renee1222

Totally agree, I was shocked to see 4 girls in a room and no chaperon nearby. I would think the least they should do would be 1 chaperon per 6-7 girls in connecting cabins that hold 3-4 each. But this group seemed to be chaperoned by guys, so that wasn't happening with this group. A full charter or proved them their own buffet area, or schedule a staggered schedule.

Call me overprotective, but there is no way in H*** that my 15 year old daughter would travel overseas with good looking male chaperones in their twenties. :eek:

My only issue with the "quinceanera" girls is that the cruise line creates an exception to the rule, allowing girls under age 21 to stay in rooms together without adult supervision. If I tried to take even 20 18 year olds with me as the only adult, I would be refused. I know it is a huge moneymaker for the company, but it is frustrating that by changing the rules for one group, it does create frustration for other passengers. Considering they have groups like this on many cruises (Allure, Enchantment, Majesty, etc) throughout the year, it might be nice if they could do a full charter and let the girls have the entire cruise ship once a year.

Just to let you know, Save the Waves is much bigger than just picking up empty glasses off the pool deck. The crew of each ship separates EVERY piece of trash from ALL trash cans by hand, pulling out paper, glass, aluminum, batteries, etc. Basically, they sort everything in order to recycle as much trash as possible. Think about that the next time you throw anything away. A crew member (with gloves, of course) will have to handle that piece of trash. Also, all biodegradable food trash is collected and processed somehow before being released to "feed the fish" when the ship is at least 12 miles from any shore.

I understand that seeing dirty dishes on the pool deck may be unappealing, but I have always seen the crew making an effort to clear things away in a reasonable time, but lunch time on sea days is an example of when some items may get easily overlooked. Of course, if dishes are tucked up underneath chairs, the crew will not disturb passengers and/or they might not see them quickly. The pool decks are also completely cleaned/hosed down every evening.

As far as the water bottle goes, it is very easy to get a cup of water from the WJ or other bar and pour it into the bottle. Or request a cup of ice if that is all you want. The soda cups have a drinking spout that you remove before filling the cup, so the area where your mouth was does not come into contact with the machine. The same reason why you always remove your lid/straw before getting a refill in a restaurant. No, it's not 100% germ-proof, but it cuts down on a lot!

I've also been on the Carnival Elation (Fantasy class). I'm no expert in ship tonnage, but I can tell you the Enchantment is a huge improvement over the Elation! The MDR, for one, is much more elegant. I seem to remember that there were 2 separate MDR on the Elation and people often got confused and went to the wrong one. I remember having a difficult time finding the entrance to the MDR and often trying to enter from the wrong deck. Also, maneuvering the Elation was more challenging because on some decks you could not walk from one end of the ship to the other without running into a wall, therefore having to go up or down a flight of stairs to continue. The staterooms as well as the lounges and just the ship in general are decorated much more nicely. Also, the Solarium on the Enchantment is sooooo much nicer than the Serenity deck on Fantasy class ships!

The Elation was my first ever cruise, and I did enjoy it. However, since then, I have sailed Royal Caribbean 5 times in a row, if that tells you anything.

Yes. But one post said an actual Park Cafe, and I'm not sure what it means.

I did not make the post you are referring to, but I might be able to give a little insight. We have been to the Park Cafe on both Serenade and Enchantment. On Serenade, it seemed squeezed into the Solarium, with only about 6 tables (2 tops) to eat at. People often used the lounge chairs by the pool in the Solarium to eat, leaving dishes beside/underneath the chairs. The pool attendants took care of this fairly well, but it was awkward trying to eat a salad or sandwich and drink without having a table to put your plate on. It also took lounge chairs away from guests who truly wanted to lay out by the pool. Because Enchantment is a smaller ship, I was expecting something similar because Park Cafe was added during a dry dock, I figured it was squeezed into an area not originally intended to be a restaurant. Wrong! There was plenty of seating throughout the Solarium with both 2 top and 4 top tables. I was very impressed. The "dining" area seemed well separated from the "pool" area.

As far as kids in Park Cafe, I did see a few kids, but they were not causing problems and it did not bother me personally. They were not near the pool area, simply in line with their parents or sitting and eating at the tables. I did not witness any staff asking them to leave. I have asked on these boards before and according to CC folks, protocol is to allow your kids to get a plate of food/drink and then have them take it out to the regular pool deck to eat. The other option is to have a parent get food for the kids and take it out to them. On our next Enchantment cruise, I will have my 5 children with me, ages 10-3. I most likely will not allow the 3 or 4 year old into Park Cafe (I will get food for them if they want something), but I would allow my 7, 9, and 10 year olds to come with me or my husband to get a plate of food and then eat out on the main deck. I am not going to try to manage 7 plates of food/drinks between me and my husband or go back and stand in line 3 times. My kids will also be given a serious talk about behavior in the adult area. If they are asked to leave by a crew member we will comply.

We have stayed at the Residence Inn twice and I do not recall a parking fee. The last time was October 2013. Maybe things have changed? I thought they only charged parking if you were doing a "Stay and Cruise" package, leaving your car at the hotel for the duration of the cruise. And frankly, any hotel would charge you in that case. I could be mistaken, but you might want to check into it further. We have always been very pleased with the Residence Inn.

Thanks. I also was looking at trying to book one of the cabins for 5 people but couldn't find one that would take them. GHI is the answer then. Actually when I just tried booking 5, it said max of 4 people per reservation. Guess I would have to call.

Yes, you have to call for any bookings with more than 4 passengers in a stateroom. The good thing with this promotion is passengers 3-5 will all qualify for the promotion. We booked a Royal Family Suite for 7 people and only had to pay for the first 2.

How is the quality of the production shows, i.e. Vegas vs. Broadway.

The first night will be the welcome aboard show, which will include a short entertainment act (comedy, musician, etc). The next night was a magician act and the third night (we just did the 3 day) was a broadway style, Stage to Screen, using songs from musicals that had also been made into movies (Chicago, Little House of Horrors, West Side Story, etc).

The late night comedy show was the only show not held in the theater. It was in the Spotlight Lounge (where they also have karaoke).

For late evening entertainment, there is the 70's disco inferno on night around 10:30 and there is a poolside dance party/buffet one night around 11:00. One night there will be the Love and Marriage game show in the theater. It is hilarious. Also, if you don't know about Quest yet, you should go. You sound like the type of person who would enjoy it. On our cruise it followed the late night comedy in the lounge. That's all I can say about that. You just need to go.

Oh, and we cruised Super Bowl Weekend, so finding a lounger by the pool an hour before game time was a bigger priority! :D

Are the bungee trampolines always closed?

No, the open hours are listed each day on the cruise compass. I seem to remember they were usually open from 4pm-7pm on embarkation and port days. We were just usually busy, and it wasn't a priority for us. When we go in November, we will have our kids with us, so it will be a priority and we will make sure to go when it is open. I'm sure that it depends on weather conditions as well. I have been on one cruise where it was too windy for the rock climbing wall, so I'm sure the same applies to the trampoline.

I have sailed the Carnival Elation (similar to Paradise) as well as the Enchantment. You will not be disappointed! She has a much better design! I sailed Enchantment after first sailing Freedom of the Seas and honestly thought I might be disappointed because of the smaller size. I was not! They make very good use of the space and the pool deck and solarium seem to have more seating available than some of the larger ships. Enchantment is designed very well. I kept saying, "Wow, I didn't expect this to be so big on a smaller ship!"

I do agree that the theater and Windjammer might seem crowded at times. We always try to get to shows about 15 minutes early, so we did not have a problem, but those who came in right at show time had a harder time finding seats. While on the Enchantment in February, they actually had a Windjammer hostess seating passengers at tables, based on how many were in their party. This created a short wait at the entrance, but you were guaranteed a place to sit down once you got your food, so you weren't wandering aimlessly looking for a table while your food got cold.

The entertainment was super, far better than what I saw on Carnival. If Marc Walker is still the CD, he was fabulous!

As far as food goes (which is subjective), I was overall more impressed with Royal Caribbean, especially in the buffet. The salad bar is fresh with lots of choices. There are several different options, including international choices. I enjoyed the food in the MDR on both Carnival and Royal, but would give a slight edge to Royal (with the exception of the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on Carnival). Park Cafe in the Solarium is wonderful. Try it for lunch or an afternoon snack. We never tried it for breakfast.

I did not try the climbing wall or trampoline on Enchantment (they were closed when I went by), but for the climbing wall on other ships I have not had to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes after getting suited up. The climbing wall on the Enchantment is ALL the way Aft, as in, there is no walkway around the outside of it. The base where the belayers stand is up against the railing. It seemed a little tight, pushed all the way at the back, without much space for taking pictures, but I never saw it actually in use. There are actually 3 or 4 trampolines, so if all of them are being used, I would not imagine the wait being too long.

I hope that helps answer some of your questions. We had a fabulous time on the Enchantment, and I hope y'all do to! We will be back on her in November and are looking forward to it.

So happy to hear that! We've had a corner aft on Freedom and Enchantment and they are amazing! I also took advantage of the special and upgraded my family to the Royal Family Suite on the corner aft of Enchantment. This is truly one of the best deals I have ever seen. I know it's not great for those who just sail as a couple, but for us, taking our 5 kids on their first cruise, it is amazing!

Anyone know if you book a suite, are persons 5 & 6 free too?

Just booked the Royal Family Suite on Enchantment for 7 people. Passengers 3-7 were all free. Just had to pay taxes and gratuities for them. Best deal ever!

To those posting that you were able to apply third person free rates to an existing booking a couple of questions. After an hour on hold and my agent speaking with two supervisors as well as a conference call to Crown and Anchor I was told I would have to rebook and lose my deposit as well as my onboard credit.

 

Were any of you able to apply the third person free rate to an existing booking without cancelling? Did you book prior to March 1st? I was told it could not apply to an existing booking no way. We are Diamond with Royal and I pleaded my case to no avail.

 

Thanks

Do you have the agent's name at Royal if you kept your original booking?

Are you within final payment of your cruise? I could see losing your deposit in that case because we did have to technically cancel and rebook at the current prices. Our deposit was transferred from the original cruise and applied to new booking. The booking # also changed. I do not have the agent's names, but 2 out of 3 agents we spoke to easily made the changes. One agent gave the "new bookings only" spiel, so we just called back later and talked to someone else.

Marquee (broadway style), Once Upon a Time, Magic Show, Ice Show, and there will be a headliner that varies from week to week.

The typical age groups are 3-5, 6-8, and 9-11. However, you can always request that they stay together. Depending on how crowded it is when you sail they may let you put the 6 year olds in the younger group. I do not think they will let the 5 year old move up to the older group, however. Just check with Adventure Ocean when you board as I think it is case by case and also depends on the ship/crew.

They are really THAT busy! New deployment schedules have just come out so people are booking and they also started a "kids sail free" promo today. I've spent a total of about 4 hours on hold and/or adjusting reservations today during 2 different calls, and there are similar stories from today as well. I just kept the phone on "speaker" listening to the same message over and over while taking care of things around the house until someone finally answered.

Good luck when you call back!

Boarding usually begins around 11 and will begin with Suite guests/priority members. So, if you arrive around 10:30 it would give you time to get through security and check-in and then maybe have a short wait before boarding around 11:20 or so if everything is on time.

What was the rep's name?

Which one? ;) We've talked to 3 different ones today! I honestly don't remember any of their names. I spoke with 2 women who were both very helpful. My sister spoke with a gentleman the first time she called.

I am thrilled to hear that they are not pulling the usual "for new bookings only" crud. (it DOES say that on the flyer!)

 

This offer is applicable to NEW bookings only. This will be enforced and no exceptions will be granted. Should existing guests elect to cancel/re-book, applicable penalties will apply based on timing of cancellation AND prevailing rates will be enforced.

Yes, I read that too, but I had seen on CC where people were successful, so I tried. Long story short....my sister called right after I did (another hour on hold) and DID receiver the "new bookings only it will cost $500 to upgrade" line. I later called back (2 hours on hold) got a different rep, explained what we wanted to do, called my sister on a 3-way line, and made all the necessary changes.

My sister's family of 4 is sailing with us and just upgraded from a D1 to a JS (corner aft!) and is saving $100! After another 2 hour phones call..... This is one of the best sales I have seen for Royal Caribbean!

3-8 are all "free." You still have to pay taxes/fees for those passengers, about $75pp and I prepay gratuities so we paid those as well. We have 7 in the RFS, paid full price for just the first 2.

Does a JS require the higher deposit when using a Next cruise certificate? If so, what is the deposit? Thanks!

With the Kids Sail Free promo I was able to upgrade my family of 7 from 2 insides to the Royal Family Suite for about $200 total on a 3 night Enchantment cruise! It was an extremely long hold time due to high call volume right now, but I am not complaining! While I was on hold I even had a set of bunk beds delivered and assembled. :D

I am a seafood lover, so some of my favorites are the seafood pasta, carved beef tenderloin, garlic tiger shrimp, and lobster. For appetizers, garlic soup, French onion soup, caesar salad, bay scallops, crabcake, and arancini. I like the strawberry cheesecake and chocolate sensation for dessert.

If you go to Chops, the Mud Pie is the best dessert on the ship!