Enchantment of the Seas 10/23/19
Royal Caribbean... you’ve done it yet again! You’ve managed to bring people from all around the world to one ship, allow them to showcase their talents, and just effortlessly create the most amazing experience for their guests. For this alone, I am loyal, and forever grateful. Due to the love, care and service the crew on board the 10/23/2019 sailing of Enchantment of the Seas showed, I am compelled to share my experience and sing praises to a number of crew members that stood out.
The 10:30am priority boarding process was the smoothest and least hectic boarding I’ve EVER completed. From terminal door to Centrum, we were on the ship in under 10 minutes. IMPRESSIVE to say the least. There’s never been a time when I haven’t met a line or some sort of paperwork. Thank you terminal and onboarding staff for expediting this process. The efficiency of this terminal made a world of difference to my guest and me.
Once on board the ship we entered the most beautiful Centrum, and were greeted by our DJ! Denzil and I have remained friends since meeting in April while sailing on Empress of the Seas to Cuba. My friend Kristin and I selected this particular sailing on Enchantment knowing that he would be on contract... and we couldn’t be more thankful that we did. We, along with Denzil and his fellow crew members, would spend the next 5 days/nights making memories that we are certain to last a lifetime.
Our first experience on board was in the place we’d call home for a great portion of the trip... The Oasis Bar! We eventually bounced back and forth between Oasis and Pool bar. This team behind the outdoor bars deserves all of the praises. Sun up to sun down they kept the drinks flowing and the good times fueled. The team worked really well together, and balanced their time between pouring drinks and engaging in conversation with the guests. I greatly appreciated the fact that each and every one of the bar staff called me by name, engaged in conversation, and knew my drink of choice morning, noon and night. That makes for an amazing experience. A huge THANK YOU to Nathanial, Benny, Satish and David (Spice) at the Oasis Bar, as well as Troy, Ujain, and Llans in Pool Bar for being the best daytime bar staff I could have asked for. I truly miss each and every one of you.
Keeping with the bar staff... Etheian was sure to provide top notch service in the Casino bar. Just outside of the casino, some of the best personalities are located behind the bar in Boleros. Brian and Radu teamed up to be quite the entertainment. I really enjoyed seeing Brian in action while enjoying the sounds of the Caribbean Band. He would sing, dance and gracefully balance bottles on his head. Meanwhile, Radu was a true mixologist. He knew exactly what we wanted to drink before we even knew. His lively personality, mixing skills and energy were infectious. We always enjoyed our time in Boleros. Thank you!
The main dining room, adorned with an oversized Texas Flag, was where the service was truly taken up a notch. Hats off to the whole wait and bar staff on the right side of the top floor of My Fair Lady. There were a few evenings that I came to the hostess (I apologize for not having her name) with requests of changing our table for two to accommodate guests that I invited to join us from the crew. She worked quickly with wait staff and supervisors to accommodate my request, placing me with the same waiter and asst waiter at my desire. It took support from various team members to make our experience 5 star. I’d like to recognize a few specific people that left a lasting impression on our trip: Junior for being on top of our bar drinks, and Putra and Ganesh for assisting in getting the larger tables changed over for our guests.
On the last sea day, we experienced something so thoughtful that I will never forget. I requested two crew members join us for dinner. The staff quickly accommodated my request. As we are being seated, Wajdi (the dining room supervisor) invites me to choose a bottle of wine for the table... compliments of the dining room. In all of my adventures at sea, this was a first for me... leadership showing appreciation to me and my experience. This was extremely thoughtful, and beyond appreciated by my guests and me.
The staff was hands down the best wait staff I’ve ever had the pleasure of dining with. Ronald and Jimmy were our assigned waiter and assistant. There were many times I felt that we rushed them, but they were happy to match our pace even if it wasn’t their norm. This was greatly appreciated as it allowed for crew to get to their next assignment and us to our next activity. They were quick to help suggest from the menu, accommodate our requests and worked together as a flawless team! Next to our section, we got to witness Linshuang interact with her tables and us. This woman is the most energetic, pleasant and hardworking individual. Thank you all for the laughs, top notch service and care that you so effortlessly provided us!
Beyond the service staff, the men and women behind the scenes deserve the biggest praise. Thank you to everyone in the galley and the dining room bar for consistently serving up five star culinary treats!
When we weren’t eating or drinking, we were busy taking in all of the entertainment the ship had to offer. From the moment we heard them on the pool deck before sail away on day one, I knew we were going to be in for something special. Roots Vibration kept us going both day and night be it poolside or in Boleros. Blain Whitfield, O’Neil, Denton Garvey and Lindell Grant were true crowd pleasers. We truly enjoyed their musical talents, energy and the beautiful voices and dance moves of Blain and Lindell. It was a pleasure getting to know the band throughout the cruise. We hope to see them on future sailings.
As I mentioned previously, DJ Denzil is the man responsible for us being on board this particular sailing. It was amazing getting to see him showcase his talents again be it poolside, in the centrum or late night in the Viking Crown. Kristin mentioned to me on numerous occasions - “Denzil is on fire - he is in his element”. That is an understatement. Denzil takes pride in his craft, listens to the guests, and knows his audience. Hats off for being my favorite DJ on the high seas! We cannot wait to sail with you again!
Being this is a review, I am inclined to raise my concerns and issues as well. The Viking Crown Lounge was the setting for the late night dancing. Each evening we would have the place packed with guests that were looking to end their evening with some delicious cocktails, socializing and dancing. DJ Denzil has zero ability to connect with the energetic guests located down below when he’s hoisted in the air on another level. The disconnect makes it highly impossible for guests to get to request music, and get to know their DJ. As a diamond member, I had access to the room he is placed in and would run up requests from the crowd. On one specific occasion, security informed me that I could not be in the Diamond Club Lounge as I was dropping off music requests, and asked me to leave immediately. I of course complied. This was upsetting to me as it really slashed the ability for me to see my friend in action. It was also upsetting for me because just hours before I received a letter from Dudley, the Diamond concierge that indicated the Diamond Club was accessible to me 24-hours a day. There is a huge disconnect here on Royal’s part.
Knowing I was coming on the ship, DJ Denzil worked to get prior approval to accommodate a lower DJ booth so that he could interact more with guests. This was planned well ahead of time. I cannot thank the sound tech Sahul and his boss enough for working incredibly hard to accommodate this request and bring the booth to the main floor for an evening. I for one enjoyed this evening best, the guests were complimenting the change, and Denzil was finally in his element being able to be a part of his production. Unfortunately on this very evening, as I was standing in front of the make shift DJ booth, I got to witness the assistant beverage manager express his distaste in the new arrangement. His attitude and choice of words should not have been visible to the guests. Just moments after witnessing the confrontation, I looked up to see him taking pictures of the crowd with his phone. If he would have been in the Viking nightly... it would have been apparent to him that nothing was different that evening aside from the location of the DJ booth. If you would review the security footage, you will see that each evening the bar had a crowed. The abundance of guests was not due to the location of the DJ booth. The abundance of guests was due to the energetic atmosphere and the great bar staff! This was something that was quite attractive to the majority of individuals on our sailing.
Speaking of the great bar staff... I was exhausted just watching them! Alwyn, Marsha, Vaya and Courtney you all make an amazing team! You all are faced with the late night crowd, and work your magic with a smile on your face! I appreciated the conversation, the drinks and all of your hard work. The night club was always busy... yet the lounge remained picked up, cleaned and people were never waiting to be served. Hats off to you all for your top-notch work!
After the Viking Crowne would close for the evening, guests swarmed to the Solarium for a late night snack. The individual behind the counter (a man that I regretfully forget his name) worked effortlessly to accommodate the line every night, and did so with a smile on his face. Wilson and Jethron also worked hard in the area keeping it in order and all cleaned up. This late night option in the Solarium offered a wonderful arrangement of food options and was a very nice feature on the Enchantment.
This novel wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t show my love for the ones that kept the ship energetic, moving and laughing on a daily basis... the cruise director’s staff!! The entertainment of DJ Denzil, Roots Vibration, and the bar staff were impressive beyond belief... but the energy that came from select individuals running the activities was a 10 out of 10 just the same. Elizabeth and Connie... it was so very nice meeting the both of you! Elizabeth, we had a blast judging the sexy man contest and burning all of our dinner calories running around during the Quest! My sister sailed with you a few months back, and knew I would enjoy your energy just as she did! Connie... you had us laughing for days when it came to the Battle of the Sexes. You really know how to command a room. Thank you both for all of your hard work and laughter this past week.
As I wrap this up, I must recognize two more individuals that made my cruise complete. I can without a doubt place both of these individuals into my TOP 10 favorite Royal Caribbean crew members of all times. This cruise wouldn’t have been complete without the efforts of Roy and Leah from the Activities staff. We automatically were drawn to Roy as he danced his heart out during sail away. We knew if we were going to enjoy ourselves this cruise... we needed to be at any and all of the activities he was hosting. This held to be true as we participated in Majority Rules (with Leah), Sexy Man competition, poolside games, Halloween parade and much more. Roy, you have a fire inside of you that is so amazing, and guests feed off of it. Never lose that. As for Leah... Leah is the most genuine and amazing of women. She kept quite busy with a full schedule of entertainment. The confidence, humor and pride she brought to each and every activity she hosted was palpable. We, alongside other guests, made sure we attended all activities she was involved in: Majority Rules, Halloween Parade, Battle of the Sexes, and of course the Quest. Thank you to Roy, Leah, Kai (from cast), Blain and Denzil for seeing us off on our last night. We cannot wait for our future sailings with you!
Thank you to everyone on board the Enchantment of the Seas 10/23 sailing for your energy, talent and pride. You were able to take things above and beyond for us... and for that we are forever grateful. We walked off of the ship Monday with a new light about us. Although it was quite sad leaving Denzil and our new cruise family, we smiled as we recalled the memories made and thought of the future sailings with our new Royal friends. It is people like the crew I’ve mentioned above that keep Royal leaps and bounds ahead of their competition. My ask is that leadership continues to empower their crew to grow and create these positive experiences for their guests. So hats off, and a job well done to the hardest working, most genuine team at sea! Until we meet again! - Captain Party Pants
