Carnival Ecstasy Review - December 10, 2011

[JediSkipdogg]

This is my first time writing a review on a cruise and I feel it is needed. This is also being written in a letter to Carnival to express some major concerns I had on this cruise. I will say overall, it was a good cruise thanks to the people you interact with daily, however, the people that get paid the big bucks need to look at some major issues IMO.

 

Firstly, I will say this was my fourth cruise. My first two were Carnival and then I decided to give Royal Caribbean a try after Carnival took the solo rate from 150% to 200%. However, this time I took my family on their first cruise and therefore stuck with Carnival as in my opinion it's the most cost effective cruise and I felt the line was way above Royal Caribbean. I know, I'm basing it off of one time on RC, but it was one time I chose not to go back for on at least their smaller ships.

 

I'm going to write this jumping around a bit hitting on the pros and cons of the ship and the entire cruise.

 

Embarkation

The cruise started with issues from the start. While very fast, I felt the port we were at in Port Canaveral was something that looked like a port for a fishing ship. It was lacking in anything to look at. However, they moved people through very fast therefore I have very few issues there. I think it took us 25 minutes from the time the car rental dropped us off till we were on the boat. It would have been 15 but for some reason they refused to send anyone through the VIP only metal detector/luggage scanner when nobody was in line there and someone had something illegal in their bag in one of the machines that caused only one line to be open. I'm still puzzled at that as they must have had about 10 people around the xray looking at the monitor. I wanted to shout to just yank the bag and do a manual search because of how ridiculous it looked. Finally they let her through without manually searching the bag.

 

The main issue came when it was time to leave port. They were still loading supplies on the ship until around 4:30-4:45. Once all was loaded, the linemen (or whatever they are called) all disappeared. We watched two other ships leave port before us (Norwegian Sun and Carnival Dream.) It wasn't until around 5:30 that the Disney Magic (also in port) left. Then at about 100 mph 4 trucks came flying down the roadway into the port to set us off. Within minutes we were free to go. I can't fully blame Carnival on this but I am going to make them aware of it. I find no excuse for a ship to leave almost 2 hours after the scheduled departure time due to nobody to take the lines off. Not sure why they were late loading the boat and why once loaded they didn't shut the doors and set us free. Port Security even shouted up to the boat to leave so they could go home.

 

Since it was my family's first cruise, I wanted them to see the fun of leaving port. However, in doing so they missed many other activities on board that were already scheduled at 4:30 (shop talking for one.) I've read on here that the Ecstasy has failed to leave Port Canaveral on time and I feel that that aspect is Carnival's fault. If they know it won't leave on time, then they should tell the Cruise Director to plan some activities differently.

 

 

Day 4 - Key West

Since we had been out of the country to Freeport and Nassau first we had to go through immigration in Key West. While once our floor was called the process was fast, leading up to it was not. My mother was very interested in going to Key West and since we were only there from 12:00 - 8:00pm we knew we wanted off the boat as soon as possible, however, we got off anything but fast.

 

We went to the buffet to eat at 11:30 thinking we were one floor above the lounge they said to meet in when your floor was called. They also placed ALOT of emphasis on not coming down until your floor is called or else you would be turned away (found out to not be true and will explain later.) They stated that everyone on that floor HAD to report to immigration whether getting off the ship or not. While I understand that, I find that as a backwards way to do things. If you are not getting off the ship, why should they stand in line taking the time away from those wanting to get off the ship? Why not state ONLY THOSE WISHING TO LEAVE come first, then do it again with those staying on the ship. Our floor was not called until just before 2:00 pm. During this time we could do nothing as nothing was taking place on the ship, so it was just sit and sit and sit. Listening to all the floors they still had two more to call after ours, so I feel really sorry for those after us that wanted to get off.

 

The process Carnival used to get people off is just a mess. With being in port only 8 hours and the last two of those being at night (got dark around 6:00pm) it really loses time in the port to see anything. I know future cruises I will never go out of the country first before going to an American port unless I read the process has greatly improved.

 

 

It Is Christmas/Holiday Season Right?

My last disappoint has to do with the lack of it appearing that we were cruising in December. Previously I cruised the same time frame 2 years ago and the ship was decorated fabulously for Christmas. There is nothing like it being 75+ degrees and seeing Christmas decorations (IMO, the best of two areas.) There was also no holiday show on this ship. I'm not sure if Carnival had cancelled them or not, but I can't see why as there's really no expense in having it besides the set pieces, which were very few, but enough. My previous was a 4 day cruise that had 3 shows, this was a 5 day cruise with only 2 shows? That gave alot of dead time in the evenings with nothing going on.

 

Talking with someone on board they said the Ecstasy was the last to be decorated. I can't figure out why every ship can't be decorated the first cruise after Thanksgiving. The supplies were on the ship (I saw them during my Behind the Fun tour) however still in their boxes. I was tempted to offer to decorate the ship as when I lived with my parents I use to go overboard on their decorations.

 

 

Food

Yes, the quality of food has gone down. I still loved all the food onboard, however, I feel it was the same quality as Royal Caribbean when I was on their January 2011. Basically, it all tasted the same. I think most of it had no flavor to it in the main dining room. Therefore I ate at the buffet more this cruise than I had in the past.

 

My only other issue is with our time in Key West. The ship was scheduled to be there from 12:00-8:00 pm. However, besides your time dining and pizza/deli, everything else shut down at 6:30 that we could find. We ended up back on the boat at 7:00 but did not want to have to change for your time dining so I think my parents just ate ice cream. I'm not sure why they don't change something that day to make it more convenient for those coming back to be able to eat onboard.

 

 

Now the Good

Overall, the cruise was still great. My family enjoyed it minus my dad due to being sick half the time. The ship was rocking quite a bit as most of the time we had 30-45 mph winds hitting the side of the boat causing some large waves. He just refused to take any medicine for sea sickness till his symptoms came on (his fault in my opinion.) They did have to shut down the slides and the running track/putt putt on the last day due to the winds. I was disappointed in that but understood.

 

Our dining room staff was great. I never saw our head waiter but I gave his assistant waiter that worked our table a little extra because he went the extra mile for us. We asked for special things the first night and he remembered them every time he saw us. Superb service.

 

Our room steward was great as well considering there were three of us in a room. The room always looked a mess (due to the two I stayed with) but he made my section look like nobody had stayed there which I liked.

 

I did do the Behind the Fun tour as well and was either slightly disappointed or confused on what I was all suppose to get. We did get the hat and lanyard at the end along with the good treats in our room. We did not get the bag and only had a group photo with the Staff Captain of the Ship. We never met/saw the Head Captain. When I questioned that they said the Head Captain was off. So I'm confused on how you have a tour and then give the big guy time off during it when it's told to everyone they would see him. However, during some aspects of the tour we felt rushed as they didn't properly book the staff to go over the areas with us so they popped in, spoke for 5 minutes, then rushed out without answering questions. The bridge and kitchen staff were the only ones that really made time for us.

 

The Cruise Director was pretty good. I will say, he plays an amazing fiddle and violin. Wow on both of those. I however did not like his planning as many of the major activities were planned when other major activities were planned and then some nights there was nothing. I think the nights in Nassau and Key West had nothing really going on.

 

 

Overall, I will give this cruise a B+. Of my four cruises, it would be #3. The issues just affect it too much from what I have come to expect from Carnival. I do understand some things are out of their control, but some they should have come to expect and by now figured out to how greatly improve on. I will be glad to answer any questions anyone has about the Ecstasy. For being a 20 year old ship, she didn't look a day over 5. And as usual, the lowest paid people (the ones you truely see daily) made it a great cruise to be on.

[wendysue44]

Thank you for sharing!:D

I will be on her in Feb. and am very excited!!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review.

[JediSkipdogg]

Thank you for sharing!:D

I will be on her in Feb. and am very excited!!

 

She's a great ship. I think by then they should have all the bugs worked out with the problems or figure a faster way to do it all.

 

I think the funniest part was watching my parents think they knew the ship and taking a set of stairs or elevators and finding out they didn't go to the floor they wanted.

 

I'm stilly slightly confused at the new Dream show they did on the Sea Day. The show/dancers/singers were fabulous. The female singer was one of the best I've seen. The male was superb too minus he kept "puffing" his "P"s (if that makes sense.) Combined they make a great team I'm just trying to figure out how some of the show flowed together and what the theme was in some parts of it. Maybe you can help me figure it out but if you don't look at it as a whole, the show was superb.

[wendysue44]

As Key West is our first stop I hope we will not encounter the problems you did.

[JediSkipdogg]

As Key West is our first stop I hope we will not encounter the problems you did.

 

I've since learned from reading on here, if you stop at Key West first you will not have a problem. It is only when you go out of the country first and they stop at Key West is it an issue.

 

Reading others on here they put the issue on Immigration but I put the issue on planning from Carnival. They should either make the port time greater so it's not such an issue or figure a way to speed the process up. In my opinion, why they don't just do it as you exit the boat is what confuses me. The process took 10 minutes in line and 30 seconds once I was with the immigration officer so the process can be fast. It's the fact that they make everyone (leaving or not) go through it first and they do it on a floor by floor basis when one wants off at 12:00 or 3:00 pm. I'd gladly stand in the line at 11:30 or 11:00 to get off at 12:00 but they said multiple times on the PA to not come until your floor is called as it would cause one to be turned away. And then they called the floors randomly. The process totally puzzled me as to no logic.

[wendysue44]

I hope for others that have the Key West port after the Bahamas, they get it taken care. Like you, I would have been upset.

[Kurt Repchull]

Thank you for the review, what room did you have? I'll be o this ship with my family the end of January, can't wait.

[RuthlessBoss]

I hope for others that have the Key West port after the Bahamas, they get it taken care. Like you, I would have been upset.

It is frustrating to lose 1 or 2 hours at that port. Even if hours were extended there, that would not resolve the issue of the time it takes to process people. 8 hours at that port is a generous amount of time compared to most cruises that stop there, and the timing is wonderful. I saw a cruise that got there, but leaves at 1:30. Ecstasy hours include day hours, sunset, and some dark hours. You also lose about 1 hour at the end due to needing the trolly back to the Navy pier, getting I.D.'s checked again in order to be on the military base. It cuts the time to about 5 hours max.

[JediSkipdogg]

Thank you for the review, what room did you have? I'll be o this ship with my family the end of January, can't wait.

 

We had rooms M107 and M103. They were dead center of the ship and very nice rooms.

 

 

I didn't know this till we did the muster drill but I'm kinda upset at Carnival for not somehow marking that the two were split for muster stations. I booked through the phone because it was the only way to get two rooms next to each other when putting 3 in one room and 2 in the other. It just came as a shock when they called to go to Muster stations and my parents went to A and my room went to C. Nothing like separating a family in an emergency. We are all adults so it wasn't that major, but I think it could be if the kids were younger and had one parent in each room. Anyone know of any way to check on this in the future when calling or looking online?

[JediSkipdogg]

It is frustrating to lose 1 or 2 hours at that port. Even if hours were extended there, that would not resolve the issue of the time it takes to process people. 8 hours at that port is a generous amount of time compared to most cruises that stop there, and the timing is wonderful. I saw a cruise that got there, but leaves at 1:30. Ecstasy hours include day hours, sunset, and some dark hours. You also lose about 1 hour at the end due to needing the trolly back to the Navy pier, getting I.D.'s checked again in order to be on the military base. It cuts the time to about 5 hours max.

 

I agree extending it would really not solve it. Because then people would complain that instead of 10 hours, they only have 7 hours. The main issue I had is we just sat around for 2 hours doing nothing. They planned nothing on the ship during that time, everything is closed due to being in port, going to the pool is hard because then when you call you have to rush to change or run down soaking wet, so if one likes to get off at port when the boat immediately docks it leaves no option but to sit around and wait. They should either have more Immigration officials work to process faster or have them just stand at the exits to get off and process that way. Therefore the sooner you get in line, the less you wait, and it puts the timing all on you and not Carnival.

[gelo7]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.