Short Ecstasy Review

We just got back home from a great trip to the Bahamas! We were on a 6 night cruise on the Ecstasy out of Charleston. Background: my 5th cruise (2nd with Carnival. I've done Disney, RC and Norwegian as well), DH's 2nd cruise and DD's 1st (3yrs old). We prefer to be lazy introverts on vacation and don't do much partying but still manage to have a good time and believe vacation is what you make of it.

Pre-vacation stay:

We live 3.5hrs from Charleston, and left Friday evening for the Hampton Inn N. Charleston Airport. We arrived around midnight and I'd received a call earlier in the day to "make sure we still wanted the room" because apparently they were over booked for the Eclipse and I'd specified late check in. I had to call them back with an up to date credit card later. Each time I spoke to someone, I verified that we were doing the cruise and snooze package so we could leave our car parked and take the shuttle to the cruise port and they said something along the lines of "oh sure, just let so and so know when you check in and they'll make sure to tell the shuttle driver." Apparently they contract with an outside shuttle driver for the cruise drop offs. I double checked with 3 different people an they all said no problem, just come to the lobby at 10am.

The hotel was fine, free breakfast was fine. DH is a Hilton Honors member so we stay at Hilton/Hampton properties to earn/use points. We couldn't use points for the cruise package just FYI. Got to the lobby around 9:45am and check out, and for the next 1.5hours, we were told the shuttle was "on their way". One shuttle pulled up, and another group of people ran ut and hopped on. The front desk clerk told us that some manager had given them permission to take the shuttle even without paying for the cruise and snooze package. This ground my gears a bit bc it was interfering with our shuttle service and wait time and corralling a 3yr old in a lobby, and had cost us extra for the package. But we swallowed it and finally got our ride to the port in a 9 passenger van. The port didn't seem too busy between 11 and 12 and boarding had started by the time we arrived. Between the wait and the pick up wait, I would NOT do the cruise and snooze package again and would just park at the port or take an Uber.

We had Faster to the Fun passes and were Suite Guests. These over lap a bit, but given a choice, I would never cruise without FTTF. It helped with multiple lines during the trip. We got on board sometime around noon dropped our things off right in our room and headed out to find lunch! Our room steward Reggie introduced himself about 5 minutes after dropping our things off. He asked if we wanted morning or evening service. I told him we didn't need twice a day cleaning, but if he could check in the evening and 1. bring ice and 2. turn the couch into a bed (evening) and back to a couch (morning), that's all we needed. He seemed hesitant and asked a couple more times if I wanted once or twice a day. I finally said morning. That evening we came back and the plates we'd had room service on were still in the room and still no ice. I left a post it note on the mirror asking to change to twice a day service and from that point forward, the room was kept up very nicely.

I'd heard great things about Guys burgers and Blue Iguana but both lines were long and not moving at that point. The buffet wasn't impressive. There was one type of chicken, a couple salads and a fish. There were a few desserts out. We had a couple bites of chicken and went back to the room to rest. We ended up napping a bit and I ran back up to Guy's for a burger. I grabbed 2 cheeseburgers, 2 drinks and headed back to the room to toast our official start of vacation. The burgers were decent if a little dry. DH had probably one a day during the vacation. It wasn't something I was running back to get but not a bad lunch. I found the seasoning on the fries pretty salty and skipped those.

Eventually, it was time for the good ol' muster drill. We sat in the main Blue Sapphire lounge while waiting for every one to file in and for the briefing portion. Then we were all walked out to the life boats. We were the first ones out and had to stand there for almost 20 minutes while they filled everyone in. This was really warm and in direct sun. I was feeling not great by the end so I can't imagine how anyone eldery or not in great health would feel. We did NOT need to bring life jackets to the muster drill and our steward let us know that when he introduced himself. Once that was all over, we headed back to our room for sail away!

Nice start. Will be following along.

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Following too, We are driving down from Murrells Inlet the day of........Jan, 20,19:D

Miscellaneous:

Room- This trip was booked as a surprise for my husband for our 5yr anniversary. He only found out about it a week before. I had originally booked and ocean view room. When I paid that off in full, I upgraded to a balcony room. About a week before the cruise, we got a call to upsell us to a Grand Suite. I hesitated for a moment but then went for it! We loved the room. It has spoiled us, especially DH for any other room! I am sure my daughter and I could handle an ocean view or balcony, but my husband is sure he only wants suites from now on. Being that that isn't in the budget, he probably won't be cruising for awhile! The room had a full bathroom with tub (not jacuzzi tub), a walk in closet with full mirror, and a living room space with a couch, coffee table and chair. The couch turned into a bed at night for our daughter. The king bed was sooooo comfy. I think every time I laid down, I commented how comfy it was and how I wanted to take it home. We had a towel animal at least once a day. Our room had 3 air conditioning vents and it got suuuuper cold which is how we like it for sleeping. It was so cozy under those fluffy blankets. I'm a light sleeper and I slept like a rock (until I got heart burn on the last night or two from all the food!).

Miscellaneous:

Room Service: We hung out in our room probably more than most people. We napped most afternoons before dinner. We enjoyed our balcony and the extra space in our room, so instead of lounging on the lido deck, we spent down time in the room. Room service became super convenient and hit the spot often. We probably got it 1 to 2x a day. We went to early dinner right when it opened at 5:45 and were usually wanting a snack before bed. I loved ordering some hot tea before bed and my daughter and I would split pb&j. We filled out our breakfast sheet and hung it on our door knob almost every morning. We'd get cereals/yogurt/tea/coffee/pastries for 7:30am and then be good to go for excursions, or be good for a bit to go to a late sea day brunch. There was sometimes a few minute hold for someone to take the order, but they were very quick and efficient. Order was usually delivered in less than a half hour. Breakfast was always on the early side of the half hour window. They always asked if they could come in the room to drop the food off. They had a slip to sign where you could add tip. I had gotten singles especially for tipping room service and bar, so I would just stick a couple bucks in the folder each time.

Miscellaneous

Tipping:

This was something that annoyed me. I pre paid our gratuities just to have one less thing on our bill at the end. I believe in tipping and always give 15-20%, sometimes more if someone really goes above and beyond. That being said, auto gratuity was added to every thing. I noticed it on the second drink I got. I went to write in the tip and looked closer at the bill and saw the bartender had already added 15% "auto gratuity". That doesn't seem like gratuity to me. It seems sneaky and more like a service charge or part of the price of the drink. I thought to look for this when we got a 25min massage at Half Moon Cay and sure enough, it was added into the bill with yet another line to add additional gratuity. I wonder how many people don't realize it's in there already. My husband didn't when he got his massage after mine, so that therapist got a nice 30% tip on that massage. Like I said, I think tipping is the right thing to do, but something about how this was done just didn't sit right with me, and I figured I'd throw in a post on that to save anyone else a bit of cash on spa and bar stuff.

Yes, most of us know that they add a tip to every drink or service, Nothing new,

Yes, most of us know that they add a tip to every drink or service, Nothing new,

New to me! Believe me, I scoured reviews here to pass the time before the cruise and I didn't see that. I thought maybe on large parties etc, or a suggested tip, but I wasn't aware it would be built in, plus a line for additional tipping. Like I said, just throwing it in there for those not aware or other new cruisers that wouldn't expect it.

Happy belated anniversary! Thank you for your review. My DH and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in November on the ecstasy.

Camp Ocean:

We loved Camp Ocean! We didn't use it every day. And when we used it, it was usually just an hour or two at a time so we could go to a show. DD is pretty out going and social, so I guessed she'd like it but didn't bet on it. We were assigned a phone for the whole trip and they just changed out the battery when it got low. The counselors seemed to genuinely like kids. They were always involved and they always had activities going on. There was arts and crafts, face painting, counting, puzzles, free play time, movies, a dance party the last night. Every time a kid came in, they were checked in, no adults allowed back but you could see in to the room. They got a name tag and taken to wash their hands. Parents were encouraged to come back at any time to check on kids or to call on the phone if they wanted to check in. The last night, the kids got a penguin bag with a couple souvenirs. Really happy with Camp Ocean!

Happy belated anniversary! Thank you for your review. My DH and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in November on the ecstasy.

Congratulations! Make sure they know on your reservation that it's your anniversary. They sang to us one night at dinner and gave us a cake. We also had a $50 "gift card" dropped off from our room steward to use in the spa, but we couldn't use it with any of the specials and it was non transferable so we ended up not using it. I think we could have used it towards products.

Thanks for the review.

Even with FTTF/suite you still have to choose a check-in time, correct? I sail on Wednesday, but the earliest check-in slot was 11:30. Friends are in a Penthouse Suite and are wondering if we can arrive earlier and board?

You've sailed before, right? Every cruiseline I've sailed (next week is cruise #33) adds a gratuity to drinks. Also added to steakhouse, chef's table, other added-fee restaurants. I know Ecstasy doesn't have other dining options (other than Chef's Table), but if you've sailed before, you should know that 15% is added to all drinks.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1123

"For your information, tipping applies regardless of the dining options selected, such as eating at the casual dining restaurant or open seating dining.

For beverage purchases, an automatic 15% gratuity will be added to the bill and the charges will be applied directly to the guest's Sail & Sign account. An automatic 15% gratuity will be added to the cover charge of the Chef’s Table and the charges will be applied directly to the guest’s Sail & Sign account. Room Service staff may be tipped as service is rendered."

I'm always rather surprised that people seem to only rely on Cruise Critic or groups/threads on social media for their info but don't seem to go to the source for details.

Prepaying "tips" is only the standard daily charge, which covers housekeeping and waitstaff and behind-the-scene workers. That subject has been beaten to death on the boards.

Of course it isn't obligatory, but it is customary to also tip for the delivery of room service. I don't use it often, but keep a stash of $1 bills handy just in case.

Moving on, I'd like to hear about the ports. We're calling at Princess Cays and I haven't found any feedback since Carnival has started calling there.

Even with FTTF/suite you still have to choose a check-in time, correct? I sail on Wednesday, but the earliest check-in slot was 11:30. Friends are in a Penthouse Suite and are wondering if we can arrive earlier and board?

 

 

 

You've sailed before, right? Every cruiseline I've sailed (next week is cruise #33) adds a gratuity to drinks. Also added to steakhouse, chef's table, other added-fee restaurants. I know Ecstasy doesn't have other dining options (other than Chef's Table), but if you've sailed before, you should know that 15% is added to all drinks.

 

 

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1123

 

 

 

"For your information, tipping applies regardless of the dining options selected, such as eating at the casual dining restaurant or open seating dining.

 

 

 

For beverage purchases, an automatic 15% gratuity will be added to the bill and the charges will be applied directly to the guest's Sail & Sign account. An automatic 15% gratuity will be added to the cover charge of the Chef’s Table and the charges will be applied directly to the guest’s Sail & Sign account. Room Service staff may be tipped as service is rendered."

 

 

 

I'm always rather surprised that people seem to only rely on Cruise Critic or groups/threads on social media for their info but don't seem to go to the source for details.

 

 

 

Prepaying "tips" is only the standard daily charge, which covers housekeeping and waitstaff and behind-the-scene workers. That subject has been beaten to death on the boards.

 

 

 

Of course it isn't obligatory, but it is customary to also tip for the delivery of room service. I don't use it often, but keep a stash of $1 bills handy just in case.

 

 

 

Moving on, I'd like to hear about the ports. We're calling at Princess Cays and I haven't found any feedback since Carnival has started calling there.

Sometimes I wonder if people realize how condescending they come off. I'm sharing my experience. Obviously you know more than me. I'm sharing what I didn't know in case there's another lonely soul out there who might make the same mistake as me. There's no need to quote websites to me, I obviously know now! This is a review for others who can take what they will it wasn't intended as an all knowing guide to cruising. I have nothing to say about princess cays as we didn't cruise there. Might want to unfollow.

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Sounds like you had a great trip and looking forward to reading more! I am going to post my review of the same cruise - going to be interesting to see how our experiences compare. We also had a fabulous time (despite a few little glitches) and wish we could have met you on the cruise - although perhaps we did and didn't even know it! LOL

Ports:

Half Moon Cay-

Amazing, magical, the best beach I've ever been to! The sand was soft and white and the water so clear. We had a cabana. We could have enjoyed the beach without it, but it made it that much more special. The snacks were sufficient that I didn't even go to the lunch. DH and DD went and said it was average. We saw the eclipse at the beach so that was a cool bonus. Cabanas had been sold out so we went to guest services to be put on the wait list. We were 2nd on the wait list and an excursion ticket just showed up under the door on our first sea day! We were assigned cabana 13, which was perfect. Not far from bathrooms and down the beach away from the crowds. Came with snorkel gear and floats for the water as well. I was very sad to leave this perfect spot to head back to the beach. We did also try 25min beach massages but were underwhelmed. They were pricey and it wasn't super enjoyable with sand all over you.

Nassau:

We did a day pass at the British Hilton Colonial. It was a great little beach, pretty quiet, and a nice pool too. There were a couple showers this day and we ended up heading back to the ship shortly after lunch. The day pass came with $40 worth of food/drink, which covered a burger and 1 drink. There were a few non motorized water sports to try, snorkel gear available. The hotel itself was beautiful from the lobby. I would go back again for a relaxing beach day. Extremely clear water which I was surprised about so close to the cruise ships. Even more clear than HMC. It was about a 10 minute walk from the pier. We were asked by plenty of street vendors to shop but no one was harassing when we said no thanks. It didn't feel unsafe to walk to the hotel.

Freeport;

I'd seen a bunch of reviews leading up to this that just said to stay on the boat. I thought that must be an exaggeration and booked the Carnival Beach day. There were various options, family, lunch included, all inclusive etc. We were bussed to the beach about 30 minutes away on a double decker bus. Driving through Freeport, the guide talked about how it was basically wiped out by hurricanes in 2004. No one has rebuilt by the looks of it. A lot of businesses took the insurance money and left. It looked like the hurricanes rolled through 2 months ago. We got to the beach area and it was decent. But we were spoiled by the 2 prior beaches. Seas were rough so they weren't renting out any equipment. People were walking up and down the beach selling jetskis and banana boat rides by the middle of the day. Lunch was lacking for us. We don't eat seafood though, so it might have been fine for those who do. There was a kids play area that was staffed. I stuck close by not knowing how they could watch all the kids at once. My daughter did wander out and came to me on the hammocks near by. I don't know if the saw her go or not. I wouldn't go again and I'd probably stay on the ship. Unless there was some other fun excursion I found. But we were pretty limited having a 3 yr old with us.

New to me! Believe me, I scoured reviews here to pass the time before the cruise and I didn't see that. I thought maybe on large parties etc, or a suggested tip, but I wasn't aware it would be built in, plus a line for additional tipping. Like I said, just throwing it in there for those not aware or other new cruisers that wouldn't expect it.

I did not know they automatically added gratuities to massages, etc either so thank you for heads up!

We will be on the Ecstasy in October for our 25th anniversary. I booked online and got us the Grand Suite with extended balcony. Did you book via phone and tell Carnival you were celebrating your anniversary?

Look forward to hearing more of your review.

We just got back home from a great trip to the Bahamas! We were on a 6 night cruise on the Ecstasy out of Charleston. Background: my 5th cruise (2nd with Carnival. I've done Disney, RC and Norwegian as well), DH's 2nd cruise and DD's 1st (3yrs old). We prefer to be lazy introverts on vacation and don't do much partying but still manage to have a good time and believe vacation is what you make of it.

 

Pre-vacation stay:

We live 3.5hrs from Charleston, and left Friday evening for the Hampton Inn N. Charleston Airport. We arrived around midnight and I'd received a call earlier in the day to "make sure we still wanted the room" because apparently they were over booked for the Eclipse and I'd specified late check in. I had to call them back with an up to date credit card later. Each time I spoke to someone, I verified that we were doing the cruise and snooze package so we could leave our car parked and take the shuttle to the cruise port and they said something along the lines of "oh sure, just let so and so know when you check in and they'll make sure to tell the shuttle driver." Apparently they contract with an outside shuttle driver for the cruise drop offs. I double checked with 3 different people an they all said no problem, just come to the lobby at 10am.

The hotel was fine, free breakfast was fine. DH is a Hilton Honors member so we stay at Hilton/Hampton properties to earn/use points. We couldn't use points for the cruise package just FYI. Got to the lobby around 9:45am and check out, and for the next 1.5hours, we were told the shuttle was "on their way". One shuttle pulled up, and another group of people ran ut and hopped on. The front desk clerk told us that some manager had given them permission to take the shuttle even without paying for the cruise and snooze package. This ground my gears a bit bc it was interfering with our shuttle service and wait time and corralling a 3yr old in a lobby, and had cost us extra for the package. But we swallowed it and finally got our ride to the port in a 9 passenger van. The port didn't seem too busy between 11 and 12 and boarding had started by the time we arrived. Between the wait and the pick up wait, I would NOT do the cruise and snooze package again and would just park at the port or take an Uber.

Call Hilton Honors and you will be refunded enough points for one to two more nights free stays.

We sail wednesday too. Thanks for your insight on freeport. We may use that day to explore the ship or see the brewery, i cant decide. Im definitely not paying $160 for two ppl to go to a beach with lunch. Thats highway robbery.

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So you are pressured to only get once a day service on Esctasy, or is that fleet wide now?

Thanks. We are heading to Charleston today and sail tomorrow.

Thanks for the review. We sail in a couple weeks. Thanks for the reminder about tips. I haven't sailed since 2010 and had completely forgotten about that!