Enchanted Princess

Daytime Fun

Daytime Fun

Enchanted Princess' approach to fun isn't all about the sun; the ship really utilizes the indoor space all day, so it tends to eliminate crowding.

The main pool, called the Sky Pool, is located on Deck 16. It's actually two pools, connected in the center and flanked by hot tubs. It's suitable for adults and kids, and you'll see plenty of both on sunny sea days. Shaded and full sun lounge chairs are located on the pool deck as well as the overlooking sun deck.

Movies play during the day on the giant Movies Under The Stars screen.

An additional infinity-style pool is located at the aft of the ship, with a large bar and beautiful views of the wake. 

Our favorite pool is the quiet Retreat Pool, another deep plunge pool open to adults only. It has a small bar nearby and chairs for relaxing. It's also just steps from the adults-only

Sanctuary

, a lovely escape that offers shade, deeply cushioned lounge chairs, hot tubs and even an exclusive spa menu, with fruit skewers and the like. Guests can purchase half-day and full-day passes for the Sanctuary, though on our Caribbean sailing, both sold out quickly on sea days. Cabanas are also available for rental, and you can even get spa treatments there.

Tip: The Retreat Pool is a hidden gem that many passengers don't discover until a few days into their sailing. Look for it at on Deck 17 forward.

Enchanted Princess also has a sports court and small mini-golf course.

On most days, Enchanted Princess' vibrant multilevel Piazza serves as a hub of activity. In the morning, guests gather at the International Cafe for coffee and snacks and genial conversation with other passengers. During the day, you might catch a little light music, like a steel pan player or musical trio, and this continues into the evening.

The other daytime hotspot is Princess Live, a large venue with a stage and video screen. During the day, you might enjoy dance lessons or participate in trivia sessions. Enchanted Princess also has a good lineup of enrichment lectures, and many are hosted here. These are further enhanced by the line's partnership with Discovery. On our sailing, well-attended lectures covered topics like "Birds of the Caribbean" and "What's it Like to Come Face to Face with a Great White Shark?"

Other daytime activities include wine or spirits tastings (usually with a fee) and afternoon tea, as well as bingo (also with a fee).

At Night

Enchanted Princess spreads the nighttime fun around multiple venues, each with their own personality. Passengers tend to find their favorite spots and stick to them

Princess Theater

The two-level Princess Theater hosts the ship's big production numbers. Enchanted Princess offers two of these: Rock Opera and 5-SKIES. Both feature a mix of modern hits as well as older music and offer stunning costumes and a bit of over-the-top theater. Neither is exclusive to Enchanted Princess; if you've sailed on Sky Princess, you likely seen these before. But they're both worth a repeat viewing.

Other acts, like comedians and magicians, perform here on nights when there isn't a production show going on.

Princess Live

This space is all about fun, and it's usually standing room only here. Part of the appeal is the layout; Princes Live is set up as a lounge with a stage at the front. But it's wide open to passersby, who often will stop and check out the action, lingering near the nearby bar or straight-up joining in the fun.

In the evening, you'll participate in trivia or watch the ship's gameshows, like the Yes No Game.

Princess Live also hosts mixers and get-togethers, like the 18-20s meetup.

Tip: If you want to play trivia, you must arrive early if you want a seat. We never saw a session that wasn't full. You can check your app to see how many people have bookmarked sessions to get a sense of what the crowd might be like.

Vista Lounge

Another spot for more organized entertainment, the Vista Lounge is vast and has a great bar serving up a menu of craft cocktails. Catch live music, shows, comedians and more here. This is also the venue for late-night dancing, thanks to a DJ.

Movies Under The Stars

Movies Under The Stars

is a Princess-original concept, though other lines have taken the idea and run with it as well. Each night, you'll find a different moving playing on the pool deck. To enhance the experience, lounge chairs are covered in red velvet, and crewmembers provide popcorn and fleece blankets to guests. Movies range from classics to just released.

Princess Casino

The casino on Enchanted Princess features table games and slot machines. It also hosts tournaments routinely. The Medallion app gives passengers the ability to gamble from anywhere onboard, playing the slots from their mobile devices or getting in on the onboard lotto.

Princess also offers a sports book at sea, where passengers can bet on the action of many games being played all over the world, from NBA to English Premier League soccer. This can only be done virtually; you can't place a bet with a real person at the casino. We tried it out on our sailing, putting $5 on an NFL game (we lost). The process had some kinks -- we got booted out a couple of times and ended up logging four bets even though we only made one -- but we're chalking this one up to a new ship. (Still, double-check your folio to make sure your bets are registering correctly.) Princess has told us live, in-game and proposition betting is on its way.

Bars & Nightlife

Enchanted Princess has a solid selection of bars and lounges, suited to a variety of tastes. What is especially appealing is that you can order using the Medallion app and have drinks from virtually any venue delivered to where you are -- no lines or wandering around. (We tried this one night at dinner at the Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, ordering a drink from Good Spirits and were pleasantly surprised by how quickly it was delivered.)

Our Picks

Heart of the Action

Good Spirits at Sea is located on Deck 5, just off the ship's Piazza. Here, you get inventive drinks and a bit of a show.

For Great Jazz

If you like jazz and swanky cocktails, Take Five is your spot. The lounge hosts jazz late at night, every night, and we were impressed with the variety of exclusive gin cocktails offered.

For the Views

Visit the Wakeview Bar for the best scenery around. We love this at sunset.

To Have a Quiet Drink

You don't have to be eating at the Crown Grill to enjoy the adjacent Crown Grill Bar. It's a nice spot to get together with friends and enjoy an intimate drink, with seating at deep couches and armchairs.

For a Bit of the Bubbly

Bellini's Bar offers everything from mimosas (it's open in the morning) to high-end bottles of Champagne and sophisticated cocktails. It's also a nice spot for people watching in the Piazza.

To Get Your Martini Fix

Crooners Bar is a Princess staple, specializing in martinis. It's a favorite of Princess fans, and chances are, you'll chat with an avid cruiser here.

Included

Enchanted Princess includes 25 bars and restaurants, with a mix of included and for-fee options. It's easy to focus on the up-charge venues, which offer a little something special, but we appreciate that diners can enjoy a great meal no matter where they eat. Enchanted Princess' included options are filled with variety and offer diners a chance to stay in -- or venture from -- their comfort zones.

The most formal of the included options are the ship's three main dining rooms: Capri, Amalfi or Santorini. All three offer the same menu, but hours and who can dine there vary. Passengers can expect at least one restaurant will be open for breakfast; all are open for dinner. Lunch is only offered on sea days. The three restaurants are beautiful open spaces, though space between tables, especially in the coveted window spots, can be a bit tight.

These are the restaurants people think of when they think of traditional cruise dining: Guests are seated and served plated, multicourse meals. You can elect to dine at the same table and same time each night, or you can choose a looser, dine-when-you'd-like approach.  

Tip: Your food preferences and allergies follow you, thanks to your Medallion disk. We talked with vegetarians who told us servers at restaurants made menu suggestions unprompted.

World Fresh Market

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, World Fresh Market is the ship's buffet restaurant. Enchanted Princess has done a fine job of setting up a space that creates stations and eliminates lines. We're especially enamored of the salad station, which includes a variety of grab-and-go premade options as well as a build-your-own spot, where a crewmember will put together a salad just the way you like it. In fact, a shining spot for Enchanted Princess is the sheer variety of preplated choices throughout the buffet; it's ideal during the pandemic, when we're all concerned with sharing utensils. But it also cuts down on food waste and time standing in lines.

Gigi's Pizzeria

Gigi's might be the best included

pizza joint on the waves

. Pizza is made-to-order, crusts are perfectly soft and chewy and salads and calzones complete your order. It's worth repeat visits, as the menu offers a great variety.

Tip: Visit Gigi's on embarkation day, before everyone else finds out about it. You'll have the place mostly to yourself and can skip the crowds that usually hit World Fresh Market on the first day.

Salty Dog Grill

Burgers, barbecue, hot dogs and fries, this poolside venue has a nice selection that's perfect for a casual nosh when you just don't feel like leaving the sun.

Tip: Skip the crush at lunchtime and order a burger (for free!) from your app. A server will bring it to your lounge chair.

Slice

The poolside pizza restaurant. If you're looking for fast and convenient, eat here. But if you're looking for great pizza, hit Gigi's.

International Cafe

Located in the heart of the Piazza,

International Cafe

is a buzzy little spot throughout the day. Coffee lovers go here to get their jolt of caffeine, but it's the selection food that makes us happy. Open 24 hours, there's always something tempting behind the glass display cases. We enjoyed the breakfast sandwich, a satisfying quick bite. But you can get anything from soup to quiche to sweets here, depending on the time of day.

Gelato

For-fee gelato served throughout the day. Options rotate, and sugar-free selections are available.

Specialty Restaurants

If you're willing to spend a little extra, Enchanted Princess offers several restaurants that enhance the ship's dining offerings. While we've seen prices for specialty dining on the rise throughout the industry, offerings on Enchanted Princess are reasonably priced, mostly coming in at less than $30 per person.

Crown Grill ($$)
The ship's steakhouse,

Crown Grill

is the restaurant you should choose if you only are visiting one. (Unless you're a vegetarian, in which case you have better options.) Cuts of beef and lamb are served perfectly, with a great selection of side dishes. We especially like the selection of salts designed to enhance the flavor of your meat.

Sabatini's Italian Trattoria ($$)
Serving up a variety of Italian favorites as well as more modern dishes,

Sabatini's

is a multicourse affair that is created to give you a little taste of everything. If you're so inclined, you can walk through five courses, including antipasti and dessert. Not to be missed is the burrata starter -- ask for the balsamic glaze -- and the seafood linguine. One minor complaint: Courses were so large, we filled up well before our entree was served.

The Catch by Rudi ($$)
A joint partnership the line's head of culinary arts, Rudi Sodamin, The Catch by Rudi debuted on Enchanted Princess in 2023, replacing the ship's French bistro, Bistro Sur La Mer. Featured dishes include Asian-fried calamari; lobsters with garlic butter crust and a whole Dover Sole. The jaw-dropping seafood trolley features lobster tail, shrimp, oysters and mussels. Though the menu is dedicated to seafood, there is also surf and turf and vegetarian dishes on the menu.

O'Malley's Irish Pub ($)
Replacing the former Salty Dog Gastro Pub, which has moved to the Lido Deck, O'Malley's brings Scotch eggs, fried pickles and pan-fried Guinness chicken, along with Irish beers, ales and whiskeys. A new Irish Whiskey tasting experience will also be available here, along with Guinness cocktail classes.

Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar ($)
An a la carte sushi/sashimi bar that sits on the Piazza, Ocean Terrace is great for a meal or to pick up a roll or two as an appetizer before heading to another restaurant.

Chef's Table ($$$$)
A great pick for foodies, the Chef's Table is a multi-course tasting menu, paired with wines.

Our Pick
Our favorite restaurant is Crown Grill, which provides an upscale steakhouse experience without paying high-end prices. You can't make a bad choice here.

The restaurant we'd go back to time and again is Sabatini's, in part because the menu is so extensive, we had a hard time choosing. (If you're with tablemates willing to share, you'll cut down on the FOMO.)