Just back from Enchantment 2/22/07

[yj2cute]

Well, just returned from the 4 night EOS cruise visiting Key West & Cozumel. To sum it up, I had a GREAT time.

 

Staff was wonderful. I met the much talked about Concierge of the Enchantment, Julian, and as reported, he is so charming. And fine too. He DOES look like Denzel Washington. Did I mention he was fine? Lol. I was not a Diamond member on this trip, this cruise makes me Diamond, but after meeting and talking with Julian I'm looking forward to seeing him again this fall on my first DIAMOND cruise! Woo hoo! Also, Ricky Ricardo was wonderful. I'm so glad to see he's worked his way up from a cabin attendant to cruise director staff. And he seems to be the most visible of all of the staff. Seems like he was running everything! Weather was wonderful. Only negative would have to be the food in the DR. I'm just really not crazy about the new menu. Selections of entrees and desserts just don't excite me very much any more. Servers Alina from Romania & Richard from Jamaica were great. Actually, one more negative. The Cruise Director, Paul Rutter, has to be the most BORING cruise director I've ever seen. He has this whiny, nasaly voice that drives me nuts. He just doesn't have that umph factor and I just didn't look forward to the events he hosted. I was surprised that he hosted the Quest, just didn't think it was his thing, and as suspected, it wasn't as exciting as usual. However, my team did win so that was fun!

 

All in all my GF and I had a fun girls' getaway and looking forward to the next one. If you have any questions I'll try to answer.

 

Happy Cruising!

[CAT GIRL]

I think you're addicted to the Enchantment. How many times is that

for you this year???? I'm glad you got to meet Julian. Isn't he dreamy?

I agree with your assessment of Paul. Way too low key for me.

I'm glad you and your girlfriends had a good time. Maybe we'll

cruise together again.

 

Cat Girl

[yj2cute]

Hey, Cat.

I think you're right. Enchantment is my favorite ship. Technically this is only my first trip on her....this year. :) Trying to squeeze in another in Sept. You interested? Yes, Julian is dreamy. He put on a Michael Jackson routine in the DR on the last evening that was quite entertaining. My GF took a picture of us together. I'll try to post it once she emails it to me.

 

Cat, where you off to next?

[msbunny]

Looks like I picked the right ship for a 5 night get away with 4 of my close GF. We are leaving on 2/17. The last (and only) cruise I was on was Song of America in Nov. 1988 for my Honeymoon! I'm still happily married, but we're leaving the hubbies and kids home to celebrate a special birthday year for 4 of us. Among other things, looking forward to meeting the famous Julian.

[yj2cute]

I would say yes, this is a good ship for a girls' getaway. There's a good staff and fun activities. Getting involved makes the cruise more fun, so as RCCL says, Get Out There!

[Kteacher]

Glad to hear this report- I'm doing a girls getaway on the Enchantment in April :) Can't wait to meet the famous Julian!

[mommabean]

This is so funny. It's hard to believe people can have such completely different perceptions of the cruise staff.

 

OK, so we all agree about Julian. :D

 

But Paul Rutter was so good on my cruise. I watched the video I took of the quest yesterday - more than once - and I found him to be so entertaining and funny. The way he reacts to things and that "voice" he uses is what puts it over the top for me. The quest on Enchantment was the absolute funniest one I've seen. Maybe part of it was because we had the front row center stage seats. :) But that only helped me to get great videos - it didn't help us win.

 

Paul was friendly and approachable. He was there for more activities than I've seen from any other CD. He happily took the time to stop and talk to anyone who wanted to talk at the behind the scenes tour.

 

I really hoped he'd be there for my upcoming Enchantment cruise but that remains to be seen.

 

Sometimes it's the participants that make things funnier than at other times. Although the CD has to take what he gets and run with it. I thought Paul did a great job of that on our cruise.

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing Julian again though. This time as a diamond member instead of a suite resident. I really hope this fan club doesn't ever go to his head! ;) :)

 

(I got to thinking - maybe it's because I saw Paul as leading the show and not becoming the show - that's why I liked him so much)

[Silque1964]

Erm...who's Julian? :confused:

[yj2cute]

Connie & Steve,

Julian is the Enchantment's Concierge and he runs the Concierge lounge on the ship. As you can see, he's VERY popular. Momma, yes I think everyone can agree on him. My GF thought Paul was not so great either. She said he should be in a garden. Lol. That voice sounded like a gardener's voice. Lol. I'm not a garden person so I'm not sure what that sounds like. He didn't do many events at all on our cruise. Ricky seemed to do everything. I didn't even think he'd do the Quest, just seems to risque for him. Actually, he did tone the Quest down a bit, disappointingly. You know what they do at the end, right? Well, he kind of toned that down and it was much less funny. Well, as you said, different perceptions. I'm glad you enjoyed him on your cruise though, however I won't be excited if he's on the EOS next time I go.

 

I did Karaoke and Ricky is a hoot as the host of that. He came out in 2 different costumes, Sexy Chocolate and Melvis. Lol. He was funny. I'm sure all of you will enjoy your upcoming EOS cruises.

[ChrissyM_Cruiser]

Have you guys been to Bingo with Ricky Ricardo? He's a hoot, especially when he has to call out 3's. "Tirty Tree". He said he feels like Daffy Duck when he tries to say his 3's like an American.

[82Strat]

I agree. Paul was not my favorite CD of all time. Just about from the get go, I had a poor impression of him. Not very energetic and kind of whiny sounding. It did get better as the days went on, but it took awhile. I thought he did a nice job at the Quest however. I have got to go find out some more info on this topic as it was my first experience with this and it was hilarious.

 

Ricky Ricardo was awesome. I spent a lot of time at the Karoke (my wife and I even sung a duet, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light") and Melvis / Sexy Chocolate was there cheering everyone on. Great time! Man, some of the performers at the Karoke were incredible!!! Seemed like we got to watch our own Idol Finalists Competition.

 

Being this was my first RCI cruise, I was not overly impressed (and was outright disappointed with a few things), but then again I wasn't completely put off either. Let's just say it didn't change my mind that RCI is better then Carnival at all.

 

Later, Strat

[yj2cute]

Strat, were you on the 2/22 cruise also? If so, I remember you from Karaoke. That's the song that's like 8 minutes right? I had never heard that song before and couldn't believe that it lasted so long! Lol. Every time I thought it was over, it kept on going and going. Kinda like the Energizer bunny. Lol.

 

What were some of the things that you were disappointed with?

[wolfcathorse]

Yj2cute - who was your captain?

[big al]

I agree. Paul was not my favorite CD of all time. Just about from the get go, I had a poor impression of him. Not very energetic and kind of whiny sounding. It did get better as the days went on, but it took awhile. I thought he did a nice job at the Quest however. I have got to go find out some more info on this topic as it was my first experience with this and it was hilarious.

 

Ricky Ricardo was awesome. I spent a lot of time at the Karoke (my wife and I even sung a duet, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light") and Melvis / Sexy Chocolate was there cheering everyone on. Great time! Man, some of the performers at the Karoke were incredible!!! Seemed like we got to watch our own Idol Finalists Competition.

 

Being this was my first RCI cruise, I was not overly impressed (and was outright disappointed with a few things), but then again I wasn't completely put off either. Let's just say it didn't change my mind that RCI is better then Carnival at all.

 

Later, Strat

 

Strat-I've been on 5 Carnival cruises and 5 RCl cruises and although I love both,RCL to me is a TON better..here's why: 1) THE ROYAL PROMENADE on the Voyager /Freedom class ships says it all!! When I saw that and walked down that promenade,sat in the British Pub sipping a beer,singing along with the oldies,then walked across had a glass of wine in Vintages,their wine bar,really it was over RIGHT THEN & THERE!!!....2) Carnival has WAY too much neon and glitz for me..I much prefer the softer colors of RCL and all the glass and wood,like in the Schooner bars,a trademark RCL lounge..or the Champagne Bar,or the romantic Viking Crown Lounge area on the top deck...and of course 3) The Ice-skating shows are wonderful!! Not to be missed....4) I prefer Chops & Portifinos alternative dining for $20 pp,than the Supper Club at Carnival,usually $25-30...

 

Carnival's food in the main dining room is fine and service is good..problem is THE SHIPS (even the Radiance class are beautiful) are just not as nice as RCL's...great activities on Carnival,though we don't do that much as far as that goes....

 

BTW,on the new Freedom of The Seas,those 2 cantilevered hot tubs that stick out of the side and are suspended 112 ft. above the water are the absoulte coolest hot tubs I've EVER sat in!!To sit in those hot tubs,sipping a cool drink while you gaze out over the hypnotic blue waters,is mesmorizing....

 

Try the Freedom,Liberty Of The Seas (out in May '07),Mariner /Navigator of the Seas or any Radiance class ship and you'll see the big difference....

 

Big Al

 

USS Constitution (’61)

USS Independence( ’63)

SS United States( ‘5 3 & ’67)

Queen Mary (??)

Raffaelo(’63)

Michelangelo (’62)

SS France (’66)

Carnival Fantasy (’90)

Carnival Sensation (’95)

RCL’s Majesty Of Seas (’96)

Carnival Paradise (’98)

Grand Princess (‘00)

Celebrity Mercury (‘01)

NCL Star (1 nght.) (’01)

NCL Sun (’01)

Carnival Pride (’03)

Carnival Triumph ( ’04)

RCL’s AOS (’05)

HAL’s Westerdam (’05)

Disney Wonder (5/06)

RCL’s Mariner OS (8/06)

RCL’s Freedom Of The Seas (11/06)

RCL’s Enchantment Of The Seas (4/07)

RCL’s Liberty Of The Seas (11/07)

RCL’s Navigator Of The Seas (3/08)

[82Strat]

Yep that was me. Couldn't believe my wife agreed to sing it with me. :D I love that song, but it does go on forever. :eek:

 

Disappointed things...

 

1. And probably the biggest...I booked directly with RCI 3 months ago. Myself and 3 other couples all celebrating our 20th anniversaries. Told the agent this several times. Asked for an upgrade, on-board credit, anything to acknowledge what we were celebrating with them. What did we get...nothing. No bottle of wine, no congratulations from staff, not even a small flower in our room. Something so small could have gone a long way to making the trip so much better.

 

2. Cabin Steward, was not as nice as stewards on previous trips, but this is not too big a deal. Didn't have much interaction with him except to bring ice for my cooler and make up the room. Maybe I'm expecting too much based upon previous experiences.

 

3. Room service carts sat outside my door for hours and hours on end. They'd be there when I left in the morning and still there when I returned at night. This happened more then once on a 4 night cruise. Although this also happened (not right in front of my room, but down the hall) on Carnival.

 

4. Didn't especially like the CD (seemed like he was forcing himself and wasn't relaxed) - although he made up for it with his hosting of the Quest on the last night. I thought that was pretty hilarious. Too bad I got there late and could only watch.

 

5. Couldn't understand why the Captain had to spin the ship in Cozumel and back in before we got off..."wasting" a good 1/2 hour to an hour of shore time. Why not back out of port and spin after we got back on the ship?

 

6. I ordered the Wine & Dine package off of the RCI website only to get to the dining room the first nite and be told that it didn't work for 4 night cruises. Thanks goodness I brought my receipt. They worked it out and we got our wine (which was good), but why even advertise it and allow the confusion to happen in the first place?

 

7. RCI was overly emphatic about not bringing any alcohol onto the ship. We ended up bringing a pint of rum and a 3 liter box of wine in our checked bags anyway, but still had a $300 bar bill. If their only concern is liability, then make that statement, but don't freak us out and threaten us with kicking us off of the cruise ship if they discover it.

 

8. When I booked the room, I was concerned about kitchen noise above me. I was assured by my agent that wouldn't be a problem at all. Tell the people upstairs in the kitchen that at 3:00 in the morning (every morning). Didn't last long, but they had to move something around that banged and scraped.

 

9. Being still concerned about the kitchen noise, I tried to upgrade my cabin. Called and sent my agent an e-mail, but by the time she got back to me (3 days later, the price went up significantly and we decided not to). Although she was nice, it apparently wasn't her fault.

 

10. Although this was a very good value, a nearly identical cruise on Carnival was less expensive - like $50 - $80 per person.

 

OK, enough of that...things I DID like...

 

1. Food,

2. Entertainment (although picking a male "assistant" out of the audience that just happens to be a lawyer for anything "dangerous" is getting old), 3. Comedian on the first night,

4. Bingo (but how does anyone possibly win a 4 corners with only 4 numbers picked??? arghhh!),

5. Waiters (Sanjay and Maurice) :),

6. Service staff in Windjammers Cafe,

7. Ricky Ricardo!! (Sexy Chocolate),

8. Piano player in Schooner's

9. Cabin (although smaller then Carnival, still pretty nice - except for the aforementioned noise), passengers (everyone I ran into was pretty nice), ship as a whole was a nice design and pretty well kept.

 

All in all, a nice cruise despite my comments above. I just don't think it was an overwhelming I'll change my mind immediately for RCI type of experience. I think I'm going to look more carefully at the prices in the future.

 

Strat

[mommabean]

Strat,

 

Who is the piano player in the Schooner bar on Enchantment now?

[82Strat]

No clue what his name was, but he was about 50 and really had the place rocking every time we walked by.

[yj2cute]

Wolfcalf, I think the captain's name was Thor Olsen. Does that sound right?

 

Strat, sorry you were disappointed, different strokes for different folks. RCCL

is my line of choice, not perfect by any means, but I don't see any Carnival cruises in my future. Good luck with your next cruise.

[lojill]

Glad you had a great time. We are going on March 31st

[cruisinisforme]

Hey I was booked on that march 31st cruise but had to cancel...have a great time. I am going in may now though and it will be my third time on the enchantment. I too love the ship cant wait to get back and glad to hear you had a great time.

 

Al I agree, I have been on both carnival and RCCL and I so love those voyager class ships. The mariner is my absolute favorite!

[CruisinNole]

Strat - We've sailed on Princess, HAL and RCI and have never gotten a free gift like a bottle of wine or flowers for an anniversary or birthday celebration. On RCI, we have always gotten a cake in the dining room. We make sure to tell our Head Waiter that we're celebrating a special occasion. They bring out a cake for the whole table and the waiters sing "Happy Birthday/Anniversary". We celebrated our anniversary last year on Majesty. Another couple at our table was also celebrating their anniversary but didn't tell the Head Waiter. They mentioned it when we got our cake and he went back and got them a cake too. Did you book through a TA? Everytime we booked through a TA, we've been given a bottle of wine and/or flowers. Lately, we've booked online and although we're asked if we're celebrating a special occasion, we don't expect to receive wine or flowers.

[skyking]

We sailed with Tor and his wife a few years back on the Mariner. We sat at the Captains table and his wife was rubbing my arms, saying I looked like I climbed the rock wall all day....I sweeeeear that really happened! Check out my link for the pics.

 

Tim