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Ship Report: Royal Caribbean’s
Enchantment of the Seas
Date: September 7 – 11, 2006
Itinerary: Port Everglades – Key West – Cozumel –
Port Everglades
Submitted by: Leon Banossian
 I had the opportunity to sail on RCCL’s Enchantment of
the Seas for four nights last month. This was my first
RCCL cruise in over 3 years so I was eager to experience
what has changed over this time. My particular cruise
was a the four night segment for the Enchantment which
currently operates 5 – 5 – 4 patterns from Port
Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale).
The Ship
The Enchantment of the Seas was originally built in
1997. In 2005, the ship was stretched and a 73 foot
midsection was inserted which consisted of an additional
151 staterooms along with numerous other features.
Notably these were the bungee jumping trampolines, a new
kid’s splash deck, Boleros Lounge, Seattle’s Best/Ben &
Jerry’s kiosk, and a second pool. All of that said, the
ship is certainly an impressive site from both the
inside and out.
I found the ship to be in excellent cosmetic shape.
Carpets were fresh, woods new, brass polished and paint
maintained. RCCL obviously puts maximum effort into
their upkeep and it shows. The ship is aesthetically
pleasing as well, with a light color scheme in most
public areas, not to mention the 3 level marble-staired
atrium which is complemented by the pair of glass
elevators to the skylight above. The ship is well laid
out also, with public areas grouped primarily on decks 4
and 5 and again on the outdoor areas of decks 9 and 10.
My Stateroom
I sailed in Category F (standard oceanview stateroom). I
found the stateroom to be quite comfortable. Standard
ocean view categories on the Enchantment are all 154
square feet and feature twin beds that are convertible
to queens, a sitting area, in room safe, ample closet
space, mirrored vanity, telephones, televisions, and
comfortable bathrooms.
The Public Areas
The Enchantment of the Seas features 4 lounges of
various sizes that are conducive to private events.
There are also many bars, a conference center, a full
casino, spa, 3 dining outlets, and some unique things
like the bungee trampolines and rock climbing wall.
The lounges most suitable for private events (meeting or
cocktail) are:
Viking Crown Lounge – capacity 250 guests – This
lounge serves as the ships disco and is most suited for
cocktail functions. Because of it’s location atop the
ship and panoramic windows, this is a great spot to host
cocktails with an ocean-view from just about every
vantage point.
Conference Center – capacity 100 – This room,
located on deck 6 aft, is exactly what you would expect
from a meeting room at a hotel. This is an excellent
option for general sessions and classroom set ups. Ample
A/V available here also.
Carousel Lounge – capacity 575 – This lounge is
the ship’s secondary show lounge and is perfect for
large group cocktail events. Because the lounge features
great stage sightlines, it is also a good option for
larger meeting needs. Again, there is ample A/V support
in this lounge.
Orpheum Theatre – capacity 870 – The Orpheum is
the ship’s main show lounge and is located forward on
decks 5 and 6. This lounge can be used for large
meetings and productions. The large size also makes it a
viable option for smaller breakout needs by using
different areas of the lower level and balconies
simultaneously.
The Dining Options
The Enchantment features a main dining room, a casual
“lido” dining area and a specialty restaurant. The main
dining room is called the My Fair Lady and is two
leveled with a capacity of over 1100 guests. My Fair
Lady is sit down scheduled dining and RCCL offers the
standard early or late seating dining options. The
Windjammer Café is the casual dining area located on
deck 9 forward and is open for buffet breakfasts, lunch,
and dinner. There is also the Chops Grille, a specialty
steak house on board that has a capacity for 104 guests.
Chops Grille does carry a surcharge and requires
reservations.
The Food
I found the Enchantment of the Seas dining to be good to
very good. Although the first evening’s dinner was a bit
of cause for concern. I will say that with the second
day through the end, however, the food was good in
presentation, taste and selection.
Breakfasts in the My Fair Lady are recommended if you
can make it to scheduled seating times. I found the menu
to be very good with favorites like Eggs Benedict, Nova
Salmon, and made to order omelets always available. The
Windjammer breakfast buffets are good as well, but I
favored the dining room.
I had lunch in port a couple of days but my onboard
experience was limited to the Windjammer buffet and it
was good. There are various choices of hot foods as well
as deli sandwiches, salads and of course sweets. I
should also mention that there is a grill area aft on
deck 9 where you can have pizza and burgers throughout
the afternoon.
I did not have a chance on this cruise to dine in the
Chops Grille but heard from fellow guests that the
experience was a good one, with excellent service and an
expanded wine list.
The Service
Royal Caribbean does an excellent job of taking care of
their guests onboard. The service all around was very
good. Cabin stewards are efficient and seldom seen.
Dining room staff is very attentive from the busboy to
the section supervisor. In the public areas, the shops
are well staffed and the merchandise was fairly priced.
The casino staff were active and friendly. Bartenders
and servers are fantastic and energetic. Deck staff are
also omnipresent and always take the time to say hello
and make sure you are doing fine. The Cruise Director’s
staff get the party started in all lounges in the
evenings.
In Summary
I personally feel that the Enchantment of the Seas
offers the best hardware in the 4 and 5 day cruise
market. After sailing on her, I can further that the
product carries a slightly upscale feel over the
competitors in the market. The ship is conducive to
groups from 20 – 500+. There are adequate facilities for
meetings when needed and in the event of pure incentive,
certainly much to do. This is an active product and the
demographic onboard take advantage of it. Most nights
the disco goes until 3 or 4am (or at least I was told…).
I feel that RCCL’s Enchantment offers significant bang
for the buck and will impress both first time and repeat
cruisers. This ship is definitely a viable incentive
option and should be considered top choice in the large
ship, short cruise market. |
