Carnival Ecstasy 8/20/16-8/20/16

[BenjiRodney]

I did not take my big camera over to the Island, only had my phone and GoPro. Did not want to worry about trying to watch a camera while playing in the water. We rented tubes and floated around. $15.00 gets you one for all day use. Waiters did come up and down the beach with drinks, nothing like sipping a frozen drink while floating in paradise.

 

The ship photographers are also out and about and in the water even with you capturing the moments.

 

Here you can see some of the floats and tubes. The rental place was directly behind the clam shells.

 

[BenjiRodney]

This was one cruise where we had perfect weather. It looked like it was going to rain towards the end of the day. It waited until the last tender was back, and the Captain was turn the ship around to leave. It was cool to see the rain come at us from two sides and the lightning but on a show as we were leaving.

[BenjiRodney]

We booked the Behind the Fun tour for the sea day home. Someone did not read their instructions that you could not have phones/cameras. Our escort made them take it back to the room. Security did wand everyone to make sure you had nothing that you weren't supposed to have. And they were with us the whole time. Some of the places we got to visit were the main galley, met the chef, saw the freezers and storage rooms below, the main laundry (which on Fantasy Class ships is below the water line), the engine control room, the crew training area, behind the stage area, front of the ships bow, where the bell is (don't ring it, old maritime superstition that the bell only rings twice, upon entering service and when the ship is retired) the crew mess areas and of course the Bridge and to meet and have your picture with the Captain. Also the chef sent a card and some desserts to each person and you get a Ball Cap Lanyard and wristband to keep. I want to do this again on the Magic to see the differences.

 

Each person we came in contact with on the tour was nice and talked to us. I was impressed how clean everything was below deck and the areas that the public does not normally get to see.

Edited September 12, 2016 by BenjiRodney

[BenjiRodney]

We had a great time on this cruise and would do it again.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them.

[mz-s]

So glad you got to go to HMC! On my cruise on the Ecstasy in May, we couldn't stop there due to weather.

 

Couldn't imagine driving from WV to SC. We drive from Raleigh and that's about the most I can stand sitting in a car, but we do it in one shot typically. A little over 4 hours.

 

We'll be back on her in February for another visit to Nassau (this will be visit #3 for me...on the second I stayed on the ship, probably will again this time), and another try at HMC. Hopefully we get to stop this time.

 

Did you attend the talent show?

[BenjiRodney]

So glad you got to go to HMC! On my cruise on the Ecstasy in May, we couldn't stop there due to weather.

 

Couldn't imagine driving from WV to SC. We drive from Raleigh and that's about the most I can stand sitting in a car, but we do it in one shot typically. A little over 4 hours.

 

We'll be back on her in February for another visit to Nassau (this will be visit #3 for me...on the second I stayed on the ship, probably will again this time), and another try at HMC. Hopefully we get to stop this time.

 

Did you attend the talent show?

 

I don't like to drive, we usually fly, but thought why not let's drive, probably wont do that again. Even stopped in Charlotte on the way home and spent the night.

 

Talent show only had 3 people, so they had a lot of the ship's entertainers perform as well. We will look for a cruise that does HMC in 2018 as next year will be the Paradise in July to Key West and Cozumel and the Vista at Halloween to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[easyboy]

Great photos. Thanks for the review.

[clarkg]

Thanks for the review.

[jimbri]

Video's are great. The water looks so calm and peaceful.

[BenjiRodney]

Video's are great. The water looks so calm and peaceful.

 

 

 

Water was very calm and peaceful, no crashing waves etc. Can't wait to go back sometime.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Domergirl]

We had a great time on this cruise and would do it again.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them.

 

Thanks for the great review! I'll be on the Ecstasy this Saturday. :) If you did it again, would you park at the port? We are driving in from Atlanta on Saturday morning, but we plan to stay for a few days after the cruise to explore Charleston. We've been debating between parking at the port or doing a park/cruise at a hotel (not even sure if that's available when you're staying after the cruise?) Sounds like your wait in/out of parking wasn't TOO horrible.

[BenjiRodney]

Thanks for the great review! I'll be on the Ecstasy this Saturday. :) If you did it again, would you park at the port? We are driving in from Atlanta on Saturday morning, but we plan to stay for a few days after the cruise to explore Charleston. We've been debating between parking at the port or doing a park/cruise at a hotel (not even sure if that's available when you're staying after the cruise?) Sounds like your wait in/out of parking wasn't TOO horrible.

 

 

 

I would do it again if I had hotel points to use and saved money like we did, otherwise the hotels and shuttles have a drop off and you don't wait in the hour long line like we did since we got there at 10 til 11. But the people watching from the parking lot was fun as well, we weren't really in a hurry since we could see the boat and the lines were all going to the same place, just like sitting in traffic going home or waiting for an accident to clear.

 

The thing with post cruise is that you will need to make arrangements with the hotel to come pick you up and take you back to your car. We were able to be off e ship, through Customs and in the car by 830 am we had zone 1 debarkation. Went and started exploring more of Charleston while waiting for the Hotel to be ready at 3 pm.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited September 12, 2016 by BenjiRodney

[Hawkweye]

First of all, thank you for posting all of this information! We cruise this ship this coming Saturday as well. We have never driven to a port so could you please describe the process in more detail?

 

For example, where do we park and are there signs? Where is this wait? Is it a line up of cars waiting to enter the parking?

 

We plan to walk from our car to the ship, but it sounds like there is some kind of wait surrounding the parking? Thanks for any clarification you can give me!

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

First of all, thank you for posting all of this information! We cruise this ship this coming Saturday as well. We have never driven to a port so could you please describe the process in more detail?

 

For example, where do we park and are there signs? Where is this wait? Is it a line up of cars waiting to enter the parking?

 

We plan to walk from our car to the ship, but it sounds like there is some kind of wait surrounding the parking? Thanks for any clarification you can give me!

 

Charleston is a little different than most ports. Once you get off I-26, there are signs directing you to the cruise ship. Once you arrive at the parking area, you will go through a maze that snakes around the parking lot. If you arrive prior to 11:30, you may have to wait in the line until the parking lots open. They usually don't open parking or let you in the terminal until the previous cruise has cleared the area. AS you snaking through, you will stop at a tent so they can verify your boarding pass and ID. Next will be a tent that you will pay for parking (cash is no longer accepted. Check and Credit Cards ONLY), then you will proceed to a tent where the baggage handlers will get your luggage. From there, they will direct you to your parking lot (one of two old warehouse type building or the overflow uncovered lot). Once at parking, you can board the bus to head to the terminal (I believe that they may let you walk now). I would ride the bus with A/C. The walk is maybe 10 minutes MAX, but you are in the very hot and humid south. Once at the terminal, they will check your boarding passes and ID before entering. You should then be on board within twenty minutes (+/-). The process is not a painful as it seems in details. Our cruise, we were on board with 45 minutes of the parking lots opening, and we were maybe 200 cars back (rough estimate).

[BenjiRodney]

First of all, thank you for posting all of this information! We cruise this ship this coming Saturday as well. We have never driven to a port so could you please describe the process in more detail?

 

 

 

For example, where do we park and are there signs? Where is this wait? Is it a line up of cars waiting to enter the parking?

 

 

 

We plan to walk from our car to the ship, but it sounds like there is some kind of wait surrounding the parking? Thanks for any clarification you can give me!

 

 

 

Signs everywhere along the route to get to the port, they route you outside of the main downtown areas and residential areas. You enter through a main gate if you are driving your personal vehicle, and another one on another street if you are being dropped off by a hotel or shuttle. You will first get into a line to drop off your bags, they place them into the airline style carts you seeing being driven around airports. You then move on up to get into another line to wait to have docs checked again, port security, and they will place you into one of three lines (at least they did our morning) once parking begins, you wind your way through the maze/lines to pay for the parking, given a color coded ticket that will help you when you return. We parked in n enclosed warehouse. We were given the option of waiting for a shuttle or walking to the terminal. From what I gather walking is a new thing they have just started allowing. Might be two blocks walking distance from parking to the entrance. They check your documents and id again before allowing you across the bridge . But once inside it was 10-15 minutes tops before we were walking on board the ship. Pretty sure we arrived before parking started or just as it was starting. The staggered embarkation was not being enforced on that cruise.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Clarea]

Excellent photos, thanks!

[BenjiRodney]

Excellent photos, thanks!

 

 

 

Thank you

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[crazycargirl]

Great review and thanks for those videos. In the first one of HMC it looks like a Corona commercial with no one around. The other beach with the floates were very populated. Were both the same beach?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BenjiRodney]

Great review and thanks for those videos. In the first one of HMC it looks like a Corona commercial with no one around. The other beach with the floates were very populated. Were both the same beach?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

They were separate areas, the one with no people we ride on a team around to see where various things were located. That beach is in front of the horse stables. It really wasn't that crowded until the tide came in and swallowed the first two rows of beach chairs.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hawkweye]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[SororitySue]

Thank you, fellow Charlestonians! Looking even more forward to our trip Oct. 2.