A Step Back in Time: A Review of the Enchanted Princess

I was truly enchanted with Princess’ fifth Royal Class ship. With its warm and gleaming wood, and marble décor, the ship was welcoming in its traditional trappings. You might even think you were on a luxury liner from days gone by – except for the shows. Oh, and the medallions.

The three-deck piazza in its warm and inviting tones

Aside from the mixture of the old and new, what else can you expect on the Enchanted Princess?

The Crowd: Lively but Not Loud – Princess, as a cruise line, trends to older adults. While there will always be kids, there aren’t many. A face-painting event on a recent trip hosted only a handful of school-age children. (Note, though, that we don’t travel during school vacations.)

The overall vibe of the ship is lively; piazza parties draw enthusiastic crowds, but you won’t find belly flop or hairy men contests at the pool.

Jiving to a live band in the piazza, where something is always happening

The Food: Quantity is the Order of the Day – Main dining room chow is typical cruise fare. While I had a few good desserts (see top photo below), I sorely missed the Norman Love blow-you-away creations from several years ago. Attempts at recreating his desserts, such as the chocolate pistachio dome (bottom photo below), fell short.

The buffet, however, is a real standout, with a mind-boggling array of choices. Unlike other cruise lines where the choices on one side of the room mirror the choices on the other, Enchanted’s varied spread spanned both. What’s more, the meal hours were exceedingly generous, with breakfast available until 11:30 a.m.; lunch until 3:30 p.m.; snacks until 5:30 p.m.; and dinner until 10 p.m.

And if this isn’t enough, the 24/7 International Café on the piazza can fill in the gaps with breakfast pastries and yogurts, sandwiches, quiches and desserts.

Sandwiches and such in the piazza's 24/7 International Cafe

The Activities: Behind the Scenes and Much More – Princess is one of the last cruise lines to offer free galley tours, usually the morning of the last sea day. There are also behind-the-scenes talks about putting production shows together, ship navigation, Q&A with the captain and the like. There’s also veggie carving, towel folding, and arts and crafts, assorted game shows and other interactive events.

The Entertainment: A Video Game Takes Center Stage, and There’s Music Everywhere – Production shows were modern, including an intriguing one evoking a video game. Karaoke drew standing room-only crowds, and music choices ranged from Irish tunes at O’Malley’s to jazz at Take Five to violins at the Crown Grill Bar. We found ourselves ensconced at Crooners several nights, seeped in nostalgia as we sipped G&Ts to piano tunes of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Strings to sip by at the Crown Grill Bar

The Service: A Newsletter in Print!!! – In another nod to tradition, Princess still provides twice daily cabin cleaning and delivers a paper newsletter, and even serves water, juice and coffee, as well as alcohol, to tables in the buffet.

The Technology: More Than a Token Amount

The medallions – small circular token-like disks –introduced a while back to replace sea cards – worked well to pay for drinks, open the stateroom door, and register our comings and goings at ports. Ours did de-activate once during the cruise, but were easily restored after a trip to the guest relations desk.

The Rooms: Maxi from Mini – Princess’ mini-suites are a particularly good deal, as they provide extra cabin space without the humungous cost of a real suite. And while the verandahs are on the small side, the mini-suites – and the standard balcony rooms – must surely have the biggest closets at sea. There’s also an impressive selection of – yes, you are reading this right – free on-demand movies.

The mini-suite features a full-sized couch, a curtain to separate the sitting area and two TVs 

The Final Word (Almost): You’ll Wish it Could Go on Forever

As long as rock-climbing is not what you’re after, you can’t go wrong with the Enchanted Princess. In fact, as your vacay comes to a close, you’ll be so relaxed that you’ll be wishing you had booked a longer trip.

Musing’s Top Tips

Specialty dining – Be sure to make reservations well in advance of your trip. Use Princess’s new dedicated dining line: 833-805-DINE. By the time you get onboard, the restaurants will already be filled up.

Pasta primavera at Sabatini's

Formal night – The first formal night is generally the first sea day.

Don’t-miss entertainment – On the last day, there’s a fabulous Princess World Orchestra event in the piazza. (Check the newsletter for the time.) A variety of the ship entertainers do a sampling of their talent. Get there very early to nab a seat.

Sampling the ship's varied entertainment as the cruise sails to a close

Already Booked?

See the post “Know Before You Go” for tips on what to do before your trip to help it go as smoothly as possible.