My Recent Vacation Aboard The Carnival Ecstasy

[Kayloves]

Awesome review. Thanks!

[morganboys]

can you tell me which production play list shows are on the ecstasy?

Thanks

[NellieX]

I'm loving this review! I could really feel your excitement, and it sounds like you and your girlfriend made the most of your experience. I sailed on the Ecstasy last April, and I wish we would have done more of the on-board activities (we had a different itinerary...Miami > Key West > Cozumel > Day at Sea > Miami), they sound like a lot of fun.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such detailed recaps!

Edited April 5, 2015 by NellieX

[sjcarter407]

Thank you!! I'll be on this ship in September. Love you're review.

[debonaire1998]

Hello

 

I've really enjoyed your review of the Ecstasy, we are leaving in a couple of weeks, and it's a first time cruise for my friend. At first, I was concerned about the size and age of the ship but I think it will be great for her.

 

And based on your review, it has a lot more than I realized! Glad the food was so good. The last time I tried to get hard stuff on board, I got busted. Can you tell me what the wine protocol is and also how you packed other stuff in your suitcase? I used to be very adept, but now I've lost my nerve lol.

 

Thanks.

DB

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Thank you to all the new readers and subscribers of my review. I appreciate all of your feedback and compliments. More coming soon!

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

can you tell me which production play list shows are on the ecstasy?

Thanks

The Playlist Productions shows that were scheduled while we were sailing were "Motor City' which showcases the music of Motown (we saw this show and loved it) and "The Brits" which showcases the music the great musical groups from "The British Invasion" such as The Beatles, The Who, and Rolling Stones.

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

I think a short cruise on a small ship like the Ecstasy is a great choice to ease a 1st time cruiser into the experience. I would say just make sure you take advantage of the Carnival Fun Times and plan out your days (especially sea days) to maximize your time and keep your traveling companion from getting bored.

 

The allotment for wine/champagne is (1) 750mL bottle per person. The bottle must be brought on the ship in your carry on.

 

This is how I packed my luggage (it says carry on but it work great with a large suitcase as well)...

 

 

We used Rum Runners (http://www.rumrunners.com) to get the hard stuff aboard and hid them between the layers of clothes in our suitcases.

Edited April 6, 2015 by SpaceAgeGentleman

[MrsPhoenix91]

This is how I packed my luggage (it says carry on but it work great with a large suitcase as well)...

 

Thank you for sharing that video - I planned on using an older, similar video to help me pack for my family, but your's is far more superior!

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Thank you for sharing that video - I planned on using an older, similar video to help me pack for my family, but your's is far more superior!

Glad I could be of assistance!

[debonaire1998]

Wow. That is the absolute coolest packing process I've ever seen!! I travel a lot, so I will definitely put that into practice.

 

As far as the Rum Runners ....... I clicked on the website. I'm not really understanding how that relates to how you packed the hard stuff.

 

I've heard of pocket shots? No clue what that is. Is it true that if I just pack some small plastic capped bottles, they won't be detected?

 

Thanks

Deb

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Wow. That is the absolute coolest packing process I've ever seen!! I travel a lot, so I will definitely put that into practice.

 

As far as the Rum Runners ....... I clicked on the website. I'm not really understanding how that relates to how you packed the hard stuff.

 

I've heard of pocket shots? No clue what that is. Is it true that if I just pack some small plastic capped bottles, they won't be detected?

 

Thanks

Deb

When you said hard stuff I thought you were referring to the liquor lol. I used this packing technique in a large 24" suitcase so I just put the hard items in the empty spaces in the suitcase and packed other things in another 20" suitcase.

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Enjoying your review! We were suppose to take this same cruise early February but my Mother-in-law passed away so we had to cancel. So I am enjoying the cruise I didn't get to take through your review!!

 

We've been to Nassau a zillion times but always have a great time!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write this.

 

Kim

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Enjoying your review! We were suppose to take this same cruise early February but my Mother-in-law passed away so we had to cancel. So I am enjoying the cruise I didn't get to take through your review!!

 

We've been to Nassau a zillion times but always have a great time!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write this.

 

Kim

Hi Kim! Thanks for taking the time to read about my experience. I'm sorry you had to miss your cruise and even more sorry about your loss. Nassau is a great place. Hope you make it back there soon!

[MrsPhoenix91]

Did you notice if the new Internet plans have made their way to the Ecstasy yet?

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Did you notice if the new Internet plans have made their way to the Ecstasy yet?

I didn't even check on the internet situation on the ship. In my experience the internet connection on a cruise ship is very very slow and not worth the money. The following is what I was able to find out about the WiFi service on the Ecstasy...

 

You can access the internet on the Carnival Ecstasy -- there is WiFi on the entire ship. There is also an internet cafe on the Carnival Ecstasy.

Carnival does provide PC's in an internet cafe accessible at the Empress Deck, Grand Spectrum Plaza, Deck 7. However, if you want to bring your WiFi-enabled laptop, iPhone, PDA, etc., the Carnival Ecstasy is WiFi enabled. You can choose from the Carnival "pay-as-you" go rate for a one-time $3.95 activation charge, and a 75¢ per minute rate.

You can also buy a block of non-refundable minutes at the following rates:

480 minutes for $159 USD

240 minutes for $89 USD

120 minutes for $59 USD

45 minutes for $29 USD

[MrsPhoenix91]

Okay. Will have to figure out an alternative. Can't use walkie-talkies due to the lack of consistent unobstructed outdoor line-of-sights. Plus they are loud.

[debonaire1998]

When you said hard stuff I thought you were referring to the liquor lol. I used this packing technique in a large 24" suitcase so I just put the hard items in the empty spaces in the suitcase and packed other things in another 20" suitcase.

 

Yes, I was talking about the liquor :) so.......what size bottle are we talking about? Metal cap vs. plastic cap? Just looking to bring a little spiced rum and/or vodka.

 

Thanks.

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Yes, I was talking about the liquor :) so.......what size bottle are we talking about? Metal cap vs. plastic cap? Just looking to bring a little spiced rum and/or vodka.

 

Thanks.

We didn't buy the liquor until we were already in Miami so we never had to actually pack the bottles. We did buy a couple of bottles of Pure White Hennessy during the cruise however and just ended up putting one bottle in a 27" tall suitcase and the other in a 24". The packing method we used left a good amount of extra space in our suitcases so we had plenty of room to store the bottles.

[tawaik]

Thanks for writing this review. Brings back memories from my first Carnival cruise.

 

I'm considering sailing the Ecstasy again next year with my Stepson for his first cruise. The ship is easy to get around and I would not mind visiting Key West Florida and Cozumel for the second time. Pricing for this ship is very affordable and since we will paying for three this fits our wallet so much better to leave room for a decent excursion in Cozumel.

[F27TW]

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?

 

 

Hahaha "Captain's Log" ... I love that !

 

Sorry for the delay in replying .. i'm just now getting back to continue reading .. wild week @ work and I can finally relax again!

 

Feel free to give ur girlfriend my email (f27tw@aol.com) and we can chat about her SPD certification exam .. I'd be happy to pass on my help any way I can!

 

... so looking fwd to continuing ur review!

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

March 8, 2015

 

We woke up to start our day around 10am. This was the first day of the entire trip where we didn’t have perfect weather. The skies were cloudy and the waters were a bit choppy. This was the first time we could actually feel the ship rocking from side to side. It wasn’t too bad except for when trying to take a shower and the handicap bench kept falling due to the motion of the ship.

 

We got dressed and headed to the buffet to try to grab some breakfast. It seemed like everyone on the ship decided to go to the buffet at the same time because it was packed. Instead of waiting in line, we decided to hit the deli which had no line at all. I went with the grilled turkey breast on Panini bread with mayo, mozzarella, lettuce, and tomatoes and a bowl of fruit. As usual the food was delicious. The little guy that was manning the deli and preparing sandwiches could teach the Subway “Sandwich Artists” a thing or two. After we finished eating, we got some refills of lemonade and went back to our cabin to make drinks and figure out what we were going to do for the day.

 

 

We decided that we would go hang outside on the Lido deck and also finally take advantage of the pool and water slides. We threw on some swim attire, grabbed towels, and headed to the pool area. The waters had calmed down at this point although it was still a little overcast but the sun did make occasional appearances from behind the clouds here and there. Around noon the sun came out from behind the clouds for good. We decided to go to the second level of the Lido deck and lounge around on a couple chairs. We laid out and enjoyed the breeze and the music that was being played by the DJ.

 

 

As we were enjoying the beautiful weather on the day at sea, we began to notice a coastguard helicopter flying nearby as well as a couple coastguard vessels. Minutes later, an alert cam over the PA system where we were informed that the Ecstasy had been ordered by the coastguard to turn around and assist in a search and rescue effort for a passenger of the Carnival Glory that had fallen overboard. Needless to say, this changed the mood of the ship for a bit as I could see the same concern I felt for the missing cruiser on the faces of everyone else on the ship. For a few moments you could literally hear a pin drop on the Lido deck. The Ecstasy assisted in the search hand rescue mission for several hours until the mission was called off. We were notified of the end of the efforts via the PA system. We were also told that the passenger had not been found.

 

I didn’t find out all the details of what happened with the passenger on the Glory until I returned home. According to Cruise Junkie, a site that reports new on passengers going overboard, injuries, and health issues, states the passenger fell overboard in the early morning hours as the ship was headed to Half Moon Cay, Bahamas and this was confirmed by the ship’s camera footage. The passenger was Cameron Smook, a 21 year old student from Virginia Tech University. From what I gather, the young man’s body has yet to be found. Also, a mass was held for him on the VT campus and his family has setup a scholarship fund in his name. My prayers are with this young man’s family.

 

Once the search and rescue efforts were called off, the ship slowly seemed to resume back to normal. My girlfriend and I, decided to check out the two water slides on the ship, the Twister slide and the Racer slide. I went down the twister slide like 3 times. It made me feel like a kid in the water park. I also took a couple of turns on the racer slide. After we were done on the water slides, we decided to hangout in the pool for a bit. The water was great, and thankfully no one was bell flopping, canon balling, or swan diving in to the pool on this day like the days prior.

 

 

 

 

All the water activities caused us to work up a bit of an appetite so we returned to the buffet where the lines were much shorter this time around. I had fried chicken, roast, beef, lemon pepper fish, mashed potatoes, and potato salad. Again the food was great.

 

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

After our bite to eat, we went back to our cabin to shower and change clothes. After showering, we ended up napping for a few hours. We woke up around 7:30 and got ready for our last dinner together aboard the Ecstasy.

 

 

We headed to the dining room where we were seated at a table for 2 however we were basically seated with another couple who were at a table for 2. I say we were seated with the other couple because of the proximity of the tables (about 12-18 inches away). It wasn’t a problem because we had a great convo with this couple. They were a couple of college students (one attended school in Atlanta the other in Miami) that were from Miami and spending time together by cruising during spring break. We talked about traveling and we told them about our different trips and I gave them a few tips I learned as a travel agent on how we go about saving money when booking. We shared some stories and laughs.

 

The service on this night was pretty good and we got our food promptly. I had 2 orders of shrimp cocktail as an appetizer and veal and mashed potatoes for my entrée. We skipped desert again on this night. I’m not sure why my girlfriend didn’t have desert every night seeing how she loves food so much. Personally, I skipped desert so often because I am not a big fan of cakes, cookies, pies, etc. (I prefer candy especially jellybeans). We told the other couple we were going back to our cabin to have a drink before heading to the comedy show. We all agreed that we would meet in the Punchliner and enjoy the show together.

 

 

 

The first thing we did when getting back to our cabin was put our luggage out for debarkation the next morning. Next, we enjoyed the bottle of champagne that we brought with us. We talked about how great the trip had been and how we were excited for the next cruise together. I also took this time to tell my girlfriend how much I love and appreciate her and how happy I am to have her in my life. We poured ourselves another glass of champagne and proceed to meet our new friends at the comedy club.

On the way to the comedy club we stopped in a shop on the Promenade deck where everything is $10. My girlfriend bought a scarf to throw around herself since she was cold and I bought a watch because I needed an inexpensive everyday watch. After we made our purchases we continued to the Punchliner comedy club.

 

 

Right before we walked into the Punchliner we say Percy Crews 2 standing outside again. Being that we knew who he was this time we went up and spoke with him for a bit telling him how much we enjoyed his show on Friday night. He was really cool guy.

 

We got in and found seats next to the other couple we met at dinner. Before the show we ordered drinks. I had a drink appropriately named the Punchliner and my girlfriend had a drink called a Zany Zombie and we both had a shot as a chaser. I had a shot of Black Seal Rum. Percy Crews 2 went on first tonight with an entirely different set and he was as hilarious as the first night. On this night though he interacted with the crowd even more than he did Friday night going so far as trying to hook up a single, fellow cruiser named Katherine with a single guy that was attending the show. The interaction was hilarious.

 

 

We decided to stay to catch the other comedian, Jason Blanchard. Jason is a comedian from Canada who is also very funny. For some reason, my girlfriend decided she wanted to heckle Jason. Jason took it in stride as they both offered up some funny back and forth banter. In the midst of all this I somehow got caught up in their 2 man show. It was all in good fun. Jason is a great comic and a nice guy. He was kind enough to take a picture with my girlfriend after his set was over.

 

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

As with the first night, everyone in the Punchliner was invited to finish the night out at Stripes nightclub so we headed to Stripes to keep the party going. We had a lot of fun the last time we went to Stripes but tonight it felt like everyone was partying like the world was about to end. The energy was amazing and everyone was having a great time. We met a lady from New York who was probably in her late 40’s who was partying harder than, well everybody. I wish I had the video to post that my girlfriend took of her “dropping it like it’s hot” and making out with a guy in his early 20’s in the middle of the dance floor. We also had a chance to hang out with Katherine who was made "Cruise Ship Famous" thanks to her appearance with Percy Crews 2.

 

My Girlfriend and Kathrine

 

My girlfriend and I enjoyed a couple more drinks and danced a while before sitting down and hanging out with a cool group of people. As we were talking, one of the young ladies in the group realized she lost her brand new iPhone 6 that she paid around $600 for a week prior. We all began to help her look for her phone and I ended up finding on the window sill behind the curtains. She was so excited I found it that she kissed me. We all had a laugh about it and continued our partying.

 

 

Everyone danced for a little while longer before calling it a night and going our separate ways. We got back to our cabin and made sure we were all organized for the next morning’s debarkation and went to sleep.

 

 

 

March 9, 2015

 

The next morning e woke up after we were already back in port in Miami. We got cleaned up, dressed, and got all of our belongings together. We checked to make sure we had everything and then went to the Atrium Plaza to wait for group number to be called so that we could get off the ship.

 

It didn't take to long before we were called and making our way off of the ship. On our way out we said goodbye to James and thanked him for being a great cruise director. Once off the ship, we went through customs which took all of about 5 minutes. We then went outside the terminal to call request an Uber ride to the airport in Fort Lauderdale. It took a while to get a driver to accept our Uber request because Uber is still technically illegal in Miami and a lot of the drivers won't risk coming to the port and getting in trouble.

 

We were finally able to get an Uber driver to come get us. It turned out to be a really nice young lady who was from Miami. During the drive to Fort Lauderdale we talked about life, our time in college, work and traveling. She dropped us off at the airport and got out and gave us hugs like we were longtime friends.

 

We had planned to hang out around Fort Lauderdale since had a flight that wasn't leaving for a while, but we were so tired we just stayed in the airport until we could go through security to our gate. Once we were through security we grabbed a bite to eat because we were starving from not eating all day. After finishing our meal we went to our gate and waited to board our flight.

 

About 2 hours later we finally boarded our flight back to Houston. The flight was smooth and we were picked up after a shirt wait by the shuttle to take us back to our car which we found exactly how we left it. We hopped in and proceeded to drive home and get ready to get back to reality and by reality I mean work :(

 

I hope you all have enjoyed my review/blog of my experience on the Ecstasy. I have had a great time writing it and have enjoyed everyone's questions, comments, stories, and tips.

 

The sun has set on this review but I look forward to writing another toward the end of the year after we cruise on the Triumph in October. Until then I wish you all peace, love, and safe travels!

 

 

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. --Lin Yutang

[MrsPhoenix91]

Thank you for the that thorough review! I can rarely find good, thorough reviews of the Ecstasy, and your's was a gem! But I gotta ask: Were those buffet beverage cups as small as they appear in your photos? LOL

Edited April 15, 2015 by MrsPhoenix91
Gratitude for the Reviewer!