slyman17

You should definitely try to get FTTF if you don't already have it. We were on Ecstasy in early April and it was a great help getting on and off. We did self assist and got off right behind platinum and diamond. It was very fast. Charleston was a great embark/debark port for us (with FTTF), the only problem with the port is, it is a silent port. They are not aloud to use the announcing system while in port, except very minimally, so it's harder for them to tell everybody where and when to go. Have fun!!!

Thank you for your review! We sailed Ecstasy as well in early April of this year and had a great time.

I was on the 4/5 to 4/10 sailing and the comics we had were "Scotty K" and "Killer Beaz". Not sure if they are still there, but the names might ring a bell.

Has anyone been on the Ecstasy out of Charleston recently? I am thinking of booking a cruise on the Ecstasy in October. I sailed on the Fantasy a couple years ago and loved it. The port is so easy to get to. I just want a review of the Ecstasy, and the good and bad points of the ship. Thanks :D

Here's a link to my review of our cruise on her a few week ago. Have fun!http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2343103&highlight=ecstasy

We leave on April 30th, I feel like a kid on Christmas Day. I know we will have a great time. We live just out side of Wilmington NC, so it will take a little less than 4 hours to get to Charleston. Do we still go through gate 2 to drop luggage, what time did they open the gate?

Sorry, I don't have an answer for you. We stayed at a park and ride hotel and took a shuttle to the terminal, so I'm not sure about the gates.

Thank you for such a great review! I will be taking my 2nd cruise this October and it is on the Pride. I am disappointed to hear about the spa though..I was planning on treating myself to a massage/facial but I think I'll just go to the spa at Hotel Hershey beforehand! I'm picky with that kinda stuff. I rarely treat myself to those types of things..so when I do, I want it to be great.

 

I'm excited about HMC. Tahiti is my dream trip so for you to say its comparable, I'm stoked :)

I should have also stated that the massage itself was great, just over priced for what you can get at home. We did the couples hot stone massage and it felt super fantastic! So if you don't mind paying extra for a cruise massage go for it! But be ready for the oil/lotion sales pitch at the end.

Other stuff...

 

Spa: This is my biggest complaint of the cruise and its probably more my fault than it is Carnival’s. As a gift, my mom said she wanted to give my husband and I a massage b/c we (aka I) planned the entire trip and did all the legwork. In all the cruises I’ve been on, I’ve never been to the spa on a cruise. I don’t know why – it just never appealed to me. I decided I’d try it here. The plan was for us to pay for it on our S&S cards and my mom would just give us the $ when we got home. I don’t remember which day it was but one day before breakfast the spa had someone by the elevators talking about their services – I stopped to listen and heard that the bamboo massage was on “value pricing” for $129. I thought – oh that’s cool, I’ll have to come back. Another day they advertised a few specials that you had to have before a certain time – I called to book, and they had no availability before that time, but wouldn’t honor the special for another time. Strike 1. Finally the last day, I call and take whatever time they can give me. My husband went at 10:30 and I went at 11:30. I asked on the phone how much it cost and the lady told me $149. When I got there, I saw a sign that said, “value price - $129”. The price wasn’t going to sway whether I got the massage so I didn’t ask about it - my fault. I also had that gift card from the anniversary gift to use. For the prices they charge, I was expecting a luxury spa experience. That means, changing into a robe, sitting in a lounge with water and relaxing, going into a nicely appointed spa treatment room, an awesome service. I didn’t get any of that. I walked into a waiting area, sat for a few minutes, was lead into the massage room, which wasn’t anything special (not a big deal). The masseuse spent 10 mins asking me dumb questions, which I knew was to get me to buy stuff at the end. The massage itself was terrible – she never turned the lights off (until I asked), there was no music playing (until I asked), the bed wasn’t heated, there was just nothing good about it. Whatever – it’s a massage, how bad could it be. But that was Strike 2. She ends the massage and walks out. So I get dressed and go to the front to pay. This is where it goes really downhill. No one knows why I’m there – they don’t know what I owe, they don’t know who my technician was, etc. Finally my technician comes out with a tray of products and tells me that I was supposed to sit in the room and wait for her to come back to sell me this stuff, which was literally like $50 or more a bottle. She also brings the receipt for my massage, which had automatic 20% gratuity added and a line to add more gratuity. Ok whatever. Its then that I remember I have my gift card, and what about that value pricing? So I ask for a manager. The manager tells me the value pricing is only for port days (I’ll admit, I never researched the spa and didn’t pay any attention to it, so that very well may be true – but it wasn’t clear, and I don’t like feeling like I was taken advantage of). Then they tell me I can’t use the gift card b/c its expired. I look at them like – how could that be? The cruise isn’t over yet! I pull out the other 2 gift cards that were part of my anniversary gift (b/c the manager had the spa one) and they are still valid. Of course the spa one shows that it expired the day before. I was dumbfounded – again my fault for not researching, knowing, or looking more carefully. But at this point I’m fuming – terrible massage, expensive, auto gratuity for poor service, and now expired coupon. The manager continues to tell me that he can’t apply the coupon to the service, but oh, if I want to buy products he can apply it there. Bull – I walked out. I was livid. Honestly, I was actually impressed by how reasonably priced everything on Carnival was. I never felt like they were trying to take advantage of me or price gauge. The spa is the only place I felt that the service sucked, experience sucked, and then it wasn’t very transparent. Never again - and I was forced to tip.

 

I am right there with you on this one! We had a very similar experience on the Ecstasy a couple weeks ago. I didn't here her tell us to wait, thankfully my Wife did. When they came in they tried to sell us the lotions for $60.00, my masseuse took no for an answer pretty quickly, but my wife said hers was very pushy. We were not expecting the auto gratuity either and it was a little maddening, but it must have been written somewhere and I missed it. Needless to say we will not be getting a massage on the Pride when we sail her in June, or on any other boat for that matter. Thank you for the great detailed review! We are really looking forward to our Pride cruise!!!:D

Thanks for the review! We leave on the Ecstasy in 11 days!

You are most welcome! Have fun!!!!

Yes… the elevators were very wonky. One told you "Lido Deck" no mater what deck you were on and flashed "10" so it made it very confusing.

 

We were not given a card but our cabin steward asked morning or night… we chose morning and that was plenty for us.

 

(Just came off the Ecstasy yesterday!)

That's funny! I guess I never really paid attention to what deck it was saying in that weird electronic voice, and I'm jealous as hell that you went to Half Moon Cay!!:D But that's alright, I will be there in June!!!!

Nice and unbiased review. We sail her on 07 May and our expectations are high but the reality is near because I am 54 and not a fool. I know things can go wrong, and be wrong, but I choose to make the best and keep the fact close that it beats sitting at home or work any day. I will make it magical for me and my family. We deserve it. I have seen people whine about the smell, the waits, the service etc, and it gets old and I refuse to let it ruin my time. Thanks again.

You're absolutely right! The food was just okay for us, but the cruise as a whole was really great! We really had a blast. A lot of fun and relaxation! Have fun in May!!!

Thank you for your review/report.

 

Keith

Absolutely! Enjoy doing it!

We had it last week on Ecstasy and although we didn't have to tender to any port, we felt it was definitely worth it. As others have stated, being able to drop your carry on bags off in your room as soon as you get on board is great. We bypassed the long line for the metal detectors and were on board extremely quick. We also loved priority debarkation. Getting off the ship right after diamond and platinum was great! I think you made the right choice! Have fun!!!

Thanks for your excellent review. We sail on the Ecstasy 4/25. We've sailed on Fantasy 8 times but 1st time on Ecstasy.

 

I was sorry to see your comment about the eggs in the MDR. Our last cruise on the Fantasy was similar in that regard. We used to order omelettes in the MDR and they were generally very good, but last October it seems they made a change and started using powered eggs. We were told to ask for fresh eggs and did but the omelette looked like well done fried eggs. I gave up on omelettes but my wife ordered one from the Lido and said it was good.

You're welcome! I wish I knew to ask for "fresh eggs"! It's a shame that you have to. I agree with the "powdered" description. The first thing I said after getting scrambled from the buffet was "these taste like powdered eggs"! I spent 21 years on submarines and I know what powdered eggs taste like. If they weren't powdered, then they are really doing something wrong. Lol!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about your cruise!

We will be on the Ecstasy this fall. Parasailing sounds so cool. I am sure my 2 teens would love it.

You're welcome! Yes, I'm sure they would love it! As long as they are not anticipating being in the air for a long time, they will have a blast! We were up for about 8 -10 minutes and it was perfect. Enjoy your cruise!

I second the whatsapp! We just got off Ecstasy and it worked great, not only for keeping in touch with each other on the boat but our kids and friends at home. All they have to do is download the app. Have fun!!!!:D

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and trip with us.

Thank-you for the feedback.

You're both welcome! My pleasure!

Thanks for the info on the wifi. We plan to purchase those same plans.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You're welcome! Have fun on your cruise!!!!:)

I enjoyed reading your review. My parents are on the Ecstacy now on their first cruise (really first vacation besides weekend trips) ever. My dad posted an update on Facebook while they were in Nassau today and they seem to be enjoying themselves.

 

I was on the Fantasy back in May of 2015 out of Charleston. We enjoyed ourselves and the ship. It was my first cruise so I had nothing to compare it too. Besides the weather I have no complaints.

I just thought of couple questions.

 

1. Was it american table or the old menu?

 

2. Did they give a card for morning or night room steward service or did they just do it twice a day? ( I told my parents I thought they would get a card but wasn't sure)

That's great for your parents! I'm sure they're having a blast! Thankfully our weather was great the entire trip including in Charleston. A little rain in the morning at Nassau but that was it.

The Ecstasy is still using the old menu and yes we were provided a card and choose both morning and night and that's exactly what we got.

Really enjoyed your review leaving on her in 7 days!

Have a great time! You're really going to enjoy her.

Thank you for your review. I thought the ecstasy had head out on a Journeys cruise on 4/2? I came so close to booking it but I haven't been on a fantasy class ship since 1998.

 

Great to know that you had a great time

You're welcome. You definitely have to give the Fantasy class a shot before the start making razor blades out of them!

Thank you for your review.. Only 8 more days until we are sailing on the Ecstasy!!!

You're welcome. You're going to have a great time. It's an oldie but a goodie!

Thanks for thorough review. We're going in September. By the way, we live here in CHS now, but I'm from Gloucester!

You're welcome. Our middle son lives in Gloucester. I don't get over the bridge too often now a days, so i couldn't even tell you how much it has changed.

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for posting.

 

We've been on Ecstasy once and we would definitely sail her again.

You're welcome, enjoyed writing it! We would sale her again as well.

I also sailed on the Ecstasy not too long ago. I'm from Mt Pleasant! Glad to hear you enjoyed Sticky Fingers. I always think their food is good...maybe not gourmet but routinely good.

 

I agree that the casino and bar area are very smoky. I love live music, and it was very unfortunate that the band was only playing at that bar. We tried to watch them one night but could not stomach the smoke. :(

 

Curious: were the elevators acting up while you were on board? They were not good when we cruised. Several were out of service for what seemed like the majority of the cruise. Others gave weird warnings (over limit!!!!) when hardly anyone was on them. We took the stairs most of the time!

The Sticky Fingers meal was the best meal of the vacation! You hit the nail on the head about not being able to watch the band! We saw the band playing, and also Michael (acoustic), but couldn't stay. The smell was just awful. Bummer. All the elevators were up and running. Although we took the stairs a lot too. It was just quicker, and our way of feeling better about eating all that food!:D

You can share the $5/day plan. Only one device at a time can use it, but there is no need to purchase multiple plans, IMO!

Yes, I believe you can share a plan and if that works for you then that would be the way to go. I used multiple devices on my plan (laptop and cell phone) but if she was somewhere else on the boat and I needed her for some reason and I message her, I would have to hope she connects to wifi some time soon to get it. Where as if she has her own plan, she is constantly logged on and will get the message notification instantly. If she didn't think to log in she would never get the message, probably until I give to her in person. Just our preference, and worth the $18.00 each IMO. I hope that made sense.

Forgot to mention the WIFI plan. DW and I both got a WIFI plan. She got the standard social plan that was $5.00 a day or $18.00 for the cruise and I got the second tiered plan that was $16.00 a day or $40.00 for the cruise. We both got the cruise length plan and the plan that I got wasn't really worth it. I thought I would want to check email, sports and news from time to time and I really didn't. When I did it took forever, and I mean click a website and go do something and come back and check on it. Suffice it to say, surfing the internet became tubing down a lazy river through the internet. The great part about this is the whatsapp! You down load that app and you can message each other all day long. There are a couple social websites you can use as well. But just being able to stay in touch with your group on the boat and at home (as long as they download the app as well) is priceless! So from now on, we will both get the standard $5.00 a day plan.