Carnival Ecstasy 10/26/13 Review

[srjones1]

Hi everyone. I’m going to attempt to write a review of our recent cruise on the Carnival Ecstasy. I really enjoy reading the experiences and thoughts of other cruisers and have used those reviews to prepare for each of my cruises so far. I’m no writer but hopefully I can fashion something worth reading. I will be including some pictures as well.

A little about us… My wife and I are both early 40’s, 4 kids from 9 to 21. We travel both with and without them. We work in order to fund our trips and our retirement. Some trips are small weekenders and others a bit more extravagant but cruising is by far our favorite. This past cruise was my 4th and her 10th on Carnival so we were able to utilize some of the Platinum perks.

If I leave anything obvious out, please ask and I’ll try to comment.

Hope you enjoy.

[srjones1]

I’ll start by going back to the last week of September. We both received mail from the Carnival Ocean Players Club with a very attractive offer that included great rates and casino cash. The catch was we had to book by October 10th. Well it just so happened we had not planned anything for our anniversary and with her needing just one more cruise to reach Platinum it just made sense to get a cruise in so we got online and started looking for dates that would work. I work shift work so I get seven days off in a row every four weeks and it would be Oct 26th thru 31st. Our anniversary was the 30th so our window of choices was very small to allow me to not use any vacation hours.

We live within driving distance of Charleston, Jacksonville, and Port Canaveral with PC being the furthest drive at 6 hours. After looking through all available cruises the only one that would fit our desired time frame was, drum roll, Canaveral, the furthest one away of course. Not to be discouraged we contacted our PVP and put it all together. So with plans made and cruise paid it was time to get started. First order of business was a hotel for the day before departure. My wife will absolutely not tempt fate in any way and we will be there the day before no matter what. So I turn to where else?? Cruise Critic of course to seek out the opinion of other travelers. This website has been so helpful to me.

[SailingRNC]

Eagerly awaiting your review. I'm sailing on the Ecstasy 11/14 :)

 

 

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[srjones1]

Following the advice and reviews of which I read many of, we settled on the Country Inn and Suites in Canaveral. They offered a Stay, Park, and Shuttle package that was reasonable and so that reservation was made. Now all we had to do was wait.

Just a few days before we were to leave we were contacted by Carnival and offered an upgrade, or upsell as I have been told. Regardless they were offering a Grand Suite for $400 more or a Junior Suite for $250 more. I then relayed that to Cruise Critic and got input from others here before approaching my wife with this offer. Ultimately we declined both and when I called to tell the guy he offered a balcony room for $100 more. I didn’t even need to ask about that. For what we paid for our Ocean View another $100 was an even better deal.

Finally Friday morning (10/25) rolls around and we’re packed and loaded. This will be our first cruise together with no kids, no friends, and no family. We are excited and the 425 mile drive ahead of us means nothing. We’re going to make a great day of it. A couple of stops to stretch our legs and one stop at the Outlets in St Augustine and we turned a 6 ½ hour drive into about 8 ½ but it was a great day together.

We arrived at the Country Inn and Suites around 5 I think it was and I won’t try to review the hotel here but I do want to say we were very pleased with the decision and glad we had CC to help make it for us.

[srjones1]

Ok, now the only reason you opened this thread.

Embarkation day. The hotel shuttle system was effortless. They are very well organized and we were in the gathering room around 10am. After loading luggage for everyone we left the hotel around 10:20 I think.

Port Canaveral could double as a road course for Nascar. It seemed like we made a lot of twists and turns to arrive at the unloading point but we made it around 10:45. When everyone was off the bus the luggage handlers required that we all wait there and visually verify that our bags were unloaded with us. Upon seeing our tags printed with PRIORITY along side the other information they placed an orange tag on the bags printed with the FTTF logo. We were then allowed to walk to the terminal.

Reaching the terminal entrance in just a few quick steps we came to our first line of people. We joyfully followed the VIP line with just a couple of other people. That got us in the door quicker but didn’t speed up the security line very much. None the less every minute counts when you want to get to that ship you see through the window. After the scanner and metal detector we proceeded to the check in area and again went to the VIP line. Just my perspective but looking at the “regular” line I can’t say with any certainty that it would have been a long wait. It was 11:00 by now and boarding had already begun so maybe we just missed the largest part of the crowd. Check in was very simple and the nice lady took us to another room to get our S&S cards. From there she escorted us to the next area where we again breezed right along. From shuttle to the first ding of our S&S card might have been 30 minutes.

Having been on the Fascination twice and Inspiration once, I knew my way around this ship pretty well so I knew how to get where I was going. I didn’t mention this earlier but my wife is a big believer in being mid ship so our cabin was on Empress deck, mid ship. As we stood in the Atrium with carry on bags slung over our shoulders I reminded her that her newly acquired status allowed for us to go straight to our cabin. The doors were closed so I found someone with a shirt that said “Just Ask” so I asked and one flash of the silver card and she opened the door up and sent us down the hallway.

[srjones1]

 

[srjones1]

[srjones1]

We originally chose cabin E79 but after the upgrade/upsell we were assigned to E91 just three doors down. I will tell you that I’ve had putts on the golf course longer than we were away from the atrium but that was a strategic choice for debarkation day. As much as we like getting on the ship, we like getting off just as much so we can get home without too much delay. (I’ll tell you how that went when the time comes) I was worried that the activity/noise in the Atrium would be annoying but I can report that we never heard anything from there at any time. The location turned out to great in almost every way. The operative word here though is "almost".

[srjones1]

As promised, our cabin was ready. I saw many that were not as we walked by. We went in and dropped off the carry on bags and walked out on the balcony for a minute before we started unpacking what we had. Another thing I’ve yet to mention is my wife’s OCD. She will not live out of a suitcase and sets up everything as if we were at home wherever we go. Since our bathroom bag is a carry on she needed to get it straight right away. Being the great husband I am I offered to help, but darn, the bathroom just isn’t large enough for two to work. Hate that… So I turned on the TV and walked back out on the balcony.

A quick run down on the cabin. It was very clean as I’ve come to expect. Carnival may be a “value” line but cleanliness is seldom an issue in my experience. The only thing I ever noticed was the shower hose wasn’t cleaned well and had some black stuff on it that came off with a wet rag. Aside from that I was pleased with our accommodations. I will say our bathroom at home is bigger than the cabin so several times I thought to myself that the GS offer may have been the better choice but in the end it was fun having to be in such close quarters with my wife.

After that was taken care of we headed to where everyone goes on embarkation day, Lido deck. Breakfast was a couple of hours earlier and it was lunch time. Since eating is a focal point of a cruise we had to get started! I’ve been on a diet for about 8 weeks and have lost 20 pounds and 2 inches in my waist. I had to go about this carefully. Until this cruise I’ve never cared but if you take the time to look at what’s available you can make good choices and not leave the ship with an extra 10 pounds hanging on. I opted to make a salad and cut up some chicken tenders in it. Turned out pretty good.

After we got our bellies full we walked around looking at the other ships in port. There was a Holland America ship there doing a port of call stop, a Disney ship, and the Carnival Dream was there. It just amazes me how big these ships keep getting. I like the Fantasy class ships but it’s also the only thing I’ve ever been on so I’m looking forward to trying the larger ones soon. I took a few pictures of the others if anyone is interested. We had some people take our picture and we took theirs and all the other things required to capture the memories of a trip. I’ll spare you those pictures…

We then headed up to the Spa. Again, I’ve never cared before but now I go to the gym regularly and wanted to scope it out. They have a really nice facility on board. It’s all top notch equipment and well maintained. By the time I returned to the front area of the spa my wife had a massage scheduled for the next morning. I think she succumbed to the high pressure sales pitch but if she’s happy, I’m happy.

By the time we left there it was sail away time. I really got into it the first three cruises but I wasn’t as excited about this one so we headed back to the cabin and our bags were by the door. Awesome. Time to “move in” for a few days.

[srjones1]

I forgot to insert the muster drill after the trip to the spa. They called for it and we headed on up to our assigned area. It was the same old stuff but I’m good with the whole safety thing. I have no desire to drown in the middle of the ocean. Unlike my last two cruises though we actually went to the life boats. I guess it just depends on how they feel that day. It was so uneventful I nearly forgot about it.

Bags unpacked, clothes hung up, and all settled in it was getting about time to eat again. We opted for Anytime Dining this time and we will use this option for as long as it is offered. We really liked not being tied down to a dining time. We ate in the MDR three times this cruise and never had a wait. The food was above average in my opinion. Of course I’ve lived on yogurt, fruit, and meats equaling 1200-1500 calories a day for two months now so maybe my taste buds were just in shock. Either way, a quick run down of the menu and I found sensible choices that were prepared well, presented somewhat upscale, and tasted great. I have no complaints about any of it.

Before we left for dinner I realized we had not yet met our cabin steward. I had wanted to speak to him about keeping our ice bucket full. So I left a note on the desk with my request and upon returning to the cabin I had ice and it was always filled. I didn’t actually meet him until the next morning. His name was Leonard and as always he spoke to us whenever we saw him and knew our names. I wish I had a memory like these people.

It’s beginning to feel like a vacation now so we seek out the adult beverages. I like to maximize my dollars so I opted for the Long Island Ice Tea. You get bang for the buck and match play coupons for the casino. If you win it pays for your drink. If you don’t, well, it doesn’t, but you don’t need too many of those to have a good night. Drink in hand we headed to the casino. We tend to visit the casino probably more than we should but we budget a certain amount for each night and we needed to get the first nights money in play. I won’t get into all that but the casino is nice and full of activity. For any one that may not know, smoking is allowed in the casino. We both recently quit and switched to the vapor e-cigs. The smoke in the casino did not bother us at all but be warned if it’s your first time.

 

[srjones1]

After meeting the casino host, donating some money, and having a couple more of the adult beverages we decided we’d head on in and get ready for bed. Day two was a sea day so we’d have plenty of time to do whatever. Remember I said the room location was great in almost every way? Well after about 2 hours of sleep we were awakened by the most aggravating noises. Loud and random it was nearly impossible to sleep. We were right below the dining room so I couldn’t figure it out so I buried my head under a pillow with intentions of tracking down the source in the morning. The first night was the worst and it never completely stopped but eventually I concluded it was people moving chairs around on the surrounding balconies. I only deduced that when I moved mine and it made the same noise. If that wasn’t it I don’t have the answer but I will consider another area of the ship in the future.

[srjones1]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2013 by srjones1

[srjones1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2013 by srjones1

[srjones1]

[srjones1]

Overall everything was fantastic. You can always look around and find something that needs attention but I choose not to do that. The ship is clean and well maintained, the staff is excellent, and the food is above average. The buffet lines were adequate and the pizza and sandwich bar was always open and staffed with friendly people even at 3am when the late night drunks needed a bite to eat. (No offense intended because I was one of them one night) Our room was well maintained, we had everything we needed, and the balcony was great to have. The shows were great to watch. I would have no issue sailing this ship again.

 

Side note, this was also our first fall cruise. We usually do summer or spring break so just FYI, the number of kids couldn't have been over 100. Not that we mind kids, we have four, but it did make a difference in our experience.

 

If I could change one thing though, I wish they had better coffee. Thats my only legitimate complaint. It just doesn't taste good.

 

Oh, and I won a medal and a ship on a stick playing trivia. I was so happy, lol.

 

Our itinerary included one sea day, Little Stirrup Cay, Nassau, and Freeport. I have several photos of each and a few opinions on them as well but I'll save that for the appropriate forum and keep this one about the ship experience.

[srjones1]

Lastly, debarkation. A letter in our room instructed us to meet on deck 9 at 0715 if we desired to utilize priority debarkation and take our luggage. 0830 if we left our luggage with them. We went to breakfast at 0715 and the line was already forming at the door. After we ate we came back, grabbed our bags and took the 20 steps to the Atrium. By now the doors were open and people were leaving. We just fell in line with everyone else and were on the shuttle by 0830.

 

Basically there is no true debarkation process by what I saw. Just grab your stuff and head out. The only thing preventing chaos was the willingness of the passengers to cooperate with each other. Ship staff paid no attention.

 

I hope I've provided some useful information and if I think of anything else I'll add it. If anyone has a question I'll try to answer it.

[seadams15]

My boyfriend and I were on this cruise too. Had a great time and met some great people!

 

Late night pizza did not taste as good this time... something was different. We ended up choosing room service food instead. :D

 

Coco Cay was gorgeous. So happy we had nice weather the entire trip!

 

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[srjones1]

Yea, the island was nice. I ended up walking almost the entire island. Took some neat pictures too.

 

My only complaint about the weather was the wind. It seemed like it never stopped blowing.

 

I only had one piece of pizza and I basically swallowed it without tasting it. That was my over indulgence night so I can't say if it was good or not. :D

[DJandSydney]

Great Review...we sail on her next Jan

[SkyMaster]

I've sailed "Ecstasy" twice this year, and had OUTSTANDING cruises both times. I'm enjoying your review. THANKS for posting. :cool:

 

"SKY"

[seadams15]

Yea, the island was nice. I ended up walking almost the entire island. Took some neat pictures too.

 

My only complaint about the weather was the wind. It seemed like it never stopped blowing.

 

I only had one piece of pizza and I basically swallowed it without tasting it. That was my over indulgence night so I can't say if it was good or not. :D

 

Yes it was very windy! But I'll take that over any rain! :)

 

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[oneboysmom]

Maybe I'll get a call from the upgrade fairy for my cruise on her in March!! Higher level would be awesome to have! Enjoyed your review.

[HevDavis2]

We sail Thanksgiving day.....thanks for the insight. I will look for your review and suggestions for ports.

 

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[maxandmolly]

I was on this cruise as well. I can agree with pretty much everything said. The ship was conspicuously clean-and being constantly cleaned, the crew looked happy to be there, and CoCo Cay, er, Little Stirrup Cay, was nice (but I'd still take Carnival's HMC over RCI's CoCo anyday), and the weather was great throughout.

You got some great pics! I took some but forgot my camera every time I got off the ship!

[JimAOk1945]

Thanks for your review. We have sailed on the Ecstasy twice and enjoyed ourselves both times.