I absolutely LOVE cruises and try to get on one any chance I get. It’s always the most relaxing vacations for me since I’m able to get away from my computer and phone. My schedule is pretty hectic on all my other trips since I want to explore everything, so by the time I get back home, I feel like I need another vacation. Cruises are different. I can truly relax and enjoy reading a book instead of being glued to my phone.

This was my first time on one of the smaller ships of the Royal Caribbean fleet. My first Royal Caribbean cruise was on the Allure of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, and I had such an amazing time. I was very excited to go on the Enchantment of the Seas because we've always heard that the service is outstanding, especially on the smaller ships... BUT... by the end of the trip, we were pretty disappointed with their service. This was the first time I've ever been disappointed in the customer service on a cruise. I’m not sure if it was the crew, the ship, or the New Year’s themed event, but the service was very slow and most of the workers we encountered, especially in the casino, were very unfriendly. Regardless, we still had a great time.

POOL DECK ON THE ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS

DAY 1 / THURSDAY // PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA

We arrived at Port Canaveral around 12:00pm and parked at an off-site cruise parking lot called Park N Cruise. This saves you TONS of money. $7.95 per day versus $20 per day. They have a shuttle that takes you to the port, which is only a mile away. Your luggage is taken once you get off the shuttle and you head right into check-in. The whole process was very smooth and fast.

Once we checked in, we headed right to our room. We’re used to tiny rooms with barely enough room to walk, so we were very excited with the size of our balcony room. Every morning, I sat outside with some coffee and watched the beautiful sunrise.

BEAUTIFUL SUNRISES AND MAJESTIC CLOUDS EVERY MORNING

Before dinner, we went to the casino to play some roulette. The casino worker at the roulette table was very cold and unfriendly. She barely spoke and did not smile at all. We still had fun because Ryan always has good luck on the roulette tables and hit his favorite number, 14.

Since it was New Year’s Eve, the dinner attire was formal. Our dinner time was 8:00pm, but we were in line for 30 minutes before we were allowed in. The servers apologized and explained that the timing was off because the menu was a special New Year’s Eve menu and the cooks were not used to getting out all the entrees at once. Our server also explained that our entrees will probably be coming out a little late because of the special menu. We didn’t mind that, but we were a little frustrated that we had to ask for a wine menu and our cocktail server. From this night on, we had to always ask for a wine menu and the cocktail server didn’t even show up at our table, which is rare for a cruise! Usually, they’re hounding us to order drinks, but on this cruise, we had to practically beg for them.

After dinner, we went to the lobby area to count down the new year with the cruise director, his crew and the passengers. At the stroke of midnight it was raining balloons and confetti. It was great being able to drink and celebrate without having to worry about driving home.

DAY 2 / FRIDAY // COCOCAY, BAHAMAS

In the morning, we arrived at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in The Bahamas. We were planning on staying on the boat to take advantage of the pool while it was empty, but decided to get off at the last minute to check out the island and I’m so glad we did. This island was absolutely beautiful and we loved the fact that we were the only ones on there. Plus, we got to use our Sea Pass cards on the islands and drink those fancy tropical pineapple drinks by the beach.

LOOKING OUT INTO THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE WATERS OF COCOCAY

The island has plenty of beach chairs & hammocks for everyone to use. We also enjoyed going in the clear, blue water and being surrounded by the friendly, colorful fish. Ryan was the fish whisperer!

After a few hours, we headed back to the boat and sat by the pool to relax a little bit more. I fell asleep on the beach chair as Ryan watched some football on the big screen. It was perfect.

Later, we had our mediocre dinner and walked around the boat. We played some ping pong and enjoyed some drinks. As we were heading back to our room, we came across the 70's & 80's Disco Inferno Party. I thought it was going to be lame, but when the Cruise Director, Topi, and his crew came out, I was super impressed with their intense dancing! They had a lot of fun energy and the whole crowd was on their feet dancing along. Even the older folks were tapping their feet and singing along. Kudos to the crew!

DAY 3 / SATURDAY // NASSAU, BAHAMAS

We arrived at Nassau, Bahamas early in the morning. We usually don't like to get off the boat at this port because you get hounded by hagglers. They're so pushy and annoying. We got off for about an hour because I wanted to get a keychain and also stop by Cariloha to get those comfy bed sheets for a cheaper price. I wanted to venture off further to Clifton Heritage National Park, but it wasn't one of the excursions offered and since there's been articles on Nassau's increased crime rate, we didn't want to risk traveling far alone.

We enjoyed the pool and bars on the boat for most of the day and just relaxed. Later in the night, we watched The Love & Marriage Game Show, which is always a good time. The older couples are always my favorite because they are so brutally honest.

DAY 4 / SUNDAY // AT SEA

Last day on the cruise is always so sad. You just never want it to end! We started off the day by eating breakfast at the Windjammer and then went out to look for beach chairs by the pool around 10:30am, but it was nearly impossible to find an empty chair. They were all taken! The only reason we found one was because it started drizzling which scared off a few people. We took advantage of that and spotted a couple of chairs. It's like a war zone looking for beach chairs on this ship. While we were laying on our chairs, a few people came up to us and asked if the chairs next to us were taken by our friends. We told them we did not know them, but their towels were on the chairs. They didn't care. They just took over the chairs and threw the previous owners' towels and belongings on the floor. The nerve!!

At night, we attended a couple of shows. First, we watched the Farewell Production Showtime, which is a musical paying tribute to some musicals like Little Shop of Horrors and Chicago. The entertainers were great, but we were a little bored with the musicals they chose. Chicago was the best and they saved it for last.

Next, we attended The Quest Game Show. We did The Quest on the Allure cruise and had such an amazing time and couldn't wait to do it again! Sadly, it wasn't as great as our first experience. The host wasn't that funny and the crowd was a little lame. We got bored and left halfway through the game. I think we just got lucky on The Allure with an awesome cruise director, Ken Rush, and better production with slowmo replays on the big screen.

DAY 5 MONDAY // BACK AT THE PORT

On our final day, we did our usual breakfast at The Windjammer and left the ship around 8am. The departure process was very smooth and efficient. If you planned on carrying out your own luggage, you were able to leave anytime between 7:20 and 8:40 am. We took advantage of this and were off the ship in about 20 minutes. As soon as we stepped out of the port, our shuttle to the parking lot was already waiting for us. Perfect timing.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH BUFFET EVERYDAY AT THE WINDJAMMER

I don't think we'll ever go on this ship again, but we'll definitely be going back on another cruise! We're cruise addicts.

To get more info on cruises, make sure to check out our 10 Tips for Your Next Cruise. If you want a reminder of how fun cruises are, make sure to watch our Carnival cruise video!

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Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas New Year’s Cruise

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