Wonderful Time on Enchantment OTS
Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 19
7 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 27, 2024
Ship: Enchantment of the Seas
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 3879
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 9 months ago
Review summary
We had a great time on Enchantment Of The Seas! Can't wait to do it again.Embarkation
Parking was a breeze (we used the Port of Tampa Bay parking and parked literally across the street from the terminal for a very reasonable price). The terminal porters were quick and helpful with our luggage. The check-in process was quick and the staff friendly and helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
ALL of the ship's staff were excellent! Very friendly and helpful. We did not meet a single cross or unhelpful staff member the entire cruise. We ate in the main dining room and the buffet (or other non-extra-cost venues). The food was generally good, but most of the steaks that we had were overcooked, I think because they are cut so thin nowadays. But everything else was excellent, including the prime rib (which I like medium and it came out cooked exactly as I like it). The alcoholic drinks were good, but not as strong as I would expect them for the price - unlike the ports where you had to watch how many you had if you wanted to walk back to the ship! LOL But the drinks on-board were still tasty. The coffee in the buffet was super strong for our tastes, I'm sure that there are people who like it that strong, but we either diluted it or drank tea. The desserts in any of the venues where we ate were fantastic!
Onboard Activities
Again, all of the ship's staff were excellent! Very friendly and helpful. We did not meet a single cross or unhelpful staff member the entire cruise. We enjoyed the pools and the hot tubs, and lounging in many areas of the ship. We book an inside cabin because we love spending as much time in the public areas as possible. These areas were always very clean and up-to-date. The furnishings were clean, well arranged and up-to-date. The Enchantment OTS is an older ship, but it is so well maintained that it doesn't feel like an older ship. Granted, it does not have many of the new-fangled rides or activities as some of the newer ships do, but my wife and I don't go on a cruise for that. We go to relax and slow down and enjoy the ocean breezes! Everywhere that we went on the ship, it was very clean and well maintained.
Entertainment
I think that we went to all of the shows/performances in the main theater except for the juggler (we're just not into jugglers...) and they were all excellent. The on-board productions and the ship's performers were great, we thoroughly enjoyed them. We had an Elton John impersonator who was excellent (almosteltonjohn.com), so much so that we went to both of his performances that evening! The headliner comedian on our cruise, Rodney Johnson, was great - I haven't laughed so much in quite awhile. I only wish that he had more performances (he did a short routine during the Welcome Aboard show and the Farewell show). The live music on-board was great! We really enjoyed the ship's band/orchestra which played at multiple venues throughout the cruise. The singers were great as well. We enjoyed may of the performances in the open center lobby (the Centrum), as well as the piano lounge (the Schooner Bar). We did have a couple of disappointments, for one, the giant screen in the pool area was not working. Also, the scheduling of some events was not well thought out. The Super Bowl playoffs were scheduled during our cruise and they scheduled those to be available in the smallest bar on the ship?!? What were they thinking? There were hundreds of fans on-board who wanted to see those games! On the big screen by the pool would have been perfect - or at least in the largest lounge (the Starlight) or better yet in the main theater. That was not well anticipated. Also, the Farewell Show was scheduled during the first dining - who thought that was a good idea? It really jammed up the kitchen and the main dining room staff because so many customers wanted to both eat dinner AND see the Farewell show. And there was nothing scheduled after the Farewell show that couldn't have been pushed back. Again, poor planning there. We considered giving entertainment a 4-star rating because of these snafus, but quite honestly that wouldn't be fair because everything else was excellent!
Service and Staff
I have already mentioned this several times, but the ship's service and staff were EXCELLENT! We noticed time and time again that any staff member that we crossed paths with - from waiters and bar staff to maintenance and cleaning staff to senior officers - always said hello or good morning, always made eye contact, always had a smile on their face. It is easy to see that the staff on the Enchantment OTS is happy to be there and that was clearly reflected in the level of service we received. Keep up the great work, it is noticed and appreciated!
Ship Quality
As I mentioned in the activities review, the Enchantment OTS is an older vessel without many of the "bells and whistles" that the newer ships have, so if that's what your looking for, then book on a different Royal Caribbean ship! But if you are looking for a relaxing, enjoyable cruise vacation with excellent service and good food, then the Enchantment OTS won't disappoint! The ship is well laid out and exceptionally clean and well maintained. We did not see any public or private area that did not meet my wife's standards - and she's a clean freak (and I say that most lovingly dear). We will not hesitate to book another cruise on this vessel.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our cabin was exactly what you should expect for an interior cabin, small (but still enough room for the two of us) and without much of a view, haha. But we don't do much more than sleep in it and change and shower! We enjoy the public spaces on a cruise, so we don't spend our money on an expensive stateroom that we won't be spending much time in. Still, for what we use it for, it was plenty big and comfortable enough - and it was very clean and up-to-date. Nothing was broken. The bed was very comfortable. The HVAC worked well. The bathroom and shower were clean and well maintained. There was more than enough storage space, we completely unpacked our luggage and didn't use all of the storage that was available. We had four 120VAC outlets available. We were perfectly satisfied with the stateroom that we purchased.
Ship tip
Think about your activity expectations on your cruise vacation. Enchantment OTS is a great ship, but it does not have all of the "bells and whistles" activities that some of the newer ships do.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
We always enjoy Cozumel. We did an all-inclusive beach resort this time (El Cid Ceiba Resort Day Pass) that was literally next door to the docks, it was excellent!
Disembarkation
Fast and efficient! The staff was friendly and helpful.