Spring Break Sailing Review - Ecstasy 3/19

[parentsof5]

We are back, and the laundry is done, now for the fun part-sharing our trip with you!

Background: We booked this trip in early November 2010 for our Seniors vacation trip. This is something we have made a tradition, making that Senior year trip a little more special. This year it is our two daughters, so we went with something a little more pampered just for them. Going on this trip are DH (40), DD's (18), DS (15 and 11 months), and myself (43).

We booked early saver. By sail date, we had $670 OBC. You may have read some of my posts/questions as we planned this trip. I had wondered how this money would be divided, etc. We ended up going to Guest Services after dropping things off in our room and having some lunch. We were able to set a charging limit of $50/each on the kids accounts. The rest was accessible to my husband and myself.

Now for the trip! We left Kansas at 6:00 p.m., Thursday evening. We drove to Denton, Texas, breaking the drive up. We have done this for years when traveling. It's almost like getting an extra half day of vacation when we can knock some of the driving off the night before vacation "officially" starts. We stopped around 8:30 in Oklahoma City to grab a bite and chose Jack in the Box, something we don't have at home. We continued to Denton, and arrived around 11:30. We had booked through Expedia and stayed at the Days Inn. I'm not sure how many stars it was supposed to be, but I would give it a low 2 stars, maybe 1 1/2. It was only $30 a room, clean, just a bit on the run down side. Beware of the parking lot entrance and exit. The dirt on either side is washed away creating big dips to knock your car around. Cereal, toast, juice for breakfast was just right.

 

Next up: Driving into the Houston area, Galveston, and SHIP TIME! Pics included.

[parentsof5]

We left Denton around 9, and finished the days trek to Alvin, Texas. (This is just outside of Houston.) We are lucky to have relatives (DH's sister) there willing to share their home with us, so we were able to save a little money, and catch up! (Otherwise known as double dipping!) With a little help from our trusty GPS, we drove right to the house. We had a nice visit and meal.

 

And before we knew it, it was SAIL DAY! The kids were so excited, it wasn't hard to get 3 teens moving. We left Alvin a little after 10:00, and made our way to Galveston, about a 45 minute drive. And before we knew it, there was our first view of the Ecstasy!

 

 

But it wasn't quite time to board (according to DH, not the rest of us). DH wanted to check the port out a little, so we spent a little time driving around taking it all in. Around 11:30 we dropped our luggage off at the port, and drove across the street to park our car at Galveston Park N Cruise. We reserved ahead and paid $42 for indoor parking. You can also pay ahead for outdoor parking at $35.

 

DH wanted to continue checking out the port, so we walked a block or two to the Ocean Star Oil Rig Museum (which I had heard about on CC). I knew this was something he would enjoy, and after carefully explaining to the kids why this was a nice thing to do for their dad, rather then getting right on the ship, it was all good. :rolleyes:

 

It was a nice, short walk along the pier to the entrance. I enjoyed capturing a few shots along the way.

 

[djacobson]

Looking forward to reading more! Great picture of the pelicans.

[parentsof5]

The Ocean Star is a nice museum. They had a family admissions rate of $25 which was a nice surprise. I was only aware of the per person price.

 

It was well organized, and easy to read and view information. They had a few interactive displays including face cut out photo op area that the kids insisted we do (knowing what a photo fanatic I am).

 

 

As well as a similator.

 

 

They also had a dress up area where kids could put on oil rig uniforms and hats that would be fun for younger kids.

 

Never far from view was our final destination for the day.

 

 

I'm sure DH would have stayed longer, but felt like he had gotten the basics covered and we headed back to the ship about 1:30. Needless to say, it was KILLING us to not be on board yet, but the kids were really patient with their dad. :)

[parentsof5]

Embarkation was fairly painless. The initial line to show our boarding pass and drivers licenses was very quick. The next line to check in, show proof of residency, and set up S&S cards took about 30-45 minutes. It wasn't long and we were taking our embarkation photo prior to ascending the gang plank to the wonderful Ecstasy Grand Atrium!

 

Crew were in abundance to direct you in the right direction, and we were quickly on our way to our Upper Deck cabins to drop off our carry on's. Our room steward, George, was on hand to introduce himself. DH asked him where our Muster Station was, and we were off to the Lido to grab some lunch. It was Italian day, we each enjoyed different things, including the salad bar. Everyone enjoyed their meal. We had a little time to explore before heading to our Muster Station in the Blue Saphire Lounge.

 

 

One of the assistant cruise directors took the stage and made sure everyone was in the right place for Muster Station D. What!? Ooops. We were supposed to be in Muster Station B. A little red faced, we made our way out of the Lounge, and down the hall to B, right outside the casino. This took about 30 minutes. For the most part, everyone was happily compliant. Alas, there is always someone in the crowd that has to complain. I'm sure they wouldn't be complaining if we did have an emergency and had to evacuate. And it is so much better then the "old" way when you had to wear your life vests the whole time!

 

Now, I hadn't mentioned that earlier in the day I had noticed it seemed a little foggy out. DH wasn't concerned, as it was pretty light and we decided some of it was coming from stacks on the roof of the local hospital. Shortly after Muster, we up top to find a place for sail away, and sure enough on came the Captain to announce that the port had been closed due to fog. Several weeks before when the Ecstasy had so many problems with fog, we had speculated about what would happen in late March when we sailed. We had decided then, it was all good. There is nothing that can be done when Mother Nature hits, so just enjoy was the plan.

 

 

The captain and CD Steve made sure that announcements came periodically to update us, even though there were really no changes.

 

By now it was about 5. Our Roll Call was supposed to meet in the Library after Sail Away, but no one was there at the same time so we didn't get to meet anyone right then. At 5:15 we were supposed to go to Club 02 registration. Now, remember that our daughters, although still Seniors in high school, have turned 18. I had read to take their school ID's and ask the director if they can still participate, so that is what we did. And they agreed to let them participate. So I signed them and their brother up.

 

We headed back to our room and got ready for our first MDR experience. (Forgot to tell you, this was DH and my second cruise, but the first for the kids.)

[03bowtie]

Just curious. I booked early saver as well back in 2010 sometime. How would we find out if we had any OBC??? And how does getting the OBC work??? Is it just because you booked for a higher rate and its cheaper now???

[MicksMom]

Loving the pictures!! Great start :) Keep it coming!

[Meyer2]

Enjoying the review so far. :)

[parentsof5]

Just curious. I booked early saver as well back in 2010 sometime. How would we find out if we had any OBC??? And how does getting the OBC work??? Is it just because you booked for a higher rate and its cheaper now???

 

You have to watch the prices to go down on your sailing for the same cabin category and apply for the credit. It's easiest to check it through here: http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/FareViewer/# - keep in mind, this shows the total price (per person charge totaled).

 

When you see your cabin price has gone down fill out the ES form: http://www.carnival.com/cms/requestforms/CCLEarlySaverForm.aspx

 

This form can be filled out by you if you booked through Carnival online or their PVP (personal vacation planner). If you booked through a TA, they will have to submit it.

 

All of our OBC was because the price went down. You can get it for other things, too, such as a booking incentive through a private TA, or added money ahead of time.

 

Once on board, the OBC will be applied to your S&S card to make purchases with and/or pay for tips. Anything left at the end of the trip will be returned to you the last morning via Carnival check.

[parentsof5]

Off to dinner. We were disappointed that we did not get a table with anyone else, it was just our family. I wished I had written John Heald and asked him to send an email to the Matri'd to see if we could be sitted with another family. Oh well, not the end of the world, and we had great conversation. I should note at this time that Dinner was one of two mandatory times the kids be with us. The other was for Shore Exursions. We wanted to make sure we had time together, but that they also had some freedom to enjoy meeting people their age and hanging out. We did highly recommend they come to one of the Family Show Comedians one night, and they all did, which was a lot of fun. DD #2 hung out with us several other times as well. I think it was a pretty good balance over all.

 

Back to dinner! I had told the kids how you can order two appetizers, etc. The first night DS ordered two Shrimp Cocktails. (Since they are small you know. :D) We thought they would bring them at the same time, but they didn't. After he had finished the first, one of the assistant waiters came by, so he asked for his second appetizer. Pretty soon the waitress brings his second one. About 3 minutes later, here come two more! We quickly figured out that there was a language barrier, and the assistant thought he was ordering two more! We helped him, and shared the next two orders.

 

In addition to DS and DH's Shrimp Cocktail, I had the duck.

 

 

DD #1 had the fresh fruit cocktail. (Which she had every night.)

[parentsof5]

Off to dinner. We were disappointed that we did not get a table with anyone else, it was just our family. I wished I had written John Heald and asked him to send an email to the Matri'd to see if we could be sitted with another family. Oh well, not the end of the world, and we had great conversation. I should note at this time that Dinner was one of two mandatory times the kids be with us. The other was for Shore Exursions. We wanted to make sure we had time together, but that they also had some freedom to enjoy meeting people their age and hanging out. We did highly recommend they come to one of the Family Show Comedians one night, and they all did, which was a lot of fun. DD #2 hung out with us several other times as well. I think it was a pretty good balance over all.

 

Back to dinner! I had told the kids how you can order two appetizers, etc. The first night DS ordered two Shrimp Cocktails. (Since they are small you know. :D) We thought they would bring them at the same time, but they didn't. After he had finished the first, one of the assistant waiters came by, so he asked for his second appetizer. Pretty soon the waitress brings his second one. About 3 minutes later, here come two more! We quickly figured out that there was a language barrier, and the assistant thought he was ordering two more! We helped him, and shared the next two orders.

 

In addition to DS, DD#2's and DH's Shrimp Cocktail, I had the duck.

 

 

DD #1 had the fresh fruit cocktail. (Which she had every night.)

[parentsof5]

DD#2 and I had the grilled fish entree, which included carrots and the mac n' cheese. It was delicious!!

 

 

DD#1 had the Lasagna Bolgnese. It looked fabulous, but wasn't her favorite. I think it was actually quite good, but had to many different ingredients in it for her (spinach and black olives).

 

 

DH had the Mahi Mahi on the Classics menu. It was not very flavorful, edible, but did not order it again.

 

 

I believe DS had the Jumbo Tiger Shrimp for his entree', but I didn't get a pic of it evidently.

 

We moved on to dessert, I had the cheese cake (the only thing that slightly interested me). Everyone else had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake (which would be the dessert choice for several during other dinner servings as well).

 

DS and DH were enjoying it so much, they got a little carried away trying to still the others! DH was mortified.

[parentsof5]

To finish off the evening, we all went back to the room to change. We were off the Welcome Aboard Show, and the kids were off to Club 02 to meet people. The kids were ahead of us just a little bit, DS first. Just as I stuck my head in the door he was figuring out the steward had left a towel animal on his bed. I wish I would have had a cam corder (or atleast the camera ready!). He was hilarious!!! You would have thought he was six again!! He made a little jump with excitement and had a huge smile on his face he thought it was so great!

 

 

We found the same seal in our room as well.

 

No pics of the rest of the evening, but we had a great time. Since we hadn't found anyone during the meet and greet, I called the room of one of the gals I met on Carnival's forum who is from the same town. She was going to the show, too, so we met her there. Another couple from the same forum also joined us (or we joined them maybe). Next we headed over to karaoke. We don't Karaoke, but we really enjoyed everyone who did and had a great time together being entertained. (including watching our new friend participate). We had told the kids they needed to check in with us at midnight, so we went back to the room. They checked in, DD#2 hit the hay, and the other 2 went back to meet up at the Pizza area on Lido. Club 02 had activities until 1:00 am everynight. They could hang out that late, as long as they checked in with us at some point during the evening to let us know what was going on.

 

We later found out the first night, not many teens were showing up for the first Teen meet and greet. There were over 250 teens on board. The Club 02 director sent the kids out in search of other teens to bring them in. DS had a great time running around finding people and getting them to go.

 

Next up: First Sea Day

[Cruisin Christi]

Just another 195 more days and I will be on Ecstasy!

 

Great review so far.

[mebecindi]

This is gonna be a great review. I am really enjoying this, can't wait for more.

Question about the duck...was it good, it kinda looked raw :eek:

[loltastic]

I like your review so far!

[LiveLAUGHLove21]

I am LOVING your review!!!!!! I am so excited about my cruise on the Fascination (second cruise, first time on this ship)

 

WOOHOO to your great OBC- I check with my PVP at least once a week. ::Crossing my fingers:: that I get to experience a price drop/upgrade. We don't leave until November!

 

Can't wait to read the rest!! Glad your kids are having a blast!

[nessz79]

Enjoying your review!

[parentsof5]

Our first sea day was Sunday. We had contacted John Heald ahead of time and asked if he would help us secure a space on board for a worship service, and have it inlcuded in the Fun Times so that others could join us if they liked. The plan was to check in with Guest Relations when we arrived, but they had a letter waiting for us in our cabin with the location and times of the reserved space. Unfortunately, it did not get put in the Fun Times. I tried to contact one family who had said they might come, but was not able to catch them in their cabin (and I wasn't quick witted enough to go put a note on their door!). We ended up in the Starlight Lounge having a family worship time. Se la vi!

 

After we were done worshiping God, we went up to the Lido deck for some lunch. This is the only day I took pics of lunch. Everybody had something a little different. It was Caribbean day. I had Jerk Chicken, a sea food fritter type thing, and a caribbean stew, along with some bread. The Chicken was not quite to my taste, but I loved everything else.

A nice family from Missouri I believe, joined us. (DH, DW, and DS). We visited with them a bit and saw them out and about several times while on board. (Sorry again about flinging that food at ya! Stupid fork!!)

 

Everyone just spent the day doing their own thing. DD#1 had always wanted to build a bear, but I was always too cheap! So we went to the Bear Workshop and she chose a bear with some of her allotted OBC. You're never too old for a soft, cuddly, bear!

 

While she was stuffing, her brother came along with his entourage. He quickly scooted through to avoid any more picture taking then he had to. I won't post a picture, as it has other people's children in it, but they seemed to be having a good time. (FYI - his friends weren't as embarrased as he was!)

[parentsof5]

This is gonna be a great review. I am really enjoying this, can't wait for more.

Question about the duck...was it good, it kinda looked raw :eek:

 

The duck was very good, I would definately get it again. It had a ham texture.

[parentsof5]

I almost forgot the most important part of the day - awoke around 6:30 to the motion of ship rolling in the sea! We had been able to depart, so no nightmare of being stuck in port! We later found out they had been able to set sail about 3 a.m.

 

After an afternoon of hanging out, we were ready to get all dressed up for formal night. I didn't get a pic of us with my camera to share with you how nice the kids looked, wasn't thinking about that. We did have some formals taken and bought a few. There were some really good ones. But here's a tip I read on CC. Carnival has a form you can download/print that gives limited permission to reproduce any Carnival pictures that have been bought. It specifically states they can be reproduced for a gift, and gives a couple of examples followed by something like etc., living it a little vague.

 

For dinner, DD#2 ordered the Strawberry Bisque. We found it amusing how it arrives.

Of course they followed along with a little pitcher of the actual Bisque. It was tasty I was told.

A couple of us also tried the stuffed mushrooms. A little bland in my opinion, but DD#1 liked the cheesy sauce that was left from mine. I wouldn't order it again probably.

I think this was the cornish hen DD1 ordered. She liked it!

The rest of us had Lobster and Shrimp. I we wern't that empressed, I don't think my lobster tail was quite cooked enough and it just wasn't that flavorful. Not even the butter, which tasted watered down. It looked good, but I definately wished I would have ordered something else.

[parentsof5]

But then it was time for dessert! Bitter and Blank for me tonight! And it was as good as everyone on CC had said!! Imagine our surprise when the waitress brought it out with a candle in it, announcing we were celebrating our Anniversary and would everyone join them singing the "Happy Versary" song. Our anniversary is two months away, and not why we were cruising, but we went along with it.

 

 

That night we came back to our cabin to find an elephant had joined us!

 

We then all headed up to one of the Family Comedian Shows - VERY FUNNY!!!!

[navybaby1113]

Loving your review so far. I really enjoy reviews with food porn.

[parentsof5]

Day 3 was our stop in Progreso. We were a little giddy that we would actually be able to sleep in that morning, as the late departure from Galveston delayed our arrival from 7 am to 10 am in Progreso. We were still up by 9, had breakfast, and had gone top side to watch us dock (something I had never done before because it was always so early!). We stayed long enough for them to drag the ropes to the pier and secure us for the day.

 

We immediately went down to disembark. We have NEVER had an issue getting off in a timely manner. I don't know if it was the later time that affected us since it seemed everyone was trying to get off at the same time or what, but it took us about an hour and a half to get on land! Normally this wouldn't have been a huge problem, but we were meeting two other families at the stop the buses let you out at to take a private exursion to the Uxmal ruins. It took approximately 20-30 minutes to actually get off of the ship, and another ridiculous 45 minutes to an hour to get to Progreso. This was very frustrating to say the least! We had no way of knowing how quickly the other two families had been able to get to town. After you exit the ship, you go through the shops area. Just outside the shops to your far right are the tour buses. In the middle is a line to take a taxi, and to the far right is the stop to take the free buses into Progreso. The pier is approx. 3-5 miles long (dependent upon who you ask), so you have to have transportation. We got in line fairly quickly, with an estimated 5-6 bus loads ahead of us. Picture is just as we got in line, but before the crowd poured out of the shopping area.

DH went to check on a taxi, but there was already a line long enough they said the bus would be faster. In hindsight, one of us should have stayed in that line, the other in the bus line to see which was faster - we were willing to pay so as to not hold up the trip. Shortly after that hords of people streamed out of the shops area, doubling the line. Which wouldn't have affected us, accept about 100 of these people chose to ignore the fact that there was a line, and just flowed into the front area of the line with the people that had already been waiting about 30 minutes for their turn!! No direction from Carnival or Port staff whatsoever! Very disorganized. On top of that, there was only 2 buses running!!!! Eventually they brought in two more that speeded things up a little. It was hot, we had lost an hour of site seeing, and had held up two other families. We felt so bad, and would have completely understood had they left us. The guide was waiting with our name on a sign, and we were quickly off to the ruins - about an hour and a half away!

[parentsof5]

Our tour was supposed to include a stop at a Hacienda, a local village, and time for shopping when we returned. We had to immediately cut the Hacienda. We did stop briefly at Uman and were able to take in a little of the local culture. This is not a tourist area, and was very interesting. I would have liked to have been there earlier in the day when were originally schedule to stop, but that darn fog just did not cooperate!

There was also an old Catholic church that we were able to see.