First time on carnival/Ecstasy any tips???

[waterbugohio]

OK, we just booked the ecstasy for april.

 

We are five women doing a girls getaway.

 

We have all cruised several times before, just not on Carnival.

 

Can you give me some pointers? How formal is formal night?

 

You can bring a bottle of wine on correct? Can I change out the wine for anything else? Do they check close??

 

How does the anytime dining work?

 

Any must see/must do's on this ship?

[Carolin]

There is elegant night now. No more formal nights. You can wear slacks or a cocktail / sun dress if you like.

 

One bottle of wine per person. Yes they will check it. You have to carry it in your carry on. It will get confiscated if you put it in your checked baggage.

[TriciaEMTB]

MUST MUST MUST try the deli! It's delicious!

 

Anytime Dining you just go to the dining room, and give the lady at the podium your sail and sign card. She will direct another person to seat you with however many people are in your party.

 

Then it's just like any other dining! Try to time it around to see the waiters dancing! It was so much fun!

 

Elegant night is fun too. If you get your pictures taken, track down Hrvoje.. When I went, he did the staircase pictures. He was really nice on the eyes and his accent was to die for. I wanted to circle through his line a few times!

 

I invite you to read my review if you want to see a few ship pics! :) It's in my signature.

 

The most important advice for any cruise: RELAX! It's your vacation! Things WILL go wrong, nothing will be perfect, but roll with it, go with the flow, and treat it as just another part of the adventure.

[RuthlessBoss]

Remember, it's school vacation time, so might be more college students there. I went on Dream last April, no problems with them, there just was a large number of them.

[3 MO sisters]

We enjoyed sitting on the City Lights Boulevard, doing people watching, listening to music, watching the lights change, watching the ocean.

 

Martini tasting in the Society Bar, pick 4 of 8 flavors for $17 ($19.55 after tip). They are mini glasses (super cute!), but large enough to share.

 

Go to the Xtreme Country show with CD Steve Cassel, even if you think you don't like country music. He is a fantastic fiddle player and they had good singers and dancers.

 

Steve also is a very good juggler, saw him in a 15 minute show on one of the port nights. The Assistant CD, Jamie, is nice also.

 

I'm guessing that you have two staterooms. Bring a cheap overdoor shoe organizer to hang on one of the closet doors in the cabin with three women. It will give you a place to put all of your small things without cluttering the limited horizontal surfaces. (We had one on our first cruise with three, could have used it with just two of us, also.)

 

The safe in the closet has a keypad, you select the numbers. This is much better than the ones that require a swipe card.

 

Some people don't like the men's hairy chest contest on the lido, but I thought it was fun to watch.

[mom.of.twins]

Im interested as well, since this is my first time on Ecstasy, too! Keep the info comming! Love the idea of the martini's!

[mclinns04]

Ditto on CD Steve. He seems kind of geeky but is HUGELY talented. You should have a great time with your friends. One thing you should know, just for future reference, is that Ecstasy is one of the smallest ships in the fleet. That doesn't mean it is small, just that others are larger. Just think about the fun on your NEXT girls getaway.

[TriciaEMTB]

Ditto on CD Steve. He seems kind of geeky but is HUGELY talented. You should have a great time with your friends. One thing you should know, just for future reference, is that Ecstasy is one of the smallest ships in the fleet. That doesn't mean it is small, just that others are larger. Just think about the fun on your NEXT girls getaway.

 

Exactly! I kept reading she's small she's small she's small before my cruise. I stepped foot on the boat and it felt HUGE.

 

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[munchkin4]

OK, we just booked the ecstasy for april.

 

We are five women doing a girls getaway.

 

We have all cruised several times before, just not on Carnival.

 

Can you give me some pointers? How formal is formal night?

 

You can bring a bottle of wine on correct? Can I change out the wine for anything else? Do they check close??

 

How does the anytime dining work?

 

Any must see/must do's on this ship?

 

 

I love the Ecstasy and was sad when she left Galveston but at the same time am very excited about the Triumph. We loved the size of the ship as it never really seemed crowded. Formal night is now called elegant and nice slacks/skirts and blouses will be fine. Don't have to be fancy, but nice. And you are likely to see all kinds of dress in the Dining Room. Each one of you can bring on a bottle of wine. Carnival is getting much stricter about bringing on other alcohol so you do it at your own risk. It must be in your carry-on and they will look at it. As I said, we loved everything about the Ecstasy. Just read your Fun Times and do as much as you feel like doing. You'll love it all!!!

[waterbugohio]

keep all these good ideas coming.

 

So the check the bottle of wine close?? No chance of switching out the wine for something stronger??

[Igt2beme]

No they check pretty close so there is little chance of getting something by them in your carry on. You can maybe sneak something in in your checked luggage but you may get caught. Carnival does not publish this but you can order liquor for your room through the Bon Voyage department. You must call them before you leave and it will be in your room when you board. You may want to bring a surge protector/power strip because there is only one outlet in the room. This is great to have when several people are trying to get ready. Have a great time!

[BallFour4]

Here is your ship!

 

 

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