I Sailed on a 10 Day and a Seven Day Cruise on the Enchanted Princess

My Experiences with Each Cruise Were Entirely Different

In January of 2026, my husband and I embarked on a 10 day Sailing on Enchanted Princess. In July we sailed again on the same ship but on a seven day journey.

I enjoyed the longer January cruise more than the seven day. And it has nothing to do with the time of year or the length of the cruise.

I am not sure if the ship sailed at full capacity on either cruise. But I felt so much more relaxed on the 10 day voyage. I sensed the crew was too.

Sure there were more retirees on our January sailing and more families in July. But the kids were well-behaved and never unruly.

It’s hard to describe, but I felt the crew seemed more chill during the longer sailing. They seemed to have more fun, and in my opinion, interacted better with the passengers.

It could be just the people we encountered. I recognized some of the same crew members that we met in January on our July sailing. And yet, they seemed, well, lighter on the longer, 10 day journey. 

Maybe because everyone had time to settle in and get to know the passengers better, I’m not sure. And I’m not saying the crew members we encountered on our seven day sailing in July were any less friendly…They weren’t. But I did get a sense they were a little more business-like and a little less personable.

Could be that my husband and I were more relaxed on the January cruise because we had more sea days and got a chance to get to know the crew better.

I’ll never forget. We were a little lost, and a nice man in uniform stopped what he was doing and offered to help us find the restaurant we were looking for, even though he looked busy.

That never happened on our July cruise. I suspect, possibly, the crew was simply tired in late July after a stressful summer. While the start of a new year on a 10 day jaunt was all about renewal. We felt it, and I imagine they did too.

Obviously there are different variables at play. Sometimes the experiences you encounter are completely different from the ones another passengers might observe, even with the same crew members on the same ship.

Granted, we spent way more time on the top deck than at the pool bar, where it seemed the bar tender knew everyone’s name but ours!

We were counting steps on the walking track while most of the other passengers were counting shots..not really. No one seemed obviously drunk on either cruise.

Long-time cruisers who post on Reddit forums generally agree that the crew seems less stressed on longer voyages, possibly because there is more time between embarkation and disembarkation, resulting in less chaos and more time to get to know passengers.

I did spend a lot of time on Deck Five getting coffee drinks to go. And everyone at the International Cafe there was friendly…although maybe not quite as friendly as the bartenders…Likely because the tips are bigger.

I have to admit, passengers on both cruises were equally as pleasant. On our 10 day cruise in January we ran into a lot of retirees who didn’t even know which island we were docking in. They came on board to relax and enjoy the ship. After so many cruises, the ports all seemed similar to them.

In July, we met families from around the world. We noticed a few big reunions where family members all wore matching T-shirts.

Would I prefer to go back on a Seven or 10 day journey? I would say both. I have an 11 day, a five day and a three day cruise booked for next year.

Bon voyage!