Enchantment of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,957 reviews

Disenchanted with Enchantment

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Enchantment of the Seas
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drusus
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Aug 2008

I am a moderately experienced cruise line customer having sailed five cruises totaling 42 days in the last five years. This cruise was scheduled at the last minute, two weeks before sailing as a last minute getaway. I had to fit the exact dates of a five weekend around Labor Day and the cruise dates were a perfect fit for me, on of only three available that left the Thursday before Labor Day returning on Monday, Labor Day 2008. I chose it this cruise primarily because I preferred Cozumel to other destinations, hoping to see the Mayan ruins at Tulum. Hurricane Gustav was in the news the week before the cruise but the Royal Caribbean sneakily did not announce the change in itinerary until the night before departure. While I understand the cruise lines need and right to change the itinerary, I would not have chosen this cruise if it had been sold as a Bahamas cruise. With the change in route there were no weather problems from the hurricane. The weather was hot and humid with occasional rain showers.

We arrived at the FLL the day of the cruise. There were several Royal Caribbean employees in the baggage claim area offering transfers to the ship. I was able to get a transfer even though I had not booked this advance. We were kept waiting an hour for a bus that was due to arrive "any minute." The RC employees warned against taking a taxi because that would take longer due to port security issues. I later found out that was not the case. On the bus ride the driver gave an entertaining talk about the Port ending with two insistent requests for a tip. This after part $14/person for a ten minute bus ride. The bus was packed to capacity; Royal Caribbean made $700 for one run of this two- mile ride. Nice work if you can get it.

Check-in and embarkation was fast. The lines went very quickly and we were on board by 12:30, just 40 minutes after arriving at the cruiseport. We steeled ourselves for a long ordeal having waited 6 hours to board ship on our previous cruise, a holiday cruise departing Christmas Eve. The ship was still being cleaned from the previous cruise. We were told we could not enter the cabin until 1:00; perfectly reasonable. Passengers were invited to the cafeteria for a meal. The cafeteria was hot and crowded. The food quality was fair. Fellow passengers were a relatively downscale lot. Many tattoos in evidence. Many loud young people calling out to each other. Many young children running back and forth unsupervised. Surprisingly small cafeteria area for such a large ship. Later on we noticed that the staff would regularly rope off one third or more of the cafeteria making a small space even smaller The running track was one level above; the ceiling rumbling each time a jogger thumped by.

Cabin Review

Battered low-quality furniture and clothes cabinets. Comfortable bed. Tiny cabin and tinier bathroom. Straw colored water in bathroom. Anchor noise occasionally made cabin uninhabitable, otherwise quiet.

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