Enchantment of the Seas review 5/31/19

[casadetexas]

Good morning!  I wanted to write a review for this ship for a few reasons.  Mostly because not many write a review on this ship that I have read.  Also, most responses were if you are thinking of Enchantment, it would be better to take the Liberty.  I have sailed the Liberty and do have kids.  :)  So my review will also be comparing both ships.

 

The ship is what I expected from all the research I have done.  They are correct.  First look at the ship and you do see a lot of rust.  You can tell it is a small ship as well and may have seen better days.  This is also JUST COSMETIC.  So my first impressions were not that great at all.  I was unimpressed.  Especially since the Liberty was amazing to look at.  So, if you want to be those people who when in port wants to say, "I have the better ship" yeah, this is obviously not for you.  

 

Getting onto the ship, you can tell it is a classic feel.  A lot of brass.  I would not say it is ugly in any shape of form.  The Liberty was dressed to impress and EOTS was for function.  At this point in time it did cross my mind if we were going to even have a good time.  I admit.  I was being snobbish about the whole situation at this point. 

 

However that is where my bad review stops.  I kept an open mind and boy I am sure glad I did.

 

Food:

 

Windjammer: On the Liberty, we HATED Windjammer.  It even had a smell to it as we were walking up to it and for us it was unpalatable.  But we were forced to eat there a few times do to what we had planned for that day.  It was what it was.  On the Enchantment it was a bit more crowded due to the smaller space, but the food was very good.  The coffee still sucked but that was about it.  WAY better hands down.  

 

Chopps Grille: Both ships performed amazing

 

Dinning room: Both ships were great.  I will add higher scores to EOTS simply because we never got tired of the food as we did on the Liberty.  We also got our food out much faster.  I do eat Gluten Free and not sure if it was because of the couple years in between both sailings, but EOTS had a TON of options whereas the Liberty I was limited.

 

Drinks: This will have to go to the Liberty.  We like to have the occasional drink but still bought the drink packages.  EOTS we felt like we drank all freaking day.  The drinks tasted good for sure!  But I SWEAR there was no alcohol in them even though I watched them put it in!  My husband and I are light weights in this category and for us to have drinks all day without so much as a buzz, headache, or hangover should tell you something.  Beer and wine, for obvious reasons, were right on par but that is because they can't mix them hahaha.  

 

Shops: This defiantly goes to Liberty.  I don't shop much.  But had fun going through all the little shops.  EOTS didn't have hardly any.  But I suppose it is because it is such a smaller ship.  What was there was ok.  But I was in and out of there in 10 minutes.  

 

Water activities: This one is a hard one to compare.  On Liberty we did everything we could from the slides, to the pools, to the waverider.  We did them a lot and had a blast.  I was worried that we would be bored with the small pools on EOTHS.  This was a surprising win going to EOTS.  People may differ on this opinion so I need to expand on this subject.  Our kids are in Elementary, Middle, and High school.  The only times the pool was crowded on EOTHS was during certain games that were listed.  I hate crowds, yet I found myself standing near the pool to see the action on EOTS.  I did not dare to do that on the Liberty.  WAYYYYY toooooo many folks trying to get a look and we couldn't even see what was going on.  EOTHS we could see all the action and the Entertainment staff really really got the crowds going.  They had the same size pools as Liberty, but since it is a smaller ship, there aren't as many people on board.  So it made for an enjoyable time at the pool.  We found lots of opportunities to hop into the hot tubs as well.

 

Kids clubs: My youngest hated the club on the Liberty.  But I honestly believe it was because of his age and not because of the environment.  The older kids had a blast.  We didn't enroll them in the clubs this trip.  However I spoke to many families who's kids were in the clubs and said they were all having a blast.  Would rather go there than hang with the parents.  So take that for what it is worth.  

 

Stage shows: We did see a couple shows on the Liberty.  They were good.  I can't for the life of me remember which shows we saw at the moment.  But I remember that they were good.  We went to two shows on the EOTHS.  The first show went through several musicals.  MY middle child is into musicals so we wanted to make sure we went to see it.  I have to say, all the music was performed live which made the whole experience amazing.  The singers were just, wow.  We have seen a few shows on Broadway in NYC, and I would say defiantly comparable!!!

 

Other entertainment: We didn't do as much of this stuff on the Liberty just because there was sooo much to do.  But what we did do was so mild and didn't make that much impression on us.  We did things like the scavenger hunt, etc.  Fun little 20 minute deals.  But I am gonna give this one to EOTS.  I suppose because it doesn't have all the thrills, you have time to look through the planner and pick and choose.  We did a LOT more of these on EOTS.  The same activities we did on the Liberty we did on EOTS and the entertainment staff was so energetic that EVERYONE wanted to do something.  Trust me.  I would have NEVER EVER in my LIFE want to dance in front of a million people but I won 3rd place (GO ME!) in a dance off!  Even got myself a medal and had a TON of fun doing it!  Believe me when I say I am one of the shyest people you will ever meet.  The staff is just so freaking fun you swear you have known them your whole life haha.  

 

We did go to the 70's disco dance.  HANDS DOWN the best cruise party we have been to.  ALL our kids are STILL talking about it.  I won't say much.  Just know if you sail EOTS and this is offered it is a MUST.

 

Overall: EOTS is the surprising win.  Of course a cruise it what you make of it.  If you feel like you need to be the biggest and the best, or need all the latest tech, etc, EOTS will surely disappoint you.  My family likes to stick to ourselves.  We aren't prudes, but we don't really talk to others if you know what I mean.  We enjoy each others company and have fun just the same.  We have sailed Disney Dream, and the Liberty.  Each have their unique qualities.  But EOTS we felt like family.  Everyone.  I mean EVERYONE on that ship was our best friend.  Because it was smaller we saw the same people all the time and by day 3 everyone was BFF's with everyone.  Lots of laughter.  Everyone encouraged each other to make a fool of themselves during games and everyone no matter how terrible you were was winner and cheered on for a great job.  High fives in the hallway.  EOTS was a very unique experience and one for the record books.  

 

 

 

[Artemus]

Thank you for your trip report. I was on Enchantment recently and I have to say it is probably the worst ship I’ve cruised on.

[casadetexas]

3 minutes ago, Artemus said:

Thank you for your trip report. I was on Enchantment recently and I have to say it is probably the worst ship I’ve cruised on.

I am so sorry to hear that!  There is nothing worse than paying all that money and having a miserable time.  I am curious.  Would you mind sharing why?

[reeb4]

42 minutes ago, casadetexas said:

Good morning!  I wanted to write a review for this ship for a few reasons.  Mostly because not many write a review on this ship that I have read.  Also, most responses were if you are thinking of Enchantment, it would be better to take the Liberty.  I have sailed the Liberty and do have kids.  🙂 So my review will also be comparing both ships.

 

The ship is what I expected from all the research I have done.  They are correct.  First look at the ship and you do see a lot of rust.  You can tell it is a small ship as well and may have seen better days.  This is also JUST COSMETIC.  So my first impressions were not that great at all.  I was unimpressed.  Especially since the Liberty was amazing to look at.  So, if you want to be those people who when in port wants to say, "I have the better ship" yeah, this is obviously not for you.  

 

Getting onto the ship, you can tell it is a classic feel.  A lot of brass.  I would not say it is ugly in any shape of form.  The Liberty was dressed to impress and EOTS was for function.  At this point in time it did cross my mind if we were going to even have a good time.  I admit.  I was being snobbish about the whole situation at this point. 

 

However that is where my bad review stops.  I kept an open mind and boy I am sure glad I did.

 

Food:

 

Windjammer: On the Liberty, we HATED Windjammer.  It even had a smell to it as we were walking up to it and for us it was unpalatable.  But we were forced to eat there a few times do to what we had planned for that day.  It was what it was.  On the Enchantment it was a bit more crowded due to the smaller space, but the food was very good.  The coffee still sucked but that was about it.  WAY better hands down.  

 

Chopps Grille: Both ships performed amazing

 

Dinning room: Both ships were great.  I will add higher scores to EOTS simply because we never got tired of the food as we did on the Liberty.  We also got our food out much faster.  I do eat Gluten Free and not sure if it was because of the couple years in between both sailings, but EOTS had a TON of options whereas the Liberty I was limited.

 

Drinks: This will have to go to the Liberty.  We like to have the occasional drink but still bought the drink packages.  EOTS we felt like we drank all freaking day.  The drinks tasted good for sure!  But I SWEAR there was no alcohol in them even though I watched them put it in!  My husband and I are light weights in this category and for us to have drinks all day without so much as a buzz, headache, or hangover should tell you something.  Beer and wine, for obvious reasons, were right on par but that is because they can't mix them hahaha.  

 

Shops: This defiantly goes to Liberty.  I don't shop much.  But had fun going through all the little shops.  EOTS didn't have hardly any.  But I suppose it is because it is such a smaller ship.  What was there was ok.  But I was in and out of there in 10 minutes.  

 

Water activities: This one is a hard one to compare.  On Liberty we did everything we could from the slides, to the pools, to the waverider.  We did them a lot and had a blast.  I was worried that we would be bored with the small pools on EOTHS.  This was a surprising win going to EOTS.  People may differ on this opinion so I need to expand on this subject.  Our kids are in Elementary, Middle, and High school.  The only times the pool was crowded on EOTHS was during certain games that were listed.  I hate crowds, yet I found myself standing near the pool to see the action on EOTS.  I did not dare to do that on the Liberty.  WAYYYYY toooooo many folks trying to get a look and we couldn't even see what was going on.  EOTHS we could see all the action and the Entertainment staff really really got the crowds going.  They had the same size pools as Liberty, but since it is a smaller ship, there aren't as many people on board.  So it made for an enjoyable time at the pool.  We found lots of opportunities to hop into the hot tubs as well.

 

Kids clubs: My youngest hated the club on the Liberty.  But I honestly believe it was because of his age and not because of the environment.  The older kids had a blast.  We didn't enroll them in the clubs this trip.  However I spoke to many families who's kids were in the clubs and said they were all having a blast.  Would rather go there than hang with the parents.  So take that for what it is worth.  

 

Stage shows: We did see a couple shows on the Liberty.  They were good.  I can't for the life of me remember which shows we saw at the moment.  But I remember that they were good.  We went to two shows on the EOTHS.  The first show went through several musicals.  MY middle child is into musicals so we wanted to make sure we went to see it.  I have to say, all the music was performed live which made the whole experience amazing.  The singers were just, wow.  We have seen a few shows on Broadway in NYC, and I would say defiantly comparable!!!

 

Other entertainment: We didn't do as much of this stuff on the Liberty just because there was sooo much to do.  But what we did do was so mild and didn't make that much impression on us.  We did things like the scavenger hunt, etc.  Fun little 20 minute deals.  But I am gonna give this one to EOTS.  I suppose because it doesn't have all the thrills, you have time to look through the planner and pick and choose.  We did a LOT more of these on EOTS.  The same activities we did on the Liberty we did on EOTS and the entertainment staff was so energetic that EVERYONE wanted to do something.  Trust me.  I would have NEVER EVER in my LIFE want to dance in front of a million people but I won 3rd place (GO ME!) in a dance off!  Even got myself a medal and had a TON of fun doing it!  Believe me when I say I am one of the shyest people you will ever meet.  The staff is just so freaking fun you swear you have known them your whole life haha.  

 

We did go to the 70's disco dance.  HANDS DOWN the best cruise party we have been to.  ALL our kids are STILL talking about it.  I won't say much.  Just know if you sail EOTS and this is offered it is a MUST.

 

Overall: EOTS is the surprising win.  Of course a cruise it what you make of it.  If you feel like you need to be the biggest and the best, or need all the latest tech, etc, EOTS will surely disappoint you.  My family likes to stick to ourselves.  We aren't prudes, but we don't really talk to others if you know what I mean.  We enjoy each others company and have fun just the same.  We have sailed Disney Dream, and the Liberty.  Each have their unique qualities.  But EOTS we felt like family.  Everyone.  I mean EVERYONE on that ship was our best friend.  Because it was smaller we saw the same people all the time and by day 3 everyone was BFF's with everyone.  Lots of laughter.  Everyone encouraged each other to make a fool of themselves during games and everyone no matter how terrible you were was winner and cheered on for a great job.  High fives in the hallway.  EOTS was a very unique experience and one for the record books.  

 

 

 

Thank you for the very informative review.  My daughter and her boyfriend just sailed EOTS in early May, as well.  My daughter has sailed on Radiance, Adventure and Rhapsody...her report on EOTS was very positive.  Much like your review, she said it had a "small ship" feel - nothing was ever over-crowded - but had plenty to do and enjoy.

 

When we realized that my wife had to either use or lose 4 days of vacation before June 30, we booked EOTS for next week!  We are looking forward to it.  I can accept that it is an older ship, with some age marks...but a great crew and "feel/vibe" of the ship makes the difference.  Of course, our first RCCL cruise was on Song of Norway (most of you won't remember that one!) so "small ship" feel isn't a bad thing to us!

[kands6191]

Thank you for your great review. I am sailing on her next week on a family cruise of 13 ladies ages 21 through 70. I'm wondering about the boarding process in Galveston. We will have one aunt in a wheelchair.  Did you notice if they boarded wheelchairs first and if they allowed the entire group to go with them?

In our group there are some in suites, some are gold, some are first timers. We really want the embarkation photo all together but we are not sure how we will be boarding. 

[casadetexas]

26 minutes ago, reeb4 said:

Thank you for the very informative review.  My daughter and her boyfriend just sailed EOTS in early May, as well.  My daughter has sailed on Radiance, Adventure and Rhapsody...her report on EOTS was very positive.  Much like your review, she said it had a "small ship" feel - nothing was ever over-crowded - but had plenty to do and enjoy.

 

When we realized that my wife had to either use or lose 4 days of vacation before June 30, we booked EOTS for next week!  We are looking forward to it.  I can accept that it is an older ship, with some age marks...but a great crew and "feel/vibe" of the ship makes the difference.  Of course, our first RCCL cruise was on Song of Norway (most of you won't remember that one!) so "small ship" feel isn't a bad thing to us!

Wow I had to google that ship!  How interesting!  

[LuCruise]

Great review! Haven't been on either of those Royal ships but great to hear the comparison.  Sounds like they both have their pros and cons.  I love your dance comment.  Congrats on 3rd place!  (And I'm extremely shy too so your comment gave me a smile). Great to hear you can have such a wonderful time on a ship without all the bells and whistles.  

[casadetexas]

29 minutes ago, kands6191 said:

Thank you for your great review. I am sailing on her next week on a family cruise of 13 ladies ages 21 through 70. I'm wondering about the boarding process in Galveston. We will have one aunt in a wheelchair.  Did you notice if they boarded wheelchairs first and if they allowed the entire group to go with them?

In our group there are some in suites, some are gold, some are first timers. We really want the embarkation photo all together but we are not sure how we will be boarding. 

There were several people in wheelchairs although I am not sure how they got there.  As far as photos, there is an opportunity at the bottom as you check in.  When you get to the second level, the members are separated as you wait to board, but it is in the same room, if that makes sense.  There are photographers there as well and that would be a great spot for everyone to take a photo while you wait.  Of course, that is assuming that you all show up early.  

Edited June 6, 2019 by casadetexas

[kands6191]

6 minutes ago, casadetexas said:

There were several people in wheelchairs although I am not sure how they got there.  As far as photos, there is an opportunity at the bottom as you check in.  When you get to the second level where you check in, the members are separated as you wait to board, but it is in the same room, if that makes sense.  There are photographers there as well and that would be a great spot for everyone to take a photo while you wait.

Thanks. That is very helpful. What time did boarding begin?

[casadetexas]

1 minute ago, kands6191 said:

Thanks. That is very helpful. What time did boarding begin?

 

They begin boarding at 11:30am.  However they started boarding a little before that.  We showed up at around 9am and dropped off our luggage.  Then we drove to the parking lot and caught a bus back to the terminal.  Checked in, and were upstairs by 10am ish.  So we had time to sit and wait.  Which was nice for us.

[Artemus]

5 hours ago, casadetexas said:

I am so sorry to hear that!  There is nothing worse than paying all that money and having a miserable time.  I am curious.  Would you mind sharing why?

The cabin felt really small ( OV). Smallest shower stall I’ve ever experienced. I’m a thin person and felt cramped. Not sure how a large person does it. The ship looked and felt worn. Old carpet. No Sorrentos. Had to go to the back to the solarium for pizza and salad. Quite often no one to make salad.

[casadetexas]

23 minutes ago, Artemus said:

The cabin felt really small ( OV). Smallest shower stall I’ve ever experienced. I’m a thin person and felt cramped. Not sure how a large person does it. The ship looked and felt worn. Old carpet. No Sorrentos. Had to go to the back to the solarium for pizza and salad. Quite often no one to make salad.

Oh I know what you mean about the rooms.  I assumed it was because we went from a balcony (Liberty) to an inside stateroom.  I also agree with the shower.  I guess I didn't see it as a big issue.  We do a lot of RV camping so we are used to squished places.  But I can understand your thinking.  By day 3 we figured out how to work around the shower.  For me, I had to turn the water off, put my feet on the toilet to shave my legs.  

As I mentioned earlier, I also agree about the ship showing its age.  Thankfully it is just cosmetic and the rust/brass/ugly carpets didn't ruin my fun.  But it was a big shocking to see at first.  We LOVED Sorrentos and were sad that it was not on EOTS!  But, we did grab pizza's from the Solarium.  And the salads were much better grabbing from Windjammer.  

[radlad68]

Thank you for your review. Our last cruise was on Liberty and we sail on Enchantment in August. We have adult children that will have just gone back to college and my hubby and I wanted to regroup after they left :). I am looking forward a smaller ship and didn’t use a lot of what Liberty had to offer!

Anjie

[DEWGirl]

Thank you for your review. Like a few other commenters, I am also sailing on Enchantment next week. I’m just excited to be getting away. Due to health issues I haven’t had a vacation in three and a half years.

[RCCL Fan]

This review is so helpful thank you.

 

We are RCI big ship sailors  ---  we love Oasis class and it's usually our go to.   We saw a great deal on Vision this year and snagged it and were so worried about the ship size, age, and lack of amenities.  

 

It ended up being one of our favorite cruises largely because of the staff onboard, the ease of navigating the ship, and yes no trouble around the pool. 

 

It was like a totally different experience.

 

We loved it so much that we went ahead and booked a second on Enchantment in a few months.

 

I've been nervous about her.  Mainly when I told several staff members we connected with on Vision that we were going on Enchantment most didn't speak highly.

 

One person was polite and said, "she's not maintained well at all, I don't know why, but the maintenance on that ship is nothing like Vision"

 

Another said, "well you know that ship is only for short cruises, so it's just not well taken care of, can you switch?"

 

Words like RUST, OLD, kept coming up. Again this is from RCI staff onboard the same class ship.

 

Reviews online kept saying the same thing.... RUST,  WORN CARPETS.

 

I am kinds shocked RCI lets this ship be so rusty and worn, I've never been on a RCI ship that is poorly maintained. Quite the contrary they're always painting and cleaning and refinishing. 

 

I rarely felt Vision was old or felt old, despite knowing she was a 20 year old ship.   I would have said she was 10 years old.

  It sounds like Enchantment is a totally different beast.

 

Were in a suite so i'm not worried about cabin space, or the layout of the ship. But I don't want to be on some rusty ship.

 

So..... while I can still get a refund I've really been going back and forth on whether we should cancel.

 

Your report gives me some faith to stick around!   Thank you. 

 

I'd love it if you have any photos you can post, it's rare to see photos of Enchanment.

 

 

[tvo7]

Does anyone know if they have coin operated washing machines on board?

[Biker19]

8 minutes ago, tvo7 said:

Does anyone know if they have coin operated washing machines on board?

No laundry facilities on any RCI ship. 

[radlad68]

No RCL doesn’t have them on any ships. 

[RCCL Fan]

Laundry isn't that expensive on RCI.   They have specials too.

 

I tend to just pack a ton of t-shirts and shorts and i'm good

 

[casadetexas]

On 6/8/2019 at 6:31 PM, RCCL Fan said:

This review is so helpful thank you.

 

We are RCI big ship sailors  ---  we love Oasis class and it's usually our go to.   We saw a great deal on Vision this year and snagged it and were so worried about the ship size, age, and lack of amenities.  

 

It ended up being one of our favorite cruises largely because of the staff onboard, the ease of navigating the ship, and yes no trouble around the pool. 

 

It was like a totally different experience.

 

We loved it so much that we went ahead and booked a second on Enchantment in a few months.

 

I've been nervous about her.  Mainly when I told several staff members we connected with on Vision that we were going on Enchantment most didn't speak highly.

 

One person was polite and said, "she's not maintained well at all, I don't know why, but the maintenance on that ship is nothing like Vision"

 

Another said, "well you know that ship is only for short cruises, so it's just not well taken care of, can you switch?"

 

Words like RUST, OLD, kept coming up. Again this is from RCI staff onboard the same class ship.

 

Reviews online kept saying the same thing.... RUST,  WORN CARPETS.

 

I am kinds shocked RCI lets this ship be so rusty and worn, I've never been on a RCI ship that is poorly maintained. Quite the contrary they're always painting and cleaning and refinishing. 

 

I rarely felt Vision was old or felt old, despite knowing she was a 20 year old ship.   I would have said she was 10 years old.

  It sounds like Enchantment is a totally different beast.

 

Were in a suite so i'm not worried about cabin space, or the layout of the ship. But I don't want to be on some rusty ship.

 

So..... while I can still get a refund I've really been going back and forth on whether we should cancel.

 

Your report gives me some faith to stick around!   Thank you. 

 

I'd love it if you have any photos you can post, it's rare to see photos of Enchanment.

 

 

Good morning!

 

One day we will make our rounds to the big ships.  Hoping to do those when the kids are much older, or traveling with no kids!  😉  

 

Here is the trend I am seeing.  If you have been on these massive beautiful amazing ships, Enchantment can and will be a shock.  I know it was for me.  She kinda looks like a rust bucket haha.  She is small so there is THAT factor as well.  Imagine being on those big beautiful ships and then coming to this small rusty ship.  But that is on the outside.  I never found rust on the inside.  The carpet.  Hmmm.  Well.  It is patterned in many places which to me is a "classic" feel.  I know it hasn't really been replaced.  However nowhere that I walked did I find any stains or unkempt carpet.  No holes or fraying.  No white marks to show dried water or liquid.  It was clean.  Just.  An old pattern.  Flat.  But I never once looked in any place and thought gross!  FYI I did on the Liberty!  I HATE brass and it was EVERYWHERE.  But it didn't ruin my trip.  The hand rails were definitely worn.  You will see in the photos.  But they were not sticky or gross.  The whole trip I saw them slowly replace and refurnish the railings so I knew they were working on them.  Maybe by the time you sail they will all be fixed. 

 

I believe that RCI knows this ship isn't much to look at so they make up for it in the entertainment area.  That's JMO.  I think people need to keep an open mind about the whole thing and look past what it looks like.  I do understand though, that if you are paying that kind of money, you need to be treated like a queen/king.  But technically, you still are.  

 

Here are some photos.  I tried to post the railings where they are worn vs where they were fixed.

[casadetexas]

Probably the only photo I have of carpet

[casadetexas]

A quick view of the pool in the morning.

[casadetexas]

[casadetexas]

All the chairs in the bars that we went to, the main dinning room, pool deck, and other areas were either new or just well kept.  If anything, the ship was really clean.

[Needs_A_Vacation]

Do they offer fresh squeezed juice on-board?  My husband loves that.