Chillin’ on the Ecstasy: 6/20/16 Nassau, Freeport, Pics, Food, Travelogue

[CruzinScotty]

CruisinScotty, I didn't solve the mystery of the "Walking People" but I did just call to inquire about the port embarkation process via taxi/shuttle/etc. It is still the same as it always has been: dropoff, luggage tent, shuttle to terminal. They provide a brochure giving all of the details perfectly here for anyone that needs it. All of that info still applies.

 

 

 

The saga continues. zabaco started a separate thread about this subject. Another local, cruzelover, boarded the ship in May by walking over the pier; she was one of the "walking people" on her cruise. ;)

 

I think since it is new, the Ports Authority staff may not be aware and the website needs to be updated as well (it still show pics of and specifically mentioned the Fantasy).

 

 

 

I also found this document on the Port of Charleston website specifically regarding Carnival Ecstasy Jul - Dec 2016.

 

"Only carry-on luggage will be allowed on the shuttle buses. Carry-on luggage should be no larger than 22" x 14" x 9" (approximately). The luggage size limits are the same as for airline travel. Any luggage larger than the dimensions noted for carry-on luggage is considered to be check-through luggage and must be left at the Union Pier luggage collection site. If larger, oversized luggage is brought over to the Passenger Terminal Building, the cruise guest will be asked to take it back to the luggage collection tent site. Only smaller carry-on luggage will be screened at the Passenger Terminal Building."

 

I wanted to make sure you saw this because I'd hate for you to get to the terminal & have to go all the way back to the parking lot!

 

I saw this when I looked the link. I didn't mention anything because I zoomed in on the pictures I posted and it looked like all normal luggage that people would use as carry-on. And, while it was busy in the terminal, I don't remember anyone being told their luggage was too big. (I'd hate to have to go back to check my luggage; I would think there would be a little commotion if it had happened. LOL).

[CruzinScotty]

So, back to our day in Freeport. :)

[CruzinScotty]

Back on board, Pierre has been hard at work again:

 

 

 

This is the view on the starboard side:

 

 

Are we refueling? Were they painting like the port side by the pier and we just couldn’t see them? Anyone know for sure?

 

With so many people off the ship; this sight sure looks enticing:

 

 

This was the only time we got in the pool. It was very refreshing. One thing we do miss on this ship is having a 2nd pool in the aft. Next time, we’ll have to make sure we get up here more often.

 

Then, it’s time for lunch. It was just turning noon; things were slowly opening. I saw two officers standing at the Mongolian Wok. So, I got in line and said to them, “If you are here, they must be ready to open”. They said it would be a few minutes, but started fixing their veggies and I followed suit.

 

Today they had mussels and clams, yum!

 

 

In case you couldn’t tell, Pineapple upside down cake is one of my favorites.

 

Next: You might think I’m crazy – but hey – you’ve stuck around this long. ;)

[CruzinScotty]

We ate outside on the Lido, again. I think the place had our name on it. LOL

 

Hey, here comes a small container ship:

 

 

I kid you not.

 

 

After lunch, we headed to Serenity. Luckily we found loungers in the shade again; because we could see it coming.

 

And the rain, rain, rain:

 

 

Came down, down down:

 

 

It was a quick passing shower and soon the sun was out.

 

I told you I wasn’t kidding with the picture above, here comes “Big Daddy”!

 

 

You might think I’m crazy, and it’s not quite the view we had yesterday; but we found all of the container ships fascinating.

 

 

I counted 19 containers wide and 9 containers high (in the middle). We talked and talked about what in the world was in them, where they came from and where might be going next.

 

So, let’s compare the two:

 

 

Time for the boring stuff: hot tub, nap, relax. I could get used to this. I already have!

 

All too soon, it was time to get cleaned up for Sail Away.

 

 

Coming soon: How the Fantasy becomes the Ecstacy

[Jamman54]

Keep up the good work Scotty!! Really enjoying your review.

[NeuroQueen]

Thanks for such a great review. We were on the inaugural cruise of the Ecstasy in 1991 and I have to say she is looking great.

[Ready2Cruise2016]

 

I mentioned earlier that I was here when there was nothing, I was also here last September on the Sunshine. They are working hard to update the port shopping area. I have a few comparison photos to show what’s been happening.

 

I cruised to Freeport and Nassau on my honeymoon in 1995. Hoping to go back at the end of 2017. I'm sure I won't recognize it at all.

 

Enjoying your review!

[Neals6]

Thanks for your review and showing our beautiful city Charleston:)

[petesweet]

I think I read somewhere on CC that they do have vans that accomodate wheelchairs. I don't think ours did. Someone posted that the Charleston Ports Authority has been helpful, hopefully they could give you more info about how often they run, if they radio in to send on, etc. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Anyone with a mobility problem will find the ports staff to be extremely helpful. Love the general attitude of that crew in Charleston.:)

 

Happy sails.

 

Kathy

[CruzinScotty]

Keep up the good work Scotty!! Really enjoying your review.

 

Thanks so much, Jeff. As you well know, it takes a lot of work to put one of these together; but the reward is worth it.

[CruzinScotty]

Thanks for such a great review. We were on the inaugural cruise of the Ecstasy in 1991 and I have to say she is looking great.

 

I'm glad you are enjoying the review. I'm also glad the pics came out decent and she had held up over the years. Plus, there's a dry-dock coming in January.

[CruzinScotty]

I cruised to Freeport and Nassau on my honeymoon in 1995. Hoping to go back at the end of 2017. I'm sure I won't recognize it at all.

 

Enjoying your review!

 

I know what you mean about Freeport. In 1997, it seems you walked off a small pier and the UNEXSCO building was there. But that's all I remember being there. No shops of any kind. The ship didn't even dock inside the inlet. It seems it was a pier off the shore - you could see all the industrials building close, but you definitely didn't dock right in the middle of it

 

Thanks for reading.

Edited July 14, 2016 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

Thanks for your review and showing our beautiful city Charleston:)

 

We sure do have a beautiful city, don't we. :)

 

I'm glad you like the review.

[CruzinScotty]

Anyone with a mobility problem will find the ports staff to be extremely helpful. Love the general attitude of that crew in Charleston.:)

 

Happy sails.

 

Kathy

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Charleston is usually at or near the top of most polls or travel magazine rankings as far as destinations and friendliest people; but I didn't want to brag too much. ;)

 

I'm glad to have more first hand accounts of our hospitality in this review!

 

Thanks for reading.

[bosoxfan5]

Loving the reviews and pictures!!! August 6th can't come soon enough!

[CruzinScotty]

Loving the reviews and pictures!!! August 6th can't come soon enough!

 

They say anticipation is half the fun! I know I sure do. And as much as you take in every moment; it always flies by so fast.

 

As I said, there hasn't been a long Ecstasy review - I don't think - since it got to Charleston. This one is perfect timing for you. :) I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Edited July 14, 2016 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

So, when I mention the Fantasy becoming the Ecstasy, you might think I'm making a connection to the fact that the Fantasy just left Charleston and was replaced by the Ecstasy.

 

Nope, I have a story:

 

This is a real event; the name has been changed to protect the person involved.

 

 

The Story of Moped-Marty

 

Flash-back to yesterday after we were back on ship in Nassau: we noticed a guy by himself sitting on the stairs. He seemed to be fixing a large bandage on his arm and he had fresh scrapes on his face. He didn't seem to be in need of help. I wondered if he had slipped on the ship; but didn't want to bother him in such a public place with so many people around.

 

So today, as we were outside on Deck 10 for Sail Away from Freeport, I saw the guy again, sitting by himself, on one of the white benches. I think they may have extra life preservers in them? Anyways, I asked him what happened, had he fallen on the Lido? It turns out he had been on a moped in Nassau. He had trouble with a curve and hit a wall. He had a compound fracture to his arm and wrist.

 

This gentleman was not on his first cruise. As adults, we all make our own choices. I'm not trying to start a controversy – if I did, I would have started a new thread, “and gotten out the popcorn”. ;)

 

I'm just sharing information about his plight. And, I'm not talking about him being on a moped at all.

 

In addition to his injuries, he had two problems: he did not purchase trip insurance and he did not have a passport. You see, Moped-Marty started his cruise on the Fantasy from Miami. He knew at the hospital he would not make it back to the ship on time.

 

With no passport, the government really IS strict about their policy – you can NOT fly into the US without one. So no flight from Nassau to Miami for Marty.

 

He told his family to stay on board and enjoy the rest of their cruise. With no insurance, he was already paying for his way home, plus what medical bills he had in Nassau. He didn’t need to add to the cost by adding his family. Though Carnival was under no obligation, free of charge, they put him on the next ship arriving in Nassau that returned to the US - that would be us; the Ecstasy! Transportation from Charleston to his home was still on him and not completely decided upon when we spoke.

 

My, oh my, what an unfortunate situation.

 

And that, my friends, is how a Passenger on the Fantasy became a Passenger on the Ecstasy.

 

Marty did talk about the Fantasy, he did mentioned that the entire floor on the Lido has been replaced; it is all carpeting now. Maybe there's hope for the Ecstasy yet with a dry dock coming in January.

 

 

 

 

Now, let’s see those Freeport Sail Away pics.

 

Pulling away:

 

 

The thrusters pushed us way out. You can see the container ships are being unloaded. We watched this when we weren’t napping. LOL

 

 

A good view of the entire shopping area:

 

 

Now we have a straight shot to the ocean:

 

 

And we finish where we began:

 

 

I didn’t realize these were refueling stations on my last trip, or even when we went by this morning. I found out at breakfast.

 

Coming soon: Dinner for 2? Or was that 10?

Edited July 14, 2016 by CruzinScotty

[2Shoes2Go]

Thank you so much for sharing. Adore Charleston and need to get back soon on the Ecstasy! :)

[CruzinScotty]

Thank you so much for sharing. Adore Charleston and need to get back soon on the Ecstasy! :)

 

 

Yes, come on back - Charleston is beautiful and so is the Ecstasy!

 

WOW - you've got a lot of cruises under your belt and planned. I've been on 8 of the ships you've been on (including the Carnivale and Celebration), and add the Valor in September.

 

I'm glad you are enjoying the review.

Edited July 15, 2016 by CruzinScotty

[bosoxfan5]

CruzinScotty, do you remember if the MDR is open for lunch on embarkation day or just Lido?

[CruzinScotty]

CruzinScotty, do you remember if the MDR is open for lunch on embarkation day or just Lido?

 

 

Short answer: Just the Lido.

 

Long answer:

 

The MDR is not open for lunch on any Carnival ship any day that I know of.

 

On Sea Days, they have the Sea Day Brunch that goes from 8:30(ish) - 1PM - double check those times. So you can have "lunch" if you go at the end.

 

On Port Days, I believe the MDR is open for breakfast, but not lunch.

Edited July 15, 2016 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

Our Evening after leaving Freeport - Dinner for 2 or 10???

 

 

This evening, our family decided to ditch us for the Lido Buffet. So, we got in line to get one of Armando’s tables for two. While we waited, we could see they were preparing for The Chef’s Table in The Explorer’s Club:

 

 

It looks like a table for 10 tonight. I forgot to mention we saw this last night as well. I believe it was a larger table then. It’s not as intimate, what with a glass wall overlooking the Grand Atrium. But it shows the ship is able to accommodate this feature that came into existence well after the ship was built; and it is in a beautiful room.

 

So, with our table for two, we asked for the table closest to the aisle.

 

For appetizers, I chose the smoked duck:

 

 

I like duck! I forgot to mention that while I'm sad they took lobster away on the shorter cruises, I'm VERY happy to see duck as an ENTREE that evening.

 

Another favorite of mine is the Spinach Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese:

 

 

 

For dinner, I had the Seafood Newberg:

 

 

DW ordered something new, the Beef Stroganoff:

 

 

 

.

[CruzinScotty]

For dessert, Oh No – I didn’t:

 

 

Oh Yes, I Did. Bitter and Blanc…AND…warm melting chocolate cake. :D

 

DW decided on the Tiramisu:

 

 

 

After dinner, DW ran into two of her high school classmates! We chatted for a few minutes then she wanted to check for more photos. I watched from above while Benjamin, our Cruise Director, put on his own music show. He sings, plus plays the guitar and the harmonica. Who knew? And from above, you could see he’s a serious harmonica player because he had 6-8 of them, using a different one for each song.

 

The theme was Bob Dylan. I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of his, but listening to the stories about each song and listening to him sing and play was quite interesting. His set concluded with a favorite, “Make You Feel My Love”. That’s the original title of the song Bob Dylan wrote and released. Other artists such as Billy Joel, Garth Brooks and Adele have released it as “To Make You Feel My Love”.

 

We decided to take in tonight’s show, The Brits. I was curious to see how this went. I’ll admit it wasn’t my favorite on the Conquest; would it be different on the Ecstasy? Yes, in some ways. You had all of the same music and theme – 60’s British music with Georgy and her Girl’s and Bennie and his Jets. But, the stage is not as large; they don’t have room for all of the graphics. I thought the graphics were great on the Conquest, but I enjoyed the intimacy on the Ecstasy better.

 

I'm glad I got to see the same show on a smaller and larger ship to compare the differences.

 

The Playlist Players were posing for pics after the show:

 

 

 

We went walking for a bit after the show. We stopped by the buffet to see what our family might have eaten. We’ve done the buffet occasionally and look at it sometimes as well. Some nights it looks really good and matches that night’s menu closely; some night’s not-so-much. Tonight, it looked very good.

 

No, I haven’t been drinking too much when I took this:

 

 

We headed back to the Grand Atrium to watch the last part of the Benjamin’s Country Trivia; one song was “Wagon Wheel”. The country version is by Charleston native Darius Rucker. Some of you may know him better as Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish and may not have known he has made a whole 2nd career for himself in country music. Of course, trivia ended with great audience participation for “Friends in Low Places”.

 

During Trivia, I could see the two officers I spoke with at the Mongolian Wok at lunch. And just as I did, Benjamin points to them and introduces the Captain and First Officer. I was talking to the Captain earlier and didn’t even know it. Who knew?

 

Back in our cabin, we compared notes with the family. After dinner, they had the Serenity area to themselves. They had also taken in a comedy show. So many things to do; so little time.

 

There’s always tomorrow; another Sea Day!

[storm1507]

Thanks for the great review. We may be doing this one in a couple of years.

[CruzinScotty]

Thanks for the great review. We may be doing this one in a couple of years.

 

I hope things work out for you to come to Charleston and go on the Ecstasy.

 

Thanks for the compliment; I enjoy re-living the trip through this report.