From Allure to Enchantment...

[Tapi]

Our last Royal cruise was on the Allure, and as you can imagine, the experience was wonderful. We are now planning a trip for next summer before some credit card points expire, and the best way to maximize their use is to take a 4 nighter on the Enchantment of the Seas and combine it with 2 nights in Central Florida.

 

I'm fully aware that the Enchantment is not the Allure, but I'm hoping that it will still be an enjoyable cruise. For those of you that have sailed both, what was your experience going from one to the other? What piece of advice do you have to keep my expectations realistic?

 

I'm more in tune with what to expect, but I need to prepare the wife. The first sentence out of her mouth when we started planning was "Is it going to be like the Allure?" :o

[tx121]

Our last Royal cruise was on the Allure, and as you can imagine, the experience was wonderful. We are now planning a trip for next summer before some credit card points expire, and the best way to maximize their use is to take a 4 nighter on the Enchantment of the Seas and combine it with 2 nights in Central Florida.

 

I'm fully aware that the Enchantment is not the Allure, but I'm hoping that it will still be an enjoyable cruise. For those of you that have sailed both, what was your experience going from one to the other? What piece of advice do you have to keep my expectations realistic?

 

I'm more in tune with what to expect, but I need to prepare the wife. The first sentence out of her mouth when we started planning was "Is it going to be like the Allure?" :o

 

I have been on both and like you said, you cannot compare these two ships at all! The enchantment doesn't have all the bells and whistles like the Allure, but it has its own "personality". They have just completed a refurbishment of the Enchantment and have added specialty restaurants and venues like on the Allure such as Izumi , pak cafe and chops. There is no royal promenade which is the "heart of the ship" on Allure, instead there is a large atrium area. They do the 70s party and aerial acts here. There is a rockwall but no sports deck like basketball, mini golf or flowrider. My advice is just go on with an open mind and enjoy it and try not to compare. It is a shorter cruise, so take it as it is and enjoy being on vacation. You can see a video on youtube that shows all the venues of the enchantment. goto youtube and type in the search area: Enchantment of the Seas Cruise January 2013 "Ship Shots"

Click on the first video by stacey katz.

 

[xxoocruiser]

Have been on both and can honestly say I loved both.

 

As the previous poster already stated you cannot compare the Allure and Enchantment. If you're going to spend your entire Enchantment cruise comparing it to the Allure than IMO you've chosen the wrong ship. Every ship just as every cruise offers a new experience .

 

Go with an open mind as the Enchantment has a lot to offer and enjoy !

[Ttowntreasures]

We were on the Enchantment last September for the New England/Canada cruise. We are going on the sister "Oasis" in 3 weeks.

 

We enjoyed the Enchantment - it seems peaceful after the Constellation and Millenium. It did need the refurbish and is probably going to be a great, relaxing cruise for you.

 

Happy sailing :)

[MrFunInTheSun]

I was on the Enchantment in July and had a great cruise. Going on the Freedom of the Seas in November, can't wait to experience the next step up from the Enchantment, though Freedom is no Allure/Oasis it surely will be different than the Enchantment. :-)

 

Tapi I think you'll enjoy yourself. The only thing that might be tough is the shortness of the cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.

[Tapi]

Tapi I think you'll enjoy yourself. The only thing that might be tough is the shortness of the cruise.

 

Thanks, I'm sure we will. I just want to go with realistic expectations. :)

 

About the cruise being short, if it was the only cruise we are taking in 2014, I wouldn't do it. But it's a "bonus" free cruise using points (our "real" cruise will be later that same year :D). We'll be throwing in 2 extra days in Central Florida to visit Legoland (our son is obsessed), so I'm hoping that, all of it combined will be enough of a vacation.

[MrFunInTheSun]

Thanks, I'm sure we will. I just want to go with realistic expectations. :)

 

About the cruise being short, if it was the only cruise we are taking in 2014, I wouldn't do it. But it's a "bonus" free cruise using points (our "real" cruise will be later that same year :D). We'll be throwing in 2 extra days in Central Florida to visit Legoland (our son is obsessed), so I'm hoping that, all of it combined will be enough of a vacation.

 

Check out my live from if you haven't already. It has all the compasses. It also has the kid ones too. Compasses for the three and four day sailing along with menus pictures and such.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1881918

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.

[ragen]

I went from The Allure of the Seas To The Carnival Fascination (2 months later),......That is a huge drop in ship size and age,....But for me The Fascination was actually a much more enjoyable cruise overall.

 

It was better priced,

Less Crowded,

More laid back and relaxing,...

We had better weather,....

Although small ship Carnival food had way less choices, the quality and service was better.

 

So really, It all depends what you like and want,....

If you want big, flashy, latest trend things, You NEED a BIG NEW SHIP,...

But If you enjoy a more traditional, Fun, Relaxing, & Resonably priced cruise to escape form reality, or to just enjoy being at sea, older smaller ships can't be beat. :cool:

[Tapi]

I went from The Allure of the Seas To The Carnival Fascination (2 months later),......That is a huge drop in ship size and age,....But for me The Fascination was actually a much more enjoyable cruise overall.

:cool:

 

Haha. Coincidentally, the reason why we pulled the trigger on sailing aboard the Allure was because we had such a crappy time on the Fascination. Go figure :o

 

We'd been on the Fascination 3 times before and enjoyed it, but for some reason the 4th time was just a letdown.

 

I don't believe that bigger and newer is always better. We've actually gone smaller on our 2 subsequent ships after Allure and had a very enjoyable time on both.

[Tapi]

It has all the compasses. It also has the kid ones too. Compasses for the three and four day sailing along with menus pictures and such.

 

Awesome! Thanks. They will be very helpful! :)

[thebooth]

I actually felt the same exact way your wife does. I went on the Allure as my last ship and then I went on the Enchantment a few weeks ago. I was very worried that I would be disappointed. To be honest, it is no Allure. Even though refurbished, there is still a lot of evidence of its age (e.g. plumbing issues -- we had to call maintenance a few times to fix our toilet; you can see some of the wear and tear in the pools, etc...). Despite all of this, I had an amazing time. The crew were fantastic (especially the cruise director Bing Bong Marc, and the activities director Alison). We had dinner one night at Chops, which was just as amazing as the Chops on Allure, just a lot less crowded and easier to secure a reservation at prime time. I don't know how hold your son is, but there is also a bungee trampoline, which looked like a ton of fun. The gym is tiny, but well kept and the pool deck was really nice with the new big screen. I would also say, the food was generally very good in the main dinning room, and they even have a Park Cafe in the solarium pool (make sure to check this out -- was just as good as the one on the Allure).

 

I think if you go in with your expectations in check, you will all have a great time.

 

We booked Enchantment again for December -- so obviously we had fun, but we will do either Liberty, Oasis or Allure next year again :D

[Merly]

We are on the Allure in January, get off on the Sunday, drive to Port Canaveral and get on the Enchantment on Monday! Looking forward to it.

[Cruising Couple from Fl]

We went from the Allure to the Enchantment this year and had the same worries but loved the Enchantment its a great quick get a way at a great price. We did the 4 day in Apr & Jun and are going again on Labor day you will love it

[Lokip53]

I'll add another post to the "Enchantment is a great ship but keep your expectations in check" crowd.

 

We went from Oasis to Enchantment. We enjoyed ourselves, but we definitely missed some of the bells and whistles of the larger ships.

 

It all comes down to expectations. We are headed back to Bermuda on Grandeur next week and have no reservations about getting back on a smaller ship. It's a trade-off we're willing to make for the combination of departure port and itinerary.

 

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[riclop]

Those 2 ships are like night and day.

[GJM]

We have been on VOS, Oasis, and LOS. We just got off Enchantment, yes it was a nice ship. As someone mention you can see the wear and tear in certain areas. The food was amazing, but I missed the Promanade for coffee and desserts, on Enchantment you can go to Park Cafe.

 

My son is 13 his first RC cruise was Oasis then LOS - he liked the bigger ships, more to do, missed the pizza parlor. The teen club on LOS was much bigger also.

 

We also felt the evening entertainment is better on the bigger ships.

 

Would I go again - probably but sill love the bigger ships

[Suspicious_Package]

I was aboard the Carnival Fascination in Nassau on August 17. The Enchantment-OtS was there along with the Carnival Imagination and Carnival Freedom. The Fascination and Imagination are the same vintage as the Enchantment but I was surprised by the amount of rust that the Enchantment was showing compared to the Fantasy-class ships. The Freedom put us all to shame though and was big-dog in the yard that day.

[cruisinck]

I never compare ships. I have been on every class, from the newest to the oldest. You can always find something wrong with any ship. Just remember your on a cruise and its free. Sit back relax and enjoy.:cool:

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I can not weigh in on your original question. However, i have sailed the Enchantment several times. I think she has one of the best pool decks for a ship her size. when they stretched the ship it created room for two pools and a second pool bar. this one is on the side of the deck and has a good size seating area. Also, the track on the top deck crosses the "flying bridges." these connect the front and back of ship after the stretch.

 

I did the bungee trampoline and had lots of fun. There is a weight limit of 220 lbs.

 

A very nice ship--have fun.