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We were just on her two weeks ago! If I remember, it was 10am until Dusk. It may have opened earlier but I'm pretty sure sea days was 10am and it closed every night as the sun was setting at dusk.

I haven't read all the posts but make sure your kids check out the arcade on the ship! It is kind of tucked away but it's big, tons of games and you can trade in virtual tickets for prizes in the machine. Our kids loved it! Just be sure to cap what they are allowed to spend in there or your sail and sign card will be out of control high even just after a day!

We loved the ship!

Thank you so much! I've been on the dream and ecstasy but am looking forward to the victory. It seems to be an oldie but goodie with a lot of folks! Look forward to your review. Oh and did you see sushi anywhere or has that been replaced?!

So glad you enjoyed it! We are booked for later this Fall and I definitely have questions!

1. How many pools are there and which are adult only?

2. Was there a Carnival employee manning the slide or is it slide at your own risk? ( I ask bc my youngest may be just at the height requirement I read online and if they are super strict, we'll just stay away from it as I'd hate to "tease" her with the idea of it if she's a hair under!)

3. We have heard the Aft pool bar is a good spot for our large family to meet up late afternoon to converse and hang out before heading into our evening activities. Would you agree or suggest anywhere else?! We have about 15 ppl going and are trying to find some casual areas to have a drink and catch up on a few of the days since we know everyone wants to relax and do their own thing but still visit with all the fam 😉

4. Did anyone on your trip participate in Camp Carnival? If so, any feedback?!

Thanks!

Two things, CC lists on their ship description that Victory has a sushi bar. Is this still the case or has it been replaced by the taste bar, etc?

Also, can someone please clarify the pool situation for me? How many pools total and which are adult only?!

Thanks!

Sounds great. Thanks.

So which pools are adult only? Serenity wading pool and aft pool? And the main pool and small pool by the slide are for everyone? We'll have kids with us which is why I ask. And most importantly, does anyone know if football will be played on the big screen on thanksgiving?

We are thinking of cruising this Thanksgiving on the Victory. Did they show any Football on the big outdoor screen, in the sports bar, other bars? Just trying to figure out if we'll be able to watch any games!

Thanks

Thank you! Yeah, I'm thinking we'll all be in swim cover ups so pool bar or maybe the sky zone sports bar I read that was at the top of the ship. Is that the EA sports bar you're referring to?

And just out of curiosity, this boat has an outdoor movie screen. Think they'll play any football over the week of Thanksgiving?

We have a group of about 10 sailing on the Victory. We've never been on this ship but are hoping to meet up for a drink after pool and before dinner a few afternoons to all catch up on our day. Where is a good spot to do this? Is there a bar by the main pool, etc? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

We are headed back on the Ecstasy in September. We know she recently was switched from Camp Carnival to Camp Ocean. My kids are still in the 2-5 age group and did fine in this kids club and the previous club on Dream. Obviously, this ship is much older than the Dream but did you notice if they had spruced up the kids club rooms at all since switching to Camp Ocean? I just remember the play rooms not being as bright, etc. Could be that they don't really have a kids club facility/space like they do on the Dream and other newer ships? The rooms are kinda just there on the deck it seemed like. We had fun two years ago regardless but any thoughts, pics or feedback would be great! Thanks!

Did you happen to get a look at any of the kids club rooms? We were on the Ecstasy in 2014 and will be on her again this September. I read they converted Camp Carnival to the new Camp Ocean program since then. Just wondering if they made any upgrades (paint, decor, etc) to the actual kid club play rooms. We got very spoiled with the Carnival Dream kids club rooms last summer. Our kids loved both ships all the same but I do remember the Ecstasy Camp Carnival rooms being small (which given the ship size is understandable) and kind of plain but would love to know if they have spruced them up at all with the new change!?!

Thanks!

Did you ever end up doing this!? I too am curious about getting a carriage ride to Junkanoo with our two young kids. Any details you can provide (cost, where the carriages were when exiting ship, etc) would be great!

Thanks!

Typically, a prompt flashes up after you submitted saying they will review and get back to you within 2-3 business days or something like that. If you didn't see this screen after pushing submit, I'd call to make sure because that is a lot of money to miss out on! Check your balance too first. If before final payment, they would have deducted from your total due. Otherwise, below it they'll show your on board credit. Good luck!

We did the Dream out of Nola last summer with our two young children. You will love it. We were able to use hotel points and stay for free in the quarter. We did park our car for the week in a covered deck at the Fulton Street parking deck. Look it up. There is a shuttle to and from port. So much cheaper than parking at the port and they dropped off and picked up on time. The WWII museum is really neat and we also love the jazz singer who has a residency at the top of the Ritz Carlton in the Quarter called Davenport Lounge. It's actually super fun, great vibe with lots of people dancing. Jazz isn't usually my go-to genre but this dude is awesome. Think more of a Michael Buble type! Great evening spot. As for restaurants, I'm not sure you can go wrong. Commander's Palace is famous and very good. Love it there. Uptown has some fun bars like Cooter Browns.

Be prepared to sweat. It is SO hot in the summer but totally worth it. Just stay hydrated (which should be easy lol).

On the ship we had a good crowd. Lots of families and young couples. Trivia was a lot of fun and so were the movies at night out by the pool on the big screen. Spent a lot of time in the casino. The people manning the card tables were great. Spoke to us all week and were a lot of fun. We did excursions in every port except Caymans bc we've been there a lot. Our trip was Cozumel, Montego bay and caymans. The weather was so great that I'm glad we chose beach excursions. I booked each of them through private companies because they were so much cheaper. Oh and last, don't forget to find the Tandoor Grill outside on the Dream. Great little secret for lunch. Indian food and fresh veggie dishes. Really good! Hope this helps!

Since we were last on Ecstasy the kids camp carnival has transitioned over to the new camp ocean. Has anyone cruised on her since this has happened? I know the kids club was smaller/older than our kids club most recently on the Dream. However, my kids loved it all the same. Just curious if Ecstasy did any sort of upgrades to the kids club rooms to "spruce" them up a bit with the new camp ocean now implemented? Also, if anyone has the 3-5 yrs fun times for camp ocean on ecstasy I'd love to take a look!

Thank you.

Since we were last on Ecstasy the kids camp carnival has transitioned over to the new camp ocean. Has anyone cruised on her since this has happened? I know the kids club was smaller/older than our kids club most recently on the Dream. However, my kids loved it all the same. Just curious if Ecstasy did any sort of upgrades to the kids club rooms to "spruce" them up a bit with the new camp ocean now implemented? Also, if anyone has the 3-5 yrs fun times for camp ocean on ecstasy I'd love to take a look!

Thank you.

I need help from someone experienced because I'm getting different answers from carnival...

I booked via "early saver first dibs" last week. I saw a cheaper price for my ship/cabin under the "casino rate." Carnival said they'd honor the price drop but I'd lose my early saver status and not be able to get more price drops in the future because the casino rate doesn't come with price protection. I've never had this problem as once I've booked early saver, I've called back numerous times and they'd deduct the amount from my outstanding total. One of the reps told me to pay in full now so I could call back as many times as I want to get the additional money in on board credit. I'm convinced that they all have learned something different at carnival training?! I don't want to pay for the remainder of the cruise yet as its really far away. I'm just wondering if I'm missing something with my early saver rate? I'm scared to fill out that price protection form because it sounds like once you mention the cheaper rate you're price matching to, they move you to that rate and I'd no longer have the option to see if prices drop as the cruise approaches in the next seven months....please help! I've sent an email to carnival and tomorrow is the 3rd business day in which I'm waiting to see if they'll contact me back before I call again.

Wadethegringo, did you go to the Playa Mia hut to pick up your transfer or to get them to get you a safe /legit taxi to the resort? We just purchased our tickets through excursioneer and it said to grab one of the many taxis after getting off the ship. (We didn't purchase the transfers) However, after reading reviews we planned to visit the Playa Mia hut after debarking to get our taxi there bc I for some silly reason figured it'd be a safer bet?! Didn't know I could pay the balance there though.....

Holy moly, I honestly never even thought of the fire risk! Seriously, I've been on a ton of cruises and never had a worry. Thanks for letting me know....

We often let our swimsuits air dry out on our balconies but this is the first time we will be in a Cove balcony. What do people do when drying their swimsuits out there? Special clips to buy or should we not worry?

Thanks!

We never splurge for the spa which is why I'm curious about port prices bc I know they tend to be cheaper. Just looking for specifics to help with my budgeting. Thanks!

Do you happen to remember any of the port day spa special prices? We too are thinking of staying on the boat one of the stops....thanks!

Hi! We too are ex Royal passengers on most of their mid to larger ships (Adventurer,Navigator and Oasis). After a random family Thanksgiving cruise on one of Carnival's oldest and smallest ships (The Ecstasy), we decided to make the switch. While our previous Royal ships blow Ecstasy away in their size and layout, we realized that Carnival still gave us everything we needed while cruising with our young children. The price was so cheap that we upgraded to a Suite. On carnival, you can bring on non alcoholic beverages for all passengers in the cabin plus a bottle of wine/champagne for each adult. Just pick up a cheap corkscrew at cvs or ikea and walk it all on board. We saved a ton of money this way with the kids for juice& soda. And having the milk boxes was great for our youngest when she woke up at the crack of dawn and we weren't ready to run to the dining room to get milk or if we forgot to ask our room steward to put some on ice for us the night before. (Milk is free but my kids love the milk juice style boxes when we are just hanging out or on excursions and I hate hassling with sippee cups on cruises) . Plus, pouring glasses of wine was easy in the room and felt since we could pre drink a little the cocktails at the bar were totally affordable. And the other posters are correct with pricing. The bar drinks are definitely cheaper on Carnival. We sail the Dream in August which from what I hear is leaps and bounds more updated and larger than the Ecstasy. However, we really enjoyed the Ecstasy despite its size and lacking the Royal promenade we had gotten so used to. Great mini golf and water works for the kids. Arcade, gym, spa, etc. it was very clean, had lots of fun stuff going on all the time, small but fun casino, and really just as good as Royal. Food was good. Not amazing but totally fine. Nobody likes buffet eggs but carnival has great made to order omelet stations, Mongolian wok and deli. Seek all the food places out. We found the "off the grill" spots to have great burgers, etc. I like that Carnival doesn't have all the extra "pay" restaurants, like the Oasis of the seas did. Even on the Carnival ships with the steakhouse, there may be one or two more spots with a very minimal 'pay' restaurant everything else really is included which is nice so we don't have to go to battle with our kids and where to eat that night. I felt that we paid the cruise and then anything extra was what we expected to spend money on: casino, spa stuff, excursions, kids club extra build a bear activity, and photos.

My kids LOVED the kids club and we love that it is complimentary starting at age 2. I was so relieved bc my kids are too young to be out in the sun all day. They begged to go to camp. Even on this smaller ship, the kids club had all the stuff the Royal tots program had. Ship deck phones, build a bear type activity, St Jude fundraiser dance party, and real activities. Not just a TV to watch. I hear on Dream there is the Dr. Seuss breakfast which is probably very similar to the Dreamworks version they have on Royal. Along with a character parade which they have on Royal too.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, we love Royal's newer ships but factoring in the cost of making it a family vacation, it's too hard to pass up Carnival's newer ships for the price. I think Breeze and Sunshine Rival Royal more when it comes to sports stuff, restaurants and kid activities but I hear Dream is a close second with great shows, 18 hole mini golf, waterworks and movies outside on the big screen. For young kids (and probably older ones), I think it will be a perfect and affordable trip!

Where exactly is FTTF located? I check under my cruise excursions after logging in and on the left side it lists, beach excursions, etc. I see faster to the fun but it is faded out. I can't even click on it. Does that mean it's sold out (but I'm looking in the right spot) or should I be searching somewhere else?

We were on the Ecstasy 2014 for Thanksgiving. I checked daily and about two to three weeks before, the price dropped for our family of four $750. We used that as on board credit for the week since it was after final payment. We also upgraded from a balcony to suite for $100.