Just Back, Ecstasy the good and bad

[DaveRRT]

Just got back from 5 day ecstasy with my wife, did a 2 day drive from NVA. Stayed in mid North Carolina and arrived at parking area around 1pm. We had to take shuttle but that was quick. Security was fast except for the lady in front of me that had five bottles of wine and said she never had a problem before:o. On the ship at 130 and went to room. We had M203 and was quiet except for the drone of the AC but that was our white noise. Cabin steward was great, did twice day cleaning and keep the ice filled. The other passengers were mostly from the Carolinas or other southern states and were the nicest least pushy group we have sailed with and the children were well behaved. The ship is small so activities were limited which became a problem due to high winds and 10 foot swells later in the cruise. First day we just walked around and ate. We had your time dining and food was mostly good. We ate on the lido the 4th day because nothing looked good then had a pizza snack. Went to pg comedy and all shows and all were good to great. The Britts was the only one that was kinda boring. Because I enjoy sports that was a problem due to limited TV areas with seating. The same problem with the music venues is there is no seating in the atrium to listen and they play in the hall outside the casino bar which is noisy and smokey for those that are bothered. Ill be back to talk ports and debark later and try to answer questions.

[easyboy]

Interesting start! Will be following along.

 

 

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[uncleg]

What menu do they have on the Ecstasy, American table or the the old menu. Sailed on Fantasy many times out of Charleston, looking forward to rest of your review.

[DaveRRT]

Ok back for a bit, First sea day we mostly laid around the serenity deck and did the hot tub. On tub is hot other is warm. Sea were calm and took a pic of sunset, the only one we saw the rest of the cruise. Never had a problem getting a chair on serenity or near the pool. Drink servers were around but not pushy. Had dinner around 6pm all nights and never had to wait. Did table for two except 1 night. Table for two is really not private because you are only a few inches from another table. First night we got all heart shaped chocolate cake and they sang happy anniversary. We also got a picture gift card for $12 Did pg comedy at 715 and show at 815, Walked around looking for music and Laura went to cabin and I went to the craps table for about and hour or so. Next day was Princess Cay. We did not get tender tickets just waited till all were called and went down around 1030 am. Went to the left long way down and found a palm tree to give some shade. No issue finding a chair. Laura loves to snorkel so this island was good for her lots of rock and coral and many fish some really big ones. I did not like the beach because Half Moon Cay has me spoiled. If you snorkel bring your stuff or rent some, If you like soft sand bring your water shoes. We did not go to the right and the kids area was less rock. Direction is looking at island from ship. Lunch was good. We tried to leave around 330 but with only one tender running it took over and hour. They said 2 had broken down. We did dinner, comedy and show . This was America Rocks and was the best one. The used the cover band , group 6 and they are really good. The guitar guy played with his teeth like Hendrixs. As for music they had a steel drum person and a guitar player that I didnt think was too great. Did not get to piano bar that starts at 10pm. As for the dinner question they use the American table menu. That night the seas were building and the tiny ship was tosssed. Many in cabins sick the rest of the cruise and some barf in deck areas so we were ready to run. Next day was Freeport, Not. Back later.

[DaveRRT]

OK now Freeport. Most hate this stop but we had the snorkel beach shop excursion. Set alarm for 7am coffee from room service and look out our window and see 15 ft swells. We dont seem to be going anywhere. The Captain says he regrets we can not dock so we have and extra sea day, booo. Was refunded the excursion and 20 bucks port fee. Upper decks closed and no pool so not a good day on a small ship with little to do. The next day was the same, ready to get off and go home. Did dinner and show, The Brits. Not very good show. Casino and some music and packing. Ship had plenty of time to get back so we went 10knts home. Arrived 530 am. No custom forms to fill out and picked up booze at lounge at 7am. Did self assist and our deck was to leave at 8-830. left room at 8 off ship by 845. Customs asked if I had made a large purchase or won over 10000 dollars. Ha Ha. We were able to walk back to car, about half mile, and on road by 10 am. Like all cruises we had fun but extra sea day sucked with nothing to do and avoiding sick people. Guy burgers are great but not so much on the floor of the gift shop.

[regnig]

DaveRRT we were also on this cruise and I have to agree with a lot of what you said and in particular "The other passengers were mostly from the Carolinas or other southern states and were the nicest least pushy group we have sailed with and the children were well behaved". With so very many kids (I believe Tenn or KY was having a "Fall School Break") I was very surprised at how well behaved all the little folks were. Particularly with the pool being closed on Wednesday it had to have been a big disappointment that they could not use the pool. I felt as if the Cruise Director did a good job at putting "entertainment" on our Extra Sea Day. Needless to say there was lots of grumbling but I guess some people just didn't understand that Carnival nor our Captain could control the weather. I also thought the Captain did a wonderful job attempting to sail between all the storms off the coast of FL.

We were also disappointed that we had to miss Freeport as we had also planned snorkeling, but at least we were not on a ship that slammed against the pier! With the refund of what we had paid for that and the port charges we walked off owing practically nothing.

 

While the 5 days were sure not perfect, a bad day on a Cruise Ship is better than a good day at home! :D

[DaveRRT]

I hope I didnt sound too negative and yes the Captain did drive in between the rain. Its just the limitation of the ship that you need to be aware of if a port gets cancelled. We had a good time and the dogs were good when we picked them up so a good quick vacation. One other thing that was a bad was the Alchemy bar. Went there the third day and asked for the sampler. was told rudely that thats only on the first day. Asked how we know what we want and he said heres a menu and walked away. Talked with another couple. and the had issues with them too. If you want good service it seems you need to be really dress up nice or you may be ignored. The casino people were great as was all the others we interacted with accept the alchemy bar. Your cruise may be totally different this is just what happened to 2 people of 2000.

[VolzCruiser]

Thanks for your review I will be posting mine once I get home. Don't think mine will be as nice.

[Silent Penguin]

Thanks for your report, and I look forward to reading Volzcruisers, too. We're thinking about a short cruise next fall - something affordable and short to hold us over until 2019 which is a milestone anniversary year - and Dh is zeroing in the Ecstasy since it's within driving distance for us but he doesn't read Cruise Critic and isn't aware of the lukewarm reviews about this ship.

[willdra]

Thanks for the review! [emoji4]

 

 

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[regnig]

DaveRRT I sure don't think you have been overly negative. This cruise was not perfect but that being said it was not typical either. On a short 5 day cruise where you only have 4 real days on the ship when things go wrong there just isn't a lot of time for them to get better and that seemed to be the case on this one.

 

IMHO the two incidents that had the biggest negative impact on the cruise were the weather and the breakdown of the port tender in Princess Cays. Needless to say the Ecstasy wasn't responsible for either. While I think the staff did what they could with the weather situation there was perhaps a bit more that could have been done in Princess Cays. Why didn't the Ecstasy drop a couple of her own life boats to get folks off Princess Cays without an hour & 1/2 "standing" in the sun wait? The onshore staff could have informed the mass of waiting folks just what the problem was and assured people that if they just wanted to go sit in the shade there would be announcements made and that no one would get left. While the Ecstasy staff couldn't fix the shore tender problem they sure could have helped make the getting folks back to the ship a much better experience.

 

The ship is certainly not new and glitzy and in some areas is showing her age but for those who do not covet the "mega ship" experience she sure does the job. We had one problem with the shower control in our stateroom, darn thing would turn on just fine but then wouldn't turn off, and while it took 2 days they did finally get it fixed. We were fortunate in that all the staff we encountered were more that pleasant and doing their darn best to remain positive under not the best of circumstances. When impacts outside of the cruise line's control happen there are some people who take it out on the staff and that just seems so unfair. As we left the Windstar dining room the last night I said to the 3 hostesses at the desk that I sure "wished them better weather" on the next voyage and they all sighed and responded with "thank you for understanding".

 

If VolzCruiser is who I believe he is (I could be wrong) he does have a tale of a "less that perfect" day to tell but even with that he kept right on smiling.

 

For those of you who are looking for a short, easy to reach cruise this is about your only choice and as long as you accept in advance that if something goes wrong it there isn't much time for Carnival to erase that unpleasant memory this one is perfect.

[DaveRRT]

My shower worked great, strong and hot. Room was cool and for those who like cold could probable make it snow in there. Ship very clean and fresh paint. WIFI was slow but just needed to get emails. Dont plan on much else you will just be watching the spinning wheel.

[chocolate melting cake]

OK----had to break in here. We are Connecticut Yankees and heartily agree with the statement "The other passengers were mostly from the Carolinas or other southern states and were the nicest least pushy group we have sailed with and the children were well behaved". We've been on over 40 cruises and the nicest groups we've sailed with are those from New Orleans and Mobile (although we DID have to listen to SWEET HOME ALABAMA at least twice a night!). Having done many sailings from New York where it seems only the fastest and strongest get to eat first at the buffets, we were flabbergasted when teen agers held doors for us and insisted, "After you (sir or maam)" in the lines. We plan to drive from snowy CT in January for a cruise on the Ecstasy---nice to hear that we can look forward to "southern hospitality" once again. Of course I assume that if our lady UCONN Huskies beat the South Carolina Gamecock's team relations might be strained!

GO HUSKIES

[regnig]

Dave the WiFi on most cruise line ships is just not worth the time or money unless it is absolutely necessary for you to have. Slow, slow, slow!! :eek:

 

chocolate melting cake your Huskies will also have competition from all those NC teams too so be prepared! ;p

[VolzCruiser]

Just to give a heads up I haven't forgotten about my review. We have just gotten back home as we decided to spend a day in the mountains of NC and Georgia before heading back home. I hope to have mine done in the next couple of days. Please be patient and I will get it up.