Port: Fort Lauderdale
Day 1: At Sea
Day 2: Grand Cayman
Day 3: Cozumel, Mexico
Day 4: At Sea
Day 5: Fort Lauderdale
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Well, this cruise with friends Gary and Debbie had it's ups and downs.
First, this is/was our fourth sailing on the Enchantment, and we love the ship. This is the first cruise however, that is since the changes in RCCL's Crown & Anchor (C&A) changes. The program (Crown & Anchor Loyalty Program) is awful for Diamond members, who are used to having access to the Concierge Lounge (CL).
Here's part of something I wrote for RCCL that I'll be contacting them with soon:
This concerns the 9/19/09 cruising of the Enchantment of the Seas, it was decided that the Concierge Lounge (CL) was ONLY for Suite guests! (normally it would be for Suite guests and Diamond Plus members)
We are Diamond members. (this was our 14th cruise)
First of all, there was no announcement, nothing in our rooms to tell us where our Diamond gathering was supposed to be (there is supposed to be one every night, plus a special breakfast area with a concierge to help us with any issues). The loyalty ambassador is supposed to get the word out. We never received word about it throughout the whole cruise.
It wasn't until late on day 2 that I had to call and ask about it, and they told me it was in the Champagne Bar.
Upon arriving there on day 3, the lounge still had a few open tables, but they announced it full, and when a couple in front of us (Diamond Plus members) questioned it, they created an "overflow" area outside at tables off to the side near the windows that was neither private nor intimate.
The Diamond Plus members were irate that the CL was unavailable to them, and was only for suites. Why would RCCL put people in the best place that may only sail once, while return, loyal RCCL customers were relegated to an off area?
In this new area, it took us 20 minutes to order our first glass of wine (free), and the waiter never came back once in 40 more minutes (and it was time for dinner then). The service never got appreciably better on the next 2 nights.
At the "breakfast" for Diamond/Diamond plus members (again unannounced, I had to call the front desk and ask about it), there was only coffee, Juice, fresh fruit, and pastries. One waiter, no Concierge, and the waiter was just there to get more Coffee or pastries if needed. I checked in there on each day, and still only saw the one waiter.
I will be emailing RCCL a complaint as I thought the service was horrible, and felt awful for the Diamond Plus members that are so loyal to RCCL.
From RCCL Website:
The Exclusive Continental breakfast is hosted in an Exclusive Breakfast Area everyday from 8:00 am to 10:00 am where members can gather and enjoy a continental breakfast. A dedicated crew member will be available on select days to address any needs. The exact time and location will be communicated by the Loyalty Ambassador in the Welcome letter to be placed in your stateroom on the first day of your cruise.
We now offer either the Diamond Lounge or a Diamond Event on every ship in our fleet. On ships with a Concierge Lounge, it will be limited to Diamond Plus and Suite guests (excluding Junior Suites).
Exclusive Nightly Diamond VIP Event will take place from approximately 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm (may vary by ship and itinerary) in a bar or lounge on every ship. This event will be announced by your Loyalty Ambassador onboard in the Welcome letter to be placed in your stateroom on the first day of your cruise vacation. We will offer complimentary wine and champagne and a 'happy hour' discount of 25 percent off beer, liquor and fountain soda drinks. There is a limit of one drink per member to be served at one time.
So, you can see I was unhappy with the C&A Service aboard.
Other than that, the cruise was nice, with the day at sea spent wandering around the ship, swimming in the Solarium (quiet area for adults), and checking out the port shopping show.
Food was excellent, and our waiter was the best out of all the 14 RCCL Cruises we've been on. His name was Wilder from Peru, and you couldn't ask for a better waiter.
We'd been to Grand Cayman and Cozumel before, but the only thing excitingly new was a new restaurant we tried in Cozumel called La Mission, about 100 feet off of the corner where Viva Mexico is. This restaurant gets a 9.5 out of 10, as the food and service was excellent. Much better than my former favorite place, Las Palmeres.
More at another time (I'll expand on this).
Dave
