Enchanted Princess in Tortola
Like all cruise ships, Enchanted Princess has a variety of different staterooms people can choose from when booking a cruise, ranging from the least expensive inside cabins to the most expensive suites. The four major cruise ship cabin categories are interior, ocean view, balcony, and suite, with further divisions among rooms in the various categories. When looking at sizes of the various cabins there’s usually a range shown. Generally the smaller size is the standard for that cabin class, with the larger one often accessible cabins. Sometimes there are a few others that are larger than most others in their category as well, usually due to their location such as in a corner.
ocean view cabin
Most ships have a number of cabins in each category, which is where Enchanted Princess differs a bit having only 6 oceanview cabins onboard. These are located at the front of deck 17 and listed as premium oceanview with about 172 square feet per cabin and a slanted window at the front of the ship. Most cruise ships have oceanview cabins with windows or portholes on the lowest passenger decks, but the several lowest passenger decks of Enchanted Princess are all public spaces. As is usual on cruise ships the decks below that are crew areas containing the inner workings of the ship as well as facilities for the crew.
interior cabin
For cruisers on a budget or people who like darkness for sleeping when there’s daylight outside, inside cabins are ideal. As is usual on most cruise ships these are both the smallest and least expensive cabins that Enchanted Princess has to offer. These run about 166-175 square feet each and are located on various decks throughout the ship. As with just about all cruise ship cabins the beds can be set separately as two or together as one.
accessible interior cabin
Typically the largest interior rooms are accessible cabins, which run about 249 square feet. It’s a bit odd to see bulky bunks that fold down from the wall on a ship this new. Older ships had bunks like the one in the above photo. Since the invention of bunks that fold down from the ceiling newer ships generally don’t, but obviously this one does.
accessible bathroom with roll-in shower
Accessible cabins have a larger then normal bathrooms, often including a roll-in shower.
standard balcony cabin
Balcony cabins come in several options, with the least expensive standard balcony cabins at about 222 square feet (including balcony) furnished with a bed, desk with one chair, small refrigerator, some drawers, a large open closet and a smaller closet with a door. The small balcony contains 2 chairs and a small table.
premium deluxe balcony cabin
Deluxe balcony cabins may be slightly bigger and have a small couch instead of the desk and chair. Premium deluxe balcony cabins have larger balconies than the deluxe ones and the cabin itself may be bigger depending on where they are located within the ship.
extended balcony on premium deluxe balcony cabin
Deck 9 has some premium deluxe balcony cabins with extended balconies that are considerably larger than the standard balconies on Enchanted Princess.
accessible balcony cabin
The biggest cabins with balcony cabin designation are of course the accessible ones. Accessible cabins are nearly always larger than other cabins of the same designation so that there is room to maneuver a wheelchair around inside the room. Accessible cabins cost the same as other cabins with the same designation. If you look at the ship’s deck plans cabins of the same category such as balcony will be shown in different colors depending on their location within the ship. Cabins on higher decks and closer to the center usually cost more on any ship than the exact same cabin on a lower deck or farther out to the ends, but all cabins shown in the same color on the deck plan will have the same designation and price regardless of whether they are accessible or not. Accessible cabins are generally found closer to the center of the ship rather than way out at the ends where the cheapest cabins are since the far ends have a greater distance to travel from the elevators and accessible cabins are most often conveniently located near elevators.
mini-suite
In between balcony cabins and suites comes the mini-suite, which is considerably larger than a standard balcony cabin at 299-329 square feet. These have a full-sized couch and a curtain between the bed and couch area that can be pulled across for privacy if there are extra people in the room. The balcony is the same size as on a standard balcony cabin on most of them, but the bathroom is larger and includes a bathtub rather than just a shower. If you can afford the upgrade, a mini-suite well worth the extra cost since it is so much more spacious than a standard balcony cabin on this ship. These do not generally come with the perks included with suites, though some are designated as Reserve Collection mini-suites that do have extra perks like reserved theater seating and a separate dining room that is not open to most guests at breakfast and lunch. Most of the reserve collection rooms are about the same size as regular mini-suites other than larger balconies, though there are a few in the front corners of upper decks with that designation that are almost as big as actual suites. Of course the cost is higher for Reserve Collection than for other mini-suites.
penthouse suite
Enchanted Princess has several different types of suites. Their standard suites are called Penthouse suites and are generally about 440 square feet, though there are larger ones at the back corners on some decks. The front of the Sun deck has a few Vista Suites that are slightly larger than the standard penthouse suits, but smaller than the corner ones. There are a couple bigger suites called owner’s suites at the back of the Emerald deck. Suites of course have larger and fancier bathrooms than standard cabins. Most suites have balconies, but there are two Window Suites located at the front corners of the Sun deck next to the oceanview cabins that do not.
bedroom in premium suite D121
Premium suites are a step up from the penthouse suites. On the Dolphin deck there are a couple of premium suites in the front corners that have a bedroom with the same sort of slanted window found in the oceanview cabins, but they also include a living area with a sliding door to a corner balcony. These suites are over 500 square feet. The bedroom alone is bigger than a standard cabin. There are also premium suites in the front corners of some of the other decks.
kitchen and living room the sky suite
The largest and most expensive suites onboard are the two sky suites located on the Sky Deck. These two suites are each over 1500 square feet and have two bedrooms with a living area in between. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. The balconies to these suites are huge and wrap around three sides of the suite. There is an area of it overlooking the main Lido pool deck with chairs for a private area to watch movies on the outdoor screen. Other areas of the balcony have a variety of tables, chairs, and loungers. One end of the balcony includes a private entrance into the adults-only retreat area which has a pool and hot tubs.
one small corner of the sky suite balcony with chairs for watching the outdoor movies
Besides larger rooms, suites always come with extra perks. These include priority embarkation, priority tender, a special line at guest services just for suite and elite guests, priorities on other things like shore excursion or dining room reservations, and use of the concierge lounge.
penthouse suite bathroom
When booking the standard sort of room that the ship has lots of there are as previously mentioned always a bunch of different categories for rooms that are exactly the same. This is because rooms that are on higher decks or closer to the center of the ship are generally considered more desirable. That is why the cruiselines price them higher than the exact same room on a lower deck or farther out toward the bow or stern. We like rooms near the bow because you’re more likely to see flying fish from there, but if you are affected by motion then closer to the center and lower down is the place to be. If you’d rather have a wake view and don’t mind the possibility of engine noise or vibration then the stern is a good choice. Near the center is the most convenient for getting anywhere, but farther out to the ends means less people walking past your cabin. The ideal location varies depending on personal preference. Unless you are traveling with the people next door try to avoid connecting cabins as you will hear your neighbors more through the connecting door than through a solid wall even if that door is kept locked because you are not with them.
the concierge lounge for suite guests has snacks, seating, and a desk with a concierge
Regardless of what sort of room you book everyone can enjoy all the public areas of the ship and all the ports it visits throughout the cruise. We took a back-to-back with a standard balcony on the first half and a mini-suite for the second. The balcony room was small, but sufficient and as it was close to the bow we saw lots of flying fish as well as frigate birds catching flying fish during that part of the journey. The mini-suite was lovely. It was way more spacious and its central location made it very easy to access any other area of the ship from our cabin. It’s a good thing we had the mini-suite on the second cruise because the regular cabin would have felt a whole lot smaller if we’d had the much bigger mini-suite first.
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