Cruise Review ~ Western Caribbean
Dec 21st, 2006, 08:24 AM
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Cruise Review ~ Western Caribbean
My family of 5 (My husband and I...mid 30s...and 3 kids...10, 8 & 19 months) went on a 4 night Western Caribbean cruise (Key West & Cozumel) on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas as a family vacation and surprise christmas gift for my step-kids (10 & 8 year olds). Weather was iffy at first but it turned out great. I didn't find the seas to be rough at all. Depending where you were on the ship, and especially the last day, you could feel the slight rhythmic sway of the ship but it was nice at bedtime. Our day at sea was very windy and unless you had a prime spot by the pool bar and splash pool (which we had the first 2 days but not the last) it made it difficult to sit by the pool or up on deck. This was my second cruise and my family's first. All in all we had a great trip and I would definitely sail with RCCL again. We want to do an Alaskan cruise one day.
Embarkation/Debarkation ~
Embarkation was a breeze. No lines at all. Debarkation was a little more chaotic...having to go to your "holding room", then file off the ship with the masses to locate your luggage in this huge area. Customs was short and sweet though.
The ship ~
Very nice ship, in great condition and always spotless. The pool deck area is very nice and the splash pool is nice for the kids. The Solarium is lovely and I really liked all of the Bird of Paradise. But since I was with kids, I didn't spend any time there. The ship was decorated for Christmas which my daughter loved. It also had a rock climbing wall and bungee trampoline.
The rooms ~
We had 2 adjoining inside rooms, thank goodness! It would have been miserable with all of us stuffed into one room. The beds were really comfortable, I thought, and the bedding was nice. More offerings on TV than I thought including first run videos. I thought we were supposed to be in the new, stretched section but I don't think we were because we had regular old showers as opposed to the new Star Trek showers everyone talks about. But they were fine. And we couldn't ever seem to get cold water from the taps so we brushed our teeth with warm water. The shampoo dispenser didn't work in one shower and that never got fixed but aside from these minor things, I was happy with our rooms.
The service ~
Excellent service for the most part. Our dining room waiters were wonderful. We learned that 52 countries were represented by the dining room staff. And they all love babies! My daughter was very popular
Our cabin steward was pretty good but he had our rooms reversed so we had to use the kids cards to get into our room. Most of the time we just went through their room with our cards but if the baby was sleeping, we had to make sure we had one of their cards. We asked our steward of we could be assigned new cards so we didn't have to change around the beds but I don't think he really understood our concerns so we just dealt with it. He also never brought us pool towels except for the first day.
The food ~
Dining Room: Excellent food, great service. We ate here every night for dinner and 3 out of 4 mornings for breakfast. Our waiter and assistant waiter (Fanderson and Aliston) were top notch. We had a great table by window. Some of the most memorable food items were the prime rib, filet of beef, roast duck, rack of lamb and tempura mahi mahi. Sometimes it took a while to get milk for my daughter but after the second day at dinner they had it ready for us. Service was slower in the morning but still fine.
Windjammer: Food was pretty good, especially the paninis and french fries. But it was like a free for all at times and I didn't care much for that atmosphere. Great views though from the tables by the windows. More of a language barrier here. I asked for a pint of milk for my 19 month old and was given a coffee creamer..but hey, he tried! The kids loved the soft serve ice cream machine by the pool.
Solarium: Didn't discover this until later in the cruise, but this was a great place to grab lunch or get a late night snack. The pizza was very good! Much better than the Windjammer. And they served those yummy fries...without the commotion of the Windjammer.
Midnight Buffet: I was really tired this night but I dragged myself here and was glad I did. I just love the presentation and the fruit carvings and ice sculptures. They also had a poolside buffet one evening on a smaller scale.
Drinks: Were reasonably priced I thought. About $6 on average with the daily special being $4.25. We did get one frou frou drink while watching the Love & Marriage show. It happened to be in a flashing glass so that made it $9. We did take on one bottle of gin and a couple bottles of tonic which my husband made to use drink in the cabin in the evening. I did find out though that tonic is included on the soda card in case anyone is interested. And the La Terre Merlot at $5.50 a glass which we had with dinner a couple of nights was very good. I will say though that the bartender at the pool bar made the worst Mojito I have ever had.
Adventure Ocean ~
Kids loved it. They mainly went after dinner and spent the evening there until 10 PM. They did a lot of activities and games, had theme nights, and made new friends.
Bars/Clubs/Shows ~
The bars all seemed nice though we didn't really spend any time in them. We did go to the Viking Crown lounge one evening but my husband wasn't feeling good for some reason so we didn't stay. Very cool place though. This was the only experience we had with a rude server. When he approached us, we asked if we could have a few minutes and he basically said whatever and walked off. Boleros was okay but it was mainly older people so we passed. Walked threough the casino whgich was nice but didn't gamble. The theater was very nice. We watched the Love and Marriage show one night and my husband took the older kids to see a magic show there. We did enjoy the pool party they had one night. The steel drum band that plays by the pool, Caribbean Breeze, was great. That is my kind of music for a Caribbean trip.
Ports of Call ~
Key West: I have been to key West before and love it. My husband and the kids have never been so we decided just to walk around the town. Went though Mallory Square, up and down Duval Street, Hemingways House and The Little White House. Should have done the Pirate Museum or glass bottom boat tour but didn't. We're all big Buffett fans so we had a drink at Margaritaville at 10 in the morning and bought a few things from the store. We had to be back on board by 1:30 so not a lot of time in port.
Cozumel: I was really looking forward to this port but came away disappointed. Let me preface this by saying I only saw a little bit of the island but it wasn't enough to make me want to go back. Also, I am a beach snob. I have been spoiled by the likes of Turks and Caicos, Anguilla and Grand Cayman. To me the perfect beach has that blinding white, super fine sand and bright, clear turquoise water. I found neither in Cozumel. The beach quality I was expecting..tan, coarse, rocky sand but I have heard wonderful things about the water so the choppy, murky greenish water I encountered was a big let down. The water at the cruise pier was nicer than the water at the beach. From the looks of one photo I took of my daughter on the beach, she could have just as easily been in Ocean City, MD. We first took a cab to Playa Palancar which I have read great reviews about. The beach was tiny and full of rocks and the few beach chairs there were were hard wooden things. So we decided to leave there and head to Paradise Beach. This was a little better (no rocks on the beach) but still way below my expectations. Another thing I didn't like at either beach was being hounded as soon as we walked to in to buy a $9 bracelet (which they claimed was their special of the day). Three people asked me this before we even made it to the beach. Then as were were trying to get settled, they kept on us to order drinks and food (which we did eventually). The food was mediocre. And the flies were AWFUL. By the time we paid for all the food, drink, cabs and bracelets for the kids, we had spent a small fortune and I wish we had opted for a snorkel excursion instead for the same price. But we talked to a few people who did that and they said they didn't even take them to the reef so the snorkeling was disappointing. And the taxi situation at the International pier is a mess. I'm sure there are some lovely spots on the island but unfortunately we didn't find them.
Oscar ~ We heard the "Oscar, Oscar Starboard!" announcement Sunday morning alerting the fact that there was man overboard. Unfortunately it was a suicide and my husband and kids were witness to the body floating in the ocean and then being hauled onboard. Very sad.
And finally, here is the link to my photo album....http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...=8IcMWzRu5aMvc
Embarkation/Debarkation ~
Embarkation was a breeze. No lines at all. Debarkation was a little more chaotic...having to go to your "holding room", then file off the ship with the masses to locate your luggage in this huge area. Customs was short and sweet though.
The ship ~
Very nice ship, in great condition and always spotless. The pool deck area is very nice and the splash pool is nice for the kids. The Solarium is lovely and I really liked all of the Bird of Paradise. But since I was with kids, I didn't spend any time there. The ship was decorated for Christmas which my daughter loved. It also had a rock climbing wall and bungee trampoline.
The rooms ~
We had 2 adjoining inside rooms, thank goodness! It would have been miserable with all of us stuffed into one room. The beds were really comfortable, I thought, and the bedding was nice. More offerings on TV than I thought including first run videos. I thought we were supposed to be in the new, stretched section but I don't think we were because we had regular old showers as opposed to the new Star Trek showers everyone talks about. But they were fine. And we couldn't ever seem to get cold water from the taps so we brushed our teeth with warm water. The shampoo dispenser didn't work in one shower and that never got fixed but aside from these minor things, I was happy with our rooms.
The service ~
Excellent service for the most part. Our dining room waiters were wonderful. We learned that 52 countries were represented by the dining room staff. And they all love babies! My daughter was very popular
Our cabin steward was pretty good but he had our rooms reversed so we had to use the kids cards to get into our room. Most of the time we just went through their room with our cards but if the baby was sleeping, we had to make sure we had one of their cards. We asked our steward of we could be assigned new cards so we didn't have to change around the beds but I don't think he really understood our concerns so we just dealt with it. He also never brought us pool towels except for the first day. The food ~
Dining Room: Excellent food, great service. We ate here every night for dinner and 3 out of 4 mornings for breakfast. Our waiter and assistant waiter (Fanderson and Aliston) were top notch. We had a great table by window. Some of the most memorable food items were the prime rib, filet of beef, roast duck, rack of lamb and tempura mahi mahi. Sometimes it took a while to get milk for my daughter but after the second day at dinner they had it ready for us. Service was slower in the morning but still fine.
Windjammer: Food was pretty good, especially the paninis and french fries. But it was like a free for all at times and I didn't care much for that atmosphere. Great views though from the tables by the windows. More of a language barrier here. I asked for a pint of milk for my 19 month old and was given a coffee creamer..but hey, he tried! The kids loved the soft serve ice cream machine by the pool.
Solarium: Didn't discover this until later in the cruise, but this was a great place to grab lunch or get a late night snack. The pizza was very good! Much better than the Windjammer. And they served those yummy fries...without the commotion of the Windjammer.
Midnight Buffet: I was really tired this night but I dragged myself here and was glad I did. I just love the presentation and the fruit carvings and ice sculptures. They also had a poolside buffet one evening on a smaller scale.
Drinks: Were reasonably priced I thought. About $6 on average with the daily special being $4.25. We did get one frou frou drink while watching the Love & Marriage show. It happened to be in a flashing glass so that made it $9. We did take on one bottle of gin and a couple bottles of tonic which my husband made to use drink in the cabin in the evening. I did find out though that tonic is included on the soda card in case anyone is interested. And the La Terre Merlot at $5.50 a glass which we had with dinner a couple of nights was very good. I will say though that the bartender at the pool bar made the worst Mojito I have ever had.
Adventure Ocean ~
Kids loved it. They mainly went after dinner and spent the evening there until 10 PM. They did a lot of activities and games, had theme nights, and made new friends.
Bars/Clubs/Shows ~
The bars all seemed nice though we didn't really spend any time in them. We did go to the Viking Crown lounge one evening but my husband wasn't feeling good for some reason so we didn't stay. Very cool place though. This was the only experience we had with a rude server. When he approached us, we asked if we could have a few minutes and he basically said whatever and walked off. Boleros was okay but it was mainly older people so we passed. Walked threough the casino whgich was nice but didn't gamble. The theater was very nice. We watched the Love and Marriage show one night and my husband took the older kids to see a magic show there. We did enjoy the pool party they had one night. The steel drum band that plays by the pool, Caribbean Breeze, was great. That is my kind of music for a Caribbean trip.
Ports of Call ~
Key West: I have been to key West before and love it. My husband and the kids have never been so we decided just to walk around the town. Went though Mallory Square, up and down Duval Street, Hemingways House and The Little White House. Should have done the Pirate Museum or glass bottom boat tour but didn't. We're all big Buffett fans so we had a drink at Margaritaville at 10 in the morning and bought a few things from the store. We had to be back on board by 1:30 so not a lot of time in port.
Cozumel: I was really looking forward to this port but came away disappointed. Let me preface this by saying I only saw a little bit of the island but it wasn't enough to make me want to go back. Also, I am a beach snob. I have been spoiled by the likes of Turks and Caicos, Anguilla and Grand Cayman. To me the perfect beach has that blinding white, super fine sand and bright, clear turquoise water. I found neither in Cozumel. The beach quality I was expecting..tan, coarse, rocky sand but I have heard wonderful things about the water so the choppy, murky greenish water I encountered was a big let down. The water at the cruise pier was nicer than the water at the beach. From the looks of one photo I took of my daughter on the beach, she could have just as easily been in Ocean City, MD. We first took a cab to Playa Palancar which I have read great reviews about. The beach was tiny and full of rocks and the few beach chairs there were were hard wooden things. So we decided to leave there and head to Paradise Beach. This was a little better (no rocks on the beach) but still way below my expectations. Another thing I didn't like at either beach was being hounded as soon as we walked to in to buy a $9 bracelet (which they claimed was their special of the day). Three people asked me this before we even made it to the beach. Then as were were trying to get settled, they kept on us to order drinks and food (which we did eventually). The food was mediocre. And the flies were AWFUL. By the time we paid for all the food, drink, cabs and bracelets for the kids, we had spent a small fortune and I wish we had opted for a snorkel excursion instead for the same price. But we talked to a few people who did that and they said they didn't even take them to the reef so the snorkeling was disappointing. And the taxi situation at the International pier is a mess. I'm sure there are some lovely spots on the island but unfortunately we didn't find them.
Oscar ~ We heard the "Oscar, Oscar Starboard!" announcement Sunday morning alerting the fact that there was man overboard. Unfortunately it was a suicide and my husband and kids were witness to the body floating in the ocean and then being hauled onboard. Very sad.
And finally, here is the link to my photo album....http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...=8IcMWzRu5aMvc
Dec 21st, 2006, 10:21 AM
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Thanks for posting, Kristen. Egads, what a horrible thing to happen with the man overboard!
Sorry that Cozumel was a disappointment to you. Did the kids at least enjoy it? Sounds like you were quite pleased with the ship, so that's good. Were there any other ports of call beside Cozumel? Were the kids genuinely surprised with the trip?
Sorry that Cozumel was a disappointment to you. Did the kids at least enjoy it? Sounds like you were quite pleased with the ship, so that's good. Were there any other ports of call beside Cozumel? Were the kids genuinely surprised with the trip?
Dec 21st, 2006, 11:15 AM
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Hi Ej. The kids loved everything! We were just hoping to be able to take them snorkleing but you couldn't see much because the water was cloudy. It was still a fine day though. We are planning to take them Provo in 2008.
We also went to key West which was fun.
We also went to key West which was fun.
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