Carnival Ecstasy Review - Charleston to Nassau and Freeport - December 2016

[Safe77]

There were four of us traveling together: Me, my wife and our two sons (ages 14 and 18). We booked a grand suite (U114) for us and an ocean view (U118) for the boys. We stayed in Charleston the night prior to ensure there were no unexpected difficulties on embarkation day. Let me say from the beginning that while I appreciate the Charleston cruise port being relatively close to our NC home, the port itself is way undersized and, in my opinion, barely capable of handling a cruise ship with 2,000 passengers. We had priority boarding (being suite passengers) with a scheduled check-in time of 11:30. We arrived at the port to begin the drive-through check-in process at 10:40. Glad we arrived early. While we moved fairly steadily through the line past the first two tents (preliminary check-in and baggage check), there were about 30 cars ahead of us at the parking tent. We paid for parking and sat in the car in line until 11:35, when port officials opened the parking warehouse. From the parking area, we were shuttled to the terminal and processed through fairly quickly. We were on the Ecstasy by 12:05. Unfortunately, our rooms would not be available until 1:30. We made our way to the Lido Deck and picked up our Bottomless Bubbles stickers. We purchased beverage cups here, too, only to find out later they weren’t really necessary, as we were given the full can of soda every time we requested a drink. (On past cruises when we’ve purchased BB or similar beverage packages, we’ve been given only a tall bar glass with fountain soda.) Lunch from the Mongolian Grill was pretty good.

 

We went to our cabins at 1:38 and found them to be in very neat and clean condition. For an older ship that was scheduled for dry dock a month after our sailing, I was very impressed with the appointments and general condition of everything in our staterooms. The grand suite was fairly roomy (we usually book a suite on Princess, having found them to be some of the roomiest suites in the industry). There weren’t really separate living and sleeping areas, but rather a single room with a king bed, counter and drawers along one wall and fold-out couch near the balcony wall. There was a walk-in closet with drawers and hanging spaces on each side. And there was a bathroom that was fairly roomy. Getting in and out of the jetted tub/shower was a bit challenging, as it was quite a step up and over the side of the tub. I’m guessing it was raised to accommodate plumbing and components of the jet system. There was a single sink, a wall-mounted hairdryer and plenty of towels. There was a small refrigerator in the living/sleeping area, but, frankly, it never got much cooler than room temperature. The HVAC system had no thermostat. Rather, cabin comfort was regulated by adjusting the flow of cool air into the cabin by way of knobs on the three HVAC supply grilles. The suite was quite warm when we first entered, but quickly cooled down within an hour or two. If anything, we had to reduce the cool air supply during some parts of the cruise.

 

The boys’ ocean view cabin was quite big enough for them. It also was clean and well organized. Their cabin had only a small shower and no hairdryer. There was also a single chair and a smaller TV.

 

The lifeboat drill was a prolonged process that took much longer than any other we’d previously attended. Following the disorganized briefing portion, each group was led to their lifeboat and directed to stand in rows to simulate preparation for boarding. We were then dismissed. I would estimate the entire drill process lasted about an hour.

 

We used many of the ship’s food venues during the course of our cruise. Overall, we found the food in each to be of good quality, but prepared with little seasoning. For the most part, it was bland and lacking in flavor. We had selected traditional dining and sat with the same passengers for dinner each night in the Wind Song dining room. Tina, our server at Table 337, was fantastic! She was personable and efficient, remembering each guest’s name and drink preferences on the first night. The only complaint I might have about the menu offerings would be that on some nights, it was too difficult to select just one main course! There was a good selection of upscale meal choices. Again, it’s just a shame that most of the food was somewhat bland. One choice that was on the menu each night was the Flat Iron Steak. Don’t be afraid to order it; it was quite tender and flavorful!

 

One thing that surprised us was that smoking was permitted in bars we had to walk through to get from one place to another. Don’t get me wrong; I used to smoke cigarettes and don’t mind if others do. But I prefer to avoid the odor if I can now. It was our first cruise and this was something we had not encountered on other ships.

 

We did not go to any of the shows. My wife and I generally like to simply relax while on cruises. The main show was a Motown performance and there were comedians also.

 

In Nassau, we had booked a day pass to the British Colonial Hilton through resortforaday.com. We would highly recommend this for anyone who doesn’t embark on an excursion and just wants to sit on the beach or at the pool and be pampered! In Freeport, we walked through shops at the port, but spent most of the day at the ship's pool.

 

Sailing back to Charleston was uneventful. We arrived in port around 5:30 AM. Although we had priority debarkation, we decided to linger casually, since we had only a 3-hour drive home. However, debarkation was where the small port’s inability to cope with 2,000 passengers was most evident. There seemed to be no order to debarkation, with people just getting in the long debarkation line at will. Once inside the terminal, we had to depart the line to find and claim our bags, then get back in the ever-lengthening line that, fortunately, moved fairly steadily toward the US Customs stations. We noticed that some passengers carried their own bags, but got in the line for porters, since it was moving faster. Customs agents were overwhelmed. We were summarily waved through without questions or requests for passports once the agent saw my military ID. Outside of the terminal, there was a line of shuttle buses, but they weren’t boarding anyone and it seemed like it would be quicker to do the bag drag to the parking warehouse. It was! We got to our car before the first shuttle left the terminal.

 

Bottom line: We prefer smaller ships and I’d sail on the Ecstasy again without hesitation. If I’ve missed anything or can respond to specific questions, please let me know.

[Melissalcsw]

Very thorough thank you. Getting on and off the ship sound hectic, so I will pack some patiences. For sure. Thanks again.

 

 

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[Safe77]

Thanks, Melissalcsw. We always promise one another that we're going to be patient and have a good time, no matter what happens. (Our first cruise was a comedy of errors rife with facility issues on the ship and making only one port out of 4 scheduled! Still, we had a blast and were immediately smitten with cruising!) I've been known to be a nervous wreck on travel days, as I'm the one in our family who does all the planning (wife and kids are quite happy to leave all of that to me) and I just want everything to be perfect for them. Still, we all stayed patient on both ends of the trip and in between. The same can't be said for a number of others in the terminal as we got off the ship. Some tempers were high. Truth told, from the time we got in line to leave the ship until we reached our car was probably only 90 minutes. We're just used to it being much smoother and faster moving.

[Melissalcsw]

This is so funny to read because I'm he planner too. This is our first major trip as a blended family. So it shall be interesting. Thanks again :) Cheers

 

 

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[easyboy]

I didn't know that Ecstasy still allows smoking in bar. Must be a hassle for your kids. Thanks for the feedback.

[mcarney]

I didn't know that Ecstasy still allows smoking in bar. Must be a hassle for your kids. Thanks for the feedback.

 

The Ecstasy (along with all other Carnival ships that I've sailed on) allow smoking along 1/2 of the casino bar ONLY. if you don't want to get bumbarded by smoke, you can walk around (talking about from the elevators near the casino). I used to smoke, but my BF still does ... I walk around while he is having his cigarette.

 

With regard to patience at the port, yes ... You'll need some - but I've also encountered lines at other ports ... I prefer to sail out of charleston and always arrive early just because of this ... We also always carry on and off our luggage and can go straight to our cabins as we are platinum ... Never had any issues or delays getting on or off .... Actually, it's always been one of the smoothest ports ... But maybe because we self assist and are usually one of the first ones off.

 

We are getting ready to sail on her again this Saturday for our first NYE cruise ... Looking forward to being on her again (4th time)

[Clarea]

Informative report, thanks!

[Melissalcsw]

Good info on the port. Thank you. Have fun!!

 

 

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[nc.cruzers16]

Thanks for the report! Did your son use the teen club to meet kids?

 

Our first cruise, my daughter (16) had a friend with her, this time she will not. We are sailing between high school semesters. Hoping she is able to make some friends onboard...

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing your cruise!

[topspin1267]

Any idea what the platinum gift is currently?

[easyboy]

The Ecstasy (along with all other Carnival ships that I've sailed on) allow smoking along 1/2 of the casino bar ONLY. if you don't want to get bumbarded by smoke, you can walk around (talking about from the elevators near the casino). I used to smoke, but my BF still does ... I walk around while he is having his cigarette.

 

We are getting ready to sail on her again this Saturday for our first NYE cruise ... Looking forward to being on her again (4th time)

I get it.. CASINO bar. What I understood was ALL the bars.

Enjoy your NYE cruise! Happy hoklidays!

[Safe77]

Easyboy - Regardless of what Carnival's policy may be, the tobacco odor was quite strong on both sides of the bar and the ship. Again, I'm not complaining, but, rather, expressing a bit of surprise. This particular bar also happened to be our muster station, so others who obviously were bothered by the remnant odor and particulates had to sit and endure during the extended life boat drill.

 

nc.cruzers16 - Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything about the teen club. Boys being boys, my outspoken 14-year-old son (who really is a good kid!) made it clear months ago that he would NOT be participating in any sanctioned youth activities. He was happy to explore the ship and harass his older brother. ;-)

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[mel7350]

Is there a beach close by that we can go to?

[Safe77]

Mel7350 - I'm not the best person to answer your question. What I can tell you is:

 

• 
  Nassau. We advance-purchased day passes for the British Hilton and had use of the pool and beach at the resort. Very nice facilities with attentive staff. The entire family agreed this was the perfect thing for us to have done that day and that it was well worth the cost. This was about a 10-minute walk from the ship. I felt completely safe during the walk and did not want to have my hair braided. :p

 

• 
  Freeport. I can't say what might be around the port. We shopped at the port a little (most of the shops/stands had the same stuff at the same prices) and then spent the rest of the day lounging at the ship's pool. I had my first ever in-port, off-the-ship adult beverage at Fat Tuesday's and was mildly surprised by the price ($12 for a Cuba Libre. The first sip verified it was indeed a $12 drink! I swear it was mostly rum with enough Coke to color it. Interestingly, the virgin frozen drink my son had (essentially frozen sugar water with flavoring) was also $12, the same as if it had the alcohol in it. One of our dinner tablemates took a cab into the town, but said it wasn't worth having done in the first place.
  

 

Sorry; I wish I could provide more information.

[Safe77]

One thing I forgot to include in my original review post:

 

I had read in several reviews ahead of our cruise that cabins on the Ecstasy had only one 110-volt electrical outlet in the living space. I was hoping it might be different in grand suites, but it wasn't. We had only one 110-volt US-style outlet and an adjacent European-style outlet at the desk/counter in the living area. There was an additional US-style outlet marked for electric shavers only in the bathroom. There weren't even enough European-style outlets on the wall behind the bed to accommodate the 4 nightstand lamps that were available. Just something to keep in mind if a passenger has a CPAP or other device requiring power at the bedside. We took a 12-foot-long zip cord and it was certainly long enough to reach from the desk to the bed (despite the fire hazard these cords represent. Keep in mind that I'm the safety/fire safety director for a large health system).

[Melissalcsw]

Good point about the CPAP. I've read that if you contact their special needs department they will provide and extension cord. However I would assume this still "could" be a fire hazard.

 

 

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[mel7350]

Thank you! Your reply about the beach was very helpful! :)

[djdixie]

Another Carnival Ecstasy reviewer said it was possible to order bottled water (for a fee) in advance and have it delivered to your cabin before you set sail. I haven't been able to find out where/how to do that--did you see that option anywhere before you cruised?

[BahamaMama1214]

Another Carnival Ecstasy reviewer said it was possible to order bottled water (for a fee) in advance and have it delivered to your cabin before you set sail. I haven't been able to find out where/how to do that--did you see that option anywhere before you cruised?

 

We did this when we were on the Ecstasy! You just go into the fun shops online, like you were going to order a gift, and pay for bottled water. It will be in your stateroom when you arrive!

[djdixie]

Thank you BahamaMama!!

[Melissalcsw]

We did that also, I think I ordered too much though lol [emoji15]

 

 

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[mel7350]

One thing I forgot to include in my original review post:

 

I had read in several reviews ahead of our cruise that cabins on the Ecstasy had only one 110-volt electrical outlet in the living space. I was hoping it might be different in grand suites, but it wasn't. We had only one 110-volt US-style outlet and an adjacent European-style outlet at the desk/counter in the living area. There was an additional US-style outlet marked for electric shavers only in the bathroom. There weren't even enough European-style outlets on the wall behind the bed to accommodate the 4 nightstand lamps that were available. Just something to keep in mind if a passenger has a CPAP or other device requiring power at the bedside. We took a 12-foot-long zip cord and it was certainly long enough to reach from the desk to the bed (despite the fire hazard these cords represent. Keep in mind that I'm the safety/fire safety director for a large health system).

 

Thank you so much for letting me know about this as well.

[Thrilled2012]

Thank you for this review! I am trying to decided whether to book the Ecstasy or Fascination and this is helpful :D