Enchanted Princess - second time - what a let down
We have just returned from a second trip within three months, on the Enchanted Princess. The first trip was an 11 day return cruise to the Canary Islands, back in early May. The ship appeared around half full, (mostly balcony passengers) the WiFi and medallions worked pretty OK. There were very few queues if any and the staff were very friendly and attentive. The entertainment and food offerings were very good (although we were unable to load our own plates) and you could easily obtain a sun lounger. In all, and despite receiving news that my Mother had passed away unexpectedly on day two of our trip - our ship experience on the cruise was very acceptable, hence our return. Fast forward three months, to our four day trip to Rotterdam and Guernsey and we encountered a totally different experience. The ship was now running at over 100% occupancy, due to children/babies sharing their parent’s staterooms. Hence, there was now overcrowding in areas - more noise, lack of sun loungers. Queues literally everywhere for everything, including lifts. A twenty minute plus wait for a drink, whether it was queued for, or waiter delivered, appeared the norm. You considered yourself lucky, if you arrived at a quiet bar. At times there appeared very few bartenders, considering the size of the queues building up. When you factor in how long it takes to make the average cocktail - you could be stuck in a queue for a very lengthy spell. If on a drinks package, you could conceivably spend 5 hrs of your day, obtaining your 15 alcoholic drinks, with a median wait each time of around 20 mins. Clearly, the ship is at present, grossly understaffed - in pretty much every department. The WiFi and ability to utilise the medallion for orders, was at times pitiful. We spoke with both the reception and Internet cafe staff about the seemingly weary internet, but to little effect. My son had paid $100 for the use of four devices and was only offered a 50% discount, due to the fact that he was on a couple of occasions, able to access some substance online. His fiancé, who was on her first cruise - was visibly upset that she couldn’t communicate adequately with her family in the U.K. Certain people using android phones, did appear to do a little better than those utilising iPads, but overall, the general consensus, was that the ship’s WiFi system clearly can’t handle the current magnitude of passengers. My score, is mostly related to the second trip, as I now believe this is how things will continue for the immediate future. I will NOT be returning anytime soon, which is a shame, as our first experience of the ship was absolutely fine.
