Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
Ship information
Enchantment of the Seas
Dori Saltzman
Cruise Critic
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.
Royal Caribbean COVID-19 Rules
For the most up-to-date testing, masking, and vaccination requirements aboard Enchantment of the Seas, please refer to Royal Caribbean. You can also use Cruise Critic's guide to health requirements on the world’s major cruise lines as we know them.
Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean
Tonnage
81,500
tons
Ship Length
989
feet
Launched
1997
Guest Cabins
1,144
Cabins
Occupancy
2,252
passengers
Ship information
Enchantment of the Seas
Dori Saltzman
Cruise Critic
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.
Royal Caribbean COVID-19 Rules
For the most up-to-date testing, masking, and vaccination requirements aboard Enchantment of the Seas, please refer to Royal Caribbean. You can also use Cruise Critic's guide to health requirements on the world’s major cruise lines as we know them.
Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean
Tonnage
81,500
tons
Ship Length
989
feet
Launched
1997
Guest Cabins
1,144
Cabins
Occupancy
2,252
passengers
Cabin Information
24 Cabin types available with images
Available on decks: Deck 08
Available on decks: Deck 07
Available on decks: Deck 07
Available on decks: Deck 07
Available on decks: Deck 07
Available on decks: Deck 02
Available on decks: Deck 08
Available on decks: Deck 07
Available on decks: Deck 02
Available on decks: Deck 02
Available on decks: Deck 07
Available on decks: Deck 02
Available on decks: Deck 02
Available on decks: Deck 08
Available on decks: Deck 08
Available on decks: Deck 07
Available on decks: Deck 08
Available on decks: Deck 08
Enchantment of the Seas has 24 cabin types available
Inside Cabins
Inside Cabins
Inside Cabins
Inside Cabins
Inside Cabins
Inside Cabins
Inside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Outside Cabins
Deck Plans
11 deck images available
Theater and Shows on Enchantment of the Seas
The 870-passenger, two-deck tall Orpheum Theater is home to some of Enchantment of the Seas' late afternoon activities, including a once-per-cruise Love & Marriage Game Show and, of course, evening production shows. Also, on rainy day cruises, you'll find recent movies shown once or twice a day in here.
On a four- or five-night cruise, you'll have two song-and-dance stage shows that are a fun way to spend the evening after dinner. The shows are typically twice each night to accommodate different dinner times.
The best shows are courtesy of the guest performers, usually comedians, a magician, or hypnotist.
Daily Things to Do on Enchantment of the Seas
You'll find a busy roster of activities during the day onboard Enchantment of the Seas, with a much fuller selection on sea days and little to nothing to do on port days. Activities are listed in the printed Cruise Compass or in the app and are divided into Things to Do (mostly auctions or casino gaming activities), Wellness & Retail Therapy (mostly spa "seminars" and retail shop events), Music and Dancing, and Entertainment.
Typical daily activities include trivia sessions (themed and general knowledge), bingo (extra-fee), scavenger hunts, cupcake decorating (extra-fee), belly flop or sexiest man contests by the pool, art auctions, and dance classes. Many of the activities are held in the Centrum, the ship's five-deck atrium, and when no games or demonstrations are being held, there's almost always live music.
Nightlife on Enchantment of the Seas
Beyond the nightly theater shows, you'll find live music in several places onboard. Most popular is the Latin music in Boleros lounge and piano music in Schooner Bar. The latter takes on an animated sing-along atmosphere the later it gets.
One of the most popular venues at night is the Spotlight Lounge, where you'll find nightly karaoke sessions. It's always a packed crowd here, and we heard groans just about every night when the host said they were done for the night (usually around 10:30 p.m.).
Dancers gravitate to either the Centrum (couple-style dancing until around 11 p.m.) or the Viking Crown Lounge for upbeat DJ'd hits after 10:30 p.m.
Another hot spot onboard is the casino where cruisers hope luck will be a lady to them at the slot machines and poker, roulette, and craps tables.
Enchantment of the Seas Bars and Lounges
Highlights include:
R Bar (Deck 4): This bar is centrally located along one side of the Centrum and offers a selection of cocktails, including martinis, gimlets, whiskey-based drinks, and Champagne mixers. There's also a selection of beer and wine. It's kept busy thanks to the loads of activities that take place in the Centrum throughout the day.
Boleros Lounge (Deck 5): We rarely saw this lounge busy on our sailing, despite the fact that on other ships it can be one of the most highly entertaining spots onboard. Live Latin-style music is held here every afternoon and evening; during the day, the space is used for a variety of daytime activities like drink making classes. This is also the best place onboard to get a mojito.
Casino Bar (Deck 5): The only bar onboard where you can smoke, the Casino Bar is located to one side of the casino.
Schooner Bar (Deck 6): A definite hive of activity on Enchantment of the Seas, the nautical-themed Schooner Bar is where you'll find almost all the trivia onboard during the day and lively piano music at night. Its bar is active all day long and cruisers quickly bond with the friendly bartenders. You'll find a variety of cocktails, beers and wines.
Spotlight Lounge (Deck 6): A large secondary theater all the way at the back of the ship on Deck 6, the Spotlight Lounge is regularly used for activities such as bingo, art seminars and auctions and interactive game shows ("Majority Rules," "Family Feud," "The Quest"), but it's at its busiest between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. every night when the karaoke gets started. It's usually standing room only and the crowd definitely gets into singing along and even dancing when appropriate. (The twirling and two-stepping to one guy singing Garth Brook's "Friends in Low Places" was one of the most impressive things we've ever seen on a ship.)
Viking Crown Lounge (Deck 11): You'll find some of the nicest views in the Viking Crown Lounge, which features loads of floor-to-ceiling windows. During the day it's pretty quiet with people reading or small groups playing cards, but starting late -- around 11 p.m. -- the space heats up with DJ'd music and lots of dancing. If you like a dance club vibe, Viking Crown is the place to be.
Diamond Club (Deck 12): An exclusive lounge, located at the topmost spot on the ship, the Diamond Club is only open to the highest levels of Royal Caribbean's loyalty program.
Dining on Enchantment of the Seas is a highlight and because the kitchen doesn't have to serve multiple competing venues, the food is good no matter where you choose to dine. Even the Windjammer buffet, often the weakest link in a ship's culinary offerings, has several tasty options, particularly at the Mexican and Indian stations.
On Enchantment of the Seas, you definitely don't have to splurge on the two extra-fee dining options to get the best food, though foodies will certainly find a good value should they choose to indulge at the Enchantment of the Seas Chops Grille steakhouse or Chef's Table.
Special dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice, and menus in both the main dining room and Chops Grille are marked with gluten-free, lactose-free, vegetarian, and no-sugar added options. A full vegan menu is also available in the main dining room on request.
Free Dining on Enchantment of the Seas
Enchantment of the Seas dining options included in the cruise rate range from the main dining room to the Windjammer buffet and a café located inside the adult-only solarium. Free food on Enchantment of the Seas is tasty and plentiful – you’ll be hard-pressed to go hungry.
My Fair Lady Dining Room (Decks 4 and 5)
Meals: Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), Dinner (D)
The Enchantment of the Seas dining room spans two decks and offers open-seating breakfast and lunch. For dinner, cruisers can choose either set seating -- dining at the same time, at the same table and with the same tablemates and waiters every evening -- or My Time Dining, dining anytime until the restaurant closes. For the latter option, walk in anytime or make an advance reservation, or make a standing reservation for the same time and the same table every night at the start of the cruise.
Lunch is only on sea days and offers a similar scaled-down menu to dinner.
The dining room's star attraction, dinner, is a banquet-style, sit-down affair with multiple courses, including soups and salads, appetizers, main courses, and desserts. About half the menu changes daily, with several items, like French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, roasted
chicken breast and New York strip loin, available every night.
Three extra-fee options every night include whole Maine lobster, filet mignon, and surf and turf.
Windjammer Marketplace (Deck 9)
Meals: B, L, D
Located all the way at the back of Deck 9, the Enchantment of the Seas Windjammer is a circular space with buffet counters at the center of the circle and off to the sides, and seating filling in all the surrounding space. (There's also some additional space further midship, on the way to the pool deck, with a small gluten-free buffet that includes entrees and desserts.)
There's lots of glass and natural light, which can make the space uncomfortably hot; sit away from the windows if you're sensitive to the heat. Tables range from two-tops to larger tables for six to eight people.
Food is offered for all three meals, but the venue closes for a half-hour between breakfast and lunch and for two and a half long hours between lunch and dinner.
Breakfast offers the usual morning options from eggs, pancakes, and breakfast meats to fruit, cereals, and yogurts.
Lunch and dinner offer a similar array of savory choices, along with soups and salads. Buffet stations typically include pasta choices, Asian items (mostly Indian), comfort foods (mac 'n' cheese, grilled veggies, etc.), and a carving station. There's also a grill station with hamburgers and hot dogs located off to one side. (There is no poolside grill on Enchantment of the Seas.)
A dessert station is open for lunch and dinner with cakes (including sugar- and gluten-free choices) and fruit; a soft-serve ice cream machine is located outside the buffet, not too far from the pool.
Windjammer Marketplace is most crowded for breakfast on port days, and you might want to consider alternative spots if you're not interested in fighting the crowds for a table. After all, Enchantment of the Seas dining is great wherever you go.
Solarium Park Café (Deck 9)
Meals: B, L and Late-Night Snacks
Located inside the Solarium, a quiet pool space for those 16 years and older, the Enchantment of the Seas Park Cafe is a peaceful and smaller alternative to the buffet, with health-inspired food choices that include yogurt and parfaits at breakfast and deli sandwiches and a full salad bar at lunch. Similar-style small bites are available until the wee hours for anyone who needs a pick-me-up after dancing the night away in the Viking Crown Lounge.
Café Latte-tudes (Deck 6)
Meals: Snacks
Need a light bite between meals or crave something to satisfy your sweet tooth? Then, the Cafe Latte-tudes counter is the place to visit at just about any time of day. You'll find small sandwiches and a variety of sweets. We particularly loved the chocolate brownies and chocolate mousse.
Room Service
Meals: B
The only free room service onboard is the Continental Breakfast option, available daily from 6 to 11 a.m. Options include breads, cereals, pastries, yogurt and fruit, along with coffee, tea and juice. Anything more substantial will incur a delivery surcharge.
Enchantment of the Seas Specialty Restaurants and other Fee Dining Options
Chops Grille (Deck 6); prix fixe (special pricing for children 12 and under)
Meals: L, D
The main alternative dining venue on Enchantment of the Seas, Chops Grille is an American steakhouse that is perfect for date nights and celebrating milestone events -- or simply because you feel like eating meat. The cover charge includes one soup or salad, one appetizer, one main course, and unlimited sides. Highlights include the lobster bisque, colossal shrimp cocktail, and jumbo lump crab cake, and the filet mignon and New Zealand rack of lamb. For non-red meat eaters, the grilled branzino is tasty (and even tastier when you spread a little creamed spinach over it).
For those who want a little surf with their turf, two seafood towers can be ordered for an extra fee: the Grande Tower comes with jumbo shrimp, green-lipped mussels, clams, crab claws and a Maine lobster tail. The Imperial comes with even more of the same.
Desserts are equally decadent; we recommend the warm chocolate cake.
Lunch is similar, though the menu is smaller and includes a chopped steak hamburger that is not available at dinner.
Chef's Table (Deck 4); prix fixe
Meals: D
This culinary experience is recommended for foodies. Limited to just 12 people per dinner, this multicourse meal is available every night of the cruise, except the first night (embarkation day), and includes wine pairings. (The menu is set, but special diets like vegetarian can be accommodated with advanced notice).) Meals are led by a chef and include dishes you can't get anywhere else onboard.
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream (Deck 6); a la carte
Meals: Snacks
Located as part of Cafe Latte-tudes, you'll find several different flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream available for purchase.
Room Service; delivery fee only
Meals: B, L, D
Hearty breakfast options include eggs, pancakes, sausage and bacon, while day/night options (11 a.m. to 6 a.m.) include salads, sandwiches including burgers and grilled cheese, pasta, Mexican specialties and chicken wings.
