we were gone, the room was always clean. We asked for, and received 2 bathrobes with no questions. We got all of our luggage by 3:00.

 

We went off to explore, and the ship was beautiful, great pool deck, YES, THE MIDDLE POOL IS FRESH WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Plenty of deck space, and never a problem getting a pool chair. The pools are good sized, and were never overcrowded. Several Jacuzzis all around. The Solarium pool was very quiet, but seemed hot when the roof was closed.

 

The shopping area was very nice, with typical cruise ship faire, and sales.....

 

The new bar, boleros always seemed empty, but a very nice spot. We spent alot of time in schooners, and the piano bar. Also the music in the atrium lobby was very nice.

 

We had Second Seating, on the upper level (odd table numbers on top, even numbers on the lower level). We had a table for 8, but only 2 other couples ever used it, so we had 2 open seats. Food was very good, and I was pleased to see Baked Alaska on the last night. We ate at chops on Tuesday night (formal night) and the food was fantastic, as was the service.

 

Key West: Walked off the ship and wondered around a bit, ended up renting a small electric "car" that was a lot of fun. It let us see a lot of stuff in a short time. Had lunch at the VERY south end of Duvall at a nice place right on the beach,,,,good food, great view.

 

Cozumel: For the first time, we decided to stay on ship during a port day, and it was very relaxing, just hung around the empty pool, They do need to change the taped pool music though...The same 5 or 6 songs over and over again. We heard lots of grumbling from people not on ship excursions, as they get the later tenders. Also Cozumel has a long way to go to recover. I just can't see the piers getting fixed for a long time. The hotels by the old pier are now just empty steel structures, looks like a bomb went off. I look forward to going to Cozumel next year to see the change. I really hope they can get the piers fixed, as the tendering process with 6 ships in port is very tough.

 

Belize: Did the Aerial Trek/Cave Tubing adventure....a blast. Since we booked with the ship, we were on tender #1, and the day went smooth. Great tour guides, and a wonderful time. Anyone can do the aerial trek, and they have SEVERAL locals helping along the way. No one ever asked for a gratuity, and they were VERY professional. After the trek, we then had a light lunch, with rice/beans, and good chicken. Then off to cave tubing, you carry your tube, about a 1/2 hour hike through the jungle (on a maintained path), to your drop in point...and then just sit back and float. I did get stuck in a strong current once and crashed into the cave walls, minor scrapes. There is one section were the roof caved in on the left side, and you see this area of light, and jungle, hard to describe. My wife said it looked like her version of Heaven!!!!

 

The last full day was a sea day, and the captain tried to find as much sun as possible, and did a good job as lots of clouds were around. Again, no problem with deck chairs. You can also get extra pool towels, and exchange old ones with a pool attendant in the solarium.

 

We booked a tour to Miami for the last day, since our flight out was at MIA. We did a tour of Fort Lauderdale, including a nice boat ride, and then dropped people off at FLL, and my wife and I were the only ones going to MIA, so the bus got us there timely. The weather was TERRIBLE on this day, pouring rain, luckily the boat ride portion was between showers.

 

Travel home was a downer, and the rain caused many delays and luggage problems once we finally made it back to Chicago.

 

I did book my next cruise, Freedom of the Seas 3/4/07, while on board. I really wonder how they are going to be able to handle 4,000+ passengers when it comes to deck chairs, and the tendering process. I will wait and see what people have to say down the road, before I make my final payment!!!!

 

 

Let me know if you have specific questions, and I will try to answer!!!!

 

BK

[elleluv]

Hey BK,

 

Nice review.... we did this same itinerary on Enchantment last month.... your review brought back some great memories. :)

 

Thanks for confirming the fresh water in the middle pool... I posted there was fresh water in that pool when I came back and there was a bit of a skeptical reaction....

 

We didn't do the aerial trek, but did do the cave tubing through Wet & Wild, it turned out to be only DH and I in our group... lots of personal attention from our guide, Carlos, who is a really nice young man. I wanted to adopt him, but I don't think the idea of coming back to Alaska (and -40 :eek: ) with us appealed to him. The arial trek sounds like it would be a lot of fun!

 

Having you next cruise booked sure does make it easier to get off the ship, doesn't it?? Freedom is on my list of cruises to go on... RCL handles the number of pax so well on the Voyager class of ships that I really think they'll do equally as well on the Freedom class.

 

Glad you had a great time!

 

elleluv

[benmon]

Great review thank you. were in room #8566 in april. looking foward to it.

[shirleygr]

Great review. We did the same cruise this past November and reading your review brought back some wonderful memories for me as well. We are going on the Enchantment again in April, this time for the 4 night, and can't wait to show my kids around the ship, she is so beautiful.

Take care.

[catnt2]

we were on the same cruise with you........

 

We had cabin 8672 JS aft.....We had a oversized balcony, but the only problem we had was it was covered with soot. Didn't know what it was at first, we went out to lay on a chaise (on the balcony) and I noticed we were getting black specks all over us.

 

Anyway, we went on the Ghost Tour in Key West, did the Playa Mia Deluxe Beach Break in Cozumel and went to the Mayan Ruins in Belize.

[jemingway]

Thanks for the review. We're doing the 4-day version this Thursday.:cool:

[VU80]

"We had cabin 8672 JS aft.....We had a oversized balcony, but the only problem we had was it was covered with soot. Didn't know what it was at first, we went out to lay on a chaise (on the balcony) and I noticed we were getting black specks all over us."

 

We are in this room for the July 17th sailing. What was the soot and was it a problem for the entire cruise?

[truffles2]

We were also on the same cruise as Willycruise and Catnt2 and really enjoyed it. We had jr. suite 8132 which was under the Solarium and we were a little bothered by the noise of moving chairs and carts. We have been under the Windjammer before but this was much worse and it was persistent for 2-3 hours--well past midnight.

A Jade section has been added to the Windjammer and for the first time we saw Eggs Benedict at the Windjammer for breakfast--and they were as good as the Dining Room version. We also did the Playa Mia beach break with lunch, open bar, etc. and found it quite good. Only complaint there was the beach saucers instead of lounges so I hung out at the pool--which was also a welcomed addition to the beach.

Carly Boileau is CD and the first female we have ever had that was really good. She was not omni-present around the ship but when she was there she was REALLY THERE! She did the best job of the Men's Sexy Legs contest that I have ever seen. She was leaving at the end of our cruise and will be replaced by Bill Brunkhorst (sp?) and will probably return in April.

The entertainment was predictable. The production shows were new with new cast just on board last week and it especially showed in the first show --Can't Stop the Rock--which we did not particularly care for. The second show, Stage to Screen, was much better IMHO. Comedian Tony Daro was really good. Everyone was laughing until tears came. Mario and Jenny were very good also. We had seen them on Grandeur in November but enjoyed the show as much the second time.

A second Concierge Lounge was opened in the Viking Crown and we usually went there so we did not get to know Guiseppe very well but heard lots of compliments on him. Loyalty Ambassador, Carlos Ojeda, is very personable and knowledgeable and was assisted by some company people on this cruise because of the volume of C&A members.

Check in was quick! We landed at 11 AM, got right on the bus and went to the ship....no waiting to check in...also on the ship before the photographers even set up...in the Windjammer eating a very tasty lunch by noon!!! They said the room was ready when we got there so we were able to drop off the carry-ons...but the fact was that the room really was not ready as they had had a Coast Guard Inspection that morning and everything was running a little later than usual. Our steward, James Fernandes from India, was one of the best we have ever had. He couldn't do enough for us--including running down the hall from other rooms to open the door when he saw us coming. He was really great. He told us that the new cabins were numbered 8070-8080, so whatever floor xx70-xx80 are the new ones. Capacity was increased by 302 pax and it showed in the dining room--even though they said they had expanded it a bit.

Only regret was that I never got around to the bungee jump--maybe next time!

[shirleygr]

"We had cabin 8672 JS aft.....We had a oversized balcony, but the only problem we had was it was covered with soot. Didn't know what it was at first, we went out to lay on a chaise (on the balcony) and I noticed we were getting black specks all over us."

 

We are in this room for the July 17th sailing. What was the soot and was it a problem for the entire cruise?

I'd like to know the answer to this as well. I have JS 7668 booked for my April cruise. Thanks.

[elleluv]

"We had cabin 8672 JS aft.....We had a oversized balcony, but the only problem we had was it was covered with soot. Didn't know what it was at first, we went out to lay on a chaise (on the balcony) and I noticed we were getting black specks all over us."

 

We are in this room for the July 17th sailing. What was the soot and was it a problem for the entire cruise?

 

We were in 8172 (next door) on Enchantment.... The only day we had any soot was the last day of the cruise, which was the day at sea. I thought it may have had something to do with the fact that the engine was going full steam and the wind was blowing pretty hard and apparently in the right direction to leave the soot on our balcony. It really wasn't a problem for us... just look at the lounge before you sit on it. My sister and I choose the cabin in your location for our Grandeur cruise.... really love the big balcony.

[lojill]

I am going on this same cruise Feb 13th next week and I can't wait. This will be my family and friends 1st cruise. 13 of us are going.One thing I didn't here was what the weather was like.We are leaving out of Ft lauderdale. My whole group is worried about the weather in Feb. We are from Columbus ,oh and don't know what to expect this time of year cruising. I have heard the ship is beautiful. If it is cold and windy they will kill me because I was the one who planned the trip a year and a half ago. We were going to cruise in the fall of 2005 but I changed it to winter of 2006 that was a year and a half ago. I hope I made the right decisions. They were glad I did not book it last fall as ypu can see what happen. So any information to pass on would be helpful. ENCHANTMENT HERE WE COME FEB13TH 2006 SAME ROUTE AS THE REST OF YOU.

[steve20832]

I am going on this same cruise Feb 13th next week and I can't wait. This will be my family and friends 1st cruise. 13 of us are going.One thing I didn't here was what the weather was like.We are leaving out of Ft lauderdale. My whole group is worried about the weather in Feb. We are from Columbus ,oh and don't know what to expect this time of year cruising. I have heard the ship is beautiful. If it is cold and windy they will kill me because I was the one who planned the trip a year and a half ago. We were going to cruise in the fall of 2005 but I changed it to winter of 2006 that was a year and a half ago. I hope I made the right decisions. They were glad I did not book it last fall as ypu can see what happen. So any information to pass on would be helpful. ENCHANTMENT HERE WE COME FEB13TH 2006 SAME ROUTE AS THE REST OF YOU.

 

I'm from Maryland and I was on the 4-day Enchantment 3 weeks ago and the weather was in the 70's. (Went to Key West and Cozumel and a day at sea.) I was in short sleeves and shorts the whole time except the day at sea. It was in the low 60's. I went to weather.com to look at the long range forcast before I packed and knew it was going to be in the 60's so I brought a sweatshirt and jeans for that day so I was fine. Some people only had shorts and t-shirts with them and you could see they were cold. You should be fine next week though, just go to www.weather.com and type in all the cities you are going to and look at the 10-day forcast for each city. Make sure you bring suntan lotion as you will burn even in the wintertime.

[catnt2]

We love the oversized balcony as well. Thats why we chose this cabin. We had one on the Mariner and never had a problem!!

 

It was rainy the day we boarded and we did not go out on the balcony so I did not notice the "soot" problem until we were in Key West.

 

We had a tour and shopped a bit when we arrived back to the cabin I went out on the balcony. I noticed little black specks all over the ground. At first I thought someone had burned a paper, as there was a 2-3 inch piece of paper that was brown around the edges, laying on the ground at the back of the balcony.

 

Since the balcony was oversize, the chaises were up by the window and were not affected by the soot. It was not until I moved the chaise closer to the balcony edge that we started seeing the soot land on us.

 

We were busy the entire day in Cozumel and Belize so we did not get out on the balcony, except to look out. The soot was still there!

 

Again, on our day at sea, I went out on the balcony and the soot problem was worst than before. I went to guest relations and they had it hosed off, but it returned a short time later.

 

I am guessing the soot came from the engines/smoke stack. I am not an expert about this sort of stuff, but that is my opinion!

 

To me this was a problem, we paid extra for the Jr Suite and chose the aft cabin to have the oversized balcony. But were not able to use it!!

[lojill]

Anybody else on this cruise last week that can give me some idea of what to expect of the weather and seas.

 

Thanks Steve20832 for your info I hope it starts getting warmer as we move into Feb and March

[catnt2]

The weather was awesome the entire weekend......we did have a bit of rain one night and off & on the last day sea day. But other than that it was gorgeous! :D

 

It was cloudy & rainy 1st day (Mon in FLL) in the morning, but rain stopped by sail away party.

 

Cozumel was nice 75-80......we went to the beach and water was a bit cool for me but most were swimming.......could be that I'm from Florida and those swimming were from NY! :)

 

Belize also around 75-80.....we went to the Mayan Ruins and it wasn't too hot as we were in a jungle. and took the river boat ride which kept us cool.

 

Last day started off cloudy but by noon it was nice and sunny. with some afternoon showers that lasted aprox 5 min. with a few sprinkles off and on.

 

hope this helps

 

forgot to tell you the water was pretty calm........I have a inner ear problem and this was the first cruise that I did not get sea sick. I also used Motion Eaze and took Ginger Pills, first time I've tried them, so they may have worked!!

[willycruise]

.

Carly Boileau is CD and the first female we have ever had that was really good. She was not omni-present around the ship but when she was there she was REALLY THERE! She did the best job of the Men's Sexy Legs contest that I have ever seen. She was leaving at the end of our cruise and will be replaced by Bill Brunkhorst (sp?) and will probably return in April.

 

 

Hey....I was in the Sexy Legs contest....although I did not win a prize I had fun...mooning Carly!!!!!! Thought that might help with "buns of steal" prize...Oh well.

 

We too heard some noise from chairs above....but not bad. In the future I will book a floor that has cabins above and below....that seems to help.

 

I also agree the second show was much better.....