In addition to the allure of new discoveries, my primal instinct has broadened my culinary adventures and proceeded to draw me miles into the open sea. Yes, this is my first cruise adventure and we picked a brief 4-day Bahamas cruise onboard Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas. We remained grateful to the Almighty for sparing us the Norovirus scare that affected a different cruise ship on its voyage to Jamaica.
First time cruising and not knowing what to expect. Sure there’s going to be endless culinary indulgence of gluttonous proportions. But what about specialty dining options? Is it worth the price tag when complimentary dining options are available at no extra cost? Here’s our review of Royal Caribbean’s dining options onboard the Enchantment of the Seas.
First off, the Enchantment of the Seas is considered a “baby ship” compared to the cruise line’s other magnanimous family of ships. It has five complimentary dining options and two specialty options.
Complimentary Options:
1. Windjammer Cafe
2. My Fair Lady Dining Room
3. Park Cafe
4. Cafe Latte-Tudes
5. Room Service
Specialty Options:
1. Chops Grille
2. Chef’s Table
Dining Packages Available on the Enchantment:
a. 3-night dining package ($75 per guest)
b. Ultimate dining package ($100 per guest)
Notes:
a. Dining packages are approximately around $25 per guest per day. I will get this updated once I find out the exact dollar amount.
b. If you want to try the Chef’s Table, upgrade fee is $40 per person each night if you have purchased a dining package.
Review Disclaimer:
The reviews are based on our dining experiences onboard the Enchantment of the Seas. Personal culinary preferences may vary especially on the food review section.
Windjammer Cafe
The Windjammer Cafe is the quintessential Royal Caribbean dining mainstay offering a fine sampling of flavors around the world in an all-you-can-eat buffet style setting. Located high up on the 9th deck of the Enchantment, the Windjammer invites guests to a casual dining experience with contemporary nautical themed decor and a stunning view of the open sea. It opens as early as 06:30am to accommodate early bird breakfast, while serving up snacks, lunch and dinner through the rest of the day.
Hours:
Early – 6:30am – 7:00am
Breakfast – 7:00am – 11:00am
Lunch – 11:30am – 3:00pm
Snacks – 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Dinner – 6:30pm – 9:00pm
What we tried:
Windjammer Cafe
3.8 / 5 Reviewer
Pros
Lots of food, multiple food stations, great view of the open sea, relaxed casual dining, friendly service staff
Cons
Can be crowded, food is okay at best
Windjammer offers a fun and casual dining experience with an amazing view from the 9th deck. Food is plentiful but nothing spectacular.
Food3.5
Atmosphere4
Service4
My Fair Lady Dining Room
With inspiration drawn from the hit musical My Fair Lady, this two-story elegant dining room resonates an aura of rustic sophistication with a touch of European grace. Dining is served a la carte with a modest buffet section served during breakfast time. Continental menu options range from offerings of fresh garden greens, pasta dishes, burgers, seafood and a selection of delectable desserts. Seating and reservation is assigned for each guest at dinner time and the arrangement printed on your Seapass card. You can either opt for “my time” dining, early dinner (6:30pm) or late dinner (8:30pm). The dining room is located on the 4th and 5th deck towards the stern of the ship.
Notes:
My time dining allows you to come to the dining room between 6:00pm and 9:30pm. However, there might be a little wait until a table becomes available. Otherwise, if you opted for either early or late dinner time, you will be seated right away on your assigned table with the same guests throughout your cruise.
Hours:
Breakfast – 7:30am – 9:30am
Lunch – 11:30am – 1:00pm
Dinner – 6:00pm – 9:30pm
What we tried:
My Fair Lady Dining
4 / 5 Reviewer
Pros
Decent menu selection, beautiful dining room, good service, relaxed dining atmosphere, yummy desserts!
Cons
Food is good but some food items we tried were so-so. Swordfish steak was dry and overcooked, spaghetti not very appetizing, crab cake not even close to the one at Chops.
Stunning dining room with a great relaxed atmosphere, great for meeting new people on the cruise. However, we have mixed reviews on the food. Still, a fun place to socialize and try out different menu items. Good thing is that if you don't like your food, you can always order a different one.
Food3.5
Atmosphere4.5
Service4
Park Cafe
Compared to the colossal Windjammer Cafe, this humble corner cafe situated on the aft side of the 9th deck serves up made-to-order sandwiches, paninis, oven baked pizza, various soups and freshly prepared salad. They open early to serve breakfast, in the afternoon for snacks, and late to cater to cruisers hankering a late night snack
Hours:
Breakfast – 7:00am – 10:00am
Snacks – 11:30am – 1:00pm
Snacks – 3:00pm – 6:30pm
Late Night – 9:00pm – 3:00am
What we tried:
Cafe Latte-Tudes
Conveniently located right next to the Internet Cafe on the 6th deck, this minute coffee house serves up your favorite Starbucks classics, hot chocolate, assorted refreshments and scoops of decadent Ben and Jerry Ice Cream.
Hours: 11:00am – 11:30pm
Room Service
Experience the convenience of having your food served fresh and sent directly to your stateroom. This service is available from 5pm of the first day of your cruise until 1am on the final evening. To call for room service, simply dial 53 on your stateroom phone. A $7.95 service charge is added per room for all room service orders.
Chops Grille
Royal Caribbean’s specialty dining option featuring tender cuts of premium dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood indulgences, and myriads of mouth-watering delicacies prepared to your personal liking. Set the mood for an intimate dinner for two, or relish a steak feast for the entire family, the Chops Grille is sure to deliver culinary luxury in a cozy dining setting for a superlatively opulent dining experience in the open seas.
Hours:
Dinner – 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Cost:
Adults – $39.99
Children 6 – 12 years old – $10
What we tried:
Chops Grille
4.7 / 5 Reviewer
Pros
Food was delicious, seafood tasted fresh, steaks cooked perfectly, desserts were delightful, stunning dining room, exceptional service
Cons
Same menu during the entire cruise, salmon was a bit under seasoned but cooked perfectly
We love the Chops Grille and enjoyed every bit of the food there. Highly recommend the seafood tower ($19 extra charge), steaks were seasoned beautifully, tender and simply delicious. We had Jane take care of us on all three nights (we asked for her the 2nd and 3rd time) and she was quite pleasant and very accommodating. My wife wanted some rice and she went to the main dining hall and got us some.
Food4.5
Atmosphere4.5
Service5
Chef’s Table
Immerse in a truly one-of-a-kind private dining experience with choice selections from the chef and intricate wine pairings from the ship’s sommelier. The event starts off with a champagne reception to acclimate everyone on the table. Then, you will be presented with an intricately selected gourmet offering by the chef likened to the omakase style of Japanese cuisine.
Hours:
Dinner – 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Cost: $85 per person
Our Dining Schedule:
We paid for 3-night dining package. Unfortunately we opted not to try the Chef’s Table. Please leave a comment below if you’ve had the chance to try the Chef’s Table Dining Experience.
Day 1
Lunch: Windjammer Welcome Aboard Buffet Lunch
Dinner: Chops Grille
Day 2
Breakfast: My Fair Lady Dining
Lunch: Black Beard’s Grille Barbecue at CocoCay
Dinner: Chops Grille
Day 3
Breakfast: Windjammer Cafe
Lunch: Pearl Island Lunch Buffet
Dinner: My Fair Lady Dining
Day 4
Breakfast: Windjammer Cafe
Lunch: My Fair Lady Dining
Dinner: Chops Grille
Day 5 (Disembarkation)
Breakfast: Windjammer Cafe
Conclusion:
Overall, we were very satisfied with our 3-night dining package at Chops Grille. Plus, we were able to try complimentary dining options that were also available. We’ve heard numerous comments how dining packages aren’t worth it because what’s complimentary offers amazing choices. But on the Enchantment, we felt that adding top notch specialty dining at Chops is well worth the experience.
To learn some tips for your next cruise, click here to find 24 things you’ll want to know before cruising Royal Caribbean.
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Tags: Cruise, Food, Royal Caribbean
