Enchantment of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,956 reviews

Inspite of Ike, a Good Time

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Enchantment of the Seas
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kcsun
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Sep 2008
Cabin: Junior Suite with Balcony
Traveled with children

Embarkation: We (good friend, her daughter age 23, my son age 21 and I) flew to Ft. Lauderdale a day ahead- booked rooms at the Ft. Lauderdale Grand Yacht Club, a Hilton property. It was close to the airport and the port, and on a stop for the water taxi. We took the water taxi to dinner at a great local place, Bahia Cabana. Next day, arrive at the port about 12 noon. There was quite a back-up as the ship is undergoing replacement of the water lines. We later learned that they take every opportunity to shut down the water to work on the pipes. However, we started boarding about 12:30 and were in the Windjammer by 1:00. Tables were hard to find. I recall Radiance class ships had more seating in this area. Accommodations: We had junior suites on deck 8, ours was clean and had lots of storage for 2. A junior suite has a bath tub, making showering much easier. My son slept on the sofa bed and said it was very comfortable. Our room steward was wonderful and always working to see we had what we needed. There was some brown water at first due to the work on the pipes but it cleared up. Also a slight odor but that has been on every ship (RCI and Princess) I've been on. Our balcony had 2 chairs, a chaise lounge and a table. Dining: The Windjammer was ok, a varied selection and other than the first day, no problem with seating. We had the late dinner seating at a table for 4. We all enjoyed our dinners and our waiter Noel was good. Had breakfast and lunch in the dining room a couple of times. They are trying a salad bar in the main dining room- you select all your salad fixings and the staff prepares it for you. Works out to be quicker than the usual table service. We ate in Chops one night- well worth the $$. The atmosphere is quiet, the food very good and the service excellent. We joked about eating there every night! Room service was quick in the morning for that early coffee fix. Ports: Due to Hurricane Ike our itinerary was changed- went directly to Cozumel after a sea day and had to skip Grand Cayman. The captain kept us informed and held a Q&A in the theater. Had been to Cozumel before but my son had not- took a tour of the island and spent some time at Playa Mia, a beach club. My friend and her daughter did the dolphin encounter and loved it. Our next day found us in very high seas (13-20 ft swells) and gale force winds. In spite of that, we were not seasick and entertained ourselves quite well. That was the only day we did not have sun. Entertainment: We did one show- the high energy "Stop the Rock" or as we called it due to the ship's movement- "stop the rocking"! The singers were great. Heard the comedian Divi was good but did not catch the show. Also enjoyed the piano bar, karaoke and the music in the Centrum at different times. The kids were in the night club every night- this cruise had tons of young adults and they packed the Viking Lounge each night. The pools on this ship are quite small, at least the outside pools are. At times, you could not get near the water as so many kids (young adults that is) were in there. I used the Solarium, as that was quieter and less crowded. The overall service was very good. I find I prefer a larger ship but this trip went well even in hurricane season. Disembarking: We had a 12:00 flight, and got to the airport in time. It was very irritating to hear the immigration stragglers being paged over and over- delayed everyone getting off the ship. There has to be a better way. We booked transfers from the pier to the airport- would not do that again. For 4 of us would have been easier and cheaper and quicker to get a taxi. Lesson learned. Still really like RCI and will likely book Liberty or Independence next.

Cabin Review

Junior Suite with Balcony

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