Ecstasy November 18 - 23, Live

[Saint Greg]

Looks like a spicy chipotle pineapple martini above that basil drop.

[indygirl76]

3 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Looks like a spicy chipotle pineapple martini above that basil drop.

It was definitely the mojito martini - I'm a total candy-*ss about spicy things!! 😁 😁 

[Saint Greg]

8 minutes ago, indygirl76 said:

It was definitely the mojito martini - I'm a total candy-*ss about spicy things!! 😁 😁 

They aren’t really spicy.

[tracks221]

Looking forward to your review! Going on the Ecstacy again in Jan 2020.  Is the heating ok on the ship?  We went 2 years ago and it was quite cold in the staterooms and dining room. I was told it was a temporary malfunction and has been fixed. Your feedback is appreciated. 

[indygirl76]

17 minutes ago, tracks221 said:

Looking forward to your review! Going on the Ecstacy again in Jan 2020.  Is the heating ok on the ship?  We went 2 years ago and it was quite cold in the staterooms and dining room. I was told it was a temporary malfunction and has been fixed. Your feedback is appreciated. 

Our cabin is frigid, because that's how I like it. 😂 We have the a/c dialed all the way to Antarctica. The dining room, on the other hand, is quite comfortable. 

[jessencaitly]

Thanks for the room pics! It's the first time I'll be in an Oceanview room. We are also going to be on the Empress deck, cabin E106

[indygirl76]

It's a great location, you're going to love it!! 

 

First night dinner is down, and unfortunately so is Karen. She's very easily affected by ship movement, and she went to bed early. Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow!

 

Dinner tonight was tomato soup with mint (sounds weird but was amazing), surf and turf from the steakhouse menu (excellent with a perfectly rare filet), and brisket with polenta cake (polenta was kind of terrible, tasted like green peppers, but the brisket was great). Service from Igor and his team was very good, I think we'll request them tomorrow. 

 

(The photos uploaded totally out of order, but I have faith that you guys figure out which one is the surf and turf, and which is the brisket!) 

[indygirl76]

This is a "something with strawberry, anything at all except spicy." And it is DELICIOUS. 

[indygirl76]

This was supposed to be a tropical mule from the casino bar, but I think it's a Moscow one, thanks to the good but very loud band playing nearby. 😂 😂 

 

And with that, I'm tapping out for the night. I know the three ish of you reading this are super disappointed. 😉 

[Momma1980]

Enjoying your review!

 

would you clarify about the day of the Chefs table? Is it your last sea day?

[Mliddon]

We are headed out over Christmas!!!  Thank you for taking the time to post reviews!!!  We are living vicariously through you this week!!!

[Mliddon]

22 hours ago, indygirl76 said:

After a tasty but expensive breakfast at the Hyatt, and an easy 15 minute Uber, we are at the port waiting to board. They just called Platinum and Diamond, so we should be moving in about ten minutes (FTTF).

 

Was the uber driver able to take you all the way in the port?  I have heard rumors that they do not allow that.  We live in JAx and prefer to Uber to and from the port.  I am curious how easy it is to get an uber out after the cruise!!!  Thanks again for sharing your vacation with us.  Glad you enjoyed the HYatt... next time stay at the Beaches!!!

[indygirl76]

9 hours ago, Momma1980 said:

Enjoying your review!

 

would you clarify about the day of the Chefs table? Is it your last sea day?

No, it's Half Moon Cay day. Which is fine for us, because we're not beach people. 🙂

[indygirl76]

1 hour ago, Mliddon said:

Was the uber driver able to take you all the way in the port?  I have heard rumors that they do not allow that.  We live in JAx and prefer to Uber to and from the port.  I am curious how easy it is to get an uber out after the cruise!!!  Thanks again for sharing your vacation with us. 

Our driver took us basically to the door, yes. He said he picks up and delivers people all day long on turnover day, and all the security guys recognized him, so that may have had something to do with it?? We're going to Uber to the airport on Saturday (sob), so I'll let you know how it goes! 

[indygirl76]

Woke up entirely too early today for being on vacation. But a mimosa on the way to brunch, and I felt more like myself. 

 

Karen is feeling better, relatively speaking, but still not super solid. We were going to do the VIP Sailing excursion in Nassau, but decided it wasn't worth the possibility of her being sick again. Went to the Shore Excursion desk (or whatever silly name it has now) and canceled it. 

 

Moving on... We went to the Sea Day brunch in the MDR. Had the steak and eggs, and a very tasty blueberry muffin.

 

This was the first time we've sailed since they updated the brunch menu, and I wanted to try the upcharged seafood options. I asked our server (anonymous for their job security, lol) if the ($15) crab was crab legs or those teeny ones. They didn't answer, just gave a very subtle head shake. I laughed, and then said, how about the ($12) lobster benedict. Another shake. Steak and eggs? "Yes miss, lovely choice!" 😂 😂 They later clarified, with no other servers within earshot, the benedict is a "VERY small portion, not worth it." So there you have it! 

 

I'm now enjoying a spiced banana daiquiri, Karen's playing it safe with a bottled water, and we're in the shade on a ~third full Serenity deck. I love small ships! 

 

[indygirl76]

Still hanging out on Serenity, but it's started to fill up. There are still plenty of seats in the shade, but most sun loungers are taken. Pleased to report, very little chair hogging going on. 

 

Two drinks servers are making the rounds. One of them just brought me a Patron margarita. Shhh, don't tell anyone about the "contraband." At least I reused from my banana daiquiri earlier. The casino bartender automatically gave me a lime flavored edible monstrosity for the daiquiri, and laughingly delivered a regular one when I gave that a hard nope. The bar staff is well aware that many guests don't like the edible straws! 

[indygirl76]

The second officer just made an announcement, and talked for several minutes. From that, I heard "14 knots," "water 3000 feet deep," and paraphrased "don't throw trash overboard." The rest was totally garbled, between his (lovely) accent and the PA system. 

 

Guy pipes up from the hot tub, "Did y'all understand anything he just said?? I'm showing my age here, but [Charlie Brown teacher]." 

 

😂 😂 😂 

[lottiegreen56]

love the live review good luck in the casino

[indygirl76]

24 minutes ago, lottiegreen56 said:

love the live review good luck in the casino

Thank you! Utterly no luck last night, but today is a new day. 😄

[indygirl76]

It's been three whole hours since we ate, so clearly it is time for lunch! Normally, I can't stand the crowds on Lido, and never go. But this ship never feels crowded?? We were able to get a table immediately. Karen snagged some comfort food from the American buffet - really solid pot roast and mashed potatoes. I opted for Tacos from Blue Iguana. For some reason, passengers on this sailing are allergic to tacos. There's a ginormous line for burritos and literally no one for tacos? I thought at first they had combined the lines, but the taco man saw me looking and waved me into the empty line. Glorious. 

 

[bettyboop16]

15 hours ago, indygirl76 said:

This is a "something with strawberry, anything at all except spicy." And it is DELICIOUS. 

Looks delicious!

[heffy2]

Lovely review so far, thanks for taking the time!

[indygirl76]

2 hours ago, heffy2 said:

Lovely review so far, thanks for taking the time!

Thanks! Karen thinks it's pretty silly 😂 but it's giving me an excuse to write this stuff down in real time. And take food pictures, which are a guilty pleasure! 

[Joe817]

Loving your review! The narrative, and the pictures show an excellent job done! Good show!

[indygirl76]

53 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

Loving your review! The narrative, and the pictures show an excellent job done! Good show!

Thanks so much!! 😁 

 

Pre dinner amazing nap #2 accomplished. 

 

I thought tonight was formal night. We did the full spackle (aka makeup) and put on cocktail dresses. I double checked the Fun Times, and it's not formal night. *****, I wonder why it's not the first sea day? Well, whatever. Cocktail dresses off, casual ish dresses on. 

 

Walk out of the cabin, towards the atrium. See dresses with sparkles. Exercise several choice swear words. Decide to just wear the cocktail dresses tomorrow, for Chef's Table. 😂 😂 😂 Carry on. 

 

Now we're having sashimi from Bonsai Sushi Express and Alchemy drinks before dinner. Basil drop for me and "something with ginger that will help my stomach" for Karen - bartender Zoran had offered last night, but she was too far gone. Both delicious!