Overall Score

BERLITZ'S RATING
	Possible	Achieved
Ship	500	432
Accommodation	200	166
Food	400	242
Service	400	302
Entertainment	100	81
Cruise	400	294

How this score is created

This is one of a pair of ships for this popular cruise line (sister to Grandeur of the Seas). It has a long profile, with a single funnel located well aft (almost a throwback to designs used during the 1950s). The stern is nicely rounded (rather like the older Sovereign of the Seas-class ships), and a Viking Crown Lounge is set amidships. This, together with the forward mast, provides three distinct focal points in its exterior profile. There is a wrap-around promenade deck outdoors (but no cushioned pads for the tacky home patio-style plastic sunloungers).

A large Viking Crown Lounge (a trademark of all Royal Caribbean International ships) sits between funnel and mast at the top of the atrium lobby, and overlooks the forward section of the swimming pool deck, as aboard Legend of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas, with access provided from stairway off the central atrium.

The principal interior focal point is a seven-deck-high Centrum (atrium lobby), which provides a good meeting point (the Purser’s Desk and Shore Excursion Desk are located on one of the lower levels). Many public entertainment rooms and facilities are located off the atrium.

This ship has good passenger flow inside. There is a good, varied collection of artworks (including several sculptures), principally by British artists, with classical music, ballet and theater themes. The casino is large and glitzy, and has a fascinating, theatrical glass-covered, but under-floor exhibit. The children’s and teens’ facilities are good, much expanded from previous ships in the fleet.

A delightful champagne terrace bar sits forward of the lower level of the two-deck-high dining room. There is a good use of tropical plants throughout the public rooms, which helps to counteract the rather plain and clinical pastel wall colors, while huge murals of opera scenes adorn several stairways.

Enchantment of the Seas has quite attractive interiors, and will provide a good cruise vacation, particularly for first-time passengers seeking comfortable surroundings similar to those in a Hyatt Hotel, with fabrics and soft furnishings that blend together to provide a contemporary resort environment. This company provides a well organized, but rather homogenous cruise experience, with the same old passenger participation activities and events that have been provided for more than 25 years. The onboard currency is the US dollar.

In 2005, the ship underwent a $60 million “chop-and-stretch” operation that added a 72.8-ft (22.2-meter) mid-section. It took six days to slice the ship in two before the mid-section was slotted in, increasing the ship’s overall length to 990.1 ft (301.8 meters). The ship’s tonnage was increased to 81,500 tons. The upgrade added another 151 passenger cabins (including two “family” cabins that can sleep six), and some public rooms were given a make-over at the same time. Sports facilities were augmented; these included two “ball zones,” each with three basketball hoops of different heights to accommodate youth, teen and adult shooters. The pool deck was given more space plus soaring “suspension” bridges. Special handicap lifts were provided for the two pools, as was a new Splash Deck (children will love the 64 water jets) with a decorative night-time fiber-optic light show. “Bungee” trampolines were added to Deck 10 (above the Windjammer Café). The main dining room and Windjammer Café (casual eatery) were enlarged to handle the extra capacity, and so was the art auction gallery.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publications 2008