Ecstasy Doesn't Have To Be A Pill – Review: May 26, 2014

I recently posted a review of my trip on Carnival Glory, titled “Glory, Glory, Halle...Uh Oh” detailing what (for me) wasn't the best of all possible cruising worlds. This travelo-review follows the same format, so if you liked my Glory Story you'll probably enjoy this too.

Let us commence to begin, as my Creative Writing professor told me never to say. The decision to cruise on Ecstasy was taken rather hastily (book on Friday, sail on Monday and potentially repent on Friday) and was result of two factors: Carnival tempted me with a ridiculously low “Casino Rate” fare and I really, really, really needed to get the bad taste of the Glory trip out of my mouth.

If you travel solo Carnival is the line for you as they waive the 'single supplement' for solo travelers on most of their late booking cruises. If you're new to the cruising world or bound at the hip to a Significant Other this probably isn't something you've considered, but for me it's a Big Deal. Single cruisers on most every other line have to pay double the fare, booking passage for their Imaginary Friends. Holland America actually charges 225% of the single rate as your Imaginary Friend doesn't drink and doesn't go on Shore Excursions and they have to make the money up somehow.

The offer that showed up in my VIFP page was simply too good to pass up. $134, no single supplement AND I got to pick my own cabin on a four-day to Key West and Cozumel. Even after adding Port Taxes and prepaying the gratuities the total tab was under $250. Time to pack the suitcase!

I wasn't expecting to be wowed, floored, or overwhelmed by this cruise. The general consensus is that the shorter the cruise, the lower the quality and the drunker the passengers, but I figured it couldn't possibly be worse than my recent experience on Glory. If you're the type that skips to the last pages of the book first, let me ease your suffering: I had a great time, and Carnival consistently exceeded my expectations on this cruise. Let's get to the details.

Ecstasy, An Oldie But A Goody

Ecstasy is the second oldest ship in Carnival's fleet. She was the second “Fantasy” class vessel, built in 1991 and last dry docked for refurbishment in 2011. She's 855 feet long and 104 feet wide, just barely small enough to go through the Panama Canal. There are 10 passenger-accessible decks and she'll sleep 2,056 passengers double-berth, or 2,634 with all the cots and Pullman uppers full. Typical crew complement is 920.

One nice thing about this ship is that all the public spaces are on higher decks. The lowest three decks (Riviera, Main, Empress) are all insulated from dining rooms, nightclubs and other noise-generating venues and the only noise you're likely to hear is revelers in the hallways and the bow/stern thrusters when docking. My cabin was M-95, a nice, blissfully quiet Interior on Main deck. Cabins on Ecstasy are Carnival-standard, with about 185 square feet, 25 of which is bathroom. There's plenty of room for the two single beds, which can be placed together and covered with a topper to make a King-Sized bed.

Closet space is plentiful and there's a small desk and stool as well. A pick-your-own-code safe is in the middle closet along with wide shelves for storing your unmentionables. The room is also well lit with ceiling lights, bright lights to either side of the mirror over the desk and reading lights over the bed(s). On the innermost wall is a window frame with a drape. If you peek behind the drape, you'll see bare wall. Ocean View cabins are identical to interiors, but if you peek behind the drape you'll see...Everything!

When Ecstasy was dry docked in 2009 they welded balconies onto the outside of the ship in the middle and at the aft end. There aren't a lot of them (36 mid-ship and 60 aft). Rooms are identical to Ocean View except you get a window AND a door that opens onto 35 square feet of balcony, just enough for two lawn chairs and a little bitty table.

The topmost cabin deck (Empress) is identical to the lower three, but above you will be the dining rooms, galley and if you're up front, the show lounge. There are also cabins in the forward portion of the ship on Verandah deck (26 Suites and Junior Suites, all of which have balconies and some of them have a lovely view of the lifeboats and not much else). We'll come to the public spaces in a bit, but first...

Let's Talk About Me, Me, Me, Me Me!

Okay, cheap, short cruise. Older ship. Carnival. Mr. Sulu, set Expectations to “low”. Engage. Monday morning I threw my bags (one duffel, one folding garment bag, you nosy Nancy) into the car and drove through the Holiday traffic to PortMiami, parking at my favorite off-site lot for $9 a day, compared to the $20 they charge at the Port itself. I use Safe Cruise Parking every time. Good, secure lot, only a five minute shuttle ride to the ship and the shuttle's always either there or just around the corner when I get back.

I arrived at the terminal around 1:30 PM to find a humongous line to check in. There were only 16 people at the desk to check in all 2,000 of us, probably due to Carnival not wanting to pay overtime because of the holiday. Oh well, we all leave at the same time. Still, you're cutting into my vacation, buddy. After around forty five minutes of wait, shuffle, repeat I reached the desk and was handed my Gold Sail 'n Sign card. Up the escalator, dodge the photographers, and onto the ship I went.

Ecstasy has a lot of elevators. There are three banks of them, each with four elevators. You know they're arriving at your floor because instead of a bell or gong they make a sound like a dying seabird. The elevator announces which floor you're arriving at in a pleasant voice that's almost understandable. Lift number 11 always gets it wrong, though, announcing one floor above where you actually are. I took a 'vator down to 5 (Main Deck) and proceeded to my cabin, dragging the duffel (blue) and garment case (black) along behind me.

In less than five minutes I was unpacked and on my way to find the closest smoking zone, which turned out to be mid-deck on Lido near the outdoor bar. There are lots of tables and very few ashtrays, which is actually an excuse to meet your fellow travelers. Us smokers have an edge over you healthy types there as we are bound by a common interest/addiction, and a great conversation starter is “hey, can I share your ashtray?” In this manner I met a lovely blond lady from Atlanta who shall figure prominently later in my tale.

After re-infusing nicotine and roofing tar into my body I headed over to the buffet for a quick bite. The buffet has an outdoor and an indoor portion. Outdoors, there's a grill area for cheezboogers, hottie dogs and chicken lickin' fingers on one side and a Mongolian Grill on the other. The indoor portion has two identical lines with steam table fare, which is themed from day to day. Arrival day is Italian, so you can have cold pasta, hot pasta or pasta pasta. I was in the mood for some antipasta, but no such luck. Cold cuts and the like didn't make an appearance till the last day of the cruise for some reason.

Okay, enough about me for now. Let's talk about YOU, Ecstasy!

Public Spaces

For a smallish ship there are a LOT of public spaces, so let's split this up and deal with the outdoor stuff first. At the forward end of the ship there's a “Sun Deck” up top. This has the small jogging track (one hundred trips around equals one chocolate dessert) and the mini-golf course (this is NOT exercise, no matter how much you rationalize it). Two decks down is Verandah, which has an outdoor promenade running down both side of the ship overlooking the pool area on Lido. At the back of the ship is the Carnival Waterworks splash-n-slide complex, which has one very tall and twisty water slide and five or six shorter ones for the shorter people. There are also a hundred or so sun loungers in this area, but due to the proximity of Waterworks it's not an area for quiet contemplation.

Most of the action takes on the next deck down, Lido. The “Resort-Style Pool” (I'm quoting Carnival's Deck Plan here) is large and there's a hot tub just forward of it. Since this is the only pool on the ship it can get quite crowded, especially on the Fun Day At Sea. At one point it was so crowded that if someone jumped in at one end someone at the other end would be squirted out about twenty feet in the air. The pool has that unique cruise ship mix of salt water AND heavy chlorination. There are about 10 fiberglass “palm trees” around the pool to complete that “Resort-Style (huh?)” feel.

Next to the pool is a stage area, used for Bingo, Ice Carving, Bean Bag Toss, Games Passengers Play (see my other review) and dancing in the evenings. Further aft is a seating area for the outdoor portion of the Lido Buffet.

The last outdoor area can be a little hard to find, but is definitely worth it. At the very back of the ship on Promenade deck is the outdoor adults only Serenity area, with loungers, a small bar and two smallish hot tubs. The only way I found to get there was to go all the way to the back of the Lido Buffet and outdoors, then take one flight of stairs down. There must be another way that doesn't involve stairs but I never found it. Serenity IS quiet. There's the occasional clink of silverware from the two outdoor seating areas to either side above, but it's usually an island of bliss.

So Much Ship, So Little Time

One of the things I liked about Ecstasy was the fact that public venues are scattered across four decks, including the dining rooms (more on them separately). This has the effect of spreading people out more and making the ship feel less crowded and more intimate. Ecstasy was designed as Joe Farcus was really hitting his stride with 'over the top' interior design. The best way to describe Ecstasy's 'theme' is “Metropolis Meets Victor Vasarely – Highjinks Ensue”. There are stylized three-dimensional skyscrapers all around the perimeter of the decks. They're in the atrium, they're along the walls, they're everywhere. Each is back lit, so the “windows” glow. The color of the “windows” changes slowly and constantly, from red, to green to blue to purple to...well, you get the idea. All of the skyscrapers are synchronized so they're all the same color at the same time, all over the ship. Interestingly, the casino bar is named “Metropolis” and features a neon sculpture of skyscrapers behind the bar.

Down to Promenade deck we go! At the front of the ship is the upper level of the Blue Sapphire Lounge, which has a lovely intimate feel even though it seats close to 1,000 people. The large stage is covered by an absolutely gorgeous silver and blue curtain when not in use. There are a number of rows of banquet seats spanning the width of the ship and round booths are around the edges and the back. Aft of that is the Atrium, spanning decks 7 (Empress) through 12 (Sports). It's huge, with a bar and stage at the bottom and balconies surrounding it at every level up to the top. There are two glass elevators on the forward side, bringing the total number of lifts on board to 14 expiring seagulls.

Aft of the Atrium is the Crystal Palace casino. Over the course of the cruise I lost about $100 in here, $20 at a time. Nobody seemed to be winning on the slots at any point in the cruise, even the last night. I met several people who did quite well at the Blackjack tables, but apparently Fortune was smiling upon them, not me. The casino is smallish compared to other ships. You can smoke at some of the tables and some of the slots, but it's laid out weirdly, with no rhyme or reason to where you can and can't stink up the joint. Just outside the casino is the Metropolis bar, where you can smoke on one side and the City Lights stage where solo and group performers show up in the evenings.

I've found that the best musical performances on the ship are usually to be found at the stage closest to the casino and this cruise was no exception. The solo guitar player and vocalist was a dead ringer for Jack Johnson, knew all of his songs and sounded just like him. By the end of the cruise I was ready to commit Jack Johnsoncide. A six-piece band also performed here one evening, and they were quite good. There's also a combination candy and flower shop just off the Atrium on this deck.

Just past the mid-ship bank of Screaming Albatross (elevators) are the China Club lounge and Stripes nightclub. China Club looks like...well, a Club. In China. Fancy that. It's used for all sorts of things including private functions throughout the cruise. Stripes is smallish, but looks just like a posh, stylish New York nightclub with banquet seating, booths and comfy chairs and a large bar back lit with hundreds of blue vodka bottles. Between the two is the “Rolls Royce Cafe” coffee, premium ice cream and milk shake shop. Parked out front is a 1920's era Rolls Royce sedan. It has no motor, so don't get any ideas, Nancy.

Proceeding aft there's a conference room which was used for the Art Auction and a $10 Only extension of the Duty Free shops. You'll pass the aft bank of Mortally Wounded Puffins (yeah, yeah. Elevators.) to reach the Society Bar and Starlight Lounge, where the comedians perform.

Comma Comma Down Do Be Do Down Down

Let's stumble down one flight of stairs to to Atlantic Deck! Here's where you'll find the main level of the Starlight Theater, the duty free shops (cheap stuff to Port, expensive to Starboard) two more small lounges and the Main Dining Rooms. Alongside the Atrium on this level are the Neon Piano Bar, which I never went into and never heard any music coming out of, and the Explorer's Club library, which is paneled in wood with floor to ceiling bookshelves and has an exquisite wooden model of the original Nieuw Amsterdam transatlantic liner, built in 1938. It's a good five feet long and has incredible detail. Definitely worth a look.

Aft of this is the Wind Star dining room, which spans the width of the ship. Colors are beige and tan, with marble floors. Shiny brass handrails and wide windows to either side which give it a light airy, feel. This dining room is used for breakfast, lunch and Sea Day Brunch as well, while the other dining room, Wind Song, is used only for dinner. Wind Song is a little darker than Wind Star, with burgundy accents on the walls. One other thing of note: If you liked the Nieuw Amsterdam ship model, check out the entrance to the Wind Star dining room, where there's a four foot wooden model of the MSY Wind Star sailing cruise liner, built in 1986 but looking like something from the last century.

If you're looking for Shore Excursions or Guest Services they're down on Empress Deck, just off the Atrium along with the Internet Cafe. By the Grace of God I had no need for either on this cruise.

Suppertime!

One of the things I absolutely hated about my Glory cruise was the American Table/Feast menu and dining room service. On American Table nights the table settings, service and limited choice of foods was more like an Applebee's than a cruise ship. American Feast (elegant) nights were better, but still not up to the standards set with the fleet wide menu. Well, I'm pleased to report that Ecstasy still follows the fleet wide program, with tablecloths, fine dining silverware placement, bread and rolls served to you individually and the full Carnival two page menu presented in a folio.

On the left side is the Everyday menu, with appetizers like shrimp cocktails, spring rolls, salads and soups, and main course entrees including flatiron steak, chicken and salmon. The right side changes each day and offers three or four appetizers, unusual items such as Escargot or Alligator Fritters, and four specialty main courses.

Service was superb. The wait staff worked well together and courses were brought promptly and at appropriate intervals. Hot dishes were hot, cold dishes were cold. They could not possibly have executed any better than they did. Our lead waiter Odilon has been with Carnival for 16 years and actually used the phrase “Exceeding your expecations” when praised for his and his tram's work.

Dessert is selected from a second menu, including the incomparable warm chocolate melting cake. Fresh, hot coffee with c-o-o-o-o-o-l-d creamer is also provided. Drinks service was available before, during and after the meal, but was unobtrusive. In sum, this is Classic Carnival Cuisine. Sure the food was a little better a few years ago, but this was darn close and way more than I expected from a short cruise.

My table companions were all solo travelers as well and ranged from college professor to cop. Dinner conversation ran a little to the cynical side at times, but was still enjoyable. After dinner I excused myself from table to meet that blond from Atlanta for a drink at the Metropolis bar. A little later it was up to Lido for a final cancer stick of the day, then off to bed.

Port Call: Key West

I can't really give you any serious insights here. The problem is that I actually live on Marathon Key, about 45 minutes up the Oversea Highway and come down to Key West at least twice a month for business. As far as I'm concerned it's just like home, only more touristy. In the morning I got off the ship after the initial rush was over, caught the trolley from the Navy Pier to Mallory square and bought a cup of coffee. It was fun watching the tourists walk around and get slowly sloshed as they ran in and out of all the historic saloons in the area, but even that pales after a while, so I caught the trolley back to the ship around noon.

If you've never been to Key West, there are three possible ways to deal with the island. If you're a water sports person, there are excellent swimming, snorkeling and diving excursions available. The best snorkeling in the keys is actually up where I live at Marathon Reef, but it's pretty darn good in KW as well.

If you're a drinker or a foodie you are rich with choices. Sloppy Joe's Saloon is famous as one of Ernest Hemingway's haunts, and Harry Truman was known to drop by for a beer every now and then as well. I prefer Captain Tony's, a smaller place around the corner that was another Hemingway favorite. There's also the Schooner Bar a few blocks away and the Hurricane Hole on the opposite side of the island. Both have excellent raw bars if you crave clams or oysters.

If you're of a historical bent there's Hemingway House, where he wrote some of his most famous work and where you can meet descendants of Snowball, his famous polydactyl (many toes) cat. A lot of the cats in Key West are polys as Snowball was quite the ladies man and they're all descended from him. There's also the “Little White House”, Harry and Bess Truman's summer vacation home and the Key West Natural and History Museum. For everyone, drunk or not, there's tons of shopping on Duval Street and the side streets that connect to it.

Anywhoo, I went back to the ship, grabbed a quick bite from the Lido buffet (American Fare) and repaired to my cabin to relax, read and take a...zzzzzzzzzzzz snorf.

Late that afternoon I met up by chance with my fellow smoker, the blond from Atlanta. Since there aren't many places where you can light up it's highly likely that you'll see the same folks in the same places repeatedly. We chatted, exchanging life stories, and it came to pass that she revealed herself as a former Playboy Playmate and Bunny, going back to 1996. Now I've never met a Playboy Bunny before, and I'm pleased to report that they're just like you 'n me, only way cuter. We had a great time over the next few days and hanging out with her did wonders for my poor, bruised ego.

Dinner that night was Cruise Elegant and I have a confession to make: I did not wear a tuxedo. I didn't even bring a suit, which never seems to travel well and comes out of the garment bag looking creased and rumpled, like me. I did wear dress slacks and shirt and one of my nicest ties and felt perfectly comfortable doing so. I would guess that about half the men at dinner did the same. Suits were definitely in the minority and I saw no penguin suits at all.

Dinner was delicious. I of course had the lobster tail (ok, Nosy Nancy, I had two) and they were prepared perfectly. For dessert I had the Grand Marnier Souffle, which is actually my second favorite dessert, behind Creme Brulee but in front of Warm Chocolate Melting Cake.

Port Call: Cozumel

Cozumel is a great port and there are multitudes of things to do, but for me it's all about the snorkeling. Bunny and her family took the Catamaran Sail, Snorkel and Beach Party excursion and absolutely raved about it that evening, but I had other plans. Just a few miles down the road is the Money Bar Beach and Snorkel Club, which is like a classy resort, but without the hotel rooms. It's right on a nice stretch of “beach”, has an excellent restaurant, large bar, plenty of free loungers and hammocks between the palm trees and fantastic snorkeling on Dzul Ha Reef, within yards of shore. There a watersports shack where you can rent lockers, towels, snorkel gear, guides, lessons and beachside massages, but the important thing is that you don't *have* to. Simply using the facilities is both free and hassle free. Sure, they'd like you to drink the drinks, eat the food and rent the gear, but you don't have to. I love it there because it's so low key.

I put “beach” in quote marks as there are actually few few true beaches on the West side of Cozumel, where the reefs are. It's pretty rocky and segues directly into hard coral. Money Bar's beach is lovely, sandy and a few feet above the actual shoreline. You use handy stairs cut into the rock to descend into the water.

I was off the ship at 2 PM, again waiting rill the rush was over. I walked briskly through the pier side shopping village and was at the taxi stand in five minutes. An eight dollar cab ride later I was at Money Bar, and 10 minutes after that I was kitted out and in the water. The snorkeling was incredible that day. Visibility was at least 80 feet sideways and the view to the bottom in only 12-15 feet of water was crystal clear. There was a huge variety of reef and game fish out there and for some reason they were feeling friendly. Any time I stopped swimming as just hung there I would be quickly surrounded by Sargeant Majors, Blue Tang and White Grunts. The longer I stayed still the more fish arrived until I was treading water in a cloud of colorful fishies. Glorious!

I stayed in the water till my arms started to ache, then climbed out and headed for my lounger in the shade. My waiter brought my a second Coke Light ($3 each. Paradise doesn't come cheap) and I flopped happily to recover for a while. Once I had my strength back I ordered a plate of chicken tacos and munched happily while enjoying the beautiful sunny day.

With my aches subsided and my strength regained I grabbed my snorkel gear and went back to the water for another 45 minutes of bliss.

Side Note: If you want to get serious about snorkeling, buy your own gear. It's not expensive. Tempered glass goggles and a 'dry cap' snorkel tube with blow valve will run you around $40-60 at a big sporting goods store. Aqualung is one of the best mid-priced brands. It's important to get a dry cap tube. With these there's a valve that automatically closes if the top of the tube goes under water and prevents water from entering the tube so you can dive whenever you want without having to worry about waves going over you or what happens if you tip your head back too far. At the bottom there's a 'blow valve' that allows you to expel any water that does get in just by blowing out.

You need a small bottle of anti-fog for the goggles too. Spitting and swishing does work but only for about five minutes while a couple of dabs of Sea Drops will keep the glass clear for an hour or more. It's expensive at $10 for a small bottle of the gel but that small bottle is a five year supply. If you're going to be snorkeling offshore, like from a boat, you need flippers. In-shore snorkeling, like from the beach, does not. A cheap pair of water shoes from Kmart will protect both your feet and the reef from damage.

Back to the story: Around 6 PM I felt like my arms were going to fall off, so I nipped into the changing room, switched to street-side apparel and caught a cab back to the cruise terminal. One of the stores at the terminal is called Los Cinco Soles (The Five Suns) and has absolutely spectacular Mexican dinner, serving and glassware. I love everything in that shop and it's definitely worth a browse. When you re-enter the shopping village it's on your immediate right. I looked but did not buy as I didn't think I could get any purchases home safely this trip, being a little over packed already. I did stop and buy a liter of Kahlua for $13 to make cheesecakes with, though.

I made it back to Ecstasy by 7 PM, which was plenty of time to take a shower to get all the salt off, relax and read for a bit, then head for dinner, which was at 9 PM because of the late port call.

Exceeding Your Expectations

Dinner that night was excellent. I ate lightly as I was still feeling the effects of that afternoon's chicken tacos. After dinner I looked at the dessert menu, but really was still too full to want anything. I did note that Creme Brulee wasn't on the menu and asked Odilon if it would be on the following (final) night's menu. He put on a sad face and told me that Creme Brulee wasn't on the four day menu. He then said that he would speak to the chef d'cuisine and see if something could be done, but no promises. At that point I figured that it just wasn't in the cards.

Imagine my surprise and delight when, after dinner the next night, he and his assistant brought out lovely, delicious crème brulees for everyone at our table that the pastry chef had made specially, just for us. Not only had he followed through on the request, the rest of the kitchen staff had delivered! Needless to say, all of our servers received thank you cards from me that evening with a more tangible ($20) extra thank you inside. This really is the “classic” Carnival. I didn't even have to ask, just express a fond wish, and voila! My foodie prayer was answered.

My Fun Day at Sea consisted mainly of eating brunch in the Wind Star dining room and relaxing on Lido with Da Bunny (who looks awesome in a bikini, even 18 years after her Claim To Fame) and dipping into the pool frequently to cool off. I packed my stuff in the early evening, had the aforementioned dinner and wonderful dessert and then few quiet moments chatting with Da Bunny.

This was a great cruise. I enjoyed the major port of call, Cozumel, tremendously. The company was stellar, the relaxation and quiet time much appreciated, and I'll put the food quality and service up against any other ship in Carnival's fleet. The only things missing were Guy Fieri's Burgers, the Blue Iguana Cantina and the big screen TV over the pool on Conquest- and Destiny- class ships to watch “Dive-In Movies”.

Given the fact that I was traveling on casino rate and the single supplement waiver, the 'value for money' meter went clear off the charts. Carnival, for what you did to me on Glory, I forgive you. You made it all up and more.

Set Expectations to “Exceeded”, Mr. Sulu. Engage.

Excellent Review! Hope you get to keep in touch with da bunny!!!:D

Public Spaces

 

 

The last outdoor area can be a little hard to find, but is definitely worth it. At the very back of the ship on Promenade deck is the outdoor adults only Serenity area, with loungers, a small bar and two smallish hot tubs. The only way I found to get there was to go all the way to the back of the Lido Buffet and outdoors, then take one flight of stairs down. There must be another way that doesn't involve stairs but I never found it. Serenity IS quiet. There's the occasional clink of silverware from the two outdoor seating areas to either side above, but it's usually an island of bliss.

Go all the way aft on deck 9 and thru the lounge (its where they have the comedy club on the Fascination). There are doors on both sides of the room that lead to the Serenity deck.

I gotta say, the Carnival forum is firing on all 8 cylinders lately for entertaining and well written reviews.

Can you mention more about Safe Cruise Parking? I know some of the off-site parking areas have very similar names but very different reputations. Miami is kind of the pits for parking, so any info you could share would be great.

Thanks for the kind comments.

Safe cruise Parking is on the web at http://www.safecruiseparking.com. The lot is at 811 NW 1st Ct, Miami. It's $9 a day, which includes the shuttle both ways. Easy access from I-95, both in and out. They accept PayPal for pre-reservations or you can pay at the lot but your reservation isn't guaranteed.

Enjoying your review!!

I sailed on the Ecstasy in January had a great time. This was my first time on Carnival. I enjoyed Key West and Cozumel. We did an all inclusive beach excursion at Nachi- Cocom.

Enjoyed this one too. Thanks!

Great Review! Thank you!!

Thanks for the parking info!

Great review! Glad this cruise went better for you than the Glory did.

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments. It's actually a lot of fun writing these reviews and getting your feedback. Okay, I tell a lie. Writing itself is hard work and mentally exhausting, but I love the results.

Some of you will be happy to know that I've already scheduled cruise #7 for the year, on Valor out of San Juan. Some of you will be jealous. Some of you would like to stuff me into the nearest red, white and blue funnel. I'm sailing on the 22nd of this month and I, of course, will write about it afterwards.

Fair winds, following seas and inexpensive trinkets!

Jeff

Awesome post! You just made my September cruise better!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Forums mobile app

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to write it :)

This may be a dumb question, as I am somewhat new to carnival. I am a Red VIFP. What level do you start seeing offers show up in your VIFP page? Happy cruising!!:D

Great review! Ecstasy was my first cruise last summer and I had a stellar time! One thing that stood out for me (and for you it seems as well) was the food. It was incredible!

Thunderstruck, you'll see the "Past Guest" offer immediately after your first cruise. It's not much, really, just two cabin *classes* better within *category*. If you frequent the casino you might see the "casino rate" offer at any time. There are thresholds that qualify you for these, but the thresholds are a secret known only to the Player's Club computer system.

Some people will be offered free cruises, paying only port taxes and gratuities. There is *no* rhyme or apparent reason to who gets these offers and many, many, megabytes of discussion on this board trying to make sense where no sense is present.

Jeff

great review. Going to go try to find others by you now.