1st time - Carnival Ecstasy

[Dreamers26]

Ok, I am a 1st timer here!! We leave in 2 weeks on the Carnival Ecstasy!! I cannot wait!! Can anyone tell me what to expect? Also, we are wanting to go snorkling, but the Carnival web site does not show times, any suggestions?

Thanx!

:p

[travel girl23]

We have sailed the Ecstasy twice and love the ship. Here is a link to everything about the Ecstasy. Hope this helps and hope you have a wonderful cruise.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=543888

[firefly333]

There should be a link on the Carnival site when you sign into your cruise to show excursions thru Carnival.

[jae1969]

It is a wonderful ship. Many people complain that it is a bit to "disco" for them. We loved it. Once you are on you are in awe of it's size (if it is your first cruise). You can book almost all of the excursions on board when you get there. Nothing filled up, you didn't need to book anything in advance. Take everyones advice and get to the port about 11:30 - 12:00. You can see the ship before it fills up, eat and have drink-of-the day in hand watching everyone else board. :D

 

If you want to go to paradise beach and go shopping, do the beach first thing in the am as soon as you get off the ship and then about noon do the shopping as most people do it the other way around the beach gets very crowded at noon. :(

 

Relax and enjoy yourself.:p

[Tinabrn]

I have been on Ecstasy once, and her sister ship, Inspiration twice. They are great fun, and I am going on the 4/19 cruise. Very friendly crew and passengers and everyone willing to answer any questions you may have. Good food and nice beaches to visit...In Cozumel, check out http://www.cozumelinsider.com for good ideas for best snorkeling beaches...you can get a cab to the different places. Also, on the first sea day they will have a presentation of the different shore excursions so that you can see videos of the places and times...and make your decision from there.

 

Relax and enjoy!!

[eljn1986]

Thanks everyone for your information and input...this is my first time on this board and it's been very helpful. We are also sailing on the Ecstasy on the 19th. DH, DD and I (to celebrate DDs graduation from high school). We are SO excited. The last time DH and I cruised was in 1996. It's WAY past time to go again!

[Dreamers26]

Wow, thank yall soooooooo much!! I am counting down the days(13 to go) Does it get better or will I start counting down the hours now?? :p

[Randy & Robin]

We are leaving from Shreveport to pick up my neice & her husband, also from McKinney TX. and leaving on the 19th. Maybe we'll somehow meet. How early are you leaving McKinney to get to Galveston??????????

[SheriNtexas]

Wow, thank yall soooooooo much!! I am counting down the days(13 to go) Does it get better or will I start counting down the hours now??

 

 

 

Sorry, but it just gets WORSE the closer it gets to your cruise!;) My first cruise was on Ecstasy and I've been on her twice and will be going again May 3rd! One of my favorite places on the Ecstasy is on the Verandah deck at the front of the ship! Look at the deck plans and you will get an idea of where it is! It is a nice place to go at night, most of the time there was no one else out there and it was so peaceful! Also, it is the perfect place to watch all the latecomers running down the dock in Cozumel (if you are docked at Punta Lagosta). Here are a few pics just to make you MORE excited for your cruise!

 

 

 

This is the Verandah deck. I was standing a little higher, watching the latecomers! One guy was running and everyone started cheering him on, telling him to hurry!

 

 

Looking down at the dock between the 2 ships

 

 

[lifesabmovie]

Ok, I am a 1st timer here!! We leave in 2 weeks on the Carnival Ecstasy!! I cannot wait!! Can anyone tell me what to expect? Also, we are wanting to go snorkling, but the Carnival web site does not show times, any suggestions?

 

Thanx!

:p

 

I am a 1st time cruiser as well. I will be on Carnival Ecstasy on april 19th (so soon). So I was on another board and I got the best website http://www.seauonboard.com/

You should check it out. Go to Cruise 101 basics. It gives you very detailed description. I would take it you your port is galveston. which i have found that the www.ezcruiseparking.com and www.lighthouseparking.org are some of the cheapest places to park ($30 on the net...cheaper than the ports parking). I had a friend that just got back from this cruise last month and they loved the lighthouseparking. There is also parking at most of the hotels around the ports for free or small fee. The only advice my friends gave me is to look into doing your own thing in atleast one of the ports. The seauonboard website will give you links to cozymel info. Also, my friends said if you get on ship at like 11:30am they have food there waiting. You can't go into your cabins, but great time to relax and tour the ship. They said about noon it becomes so packed in port they saw. So I will be there early and soak up some extra time to relax ;). OH and here are the websites that I have looked at for things to do etc on port of calls.

for cozumel:

http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/Cozumel.htm#Shopping

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/MapElCentro.htm

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/ShoppingPrintable.htm

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/SiteMap.htm

http://www.mexicofirstclass.com/cozumel-ing.asp

Progreso:

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Mexico/Estado_de_Yucatan/Progreso-935956/Things_To_Do-Progreso-R-1.html

Hope this helps...because before i started on the boards I was so nervous about this being my first time cruising ;)

[Dreamers26]

Sorry, but it just gets WORSE the closer it gets to your cruise!;) My first cruise was on Ecstasy and I've been on her twice and will be going again May 3rd! One of my favorite places on the Ecstasy is on the Verandah deck at the front of the ship! Look at the deck plans and you will get an idea of where it is! It is a nice place to go at night, most of the time there was no one else out there and it was so peaceful! Also, it is the perfect place to watch all the latecomers running down the dock in Cozumel (if you are docked at Punta Lagosta). Here are a few pics just to make you MORE excited for your cruise!

 

 

 

Our room is on the Verandha deck! We are in V8 .... glad we goot a good deack!! Thank you sooooooo much for the pics ....We are going with another couple, and just left their house to plan what we wanna do! I am soooooooooo jumping out of my skin, sooooooooo cannot wait to go!! :p

[cannonbridge]

Ok, I am a 1st timer here!! We leave in 2 weeks on the Carnival Ecstasy!! I cannot wait!! Can anyone tell me what to expect? Also, we are wanting to go snorkling, but the Carnival web site does not show times, any suggestions?

 

Thanx!

:p

Carnival Ecstasy is a hopping ship. We sailed on it several years ago and there is always something to do. ENJOY...

[SheriNtexas]

Our room is on the Verandha deck! We are in V8 .... glad we goot a good deack!! Thank you sooooooo much for the pics ....We are going with another couple, and just left their house to plan what we wanna do! I am soooooooooo jumping out of my skin, sooooooooo cannot wait to go!! :p

 

 

How fun! My grandson and I cruise on her May 3rd! You DO know that the Verandah deck looks down to the deck below and NOT the water, right? My son and I booked a Cat 11 last minute so I didn't have time to research, so when i walked out onto the balcony I was a little disappointed-at FIRST! It was actually nice to sit out on the balcony at night, and people would come and go on the deck below. It was SO convenient to just go right down the hall, out the door, and onto the deck at the front! Very nice! Oh, another thing, if you ARE up on deck in Cozumel to watch for latecomers, be aware that they start blasting the horn as it gets close to time for sailaway, and the speaker thingie is very close by! The first time it went off I almost dropped my video camera! :eek: That sound just vibrates through your whole body! So hold on tight to your cameras! Have fun!!

[Stircrzy]

I am a 1st time cruiser as well. I will be on Carnival Ecstasy on april 19th (so soon). So I was on another board and I got the best website http://www.seauonboard.com/

You should check it out. Go to Cruise 101 basics. It gives you very detailed description. I would take it you your port is galveston. which i have found that the www.ezcruiseparking.com and www.lighthouseparking.org are some of the cheapest places to park ($30 on the net...cheaper than the ports parking). I had a friend that just got back from this cruise last month and they loved the lighthouseparking. There is also parking at most of the hotels around the ports for free or small fee. The only advice my friends gave me is to look into doing your own thing in atleast one of the ports. The seauonboard website will give you links to cozymel info. Also, my friends said if you get on ship at like 11:30am they have food there waiting. You can't go into your cabins, but great time to relax and tour the ship. They said about noon it becomes so packed in port they saw. So I will be there early and soak up some extra time to relax ;). OH and here are the websites that I have looked at for things to do etc on port of calls.

for cozumel:

http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/Cozumel.htm#Shopping

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/MapElCentro.htm

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/ShoppingPrintable.htm

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/SiteMap.htm

http://www.mexicofirstclass.com/cozumel-ing.asp

Progreso:

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Mexico/Estado_de_Yucatan/Progreso-935956/Things_To_Do-Progreso-R-1.html

Hope this helps...because before i started on the boards I was so nervous about this being my first time cruising ;)

 

Seauonboard.com is a wonderful website put together by one of our esteemed Cruise Critic members. Cheryl works hard to "get it right"! Be sure to bookmark her site.

 

I'm hoping to slip in a short cruise before my September cruise on the Ecstasy. I'm doing my EIGHTH cruise on her!

[c-dub]

My gf and I are on the 4/19 cruise as well. Can't wait. First time cruiser, this forum has informed me so much. THis is awesome. I plan to get there like around noon. Leaving from Dallas on Friday night to a fren's place in houston.

[Dreamers26]

My gf and I are on the 4/19 cruise as well. Can't wait. First time cruiser, this forum has informed me so much. THis is awesome. I plan to get there like around noon. Leaving from Dallas on Friday night to a fren's place in houston.

 

We are going on the 24th, it looks like we will be getting on when yall are getting off : ) We are leaving from Ft. Worth on Weds, and staying the night in Galvaston. I soooooooo cannot wait. I have already kinda sorta started packing.

 

I do have a question for the ones that have cruised before, I never got my papers mailed to me, so Carnival emailed them to me. This should be okay right?

[tew060]

Hey...I'm going on the 24th too!! Leaving from Waxahachie on the 23rd...spending the night in Galveston (actually Crystal Beach). I can't wait!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO!!!