Enchanted: Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas
This was a big challenge, but we ended up with more treatment rooms, including a seaweed room, a deluxe couples suite with a couples shower and another room that can be used as a second couples suite.
oyal Caribbean International s Enchantment of the Seas made history this year, when it was lengthened in a dry environment, the first time in the industry s history that such an operation has been done without floating the ship. The result was a fast, less expensive way to expand a ship and, with the accompanying revitalization throughout, Enchantment has taken on a new glow, which certainly includes her spa.
The new 73-foot midsection was transported 1,430 miles by barge to be installed in a drydock. It took workers six days to split the original Enchantment. Then the bow and aft sections were positioned with skids and hydraulic jacks and the 2,939-ton mid-body section was guided into place by a laser alignment system. Reconnection took two weeks, with workers reattaching nearly 1,300 individual cables, pipes and ducts.
The ship has new dining, with the specialty Chops Grill and Boleros Latin nightspot. The new Windjammer Marketplace features multiple islands with dishes from different cuisines, a carving station, deli and cook-to-order pasta station, and the new Latte tudes coffee and ice cream shop serves Seattle s best and Ben & Jerry s. An imaginative and tasty vegetarian menu is included, and there is a wide variety of sugar-free and low fat dishes, plus very fresh fruit and salad makings available.
In addition to the 151 new staterooms, the existing ones were upgraded, with new mattresses, soft goods and upgraded bathrooms, plus flat screen TVs. Two new family staterooms sleep six, and new accessibility features have also been added throughout the ship, with pool lifts and access to the Splash Deck along with improved thresholds and ramps.
The pool deck was expanded by almost 50% with an interactive fountain for kids. The colorful Splash Deck, with 64 water jets on the floor, central dome and edges, kids can splash one another and create special effects with the water using a touchpad system. At night the circular area is closed down and transformed into a fiber-optic light and water show.
What dominates the whole ship now are the two 75-foot suspension bridges that arch above two new areas of the pool deck that extend over the water, with windows in the floor. Bungee trampolines were placed on the bow of the ship, where passengers enthusiastically worked out by bouncing ever higher from the platforms and the brave doing flips, safely harnessed to the bungee cords. Others got their workouts on Royal Caribbean s signature rock climbing wall at the other end of the ship, although few made it all the way to the top.
The Enchantment Day Spa was expanded, with five additional treatment rooms making a total of 13, including two couples massage rooms.
The salon is also spacious and provides a full range of hair and nail services, facials and scalp treatments, with a very capable international staff. They also offer a very popular tooth whitening treatment, which lightens teeth by several tones in 45 minutes and is priced, according to McDonell, at about a third of what dentists charge.
Spa Director Kerrie McDonell from London came on board in January, just a few months before the ship s lengthening. This was a big challenge, she said, but we ended up with more treatment rooms, including a seaweed room, a deluxe couples suite with a couples shower and another room that can be used as a second couples suite. McDonell says this is the first ship in the fleet to offer barber services for men, along with the new Elemis Skin Intelligence for Men line, which includes skincare and shaving products. Royal Caribbean s Freedom of the Seas, which will be the biggest cruise ship in the world when it is launched next year, will be the next vessel to offer the barbershop.
Elemis has put out flyers quoting research from Men s Health that indicates that 70% of men say they would love to have a facial and 70% of men use a moisturizer daily, all in masculine black and white, to encourage men to take advantage of the experiences.
In addition, the Enchantment spa added a new pedicure throne and has a nail bar that can accommodate three clients at once. People are using these, especially in New York, at land-based spas and salons, McDonell said. It makes it more of a social event. So we thought we should have them, too.
Although the steam and sauna areas were taken out of the spa, the adjoining adults-only Jacuzzis, pools, relaxation areas and bar serve the purpose, and the fitness area was turned around and made much more airy. The aerobics room used to be around the back of the gym, McDonell stated. People often didn t even see it. Now it s the first thing they encounter, and instead of walls we have a row of Pilates balls marking it off. New plasma screens and an additional fitness instructor, along with five more therapists, have added to the offerings. Guests can choose from stretches, aerobics, Pilates, yoga, cycling, jazzercise, kickboxing and more, along with treadmills, resistance equipment and stair steppers.
The salon is also spacious and provides a full range of hair and nail services, facials and scalp treatments, with a very capable international staff. They also offer a very popular tooth whitening treatment, which lightens teeth by several tones in 45 minutes and is priced, according to McDonell, at about a third of what dentists charge.
The Enchantment echoes land-based spas with its teen program, called Generation YSPA, for young people aged 11-19. An aromatherapy back massage, mother and daughter or father and son 25- or 50-minute massage treatments and Fabulous Fruity Facial or the Acne Attack Facial are both 50-minute treatments. Clients under 16 must have an adult present during massages.
The Surfers Scrub, a citric exfoliating treatment, is even more popular with men than women, according to McDonell, and the Fake Bake gives teens a bronze glow without exposing the skin to damaging rays. There are specialized fitness boot camps and hair care treatments for teens, and the Magical Manicure and Sole Mate pedicure are available for smaller children as well as teens.
Apart from the special programs, Enchantment s spa has the typical line of massages, including Hot Stone Therapy and deep tissue, along with Swedish massage and Reflexology, Ionthermie cellulite reduction program, Muscleease Aroma Spa Ocean Wrap or Float and La Therpie Hydralift Facial, among others.
I tried the Frangipani Hair and Scalp Conditioning Ritual, in which fragrant Frangipani was massaged through my hair and scalp and into my (very stiff) neck and shoulders. My therapist, Nemanja Vukanovic, rightly told me that stress had built up lactic acid in my shoulders and that I should greatly increase my water intake. I drink four or five liters a day, he added. The scalp massage did wonders for my dry hair and my shoulders dropped at least a couple of inches during the treatment. An hour later I rinsed my hair out to find it soft and shiny.
The Reflexology massage, followed by what was billed as just a back massage and ended up working most of my body, was something I would love to experience weekly. Yuan Li, my therapist, worked in hospitals for 15 years before moving on the Queen Eli
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th 2, followed by other cruise ships and now on Enchantment. She is extremely knowledgeable and has wonderful hands; she told me when she found blocks or problems in my body. For those who haven t experienced top notch Reflexology, it is practically uncanny. The therapist works on you feet, which are divided into zones reflecting the health of various parts of your body. Within ten minutes she had identified all the health problems I had experienced in the past month, advised a thorough detoxification ( everyone should have one annually ) and left me feeling energized and balanced, as I haven t felt for too many weeks. She informed me during the Reflexology that I carried my tensions in my shoulders and that gentle massage wasn t going to help; I would need Deep Tissue, which she proceeded to administer, unlocking huge knots and causing even my jaw to release.
Pricing for the massages range from $55 for 25 minutes of Swedish massage to $220 for 50 minutes of couples massage. The Gentle Touch Tooth Whitening is $199. Most facials are $99 for a 50-minute treatment. Regarding teen treatments, the Surfers Scrub is $57 for 25 minutes, while the 50-minute Acne Attack and Fruity Facials are $89.
For more information visit www.royalcaribbean.com.
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