geochick73

I have these same questions. What is a thermal suite? What makes the one on the Magic so great?

We enjoyed both ports. I didn't like having to tender in Belize, but we visited Altun Ha mayan ruins and did a river cruise as part of a Carnival excursion and had a great day. This was years ago so I'm not sure if they offer that excursion anymore. I believe you have to plan an excursion as there isn't much to do around the port. I think I would find a snorkeling excursion next time. Last year we went to Costa Maya and took a taxi & spent the day at Blue Reef (all-inclusive). We loved our time there so much! The food was great, the drinks were good, and the hospitality was awesome. The only complaint I had was that there was a ton of sargassum on the beach...which I believe is an issue there quite frequently. Not the nicest beach, but we didn't let that spoil our day. We got cheap (but great) massages as well. The port area at Costa Maya is large and has several shops and a pool (I think). Some people just hung around in that area all day. I might give a slight edge to Costa Maya if it were me.

Thanks for sharing! We are sailing on the Magic in 3 weeks. First time out of Norfolk and our first time on the Magic. We've booked an aft wrap balcony on deck 7....also our first balcony! Looking so forward to it! Happy to hear that the MDR experience was good. Did you happen to catch the production numbers? We enjoy going to those but on our last cruise out of Mobile, they were pretty bad. 😞

I was looking at the snorkeling excursion at Paradise Cove for our June cruise. Can you tell me a little more about it? How long did you snorkel? Did you see a large variety of fish? Did they provide food/water? It looks like RT transportation is included, so that’s nice.

Well, thanks everyone for the suggestions. We just got off the Ecstasy today. We tried a lot of the things mentioned (if they were available). Our favorites were: Crème brûlée in MDR, Blue Iguana burritos, the beef brisket dinner & Roasted chicken dinner in MDR. I tried the fruity soups and they weren’t for me, but glad I tried them. I ate at Guy’s burgers once for lunch and thought it was decent. I was a little disappointed in the lido breakfast and didn’t care for the WCMC in the MDR…I feel like the recipe is different from what we had on our last cruise (10 yrs ago).

We just got off the Ecstasy today. Mobile’s cruise terminal was awesome. We used VeriFLY to embark and it took us less than 15 minutes from the time we left our car until we were sitting in the terminal waiting to board. Disembarkation was a breeze as well. Everyone was so friendly and helpful…I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise out of Mobile again.

I like this idea!

looks good...I'll keep an eye out for it!

Thanks for the tip about the non-veg Indian dish...I'll definitely do this!

The beef tenderloin seems to be on several people’s lists…will try it for sure. I’m looking forward to the fruity soups too!

Now I’ve got to get this Caesar salad.

I'll be sure and try the spring rolls...can't try the other places bc the Ecstasy doesn't currently have any specialty dining. 😞

We don’t have a steakhouse on the ship, but I’m wondering if it is worth it to order the lobster in the MDR and just pay the fee.

Those look amazing! We don’t have an Emeril’s on the Ecstasy, but I’ll keep these in mind when I book my next cruise! 😋

I don’t think we have a Mongolian Wok, but thanks for the other suggestions! I hate to hear that the MDR food has been disappointing, I’m crossing my fingers for the Ecstasy!

Sounds good, unfortunately neither of those is available on the Ecstasy. 😞

I haven’t been on a ship with either of those restaurants yet…looking forward to trying both!

The fruity soups are definitely on my list, I’ve never tried any of them! Thx for the other suggestions!

I’m definitely going to try this next week!

Leaving this weekend on our first cruise in 10 years! Eating is one of our favorite parts of a cruise. I've been a little disappointed to read that several people think the quality of Carnival's food has really declined in recent years. So, let me hear what you've had lately that you thought was really good...app, entree, dessert, whatever. I'll make sure and order some of these items next week. We will be on the Ecstasy so we won't have a steakhouse available. TIA!

Definitely following your posts...we will board Ecstasy when you get back for our 6/25-6/30 cruise.

Thanks for sharing! We are going on the Ecstasy in 3 weeks and I can't wait...it's been 10 years since we've cruised. How did you find the food on board? We've never been to Costa Maya and we were thinking about going to the Krazy Lobster...how was the beach there? I've read that the sargassum is bad this year, but you didn't mention it so I was wondering if you noticed it.