Enchantment of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,956 reviews
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Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Overall
Dori Saltzman
Contributor

Enchantment of the Seas might not have all the jaw-dropping features of newer Royal Caribbean ships, but its fun, friendly onboard atmosphere makes for a wonderful vacation. The crew are always smiling and ready with a joke, and your fellow cruisers will share their contagious excitement about all the daily activities. Plus, with a capacity for no more than 2,700 cruisers, it's easy to meet and get to know your shipmates. You'll see the same folks day after day on the pool deck, at bingo, or lighting up the stage during karaoke.

The consistent food and few extra-fee venues make mealtime a pleasure onboard Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas. In fact, you're rarely bombarded by extra things to spend money on -- minus the first couple days of beverage package pushing, of course, or a walk through the shopping promenade sparkling with jewels and ship-themed souvenirs.

And while the ship is definitely on the older side and in need of a refresh, its smaller size makes it easily manageable for kids, elderly passengers, and everyone in between.

The Enchantment of the Seas Deck Plan Makes for an Easy Passenger Flow and Mostly Quiet Nights

The Enchantment of the Seas deck plans are pretty great in most respects. For the most part, the ship keeps cabins and public spaces on separate decks, meaning most staterooms will be quiet at night and passengers won’t have to spend all day going up and down stairs or elevators to get from the pool to a restaurant or from the casino to a lounge. As a rule of thumb, passengers wishing to avoid certain rooms should follow a similar pattern to other ships: if you’re a light sleeper, stay away from decks directly above or below busy public areas (bearing in mind that some restaurants are cleaned overnight); and if you suffer from seasickness, pick a stateroom on a lower deck and towards the midship area.

Some tips: Enchantment of the Seas deck 4 is home to some of the worst cabins for light sleepers as they’re all directly below the theater and the casino, and some are right next to the Centrum, R Bar, and near the main My Fair Lady Dining Room. On the opposite side of the spectrum  is deck 7 is where you’ll find cabin 7666 and the rest of the aft junior suites, which are bigger and have larger balconies than the rest of the junior suites on this ship.

Enchantment of the Seas is a much smaller ship than some of the newer vessels in the Royal Caribbean fleet, but did undergo a lengthening in June 2005. At almost 83,000 tons,  the gross tonnage is still considerable, and there are lots of things to do onboard. Aside from multiple pools, six dining venues, and an adult-only area, there’s also a cool (and free) rock-climbing wall. Just note that while the pool deck is great, there are no water slides on board, and when sailing in poor weather, Royal Caribbean makes the adult-only indoor Solarium pool available for kids during certain hours.

The ship offers sailings to Europe at different times of the year as well as roundtrip sailings from the Northeast to the Bahamas (with many including a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay). . If you’re struggling to decide between Enchantment and other larger ships that sail from the Northeast (like Oasis of the Seas), you will want to know that Oasis is larger and has more dining venues and amenities, including water slides, which Enchantment does not. That doesn’t make it better, but the experience is different.

In addition, Enchantment is starting to show its age, with wear and tear in both public spaces and cabins, and just an overall feeling that it could use some updates. After all, the last Enchantment of the Seas refurbishment was in 2017 when it received some Oasis-class upgrades. Enchantment still lacks some modern amenities -- the decor is dated and there are no outlets by the beds (and the few outlets that are available in staterooms are not USB compatible). Anyone looking for the Royal Caribbean you see in commercials (ziplines, surf simulators, robot bartenders) might be disappointed. But for a comfortable, easygoing cruise with lots of happy faces, great service, and simple fun, Enchantment of the Seas can't be beat.

Pros

Genial onboard atmosphere, with good service and excellent food.

Cons

No adventurous attractions like waterslides or ziplines; limited optional dining.

Bottom Line

A good value for families with lots to do and friendly crew and fellow passengers.

About

Passengers: 2252
Crew: 852
Passenger to Crew: 2.64:1
Launched: 1997
Shore Excursions: 326

Inclusions

Included with your cruise fare:

  • One main dining room, the buffet, and select other food counters

  • · All theater shows

  • · Use of rock-climbing wall

  • · Most daily activities, unless noted below

  • · Use of the gym, but not most classes

  • · Kids' programming, except extra-fee group babysitting at night

Not included with your cruise fare:

  • · Gratuities (amounts depend on cabin type)

  • All drinks beyond water, tea (including iced tea), coffee, and select juices in the buffet, plus an 18 percent auto-gratuity on extra-fee beverages

  • Spa treatments, plus automatic 18 percent gratuity

  • Shore excursions

  • Internet access; Enchantment of the Seas Wi-Fi is only available for those who purchase an internet plan.

  • Activities including, but not limited to, bingo, wine tastings, all-access ship tour, and cupcake decorating classes.

  • Photos and artwork

  • Nursery service for babies and toddlers, 6 months to 3 years old

Fellow Passengers

Enchantment of the Seas is an overwhelmingly American ship. You'll find lots of first-time cruisers onboard, as well as families and larger groups.

Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas Dress Code

Daytime: Casual. Shorts, T-shirts, and bathing suits are the norm.

Evening: Dinner is casual most nights, with jeans, capris, slacks, T-shirts, and collared shirts being common.. On "Wear Your Best" nights, many cruisers dress up in jackets for men and dresses or nice pants for women, though how they do so is up to them.

Not permitted: Swimwear is generally only permitted on the pool deck. Tank tops are not permitted in the main dining room or in specialty dining venues for dinner.

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More about Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas

Where does Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas sail from?

Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas departs from Tampa

Where does Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas sail to?

How much does it cost to go on Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas?

Cruises on Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas start from $281 per person.

Is Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas a good ship to cruise on?

Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas won 4 awards over the years.
Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas Cruiser Reviews

Old Girl Needs Some Help

I have been on the Empress, Freedom, Enchantment with upcoming cruises on Celebrity Ascent and Radiance. Enchantment has been my least favorite. I will say that the service was good.Read More
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ApolloMke

few6-10 Cruises

Age 50s

Service is the BEST

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BobEmb

couple2-5 Cruises

Age 50s

Amazing port intensive cruise with a group of 36 friends

Our sea day was needed after flying to Athens from Kansas city, a whirlwind tour of Athens, and 3 ports in a row on Enchantment.Read More
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LeesSummitCruiser1

many10+ Cruises

Age 60s

Lovely Shipmates, Great Crew, Dated Ship, Sickness Outbreak, FIRE!

Leaving from Baltimore this cruise is on one of Royal's oldest ships in their current fleet, Enchantment of the Seas, invoking ideas that'll be dated, lack activities and in general be a boring ship, I'dRead More
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Titanicrul

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