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Royal Caribbean's
Enchantment of the Seas
March 23 - April 1, 2003
Cruise Review
by
Connie Ligenza
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:40:54 -0400
From: budcon@ptd.net (Connie
Ligenza)
Subject: Review
This was our first cruise. My husband, two children (4 and
10) and parents sailed together to celebrate our ten year anniversary.
As I write this review I can only say that it was the best vacation we've
ever been on. We're sailing again, on Navigator in October 2003,
and my children unanimously agreed to a cruise over Disney! There
was so much for them to do. Between the time they spent in Kids Club(which
gave us some much needed alone time) and the time we spent together, it
was a perfect balance. What I liked best was the convienence of just
about everything.
Enchantment was a beautiful ship. My favorite part was the
atrium. It was stunning. We stayed in a quad cabin, inside,
on deck four. It was small. I have to admit I was alarmed at
first, but when I began to unpack, I realized it was very efficient.
It served our needs just fine since we were hardly ever in it (other than
to sleep and get ready for fun). The best part of the cabin was our
steward Sherman. He was so friendly and accomodating. I couldn't
thank him enough and tipped him very well. We gave him some extra
$$ mid-way through the week and he really appreciated it. We smuggled
Corona and wine on the ship, in an attempt to keep the bar bill down, and
Sherman always had clean glasses, limes, ice and wine keys available for
us.
Dinners were wonderful and the service outstanding. Our waiter
Francis was awesome. I enjoyed the filet, lobster, the chilled soups
and deserts the most. My husband ate way too much! We also
ate breakfast in the main dining room and it was equally as good.
The windjammer was fine. Nothing spectacular, but it was quick and
convienent for breakfast and lunch.
As far as the ports of call. I would not book simple excursions like
snorkling, Dunn's River Falls, touring, stingray swim etc. through the
cruise line. It was much cheaper simply disembarking in port and
making your own arrangements. For example, in Cozumel we took a short
cab ride to Chankaanab Reef Park and snorkeled all day directly off the
beach for only 10$ pp. The cab fare was about 5$ split between us
and my parents. It was very beautiful, food and drinks available,
botanical gardens, dolphin encounter, etc. Don't miss Carlos and
Charlie's in Cozumel. It's a blast! The same in Jamaica.
We'd been there before and knew of the importance of negotiating fees upfront.
We booked a cab with a great driver (Big Belly Russell) and two Panamanian
couples. He took us to Dunn's River (kept watch of all our stuff
while we did the falls) then took us to a private beach (we did not have
to pay an entrance fee) and then shopping, including a pit-stop for Red
Stripe Beers at the local market. He charged us $10 pp for the whole
day and the kids were free. We gave him a nice tip. He was
truly part of what made the day so special. In Grand Caymen, we booked
the sting-ray swim through RCC. When we got off the ship the same
company was offering the tour for one-half the price! It was interesting.
My kids were petrified and basically entered the water for about 2 minutes
and spent the rest of the time on the edge of the boat. I liked it
alot, but I'm the animal buff of the family and am not afraid of open water.
Shopping was great in Grand Cayman. Beautiful jewelry and gifts and a great
place to purchase liquor due to the extrememly low prices compared to the
states. It was by far the prettiest water I've seen in the Carribean.
Aside from the piano bars and casino, we did not stay out late and
take in much night-life. I was exhausted because we woke early; jogged
3-4 miles a day around the track on the top deck (no gym for me-the view
and ocean breeze made running outdoors a real treat); enjoyed libations
and dancing poolside or active excursions while in port and a wonderful
meal at the late seating. By midnight, we were all fast asleep.
When we disembarked, we did not exit when our color was called.
Instead, we waited until the very end and avoided the lines while lounging
at the pool deck for a little while longer. I grabbed the rail
and told my husband that I was not leaving-ever!!!! We were able
to do this since we had a later flight and time was not an issue.
I can not say enough to do this cruise line and the experience justice.
We travel quite a bit and this was my favorite vacation-ever. It
was relaxing and provided us with quality time together as a family.
And it was fun-the pool-side antics were great. The service was great
and the ship was beautiful. We're cruising on Navigator next which
should be another wonderful experience. My kids can't wait.
They continue to count down the days until we fly out of Philadelphia on
October 24, 2003.
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