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August 21, 2015 - Enchantment of the Seas - Review with QUESTIONS!


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The wife and I sailed our first cruise earlier this year, June 2015 - a 7 day trip on the Ruby Princess to Alaska. This being only our 2nd cruise, this will naturally be a contrast with that ship, with some questions for all of you seasoned RC veterans.

 

We flew into Orlando the night prior to sailing, and stayed at the Hampton Inn near the airport. No complaints. We used Michael @ Executive VIP Limousine and were extremely satisfied. Arrived at the (new) cruise terminal around 10:30 and crowds were sparse and things went smoothly. By 10:55 we were on the ship and had a good chance to explore everything with hardly anyone around.

 

Rooms were unavailable until 1:30pm or so, and luggage even later than that, so we wished we had packed a tote bag with swimsuits, because it was hot and humid and the pools were empty! Lunch in the Windjammer at 12:00 was very busy, which staff claim was due to a recent health inspection that delayed the start of service, which they proudly passed with a score of 100%.

 

A group out of Orlando, O-Town Happy Hour, had decided this cruise would be their end-of-summer bash, and accordingly there were hundreds of 20-somethings partying it up the first evening on the ship. Pools were a bit crowded, and only one was open, which didn't help the situation. No matter, as there's plenty to do and see the first night on a new ship.

 

Nassau was interesting... Very touristy within walking distance of the port. A recent State Department advisory on frequent crime against tourists turned us off from doing any self-exploration beyond just walking around. Shops were fine - Straw Market vendors were very pushy and things seemed shadier. Didn't spend much time ashore here. The ship is more fun!

 

CocoCay was amazing. We got off early on the first tender boat, walked straight to Barefoot Beach, and pretty much had the entire place to ourselves for a couple hours. You can walk out very far and the water is still less than 3 feet deep. Saw a few stingrays farther out from shore, which was a highlight of the day. Relaxed in the shade for a while, and headed back to the ship around 1pm once the party crew was in full-swing. This was nice, as the rest of the day was much less crowded on the ship, as we didn't leave until 11:30pm I believe.

 

A few thoughts on how this compared to our only other cruise (Ruby Princess in Alaska):

 

1. Shows - I'm so glad we hit the nightly shows in the theater. We didn't do any on Princess (due to a late dinner seating), but we will definitely do early dinner and hit shows on any future cruises.

 

2. Service - On Princess - both at the buffet, or when lying on a deckchair poolside, I feel like we couldn't go more than 2-3 minutes without a server nearby to take a drink order. OK, granted - our Princess cruise was slightly more expensive per person per night, but not by much. On EoS, I felt like the Windjammer was a bit more self-service. We rarely had anyone ask us for a drink order at lunch. We never once saw someone taking drink orders by the pool. I don't expect to be pampered or anything, so I didn't mind too much... but it was interesting.

 

3. Dinner Attire - OK, so my wife and I are a relatively young couple (30's) and when I was researching our first cruise, I found myself rolling my eyes at the "older" folks who would get all bent out of shape over people not following the dress codes. Still, we dressed up on Princess, and it was fun - I wore a suit and tie on formal night, and nice (fitted, dark) jeans with a button up shirt on smart casual nights. 90-95% of the people on Princess were dressed similarly and it felt fancy.

 

Fast forward to Enchantment. Smart casual night for dinner, I wore the same nice jeans and collared shirt... and felt WAY OVERDRESSED! :confused: Shorts and t-shirts everywhere! Maybe 10% of people complied with RC's guidelines. OK, surely formal night will be different? We head down in suit/tie and cocktail dress, and still WAY overdressed. Guys in track pants and t-shirts(!). This time it started to irk me and I came full circle, feeling the same as the "old" people I previously rolled my eyes at. Something about being in a suit and the next table over is in workout clothes... it just detracts from the spirit of the evening.

 

So my question to you veterans: How much of these differences (dress code and service) can be attributed to:

 

1. The cruise line (RC vs. Princess)

2. The destination (Alaska vs. Bahamas)

3. The age/class of ship (EoS was smaller/older than Ruby)

 

All that said, we had an amazing time and the trip was worth every penny. We are excited to try out one of RC's newer mega-ships next time to compare.

 

EDIT: I thought my post came off a bit anti-Royal Carribean, so a few more pros of the two cruises:

 

Princess:

Happy Hour! (2 for 1's every afternoon)

Free robes (Not on RC until Platinum member?)

 

RC:

Towel animals!

Touch screen info displays all over the place

Better TV channels

More visible Cruise Director

Much brighter and sunnier all-around - more windows to let more sun in, including full-height Centrum with glass ceiling.

Indoor adult pool (Solarium), and it's salt water!

THE QUEST!! Best night of the trip.

Edited by Ericular
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I think the answer to your question is none of the above. Yes, the line has some impact but the Enchantment cruise I took last year had none of the egregious dress code issues you mentioned. My personal view is that the time of year and length of cruise, and therefore the passenger makeup, have more to do with the dress for a given cruise than the line or ship itself. A short Caribbean cruise will almost always be more casual than a longer Alaskan cruise.

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We were on the same cruise. We are in our 40's and this was our 10th cruise. 7 with RC, 2 with Princess, and first one with Hawaiian American Cruise. We were also surprised with the Otown group but it did not bother us. Free entertainment.

 

The MDR dress also irritated us. As always. I don't expected suit and tie or anything but wished everyone would put in a little effort. I agree that the workout clothes theme does not work.

 

The juggler and comedian were entertaining. Chubby Bunny was a new one for us and added some laughed.

 

Great weather. Glad we both picked this weekend vs one week later.

Edited by fantn
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Thanks for the review. It is difficult to compare a 7 day cruise to a 3 day cruise especially if the two cruises are on different lines. Also - you have to take the age and size of ship into consideration. Add to add to the mix is a comparison of Alaska to the Bahamas.

 

I liked your statement about the evening attire - formal night. Many make the point that what one person wears should not matter to another. To quote you "...Something about being in a suit and the next table over is in workout clothes... it just detracts from the spirit of the evening.

..."

 

We take the 3 days a few times each year and while the dress code is relaxed we rarely see the workout clothes at dinner. I guess the word "casual" has many interpretations.

 

Regarding the bar servers, we just returned from a 7 night cruise and remarked that there seemed to be fewer bar servers around the pool. Perhaps it is because many have a beverage package so there is no incentive to hawk bar drinks. With that said, service at the bar for those of us without the package was swift - at just about every bar.

 

Sounds like you had a nice cruise but for next time - take a swimsuit in your carry on. :)

 

M

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next time - take a swimsuit in your carry on. :)

 

This would have made a big difference! We eventually started sifting through the luggage by the elevator and found our bags early!

 

I thought of a couple other differences as well. Our Princess cruise had more of a chill/quieter vibe, whereas the RC cruise was more of a party vibe, with louder music on the pool deck and more cruise staff actively trying to get people dancing, more activities later in to the night in the Centrum, etc. I don't say this as a better or worse kind of comparison - as both vibes were totally appropriate for the setting they were in.

 

I am assuming that a Royal Caribbean 7 day Alaskan cruise on a larger ship would be a similar vibe to our Princess Alaskan? And a 3 day Princess would be more of a party?

 

Just trying to figure out how much cruise lines have their own vibe, vs. how much they tailor the cruise for the destination/typical clientele.

 

Thanks for all of your responses!

Edited by Ericular
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This would have made a big difference! We eventually started sifting through the luggage by the elevator and found our bags early!

 

I thought of a couple other differences as well. Our Princess cruise had more of a chill/quieter vibe, whereas the RC cruise was more of a party vibe, with louder music on the pool deck and more cruise staff actively trying to get people dancing, more activities later in to the night in the Centrum, etc. I don't say this as a better or worse kind of comparison - as both vibes were totally appropriate for the setting they were in.

 

I am assuming that a Royal Caribbean 7 day Alaskan cruise on a larger ship would be a similar vibe to our Princess Alaskan? And a 3 day Princess would be more of a party?

 

Just trying to figure out how much cruise lines have their own vibe, vs. how much they tailor the cruise for the destination/typical clientele.

 

Thanks for all of your responses!

I would say a short 3 day - over a weekend - will always be more of a party. Alaska itineraries just don't attract the party crowd as much.

 

We have done many RC cruises, including some 3 day and an Alaskan cruise last year. We were pretty early in the season (before school was out) and I was surprised at how quiet it was, as you said, a totally different vibe.

 

So timing of the cruise, length of the cruise, itinerary probably have more to do with it than cruise line.

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The wife and I sailed our first cruise earlier this year, June 2015 - a 7 day trip on the Ruby Princess to Alaska. This being only our 2nd cruise, this will naturally be a contrast with that ship, with some questions for all of you seasoned RC veterans.

 

We flew into Orlando the night prior to sailing, and stayed at the Hampton Inn near the airport. No complaints. We used Michael @ Executive VIP Limousine and were extremely satisfied. Arrived at the (new) cruise terminal around 10:30 and crowds were sparse and things went smoothly. By 10:55 we were on the ship and had a good chance to explore everything with hardly anyone around.

 

Rooms were unavailable until 1:30pm or so, and luggage even later than that, so we wished we had packed a tote bag with swimsuits, because it was hot and humid and the pools were empty! Lunch in the Windjammer at 12:00 was very busy, which staff claim was due to a recent health inspection that delayed the start of service, which they proudly passed with a score of 100%.

 

A group out of Orlando, O-Town Happy Hour, had decided this cruise would be their end-of-summer bash, and accordingly there were hundreds of 20-somethings partying it up the first evening on the ship. Pools were a bit crowded, and only one was open, which didn't help the situation. No matter, as there's plenty to do and see the first night on a new ship.

 

Nassau was interesting... Very touristy within walking distance of the port. A recent State Department advisory on frequent crime against tourists turned us off from doing any self-exploration beyond just walking around. Shops were fine - Straw Market vendors were very pushy and things seemed shadier. Didn't spend much time ashore here. The ship is more fun!

 

CocoCay was amazing. We got off early on the first tender boat, walked straight to Barefoot Beach, and pretty much had the entire place to ourselves for a couple hours. You can walk out very far and the water is still less than 3 feet deep. Saw a few stingrays farther out from shore, which was a highlight of the day. Relaxed in the shade for a while, and headed back to the ship around 1pm once the party crew was in full-swing. This was nice, as the rest of the day was much less crowded on the ship, as we didn't leave until 11:30pm I believe.

 

A few thoughts on how this compared to our only other cruise (Ruby Princess in Alaska):

 

1. Shows - I'm so glad we hit the nightly shows in the theater. We didn't do any on Princess (due to a late dinner seating), but we will definitely do early dinner and hit shows on any future cruises.

 

2. Service - On Princess - both at the buffet, or when lying on a deckchair poolside, I feel like we couldn't go more than 2-3 minutes without a server nearby to take a drink order. OK, granted - our Princess cruise was slightly more expensive per person per night, but not by much. On EoS, I felt like the Windjammer was a bit more self-service. We rarely had anyone ask us for a drink order at lunch. We never once saw someone taking drink orders by the pool. I don't expect to be pampered or anything, so I didn't mind too much... but it was interesting.

 

3. Dinner Attire - OK, so my wife and I are a relatively young couple (30's) and when I was researching our first cruise, I found myself rolling my eyes at the "older" folks who would get all bent out of shape over people not following the dress codes. Still, we dressed up on Princess, and it was fun - I wore a suit and tie on formal night, and nice (fitted, dark) jeans with a button up shirt on smart casual nights. 90-95% of the people on Princess were dressed similarly and it felt fancy.

 

Fast forward to Enchantment. Smart casual night for dinner, I wore the same nice jeans and collared shirt... and felt WAY OVERDRESSED! :confused: Shorts and t-shirts everywhere! Maybe 10% of people complied with RC's guidelines. OK, surely formal night will be different? We head down in suit/tie and cocktail dress, and still WAY overdressed. Guys in track pants and t-shirts(!). This time it started to irk me and I came full circle, feeling the same as the "old" people I previously rolled my eyes at. Something about being in a suit and the next table over is in workout clothes... it just detracts from the spirit of the evening.

 

So my question to you veterans: How much of these differences (dress code and service) can be attributed to:

 

1. The cruise line (RC vs. Princess)

2. The destination (Alaska vs. Bahamas)

3. The age/class of ship (EoS was smaller/older than Ruby)

 

All that said, we had an amazing time and the trip was worth every penny. We are excited to try out one of RC's newer mega-ships next time to compare.

 

EDIT: I thought my post came off a bit anti-Royal Carribean, so a few more pros of the two cruises:

 

Princess:

Happy Hour! (2 for 1's every afternoon)

Free robes (Not on RC until Platinum member?)

 

RC:

Towel animals!

Touch screen info displays all over the place

Better TV channels

More visible Cruise Director

Much brighter and sunnier all-around - more windows to let more sun in, including full-height Centrum with glass ceiling.

Indoor adult pool (Solarium), and it's salt water!

THE QUEST!! Best night of the trip.

 

You mention that on your Enchantment cruise the CD probably was Marc Walker and he has a reputation of being visible. What about his Activity Manager and the rest of the team? Did you enjoy some of the activities that they led?

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You mention that on your Enchantment cruise the CD probably was Marc Walker and he has a reputation of being visible. What about his Activity Manager and the rest of the team? Did you enjoy some of the activities that they led?

 

Yes, it was Marc Walker. I say that he was more visible, because we were on the Princess for 7 days (vs. 3) and I can't say i have any idea who the cruise director was on that cruise. We didn't hit any of the shows on Princess, but Marc was more active on deck too.

 

Is the Activity Manager the one who runs the Quest show? If so, he was a good host for that. There was another couple (man+woman) who roamed around doing the various impromptu dance parties by the pool and some of the singing and dancing games in the Centrum at night. They were energetic and you could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. Only our 2nd cruise, though, so I'm not sure how they rank on the spectrum. I'd be interested to hear your take on it, if you have experience with Marc & the Enchantment!

 

I'm not sure if you have seen this video, but Marc played this on one of the nights in the theater. I'd say it's a pretty good representation of how Marc and his crew like to operate.

 

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Interesting review. We have been on Princess and agree that the Solarium

is a real plus on the Enchantment. We also like the Park Cafe and had lunch

there at embarkation.

 

A comment about Nassau: We always book an excursion away from the port in Nassau and have enjoyed good ones.

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I would say a short 3 day - over a weekend - will always be more of a party. Alaska itineraries just don't attract the party crowd as much.

 

We have done many RC cruises, including some 3 day and an Alaskan cruise last year. We were pretty early in the season (before school was out) and I was surprised at how quiet it was, as you said, a totally different vibe.

 

So timing of the cruise, length of the cruise, itinerary probably have more to do with it than cruise line.

 

I completely agree with your comments.

 

A 3 night cruise (on any line) will definitely attract a more party crowd with a more casual mindset.

 

On our Alaska cruise last year most people adhered to the dress code, and on the Oasis in May, I was actually quite surprised at the amount of people that followed the dress code. Sure there were some polos and what not on formal night, but definitely no workout clothes that I noticed.

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You know, on RCI, if you have Late seating, you go to the "before dinner show"...eating never makes you miss the entertainment!!!!

 

Our choices on this cruise for MDR seating were 5:45 and 8:30. Originally we had 8:30, but after seeing the Compass, we switched to 5:45. The first night was a comedy show at 7:45pm, the second night show was 9:15, and the 3rd night was 9:15. So we loved having the early seating. I assume the bigger ships or longer itineraries must have multiple showtimes each night?

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On our Alaska cruise last year most people adhered to the dress code, and on the Oasis in May, I was actually quite surprised at the amount of people that followed the dress code. Sure there were some polos and what not on formal night, but definitely no workout clothes that I noticed.

 

This is great information, as we are actually going back with our kids for a 4-day on the same ship (Enchantment) in March 2016. So at least we'll know to expect about the same as we saw before. Yes, you read that correctly, we're bringing our young children on a short spring break cruise to destinations known for partying. Hopefully we won't be the only family this crazy onboard so our kids can make some friends! Same itinerary, just with CocoCay first, Nassau second, and an extra day at sea.

Edited by Ericular
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This is great information, as we are actually going back with our kids for a 4-day on the same ship (Enchantment) in March 2016. So at least we'll know to expect about the same as we saw before. Yes, you read that correctly, we're bringing our young children on a short spring break cruise to destinations known for partying. Hopefully we won't be the only family this crazy onboard so our kids can make some friends! Same itinerary, just with CocoCay first, Nassau second, and an extra day at sea.

 

I assume by 4-day you mean a Mon-Fri cruise? If so, they are usually less "party-like" than the weekend cruises. Any cruise over Spring Break is going have tons of younger people, so I wouldn't worry too much about it!

 

:)

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I assume by 4-day you mean a Mon-Fri cruise? If so, they are usually less "party-like" than the weekend cruises. Any cruise over Spring Break is going have tons of younger people, so I wouldn't worry too much about it!

 

:)

 

Excellent! Yes, Mon-Fri leaving March 14th. I did some Googling and I can't find any evidence of a party group with a big chunk of cabins reserved. Even the 3-day we just did with the big O-town party group, our kids would have been fine. I think they'll love it. Now the only thing I have left to worry about is if our cabin (7600) on the Centrum "bump" will be too loud at night. Others have said the soundproofing is pretty good and noise in the room is minimal. If not, I guess the kids will just have to party late! :)

Edited by Ericular
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Excellent! Yes, Mon-Fri leaving March 14th. I did some Googling and I can't find any evidence of a party group with a big chunk of cabins reserved. Even the 3-day we just did with the big O-town party group, our kids would have been fine. I think they'll love it. Now the only thing I have left to worry about is if our cabin (7600) on the Centrum "bump" will be too loud at night. Others have said the soundproofing is pretty good and noise in the room is minimal. If not, I guess the kids will just have to party late! :)

 

Cant help with noise on the Enchantment, but I had the first room off of the Centrum on Radiance (different class, but same kind of centrum) and never had a problem.

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I assume by 4-day you mean a Mon-Fri cruise? If so, they are usually less "party-like" than the weekend cruises. Any cruise over Spring Break is going have tons of younger people, so I wouldn't worry too much about it!

 

:)

 

Also, I was initially worried, since last year CollegePartyCruise.com sailed on the 4-day Enchantment during the three major spring break weeks last year, but thankfully they have switched over to the Norwegian Sky for 2016.

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Also, I was initially worried, since last year CollegePartyCruise.com sailed on the 4-day Enchantment during the three major spring break weeks last year, but thankfully they have switched over to the Norwegian Sky for 2016.

 

Yeah, I would definitely be worried about that group being on my cruise. Seems like you got lucky though!

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Yes, it was Marc Walker. I say that he was more visible, because we were on the Princess for 7 days (vs. 3) and I can't say i have any idea who the cruise director was on that cruise. We didn't hit any of the shows on Princess, but Marc was more active on deck too.

 

Is the Activity Manager the one who runs the Quest show? If so, he was a good host for that. There was another couple (man+woman) who roamed around doing the various impromptu dance parties by the pool and some of the singing and dancing games in the Centrum at night. They were energetic and you could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. Only our 2nd cruise, though, so I'm not sure how they rank on the spectrum. I'd be interested to hear your take on it, if you have experience with Marc & the Enchantment!

 

I'm not sure if you have seen this video, but Marc played this on one of the nights in the theater. I'd say it's a pretty good representation of how Marc and his crew like to operate.

 

 

On your cruise it may have been the Activity Manager hosting The Quest, because Marc has an arm injury and may not be doing all the things on board he normally would do.

 

Do you remember the gentleman's name? He may even have been on the morning show with Marc?

 

The video was great to see and Enzo who was in the video as AM is now on Rhapsody as the Activity Manager there.

 

Glad you had a good time on board. It is however difficult to compare a short cruise to a week long cruise. They attract different cruisers in many cases and just are different. We have done both over our cruise history.

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On your cruise it may have been the Activity Manager hosting The Quest, because Marc has an arm injury and may not be doing all the things on board he normally would do.

 

This sounds right. He did wear a sling while hosting the belly flop competition, but said he refused to wear it during the nightly shows, against his doctor's wishes. :D

 

I believe the host of the Quest Show said he was from Fiji. I don't recall his name. I will have to find our Compass and see if it mentions his name in there.

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The MDR dress also irritated us. As always. I don't expected suit and tie or anything but wished everyone would put in a little effort. I agree that the workout clothes theme does not work.

 

I agree 100%. We're still new to cruising, but I do wish it wasn't such an unknown for each cruise. If we can all get on the same page that a suit is overkill for a 3-day Bahama cruise, that's fine - all the more room in the suitcase. But yes, can we at least get up to business casual for formal night? If not, let's not call it formal night in the Compass and list the dress code. What's the point?

 

I had an idea since the Enchantment has a 2 level dining room, and the two levels hardly interact - make one level or the other be the more "formal" level, and the other more casual. Anyway.....

 

The juggler and comedian were entertaining. Chubby Bunny was a new one for us and added some laughed.
Same here. We didn't get around as much on our Princess cruise, so this was a fun side of cruising to discover. We won't miss stuff like this again!
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