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Ecstacy: Your best tips for first time cruiser on this ship

JimInBuffalo

By JimInBuffalo,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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JimInBuffalo "Live from...." Rare

JimInBuffalo

Posted
Posted

Hi, we are experienced cruisers however, our next cruise will be the first on Carnival in over 10 years. It will also be the first time on the Ecstacy. We are traveling with our daughter, her husband and two of their children, ages 4 & 6 (their first cruise ever).

 

In the past, I have gotten some great tips on various ships that we have cruised on and I try to share as much as I can from my experience.

 

As we prepare for this cruise, what tips about the ship, excursions, food, and anything else can all of you experienced cruisers pass on to me?

 

Thanks in advance for your time and experitise.

 

Jim in Buffalo

It we -2 degrees F here yesterday, up to a balmy 30 degrees today and rain.

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*Mach*

*Mach*

Posted
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The ship is lovely. I'll be on here again in 17 days.

Do yourself a favor and catch the cruise director's show. Steve Cassel is a wonderful entertainer and a great guy.

You have the option of experiencing the Chef's Table, one of the most wonderful dining options at sea. It's an extra fee of $75/person but well worth it.

Take some time to relax at the Serenity Adults Only area. Not only will you have a wonderful view of where you've been but the service is excellent.

The Mongolian Grill is a great option for lunch. It's located on the Lido Deck at the aft end of the pool area. Great stuff and made to order.

Catch a few of the shows. The last time I sailed on her they were brilliant!

Have a fantastic cruise!

:)

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okgirl

okgirl

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The kids can look forward to Camp Carnival but I think they will be doing different activities because the toddler group is for 2-5 yo's and the juniors are 6-8 yo's.

 

But do try to get them to try it. Go the 1st day for registration to see what all the options are. That will give the adults some time to visit the Serenity area that Mach was talking about since it is an adults only area.

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*Mach*

*Mach*

Posted
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Mach (or anyone else who knows):

 

I didn't attend the CD's show on either of my first two cruises, but I'd like to do so on the Ecstasy in April. When is it (which day)?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Steve's show is 'Extreme Country' and, if I recall correctly, it's the first full sea day.

:)

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Rosethorn40

Rosethorn40

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I just got off the Ecstasy yesterday and I was surprised how much I enjoyed the ship. I have sailed 12 times, mostly on Princess, and once on Holland America (Which I loved), so I am amazed that I enjoyed this cruise as much as I did. I am currently working on my full review (So keep an eye out for it). My advice is get to know your fellow PAX. I would say 90% are from Texas and they were a friendly bunch. The cruise director is good, but the entertainment staff is wonderful. Look for a young lady from Canada named Jennifer-really sweet. Be prepared for noise, and a lot of it. I found it difficult to find a quiet spot. The Serenity Adult Area is nice, but on my cruise it got filled with a loud group of young adults that seemed to think it was their private playground, and had no idea what the word "Serenity" meant (Sigh!). In Cozumel we did the Dolphin Swim which was worth every penny and then some. Splurge on it if you can. The pictures are pricey though. When they show you the price of the packages resist the urge to faint. Ask nicely if they have any specials. We got a DVD with 6 pictures and a DVD video of our swim for $99. The original price was in the 100's of dollars.

 

Have a great time!

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mikalsen

mikalsen

Posted
Posted
Hi, we are experienced cruisers however, our next cruise will be the first on Carnival in over 10 years. It will also be the first time on the Ecstacy. We are traveling with our daughter, her husband and two of their children, ages 4 & 6 (their first cruise ever).

 

In the past, I have gotten some great tips on various ships that we have cruised on and I try to share as much as I can from my experience.

 

As we prepare for this cruise, what tips about the ship, excursions, food, and anything else can all of you experienced cruisers pass on to me?

 

Thanks in advance for your time and experitise.

 

Jim in Buffalo

It we -2 degrees F here yesterday, up to a balmy 30 degrees today and rain.

 

Do the Anytime Dining -- you get less fancy service, but a great idea with children and families -- it is faster and you don't have to wait in huge line for a regular seating. You literally come any time you want and they seat you right away and they remember you too. The buffet food was not very good for lunch or dinner, so dining room was worth it. We enjoyed in-room breakfast, it was better than buffet and the kids loved it. Camp Carnival was very good on Ecstasy -- the staff remembered our kids and made them feel special. Our kids fell out of bunk beds twice -- just a warning! Another warning is that the pool is pretty deep and there is no children's pool area (4'9"). The slides were closed half the time and it was too cold to use them anyway. Our son (age 8) who is a good swimmer did not like the pool - he thought it was small and deep. There was overall nothing for children to do outside the Camp Carnival, so plan to just send them there for the whole day (they are open 10-1 and 2 pm -3 am). the deck is smoky and for adults and inside is smoky and the casino is right there in the middle of the ship and the kids are yelled at if they step near it.

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Meyer2

Meyer2

Posted
Posted
I just got off the Ecstasy yesterday and I was surprised how much I enjoyed the ship. I have sailed 12 times, mostly on Princess, and once on Holland America (Which I loved), so I am amazed that I enjoyed this cruise as much as I did. I am currently working on my full review (So keep an eye out for it). My advice is get to know your fellow PAX. I would say 90% are from Texas and they were a friendly bunch. The cruise director is good, but the entertainment staff is wonderful. Look for a young lady from Canada named Jennifer-really sweet. Be prepared for noise, and a lot of it. I found it difficult to find a quiet spot. The Serenity Adult Area is nice, but on my cruise it got filled with a loud group of young adults that seemed to think it was their private playground, and had no idea what the word "Serenity" meant (Sigh!). In Cozumel we did the Dolphin Swim which was worth every penny and then some. Splurge on it if you can. The pictures are pricey though. When they show you the price of the packages resist the urge to faint. Ask nicely if they have any specials. We got a DVD with 6 pictures and a DVD video of our swim for $99. The original price was in the 100's of dollars.

 

Have a great time!

 

Welcome back! I look forward to your full review! :)

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billsrobb

billsrobb

Posted
Posted
Hi, we are experienced cruisers however, our next cruise will be the first on Carnival in over 10 years. It will also be the first time on the Ecstacy. We are traveling with our daughter, her husband and two of their children, ages 4 & 6 (their first cruise ever).

 

In the past, I have gotten some great tips on various ships that we have cruised on and I try to share as much as I can from my experience.

 

As we prepare for this cruise, what tips about the ship, excursions, food, and anything else can all of you experienced cruisers pass on to me?

 

Thanks in advance for your time and experitise.

 

Jim in Buffalo

It we -2 degrees F here yesterday, up to a balmy 30 degrees today and rain.

 

What do you think the Bills will do on the off season and where will we end up? How about those Sabres!!

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peptobysmol

peptobysmol

Posted
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I just got back on the 15th. Steve's show was good. He is just easily the best performer on the ship. I had a very good experience overall. My only complaints were the dining service. Different kinds of drinks were never offered at the table (except for bar drinks). Once we did get our drinks, we frequently had to ask for refills after waiting with empy glasses. I don't blame our waiter. I just think he had too much are to cover. Unfortunately, I think this is a trend that is only going to get worse industry wide. The second was during debarkation. There are two lines. One for Birth Certificates only and one for passports. My wife and I have our passports our 3 kids used Birth Certificates and photo ID. We were told by the Carnival employee that we had to wait in the BC line. After waiting in the immigration line for 1.5 hours, we got our turn with the official. The official said that it was unnecessary for us to wait in the BC line since my wife and I had US PP's.

Keep in mind that they had only ONE line for BC documentation and FOUR for Passports. This is beyond unacceptable. Most of the persons that don't have PP's are kids and/or their families. This makes it very difficult to keep all the kids in the line in good moods. I know that the line set-up is probably the US Dept of Immigration's jurisdiction, but surely carnival and anyone with a lick of sense could see how this is inappropriate. Yeah, yeah. I know its the government at work. Still the carnival official was misinformed.

 

(teps off soap box)

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firefly333

firefly333

Posted
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Mach (or anyone else who knows):

 

I didn't attend the CD's show on either of my first two cruises, but I'd like to do so on the Ecstasy in April. When is it (which day)?

 

Thanks!

 

If you ask me .. there are 3 shows he performs in. Extreme Country is just the first one. He juggles and then in the talent show he runs, he plays one of the songs from the Vivaldi Four Seasons, classical violin. He is extremely good at classical violin... even though he isnt known for that.

 

He started as a juggler with Carnival.

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