My Recent Vacation Aboard The Carnival Ecstasy

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

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

I would say the cups from the buffet are about the size of an average sized coffee mug. They probably can hold about 8 ounces of liquid or so.

[gigito2]

Thanks for your review - loved it!

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Thanks for your review - loved it!

Thanks for taking the time to read it!

[lewkei]

Hey SpacedAgeGent....Thanx for your review. My wife and are sailing May 11th with four other guest who are first time cruisers. My wife is in Panic mode with all the bad reviews she has read. My wife only other cruise was on RCCL Liberty of the Seas last year so I am having to tell her as well to lower her expectations. Any advice to tell my group to give them peace of mind?

[TechDiva]

Hey SpacedAgeGent....Thanx for your review. My wife and are sailing May 11th with four other guest who are first time cruisers. My wife is in Panic mode with all the bad reviews she has read. My wife only other cruise was on RCCL Liberty of the Seas last year so I am having to tell her as well to lower her expectations. Any advice to tell my group to give them peace of mind?

 

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I'm curious as to 'all the bad reviews' that your wife has read about?

[lewkei]

She has read reviews about the sewage smell, issues with bathroom flooding,brown water and subpar food in the Lido. She is by no means a foodie but I think she is worried about our guest having a favorable impression on their first cruise. Like I mentioned in my post she sailed on Freedom Class boat with RCCL and it's not fair to compare a Fantasy class ship to RCCL Freedom Class.

[eponym]

We sailed the Ecstasy about 4 years ago for a 7 day and had a great time.

[TechDiva]

She has read reviews about the sewage smell, issues with bathroom flooding,brown water and subpar food in the Lido. She is by no means a foodie but I think she is worried about our guest having a favorable impression on their first cruise. Like I mentioned in my post she sailed on Freedom Class boat with RCCL and it's not fair to compare a Fantasy class ship to RCCL Freedom Class.

 

I've seen some of those criticisms before, but I've also read where plenty of people have had great times on the ship. I'm cruising the Ecstasy June 29, so I've been reading as much about it as possible for about 2 months now and the majority of the reviews (for my particular itinerary) have been positive. The only time I've seen complaints about the bathroom flooding were from people that have the handicap accessible rooms because the showers are made differently. That hasn't been a common problem that I have seen. The complaints about the sewage smell seem to be hit or miss, although I read one person say that they smelled sewage the first day (upon embarkation) but then it went away sometime during the first day. Food is such a subjective thing, so I skip over those reviews because some people will love it and others hate it. This is the first I've heard about brown water. As I've been researching, I've sort of been looking for patterns in the complaints. So, I've sort of pushed to the side the complaints about food and bathroom flooding, but am hoping that we don't have the sewage smell problem (and considering that not every review complains about it, it can't always be there or is not everywhere?).

 

Basically, this will be my first time on the Ecstasy and I know that I can be just a tad bit high maintenance sometimes :o. However, I'm not concerned about the ship. Do I think everything will be perfect? Heck no! But, I'm cruising to have fun with my family (there will be about 20 of us, from age 10 - 68)! So, I'm going into it with an open mind and as long as the water from the sink/shower is clean, the bed is comfortable and bug free, and I can find something on the ship that is delicious to eat, I'm good! The entertainment will be a plus, but not necessary since we definitely know how to entertain ourselves (and in the process, others, lol ;) ).

 

Comparing one ship to another, while human nature, is probably not a good idea because one can always find fault with the new ship enough to not enjoy it. Tell your wife that it is a vacation after all, and to not worry. She may end up having the time of her life! Happy cruising!

[lewkei]

Yeah my thoughts exactly:) I think she mainly wants our travel companions which happens to be her brother, his wife and his wife sister and husband as well to have fun. She had to really sell them on taking a cruise lol

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Hey SpacedAgeGent....Thanx for your review. My wife and are sailing May 11th with four other guest who are first time cruisers. My wife is in Panic mode with all the bad reviews she has read. My wife only other cruise was on RCCL Liberty of the Seas last year so I am having to tell her as well to lower her expectations. Any advice to tell my group to give them peace of mind?

Lewkei thanks for reading my review. In regard to your wife I would say to try to get her not to go into this cruise comparing everything to her previous cruise experience. Also, I encourage you to plan out your days using the Carnival Fun Times. Filling idle time with activities may help to keep her mind off of her previous cruise. Also, if it's in your budget, book an excursion or two for port days or research your ports as much as possible and find some interesting things to do. Basically, just tell her to enjoy the experience even if it's not what she is used to from her previous cruise because after all she could be at work instead of cruising. I also think that planning your days out in advance will make the experience more memorable for the 1st time cruisers because often times 1st time cruisers don't realize how much there is to do on the ship.

 

As far as the negative reviews go, you just can't please some people. Sometimes complaints are legit but many times they are blown out of proportion or just plain ridiculous. If all else fails, tell her to read my review and see how much fun my girlfriend and I had on our sailing. I hope this has helped and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

[lewkei]

Hey thanx for taking time to reply and thanx to all others who chimed in with advice. We both reread your review(which she enjoyed) and I am sure we will be fine. She still a little iffy about sailing on a smaller ship and worried about her brother who is prone to motion sickness. I think a little " liquid courage" will solve this issue.:D

[ReggaeRoy]

Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to share it.

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to share it.

Thanks for taking the time out to read...I appreciate your feedback!

[jen&samcantwait]

Mr. Gentleman, thanks so much for taking the time to write this detailed review. Enjoyed every minute of it. We will be sailing Ecstasy this Sept, different itinerary, but loved hearing about the ship. Few things I didn't see that I was hoping you might be able to answer for me...

 

Did you notice if there was a Hair Dryer in the room? And, did you have a mini-fridge? I know I have a few months to go, but I am a bit OCD when it comes to starting my cruise to-do list. Thanks in advance.

[SpaceAgeGentleman]

Mr. Gentleman, thanks so much for taking the time to write this detailed review. Enjoyed every minute of it. We will be sailing Ecstasy this Sept, different itinerary, but loved hearing about the ship. Few things I didn't see that I was hoping you might be able to answer for me...

 

Did you notice if there was a Hair Dryer in the room? And, did you have a mini-fridge? I know I have a few months to go, but I am a bit OCD when it comes to starting my cruise to-do list. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for reading my review. I am glad you enjoyed it. In regard to the hair dryer, we did have one in our cabin. If there is not one in your cabin all you have to do is ask your room steward and they will bring you one. Unfortunately, we did not have a mini-fridge.

[jen&samcantwait]

Thanks for reading my review. I am glad you enjoyed it. In regard to the hair dryer, we did have one in our cabin. If there is not one in your cabin all you have to do is ask your room steward and they will bring you one. Unfortunately, we did not have a mini-fridge.

 

Thanks for the quick reply!

[Janespup]

Thank you so much for your excellent review. We haven't been on a Fantasy class ship in a while and were hoping it wouldn't feel too small. You convinced us that it will be a great trip on a really fun ship!

[rainbowbride12]

How do you subscribe. I've been on CC for a while but just started posting questions and responses. I just use to read reviews and look at pics, but now I want to be a part of. So can someone help me to subscribe. Thanks

[01 Cobra]

I know I'm late to the party, but I just got done reading your review. My parents are going on the Ecstasy for their 40th anniversary next week and while they are not young bucks, they love comedy and I'm sure they will have a fantastic time on the ship. I enjoyed your writing style and pictures. Glad you had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing! All the best to you and enjoy your next cruise!