Ecstasy Review - Nov 5-10 (Freeport, Nassau and Key West)

[Ta8633]

This was my first cruise. I will begin by saying that I enjoyed myself more than I thought that I would. I also thought that while we can see that the Ecstasy is a bit older it is an amazing place. I cruised with a friend but we each had our own rooms. I will try to write as much as I can and then answer other questions if needed.

FTTF (Faster to the Fun):

I know that this is a sensitive subject for some (those Guests that have sailed on many cruises and feel this is a perk for their loyalty). This was the first sailing that it was offered on the Ecstasy. I will say that the $49.99 was well worth it. The main reason I felt this way, was the fact that I was able to drop my carry-on luggage in my room, the minute I got on the ship. That was about 1130am. I don't think that I would have liked carrying around my bag till 130pm when the rooms were ready. The check in process at port was super smooth for this perk as well. Now, I don't think that the process for everyone else was bad as the lines moved really fast.

Rooms:

I had a window room on the Main deck. Room M210. It was located towards the back/mid of the ship. Room was great. While I was by myself, I could not imagine 3-4 people in that room but was perfect for me. My room steward Antonio was great. Anything I needed was taken care of. With FTTF, my room was ready at 1130 and he made sure it was and when he saw me walk down the hall to place my carry-on in my room, he greated me. I was known as Mr Todd the rest of the cruise. On the first night before turndown service, I had left him a Thank You note with a tip in it for having my room ready so early and also asking for an ice bucket filled each day. (I learned the TY card tip from CC). The windows are a little dirty but it was still very nice having a window.

Food:

This has been another piece of contention on the site but I have to say that while the food wasnt a gourmet restaurant it was not that bad at all. I only went to breakfast 1 morning and it was fine. My friend had gone several times and enjoyed it. I ordered room service each morning and it was delivered at the time I requested (just bagle, fruit, danish each morning). Lunch, we only ate a couple of times and I thought lunch was the worst meal. The burgers were nasty on the deck/buffet! BLAH! All of our dinners were at YOUR TIME DINING and were really good. We did not go to Dress Up night as thats just not us but each other meal was good and you could eat as much (yes, they would bring several entrees for us to share and try) or as little as we wanted. I loved YTD. While the line looked long at times, the longest we ever waited was about 15 minutes and we ate at different times each evening. You can find things to eat that you like.

Staff:

Everyone was so friendly and accomodating. If you needed something, they would get it for you. I was truly amazed at how friendly everyone was. You never walked by anyone without them saying Hi. Make friends with specific bartenders and they will take care of you.

Ports:

We started at Freeport, then Nassau and lastly Key West. Freeport was the most disappointing overall but we still had an amazing time. We to the shuttle to Grand Lucaya and spent the whole day laying on the beach at the Grand Lucayan Resort. For $10 we had full access to the resort (beach access, beach chairs, pool, etc.) It was perfect for our first day and very relaxing. It was also nice that we had access to the shower facilities and ate lunch at one of the restaurants on the resort. We spent about 10-3 here and then walked thru the shopping area right across from the resort. Was back on ship around 4. Oh I also made a donation to the Casino, only $20 but can say I gambled in the Bahamas.

Nassau - LOVED IT. We booked a tour through the boat of the Jeep tour of Nassau. It was an amazing way to see the island and learn alot about it. It was also the fun challenge of driving these jeeps (other side of the road but still a left steering column). There were several times that were close calls and made it more challenging. There were about 4 jeeps total in our tour and we just made a line with the tour guide leading us and using a walkie talkie to share info with us. It was really great. Glad we did it.

Key West - WOW. We originally didn't have an excursion planned but ended up booking a tour with some other people we met on the ship. We did the Glass Bottom boat and Conch Train Tour. Both really good. Although it was really windy and I almost "lost it" on the boat tour. About 5 others did lose it. Ugh. Still very fun and very beautiful to see the reef. The train tour was good too. If you have never been here before (I had not been) it was a great way to see so much and then think about what I would like to do on my next visit. It was chilly in KW the day we were there. By the time we got on the ship, it was down to 61. It was their lowest temp in a while. Loved the Key Lime pie on a stick.

Entertainment:

Now being relatively young or so I think so (38 y/o) I was so ready for some tacky cruise entertainment and shows. Now, while it was still a little cheesy, I was actually kind of impressed with the 2 shows they had. Also the Hasbro Game show was fun too. I really didn't get to see our CD very much other than the shows. Not a big loss for me but others have talked about how great theirs was. The entertainment staff was fun and we had fun dancing in the disco with them a couple of nights. Again so much to do. I highly recommend the Master the Martini drinks they offered in the society bar. For $17 you got to choose 4 mini martinis to try and drink. It was so fun and actually not bad a price. 2 drinks equalled 1 full martini. I did then 4 nights on the ship. Each time, we got others to join us and have fun. Great times and a great way to meet more people with your inhibitions were "looser" after a couple of martinis. We would then go to the adult comedy show. These were pretty good too.

Overall:

I said several times on this trip that just the price of admission was worth the people watching. OMG. I could and did see it all. I enjoyed this vacation way more than I thought I would. I enjoyed meeting so many people on board as most of them were so friendly. There of course were some that would not have been happy no matter what. I could not believe so many people had this sense of "entitlement" and felt they should not have to wait in line or always found something to gripe about. That was the biggest dissapointment for me as I felt bad for them not truly getting the enjoyment from the trip. I will go on another cruise and am so happy I went.

Hope this was helpful for some. Let me know if you have any questions and I will try to watch this and answer.:D

[LOVECRUISING100%]

Thanks for posting .. Glad to hear you had a good time.. I'll be heading to Key West In Dec and was looking for something to do. The Glass Bottom boat and Conch Train Tour sounds interesting .. : )

[Ta8633]

There is alot to do in KW. I also heard from people that the Hemmingway House tour was amazing as well.

 

I also just heard that a 70 y/o man cruising by himself passed away on the ship. I hadnt heard anything about it.

[blueshine]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post a review. We leave in a couple of weeks on the Ecstasy and appreciate your insight.

 

We are really "go with the flow" kind of people and make the most of every opportunity to cruise. We've yet to find a better bang for your buck, take most of the complaints on the boards with a grain of salt and strive to have fun.

 

Thanks again!

[RuthlessBoss]

I was on this cruise too. Great ship (this was my 3rd on her). 5 nights is a perfect getaway.

While at the past guest event, got a drink spilled down my back, the staff were very attentive, got a certificate for free laundry. I asked for a free cruise for compensation, gee, I wonder why they laughed:D The Motor City show was great, especially when the whole audience wound up in the main atrium dancing. I'm glad the show was repeated later in the week, because late diners miss it the first time.

Food at the buffet was not gourmet, but with so many choices, how can you go wrong.

The breezy cool temperatures were a disappointment in Key West, though not bad.

I couldn't have asked for better cabin service, my steward was almost within range. Always, yes always, greeted me by name (I was solo on Riviera in a PT.

My complaint would be the loudness of the music on Lido, but that seems to be the norm on all the ships, not just Ecstasy.

Sorry to cut in on your review, but I never seem to get one written for myself. So, thank you OP for doing one:)

P.S. I came from offsite parking to terminal 6. The hallway from drop off spot to the ship felt like miles, then the final "uphill" walk at the end was not for the weak, I need to get some pre cruise conditioning:p Upon return, we got off at terminal 5.

[Ta8633]

Glad you mostly had a great time. I agree, the walk up the plank was a steep one I thought.

 

Yes the cool temps were disappointing in KW but at least it wasn't raining or anything like that.

 

Did you also feel it was pretty rocky that last day/night? It didn't bother me but made me stumble a few times or question if I had drank too much.

[thethirdhalf]

Yes, it did seem like the boat was doing a little more rocking on that last night. Could really feel it in the back of the ship. It wasn't that noticeable to me in the room at the front of the ship. Did help me sleep pretty soundly that last night though.

[RuthlessBoss]

I just came back to this thread, we were all on the roll call!

 

Yes, it was somewhat rocking, but it sure could have been worse. At first I had a funny feeling in my stomach (I've never been seasick) then concluded it really was the double dose of cheesecake (after already being full).

My hardest decision post cruise was deciding what to choose to eat at home...chicken or oriental flavor ramen noodles:eek:

[jobell]

Welcome back!!! Glad to hear that you had such a great first cruise. I hope it only leads to many more. :)

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[tandemcruzr]

Thanks for the review. We will be on her in 6 days -- Freeport, Nassau and Half Moon Cay.

 

How much was the shuttle to Port Lucaya in Freeport?

[cruisescrapper]

Thanks for the review. We will be on her in 6 days -- Freeport, Nassau and Half Moon Cay.

 

How much was the shuttle to Port Lucaya in Freeport?

 

Sorry to but in but I did the cruise the week previous. The shuttle costs 5 dollars each way. They charge you 10 dollars per person and give you a voucher to get your ride back. They seem to do a load and go process and we only had to wait a few minutes when we were ready to go back. We did the grand lucaya resort as well. You can't beat a $20 excursion!