MS Enchantment of the Seas

Enchantment of the Seas in 2007
History
Name: Enchantment of the Seas
Owner: Enchantment of the Seas[1]
Operator: Royal Caribbean International
Port of registry:
Ordered: 3 August 1994[1]
Builder: Kvaerner Masa Yards Helsinki New Shipyard, Helsinki, Finland
Yard number: 493[1]
Laid down: 25 October 1995[1]
Launched: 20 November 1996[1]
Completed: 3 July 1997[1]
Maiden voyage: July 13, 1997
In service: 1997-present
Identification:
Status: In service
General characteristics
Class and type: Vision-class cruise ship
Tonnage:
  • 1997–2004: 74,000 GT
  • 2005 onwards: 82,910 GT[1]
Length:
  • 1997–2004: 916 ft (279.20 m)
  • 2005 onwards: 301.36 m (988.71 ft)[1]
Beam: 106 ft (32.31 m)
Draft: 25 ft (7.62 m)
Decks: 11 passenger decks
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity: 2,446 Passengers

MS Enchantment of the Seas is a Vision-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She cruises in the Caribbean year round sailing out of Miami, Florida, USA. She sails two cruises weekly: a 4-night cruise to Coco Cay and Nassau, Bahamas with a day at sea and a 3-night weekend to Nassau, Bahamas and Coco Cay, a route formerly fulfilled by the Monarch of the Seas.

Docked in Philadelphia, USA.
Sports pool and main pool.
Orpheum Theatre.
Centrum, The three-deck atrium of the ship, as seen from mid-deck; it was renovated during the 2009 overhaul.

Propellers

The two propellers are highly skewed fixed pitch types, manufactured in Sweden. Enchantment of the Seas and her sister ship Grandeur of the Seas are the first two major cruise ships to be equipped with a Dynamic Positioning System frequently used to maintain position while in port, particularly when tender boats are used.

Facilities

The ship's dining facilities include the two-story "My Fair Lady" dining room, the Windjammer cafe buffet, the Chops Grille specialty restaurant, and several themed bars and lounges, including a piano bar. Other features include three pools, a spa, a theater, a solarium, a fitness center, a discothèque, a shopping center and centrum, a teen disco and lounge, Adventure Ocean center, an observation deck, a rock-climbing wall, four bungee trampolines called the "Jump Zone" and the Viking Crown Lounge.

In December 2012, Enchantment of the Seas went into drydock in Freeport, Bahamas and received new features including the Park Cafè, a poolside movie screen, new Centrum upgrade without the flying acts the other Vision ships received, flatpanel TVs, upgraded phone system, Ship wide WiFi technology and other enhancements.

2005 overhaul

In 2005, the Enchantment of the Seas was overhauled. Part of overhaul included stretching the vessel by cutting it in two amidship and adding a 73-foot (22 m) long section. Enchantment of the Seas entered dry dock at Keppel Verolme shipyards in Rotterdam on 15 May 2005. The mid-body extension section was built at Aker Finnyards ahead of time, allowing the construction to be done in just over a month.[2][3]

The ship resumed service on July 7, 2005, less than two months after entering dry dock. The new section included 151 new staterooms, outdoor trampoline bungees, suspension bridges, an expanded pool area, a 64-jet interactive fountain area for kids, and floor windows allowing an unobstructed view of the ocean below. During its time out of service, Enchantment of the Seas also received an overall renovation, which included paintings by Paul Critchley for the Windjammer cafe.[4]

When the extension project was approved, an extension of Enchantment of the Seas's sister ship, Grandeur of the Seas was also planned, with tentative plans to extend other ships in the Vision class (and possibly throughout the fleet). However, while the Enchantment of the Seas project was successful it proved to be prohibitively expensive, and all future extension projects have been cancelled. Instead, the Voyager class was extended on paper, and the Freedom class was created, utilising the shipyard capacity previously booked for the Vision class extensions.

Incidents

On September 30, 2009, while Enchantment of the Seas was berthed at Cozumel, Mexico, high winds pushed the cruise ship Carnival Legend against the side resulting in damage to both ships. A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman commented that the ship had minor damage to the stern of the ship and some railings. Both ships were able to depart to its next port of call after being inspected by port authorities.[5][6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Enchantment of the Seas (18769)". DNV GL Vessel Register. Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  2. ↑ "Press Release 31 May 2005". Royal Caribbean. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  3. ↑ "Brochure on KV's facilities for cruise and ferry repair" (PDF). Cruise and Ferry (contains numerous photos and details of the Enchantment of the Seas extension project). Keppel Verolme Shipyards. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  4. ↑ "Press Release 06 July 2005". Royal Caribbean. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  5. ↑ Sloan, Gene (2009). "Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise ships collide in Cozumel". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  6. ↑ http://news.msn.com/us/cruise-ship-death-spotlights-murky-waters-of-fatalities-at-sea
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