The trip was fine. The ship was one of the older models so it dis not have a lot to offer other than the standard cruise ship. The crew though was exceptional and made the trip much better.

Item: Enchantment of the Seas
Rating: 3.9
Author: mirelisc

Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

mirelisc

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 23

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Mediterranean (Ravenna To Barcelona)

Sail date: October 16, 2023

Ship: Enchantment of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 7119

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

I would love to cruise with the crew again but the main Royal Caribbean office made the trip seem unfriendly. They changed two porta on us that were worse than the original so we had to book a 3 hr shuttle to our new embarkation port. However they did not have enough buses and we got stuck for 3 hrs in the middle of nowhere with no info on if we were even going to make it to the ship. When we complained with guest services all they offered was a tour of the ship which was ridiculous. We missed a whole port of call because of them and no refund or other options were offered. It was the worst start to our trip. The ship was old and clearly needed to be refurbished and not alot of amenities but I was fine with that. The food was okay and I have had better on other RC cruises as well as cruises with other companies. The crew however were exceptional all around. I wish I could recommend this more as I highly regarded RC has a great cruise company but clearly things have changed since COVID and it shows. I will try my luck with other companies in the future as this was just okay.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

The ship embarkation part was easy and effortless. I give 3 stars because the shuttle booked through Royal Carribean almost left us stranded in Venice because they did not have enough busses. We lost a day in Ravenna because of it and RC did nothing to refund us or make up for it even though we complained.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

The dining room and buffets were good. Quantity was there though the food was hit or miss. They only had 1 specialty dining room and it wasn't worth it as it was just a basic steakhouse so we skipped it. The drinks however were always great.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

The amenities the ship did have were great and well maintained. Only issue I have is that half the hot tubs were always closed for a cruise that was on the colder side.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Stage shows were okay but the entertainment outside of that from the cruise director to all the bands and nightly parties were great. They really went out of their way to make it fun.

Children's Programs

No kids

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Everyone was exceptional and went far and beyond what normal service was.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The ship was older and ypu could see the wear and tear all over. However it was always well maintained and clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The first day we had knats in our cabin. They did come and clean it the next day and no issues after that. The room had the basic requirements and was nothing to write home about but it served it purpose. The shower was too small and water was always leaking on the floor when you took a shower. Also no vent to control the steam so everything was wet afterwards. It was a great location to elevators and stairs without hearing all the noise.

Ship tip

Don't expect alot of amenities or updated decor and accommodations. The crew and entertainment however are exceptional and one of the best I have had on a cruise ship. Also aside from Messina and Livorno the ports were very far from the interesting areas so it limits your time to explore, book tours to make the most of it. For Rome pay the money and crab a taxi service.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ravenna, Italy Did not visit port

Shuttle was 3 hours late.

Thumbs Up 0

Messina, Sicily

5 out of 5

Easy to get to the area and tour the outlying cities.

Thumbs Up 0

Naples, Italy

4 out of 5

Easy access to Amalfi and Pompeii

Thumbs Up 0

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

2 out of 5

So far away from Rome that it limited what you could do to almost nothing.

Thumbs Up 0

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

4 out of 5

Easy access to Florence and Tuscany area

Thumbs Up 0

Marseille (Provence), France

4 out of 5

Small and the least time onshore we had but what we did see was beautiful and easy to access by taxi. It was Sunday so alot of things were closed but we walked around and saw the beautiful old Port area.

Thumbs Up 0

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5

By far the best port outside of Rome. So much to do and not very far from the city center.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

By far the easiest disembarkation I have had. Got our luggage within minutes and transportation from the port was easy by taxi, shuttle or public bus

10 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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lincoln 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your experience.

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DessertSteaks 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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Ruby13 1 year ago

The last port I would leave out of would be Venice.. hard to get correct transport to Ravenna… as for Civitavecchia.. its less than an hour to Rome on the train.. and the Termini is centrally located.

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AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you mostly enjoyed your cruise.

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Thank you for your review.

Thumbs Up 1

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

Thumbs Up 1

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karlgrgurich 1 year ago

What a stressful start to your cruise!!

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PaulzyJC 1 year ago

Once again: READ YOUR PASSENGER CONTRACT and CRUISE DOCUMENTS!!! Cruise lines are ALLOWED to change ports AT WILL and at the DISCRETION OF THE CAPTAIN, and they ARE NOT OBLIGATED to compensate you AT ALL. Oh well, at least they went on a cruise.

Thumbs Up 1

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