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Tallinn

Let me first say the entertainment, stateroom attendant and dining room waiters were great!

However........

Don’t forget to pack your patience! 

We planned this trip for our four teenagers during spring break. We decided to not cancel and move forward despite the coronavirus. Which we probably should had canceled but we decided to give it a shot. Huge disappointment.  

First disappointed was not being able to upgrade our room despite 900+ canceling. We tried to upgrade all 3 staterooms and were told only one room “maybe” could upgrade and they will contact us. Which they never did! We wanted to stay together with our children and that was not even an option. The rooms were very outdated. Did not have refrigerators as expected.  We have a diabetic daughter who requires a fridge for her insulin and it was not in the room as requested. We ended up receiving a car type plug in cooler. Very disappointing.  There was no water readily accessible. The closet door was falling off. WiFi was horrible and overpriced. 

We had to go visit the guest relations desk at least a dozen times. Half the time you are screaming your issue due to the loud music at the centrum. Bad place for the guest relations desk.  It was very hard to understand most of the staff but luckily we had a young lady that tried to handle what she could. They allowed charges on our account despite being flagged not too. Guest relations was not worried about customer satisfaction.  You could tell they are used to complaints. They did not react. We shared our disappointment but was obvious they did not care. 

The food was terrible. The only half way descent food was in the main dining but the portions were small and very bland. However, The waiters were very friendly and did a great job accommodating our gluten free daughter. They treated her very good. Her every food needs were met!  

The buffet was terrible. There were not many options unless you want to pay for it.  

Alcohol drinks were watered down. 700 dollars for two. And barely any alcohol in the drinks! 

The only two fun things for the teenagers were both closed the entire trip. The rock wall and the bungee trampoline were closed. There was not even a basketball court. Just a pool for the kids...no slide. Not much at all. I can’t imagine how crowded the pool would had been if the 900 people that cancelled would had showed up. It was packed. Very small pools. 

Sure wish we would had done our research. This ship is not very kid friendly and is very old with limited food eateries (that are included in price). The entertainment for adults was good.  Most staff members were very friendly. 

We have an Alaskan cruise schedule in July and will be canceling. We only booked this cruise since we had the Alaskan cruise already booked since last year and wanted to stay with one cruise line. We have cruised with Carnival in the past and will travel with them again. 

Beware…they charged our account the very last day 125.00 for towels which we returned all our towels. They do not give you anything stating how many you borrow and return so you are relying on the attendant to enter the correct information.  They did take the charges off but I can only imagine what a mess it would had been to fix this error after the cruise.  This was done the last night of the cruise and luckily I noticed early enough to dispute it. 

Cozumel was very nice and we seemed safe however progreso was very sketchy. I would not recommend getting off the ship there.

Read the reviews and do your research before booking!

By the title of the review, you might misunderstand what I was trying to say. This was the first time I went on a cruise and I went with my work team as a part of a thank you gift from our boss. The ship was pretty big, we ended up staying on the 8th floor in the middle area I believe. Great access to dining halls and buffet areas too. The first night was fantastic because we got introduced to our dining crew who did a splendid job. They were super funny and helpful. They ended up bringing out stuff for us to try so by the end of the third night, each of us had at least two entrees ordered. The Royal Caribbean App helped us get around on the boat and plan what we wanted to do too. I feel like this sounds like it was written by a robot but I was just so blown away by the customer service and hospitality of this crew. 

For our shore excursions in Cancun, we ended up doing a last minute snorkeling trip and then headed for Mr. Sanchos afterwards. Everyone on shore were very nice and informative and helpful. Mr Sanchos was a really great deal because we could be there all day and it was unlimited food and drinks for a very cheap price. I think Mr. Sanchos was around $60 and snorkeling was around $30. 

When sailing, our boat became super rocky because of the choppy waters. That delayed some of the entertainment but they ended up flying out a comedian for us the next night since the dancers couldn't perform. My only problem was when I was at the casino and the dealers kept eyeing me suspiciously, since I don't really look my age. I get they were trying to do their job but they could have been a little nicer about it.

Surprisingly Outstanding

Ship overall – it is showing it’s age.  Rust on the outside, the banisters in the pool area need refinishing as they are chipped and worn.  Carpets did not seem to be stained and had normal wear and tear.  The ship was very clean. 

Dining – Unless you selected an Indian or Asian dish, the food was lacking in any kind of spice or flavor, so table salt went a long way.  On one night, one of the entrée selections was Tiger Prawns – on the advice of our server, he said the shrimp was the same size as the ones in the shrimp cocktail and recommended the rack of lamb.  We had second seating dining.  When we ordered beef or lamb, we specified a lesser degree of doneness, because the entrée always came out more done (from sitting under heat lamps?).  For example, if I wanted something as medium, I ordered medium rare and the doneness was just where I wanted it.  Our waitstaff was wonderful – I would give them 5 stars.  

In the Windjammer, my husband raved about the hamburgers – always a standard selection.  The carving station was a welcome addition as well as the gluten free buffet options.  Some selections in both the main dining room and buffet were ‘not what you expected,’ but that’s the fun of expanding horizons.  The selection at breakfast was not a diverse as it was on sister ship Vision of the Seas which we had been on a year earlier.  On Vision, we could get hollandaise sauce for breakfast and so make our own version of eggs benedict….on Enchantment, that was only available in the main dining room.  

On-board entertainment – We did not see all the shows.  The comedian on night 1 was funny; the musical production on night 2 was one we had previously seen on another ship; the ventriloquist as humorous as well.  My husband and son did one of the trivia games, and won a much coveted RCCL highlighter.  Bobby, the Cruise Director, seemed pretty ‘one note,’ and lacked sincerity in his ‘niceness.’ 

Ports of Call – when we got to Costa Maya, there was another ship in our assigned berth, so we were unable to stop.  Lots of rumors on what had happened, but nothing from the bridge or cruise director as to why we were unable to stop.  But, without our requesting it, RCCL credited the port charges and taxes for that stop.  Cozumel – we had been there several times before, and it was the usual. 

Other – despite constant reminders to wash hands and cover coughs, an elderly lady coughed on me while in a line at the ladies’ restroom, and shared her cold with me.  Yuck!  Although they did confiscate my heating pad at embarkation, I was able to retrieve it once we had sailed.  I had notified RCCL prior to sailing about my need, and they allowed the heating pad because it had auto shut off. However, I had to prove it is auto shut off by traveling with the original packaging and provide the email I had from RCCL stating that I could use it on board.  

RCCL sent out almost daily notices when the coronavirus first struck, all in text message with a note to read the emails sent to us.  About January, I stopped receiving any emails from RCCL, and had to have my husband forward them to me.  When I called RCCL about it, I was told that my booking agent must have left that box blank on my paperwork.  They said I had to go back through my booking agent to get it fixed.  So, I’m still not receiving any emails, even the one they need me to complete as a satisfaction survey.  Another missed opportunity, RCCL. 

Of note:  We did find out from the staff, that they are employed directly by RCCL, and not an agency.  Apparently if an agency was providing their contract, they take a percentage of their earnings.  Just an FYI if that is something important to you.

Nice getaway

Easy, expedited boarding from Galveston at 12pm. We were guided to 9th deck for relaxation and drinks while embarkation was underway. Waiters were hustling trays of pre-made Mai Tais as soon as we sat down. The drinks were watery and only a select few drinks could be purchased without an extra sales tax until we left port. Did not purchase drink package. Thought the $900 fee (3 in our room) was outrageous. Everyone in cabin has to purchase or no one can.  20% gratuity is added to every single drink. Ridiculous. Our room steward was friendly and attentive for the whole cruise. Ship is indeed in need of updating. New paint and furnishings would be nice. I didn’t mind the smaller ship tho. Easy to navigate. Our room was comfortable, cool and quiet. 

    The food in MDR was abysmal. Sit-down dinner service for hospital-type food. Very bland. 

We found the windjammer cafe to be our saving grace. Only 3 restaurants are onboard unless you pay extra for Chops Grille.  We did not. 

The trivia games (usually in the Schooner lounge) were fun as were various singing/dancing events in the various bars and Atrium. 

The theater shows were enjoyable and the last-night entertainment was hilarious. 

Elevators were fairly fast. In-room refrigerators should be standard as well as a coffee pot. Guests should be able to access water/ice near your stateroom at their convenience. None of these were in our room. 

Pool areas were nicely attended. Not much activity for children at all. The pool games were all adult-oriented. Big screen in pool area could have been playing concerts/movies/cartoons...but remained on RC advertising all day. 

Costa Maya is a little niche carved into the beach, wholly intent on selling you trinkets. There is no beach access.Restaurants are very overpriced and the 20% automatic gratuity comes with everything. 6 hours was too long here. 

Cozumel stay wasn’t long enough. Found a taxi to take us to Paradise Beach. Lovely area with good food and drinks. 20% gratuity added even though our waiter didn’t quite earn that. The excursions were pricey and took 3 of the 6 hours of your shore time, so it was either beach...or tour Mexico. Can’t do both. 

Disembarkation was delayed by fog and problems with the gangway. I take it that fog is a common issue so don’t plan limo service for early times!!! On the flip side...there’s no place to store luggage at port if you book a later shuttle/limo. So we traipsed through Galveston with bags in tow for 4 hours.

Highs and Lows

First time with RC, picked cruise because it fit within traveling dates that I needed as well as I was advised RC was better than Carnival which I had previously cruised on. Totally wish I wouldve done better research or sought out honest reviews prior to booking. 

The ship is older, least bit of my concerns honestly.  The activites or lack there of is what left me wanting more/wishing I wouldve found a different cruise within my desired travel dates. 

Staff all around are great, room attendants, food/service areas, even during activiies (competitions, bingo,shows) all very courteous and entertaining (if meant to be) 

However there werent many things on ship to do.  

Dining- 

Had issue with our dining (scheduled) table, each night. but it truly didnt bother us as much as it may of someone who is easily irritated by those things. The first night, perfect, 2nd and 3rd night we were table hopping due to seating arrangements being altered or maybe some guests were simply at the wrong table. Unfortunate b/c we did like our waitstaff the first night, we were looking forward to enjoyiing them for the duration of the trip. 

Outside of Main Dining. wheww youre stuck out.. although there are options at the buffet it becomes repetitive quick. There are no other eateries outside of the Solarium (pizza,salad,cold cuts) that are open around the clock.    I did not pay for the special dining options, had I had an on board credit, maybe would of given it a shot. But didnt see the worth in spending for food when the dinner dining was quite nice and had a great menu to choose from. 

The all adults area (Solarium Pool) was full of kids running around everywhere. 

Top deck was closed majority of the cruise. I  believe this was due to weather, so where I thought I could escape kids, b/c there isnt much to do on the top deck, I couldnt. 

I would travel with Royal Caribbean again, just wont be on this ship. 

Hopefully other, newer, ships have more to offer!

A lot left desired...

We chose to cruise with Royal based on a friend asking us to do a couples getaway. My husband had never cruised and I always chose carnival or Norwegian and never was disappointed.

We added on the Key package for early boarding and disembarkation, and a beverage package.

Everything went smoothly on boarding. However, our rooms we requested to be adjoining were not and were two floors apart. Then we noticed how old and dated/broken the fixtures were around the ship. Our drawers and closet doors did not function properly. We lost water on the first port day and ended up being moved since we had no water still the next day. After much back and forth with guest services they had to move us and upgraded our room but at night our room smelled like car exhaust. I spent most of my cruise uncomfortable and irritated. The port at Progresso Mexico should be closed. It’s unsafe to travel without a guide and people are way too pushy asking for money when going into the cities.

I’ll never go back there as our guide did not seem to care if we felt safe or not.

Most of the crew were excellent and professional. There were a few that should be fired for apathy or being too comfortable to be playful with guests. I participated in the Ladies Pamper Party and the ‘manager’ offered an extra $50 to anyone who could answer a question on skin care to which I was the only one that answered correctly. I NEVER received that discount on my spa services. When I went to talk to her the night before we left, she was not there. Of course. I loathe misleading practices!

The main dining hall was the saving grace of the whole ship. The staff was impeccable and worked very hard to give an amazing experience. Other than the dining, the rest was not worth the money. We won’t travel with Royal Caribbean ever again. Nor will I encourage my friends or family to either.

The crew saves the entire cruise

This was our 2nd cruise ever and 1st time with Royal Caribbean.  The ship is dirty and outdated.  The glass around the ship looks like it has never been cleaned and we could hardly see through it.  Every time you turn around someone is trying to sell you something.  Drinks have to be watered down.  16 drinks in one day and no buzz??  Everyone is drinking and I didn’t see one person drunk?  How can this be?  Also, don’t fall for the diamond international scam like we did.  They claim that they would throw out free gifts if you go to the presentation early.  They tossed one gift (socks) to one person at showtime and nothing more.  Then the whole presentation was about buying diamonds and jewelry from their company when it was first presented as teaching everyone how to shop in the Caribbean.  Wouldn’t recommend cruising in January either.  Royal Caribbean can’t control the weather but it was so windy the whole way to Mexico that we couldn’t enjoy being outside.  We are doing excursions the next 2 days so hopefully that will be fun. Very disappointed and won’t do it again.

Don’t waste your money!!

Embarkation was super easy because of the option to check in with expedited check in.  I highly recommend taking advantage of it any time it is offered.

I had heard so many things, good and bad, about Enchantment.  I went into this cruise with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved the ship.  Yes it is small.  Yes it is old.  But it has soooo much charm.  It is super clean and very nicely decorated.

We had an interior cabin and it was just like any other I have stayed in.  Nothing wrong with our cabin except for when you are docking.  There is a lot of noise from the ropes.  But that didn't bother us because we were already awake getting ready to go on our excursions.  The location was great.  I was worried about being so forward on the ship but it was super quiet in the halls and I loved that.  

Dining was good.  Not as good tasty as the food on Liberty of the Seas but it was all quite good.  We went to Chops for Embarkation Day lunch and I would do it again.  

All of the entertainment on the ship was great.  While we didn't do too many of the organized activities, the ones that we did participate in were lively and fun.  We loved our Cruise Director Bobby and hope to have him again.

Service was great as always on a Royal ship.  We loved our room steward.  He always greeted us with a smile, asked us how our day was and was able to help with everything we needed.

I was a little worried about Progreso but now it is one of my favorite ports.  I love Mayan Ruins and it is such an easy way to see the BIG ones.  I can't wait to go back.  Cozumel was great as always.  So much to do there!

I can't wait to go on another sailing on EOS out of Galveston if I need another getaway cruise.

Pleasantly surprised with the charm of this little ship.

This is my 3rd cruise and all 3 have been with Royal Caribbean. Unfortunately this one left a bad mark and the way things were handled more or less ruined my vacation for me and left me questioning if I’ll ever cruise with Royal again.

To start things off embarkation was delayed first reportedly because of fog. Royal Caribbean contacted us and let us know there would be another update in 2 hours. The fog was already clearing so during that time we dropped off our luggage at the port and decided to get something to eat close by. After grabbing a meal we walked around the town of Galveston a little bit and the second notification arrived- still no update on when the ship would be able to dock so we could board; another update would come in two more hours. This was odd because the fog had completely lifted. We exhausted everything that we could do with our two year old toddler close to the port pretty quickly but we just kept walking and hoping the next update would bring good news- unfortunately it didn’t. This time the story changed: the coast guard was performing a search and rescue with no further information on when we could board. We returned to port to recover some medication in my luggage. I had brought some with me but not enough for a long delay. Unfortunately our luggage was too packed in and not well organized within the port. Eventually the lack of access would lead to a medical event on board for which I was unable to get help for when the ship returned to Galveston. Luckily it wasn’t life threatening but it basically left me unable to leave the room for two days onboard. After a couple more updates we finally had a timeline but unfortunately once we boarded we sat in the port and ended up leaving 24 hours after our scheduled departure time. This would force us to miss one of our ports.

After the ship got rolling we got to our cabin which was okay. Of course small and nothing special but clean and other than losing hot water for about 6 hours during our trip we had no problems and we received truly fantastic service from the gentleman taking care of us.

Because we were traveling with a two year old we spent a lot of time dining in the Windjammer which was better than I remembered from my other experiences. Unfortunately this ship does not have a lot of specialty dining options so other than the windjammer and main dining room there wasn’t a whole lot else to try out. Overall I thought the food was pretty good and our service was very good. All of our service staff really made our meals with our toddler easy and stress free.

This ship had very limited activities on board compared to both the Freedom and Mariner and is really starting to show its age. I really enjoyed the Main Street type feel on those ships’ Royal Promenade. The main lounging area on the Enchantment was still pretty nice but it seemed like a lot of little things were spread throughout the ship. This ship lacked an ice rink and some of the fun stuff to do on the other ships I’ve been on and those were sorely missed but it did have a splash pad and a decent sized shallow section in the pool that my son thoroughly enjoyed. Overall I felt the stage actors and other entertainers were pretty good on this ship and looked forward to all the shows that were offered.

As I mentioned we missed one of our ports but we had a good time in Cozumel even though the water was a little too choppy for swimming. The number of shore excursions offered was pretty small and lacked the Xcarat day experience that I was hoping for.

The service throughout impressed me sincerely. The staff was obviously dedicated to making our stay enjoyable and tried dearly to make up for the unfortunate delays and cancellations. Unfortunately Royal Caribbean did little to match their efforts and I was left thinking we wasted a lot of money and precious vacation time on a ship that quite frankly is showing it’s age.

A lot of disappointments

ATTENTION AUTISM PARENTS

Royal Caribbean states, “Royal Caribbean offers an autism friendly initiative for families living with autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities.” This was NOT true for my nine year old daughter with Autism! 

She wished to go to Mexico and we thought we found an accommodating, affordable and fun choice with choosing Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas. This was the farthest from the truth as it was stressful, disappointing and a waste of every saved penny!

This trip started with an 8 HOUR delay to check in. Now my daughter was already overwhelmed and exhausted by all the unknown vague text messages given by Royal Caribbean. Once we were given the ability to be checked in, we were all put in a large waiting room. This room was loud and crowded and we were directed to sit in the first two rows. Once we sat down my daughter then put her shirt over her head, began to rock and cry. At this point I went and talked to the staff explaining our situation as my daughter continues to meltdown. I was told, “Once we start boarding it will go quick, please take your seat.” After thirty minutes go by my husband carries her around trying to calm her in a room which is impossible. At this point my husband goes to a different staff member and explains again we need to wait somewhere quieter. He was told, “there is nothing we can do about it, please just take a seat.” In the end my daughter cried for an hour. Apparently this was the “priority check in, boarding” service they give to families with autism as stated on there website https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising/autism-friendly-ships . 

Royal Caribbean's website states, “Priority check-in, boarding and departure.” Not only did we not receive either but we were brushed off by the staff  in the waiting room and Royal Caribbean when I called and explained what had happened. I was told that they were “port staff” and were sorry. They took NO responsibility for their empty promises to people with additional needs. 

Finally, we boarded at 9:30pm and then we had to go to our muster stations. At our stations we were lined up extremely close to one another to receive safety instruction. While yelling out room numbers to make sure everyone was there. My poor daughter could not get a break.  I understand the need for this drill but it can be done in a better matter or in two sessions verse people being pushed together like cattle.  My daughter kept trying to cuddle and hide from the people and noise. 

Now it's 10:15 pm at night and we go back to our cabin to go to bed.  However we can’t as the bunk beds weren't down. If it wasn’t locked in the ceiling, we would have brought down the beds ourselves. We then seeked out a staff member to bring the beds down. We were told, “ your going to have to wait as we are busy.” Again we explained that our daughter NEEDS to go to bed. At 10:45pm we were able to start the bedtime routine.

Lastly, the childcare center (Adventure Ocean) isn’t an autistic friendly space. As the staff are friendly they aren’t qualified to understanding children with additional needs. We checked on her fairly frequently as she wanted to be included in the fun activities for her age group. She struggled daily and leaned on her brother for support. Most activities were loud large motor group games. However she brought her book for moments when she needed calming times. Now since I was given a pager I felt reassured she would be okay.  Royal Carribean states, “Pagers/phones for parents of children in Adventure Ocean program while signed into our care (subject to availability) Availability: These Autism Friendly products and services are available on all cruises.” That wasn’t the case when my daughter needed to leave. According to my 11 year old son, “she went into the washroom to cry. She went in and out for an hour.” When we arrived to pick them up a staff member tells us she beeped us twice. They checked the pager and there was no missed page. A simple sorry was given as my daughter falls to the ground in tears when the security gate was opened. My husband had to carry her to the room. She was crying and so overwhelmed she shut down and couldn’t speak. 

I am writing to make all parents aware of how Royal Caribbean treats children with needs, I don’t want your child to go through the same emotional trauma my daughter had too!  I have contacted Royal Caribbean with my concerns for my daughter and all future children will additional needs. I was told it was documented and I received the most pathetic empty apology. This was supposed to be an amazing wish come true but Royal Caribbean gave us epic meltdowns and the worst vacation we have ever been on! 

#RoyalCaribbean #RoyalCaribbeanInternational #Crownandanchor #crown&anchor #Cruise #Autism #Autistic #Specialneeds #Additionalneeds #worstvacation

ATTENTION AUTISM PARENTS

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