My June 18 - 23 Enchantment Review

[love2fish]

Hello everyone,

 

I would like to share my review of my very first cruise.

 

DH & I returned this past Saturday from our first cruise on the Enchantment. It was a 5-day Western Caribbean trip with stops in Key West, Cozumel and Coco Cay. We stayed in a balcony stateroom (#7582 to be exact).

 

Let me start by saying that the weather was beautiful with no rain in the sky. Motion sickness meds were not a necessity as the waters were mostly like glass.

 

Embarkation and debarkation was a snap for us and we were very impressed at how organized the staff was in this process. We were in our room around 2ish. All of our luggage was delivered to us by 6 p.m.

 

Just to share, I had ordered a gift basket from JBOY with two bottles of wine and a 12-pack of beer. It was delivered with no question to our room within the hour of arrival. We also found a bottle of wine and champagne already on ice with glasses in our room upon arrival. The wine was from our TA and the champagne was part of the Classic Romance Package that my employer, yes that's my employer, purchased for us. I'm still skratching my head on that one but it was a very nice gesture. We were also told by our waiter that we could take the bottles to the dining room, unopened, and he would not charge us a corkage fee. He was just the sweetest thing. ;)

 

We were impressed by the food selection and quality in the Windjammer as well as the main dining room. Lobster on the last night was a little tough but outside of that, very good. I really enjoyed the chilled watermelon soup and on one night I requested two different entrees and was served with a smile. Speaking of service, DH and I were BLOWN away at how helpful everyone was. Our stateroom attendant, Manuel, was an absolute joy. He didn't miss a beat and was very efficient. Our waiter Erkan and ass't waiter Carla were a delight to talk with and were at our beckon call. I enjoyed their company so much that I cried saying goodbye to them the last night. Sounds corny, I know but that's just how I am.

 

DH & I were pleased with our stateroom. We felt it was a nice size and my DH vows to sail in nothing less than a balcony room. God love him!! :D We had breakfast on the balcony 3 our of the 5 mornings. Oh man...what a delight.

 

Key West was okay. It was so hot. We visited the Pirate Soul museum which we found interesting but a bit pricey for the tickets. We didn't purchase any excursions, just walked down Duval St. to the Southernmost Point and basically made our way back through the whole town. We had the "famous" frozen key lime pie on a stick from the Blonde Giraffe. I enjoyed it but DH didn't.

 

Cozumel...one thing we learned from Cozumel is that we DON"T want to do the shopping thing again. If we ever go back, we'll do the snorkeling. It was so freakin' hot there we literally had sweat dripping off of us 10 minutes off the ship. I wasn't impressed with the shopping right off the pier so we took a taxi into San Miguel. Boy if that wasn't a ride! DH & I bartered for some items and then we stopped at Carlos n' Charlies before heading back to the ship. Our intention was to have a quick drink and then get out of there. Well, let's just say 2 hours, 4 drinks, 2 conga line dances and 7 shots of tequila later my DH was ready to get my out of there! :eek: Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day and evening passed out on the bed. What can I say...what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico. DH will never let me live that one down.

 

The day at sea was nice. I found a cozy deck chair on the second level. Lords knows I needed a nonproductive day after Cozumel. We watched the belly flop contest. I must say the activities director, Mark was a hoot throughout the whole cruise. Bing bong!

 

Coco Cay was the stop I was most looking forward to and let me just say the place didn't disappoint me nor my DH. Absolutely gorgeous! We walked down the beach to almost the end of the island and was in awe of the color of the water. We purchased the snorkeling gear here and loved every minute. It was our first time snorkeling and it took a few tries but after a while we were amazed at how easy and fun it was. Definately will do that again.

 

I apologize for the long review but wanted to share our amazing time. Let me just say two things...coming from my husband who is a very discriminating traveler, he has said that he will cruise again in a heartbeat. We're already talking about where and when to go next, this time with our son. Secondly, I want to thank everyone who answered questions, shared, etc. Learning about cruising on these boards has made our trip all the more enjoyable. Thank you! ;)

[newbeestl]

Thank you for an excellent review! Glad you had a good time!

[kittymom65]

I am happy you enjoyed your first cruise!

Thanks for posting your review.

Now, go book another one!

[Worn out mailman]

How'd you like the ship itself? I thought Enchantment was great myself, albeit a bit quiet at night (I'm talkin' 10 to 1130, I think things picked up after that). I'm sure you'll find out as I have that you learn something every time you cruise and tweek things the next time around. You'll enjoy each trip more and more.

[BethCarp]

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you had a great time. I'm on the same itinerary in November and I can not wait!

[albertiger]

Thanks for the review, I will be in your (my) cabin next May!:D Can you tell me, does it look like the pictures ive seen- decorated in greens? They appear to have no pictures on the walls, is this true? i know its silly but it just looked so stark, maybe it was the angle! And how were the beds and any noise issues? Thank you!:)

[love2fish]

Thanks for the review, I will be in your (my) cabin next May!:D Can you tell me, does it look like the pictures ive seen- decorated in greens? They appear to have no pictures on the walls, is this true? i know its silly but it just looked so stark, maybe it was the angle! And how were the beds and any noise issues? Thank you!:)

 

I'm so jealous!!!!! I think you will LOVE the room. The noise is nill to none and although the elevator took forever, the room is close to it. Manuel was our stateroom attendant. You will LOVE him! He is sooo sweet. The only time there was a winkle in our bed is when we were in it! :D I'm not sure where you saw pictures of the cabin. If you were looking at the pics on the Royal Caribbean site, then no they are not the same. The room has the new bedding and does have pictures on the wall. The view on the balcony is superb with no obstructions. You will only have to worry about people to the left of the balcony as on the right there is a "wall." I think this is where the end of the new section was placed. I read somewhere that this room is the last in the new section. The shower does have the new doors as opposed to the shower curtain. DH and I each had plenty of room to move around comfortably in the shower. And there is an "apartment size" fridge. If you keep your ice bucket in the fridge the ice will stay frozen a good while, and even if it doesn't, Manuel will fill it up at least once a day. He is wonderful!

 

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, just ask. Enjoy! ;)

[love2fish]

How'd you like the ship itself? I thought Enchantment was great myself, albeit a bit quiet at night (I'm talkin' 10 to 1130, I think things picked up after that). I'm sure you'll find out as I have that you learn something every time you cruise and tweek things the next time around. You'll enjoy each trip more and more.

 

Hello...for it's age we thought the ship is well kept and quite beautiful. For evening excitement, we headed to the Viking Crown Lounge. One night they had Disco Night which we loved. The dance floor was PACKED! As we walked around the deck at around 10:30 - 11 p.m., we noticed kids still at the children's activity center. We thought that was a little late. JMO. And let me tell you, for the price of mixed drinks, you certainly get your monies worth. They are not watered-down.

[albertiger]

Thank You Love2fish!:D If you have any pictures i would love to see them. Im really excited about this ship, i was on Grandeur last year (loved it) and this one looks to be even better! Good thing i have another cruise before this one, Carnival Victory 12/2/07 or the anticipation would kill me!;)

[SmileMom]

Thank you, love2fish! Loved your review! We'll be on the Enchantment in just 19 days, same itinerary. I cannot wait!

[ohiostfb]

Great review. Thanks. I'll be on the same schedule in 19 days as well.

 

Can you recall what drinks were offered as the drinks of the day on this cruise?

[love2fish]

Great review. Thanks. I'll be on the same schedule in 19 days as well.

 

Can you recall what drinks were offered as the drinks of the day on this cruise?

 

Unfortunately I cannot. The only thing I remember about the servers with the drinks is them saying "it's sippin' time!" I do remember that the drinks of the day were $4.25 which is not a bad price and they are worth the money. The bar servers on the ship are not afraid to alcohol in the drinks.

[mamalle]

glad to hear you had a nice time. we did the pirate museum last year and the kids loved it but I do agree- it was $$$

[love2fish]

Thank You Love2fish!:D If you have any pictures i would love to see them. Im really excited about this ship, i was on Grandeur last year (loved it) and this one looks to be even better! Good thing i have another cruise before this one, Carnival Victory 12/2/07 or the anticipation would kill me!;)

 

Hi Al ~ if I remember I'll bring my disk tomorrow and post some pictures. Check back tomorrow afternoon. Thanks!

[Tigergal31]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed report. I will be on this same itinerary in less than 3 weeks!! Sounds great!:)