My Recent Vacation Aboard The Carnival Ecstasy

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Subscribing! Ecstasy was my husbands first cruise last May (my second). Always fun to relive the memories. :)

Welcome and thanks for subscribing!

[MrsPhoenix91]

Did you experience any motion sickness on the ship, or "sea legs" upon disembarkation?

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Did you experience any motion sickness on the ship, or "sea legs" upon disembarkation?

No motion sickness at all for me or my girlfriend. The only day you could feel the ship moving was on the the last day at sea when we were sailing back to Miami. The weather was overcast for a few hours in the morning and it made the waters kinda choppy. It wasn't too bad though and once the sun came out it was smooth sailing.

 

Getting off the ship I didn't have any problem with "sea legs". However we did get off the ship the same way we got on...slightly hungover lol.

[ifashiongeek]

Hi! Did you post part 3 or did I miss it?

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Hi! Did you post part 3 or did I miss it?

Last post was March 6, 2015 Part 2 and starts off with a short paragraph and a pic of the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar.

[ifashiongeek]

Gotcha.

I did read that part, because I remember asking about liquor price.

Im cruising on the ecstasy in july so im eager to read as many reviews as I can find.

Can't wait to hear about your time in nassau!

[shlameggy79]

Thanks for the review! Heading in this ship in October!

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Thanks for the review! Heading in this ship in October!

Thanks for reading it...more coming soon.

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

March 7, 2015

 

 

We woke up around 8am expecting to receive our room service between 8am and 8:30am since we put our request on our cabin door hours before the deadline. We had not yet arrived in Nassau but could see the island as we inched closer and closer.

 

View from our cabin window sailing into the port in Nassau

 

We were scheduled to dock at around 10am. At 9:15am we realized our room service wasn’t coming so we headed to the Panorama Bar & Grill to get breakfast from the buffet before we docked. I had pancakes, eggs, bacon. I also had the best freaking juice I ever tasted in my life. It was called orange passion fruit guava cocktail. It is a nonalcoholic juice that is only available at breakfast. I made sure to get a couple extra cups to take back to our cabin to mix with my rum.

 

 

We made it back to our cabin as we were docking in Nassau. We grabbed our bag that we were taking with us to our excursion and waited with the other cruisers in the Atrium Plaza for the word to start heading down to the 3rd deck to get off of the ship and enjoy the beautiful island that is Nassau. A little after 10am we were cleared to start heading down to deck 3.

 

Getting down to deck 3 and off the ship was a fairly quick and painless process. We made our way down the walkway to the street area where there are plenty of locals offering shore excursions, taxi and jitney rides, local wares, and hair braiding. We headed to Bay Street which is one of the more popular areas for shopping and browsed a few of the shops for souvenirs for our family and friends. There is a mix of local touristy type shops as well as high end stores. Many of the local shops sales their products at ridiculous prices but we found a great little store called Bahama Palm Port Shop that had excellent prices. My girlfriend ended up picking up several t-shirts and I got a coffee mug for my grandmother as well as a lighter. The lighter was for myself for the purpose of #1 to have as a keepsake to remember this trip but to also light my Cohiba cigar.

 

 

After we finished up at Bahama Palm we decided to check out the famous Straw Market. However on our walk there, we were stopped by a very nice local lady that worked for a company called Suite Journeys. Suite Journeys is a company that sales vacations and resort stays at wholesale prices to its members. The lady explained to us that if we sat through and presentation we would receive $75 for our time. The amount of time it was going to take to get through the presentation was cutting it very, very close to the beginning of our excursion but we decided to take the chance to make an extra $75 to spend on our trip.

 

We were walked into the Suite Journey office where we filled out a quick form before the presentation and drank complimentary Bahama Mamas. The presentation was about 90 minutes but didn’t seem that long because the guy presenting was hilarious. After it was over they offered us a membership for the low price of $9,000. We passed. After a couple offers to join for lower (but still high) prices, we headed to get our $75 which was given to us on Visa gift cards.

 

After all was said and done, we only had about 5 minutes to make it to our excursion location. Luckily, the location to meet up for the excursion was right across the street. For our excursion we booked a booze cruise through a company called Island Marketing Ltd. They have excursions available throughout the Caribbean. The website for their Bahamas excursions is http://www.bahamascruiseexcursions.com. I had no problems with them at any step in the booking process or once the excursion was underway. I definitely recommend them if you want to have some options for excursions that are not available through Carnival or to save some money on a few identical excursions that Carnival does offer. This particular booze cruise excursion was 4 hours and included unlimited cocktails (Bahama Mamas, Yellowbirds, Goombay Smashes, rum, and vodka), lunch of BBQ chicken and ribs, snorkeling, and a stop at a private beach all for the price of $70 per person (they have since raised the price to $80pp).

 

We boarded the double decker boat dubbed the Bahamian Queen 1 and paid the remaining balance of our booking and received our tickets for our BBQ lunch. We then headed to the top deck to find a seat and wait to depart. After a short ride to pick up our remaining booze cruiser near the Atlantis we headed to our 1st stop, snorkeling. As we sailed to the location where we would snorkel we were given the rules of the boat. Once that was out of the way the fun began.

 

 

When we were about 5 minutes from the snorkel site, everyone that was going to snorkel was called down to the lower deck to receive their snorkel gear. Everyone got outfitted with their gear and a few minutes later we were cleared to get in the water. If you have ever been to the Bahamas you know the water is a beautiful shade of blue and crystal clear. The water was about 25 feet deep where we were and you could see to the very bottom even when you were standing on the boat. A guy that was a part of the staff threw some food into the water to stir the fish up. This was my first time snorkeling and it was a great experience. There was not much variety of fish (mostly Sargent Majors) but a lone barracuda did swim about a foot in front of my face which was the highlight of snorkeling (and scariest part). We were in the water for around 20 minutes but the time flew by.

 

 

Once back on the ship, I grabbed a drink and a couple plates for my girlfriend and me of the lunches they provided. We ate and enjoyed the scenery and music as we made our way to the private beach.

 

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

After a short sail and a couple more drinks we made it to the beach where everyone got another drink before getting off the boat to enjoy the beach. Some people laid out, some took to the water, and other paid to ride a jet ski. I personally decided to wade through the beautiful Bahamian waters with my beautiful girlfriend and enjoy my cigar.

 

 

 

After spending about an hour on the beach we were all called back to the boat to head back to the location where we boarded. Once we got back on the boat the party really started. The chairs on the top deck had all been moved up against the railings to create a big dance floor. Just like on the cruise ship the party got started with the Cupid Shuffle and the Wobble song. It was at this time the real star of the booze cruise was discovered.

 

The entire booze cruise there was this little kid (about 6 years old) hanging out and enjoying the beach. I had no idea who he was but didn’t think much of it as he was very well behaved and not causing any kind of trouble at all. It turns out this little guy’s name was Trayvion and he was on the boat with his parents. They were all Bahamian natives and just out enjoying a beautiful day as a family. Once the music came on little Trayvion turned into a dancing machine. He was going nonstop and all the ladies on the boat loved him. I of course had to ask his mom and dad if it was ok for me to take a pic with him to post on my review and the quickly obliged.

 

 

My girlfriend and I danced and had another drink or 2 before we made it back to the dock. We gathered our things and got off the boat. A few steps down the seawall we came across a cart selling Coconuts. We decided to get on to share. The coconut was pretty satisfying. We then decided to head back to the Ecstasy to get cleaned up and get a little rest before dinner and partying that night. We did make a small detour to a liquor store where my girlfriend bout a bottle of the Pure White Hennessy for her uncle (she got it for about $6 less than I paid on the ship). We also stopped for her to take a pic with a guy that was in full pirate regalia.

 

 

 

[Babycat]

Oh man, these photos put me there 😌

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Making our way back to the ship through all the taxi drivers and vendors proved to be more of a task than when we got off the ship. I’m guessing it had something to do with there being 4 other ships in port that day.

 

 

 

We got back on board at about 5pm. My girlfriend showered and passed out as the liquor and Bahamian sun had taken a toll on her. After my shower I got dressed and went to the Red Frog Rum Bar and got a drink called a Rum Jumper and made a stop by the buffet where I had bow tie pasta, BBQ chicken breast, and tilapia. I decided to take my food back to the cabin to eat and then joined my love for a nap before we got ready for dinner.

 

We woke up kind of late and got dressed for formal night.

 

 

 

We didn’t make it to the dining room until around 9:00. Since we were on your time dining we were not seated in the same location and ended up at a table with 2 other couples. The other couples weren’t very talkative which didn’t bother me. What did bother on this night was the fact that our waiter was so slow. I am not a complainer by any means and usually have great patience but when I saw our waiter in another section of the dining room refolding napkins I had to make my dissatisfaction known to the maître d. The problem was handled immediately and we were able to enjoy another delicious meal. For my appetizer I had the spicy alligator fritters and for my entrée I had the broiled main lobster tail, grilled jumbo shrimp, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. Everything was perfect. We decided to have dessert and I order the warm melting cake that came highly recommended on the Carnival and Cruise Critics forums. The warm melting cake was pretty good but not as great as I thought it would be. It would have been perfect in conjunction with some vanilla ice cream which is how I will order it on our cruise in October.

 

 

 

After dinner we went back to our cabin to change clothes. We had planned to get back off the ship and go party with the locals at one of the popular night clubs in Nassau. However, our bodies were not on the same page. The combination of the Bahamian sun, the delicious food, and all the liquor had taken its toll on us. We ended up calling it a very early night around 11pm.

 

 

Coming up: Our last full day on Ecstasy

Please tell your friends, family, coworkers, and any one else you know that's interested in cruising to check out my review, subscribe,and join in the conversation!

[ifashiongeek]

Wonderful pics. I loved them all. So children are allowed on the booze cruise?

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Wonderful pics. I loved them all. So children are allowed on the booze cruise?

Glad you enjoyed the pics. Evidently so. I was talking to one of my coworkers who said that wasn't the first time they heard of a family with kids going on a booze cruise. It seemed odd to me but little Traviyon was the life of the party so I didn't seem to phase anyone.

[MrsPhoenix91]

I saw that same Booze Cruise on Nassau's port webcam - Hilarious :D!

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Very enjoyable review! Sounds like you had a great time!

Thanks for taking time out to read my review. We definitely had a great time. So great in fact that we cancelled our Las Vegas trip in October to take another cruise.

[Jadekalon]

This is a wonderful review! I went on my first cruise on the Ecstacy on July 3, 2014 and I am anxiously awaiting my second one next month on the Breeze. Your pictures are amazing and I can't wait to read more. Keep it coming!! :)

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

This is a wonderful review! I went on my first cruise on the Ecstacy on July 3, 2014 and I am anxiously awaiting my second one next month on the Breeze. Your pictures are amazing and I can't wait to read more. Keep it coming!! :)

Thanks for reading and subscribing!!! More to come soon!

[F27TW]

Wow what a fantastic review !! Love your writing style, your pics are great and your attention to detail is as well.

 

We were there in Nassau on the RC Enchantment Of The Seas the same time u were.

 

I got a laugh about how you did exactly the same as we did ... Rum Runners ... love having that stash in the cabin to go with the juices we bring back to the cabin ... tho people on the RC board get a little salty when u bring that subject up! And even WITH the extra "help" from what we brought on board .. did u notice that your bar bill was still pretty scary like ours? :eek:

 

I caught at the beginning that your girlfriend is a Sterile Processing Tech .. that's what I do too ... so alotta parallels here as I'm enjoying reading your work!

 

Definitely looking forward to the rest .. awesome job!

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Wow what a fantastic review !! Love your writing style, your pics are great and your attention to detail is as well.

 

We were there in Nassau on the RC Enchantment Of The Seas the same time u were.

 

I got a laugh about how you did exactly the same as we did ... Rum Runners ... love having that stash in the cabin to go with the juices we bring back to the cabin ... tho people on the RC board get a little salty when u bring that subject up! And even WITH the extra "help" from what we brought on board .. did u notice that your bar bill was still pretty scary like ours? :eek:

 

I caught at the beginning that your girlfriend is a Sterile Processing Tech .. that's what I do too ... so alotta parallels here as I'm enjoying reading your work!

 

Definitely looking forward to the rest .. awesome job!

Thanks for taking the time out to read my review and thanks so much for the compliments. It is funny you bring up my attention to detail. I actually made notes periodically throughout each day for the purpose of writing this review. Every time I took out my phone to add notes my girlfriend would jokingly say "Captain's log...". Between me and you I think the people the people that protest speaking about or using the rum runners are the people who are salty they didn't bring them. Our bill wasn't too bad at all. I think we spent maybe $200 on the ship. I really appreciate your feedback.. Hope I can keep you and everyone else here entertained with my next entry.

 

P.S. My girlfriend is getting ready top take her sterile processing tech certification test...any suggestions to help her pass?

Edited April 4, 2015 by SpaceAgeGentleman

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Well, you may have saved a little money that way. :D With my luck, cruising instead of Vegas is always cheaper. :D

We will definitely be saving money because this time we are cruising out of Galveston (a quick drive from our home city of Houston) so we won't have to spend money on renting a condo/hotel, cabs/uber, or a few other expenses we incur flying to another city. We will end up in Vegas sooner or later since its one of my favorite cities to travel to and my girlfriend is dying to go since she's never been.

[MrsPhoenix91]

We will end up in Vegas sooner or later since its one of my favorite cities to travel to and my girlfriend is dying to go since she's never been.

 

Good decision to add another cruise this year. Believe me, Vegas ain't going nowhere LOL!

[txmom11]

The hands down best of them all was the Spicy Chipotle.

 

I agree! I fell in love with them when cruising out of Galveston with my daughter. I was so predictable that I would just walk up to the bar on the Dream and the bartenders would call out "SPICY" and start making my martini.

[gapearl]

This is such a fun read and I'm loving your review! You and your lady are such a cute couple. That booze cruise looks like fun and I might look it up if I happen to make it back to Nassau in the near future. I did this same cruise on Imagination a year and a half ago and had the best time partying at a local club. If you ever get to do the Nassau overnight cruise again, be sure to head to Bambu! Looking forward to reading the rest! :D

[erewhon]

Thanks for taking time to write and post your detailed review.