Enchantment vs Brilliance

[printingchick]

We have a 2024 western Caribbean cruise booked on Brilliance. The ship is being changed to Enchantment, which is a ship I've never been on. (Haven't been on Brilliance either, but have cruised on other Radiance Class ships a few times, so I'm familiar.) Royal is allowing impacted guests to switch to another cruise without penalty if they wish. Thing is, I love the itinerary, which includes Roatan and Belize. I nearly jumped to switch to the ONLY posted southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan (my preferred Caribbean region), but it stops at Trinidad and Tobago and have read those places are scary dangerous. (Explains why the itinerary is being offered at such a bargain price.) I am pretty sure switching for any other itinerary out of San Juan will be pricey, especially with the added air fare costs, but I can't even compare right now because no other itineraries will be posted for a few more months. Pretty sure we're better off sticking with our current itinerary, but would love to hear comparisons of Enchantment to Radiance Class from those who have cruised on both. Thanks in advance.

[Tatka]

We sailed on both. Enchantment is enlarged Vision class ship. It is smaller ship, but it has all components of Brilliance. Some time ago they even added Bolleros club (Latin music). Solarium is smaller and not as pretty. There is no minigolf. We sail on large Oasis and Anthem ships all the time, but we enjoyed Enchantment tremendously in March (and booked again)

 

 

[printingchick]

Thanks. I'm excited to watch your videos. I hear the cabins are smaller on Enchantment compared to Radiance Class. Did you feel cramped? (We have an OV, so some cramping comes with the territory!) 

 

You said the solarium pool isn't as pretty as on Radiance. Is it still covered, as it is on the Radiance ships?

 

Is there as much glass? Elevators that view the ocean? Outside dining at the Windjammer? 

 

We have two sea days and won't use the trampoline, so I think we'll miss the mini golf. It's a favorite sea day activity. But certainly not the end of the world. 

 

You were on Enchantment just this past March? I know she's an older ship. How was her condition? Any complaints about out-of-service issues, smells, etc. that sometimes come with the older ships? I like that the stretch gave the ship such a large main pool area. 

 

We actually prefer the smaller ships. Radiance Class, Celebrity Summit represent my sweet-spot in terms of size. We won't be comparing this to a mega ship, which will probably help us to form a positive opinion. 

 

Thanks for your help! 

[Tatka]

Cabins are on a smaller side. We had inside room with a chair instead of sofa. We do not spend much time in our room even if it is a balcony, so it was not an issue for us. There is no fridge. Space for clothing are adequate (our cruise was 12 days to Southern Caribbeans).

 

 Solarium is covered. It is just smaller and not as decorated https://www.tripadvisor.ca/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g1-d15691459-i373548734-Enchantment_of_the_Seas-World.html

 

Ship does not have side elevators with a view, but Centrum elevators allow you to see windows.

 

Ship is in very good condition.

 

It is also interesting to navigate. You will see from my videos that all walls in Centrum on every floor are covered with paintings. Reminds me of a museum. 🙂

[HicksRA]

IMO, Enchantment is definitely a downgrade. It’s old, out of date and slowly rusting away. 
If it was me and I really wanted the itinerary, I’d stick with it but wouldn’t be happy about it. 

[printingchick]

HicksRA: A downgrade from Brilliance? Can you be more specific? I know it's older and smaller. I'm asking because I'm sure some folks think Radiance Class is a definite downgrade from Freedom Class, but I prefer Radiance to Freedom. It's subjective. I'd like to know what about the ship you consider a downgrade to better inform my decision.

 

All things being equal, I'd prefer to be on a southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan, but this western Caribbean was such a great deal and it was on a Radiance Class ship. I'm pinching pennies these days and not sure I can shell out another $400 per person for a more expensive cruise and more expensive air fare. In my price range, this is by far the best itinerary. Leaning toward keeping it unless a really good southern Caribbean deal materializes. 

[Cruzaholic41]

I actually think Enchantment is the better ship due to the much more expansive pool deck. Otherwise, while different classes, the 2 ships are pretty much interchangeable. 

[Tatka]

1 hour ago, HicksRA said:

IMO, Enchantment is definitely a downgrade. It’s old, out of date and slowly rusting away. 
If it was me and I really wanted the itinerary, I’d stick with it but wouldn’t be happy about it. 

 

It is 1996 vs 2001. So it depends on when it was serviced. I did not notice rust or anything. It also was lengthened and more clubs etc added.

[Another_Critic]

Enchantment only has one specialty restaurant ... Chops.  I think they also do Chef's table.  I'm not a foodie, so MDR works for me.

 

"Outside dining at the Windjammer?"  The Windjammer is at the front on Enchantment; there's no connected outside seating like Radiance class and Q class, but there are tables nearby.

[cruiselvr04]

Enchantment is smaller and older but she’s not a bad ship.  OV cabins are about 140 sq ft on Enchantment vs 170 on Brilliance.  The OV cabins do not have a cooler/refrigerator on Enchantment.  Bring your own collapsible cooler and have your steward fill with ice.  Both ships have the dreaded shower curtains.  
 

Everything else is pretty much the same.  
 

We have been moved to Brilliance.  While I like the bigger room, since Brilliance has fewer OV and more balconies we did not get comparable cabin placement.  Not super happy but this is a bucket list trip to Australia so we will deal with it.  
 

This is a huge adjustment for many sailings and many people have been effected.  Not sure why this happened…. poor planning on someone’s part when they opened?  Some change for some reason we may never have answers for.   

[HicksRA]

54 minutes ago, printingchick said:

HicksRA: A downgrade from Brilliance? Can you be more specific? I know it's older and smaller. I'm asking because I'm sure some folks think Radiance Class is a definite downgrade from Freedom Class, but I prefer Radiance to Freedom. It's subjective. I'd like to know what about the ship you consider a downgrade to better inform my decision.

 

All things being equal, I'd prefer to be on a southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan, but this western Caribbean was such a great deal and it was on a Radiance Class ship. I'm pinching pennies these days and not sure I can shell out another $400 per person for a more expensive cruise and more expensive air fare. In my price range, this is by far the best itinerary. Leaning toward keeping it unless a really good southern Caribbean deal materializes. 

The last time I was on Enchantment, was a B2B in Jan 2019 right before Covid. 
We were in an aft JS and the balcony was literally flaking away in rust at the sliding door and outside railing. The outside of the ship had almost as much orange form rust stains as it did white paint. 
The inside was fair for its age, but I just didn’t enjoy the ship at all. (Maybe just me)

Radiance class ships (Brilliance) have much more glass for better views all over the ship and are just more nicely appointed IMHO. YMMV

[meadowlander]

Did b2b on Enchantment in March and April. It was evident that maintenance had not been performed during the shutdown but that did not take away from the experience. There were issues with plumbing in bathrooms in cabins and public restrooms. I found the service to be outstanding, enjoyed the quality of food.  I found the public spaces like Bolero's, Schooner Bar to be too small which was more evident on the second cruise when an additional 300 sailed. 

 

I am sure you will have an enjoyable cruise especially if the ports are the appeal to you.

[bigeck]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

Enchantment only has one specialty restaurant ... Chops.  I think they also do Chef's table.  I'm not a foodie, so MDR works for me.

 

"Outside dining at the Windjammer?"  The Windjammer is at the front on Enchantment; there's no connected outside seating like Radiance class and Q class, but there are tables nearby.

Thanks for the info. Next Nov I have 7 night Athens to Barcelona then the Ta in an aft cabin but looks like I'm moving

[shipgeeks]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Enchantment only has one specialty restaurant ... Chops.  I think they also do Chef's table.  I'm not a foodie, so MDR works for me.

 

"Outside dining at the Windjammer?"  The Windjammer is at the front on Enchantment; there's no connected outside seating like Radiance class and Q class, but there are tables nearby.

WJ on Enchantment connects directly with pool deck.  There are tables and chairs right there for those who would like to eat outside.

[Another_Critic]

3 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

WJ on Enchantment connects directly with pool deck.  There are tables and chairs right there for those who would like to eat outside.

Correct, but you have to walk through the foyer, not just walk out the back door(s) like R and Q class.

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

The OV cabins do not have a cooler/refrigerator on Enchantment.  Bring your own collapsible cooler and have your steward fill with ice.  Both ships have the dreaded shower curtains.  

Actually, the OV cabins in the "stretched" section have fridges and glass doors.

 

I booked a cabin in the stretched section for March 2022, but unfortunately, I was moved to make room for the Covid Ward.  😞 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Another_Critic

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, meadowlander said:

I found the public spaces like Bolero's, Schooner Bar to be too small which was more evident on the second cruise when an additional 300 sailed. 

The public indoor spaces, with the exception of the added Bolero's, were designed for the original ship capacity.  More cabins, same public space.  But the expanded pool deck on Enchantment is nice. 

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

Correct, but you have to walk through the foyer, not just walk out the back door(s) like R and Q class.

You're right, I had forgotten about the foyer.

[kruzerci]

Having been on both multiple times, I would be fine with the switch.
 

Enchantment is actually a better ship for the Caribbean due to the huge pool deck that benefited from the stretch. Enchantment also has Boleros. The design of Vision and Radiance class ships are really very similar, with some tweaks and modernization for the Radiance class (Windjammer moved to back, Solarium moved to front).

 

Overall, I think it is a wash. The design of Enchantment is 5 years older and the cabins slightly smaller and less balconies, however the Radiance class is just an evolution of the Vision class if you look at the deck plans and design. 

[meadowlander]

22 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Correct, but you have to walk through the foyer, not just walk out the back door(s) like R and Q class.

WJ's outside starboard eating area has a sliding glass door that connects directly with WJ. Numerous times I entered/exited WJ using that door  That sliding door is the 'back door' to the outside eating area. The self service ice cream station is located in this outside area.

[printingchick]

On 7/30/2022 at 3:57 PM, meadowlander said:

WJ's outside starboard eating area has a sliding glass door that connects directly with WJ. Numerous times I entered/exited WJ using that door  That sliding door is the 'back door' to the outside eating area. The self service ice cream station is located in this outside area.

Super helpful information! One of the things we like most about Radiance Class ships is the outdoor dining! We love eating breakfast outside and watching the ship pull into port! I'd hugely miss that. 

 

Thanks to all for their comments. Feeling better about this ship change. In fact, feeling kind of excited about trying out a new ship! Wish it wasn't so far away. We were originally booked for February 2023, but as the pandemic dragged on, we decided it would be better to push back a year. So now, we impatiently wait!!