Ecstasy Trip Report: July 23rd - 28th.

[AVGeek]

Sorry for the length, but I had fun writing it. I'll be glad to answer any questions:

-D

===========================================

 

We live in the DFW area, so the idea of taking a cruise out of Galveston meant a short enough drive that gas wouldn’t kill us. We also took a longer route to get there since we had a places to hit along the way. Drive was good overall although we did hit a little rain on the way to Galveston; nothing terribly severe thankfully. A stop at the Moody Garden’s Aquarium killed about 90 minutes, and then we kept going to our final destination in Texas: the Harbor House Inn at Galveston. The Harbor House posed a few advantages: it was on the coast, had a decent rate for a room that included free parking for the duration of the cruise, and finally it was literally a short walk to the Port of Galveston where we would board the Ecstasy for our five day Gulf of Mexico cruise. One word about the parking: they tried to charge us for it at first, but once my wife showed them the printout of the web page, we were credited the amount.

 

Monday morning had me awake at around 6am to watch the Ecstasy dock. We had a few hours to kill before we could board, so I spent the time grading (I teach part-time) and checking some last minute details. One word here, the free wireless at the HH Inn was virtually nonexistent. Thankfully I had borrowed an EDGE cellular card from work that provided me with a slow, but reliable Internet connection. We checked out of the hotel, put our bags in the car for safe keeping and headed into town for a little last minute shopping. Around noon we headed to get the car and I drove my wife and our bags to the POG terminal where we had hoped to drop off our bags and carry them aboard. Unfortunately we had to check two of our four bags due to size, but I spun the car around and headed back to the hotel parking lot and left the car. A short hike back to the terminal and we were on our way to actually boarding the ship. The line was long getting into the terminal, but it moved quickly. Thankfully my wife and I already had passports and our paperwork had been filed electronically on Carnival’s website. In no time we were up the stairs and within 10-15 minutes we were checked in and had our Sail and Sign cards in hand. One important thing to know is to have your paperwork filled out and ready to go. From the reaction we got from the person checking us in, this was not a common thing. We boarded, had our photos taken, and were on our way to locating our cabin. Muster drill went as expected. We did end up leaving during the muster drill, but 20 or so minutes later we were back in our cabin. We’d booked a 6a guaranteed room with an ocean view and were not disappointed. We actually ended up in M70. Room was well appointed and the stewards (Elder and another gentleman whose name escapes me) made it a point to keep it clean each day. We had the early seating in the Windstar dining room. Namesh was our waiter and Marian was his assistant. Both were extremely professional and handled their jobs with much aplomb. Our cruise was a five day with stops in both Progreso/Merida and Cozumel.

 

Monday and Tuesday were spent at sea. Trip went well, but by the end of the second day Wife and I had cabin fever something fierce and we knew we had to get off the ship on Wednesday and do something to keep our sanity.

 

Wednesday I got up early to watch us dock in Progreso and I actually watched Capt. Scala drive the ship to the dock. I can only imagine the skill that must take with a ship this size. We got off in Progreso with no real excursion planned. We had looked at the ones on the Carnival website but had to wait since you have to pay for these things as soon as you book. We decided to take our chances and see what awaited us on shore. One thing you will notice when you leave the ship is the length of the pier. Thankfully there are free shuttles to take you from the ship to town as foot traffic is not allowed on the 4-5 mile long pier. You go through a small terminal to the shuttle where you are inundated with people selling all types of trinkets as well as excursions. We looked at one excursion there, but I had a weird feeling about it so we walked further where we were able to board the shuttle which dropped us off at a marketplace in Progreso where you are inundate with MORE trinkets and excursions. A few tips I learned: gracias no will get you out of most things and avoiding eye contact also works, also the Cuban cigars they sell there are fakes, so save your money. Cohiba has never sold Cuban cigars in a glass topped box and never will from what I’ve read. Anyway, we looked at the same excursions and I noticed that the same company that was handling the shuttle also handled the excursion, so I felt a little better about the idea. We decided on the Dzibilchaltun Mayan excursion. For $29 per person, you were taken by bus (a very nice one I might add) to a local museum (20 minute ride, tops) and had a guided tour of the grounds and the various exhibits. Our guide was Elias and was extremely knowledgeable about Mayan culture as he was part Mayan himself. Tour lasted around 45 minutes and took us to a large clearing in the woods nearby. We looked to our left and saw an actual Mayan ruin of a temple and on the right is another clearing with a Mayan pyramid and some other structures. Elias told us about each structure and encouraged us to climb the ruin ourselves. This was a definite highlight of the tour and something that I doubt I will ever forget. We had approximately 30 minutes to play, climb, and take pictures. After this, Elias took us a short distance away to an actual cenote (a pond that feeds into a cave). After a long hot walk it looked really tempting, and Elias encourage all who wanted to jump in and cool off. I had my swimsuit with me and asked him if I had time to make a run back to the museum restroom to change. He looked at me and told me to use the nearby Mayan changing room: so I headed up into the brush a little and with a well placed towel I was able to change without offending either man or beast (I could stand to lost 50 pounds or so). I ran back down the trail and jumped in; yet another highlight of a wonderful day. We finally dried off and headed back to the museum to catch our shuttle back to the cruise terminal. We had about 20 minutes, so my wife headed upstairs to the local restaurant and picked up two chicken tacos that were the icing on the cultural cake. One other advantage of using this company for the excursion (Auto Progreso) was that they took us straight to the ship, bypassing the marketplace altogether. A few things to keep in mind:

• Have cash before you get into town. There are ATM’s there, but they all give money in pesos. No problem, but the numbers will make you think you’ve won the lottery. Exchange rate is approx ten pesos to the dollar.
  
• If you can, pick up a Coke in Mexico. They are made with sugar instead of corn syrup and have a much smoother (and a much better taste) in my opinion.
  
• If you get to the museum, try and catch the restaurant upstairs. Wife said the man making the tacos took his time, but they were wonderful and a good way to tide us over until we had lunch back on the ship.
  
• Learn a little Spanish, although English is spoken everywhere we were.

We got back and I rested up a bit, got a bite to eat, and joined the crowd on the port side of the ship that was both cheering for and ragging on those who were late in their return. We shoved off and headed back into the gulf for our trip to Cozumel the next day.

 

Thursday got us into Cozumel around 7am and shortly thereafter the ship was cleared. Cozumel is a great deal more tourist (nee: Americanized) than Progreso. Something I viewed with positive and negative feelings. We docked at Puerto Langosto and we walked ashore straight towards a shopping center that featured both Senior Frog’s and Carlos and Charlies. We crossed where the police officer asked us to and got into a taxi for a ride to Playa Uvas. This was a second excursion that my wife had booked outside of Carnival, in fact we booked it from our hotel room in Galveston (Harbor House with a twitchy Internet connection). The package we booked included lunch and beverages as well as complete run of the place in addition to snorkeling and an outing in a clear kayak. Price was a lot less than what Carnival had on their website and it looked like a decent place to spend the day. I must admit that I enjoyed the cab ride immensely. Diver was a good one and I like seeing what lies outside the usual tourist haunts. We got to Playa Uvas in about 20 minutes and checked in. Had our run of the beach and we rented a bed and umbrella on the beach for $10 extra. Communication was no problem and we settled into the clearest water I have ever seen in my life. A half hour late we started the snorkel tour which I must admit had me nervous. I have small beard and mustache and facial hair makes for a less than perfect seal in the mask. I ended up holding the mask against my face while I swam, but just as I started feeling a little claustrophobic, I was attracted to a beautiful fish swimming by. That was all it took. Fear went away and I was now officially swimming inside the largest aquarium I’d ever seen. We saw some amazing coral formations and even a lobster. I did not want to leave. I had an underwater camera with me and hopefully got some decent shots. We finished up the snorkeling and went kayaking. We boarded our kayak and I was introduced to the irrefutable truth that a two person kayak will test a marriage. We saw some beautiful fish and had fun making our way back to the resort. Lunch was served (fajitas) and we cooled of a bit before we got a cab back to the port. All we had to tell the driver was Ecstasy and language was no longer a problem. We were dropped off at the port and had to walk through a veritable gauntlet of shopkeepers. We did a little shopping and headed back to the ship. A few hours later we were rested and enjoying dinner.

 

Friday was a sea day and also the beginning of the stark realization that we had to start packing. I went to the debarkation talk and decided that we would do the self-debarkation. I’m a big guy and had no problem hauling the bags if it meant getting off and on the road a little earlier.

 

Saturday we headed out. One warning: the folks at customs are pretty thorough so have your stuff in order and the form filled out. By 8:45 we were on the road and headed home.

 

Now I have to start planning next year . . .

=D

[Stircrzy]

Glad you enjoyed your time with Captain Scala and the Ecstasy crew. Playa Uvas is my usual place of choice in Cozumel, too.

 

Hmmm....maybe I need to set up a CC group cruise on the E?!? :D

[qprrules]

Thanks for the review!! We'll be heading out the 20th:cool:

[AVGeek]

Thanks for the review!! We'll be heading out the 20th:cool:

 

 

Enjoy and make sure you have plenty of the chocolate melting cake.

=D

[txcruzr]

Thanks for the great review! We'll be on the 8/20 sailing also and just can't wait!!

 

Do you recall what time you got back to the ship in Progresso (after seeing the ruins/swimming)? We're thinking of doing what you did and wonder if there will be any time to spend on the beach afterwards.

 

Thanks!

[AVGeek]

Thanks for the great review! We'll be on the 8/20 sailing also and just can't wait!!

 

Do you recall what time you got back to the ship in Progresso (after seeing the ruins/swimming)? We're thinking of doing what you did and wonder if there will be any time to spend on the beach afterwards.

 

Thanks!

 

It was about 2PM, maybe a little after. I don't think I would plan anything after the excursion since by the time you got into the swing of things it wold be time to head out. The beach near the pier is all public beach (at least that is what the lady told us), so you could do it, but since ours wasn't booked through Carnival was a little concerned with being left behind. The shuttle from the ruins back to the ship also takes you directly to the ship, so you'd have to either have them drop you off or find a different way back.

 

Enjoy your trip!

=D

[Ashpalo]

Wow! That was one of the best reviews I've read. Thanks! I head out on the Ecstasy on 9/22 - can't wait! Couple of questions - do you know where the sushi is served? Did you make Tea Time? These two things aren't very publicized - so any info would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks! :)

[GeoHack]

Question on the harbour house. About how far a walk is it to the pier? There are five of us and one is a 2yo. We'll have about 5-6 bags and were wondering how bad a walk it would be? I was hoping to stay at the Harbour House and just leave my car and carry the bags (rollers) to the ship? Is that doable?

 

Also, would a 2yo be able to do the excursion you did? We have a umbrella stroller.

Oh, how was the food? Which night was lobster night and how was it?

 

Thanks for the review!

[dcwms]

Great review thanks for taking the time to write it. We have a long time to wait until we get to go.

 

Sharon

[ed_k_tx]

Enjoyed reading your review. We've been on the Ecstasy twice now and are thinking about a family cruise on her with our DS's and SIL's. We really like the ship and it's a short drive for us to Galveston.

[AVGeek]

Wow! That was one of the best reviews I've read. Thanks! I head out on the Ecstasy on 9/22 - can't wait! Couple of questions - do you know where the sushi is served? Did you make Tea Time? These two things aren't very publicized - so any info would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks! :)

 

Sushi is a stand that is in the same area as the Internet Cafe (right outside the Teen club). It's easy to miss so look over your left shoulder as you enter from the Atrium area. I saw him there a few times, but never tried it. I had sushi once . . . once. I respect it but that's it.

 

Did not do Tea time and did not hear about it on the ship, although there were lots of things mentioned in the capers that I missed because there was much going on.

 

Enjoy the trip, and hope this helps.

-D

[Gary&Rox]

Really appreciate the review. We will be going in Jan. next year. If I may ask when was the formal night? If I read correct you got to the terminal a bit after 12? Just curious as to when a good time to arrive is, as we want to get aboard as soon as possible. I looked at the Harbor House, but out of our price range. We are going to spend two nights pre cruse at the Econo Lodge. It is much more reasonable. Also will use Ezpark for $30. Trying to keep on a budget. Again thanks for the info.

Gary

[GeeBee1022]

Wow! That was one of the best reviews I've read. Thanks! I head out on the Ecstasy on 9/22 - can't wait! Couple of questions - do you know where the sushi is served? Did you make Tea Time? These two things aren't very publicized - so any info would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks! :)

 

 

We were on Ecstasy on July 14 and did both teatime and had sushi! My 12 yo daughter and I had tea together the first day, and really enjoyed it. After my 17 yo son heard about how good the desserts were, he joined us for the 2nd day! I have a great picture of him sipping his tea. :D He ate plenty of chocolate cookies and doughnuts to make it worthwhile! Anyway, it's at 3:30 (I think, check the Capers) in the Neon Bar on Sea Days! There was nice piano playing in the background, and it was just a real fun time!

 

The sushi is easy to miss. If you leave the photo gallery and are at the entrance to the casino, then it will be right behind you. It was good, and they have 4 varieties each day. Only one girl was working there, and the boy in front of me wanted one of them without the asparagus, and she made it for him. So the down side, is the line can move slowly, but the up side, is you can get the sushi how you want it!

[AVGeek]

Question on the harbour house. About how far a walk is it to the pier? There are five of us and one is a 2yo. We'll have about 5-6 bags and were wondering how bad a walk it would be? I was hoping to stay at the Harbour House and just leave my car and carry the bags (rollers) to the ship? Is that doable?

 

Also, would a 2yo be able to do the excursion you did? We have a umbrella stroller.

Oh, how was the food? Which night was lobster night and how was it?

 

Thanks for the review!

 

Harbor house is about a block from the pier. Check the harbor house webcam and that area in the lower right side behind the HH Hotel. I actually stood there and called my Dad who pulled up that camera on his computer and saw us (but we were very small). Might put the two year old in a stroller for the walk over there if possible. Might be a little on the long side for a toddler, and there is traffic to deal with along the walk.

 

You can roll bags to the Pier from HH. I had to carry mine back when we got back and it was a little tricky navigating the curbs and such, but we did it with no a lot of problems. I'd recommend walking it the day before and seeing for yourself. When I dropped off my wife and large bags I drove over there and back. HH has a gate code they can give you.

 

As for the excursion, it could be done but the ruins would be out of the question (steep steps). Also, I recall gravel walkway to the museum from the parking lot. Once you get through the museum you go to the ruins. The open field there gives a great view and there are places to sit down in the ground and relax (our tour guide did just that). Take an umbrella if shade is important. Also keep a reign on the little one around the Cenote. No gates or rails, just jump right in. There is a shallow area on one end, but keep an eye out all the same. Cenote is shaded, thankfully.

 

Food was good. Had fish and chips for lunch on the last day and wish I'd had them earlier. Wonderful. Steaks were hit or miss, mostly a hit depending on your taste. I had lobster and wasn't that impressed, but it was my first time and I've read others that have liked the lobster. Formal night (steak or lobster) was Tuesday or Wednesday night as I recall. I wore a tie with a blazer and blended right in.

 

If you need more, holler.

=D

[AVGeek]

Great review thanks for taking the time to write it. We have a long time to wait until we get to go.

 

Sharon

 

Glad to help. When prepping for our trip I learned much from the others that I read so I figured I would throw in my penny's worth.

-D

[AVGeek]

Really appreciate the review. We will be going in Jan. next year. If I may ask when was the formal night? If I read correct you got to the terminal a bit after 12? Just curious as to when a good time to arrive is, as we want to get aboard as soon as possible. I looked at the Harbor House, but out of our price range. We are going to spend two nights pre cruse at the Econo Lodge. It is much more reasonable. Also will use Ezpark for $30. Trying to keep on a budget. Again thanks for the info.

Gary

 

Glad you enjoyed it. Formal night was either Tuesday or Wednesday (we left on a Monday). I wanted to board earlier, initially, but I also knew that I'd end up waiting for the rooms to be readied. Shoot for around noon or 1 and you should be fine. Too much earlier and you could be waiting in a mass of people for your room to be ready. Line does move pretty quickly and we had fun chatting with others in line. Make sure docs are filled out correctly and you have fun pass and ID in hand. We had passports and breezed right on through, although you can get by with birth certificate and photo ID (check the Carnival website to be sure).

 

Not sure where the Econo lodge is, but the cruise terminal is right off the Strand. If you do some shopping (or eat down there) the day before you might see another ship in port. Very exciting. I understand about the budget. We decided to splurge on the hotel.

 

Hope this helps!

=-D

[AVGeek]

Enjoyed reading your review. We've been on the Ecstasy twice now and are thinking about a family cruise on her with our DS's and SIL's. We really like the ship and it's a short drive for us to Galveston.

 

I've always liked Galveston; actually any place along the Texas coast gets me going. I find it quite humbling to be around all the oil rigs and ships.

 

I heard someone talking again about the new cruise terminal apparently under construction in Bayport. Would be nice to have a bigger choice of cruises heading out of Texas.

-D

[patmom4]

What a great review---I'm leaving on the Ecstasy 9/22 and counting the days!! My DH and I are also interested in the Dzibilchaltun Mayan tour and your info was exactly what we needed :). Playa Uvas sound fun--is it possible to do without the clear kyak?

[SATXLady]

AVGeek -- how would you rate the security of the parking lot at the Harbor House? I'm staying there the night before my cruise and really debating over whether I'm going to take advantage of the free cruise parking or pay for EZPark so my car will be in a more secure area. (My car is less than six months old so maybe I'm over sensitive.)

 

It's not worth saving a few bucks if I'm going to worry about whether my car will be there when I get back.

[AVGeek]

What a great review---I'm leaving on the Ecstasy 9/22 and counting the days!! My DH and I are also interested in the Dzibilchaltun Mayan tour and your info was exactly what we needed :). Playa Uvas sound fun--is it possible to do without the clear kyak?

 

I figure since you're paying you can do whatever you want. I would tell them you want to sit on the beach instead of kayaking. Looking back on that now, we should have done the same thing. They had so much stuff programmed for us that we had little time to actually sit on the beach and relax.

=D

[AVGeek]

AVGeek -- how would you rate the security of the parking lot at the Harbor House? I'm staying there the night before my cruise and really debating over whether I'm going to take advantage of the free cruise parking or pay for EZPark so my car will be in a more secure area. (My car is less than six months old so maybe I'm over sensitive.)

 

It's not worth saving a few bucks if I'm going to worry about whether my car will be there when I get back.

 

One downside is that their parking is open air, so your car is exposed to the elements. I seem to recall that they have security there but I'm not dead sure. Check with HH before you head out. Others were leaving their vehicles there, so I figure that they had things in line. I agree that it's not worth the savings if you're going to worry while your gone. If my car were that new, I'd do the same thing.

 

Enjoy your trip.

=-D

[Stircrzy]

I figure since you're paying you can do whatever you want. I would tell them you want to sit on the beach instead of kayaking. Looking back on that now, we should have done the same thing. They had so much stuff programmed for us that we had little time to actually sit on the beach and relax.

=D

 

A note on Playa Uvas:

 

You can book online directly with Uvas and save some money...choose what you want to do, too.

 

Here's a link to their packages...or you can do ala carte. Here are some photos I took two weeks ago there.

[AVGeek]

A note on Playa Uvas:

 

You can book online directly with Uvas and save some money...choose what you want to do, too.

 

Here's a link to their packages...or you can do ala carte. Here are some photos I took two weeks ago there.

 

I'll second this. We booked directly with Playa Uvas and got close to (if not the same) package available through Carnival for a lot less.

-D

[txcruzr]

A note on Playa Uvas:

 

You can book online directly with Uvas and save some money...choose what you want to do, too.

 

Here's a link to their packages...or you can do ala carte. Here are some photos I took two weeks ago there.

 

Thanks for posting the packages! It looks like exactly what our small group needs. A question - if part of our group (the active ones) did the Jeep/Buggy tour, would they start and end up that 'excursion' at the same beach where the others are (the lazy beach bums who just want to hang out)? In other words, could we all go over there together, then take our pick of things to do, and all head back to the ship together?

 

Thanks again!

[Stircrzy]

Thanks for posting the packages! It looks like exactly what our small group needs. A question - if part of our group (the active ones) did the Jeep/Buggy tour, would they start and end up that 'excursion' at the same beach where the others are (the lazy beach bums who just want to hang out)? In other words, could we all go over there together, then take our pick of things to do, and all head back to the ship together?

 

Thanks again!

 

Being the lazy beach bum type myself, I don't have first hand experience with the Jeep Tour...but I do seem to recall a bunch of dirty people who came back late in the day laughing and dusting themselves off. They had a blast on the Jeep Tour. So, yes...I think the Jeep Tour ends up at Uvas when they finish, and you could all go back to the ship together. I'm just not sure where the Jeep Tour starts from.

 

Cabs are plentiful and cheap...$10 for 4 people (each direction).

 

Here's the last page of the Playa Uvas thread on the Cozumel board. If you post your question there, someone is sure to answer you. Or...email eduardoczm@gmail.com. He's the go-to guy for our Playa Uvas questions.