Home from Ecstasy!

[EastTexans2]

Just got home from our first cruise on Carnival Ecstasy!

It was wonderful. The ship is in great shape and the food was wonderful. After hearing all our Royal Caribbean friends telling us that we wouldn't like it.....or there's too much "neon"....or whatever......I'm happy to report that the ship was perfect! More later....laundry is calling

[Stircrzy]

Welcome home!

 

I'm looking forward to your report! :D

[roudy1]

Welcome home....Ecstasy was the first ship we cruised on six years ago and loved her as well. She is responsible for us getting hooked on cruiseing and will always have a special place in our hearts. Char

[EastTexans2]

I'm still unpacking! I know we didn't leave with this much stuff....

 

A fellow cruiser posted that it was "rough" the first day and everyone was getting sick......I don't think we were on the same cruise...lol....I thought this was the smoothest cruise we have been on so far. We were in cabin M105 and didn't feel any motion at all. I am prone to seasickness and I didn't feel sick at all. Came home with a sunburn!

 

Ecstasy reminded us a lot of Rhapsody....if any of you have sailed on her. I will attempt to write a complete review when I get home from work today (yes, I am going in to see if I still have a desk!).

[*Mach*]

Just got home from our first cruise on Carnival Ecstasy!

It was wonderful. The ship is in great shape and the food was wonderful. After hearing all our Royal Caribbean friends telling us that we wouldn't like it.....or there's too much "neon"....or whatever......I'm happy to report that the ship was perfect! More later....laundry is calling

 

Thanks for the quick report and I'm thrilled that you had a great time!

 

Now, get that laundry done and give us the details!!!

 

:D

[LHP]

Glad you had a good time. This is one of the 3 Fantasy class ships we have not been on yet. (note to self - fix that problem..SOON!!)

[Stircrzy]

Lemme know when you wanna go, Linda...I'll meet you onboard and show you around! :D

[travel girl23]

Was Captain Scala back on the Ecstasy from vacation and was Goose Newmann the CD, back from vacation? :confused: We leave in a week. Looking forward to your review. Travelgirl

[Stircrzy]

You're in luck!

 

Captain Scala comes back to work on November 12th...don't know exactly when Goose comes back, though.

[EastTexans2]

o.k. here it is! Let me know if you have any questions....

 

Our first Carnival cruise on Ecstasy, November 3-8, 2007

Well it was the weekend of the motorcycle rally in Galveston and we were worried about traffic in and around the port. We didn’t have any trouble at all. Went to EZ Park around 10 am and found they would be putting us in their second lot. We followed them to the second lot and then boarded their shuttle bus to the port.

Embarkation was very smooth. They had four wedding parties to load first, but we were on the ship having lunch on the Lido Deck by 11:30 am. Our room was ready by 1:30. Our room was M105 (Main Deck) and it was an ocean view room. Let me say here that I loved the layout of the room……better than our previous rooms on Royal Caribbean. The room is a little bigger but the biggest difference was that the head of the bed was against a side wall….so you could walk to the window and stand there and look out. The window was larger than RC also. It was approximately 3 feet X 4 feet. There are 3 closets in the room.

Yes there was a bathrobe in the room

Yes Goose is the cruise director

No there is not a hairdryer, bring your own

Yes the electric outlet is on the vanity, but it is right next to the head of the bed

Yes the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake is to die for

Yes you can order more than one dessert

Capt. Salvadore Messina

Our dinner was at 5:45 pm in the Windstar Dining Room. One thing that was very confusing is the fact that the other dining room is the Windsong. Breakfast and lunch were served in the Windsong….but our dinner was in the Windstar. The food was wonderful. Our waiters were great. We were at Table #228 with some new CC friends. Had a blast!

The first sea day for us was Sunday and that night was formal night. We saw all kinds of dress. Some were very dressed up; some were in cocktail dresses; some were in slacks; and we even saw jeans. Pictures were being taken everywhere. All different backgrounds, so go and have some taken with each photographer and then pick what you want to buy. Oh, one of the backgrounds was a Christmas theme and you could order Christmas cards. Thought I better mention that in case you want to dress accordingly!

We didn’t do any excursions on this cruise. We got off and just wandered through the shops and then came back on the ship to relax. The dock in Progresso is 6 miles from the town. They run a shuttle bus every 20 minutes. We played a lot of “trivia” and I won a “ship on a stick”.

Another thing that I liked on Carnival vs. Royal was that you didn’t have to walk through the smoky casino to get to another part of the ship. The casino is kind of off by itself. I think the staff on Royal might be a little friendlier but they were still terrific on Ecstasy. The Ecstasy reminds me of Rhapsody of the Seas. They are both smaller ships.

I’d heard a lot of comments about the neon decor on Ecstasy. I was concerned that it would be loud and bright and that we wouldn’t like it. Well I was wrong. There is a lot of neon, however, it reminded us of a 50’s diner with the silver and aqua blue. Really neat looking.

The food was great. Big selection each night. And yes, you can always get chicken or steak if that’s what you like. The stuffed mushrooms were wonderful. The waiters do a little dance each night and that was a lot of fun too.

On the last morning there was no big rush to get you out of the cabin. We went to the dining room for breakfast (7-9 am) and then went back to our cabin to pick up the rest of our stuff. We went up to the lido deck to wait for our number to be called. It was very relaxed and people weren’t being herded into a theater to wait.

We had read on CC that the best way to get through customs was to get a Porter and believe me; it’s the only way to go. The lines were long going through customs but the Porters have their own line. They stay with you from the time they pick up your luggage until they have you outside and loaded on the shuttle to get your car.

It was a wonderful cruise and the Ecstasy is a beautiful ship.

[stellatj]

thank you it sounds great. one question is the safe in the room a number one or do you use a card to open it. we leave next saturday cant wait

next fri nite i will be at the hilton in galveston.

[epi]

I am so glad you enjoyed your cruise..... I was on the Ecstasy Oct 11 and had a ball.... I have also cruised with Rhapsody.... I liked the windjammer much much better that the panorama grill.... but I did enjoy the rueben sandwiches and the pizza... We were detained about 7 hours because of mechanical problems... but we had a great time...

 

the safes are the number kind....

 

easttexans I am coming to Winnsboro Sunday.... father in law not doing well ...

[huskerdude]

Glad to hear you had a GREAT time!!!:D

 

We just went on her in August with our Grandson & his Mom, both first timers, and our daughter and we all just loved Ecstasy. It is just about the perfect size. Not to big but big enough to make it easy to get around.

 

And I will totally agree on the Porters to disembark. We had never done that before, it's usually just the 2 of us, and it was so much faster. By the time you find your luggage the line is forever. But once we had our bags we got a porter, loaded up, and was out the door in 15 minutes. Well worth the tip we gave him.

[EastTexans2]

Our safe had the key pad......set your own number combo.

[stellatj]

thanks for the replies about the safe.

[EastTexans2]

Before I forget......the thermostat for the room is on the ceiling. It took us awhile to figure out how to get the room a little warmer. It was freezing when we walked in. Also, it was very cold in the areas by the elevators......so you might want to pack a sweater.

[LambKnuckles]

Thank you for your posting!

 

Mom and I will be heading out on 2/4/08. Never cruised on Ecstasy, so your information is now copied and saved for me to remember. Again, TY.

 

With Mom always in her electric wheelchair, did you notice if there is anything at Progreso for handicapped shoppers? (I assume the shuttle couldn't accomodate her and the wheelchair if she can't get out of it.) She wants to souvenir shop and jewelry shop. She's planning to spend the port days in the spa, but I'd be happy to have her go to shore with me.

 

Again, TY, if you have any more info, tips, or suggestons, I'll be reading...

LK

[connergirls]

So glad you had a good time. Thanks for posting your review :)

[pacerzfan]

Thank you for your review, EastTexans2!

[EastTexans2]

LambKnuckles.............yes, in Progresso there is a good size shopping area right at the dock. Your mom can easily go through there in a wheelchair. Also, get your picture taken when you first get off the ship at each Port. The pictures will be posted later that night in the photo shop on board.

 

If you have any other questions, please ask. There were lots of wheel chairs on our cruise and they drive really fast!

[choclitsnda]

I was on that SAME cruise with about (15) other people in our group.

Most of us in our group were in suites & our hairdryers were in the bathroom.

In Cozumel, I did the Sea Trek Helmet Adventure....It was GREAT!...They also through in Snorkling at No extra charge.(I HIGHLY recommend it)

 

 

I'll have more pix to show after my laptop gets out of the shop.

We initially were not going to do an excursion in Progresso, but when we got off the ship & walked just past the Duty Free shop we were approached by someone from a tour company giving tours in an A/C bus starting at $25.(Tour of Merida, Short Mayan Ruins Tour, Dzibilchaltun Ruins, etc.)

We did the Tour of Merida.($25...If I'm not mistaken, Carnival wanted $39 for that Same tour.)

It just so happens that the tour company gives FREE Shuttles to the market & the Tour Bus picks you up at the market for your tour.

[TexasAlexus]

Thanks so much for your review. I enjoyed reading it and your enthusiasum has me excited about cruising next month. Did you attend any shows, and were any of them in the "not to be missed" catagory? STELLA- we stayed at the Hilton precruise last year (and will again next month). I don't know if you have stayed there pre-cruise before, but I wanted to let you know that it is a great choice. We left our car in there parking lot free of charge during the cruise and they provided a free shuttle. Be sure to arrive at the hotel as early as you can so you can get signed up for the earliest shuttle. The Hilton communicates with the cruiseline, and will notify you if there is a delay. Last December, the Conquest was late docking due to a bad storm, and the hotel staff called our room to notify us of the delay in boarding and they allowed us to wait in our room past check-out time. Great customer service.

[stellatj]

Thanks for that info we have never stayed there before

i cant wait.....

[cathyoo]

Wonderful review, thank you for sharing your experience. I not only enjoyed the content but the format was easy on the eyse. thanks again