I used a casino instant rewards certificate to book a 4-night cruise on to Mexico aboard Enchantment of the Seas, a 2,730-guest ship that joined Royal Caribbean's fleet in 1997.
I was surprised that a balcony cabin reward was available through the casino for two reasons: Enchantment has few balcony cabins, and my play wasn't very high when I got the certificate. Nonetheless, I was pleased.
One downside to this was I had to take a guarantee cabin assignment, which means the cruise line chose my room.
It took a month or two, but I finally got my cabin assigned. I was never worried the cruise would be overbooked, but it probably took longer than I expected.
I was assigned cabin 7036, which was on the ship's port side (left) and directly off the forward elevator bank. I didn't hear any noise the entire time, not even from neighboring guests that I shared a connecting door with.
My SeaPass card was waiting for me outside my cabin once staterooms were ready for passengers to get to their cabins at 1pm on embarkation day.
I have no idea why there was a birthday magnet on my door when I arrived, but I decided to leave it to make it easier to find my room.
When I opened the door, I was impressed by how big the room felt.
As you walk in, there is a giant closet on your left. There are many hangers you can use, along with ledges places to put your bulky items.
I opted to use the closet as my dirty laundry area, which was helped by bringing a laundry hamper. It's one of my favorite cabin hacks for keeping the room cleaner and more manageable.
The main area of the room had a king-size bed that can be split into two, if you prefer. I kept it together because I was cruising solo and liked having the big bed to myself.
I was impressed by how comfortable the bed was, and how well I slept every night.
There were two small nightstands on each side of the bed, but no power outlets nearby. Enchantment is an old Royal Caribbean ship, and convenient power outlets really didn't become popular on cruise ships until just a few years ago.
A TV is mounted across from the bed and has a small adjustable arm to angle it.
I could watch live satellite television, movies, TV series, or the Bridge Cam, which shows a view of the front of the ship. I rarely watch television on a cruise, but I'll sometimes turn it on before I go to sleep.
My room also had a sitting area with a full couch that had a pull out sofa and an oval-shaped coffee table.
According to the cruise line, this room can accommodate up to 3 guests, and the sofa bed is how that works. I never opened it up during my cruise, but I had a passing thought to sleep there one night just to mix things up.
I believe there was supposed to be a piece of art on the wall above the sofa because there were mounting positions, but it was missing. Not a problem, just an observation.
There was a vanity, a mirror, and a cushioned chair across from the couch.
The vanity has the only power outlets in this particular room, and it's where I would do my daily work for this site from. I brought a USB hub so I could keep my various devices charged. (Contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use)
One thing you won't find in a cabin on Enchantment of the Seas is a mini-fridge. It's just not an option on Vision Class ships.
Instead, there are lots of drawers on each side of the vanity. There's also additional storage space up above.
This is where you'll find the room safe. The safe was clearly used and abused, as the face plate was half off, but it worked just fine.
I thought there was much more storage space than I expected, and between the drawers and closet, I think three people could easily keep all their belongings organized and out of suitcases for a sailing.
The covered balcony measured 39 square feet and had plenty of room for two people.
It wasn't the largest balcony by any means, but I really enjoyed being able to come out here and take in the view or ocean breeze.
Since it was January, it wasn't particularly hot out. That's good because it was comfortable, but some mornings it was chilly with the ocean breeze.
The bathroom was bigger than I expected for a ship of this age.
It looked like the bathroom I'd expect to find on a slightly newer ship, such as Voyager of the Seas or Freedom of the Seas.
It wasn't until I visited my friend's cabin and saw how small his bathroom was, that I realized mine was a substantial upgrade. He was in an inside room, and their bathroom was tiny.
Regardless of which cabin you're in on Enchantment, the one problem I have with the bathroom are the shower curtains.
Certain Royal Caribbean ships have shower curtains instead of a glass or plastic shower divider, and these curtains are notoriously problematic because they cling to you as you shower.
The shower area is a confined space to begin with, and I don't like the idea of the curtain touching me as I'm trying to clean myself.
Alas, it's not something that would ruin my cruise, but a known issue on older, smaller ships.
I posted a video of this on social media, and some cruisers recommended leaving the curtain open while I shower to avoid the problem. According to them, there is a drain in the bathroom floor and the water would drain there instead.
When you're booked in a standard cabin category (i.e. not a suite), you have the choice of getting your cabin cleaned once a day, either in the morning or evening.
I almost always choose the evening service so I can sleep in or just be not disturbed when I'm working in the morning.
One day I forgot to remove my "do not disturb" magnet from my door after taking an afternoon nap, and as a result, my room wasn't cleaned that day.
To my surprise, my stateroom attendant went out of his way to clean it the next morning after I departed the room.
I tried to leave my cabin as much as I could to not feel confined in the room. Enchantment may not have the most activities, but there was a lot going on, and I enjoyed the fun things this ship had.
Despite the shower curtain issue, the stateroom had impressive storage, a fantastic bed, and a lovely private balcony.
I think this kind of a cabin is a room I'd love to stay in again, especially given how much space there was.
I loved having the outdoor space, especially considering how comfortable the weather was during the peak of winter in the Caribbean.
