We’ve just got back from spending a sunshine-drenched week onboard the beautiful Enchanted Princess, visiting some picturesque seaside towns whilst sailing around the Mediterranean.
This was our first time sailing with Princess Cruises, and it was quite different to the others that we’ve done with P&O and MSC. I don’t mean that in a bad way, we’ve loved them all, Princess just had a whole different vibe. But I have to say, our first experience of sailing with Princess was an absolute joy, and we would 100% sail with Princess again.
If you’re considering booking a cruise on Enchanted Princess and you want to know what it’s actually like onboard, here’s my honest Enchanted Princess review based on our recent experience. From the cabins and food to the entertainment, pools, OceanNow and Princess Plus. I’m sharing everything we learnt during our week onboard, including a few things we think you should know before booking.
Before I get started, its worth knowing every cruise ship has a slightly different feel, and Enchanted Princess definitely has its own personality. We felt Enchanted was much more geared towards a relaxed, grown-up cruise rather than a full on party or younger family ship. That isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, it just depends on what you’re looking for from your holiday.
In this article...
How big is the Enchanted Princess and what’s the capacity?
Cruise ships come in all shapes and sizes, and the Enchanted Princess comes into the Royal class, which is considered a medium-sized ship. At 1,083 feet / 330 meters long, she’s the same length as roughly three football pitches and can hold 3,660 passengers and 1,346 crew.
With far fewer passengers onboard compared to some other cruises we’ve done, it never felt crowded on this ship. Only once did we struggle to find a seat in one of the bars (but O’Malley’s Irish bar is particularly small), and with the ratio of passengers to crew not being too overstretched, we never had to wait long to be served drinks.
Is Enchanted Princess a modern cruise ship?
Enchanted Princess is still a relatively new cruise ship, which was built in 2021 so everything onboard feels modern and tidy. Even when wandering around, we didn’t notice any obvious damage or wear and tear in our cabin or in any of the communal bars and areas. It’s been well maintained and feels like it’s in really good condition still.
Overall, we thought Enchanted Princess was a beautiful ship. It felt modern, but still had elements of a slightly more traditional cruise ship. It wasn’t so super-modern that it was all straight lines and clean, minimalist spaces. There were still sweeping spiral staircases in the atrium and stylish bars and seating areas that felt cosy and welcoming.
Are standard balcony cabins spacious on Enchanted Princess?
When we first walked into our cabin, we were so surprised by how spacious the room felt. They’ve configured the rooms really well, and it’s by far the best balcony cabin we’ve stayed in. There was loads of storage, and it felt so bright and roomy that we never felt like we were in one another’s way. It made a really comfortable base for our week onboard.
We stayed in room C608, which is on deck 10, port side, aft. I’ll be writing a separate, detailed blog post all about our balcony room soon, so be sure to come back for that one if you’re interested in learning more about the cabin itself.
Are the theatre shows good onboard Enchanted Princess?
I really enjoyed sailing with Princess, but this was the one area which I personally felt let this ship down ever-so-slightly.
Don’t get me wrong, the entertainment was good, and there was some sort of show or singing performance on every night at the Princess Theatre. But it just wasn’t on the same level as some of the other cruise ship shows I’ve seen, which have been outstanding. We could have just been unlucky with the week we were sailing and the shows that happened to be scheduled though.
I think one of the main problems for me was that it didn’t feel varied enough throughout the week. Out of the seven nights, two nights featured the same singer, Nate Simpson, who was very talented! But even though he sang different songs, the storytelling in between the songs was much the same as the first performance so it felt a little repetitive.
Another two nights were both based around opera singing, so if that’s not your thing, again, it can feel a little samey. One night it was purely an opera singer, who was incredibly talented and had an amazing voice – it’s just not my kind of thing. The other night was a show called Rock Opera, which was a mixture of opera singing, dancing and impressive costumes. Even though I don’t like opera, that show was good.
The other two nights were more varied. One was a story set inside a bar, with all the scenes acted out to chart songs, and the final night was more of an acrobatic performance with a couple who did juggling and aerial performances. This show followed the timeline of humanity from Adam and Eve through to outer space and the future.
None of the shows were bad, and we still enjoyed going every night. I just personally felt that they didn’t feel varied enough throughout the week and they weren’t on the same level as shows i’ve seen on other cruise lines.
Do you have to pre-book shows on Enchanted Princess?
Shows in the Princess Theatre don’t have to be pre-booked. Instead it works on a first-come, first-served system.
Some shows do get busy though, so it’s worth getting there about 20–30 minutes early if you want to bag yourself the best view with a good middle seat. In general, there were always empty seats on the outer edges of the rows. So even if you’ve left it until the last minute, you’ll probably still be able to get a seat, it just might not be at the best angle.
What entertainment is there on Enchanted Princess?
Enchanted Princess has a few different venues which host different types of entertainment.
Obviously, there’s the Princess Theatre, which shows two performances per night, one around 5:30pm and the other around 9:30pm.
At Princess Live, there were hilarious game shows, karaoke, quizzes and singing competitions like The Voice of the Ocean. There was a girl called Daisy on ours who was incredible!
Right at the back of the ship in Vista Lounge was where you’d find the comedians. We watched an American comedian who was very entertaining, although he had a tough crowd the night we watched! They also put on films in here sometimes, so it became a bit of a cinema too.
Then in the Piazza, they had different things happening throughout the week, like singers, fruit-cutting competitions, dance classes and a silent disco too.
Finally, there’s the casino, which is full of slot machines and tables which seemed to be a popular spot in the evening.
In general, there was lots happening throughout the ship to keep you busy if you wanted to be. Whether you fancied taking part in a quiz, playing bingo or joining a dance class, there was always something going on somewhere.
There’s no bar with floor-to-ceiling windows
Unless we just never found it, the Enchanted Princess didn’t seem to have the iconic lookout bar that we’ve enjoyed on all of the other cruise ships we’ve been on. There’s usually one bar high up on the ship with floor-to-ceiling windows, which offers incredible views across the ship and out to sea, but there didn’t seem to be one on Enchanted Princess.
It’s no biggie, as there are plenty of other great bars to enjoy, but it’s one we usually enjoy spending some time in. If you’re used to having one on your cruises too, you might feel like that’s something that’s missing from this particular Princess cruise ship.
Is the food good on Enchanted Princess?
We didn’t end up going to any of Princess’s speciality restaurants in the end, as the food at the main dining rooms was delicious and there was no need to spend extra money unless you really wanted to, or you fancied something in particular.
The main dining room menu was switched up every day to keep it varied and interesting, and I can’t say that we had one bad meal onboard. Everything was delicious and really well cooked. The waiters were also super friendly, and remembered our drinks order ready for the following day. How they do that when there are thousands of people onboard is beyond me, it’s so impressive!
Theres also Swirls Icecream and the Salty Dog, which is complementary and the place to go for your American classics, like burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken sandwiches, lobster mac & cheese, tacos and beef short ribs.
What are the Enchanted Princess dining options?
There are three different main dining rooms on the Enchanted Princess, all of which have the same menu, but each one has a different booking system.
We ended up going to the Capri dining room every night, as you didn’t need to book this one. Instead you could just turn up anytime between 7pm–9pm and wait in line to be seated.
In general, we arrived around 7:45–8pm and the majority of the time this was a quick 5–10 minute wait. Only a couple of nights did we have to wait around 20–30 minutes in the queue, which did put us up against it a little bit to make it to the theatre in time After 8pm, they would sometimes take you downstairs to the smaller Santorini restaurant to be seated quicker. We found the service and food to be exactly the same in both, so there’s not really any benefit of one over the other.
You can book reservations at the other two MDR restaurants (Amalfi and Santorini) if you’d rather risk not having to wait, but we found all the slots were fully booked when we first embarked. However, the laid back walk up Capri dining was great, and we liked not being tied to a particular time. It was easy to just turn up as and when we were ready or hungry, which worked really well for us!
If you’re coming as a couple, you can choose to sit on a table of 2, or ask to join larger tables to enjoy dinner conversations with other guests. We always had a table for two, but most nights ended up speaking to the people sat beside us which was nice.
Is the buffet chaotic on the Enchanted Princess?
We didn’t end up using the buffet too often on Enchanted Princess, but the handful of times we did go in there, it was hit and miss whether it was busy or not, depending on the time we went in.
I’d say peak breakfast time, around 9am, was the busiest. That was the only time that we struggled to find an available table, even after walking up the entire length of the buffet on both sides of the ship.
The rest of the time there always seemed to be plenty of clear tables available, especially if you ventured a little further away from the food areas. We also liked that the cutlery was ready to go on all the tables, which was something new compared to other cruise ship buffets we’ve been on.
Does Enchanted Princess have a good buffet selection?
The variety of food in the buffet was impressive, and everything I tried was delicious.
There was also an amazing amount of choice. For example, if you were plating yourself up a full English breakfast, there were three or four different types of sausage to choose from, along with both regular bacon and extra-crispy, streaky American-style bacon. So hopefully there’s something to suit a variety of taste buds.
I also liked how they had these little Pastry Shops inside the main buffet, which was where you’d find not only pastries, but cakes, cookies and the softest monkey bread, which was mouth-wateringly good. They also had fruit smoothies in here, along with a place to order your proper coffees as part of your drinks package. This was something we’ve not seen on other cruise lines we’ve been on, and we very much enjoyed being able to have a caramel latte as part of our breakfast. If you don’t have a drinks package though, you can make your own free teas and coffees at the buffet too.
One thing to note with Princess is that the buffet isn’t open almost all hours like it is on some other cruises. The one onboard Enchanted Princess closes around 10pm.
Where can you get late-night food and drinks on Enchanted Princess?
If you’re looking for a late-night snack, the International Cafe on deck 5 is the place to go, as it’s open 24/7.
From here you can grab a selection of cakes, pastries, sandwiches and pies, along with hot and cold drinks. We liked to cool down with an iced latte from here whenever we got back onboard, and grab a cup of tea before bed to take back to the cabin with us. It’s a very convenient cafe, and a great addition to Enchanted Princess.
What are the speciality restaurants onboard Enchanted Princess
There are a few speciality restaurants on Enchanted Princess, although we didn’t actually try any of them during our cruise, so I can’t say from personal experience whether they’re worth the extra money.
Crown Grill is the ship’s fancy steakhouse, serving premium cuts of beef and seafood in a stylish, moodily lit restaurant.
Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria is the Italian option, with an authentic feel and beautiful Mediterranean-inspired theming.
The Catch by Rudi is the one to head to if you’re a seafood fan, with a menu focused on fresh seafood and fish.
Casual dining options on Enchanted Princess
Princess has another dining option called ‘Casual’, which sits somewhere in between the main dining rooms and the speciality restaurants. It’s not quite as formal as the main dining rooms, but it’s also not speciality dining.
As part of our Princess Plus package, we had four casual dining meals included. However, we never actually ended up using them, because there was always something on the main dining room menu that tempted us in! But if you fancy something a little different, there are a couple of casual dining options to choose from.
Gigi’s Pizzeria / Alfredo’s – Here you can get Neapolitan-style pizzas, and you can also grab slices from Alfredo’s by the pool. We did try some of these during our cruise and they were really delicious, so definitely worth grabbing one if you’re feeling peckish.
O’Malley’s Irish Pub – We tried to get in here one evening because the Steak and Guinness pie sounded right up our street, but it was so busy that we eventually gave up and headed to the main dining room instead. It’s a fairly small venue and has more of a drinking-pub atmosphere than a traditional restaurant, so I’d recommend getting there early if you want to grab a table.
What is OceanNow on Princess cruises?
Something we absolutely loved on Princess is their OceanNow, which enables you to have food and drinks delivered to your exact location almost anywhere on the cruise ship. There was only 2 times when it wouldn’t work, but perhaps we were just out of the delivery zone. It’s so convenient though, and they know exactly where you are as your Medallion works almost like an Apple AirTag.
We found this such a brilliant perk of sailing with Princess, and we used it loads during our holiday. It’s so handy when you’re poolside reading or sunbathing somewhere on the ship on a lounger, and you don’t need to put your stuff back on and walk to a bar or snack spot.
Although it’s a reduced menu, there’s still a great selection of drinks and snacks to choose from, and the options seem to vary depending on where you are on the ship. Service was quick too, and our orders always arrived within 15 minutes.
If your package includes OceanNow, it’s a huge perk and so worth getting. Ours was included as part of the Princess Plus package.
Is it worth getting the Princess Plus or Princess Premier package?
We got a really good deal on Princess Plus, which was enough to twist our arm and get it. But I’m so glad we did, as it ended up coming with a whole bunch of perks. Things like Wi-Fi, the drinks package and OceanNow are all included, along with a couple of casual dining options and room service.
It also means your gratuities and crew tips are all included too, so you don’t feel like you have to tip during every interaction with crew members whenever they do anything for you… which, as a Brit, can feel unusual as it’s just not part of our culture.
For a better breakdown, you get 15 alcoholic drinks per person, per day, up to the value of €15 per drink, and one device per person can connect to the internet. But it’s very easy to switch between devices if you need it on a laptop and phone, for example. It used to include premium deserts, but you no longer get these.
Princess Premier comes at a higher price point, and includes all of the above, along with some additional perks like an unlimited digital photo package and shore excursion credit. The drinks package also gets bumped up to unlimited drinks up to €20 per drink, and four devices can be connected to the internet.
We would 100% get Princess Plus if we sail with Princess again (which I really hope we do!). It’s so good, worked really well for us, and was a wonderful perk to have.
How does the Princess Ocean Medallion work?
This is the first cruise we’ve done where you’ve not had a traditional cruise card, and we both loved how the Princess Ocean Medallions worked.
We were given our Ocean Medallions at the cruise terminal when we first checked in, and they come on a lanyard which you can wear around your neck. Although, we bought these really cheap straps off Amazon before we left so that we didn’t need to wear it around our neck, and they worked great. They do sell some onboard too, but they were around €15 each, which was far more than the ones I got on Amazon. So, if you fancy wearing it on your wrist, it’s worth being organised.
You’ll use the Medallion a lot during your cruise. It’s what you’ll scan to purchase anything onboard, how you’ll unlock your cabin door (it actually unlocks automatically when you get near) and you’ll also need it to disembark and embark the cruise ship at each port of call.
The Medallion also works like a tracker, so you can see where everyone else inside your cabin is on the app. Handy If you lose each other, you can quickly check that and head in the right direction to find each other again.
It’s also how OceanNow will know exactly where you are to deliver your food and drinks if you order anything on the app.
Are there kettles in Enchanted Princess cabins?
There was no kettle in our room, which is the first time we’ve not had one. But we did sail out from Rome, and I believe that’s why.
If you sail out from Southampton in the UK, you’ll get a kettle in your cabin as standard. I’m not sure why that’s a thing, but it seems to be a thing! Us Brits sure do love a cuppa after all.
Are the sunbeds and pools crowded on Enchanted Princess?
We were onboard the very last week of August, and although all the sunbeds around the main pools were occupied, there were always sunbeds on other decks that were available. It just meant you had a longer walk to cool off in the pool if you wanted to, but if you’re happy just sitting and reading a book or taking a nice on-deck nap whilst breathing in all that fresh ocean air, then you’ll be fine. Especially as we had OceanNow, it’s not like we even needed to be close to a bar to keep the drinks flowing!
The pools were busy, more so on sea days of course, but not crowded when we were onboard. There was always room for people to get in and splash about to cool down.
Does Enchanted Princess have an adults-only pool?
Yes, it does, and it’s a little hidden away! You walk through a corridor of cabins to get to it.
We actually met a lovely couple onboard, and they told us about the adults-only pool, and I’m so glad they did. We never struggled to find a sunlounger in there, and it had a good-sized pool with a ledge around it, so you could sit and read in the shallow water, and then a deeper part in the middle. It also had its own bar and hot tubs, and made the perfect spot to relax or talk with friends. Although it was far too hot to use them in August!
How do you know what’s happening onboard each day?
Each night, your cabin porter will deliver the Princess Patter (or Princess Platter, as I was incorrectly calling it!) to your room, which will list everything that’s happening onboard the next day.
You can also find it on the Princess app, where you can favourite things you’re interested in to make your own calendar.
There was a good mix of stuff happening onboard each day, and you can choose to do as much or as little as you want. It’s your holiday after all, and if you want to hide away in your cabin and read your Kindle on the balcony for hours, you can. Or you can join in with dance classes, quizzes, competitions, kitchen galley tours and so much more.
Should you download the Princess Cruises app?
Before you embark on the ship, it’s worth downloading the free Princess app. It’s pretty simple to use and full of helpful information. Plus, you can keep an eye on your spending and other things, like how many of your 15 alcoholic drinks you’ve claimed. I think the most we got through was five each!
You can also message the rest of your party onboard through the app, connect to the Wi-Fi package and see where each other are if you’ve got lost. It’s also where you can see the schedule of activities on the online version of the Princess Patter.
Is Enchanted Princess the same as Sky Princess?
Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess are almost identical sister ships, but there are a few subtle differences between the two. For example, there’s no Crooners Bar or Salty Dog Gastropub on Sky Princess. Instead, you get Vines Wine Bar. Enchanted Princess is also a couple of years newer than Sky Princess, which was built in 2019.
Enchanted Princess has a chilled vibe
This is the most chilled cruise ship we’ve been on yet.
If you’re after a real party ship, this wouldn’t be a great choice for you, as everything seemed to finish around 11pm. There was only one room where there was a DJ on until the early hours, but there didn’t ever seem to be anyone in there, and the DJ was left to play to an empty room, which must be a little soul-destroying!
We stayed up until 1am one night, talking to some friends we made onboard, and it got to the point where the bar staff had closed up and finished cleaning up all the tables and chairs around us. It felt like we were pretty much the last people awake on the ship!
So, if you’re wanting to head to late-night entertainment spots or have a real party vibe, Enchanted probably isn’t the right ship for you.
Is there much on Enchanted Princess for kids?
Compared to some of the other cruise ships we’ve been on, I wouldn’t say there’s a huge amount onboard for children. There’s a very small arcade, although it doesn’t have a huge amount in it, as well as an outdoor sports court. However, this only ever seemed to have adults using it to play paddle when we were onboard. There’s also a small putting green, but again, it was mostly adults that I saw using it.
So, unless we found a seriously good deal, I probably wouldn’t choose Enchanted Princess if we were travelling with our children. We love all the fun things there are to do onboard MSC, and I think our boys would probably find Princess a little lacking in comparison.
Enchanted Princess was so smooth
This might be a combination of the ship itself and the fact that we were sailing around the Mediterranean in August, when the seas were beautifully calm. But Enchanted Princess was so smooth, we barely felt her moving or rocking at all.
There was just one night when we noticed the tiniest bit of movement, but even then it was barely anything. The rest of the time you could almost forget you were on a ship!
All of our previous cruises have been in the North Sea, around Northern Europe or through the Norwegian Fjords, so I’m sure the calmer Mediterranean waters made a difference too. Still, Enchanted Princess certainly made for one of the smoothest cruises we’ve experienced.
Would we sail on Enchanted Princess again?
For sure! We really enjoyed our time onboard Enchanted Princess and would 100% sail on her again, so i’ll be keeping an eye on Cruise Nation for any deals that come along!
We loved the design and layout of the ship and how it never felt crowded, but there was so much other stuff we really enjoyed too, like how quick the service was, the friendly staff, the spacious cabins, the pools, using OceanNow and the entertainment. There was definitely a slightly older demographic on this ship compared to the others we’ve been on. That said, there were still plenty of people around our age (in their 30s and 40s) so we certainly didn’t feel out of place.
We probably wouldn’t choose this ship if we were sailing with our pre-teen boys, as there isn’t as much fun stuff onboard as there is with MSC, which they absolutely loved. We also didn’t see that many younger children on our sailing, even with it being in the school holidays.
But for a chilled couples cruise, or people coming with older teens, Princess is an excellent choice.
Before you go …
The blog is where the full story lives, but if you want to come along for the ride in real time for behind the scenes moments, and everything as it happens. Come follow me on Instagram @roostandroam.co.uk
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