Enchantment of the Seas April 27, 2024 - REQUESTED REVIEW

[JJK2008]

We just got off Enchantment of the Seas and received a request to review the ship and ports. I'll keep it as short as possible but there is a lot to cover, and I'll focus on the major points. The ship is certainly older and doesn't have the bells and whistles. But it was clean, staff and food were excellent. Age demographics was a wide range from 20's - 80's. Unlike other cruises it was a very equally mixed group. It was a very good cruise experience. Left out of Tampa, very easy. We live in Florida so drove to the port and parked in the garage. If you are able to this is the most convenient option. You can prepurchase your parking on-line. This will insure a parking spot on busy port days. The Port website has the cruise ship schedule so you can see where your ship will be docked and what garage to use. We arrived early and breezed right through. Check-in was done with hand-held tablets by multiple RCCL staff. Total time from parking the car, walking to the terminal, check-in to on the ship was 15 minutes maybe less. Did muster station immediately then off to the Windjammer for lunch. Cabins were ready promptly at 1:00. Entertainment on the ship was good overall. The only negative was a lot of "downtime" in many of the venues. Example, in the Schooner Bar there were times where there was an hour between anything going on, same thing on the pool deck. The Viking Crown Lounge was virtually empty until the late-night DJ. Not that there needs to be constant entertainment, but there was a certain "Lull" to the atmosphere on the ship. The Centrum (middle of the ship) extends up the height of the ship. Would NOT suggest cabins anywhere close to it. The noise level from music, etc., was LOUD and travelled to all the floors in the immediate area. Although the cruise was sold out, the ship never felt crowded. Always empty seats in the MDR, Windjammer and on the pool deck. As an older ship it doesn't seem to have the stabilizers of the newer ships. As such, the ship movement was very noticeable, and we were not in rough seas. Now, it was NOT rocking and rolling by any means but for those concerned about motion sickness it may be worth bringing along medication. We had been to all these ports before. But we did book shore excursions but were not expecting much. We were pleasantly surprised. All, our excursions turned out VERY good. Cozumel, we did an excursion through the ship. Many ships in port and crowded. But the RCCL excursions were well organized, well-run, brand-new luxury coaches with bathroom on board. First stop, was a Honey/Bee Sanctuary. Very interesting, stingless bees that produce a small amount of honey compared to honeybees and with a very different taste. Next was a chocolate factory (can never go wrong with chocolate). Then was a Tequila tasting. Learned a lot and dispelled some myths about Tequila. Roatan, we did a Private tour through Victor Bodden. This company is highly rated, and we conquer. The Private Tour was $80 USD for two of us in a private van with guide. You customized the tour to your liking. Start time, end time and what you do are all at your discretion. Yes, they have suggested options to pick from. The $80 USD for two covers just the tour guide and transportation. We did an overall sightseeing tour of the island with beach and shopping stops. Went to an Iguana Farm for a tour. This cost $12 USD each. Next, we did the sloth/monkey/toucan exhibit. Cost $10 USD. Belize, we stayed on the ship. We've done the beach there and the caved tubing before. There is no port in Belize because of the Barrier Reef, too shallow. This is a tender stop with at least 30 minutes each way. Belize is building a "Port" stop offshore near the tender stops. It is called Port Coral. It is not open and still looks like a lot of work left to be done. A number of stories on-line about it. Costa Maya, we did an RCCL boat excursion to the 7 color Lagoon. This was better than we ever anticipated. Great boat ride and the "Lagoon" is really a LARGE freshwater lake and YES, the colors are brilliant. The water is as clear as a swimming pool, warm with sugar-white sand in the swimming areas, no water shoes needed. This is NOT a snorkeling sight, nothing to see. A buffet lunch was very good. Debarkation was a breeze. Like many of the ports, Tampa uses facial recognition. We carry our own bags off, so zipped right through. Hope this information is helpful. Stay Safe & Health all. Enjoy all of your cruises.           

 

John

[Biker19]

Just now, JJK2008 said:

 We just got off Enchantment of the Seas and received a request to review the ship and ports. I'll keep it as short as possible but there is a lot to cover, and I'll focus on the major points.

 

 The ship is certainly older and doesn't have the bells and whistles. But it was clean, staff and food were excellent. Age demographics was a wide range from 20's - 80's. Unlike other cruises it was a very equally mixed group. It was a very good cruise experience.

 

 Left out of Tampa, very easy. We live in Florida so drove to the port and parked in the garage. If you are able to this is the most convenient option. You can prepurchase your parking on-line. This will insure a parking spot on busy port days. The Port website has the cruise ship schedule so you can see where your ship will be docked and what garage to use. We arrived early and breezed right through. Check-in was done with hand-held tablets by multiple RCCL staff. Total time from parking the car, walking to the terminal, check-in to on the ship was 15 minutes maybe less.

 

 Did muster station immediately then off to the Windjammer for lunch. Cabins were ready promptly at 1:00. Entertainment on the ship was good overall. The only negative was a lot of "downtime" in many of the venues. Example, in the Schooner Bar there were times where there was an hour between anything going on, same thing on the pool deck.

 

 The Viking Crown Lounge was virtually empty until the late-night DJ. Not that there needs to be constant entertainment, but there was a certain "Lull" to the atmosphere on the ship. The Centrum (middle of the ship) extends up the height of the ship. Would NOT suggest cabins anywhere close to it. The noise level from music, etc., was LOUD and travelled to all the floors in the immediate area.

 

 Although the cruise was sold out, the ship never felt crowded. Always empty seats in the MDR, Windjammer and on the pool deck. As an older ship it doesn't seem to have the stabilizers of the newer ships. As such, the ship movement was very noticeable, and we were not in rough seas. Now, it was NOT rocking and rolling by any means but for those concerned about motion sickness it may be worth bringing along medication.

 

 We had been to all these ports before. But we did book shore excursions but were not expecting much. We were pleasantly surprised. All, our excursions turned out VERY good. Cozumel, we did an excursion through the ship. Many ships in port and crowded. But the RCCL excursions were well organized, well-run, brand-new luxury coaches with bathroom on board. First stop, was a Honey/Bee Sanctuary. Very interesting, stingless bees that produce a small amount of honey compared to honeybees and with a very different taste. Next was a chocolate factory (can never go wrong with chocolate). Then was a Tequila tasting. Learned a lot and dispelled some myths about Tequila.

 

 Roatan, we did a Private tour through Victor Bodden. This company is highly rated, and we conquer. The Private Tour was $80 USD for two of us in a private van with guide. You customized the tour to your liking. Start time, end time and what you do are all at your discretion. Yes, they have suggested options to pick from. The $80 USD for two covers just the tour guide and transportation. We did an overall sightseeing tour of the island with beach and shopping stops. Went to an Iguana Farm for a tour. This cost $12 USD each. Next, we did the sloth/monkey/toucan exhibit. Cost $10 USD.

 

 Belize, we stayed on the ship. We've done the beach there and the caved tubing before. There is no port in Belize because of the Barrier Reef, too shallow. This is a tender stop with at least 30 minutes each way. Belize is building a "Port" stop offshore near the tender stops. It is called Port Coral. It is not open and still looks like a lot of work left to be done. A number of stories on-line about it.

 

 Costa Maya, we did an RCCL boat excursion to the 7 color Lagoon. This was better than we ever anticipated. Great boat ride and the "Lagoon" is really a LARGE freshwater lake and YES, the colors are brilliant. The water is as clear as a swimming pool, warm with sugar-white sand in the swimming areas, no water shoes needed. This is NOT a snorkeling sight, nothing to see. A buffet lunch was very good.

 

 Debarkation was a breeze. Like many of the ports, Tampa uses facial recognition. We carry our own bags off, so zipped right through. Hope this information is helpful. Stay Safe & Health all. Enjoy all of your cruises.           

PSA.

[cruiseequalsfun]

@JJK2008  Thank you for your review!!  I appreciate your review and glad you enjoyed it.  We too have a private tour with Victor Boden!  Glad to hear the boarding and getting off in Tampa was smooth!  Thank you again!