Royal Caribbean International
Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Review
Key West-Cozumel

Michael Bell
Age: 40
Itinerary: Key West/Cozumel
Occupation: Finance
Number of Cruises: 2
Sailing Date: July 13th, 2006

I have to start by saying that this was one of the better trips I have been on, from start to finish. I'll try to highlight without going too long.

Boarding the ship was a breeze. Without a doubt, do your Set-Sail pass online, because if you don't you will be forced to wait in a holding room to do your paperwork. Having completed all the paperwork online allowed my girlfriend and I to breeze right through! We arrived at the pier at 11:10 and we were on the boat by 11:30. Lunch was being served at the Windjammer Buffet (on the pool deck) and bars opened at 12:00. We were in our room at 1:00 on the dot. We booked the large ocean view stateroom, which was a little small but it worked fine, as we were hardly there. The rooms were very clean and our stateroom attendant was always on top of things. We had a water line break on the toilet right as we were leaving for the muster drill, and by the time we got back it was fixed! Very impressive.

KEY WEST - Arrived at 7:00am, and we walked off the ship at 7:15am, no lines and no hassle. We had coffee at a little shop right at the pier, which was very nice, then we rented scooters for the day. I have to say, this is a great way to see Key West. We were there until 2:00 but we felt we saw quite a bit. I would highly recommend the Hemingway House, if you don't mind cats. We had lunch at Sloppy Joes, which is pretty touristy but the food was very good and not too expensive. We left port about 25 minutes late due to a Carnival ship that blocked our way out. Oh well, the bar was open! Had our Formal night that night. Very nice - people dressed well, suits and ties for men, cocktail dresses for ladies, and I only saw a few tux's, which is fine with me. Had some pictures taken, which came out very well. I would recommend if you would like professional pictures to wait for the "Lifestyle" pictures that they do on Deck 6. These are done with a white floor and background, and they encourage you to do "whatever" - laying down, back to back, on your stomachs - these pictures looked natural and came out great!

COZUMEL - Great port! We were able to dock (only ship that did). We were a little late getting in, not arriving at port until 10:30, but we were again off the ship right away. We rented a Jeep Wrangler right at the cruise terminal and commenced on our own tour of the island, stopping at small seaside bars that had views that you would not believe, as well as cheap food and even cheaper drinks! If you are a drinker, you will appreciate this - 2 Coronas and 2 shots of tequilla, $6.00 - you can't go wrong. After touring the outer areas of the island (where, by the way, the Hurricane devastation is still very noticeable, however they have done a great job of repairing it) we headed into downtown for some lunch and shopping. We got back to the ship at around 7:15pm and were in our way right at 8:00pm. Keep in mind that Mexico does not observe daylight savings, so we did have to adjust our watches back one hour the night before we got to Cozumel.

LAST DAY - At sea, very nice to be able to relax. The pool area gets crowded but you can still find out of the way places to set up a lounge chair. If you are not bringing kids, I would recommend if you want to jump in the pool take a few extra steps to the Solarium area. Much more peaceful! Great meal that night at Chops. If you don't mind the $20.00 a person, I would do it, The food is incredible and the service is top-notch.

All in all, the service and facilities on the ship are just great. Every person was ready to serve you. Great food, great drinks (just ask the bartender to put a little extra rum in that drink, he'll do it and then some, don't be afraid!!) Got off the ship quick and through customs even quicker. All in all, just a great, great trip. I only wish I went longer, but I can't wait to go back. Enjoy!!
 

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