Service and food on ship was the worst I've had on a cruise, by far.

Item: Enchantment of the Seas
Rating: 2.9
Author: WendyD2020

Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

WendyD2020

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 51

Overall rating:

2.9 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 29, 2020

Ship: Enchantment of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7082

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

I doubt I will go on Royal Caribbean again unless they expand their dining options and improve their service. Have never had a bad experience on a cruise until now. We still had a good time but only because the group we went with was a lot of fun. Also, if you book a service at the spa, be prepared for them to pressure you to buy additional products. Overall, I was not happy with this cruise for the price we paid for the cruise and drink package.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Great. Got through with no delays.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

The steakhouse was great. The rest was edible at best.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

We did enjoy the activities.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Only saw the comedian and he was good.

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Saw my room steward once. On other cruises they are always very friendly and called us by name. I never saw my steward except once on the 1st day. The dining room experience was awful. Service was slow and sloppy. Didn't take time to remember our names or drink of choice as they did on other cruises. Asst waiter took our bar drink order and someone else brought the drinks and then had to call out "Who had the Merlot? Who had the Pinot? etc". This is a big pet peeve of mine. When you take the order you write which seat ordered what... that simple. Dining service needs A LOT of work. It just seemed like no one cared.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Ship is way past due for a dry dock. It just seemed very old and not well-maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

I did love the balcony cabin. It was always clean.

Ship tip

Go on Carnival or Holland America instead. The service was bad, the food was bad and the ship was small and old.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

4 out of 5

Progreso (Merida), Mexico

4 out of 5

Enjoyed the free shuttle to shopping and beach. We didn't do an excursion but enjoyed our time on the public beach.

Thumbs Up 1

Cozumel, Mexico

3 out of 5

Not their fault but the water was very rough so the snorkeling excursion wasn't great. I didn't even get off the boat to snorkel. Then went to Playa Mia where the buffet food was bad as on the ship and the free drinks were very basic.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

Super long lines for guests who carried their own luggage off.

12 Comments

wgammon1 4 years ago

Sorry you didn't have a great cruise. Don't let it deter you from cruising.

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Shh813 4 years ago

Well I can’t seem to delete my post as I thought this was about the Independence of the Seas and it was in-fact the Enchantment. Sorry about that. We were on the Enchantment in 2009 so it is an older ship. We loved it back then and the food was delicious. And, if you look at the recent reviews everyone still loves it. Except you. I don’t think cruising is for you!

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Ricdalek 4 years ago

A small 20 year old ship (80,000GT) will never have the full range of dining options available on newer ships. Should have chosen a newer ship like Oasis which is 10 years old but over twice the size at 225,000 GT there are so many dining options. The only Vision class ship I ever sailed on was Enchantment, that will not happen again. Unfortunately Enchantment is coming to my back yard (50miles) it will be sitting there tempting me to book a cruise. We will see what happens when it comes out of drydock.

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1Spursfan 4 years ago

Agree with Katj. RCL should look into expanding their dining options however, I have always found their food to be very good. Cruised Carnival for the first time last year and fell in love with Guys. NCL is my favorite cruise line and they definitely hit the mark with O’Sheehans. I hope you give Royal another chance because they really are a fantastic cruise line.

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CruzeFan 4 years ago

We love Royal Caribbean and have always found a good variety and quality of food in both the dining room and buffet. The food on Adventure of the Seas in November was excellent with multiple choices each night that should appeal to most people. There were dozens of items on the buffet at all meals. I am curious as to what people eat regularly when home to not enjoy the food on a cruise.

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katj 4 years ago

I like RCL, but yes they need to upgrade their dining options, especially on the smaller older ships. They don't have anything that competes with Guys or Blue Iguana (Carnival) or O'sheehan's (NCL).

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Cruiserike0322 4 years ago

Never had a disappointing cruise but only cruised Carnival

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staciRN3 4 years ago

Have only cruised RC. Many things bring us back, but the food and service are at the top of the list. Tons of options, cooked the way you like, and flavorful, and the service is impeccable. EVERY time. Sorry you didn’t feel/have the same.

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Gymkidzmom 4 years ago

Ouch. Sorry it wasn’t what u were looking for. Going in June and am hopeful for a positive experience.

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us2007 4 years ago

The service on Enchantment we found to be AMAZING! From the waiters to the room steward and even the bars! Everyone knew our names and our drink and food preferences! The service is why we’ve booked a second cruise on her for May! Why aren’t any of your other cruises listed?

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Mybubba17 4 years ago

This is an older ship and not what you should rate royal Caribbean by Always give cruise lines a second chance try a different ship I myself didn’t like this one and have been on lots of cruises

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DerekMire 4 years ago

How can u complain u never been on a cruise

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