Our story Ecstasy 8/20 sailing

[Patdmoose]

My wife and I took our two grandsons with us for this cruise. Two other friends also brought their grandchildren. We had 6 adults and 5 children (ages 4 to 13). Before we left we knew that Progresso had been canceled because of Hurricane Dean. At the time we left, the hurricane had not yet reached the Yucatan, so we knew that even though Cozumel was still scheduled, it might not happen if they took some major damage. Never before, had I sailed with a Capt. that took the time to explain his plan and kept us up to date with our status. He did a great job, and I plan to email CCL and let them know that. He was also more accessible than any other Capt. on previous sailings. He did a Q&A one afternoon in the main lounge and also scheduled a ‘cigar under the stars with the Capt.’ Night. When it rained during the planned cigar time, he rescheduled it for the next night. He was quite a guy!

 

Embarkation (VIP)

This was my wife’s first VIP trip. The perks are very nice!

We were among some of the first to arrive. EZ Cruise brought us over at about 10:45 AM. We went through the VIP line even though there was no wait in the regular lines. They let us sit down while they got our papers and S&S cards taken care of. We then went to the VIP seating area. We had about a 100 yard open space in front of our chairs. We ending up sharing this area with 2 other couples. I started encouraging the boys to have walking races to the far wall and back. And then, backwards races, crabwalk races, etc. I was trying to get them to burn off some energy before we boarded. It was nice to have that much room to wait in and not be crowded in together like the others waiting just a few yards from us. We got to board right after the 2 wedding parties. My youngest grandson was the first person on the ship. This was his first cruise and he really liked that part. We boarded about 11:35 AM. We had checked all of our luggage, so we went straight to the Lido for lunch. No lines…no people…WOW! We then went and played a round of mini-golf.

 

Cabin E182

We went to the cabin at 1:30. Our bags starting arriving soon after that. The room is cramped with the two beds and the two fold down beds, but it was fine. Max was our steward. He did an exceptional job. He got an extra tip at the end of the cruise.

 

Sea Days

We had 3 sea days since we did not call on Progresso. I love sea days!

We kept the boys so busy that we started coming back to the cabin each day for rest time. Even the 6-year-old, who hates naps, was asking if we could go back to the cabin in the afternoons. My wife and I loved this part of the cruise. We could catch our breath from trying to keep up with the boys.

 

Shows

We went and saw both production shows. All of the kids really enjoyed them. I ended up sitting behind a pole for both of them, but did not mind. The shows all tend to run together after a few cruises.

 

Cozumel

We docked an hour early and left an hour later than planned. This was because of the cancellation of Progresso. We went to Paradise Beach. It was great except for the murky waters left over from Dean. PB Tom came by to check on us and apologize for the water and for the sand being rearranged by the waves. Apparently, we were the first ship to arrive after Dean. I had checked the CC Cozumel board the night before from the ship’s internet café to make sure that Paradise Beach was open. Word of caution – one of the taxi drivers tried to tell me that PB was closed due to the hurricane. I am sure that he wanted to take us to some other resort that would pay him a bounty. I told him that I had already checked with Tom, and that PB was open. I then went to one of his competitors and got us a cab for 9. We paid $26 each way for the cabs.

 

Meals

We had dinner each night in the Wind Star dining room. We had the 6:15 seating. Our wait team was Gusti and Angel. They did a great job, and took very good care of the kids. These guys earned extra tips. The food was great. Maybe the people who complain about the food on Carnival are used to eating in 5 star restaurants. I don’t know, but we really enjoy the meals. We had one breakfast delivered by room service. It came precisely at the time requested. I tipped the guy $5 for the 6 or so covered plates + drinks. We had all of our other meals on the Lido. The addition of the sandwich bar is a really nice touch. We really liked that on the Liberty, and we were glad they have added it to the Fantasy class of ships. Of course the pizza, ice cream, hot dogs and cheeseburgers were great as always.

 

VIP perks

My wife really appreciated the nice Carnival Concierge Club bag from Carnival. The stationary was nice. I used the wash & fold service for some t-shirts, shorts and undies. That service was very helpful. However, I did get an orange T back with a new ?? color. It must have gotten laundered with some reds or dark browns. No big deal. I had read that others had had problems with colors, so I was careful not to send anything that I would have been disappointed in getting back a little different color. She entered the slot tourney, but did not win. Our only problem with the VIP extras was with the canapé and petit for trays they sent. They delivered them on the night of the Past Guest party. We ate the desserts over the next two days, but were afraid to try the canapés. They were made with shrimp and salmon. We left for the party before 5PM, and did not return to the cabin till after 10. The appetizers were no longer cold. My wife used the personalized stationary to write a thank you note for the two trays, but told them that their timing was not very good on delivering them on a night when most past guests would be out of the cabin for most of the evening. The VIP debarkation was nice. We had out the majority of our luggage out the evening before. We met with one other couple in the Library at 8:30 AM, and were escorted to the debarkation line as soon as most of the self-assist passengers were off the boat. We went on a personalized tour of the galley with Tonja, an Assistant Maitre ‘d. We went in behind the regular galley tour, and people kept looking back and I am sure they were wondering why we had someone in officer whites escorting us through and explaining what things were and how they worked.

 

Camp Carnival

Our two grandsons only participated for about an hour or so each morning and afternoon. We would describe the activities to them and let them pick what interested them. On the last night they had a farewell party for the Camp Carnival participants. I let the boys tip the counselors $20 each. They were very appreciative. I think they work as hard or harder than most people do on the ship.

 

I am sure there is something I did not comment on. I have a pretty busy schedule for the next few days, and may not get back to answer comments quickly, but I will get back.

 

Here is a link to some photos:

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/patmars1@flash.net/album/576460762405212118

[Carnivalbound]

Thanks for the review, I'm glad you guys had a good time. I can't wait for my turn! :D

[cathyoo]

what a wonderful way to make forever memories with your grandchildren. Thanks for the great review.

[Glama]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I agree with you about the canapes, ick. They are not even that chilled when they arrive, and if you happen to be out of your cabin for a few hours or so, they can actually stink up the cabin pretty badly, not to mention pose a health hazard if you actually eat them. I think Carnival needs to rethink this idea, lol. We do love the Carnival Concierge bags, though, we use ours all the time at home, they are heavy duty.

 

We're heading to Paradise Beach on our November cruise, can't wait! I've heard of the taxi drivers trying to "steer" people to other beaches, so thanks for the heads up that that's still happening.

[travel girl23]

What a great review. Thanks for sharing. You mentioned that you had a waiter named Gusti. We did too on our Glory cruise last February. I wonder if it is the same one. I am posting a link to his picture:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid224/p899d25afb9470ea79f7f8a4c6baf2743/eaaac0e7.jpg

He is on the right. Just wondered if we had the same waiter. Glad you had such a good cruise. BTW we, too, live in NRH. Travelgirl

[Got docs?]

I sailed the Ecstasy last October and the Capt. everyday would make an announcement about the weather, speed, and sea conditions. This was the first cruise I had ever heard that much information given to keep the passengers informed.

[pacerzfan]

Thanks for the review, Patdmoose

[Patdmoose]

What a great review. Thanks for sharing. You mentioned that you had a waiter named Gusti. We did too on our Glory cruise last February. I wonder if it is the same one. I am posting a link to his picture:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid224/p899d25afb9470ea79f7f8a4c6baf2743/eaaac0e7.jpg

He is on the right. Just wondered if we had the same waiter. Glad you had such a good cruise. BTW we, too, live in NRH. Travelgirl

 

That looks like him. Looks like he got promoted.

 

Howdy, neighbor!

This Dec., we will have been in the same house in NRH for 30 years!! When we moved out here, Rufe Snow was a 2 lane road with the only building on it being the telephone building at RS and Watauga Rd. It has grown some. LOL

[travel girl23]

That's neat. We really liked him. He was our assistant waiter on the Glory. Really nice guy. We'll look for him in November.

Yes, I know what you mean about this area growing. We have lived in our house for 23 years (right off Rufe Snow) and before that lived in Richland Hills for 9 years. I grew up in this area as my parents built a house in the mid 50's so you know how long that's been - LOL.

So glad you all enjoyed your cruise. Travelgirl

[ruskatab]

We were on Valor 2 weeks ago and I was disappointed in the Captain. He had no personality and made very fews announcements. Hurricane Dean was a hot topic on CNN and there were tropical storm watches out when we were in St. Martin but not a word about any of it from the Captain. Glad to see you had a very informative Captain. Also glad to hear the Ecstacy was a good cruise. Weve wanted to go on her for a quick get away but we were worried with her being an older boat. Thanks for the review.

[Patdmoose]

My wife looked at my review and told me that I left out a very important part of the cruise.

 

Our oldest grandson, Eli, turned 7 on the Friday that we were sailing. We planned a party for him and his friends who were on board. We gave them all pirate eye patches and stick on mustaches, and sent them out in search of pirates gold. Of course, we went with them. (Did we get some strange looks LOL) We had 4 riddles for them to find the other clues to find the gold. The first riddle sent them to where the four big silver machines that give you cold dessert in a cone would be found. The remaining clues sent them the full length of the ship and back. The answers to the riddles then spelled out our cabin # - E182. When they came back to our cabin, they found a sign on the door that said "Pirates gold be hidden here" We then went in the room and let them search for bags we had hidden in the room with $1 dollar coins in them. We then opened presents and played a silly pirate game and then the party was over and everyone got ready for dinner. After dinner, Gusti, Angel, and the other waiters brought out a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday. It was a great birthday that Eli will remember for a long time! Plus, he gets to have another party after he returns home to Mom and Dad.

[*Mach*]

My wife looked at my review and told me that I left out a very important part of the cruise.

 

Our oldest grandson, Eli, turned 7 on the Friday that we were sailing. We planned a party for him and his friends who were on board. We gave them all pirate eye patches and stick on mustaches, and sent them out in search of pirates gold. Of course, we went with them. (Did we get some strange looks LOL) We had 4 riddles for them to find the other clues to find the gold. The first riddle sent them to where the four big silver machines that give you cold dessert in a cone would be found. The remaining clues sent them the full length of the ship and back. The answers to the riddles then spelled out our cabin # - E182. When they came back to our cabin, they found a sign on the door that said "Pirates gold be hidden here" We then went in the room and let them search for bags we had hidden in the room with $1 dollar coins in them. We then opened presents and played a silly pirate game and then the party was over and everyone got ready for dinner. After dinner, Gusti, Angel, and the other waiters brought out a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday. It was a great birthday that Eli will remember for a long time! Plus, he gets to have another party after he returns home to Mom and Dad.

 

Now, that's VERY cool. You guys deserve a reward (a ship on a stick????) for being so inventive. There's no doubt that Eli will remember this birthday for quite a long time to come.

 

The problem is how do you top that???

 

Not a bad problem to have...

 

;)

[connergirls]

Great review! And what great grandparents you are!!!

[LHP]

So glad you had a good cruise.

 

We love Paradise Beach also. Even when Mother Nature has thrown a wrench into the works...we still have a good time. We were there last month for the 4th time since October and will be headed there again in December.

Our Special Needs 16 year old is hooked on the water toys. He actually jumped off the water trampoline (with his life vest on, of course) for the first time last month. Every trip, he gets a little more adventureous!!!!