Ecstasy 8-30-17 to Princess Cays & Freeport Review

[NCTribeFan]

Greetings!

 

This won't be a blow-by-blow, bite-by-bite review. I've done enough of those in the past!

 

I had no intention of booking this cruise, since I did 11 nights in January on HAL and have another 11 nights booked on Koningsdam in November, but I realized that I never take vacations over holidays, and that's silly because if I did, I wouldn't use up so much of my PTO. And since my last cruise out of Charleston was 4 years ago, and I had a minor casino offer, I decided to book.

 

I talked a friend into joining me. She's the one I blame for my cruise addition since she's the one who convinced me to cruise on Jubilee back in April 2001. She, in turn, convinced her DH to come along. I think he had cruised once but it had been a long time ago.

 

I booked a 1A since I was solo, cabin R66. I had hoped to get one of the aft 1As (my favorite is E183) but none were available. Friends booked an aft balcony. I thought, great! I book the cheapest cabin on the ship and get to hang out on their balcony occasionally.

 

Then I got a call one day. The Upsell Fairy had called them and he took the bait. They were now booked in an Owner's Suite!! :eek:

 

This was my 27th Carnival cruise and I'd only once received an upsell call. That was while I was on Leg 1 of my Hurricane Sandy B2B on Fantasy. The call was for the 2nd leg, and it was to move from an inside to a Jr Suite for a mere $400/pp or so. I'd read about those "suites" and their miniscule balcony, lack of privacy, and the high, forward motion tendency. So I declined. Obviously, Carnival is aware of my lack of spending habits by now so they don't bother with trying to entice me to spend more on a cabin!

[NCTribeFan]

At first, I had planned on working most of Tuesday and driving down in the afternoon, arriving in the evening, and probably staying at the Hampton Inn West Ashley, where I usually stay. But I found a cruise parking offer at a boutique hotel in the historic district. It was more expensive, but I love it downtown and never stay there so why not? Then I decided I'd work the Saturday before and drive down earlier on Tuesday so I'd have more time downtown. Then I decided I didn't want to work the Saturday before! After all, I needed to do some laundry and pack at some point (I don't pack way early), an more importantly, I needed to get my nails done! Hey, I have priorities, you know?

 

Friends were also driving down on Tuesday but staying further out. I left the house about 8:30 and arrived some time in the early afternoon after a stop to have my tires checked (tire pressure light came on around Lumberton), another stop to get gas, another for a bathroom break, and another for lunch.

 

I gave my keys to the valet and went in to check in. When I asked how long it would take me to walk over to the port (only about 3 or 4 blocks), I was informed that I had to park my car at the port! But, I thought I bought a cruise parking package. Oh, no! The parking's free for the night you STAY at the hotel, not for the duration of the cruise. So, I got to spend another $100 to park the next morning. Oh well. Should've known that I wouldn't get parking in downtown for the entirety. Silly me!

 

 

 

My hotel stay did include two tix to a walking tour of my choice, but friends wanted to take a carriage ride. While waiting for them to check in at their hotel and make their way downtown, I walked over to the market then back to the hotel for the wine & cheese reception on the rooftop terrace.

 

 

 

After the tour, we walked over to Fleet Landing. I wanted my usual Shrimp & Grits. The place was packed (glad I'd made reservations) and was very noisy. The food wasn't as good as the previous times I'd been there so I may need to check out some other options next time.

 

I do love Charleston. I wish I could afford to live in that area. Since I'm approaching retirement age, I'm going to consider somewhere between Charleston and Savannah. I don't have to live on the coast but I'd like to be fairly near one of those two towns.

[NCTribeFan]

Right. So, I'm getting a bit too much into the blow-by-blow, bite-by-bite detail that I said I wasn't going to do, aren't I?

 

Got up, had breakfast on the rooftop terrace with this as my view...

 

 

Checked out, had car retrieved, drove over to the port, followed the cones to the parking tent, handed over my credit card, received a card to place on the dash and told to come back at 11:00. It was about 10:15 at that point. Drove off and found a small shopping area a couple of blocks away. Went into the Rite Aid and killed some time browsing for a few last-minute items. Sat in the car and waited. Drove around the corner and sat and waited some more. Drove in a little before 11 and followed a different cone route" to the parking building. Hopped on the shuttle, dropped off at the terminal, and headed inside. Since I'd last cruised from Charleston, they'd set up a separate Priority scanner which, as is typical, was actually slower than the "normal" lines. Went through, up to the priority check-in, and had my card by 11:30. Friends were to be escorted in, so I sent a text telling them I'd drop off my stuff in my cabin and wait at the lobby bar.

 

Got to my cabin (only got mildly lost trying to find the interior hallway) and found my 1A cabin had two beds, which meant what little floor space those cabins have was gone.

 

 

I dropped off my carryons (that bottle of wine gets to be rather heavy after 30 minutes or so) and headed up to the lobby. Sat down at the bar and got a beer. Asked Maria for a few ice cubes, since it was a tad warm (don't want my beer ice cold - there's no flavor if it's too cold - but don't want it warm). She offered to give me something else but I declined and just put a few cubes in to. Next thing I know, my phone's buzzing with a text telling me to look up!

 

Well, I looked up. And around, and around, and up again and couldn't find them. Suddenly, they appeared in front of me having given up hope that I'd spot them WAY UP THERE ON DECK 12!

 

Up for the tour of their suite. Wow. I'd watched some videos, but it's more impressive in person.

 

 

 

Just realized I didn't even take a photo of the bedroom. I'll see if I can find my friend's video and post it.

[tch912]

Great pictures and trip report.

[NCTribeFan]

My entire next post didn't post. Twice! Grrrr.

 

Early first sea day. Heavy but brief shower had just passed. Seas were the calmest the entire sailing I've ever had. Couldn't even tell we were moving most of the time!

 

 

 

Also had threatening skies early on Friday on Princess Cays but the sun came out and it was hot and sunny the rest of the day. Walked all the way up (north?) to the end of the Sanctuary Bungalos and had intended to walk the other direction from the tender area but just didn't get around to it. Funny how that happens once you're on vacation. I had also intended to find a price list of all the rentals available and totally forgot to do that, too. Parked ourselves near the swimming area and convenient to the lunch spot. Was a very nice beach day. It isn't as nice as Half Moon Cay imho, but I don't know how any place can match that island paradise.

 

 

 

 

[NCTribeFan]

Towel animal morning.

 

 

Didn't do anything in Freeport except got off the ship at about 11, walked around while friends looked for decent (not 3-for-$5) t-shirts, then stopped for a drink at Fat Tuesdays. I had my usual Sands Light (brewed and bottled just down the road - do a brewery tour next time you're there). Friends split something blue and frozen that was apparently VERY strong.

 

 

I went back after lunch on the ship and had another simply because it just doesn't feel right to me to stay on the ship while in port. I don't sail for the ship and get a bit bored with the casino not open and hours to kill, so I went and had another beer.

Edited September 9, 2017 by NCTribeFan
Because it's YOU'RE not YOUR!

[NCTribeFan]

Thoughts on various things...

 

FOOD: I truly feel that the food (and service) is better on the Fantasy-class ships than any other I've sailed. I don't know why. I do think that the addition of anytime dining has had an impact and not in a positive way.

 

We did anytime. I haven't been a fan, based on the handful of times I've tried it (a couple as a solo and others when I sailed with others). This time, though, we had very good service (even on the first night, which tends to be worse than others). We sat in different areas each night and service was equal, for the most part.

 

I'm not a huge fan of American Table menu but I certainly didn't go hungry. I did miss not having the lobster & shrimp on elegant night, but I managed just fine. I used to have the chilled fruit soup every night it was offered and it was only on the menu twice. But that meant that I had Caesar salad more often. I just got braces off (yes, I'm an old woman but had braces not for cosmetic reasons but for bite/jaw issues) so hadn't been eating a lot of foods I used to eat. Boy, was I glad to have those salads again. I'd almost forgotten how delicious they are!

 

Guy's Burgers: I like them but sometimes I've had them where they were overly charred and dry. Had one on embarkation and one the last sea day. Both were good but it was better on day one. I could eat a mountain of fries dipped in chipotle mayo!

 

Blue Iguana: Like the food there. For breakfast, wish they'd throw that burrito back on the grill for 30 seconds to reheat the eggs and melt the cheese a bit. Still, had no problem scarfing it down! Had a chicken & shrimp burrito for lunch one day. Wish they had nacho chips available. They have them on Splendor (which has burritos but not Blue Iguana), so it could be done. The taco salads must be new. At least, I don't recall seeing them before.

 

Sea Day Brunch: not impressed this time. The first sea day, I didn't eat because I'd been up early and already had my made-to-order omelet (which was made at the back at the pizza area and was excellent), so I was just going to have my free drink. Friend was practically done with her bagel & smoked salmon before her DH received his eggs benedict. He was half-finished before I flagged down a drink server to get my Bellini. Friend didn't feel well that afternoon and suspected the smoked salmon was the culprit. Tried again the last sea day. This time, I ordered my usual huevos rancheros and it was not nearly as good as every other time I've ordered. The cheese grits were tasteless. So, I may stick to the omelet for breakfast and burger/burrito/deli for lunch from now on. Friend said her steak and eggs was perfect, though.

 

Deli: only had one sandwhich. No, maybe two. Who knows?!? ;p

 

Buffet: I don't do regular line buffets. Had a look one day when it was "French" and didn't see anything that looked particuarly appealing, sadly. For me, there are just too many other tasty options to settle for buffet line mass-produced food that would just cause me to overeat more than I already do when cruising.

[NCTribeFan]

ENTERTAINMENT:

 

We went to all three Playlist Production shows. I'd seen The Brits and Motor City multiple times, but still enjoyed them. Didn't care for the new America Rocks as much, simply because the other two are more "my" music (I did say I was old, right?). I did very much like that the show includes the cover band (Group 6 on this sailing). I'm not who bemoans the loss of the ship band/orchestra. They were nice, but things change. Even though I'm old, I think change is a good thing. People need to adapt!

 

Shaun, the guitarist, was pretty good.

 

Was going to check out the piano bar, but it was full. It was loud. And then, there was Shaun.

 

Now, plenty of you will say "if it's too loud, you're too old." Well, I could say something incredibly rude in response but I'd rather not get myself banned.

 

But seriously, folks. If you're playing an acoustic guitar, in a lobby with about a dozen people listening (or not listening, just sitting at the bar drinking and talking over the music), you DO NOT NEED THE VOLUME ALL THE WAY UP TO 10!!!

 

No. Really. It was ridiculous. If I'm two decks up, in the casino with all the noise in there, I shouldn't hear the acoustic guitar over the noise and piped in music that far away!

 

When the band was playing across from the casino bar, you could hear them - loudly - in the atrium area.

 

And when the deck party DJ has the bass so loud that the bathroom fixtures rattle in the very-expensive owner's suite, it's too loud. It's just unnecessary.

 

I swear the steel drum player was the least noisy musician on the ship. :mad:

 

Oh, and if you go to the piano bar, don't take up a seat at the piano and sit there shouting over the music to your friend sitting next to you. It's rude. If you aren't there for the entertainment, find somewhere else to sit and bellow at each other.

[NCTribeFan]

CABIN:

 

My little 1A was fine after my steward removed the rollaway. He didn't seem particularly interested in doing it when I first asked. Apparently, lots and lots of people now book these cabins with no intention of anyone climbing into the bunk. When I walked down the hall after boarding and the doors to the cabins were opened, I'd say more than half had the extra bed in there. I had no intention of sleeping on that bed (it was very soft and lumpy) so if I had let him leave it, I would have had to crawl out of the bed against the wall, probably crack my shins against the other bed, and probably trip over the end of it to get to the bathroom. Not going to happen!

 

Cabin did not have a robe (which I knew would be the case) but I requested one and it was in the cabin that evening.

 

Steward asked whether I wanted morning or evening service and I told him whichever worked best for him. It seemed they came around 11 each day which was just fine for me.

 

Asked for an ice bucket for my wine which also appeared that evening and was refilled each day.

 

Asked for the small glass for the bathroom but was told they no longer had them! No problem. I just used one of the water glasses on the desk.

 

Thought Fantasy-class ships had never had hair dryers so had packed mine, but there was one in the desk drawer.

 

Did not have any breakfast door hangers but didn't need them so didn't request any.

 

Didn't get my Platinum liter of water. Had ordered a 12-pack of water to share with friends so didn't need it. Asked steward and he said to just drink one of the two bottles in the cabin for sale (didn't do that).

 

Asked for a few extra hangers and had about 18 plastic hangers that evening!

[NCTribeFan]

STAFF AND CREW:

 

As with the food, it just feels to me like the staff and crew on the Fantasy-class ships are the best. Everyone was pleasant and hard-working.

 

I typically don't pay much attention to the cruise director. I tend to only notice them when they're really intrusive and/or over-the-top energetic. Don't like the ones who put some little catch-phrase in every announcement. That gets old after the first 3 or 4 announcements.

 

I did rather enjoy Gary, though. He was fun and energetic without being too frenetic.

 

Maria at the lobby bar was my go-to bar server, although I ordered very few bar drinks. I did go to the Red Frog bar a couple of times one day to get Thirsty Frog drafts. Also went to the Alchemy Bar one night for a Dark-and-Stormy. It was good, but not $12+ good, imho.

 

We did order the 3-bottle wine packages twice in the MDR. The unfinished bottles were kept and quickly reappeared the next night.

[NCTribeFan]

THINGS I DID NOT DO:

 

Sail away party

Welcome Aboard show

Comedy club

Bingo

Trivia

Piano Bar

Chef's Table

Spa

Dr Seuss stuff

Nightclub

Pool/hot tubs

[NCTribeFan]

I think my friend's going to post a review of the Owner's Suite. If she doesn't, I'll find her video and post it here.

 

Couple of issues I had - the water in the shower in my cabin was scalding hot. Now, I love a hot shower, but I had the temp knob turned as low as I could get it and it was too hot to stand under to wash my hair. I actually got out of the shower with shampoo in my hair and finished rinsing it in the sink. No fun. Next time I wanted more than just a quick rinse, I got in and got wet, turned the water off while I soaped up and shampoo'd, then turned it back on to quickly rinse, which seemed to keep it from getting so hot so quickly.

 

Internet - I prepurchased the social plan for $20 before I sailed. All I wanted was to be able to post a few pictures and send my DD a FB message if needed. After a couple of days, FB wouldn't load. If it did load, I couldn't upload photos. I went to the desk and the girl told me it was working properly. I even went and tried at the computers there in the lobby and FB wouldn't load. I should've said something again and requested a partial refund.

 

Casino - I guess I missed the announcement that the casinos are now all smoking! The first night, I went to play roulette. One wheel was opened and full of smokers. I asked the pit boss if they were going to open the other wheel and if it would be non-smoking. He looked at me like I was crazy. "The whole casino is smoking" he said. "They didn't used to be" was my response. He just shrugged. I know that having a few non-smoking machines in the middle of smoking areas was pretty pointless, but having a non-smoking table here and there did make a slight difference. I'll be contacting the Players Club with my thoughts.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Ziggy7]

I think my friend's going to post a review of the Owner's Suite. If she doesn't, I'll find her video and post it here.

Yaayay! That would be great to see!!!

 

Internet - I prepurchased the social plan for $20 before I sailed. All I wanted was to be able to post a few pictures and send my DD a FB message if needed. After a couple of days, FB wouldn't load. If it did load, I couldn't upload photos. I went to the desk and the girl told me it was working properly. I even went and tried at the computers there in the lobby and FB wouldn't load. I should've said something again and requested a partial refund.

Yikes, I will for sure get my money back if I can't use it!!! Were you able to text with you DD???

 

Casino - I guess I missed the announcement that the casinos are now all smoking! The first night, I went to play roulette. One wheel was opened and full of smokers. I asked the pit boss if they were going to open the other wheel and if it would be non-smoking. He looked at me like I was crazy. "The whole casino is smoking" he said. "They didn't used to be" was my response. He just shrugged. I know that having a few non-smoking machines in the middle of smoking areas was pretty pointless, but having a non-smoking table here and there did make a slight difference. I'll be contacting the Players Club with my thoughts.

Oh great! I wont be spending much time in there then! :(

[siestakeys04]

Did they have the prices of the water toys. Like the jet skis?

[erewhon]

Thank you for your detailed review.

[Keith1010]

Great review and photos.

Keith

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Thanks for the review!

 

Kim

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[EBFURR]

Hi, I am pretty sure we crossed paths at some point but you would probably not recognize us from the profile pics which are several years old. We had a great time and a lot of our thoughts parallel yours. I enjoy reading your perspectives. Thanks!

[VolzCruiser]

Thanks for the review about to leave on this cruise a couple of weeks from now.

[EBFURR]

Oh yeah, and we stayed at Hampton West Ashley and we thought it was great. I started to get one of those downtown hotels but I worried about the parking. Sorry that you had the parking issue, but thanks for confirming that they do not allow cruise parking.

 

We saw that rainbow in your picture. I think we were on the tender when we saw it. Did not try to swim out to the pot of gold.

[NCTribeFan]

This is frustrating. I responded this morning and it isn't here. I like to "preview" my posts to check for spelling and to see if things make sense. The page hangs up. Sometimes I can go ahead and hit the "submit reply" and it does; but apparently not every time.

 

Anyway, I told my friend to post on John Heald's FB page. I'm not a huge fan of his, but I do really think that, given the cost of the cabin, that they should have offered something after they complained about the noise three times. Sheesh, I complained once on Spendor and got a 25% OBC (which was pretty minor since I was on a casino fare in a 1A). I also warned her that when anyone dares to say anything negative, that Heald's minions will be all over her.

 

Anyway, I can't remember what else I tried to post this morning. I'll think of it in the shower tomorrow and then forget by the time I get to the office, then think of it when I'm driving home and forget by the time I sit down with my laptop! ;p

[kikimom]

Thanks for the detailed review. We were supposed to cruise on the Magic this week, but opted to pass on the revised 3-day cruise for the future credit. Looking at a week long cruise on the Ecstasy. Do you or anyone else reading here know if the aft balcony cabins get sooty? Or any other potential issues with them? Always wanted to enjoy the ship's wake from my own balcony. TIA!

[quest2best]

Thanks for the detailed review. We were supposed to cruise on the Magic this week, but opted to pass on the revised 3-day cruise for the future credit. Looking at a week long cruise on the Ecstasy. Do you or anyone else reading here know if the aft balcony cabins get sooty? Or any other potential issues with them? Always wanted to enjoy the ship's wake from my own balcony. TIA!

 

We just got off the Ecstasy on Saturday and didn't have any soot issues with the aft balconies. We had E242, E255 and E259.

 

 

However, the smell of cigarette smoke hit us as soon as we entered the atrium upon boarding. I didn't notice an excessive amount of smoking, but the smell was constant in the atrium and throughout decks 8 and 9. Thankfully, we never had any problems with smoke on the balconies, though there was often the smell in the halls.

 

 

We did not like the way the beds were configured with the third pull down over the heads of those below. It was awkward getting in and out of bed when the top was pulled down, and even when it was up, care had to be taken not to bump our heads.

 

We really liked our room steward. It did seem that they have fewer staff taking care of more rooms. I felt everything really needed a deep cleaning and some maintenance. The bathrooms had a port-a-potty smell most of the time. There was a leak in the hallway the first day, and there had obviously been a leak over one of the closets in E242.

[Family4Cruisin]

Enjoying your review. We sail on the Ecstasy next month. Do they enforce the dress code on elegant night?