EricasTJ

Thank you!!!  

On 10/4/2018 at 4:30 PM, MsJersey84 said:

After inspecting the room we decided to go to the Serenity deck and maybe find a clam-shell to lay in for awhile. Most of the shells were empty just our luck we climbed in and dozed off the sound of the horn going off telling everyone that it was time for muster station drill scared us out of our sleep.. We went running down trying to find muster station E. The drill lasted about 30 mins.

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Really enjoying your review of your cruise.  I'll be on the Conquest on Sunday, and my muster station is E as well.  Can you tell me where on the ship the drill will be for muster station E?   I'll find out once I'm on the ship, of course, but at this point I'm just curious!  Thanks!!!

I'm not a parent, but when my parents took me on my first cruise in 1999 (I was 17 at the time) they invited my best friend since my brother couldn't go. I'm almost certain her parents gave my parents money to use for on-board expenses and excursions, but I also know that her parents wrote a letter stating that they authorized my parents to take her on a cruise and make decisions on medical care, if anything should happen. My parents brought that letter along with them, but I don't think anyone ever asked to see it and they didn't need it for any emergencies. My friend and I had a blast!

We cruised out of Charleston last October and brought along a small cooler with a hard liner. It fit our cans of soda (which they did look through) and then acted as our ice bucket in our room (which our room steward happily filled every day). The hard liner kept it from leaking as the ice melted, and the cooler kept our drinks cold. It was perfect!

Bonus - at the end of the cruise (now that the soda was gone) we had an empty cooler to stash small gifts that we bought during our cruise!

Because we anticipated our cabin on the Ecstasy would not have a fridge when we cruised last October, we bought a cooler with a hard liner and carried it onto the ship with us, along with some cans of soda. We asked our cabin steward to fill it up with ice every day, and he did so without fail. Because of the hard liner, it did not leak when the ice melted, and the ice stayed for a fairly long time since it was inside of a cooler. Before we left our cabin each day, we'd simply empty the ice/water into the shower so that our cabin steward would just have to refill it. We were able to keep our sodas and water ice cold throughout the cruise without any issues!

Yes, the fake trees are gone. The lido pool area is now a lot different. The separator/bench in the pool is gone, and they've added a shower station. It's a lot more like a hotel pool area than a tropical/cruise ship pool area now.There are still 2 hot tubs, but one of them lost the canopy as well.

Biggest things I noticed other than the additions of Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, and Alchemy is a lot of the colorful mosaic tile work on the ship (most notably on Lido around the pool) has been replaced with solid colors. The pool is now nonslip blue vinyl rather than ceramic tile. I suppose it is not only easier to keep clean, it's also easier to repair if a leak develops.

Speaking of the pool area, it also appears as though they removed the fake palm trees. They were there when we cruised on the Ecstasy last October, but it appears as though they're gone when I look at the deck webcams now. Sort of a bummer - they gave it a tropical feel, even though they were fake. :(

I purchased a 16-can soft cooler with a removable hard liner before our recent cruise. It acted as the perfect ice bucket in our room which did not have a refrigerator and the hard liner kept it from leaking as ice melted. We asked our cabin steward to refill the ice daily and always had cold cans of soda (which we brought onto the ship). By far the best purchase for our cruise.

I brought along a soft-sided cooler that fit 16 cans (there were 2 of us) AND had a removable hard liner. After going through the scanner, they did open it up to make sure that my cans were soda, rather than beer. The hard liner was perfect to use as an ice bucket in our room since it didn't leak. We asked our cabin steward to replenish it with ice daily, which she did, and it was perfect to keep our sodas cold since we didn't have a fridge in our cabin. Probably one of the most useful items I brought along with us on our cruise!

I was just on the Behind the Fun tour on the Ecstasy on October 24th. It cost $55 per person and lasted almost 3 hours.

I like the "Frog Beer".

BUT, how many ounces is in a pour? And how much $. ?

The Miller Lite machine on the Ecstasy was $3.95 for the 14 oz. glass, or 28 cents per oz. I took a picture of it. I can't recall what the ThirstyFrog Red was, but I want to say it was around $4.25 or $4.50 for 14 oz.?

Also on the Ecstasy. There were two - one on either side of the Pizza/Deli/Bar area towards the back of the Lido deck. One side had Miller Lite, the other had Thirstyfrog Red.

You'd book it at the Shore Excursions desk after boarding; it cannot be reserved in advance or online

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I wouldn't wait too long before going to ShoreEx because it often sells out.

I agree with this. We boarded the Ecstacy directly into the atrium and made a beeline for the Shore Excursion desk to get our names on the list!

I just got off of the Ecstasy on Tuesday, when you embarked. We were lucky and were able to go to HMC, but I did notice on a weather website that I frequent that the waves near HMC are currently around 8 ft. - probably not optimal for the tenders. Sorry about your luck, but at least you're in the Bahamas and not sitting at work like I am! :)

I just took the tour with my husband this past Monday on the Ecstasy. It was super informative and we really enjoyed some of the areas of the ship that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

The tickets that we received in our stateroom came in an envelope which included some rules and regs regarding the tour (no cameras, no sandals, etc.) and one of those rules did say "Minimum age for the tour is 8 years..."

I'm not sure how strict they are about that, but it's something to keep in mind for your 7 year old.

In the bottom row of your 12pk of soda

I don't know if this would always work. I brought 16 cans of soda in a small cooler, and they did actually take each can out at the terminal (Charleston) to make sure they were cans of soda and not beer.

While you're there, pick up some chocolates too. Mmmm, the chocolate bacon was delicious. :)

 

Enjoy!

We absolutely will - the chocolate bacon sounds tasty! I would also like to pick up some of their coffee! Looking forward to it!

Thank you both!!! Appreciate your help!

Thanks for the reply. I guess my question really is - how early can we show up? I'd hate to walk there to find out that they haven't yet opened for the day.

My husband and I are taking a cruise that will be stopping at Nassau on Saturday. As he's really into cigars, we'd like to stop by the Graycliff Cigar Factory in the morning before it gets too crowded. We also have an afternoon excursion elsewhere to keep in mind so we'd rather go there earlier. Does anyone know their hours? I've searched their website and many other websites, and even sent them an email, but I've received no response and I can't find their hours anywhere. Has anyone been there and maybe know their hours? Our ship docks at 8am, and we don't mind being up early. Thanks!

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks. We will be on CCL Sunshine for our 28th Anniversary on Oct 21:D.

We'll be on the Ecstasy celebrating our 10th anniversary on October 21st! What a great anniversary date (it's also my parents' 44th anniversary on the 21st!)

I wonder if they'll allow boxes (cartons) of water...I have a few of these at home:

My husband and I have booked an excursion (ATV Adventure) through Carnival in Nassau. It's a half day excursion and begins at 12:30. I only have experience with excursions that leave first thing in the morning, when the meeting location was on the ship (in a lounge, or similar). Since we might want to explore Nassau in the morning, will we have to go back onto the ship to meet with our group, or will there be a meeting location somewhere off of the ship near the dock?

Knowing this will be helpful in planning our day. Thanks in advance for the help!