The ship they cut in half
In 2005 Royal Caribbean did something to Enchantment of the Seas that almost never happens: they cut her in two, floated the halves apart and welded in a new midsection. She came out roughly 73 feet longer and 82,910 gross tons — the only stretched ship in the fleet.
Crucially, the extra length went somewhere useful. Where her sisters have one main pool, Enchantment has two, plus a Splash Deck kids' water area with 64 interactive jets, a bungee trampoline and two 65-foot suspension bridges spanning the pool deck. On a class otherwise short on things for children to do, that is a meaningful difference rather than a trivia answer.
She was refurbished again in 2021 and now sails Tampa year-round. Between the low fares of her class and the biggest pool deck in it, she is the easiest ship in the fleet to recommend as a first cruise — particularly for a family testing whether cruising suits them at all.
This is the ship we recommend most often as a test cruise. A short Western Caribbean sailing at the lowest fares Royal sells answers the only question that matters — do we actually like this? — for a fraction of what finding out on an Icon-class ship would cost. Plenty of committed cruisers started exactly here.
Is she your ship?
Three questions, one honest answer — including “book her sister instead” if that's the truth.
Should you book Enchantment of the Seas?
We'll tell you yes, yes-with-an-asterisk, or point you at a sister — which is the answer nobody else's website will give you.
Where she actually sails
Enchantment sails year-round from Tampa and is scheduled to remain there through 2027, running 4- to 7-night Western Caribbean itineraries. That stability is unusual in this class and makes her the easiest sister to plan around.
Her sisters
Four near-identical sisters — so the home port and the route decide this, not the hull.
Enchantment of the Seas is one of four Vision-class sisters still sailing. They share a hull design, a glass-roofed solarium and the Centrum atrium — and they are the smallest and oldest ships Royal Caribbean still operates.
The sisters are near-identical below the funnel, so the decision is almost entirely about home port and route. One of them, Enchantment, is the exception: she was physically lengthened in 2005.
The other three: Grandeur of the Seas · Rhapsody of the Seas · Vision of the Seas
For how they compare head to head, and which suits which trip, see the full Vision Class guide.
What she's like onboard
What you'll actually use — and why it matters on her itineraries specifically.
The best cabins to book
Small ship, small cabins — so location does more work here than category.
The honest downsides
What we tell clients before they book her.
The stretch did not modernise her. It's a great story and a modest change. The 2005 insertion added length and deck space — not new cabins, not a water park, not a newer class of ship. Book her for the fare, and enjoy the trivia once aboard.
Three-night sailings run loud. The short Bahamas format attracts a party crowd on any ship, and on a small one there are fewer places to escape it. If you want calm, book a longer itinerary or a different sister.
Three nights is roughly a day and a half. Once embarkation and disembarkation are accounted for, there is less trip here than the brochure implies. Excellent as a taster; not a substitute for a real holiday.
Her future is genuinely uncertain. She's among the oldest in the fleet and two sisters from this class have already been sold. Fine for a sailing you can see on the calendar; risky as a plan for 2029.
When to book
Short sailings at the bottom of the fare range sell fast, particularly school holidays and long weekends. Book at release if dates are fixed — and if you're testing whether cruising suits you, book the shortest one you can find rather than committing to a week.
The verdict
The best first cruise in the fleet, at the lowest price in it.
Enchantment of the Seas wins no arguments about hardware — she is a 1997 ship with a 2005 waistline and a 2021 refresh. But the stretch gave her the biggest pool deck, the only real kids' water area and the most usable outdoor space in her class, and she sits on the lowest fares Royal Caribbean sells.
Book her as a first cruise, a family test run, or a cheap Caribbean week from a port with a stable schedule. Don't book her as a family's big annual holiday expecting an Icon-class experience — but as the ship that tells you cheaply whether you want one, she has no real competition.
Quick answers
Why was Enchantment of the Seas stretched?
In 2005 she was cut in half and a new midsection inserted, adding length, capacity and deck space. She's the only stretched ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet.
Is Enchantment good for a first cruise?
She's arguably the best first cruise in the fleet — short sailings at the lowest fares, which answers the 'do we like this?' question cheaply.
Does Enchantment have waterslides?
No. The class has none, and the stretch didn't add any.
How long are her cruises?
Typically three-, four- and five-night sailings from Florida.
Considering Enchantment of the Seas?
Tell us about your trip.
Your dates, your crew and your budget — and we'll tell you whether she's the right sister, what she's actually sailing in your window, and what to reserve the moment booking opens.
Tap a question or the button and an advisor will answer against current pricing before you book.