It’s the final day of this four-day cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas, and it just so happens to be Easter Sunday. For this trip, we had just one port of call—yesterday’s stop in Cozumel, Mexico. Now, we’re making our way back to our home port of Tampa, Florida.
I didn’t participate in any of the Easter activities, but they definitely had quite a bit set up—from a morning mass to scavenger hunts. There were several kid-friendly, Easter-themed games going on throughout the day to keep the little ones busy and having fun. So if you’re cruising with kids over Easter, good news: Royal Caribbean does a nice job incorporating the holiday into the schedule.
As for me… I didn’t sleep well at all. I woke up numerous times throughout the night. The ship was rocking pretty heavily. I didn’t think the weather was that bad, but again—this is a small ship, and you feel it. I don’t get seasick, but the motion was definitely enough to keep me awake. I’m also a very light sleeper, and typically once I’m up… I’m up. Getting back to sleep isn’t easy for me.
After a few hours of tossing and turning, trying to get back to sleep, I finally decided to just get up and grab some coffee and breakfast to start the day. I have to take it easy today anyway since I’m heading straight to work tomorrow morning after I disembark the ship.
I opted for some fresh-squeezed orange juice from the Solarium Bar—served every morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.—and it’s quickly become one of my favorite beverages onboard.
I sat down at the Solarium Bar to enjoy my OJ and the company of some great bartenders and even better people—Wilburt and Xavier.
I opted for a spicy Bloody Mary while I finished writing my Day 3 recap—and it was one of the best I’ve had. Just the right amount of heat.
Notes from the Casino…
After wrapping up the blog, I brought my computer back to the room and decided to hit the casino one more time. Gotta get those points, right? I also had some freeplay I needed to cash in.
And once again… a big loser.
I walked through the casino quite a few times throughout the day. For being a sea day, it was surprisingly slow the whole time. The only times it felt even remotely busy were night one—and maybe night two—since they had all the tables open both of those nights. But on nights three and four, at least when I walked through (even later in the evening heading to bed), not all of the tables were open. That’s very unusual.
It also wasn’t hard to get a seat at Dragon Link, which, again, is very unusual.
So, what’s going on? Is it because this is a holiday cruise with more families onboard? Or is the gambling phase starting to fade a bit? Based on the nonstop emails I get from MGM Grand offering free rooms at basically all of their Vegas properties, I’d say tourism might be down there too. I know Vegas and cruise ships are completely different animals, but from a gambling perspective, it makes you wonder—are people just not playing as much?
If that is the case, it might actually be good news for those of us who do keep playing. Lower demand could eventually push casinos to bring back more player-friendly rules—like 3:2 blackjack, ditching the triple-zero roulette wheels, and lowering the minimums back down to $5 or $10.
Side note: Royal Caribbean does still pay 3:2 at the $15+ blackjack tables. But if you’re playing at the $10 table, not only is it 6:5, but they also use a continuous shuffler. I’m not sure if the bet minimums are consistent across all sailings, so I’ll just say this: the lowest minimum bet table on this ship was 6:5 with a continuous shuffler.
If you haven’t checked out my Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbean’s Casino Royale, I encourage you to in order to learn more about their casino program and how to score free cruises!
The Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbean’s Casino Royale Program
The weather today was rough. The upper decks were closed for most of the day (they reopened sometime after dinner once things calmed down). People were stumbling and holding onto railings while walking around—even inside—which might explain why the casino was slow all day, too.
Most of the ship felt quiet. It honestly seemed like everyone who wasn’t in their room was crammed into the pool area. I spent more time than usual in my room today, partially because of the weather—and partially because the time changes this cruise really threw me off. We went back an hour on night one, then forward again on night three. My internal clock has no idea what’s going on.
After laying down for a bit and taking a nap, I woke up and grabbed a snack—nachos from the Windjammer Annex, of course. Just a small portion, since Windjammer was opening in an hour and I wanted to get dinner out of the way so I could prep for WrestleMania Night 2.
Before dinner, I made one last visit to the Solarium Bar to see Xavier and Wilburt. Xavier was on my last cruise on Enchantment in December, and he’ll be back on board in September. If you’re sailing Enchantment, find him—he’s the best.
They officially closed at 6, but were still serving me. I tried to leave a couple of times to let them finish up, but both Xavier and Wilburt were like, “No, it’s okay, please stay.” Even after closing, they can still serve beer and wine, so I had a few beers and chatted with them while they cleaned up. Eventually, I said my “see you next time” goodbyes—Wilburt will be on Freedom when I cruise in September, and Xavier will be back on Enchantment. As long as the 4-night sailings out of Tampa keep going, I’ll be back too.
Dinner at Windjammer Buffet
Dinner time at Windjammer—and once again, a totally different menu, which impressed me. Compared to Independence, where lunch and dinner were basically the same every day with a few exceptions, Enchantment really mixes it up. So yes, I had two plates.
Plate One: Salad, jerk chicken wrap, baked potato (a favorite of mine all weekend), and grilled steak. I’ve seen the steak out multiple nights but kept passing on it. Tonight, I gave it a shot. It was overcooked—as expected—but I’ve had worse. The jerk chicken wrap, on the other hand, was very good. Great seasoning and flavor.
Plate Two: I went back for the Kung Pao Chicken (because John likes his chicken spicy), and added some veggie fried rice. Then I noticed the “Burger of the Day”—a pineapple and jalapeño burger. (John also likes his burgers spicy!)
The Kung Pao chicken was tasty, but not spicy. The veggie fried rice was really good—Uncle Roger would have said “FUIYOH!” The burger was a miss. The bun was soggy, likely from the pineapple and jalapeño juices, and the whole thing kind of fell apart.
WrestleMania Night 2!
After dinner, I grabbed my Surface Pro and headed back to Bolero’s. Just like the night before, it was pretty empty—some people would come through for a drink, but no one really hung out. Perfect for me.
I loaded up Peacock, ordered a vodka soda, and started watching the show. The bartenders were having fun with it, too—Jason and Dean kept peeking at my screen to see what was going on. Both of them have been favorites this cruise—fun, personable, and full of laughs. Jason I remembered from my last Enchantment cruise, and Dean was just as great.
Night 2 of Mania, though? Kind of a letdown. Night 1 was definitely the better show. I didn’t even finish it at the bar—ended up turning it off before the main event. It was getting late, and I’ve got work in the morning. I ordered one more drink to hang out for a bit, but once the bar started getting a little rush, I figured it was time to head out.
Said my “see you next time” goodbyes to Jason and Dean—both will be back on Enchantment later this year—and off to the room I went. I turned Mania back on just in time to catch the main event while I packed up my bags and got ready for bed.
Disembarkation
I woke up around 6:00 a.m. so I could grab a coffee before the line got long and enjoy a small breakfast before heading into work. We still weren’t docked yet, which was actually really nice—it meant I didn’t have to rush through eating and scrambling off the ship. I could take my time.
I had one last great breakfast at Windjammer, sipped my coffee, grabbed my bags, and got ready to disembark. I had let my stateroom attendant know the night before that I’d be heading out early, in case he wanted to get a jump on the room. Turnaround day is long and stressful for the crew, so anything we can do to help them out goes a long way.
Once disembarkation started, it was a breeze. The line moved continuously. I got in line around 7:20 and was off the ship by 7:30. From there, it was about a 15–20 minute walk to my car to drop off my bags, then another 5-minute walk to work—and just like that, I was sitting at my desk barely an hour after sitting in Windjammer.
Ah yes, the sad reality of the cruise being over.
Overall Thoughts on this 4-Day Cozumel Cruise
Enchantment of the Seas first sailed in 1997—28 years ago—and honestly, the condition of this ship is incredible. Royal Caribbean’s maintenance team deserves major credit. The ship looks fantastic. If you didn’t know its age, you’d never guess it’s pushing three decades.
I didn’t notice anything that needed paint or repair. The common areas were spotless. The crew is clearly invested in keeping the ship looking good, and it shows. I had heard reports before the trip about bad sewage smells in the hallways on the lower decks—but I was on Deck 3 and never once experienced anything like that. The cleaning crew worked hard, and it showed everywhere.
Don’t listen to the negative reviews. Yes, this ship is small. Yes, it lacks the flashy new amenities you’ll find on the Oasis or Quantum Class ships. But if you’re just looking for a relaxing, quick getaway, Enchantment delivers.
Is Enchantment of the Seas Good for Kids?
While I don’t typically recommend this ship for families with kids due to the lack of kid-focused amenities, I’ll say this—Royal makes the most of what they have. There’s Adventure Ocean, though the arcade is small and can get pricey. That said, the entertainment team goes all-in on activities to keep kids engaged and having fun. If you’re worried about your kids getting bored, just know the crew really does try to make up for the ship’s limitations with fun programming.
Other Highlights
- WiFi: Hands down, the best WiFi I’ve ever had on a ship. Fast, reliable, and consistent throughout the sailing.
- Towel Animals: My stateroom attendant made some of the best towel animals I’ve seen in a while. Always a fun touch.
- Food: I was really impressed with Windjammer this trip. Dinner options changed nightly, and the quality was better than what I experienced on my last Independence of the Seas cruise.
- Crew: From the bartenders to the housekeeping team, the crew was fantastic—friendly, helpful, and always smiling.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
If there’s one thing I wish Enchantment had more of, it’s specialty dining. Just having more variety in dining options would make a big difference. But overall, this was a great little getaway with some awesome moments—from WrestleMania nights to loaded nachos and an unforgettable tattoo session in Cozumel.
Until next time!
