Carnival Ecstasy 11-27 Review!

[DryCreek]

Well, we left the clear and tranquil waters of Cozumel and started our return trip. The weather was warm and calm. It had been a wonderful day, and we watched the sun slowly drift down off the stern while relaxing on the Serenity deck.

 

All of this was soon to change! By 3:30 in the morning, I awoke to a marked difference in the way the ship was riding. Being an early riser, and in search of some real entertainment, I grabbed one of the cameras and headed to the upper decks. There were 10' to 12' seas and the wind was howling! Waves were breaking just past the bow and that was causing a loud "thump" in the lower decks forward. The stairs were creaking and the metal panels in the overhead of the lounges were thrumming. I shot some good video as the sun came up and even got some of the pools and hot tubs sloshing over the edges.

This should give you some idea about how windy it was:

 

The apparent wind speed was up over 60 mph after I took this picture - and nearly beam-on too! Also, notice how the spelled one of our ports of call the same way the soup is spelled?

It was cold again too. Wow, what a big change in the weather.

See? I told you it was windy!

 

By late afternoon, things had calmed down some and I saw more folks venturing out. We snapped another picture of us [brad (me) and Robin (DW)]

 

Ignore the fact that I am wearing my favorite Disney World ball cap and T-shirt.

[Meyer2]

OK folks, over the next few days I will be filling in this thread with my impressions of our first cruise. We just got in from the 297.8 mile drive from Galveston about an hour ago. I will be collecting my thoughts and mental notes we made over the 5 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Ecstasy. I will also have to go through the multitude of pictures I took and crop/resize the ones I plan to upload to our website so that I can append them here.

 

I will also do my level best to not let the events of the last day color my entire review.....:mad:

 

Basics:

Carnival Ecstasy, 5 day Western Caribbean (Progreso and Cozumel).

Cruise Director - Brad Calabrese

Room - M34, inside on Main Deck (5)

Your Time Dining option (Windstar Dining Room)

Bon Voyage order, 1 Liter Jim Beam for $38. Delivered early afternoon second day.

Smuggled Booze - all accounted for and consumed as required.

Wine - one 750 ml bottle, no problem in carry on bags.

Pocket knives - no problem. My Gerber 3-1/2" serrated blade lockback did not raise eyebrows. Wifes' Lady Schrade 2" blade lockback, no problem.

 

Boarding - arrived 10:30 a.m., on board by 12:20. In room by 1:30 and large bags were waiting.

 

More complete later tomorrow after we get caught up feeding and watering hungry cattle.

 

Great review & pictures so far!!! Thanks for sharing! I look forward to reading the remainder of the review.

 

The Ecstasy is a perfectly lovely ship. The Crazies will be sailing on her again, same itinerary, in 63 days!!!

 

WOOOOHOOOO!!

 

:D

 

 

Can't wait to read your review when your back Mach!

[DryCreek]

I wanted to take time to render an opinion of our trip - overall.

As I had previously confessed, I enjoy the Total Disney type of vacation. I can explain how that works if interested, but it is similar (in some ways) to being on a cruise.

 

Food - overall, I found the food to range from good (buffet fare) to very good (MDR offerings). I am comparing them to my experiences with the top offerings at Disney World (i.e. Le Cellier, Les Chefs du France, Tutto Italia) which we book as part of the dining plan when we stay on site. The service met our expectations with the exception of the first evening. We ate breakfast in the MDR three times, no lunches, and all evening meals. Yes, I dressed up for the cruise elegant night (brand-new starched black Wranglers, white Wrangler pearl-snap shirt, WahMaker black accented vest, black Restistol and gambler style bow-tie). Many were also acceptably attired, and a few, well, bless their hearts - I know they meant well. The YTD dining was the best choice I feel. We never had to wait, we chose two-tops for the most part, and we could choose which shows we wanted to attend (early or late). What stands out the most - the fruit and vegetables were excellent. They must have a great produce vendor.

 

Shows - Oh my, where to start? In my opinion, the shows ranged from mediocre to horrible! We caught Extreme Country, and it was mediocre at best. Yes, they did have several wardrobe and scenery changes, but the choreography was minimal and the male lead vocals were weak and often off key. The female lead vocals were powerful and helped to pull off the show. Song selection was puzzling though. No, Steve Cassel was not the fiddler, but the guy they had was very, very good. As far as the big production show that was scheduled for the last sea day (Dream Voyage) it was canceled due to the rough weather earlier - although it had calmed down by showtime. Instead, they had the same male lead from the Extreme Country show do sort of a one-man act with the five piece band. It was an ad-lib horror. Where was the female singer? The other musical shows were on par to what I would expect to find in most theme parks - good to OK, but not great. The two-piece reggae band was loud. Really loud. I wish they were good, then loud would be OK. A synthesizer and guitar just doesn't cut it for me - I wanna hear that steel drum mon!

 

Room - as mentioned in the opening, it was great, and our steward took good care of us. I did have to initially leave her a written request to keep our collapsible cooler full (and an extra tip or bribe, if you will). I don't recall her name, but I think she was Eastern European (Slavic). All the "stuff" in the room worked, and the room temperature could be easily adjusted to our liking.

 

Ship in General - pretty well laid out, but the large midship galley makes getting fore and aft difficult at times. The decks where all of the attractions are is split, and sometimes it seemed like you couldn't get there from here. The starboard glassed-in lift was out of service the whole trip. No biggie - we always used the stairs anyway. Yes, there were one or two rust spots if you looked hard enough. Geesh, its' an older vessel riding in salt water. The Serenity Deck - it was pretty well policed for the most part, all those pesky children were either run off by the staff or maybe thrown overboard, I wasn't disturbed by them. Now, on one or two occasions, the "younger" adults would whoop it up while they were imbibing in the hot tubs. During one session, I watched as a couple my age tried to keep up with the early twenty-somethings. Big mistake - the woman fell out of the hot tub backwards, and her husband was not able to walk, much less offer her a hand up. For the most part, the ship was kept tidy and clean. In fact, one night they even shampooed the carpets! That's dedication to cleanliness.

 

This will be all for now - it is way past my bedtime and my mind is addled. In fact, I still have me "sea legs" (wife too) and we are a bit disoriented still.

 

Tomorrow afternoon I hope to be able to go over debarkation (wow, a zoo - but not all Carnivals fault) and the one really big event dealing with on-board staff that really frustrated me to no end.

 

I will leave y'all with this - would we cruise again? Probably not... Ok, maybe, but not on the Ecstasy or the same 5 day itinerary unless we could book it for the same price we snagged this time ($269 pp/ $720 total cost) or less. We both often found ourselves bored. We are not the "relaxing vacation" type people. Lounging by the pool is OK, but we can do that at home. I like the excitement of walking around a theme park and seeing some street performers or a good show, and rides too. We like hauling the RV off to some large state park where we can go for extended strolls (not much "hiking" any more) or visit some museums, or airshows, or other action-packed venues.

Sorry, but I don't think that you will see a long string of booked or sailed cruises in our signature block.

Don't get me wrong - we are glad we took this cruise, and I don't dispute that this was a good value for the money. It's just that we didn't find enough to hold our attention. We don't really gamble (unless you count the $3 we blew on the really tight penny slots), we don't hang out in the nightclubs (we really like traditional country) and we don't "spa".

[DryCreek]

OK, I have a few more minutes to add some more insight from our cruise.

The iced tea - not very tasty, according to the DW. She said it seemed to be a cross between instant and canned tea. I didn't really try any, I drank the water mainly.

The coffee - yup, as mentioned here before, it is very strong. Don't get me wrong - I found it drinkable. The coffee in the MDR was better in my opinion. It was still strong, but not as bitter.

The hot chocolate (cocoa) - DW approved. She said that it was the creamiest she had ever had from a machine, but could have stood to be a tad warmer. On the cold days the machines ran out pretty quickly.

 

Remember that I mentioned how fresh the produce was? I forgot to mention that the mint was the most fragrant and pungent I have come across. It was way better than what we grew this past summer. One sprig, when lightly rolled would be fragrant enough that all of the folks seated around me could smell it. I then unceremoniously dunked it into my water glass. Along with the lemon. One of the waiters asked if I was drinking a Mojito.

 

I was feeling particularly mischievous once when walking down the City Lights Boulevard and was greeted by Brad the cruise director. He smiled and thrust out his hand saying: Hi!, I'm the cruise director!" I put on my best surprised look and said "You're John Heald? I'm honored!". He just hung his head and simply replied, "no, I'm John Junior". I then apologized and said "sorry Steve". :D

 

I found one more picture to add. This is just not what you would expect looking down on the Serenity Deck one day out from Cozumel!

Yup, those are fully-clothed people wrapped in towels and blankets!

 

I will finish up in a little while if I get a chance. Just unloaded feed and now I have to turn the calves out of the barn, eat dinner, and then collect my thoughts!

[DryCreek]

We will be on the Ecstasy for our first cruise in 27 days. We have "your time dining" also and I'm interested in your impressions as a first timer. Were the Christmas decorations up yet? Has anyone been on the Ecstasy for New Years? What was it like? Am I getting anything special for the holiday premium I paid? At least I got a reservation for the Chef's Table and am very much looking forward to it!

 

I really liked YTD. We could saunter in as we pleased and didn't wait in any lines. We were usually seated (2 top) as soon as we walked up. On this trip the Windstar served as the YTD dining room.

 

I hope that my impressions as a first timer are not too harsh, it just seems that maybe a cruise is not the most ideal vacation choice for some folks.

 

Yes, the Christmas holiday decorations were starting to appear, but only in the Grand Atrium during our cruise. I am sure that they will also start popping up in other venues as well during the next couple of weeks - at least I would hope so. For information to all, they also have their Menorah in on the Empress level of the Grand Atrium (near the piano) and celebrated the first and second night of Chanukah at sundown. They had a crewmember recite the prayers and lead the celebration of light.

I will see if I was able to get some pictures of the decorations in the Atrium.

As far as paying a premium for the Holidays, I cannot say - I was not aware that there was such a thing..

 

Hope this helps some.

[DryCreek]

Were the Christmas decorations up yet?

 

Empress level of the Atrium:

 

And on the (I think) Atlantic Level:

 

And the Menorah:

 

Hope this helped!

[douglinc@msn.com]

Your pictures look familar to me also, I was born and lived in Dublin, Tx. as a child.

 

Doug

[DryCreek]

Some more things I think are worth mentioning:

 

The lower decks (Riviera and Main) are much quieter than the ones above them. While climbing the stairs from the Main to the Upper deck, the noise from traffic and equipment becomes markedly more noticeable. Also, being closer to one end or the other benefits from reduced traffic noise in the passageways.

 

If you like typical sized serving sizes, while in the MDR you may need to order more than one item. I typically ordered two appetizers (fresh fruit and a soup, i.e.) and two entree's (lobster and the baked fish <- may have been Mahi).

 

The last night confusion.

OK, here is the only fault I have with Carnival staff itself. The evening we departed Cozumel, I went to the starboard side shops and picked up two bottles of Bacardi Select. This is an extra-dark rum that is impossible to find around where I live. The two one-liter bottles for $19.99 was an outstanding price. I already knew the drill - you pay for the bottles and they are delivered to your room on the last night. The man at the cash register said deliveries start at about 8 p.m., and are usually completed by 10. I was also instructed to keep my receipt in case there were any problems. I guessed that statement is what jinxed me. Anyway, when 10 p.m. rolled around and only the liquor confiscated from our return from Cozumel had appeared, I grew concerned. Twice I walked down to Guest Relations and spoke to someone (different person each time) and I was essentially blown off. They said that they may still be making deliveries, etc. etc. The next morning (last morning on board) I again went down the G-R and was told to return at 7:30 when someone from the gift shop would be able to assist me. Eventually I saw someone stirring in the shop and he appeared down at the desk where we were waiting. The gift shop employee started to hightail it when a little voice told me to check the box. As I started to open it he became nervous and blurted out that there was a problem - they had no more Select and he had taken it upon himself to substitute Bacardi Silver instead! I guess that the displeasure at finding this out was very evident on my face at that time - he was trying to depart when I firmly told him that was not acceptable. I reminded him that I had handed him two bottles of what I ordered, and it wasn't Silver! His response? A simple shrug and then he turned to walk away. I guess that I musta kinda blew up then. I told him to take the box back, it was NOT what I ordered. He said OK, and then pointed to the G-R desk and said to try and get a refund from them. At first they balked at the desk and said that they would have to call someone. I told them fine, I would love to speak to whoever they needed to call - even the Captain would be fine. Then they said "Oh, we can do this now" and the amount was credited to my S&S account (which had already been closed out).

As far as I am concerned, there are two "I's" that can kill an operation that is dependent on customer service. They are Incompetence and Indifference. I am not insinuating that there was incompetence - accidents will happen and packages will be mis-delivered (hopefully not to a room with non-adults). I am just appalled that they didn't try to find out where my package was delivered, and how this mistake was made. I was incensed at the fact that the shopkeeper thought that he could substitute (an inferior IMO) product without at least asking the customer first. His attitude (Indifference, the other "I" that kills customer service oriented businesses) was not acceptable - he could have at least tried to offer some other suitable substitute, or an apology.

I plan to inform Carnival of this experience. I am hoping that I am selected for one of those e-mailed customer satisfaction surveys. If not, I will contact their home office from the website.

I know, some people will feel that I am overplaying this event - after all, I was reimbursed my expense for the liquor, wasn't I? No harm - no foul as some would say. I just really had my heart set on getting the item I purchased. Substitute any other product if you feel that a special purchase of liquor doesn't qualify for angst.

 

I thought that this would be the final unpleasant event of the day, but that was not to be. Debarkation Nightmare ahead!

[USAF&wife]

The last night confusion.

OK, here is the only fault I have with Carnival staff itself. The evening we departed Cozumel, I went to the starboard side shops and picked up two bottles of Bacardi Select. This is an extra-dark rum that is impossible to find around where I live. The two one-liter bottles for $19.99 was an outstanding price. I already knew the drill - you pay for the bottles and they are delivered to your room on the last night. The man at the cash register said deliveries start at about 8 p.m., and are usually completed by 10. I was also instructed to keep my receipt in case there were any problems. I guessed that statement is what jinxed me. Anyway, when 10 p.m. rolled around and only the liquor confiscated from our return from Cozumel had appeared, I grew concerned. Twice I walked down to Guest Relations and spoke to someone (different person each time) and I was essentially blown off. They said that they may still be making deliveries, etc. etc. The next morning (last morning on board) I again went down the G-R and was told to return at 7:30 when someone from the gift shop would be able to assist me. Eventually I saw someone stirring in the shop and he appeared down at the desk where we were waiting. The gift shop employee started to hightail it when a little voice told me to check the box. As I started to open it he became nervous and blurted out that there was a problem - they had no more Select and he had taken it upon himself to substitute Bacardi Silver instead! I guess that the displeasure at finding this out was very evident on my face at that time - he was trying to depart when I firmly told him that was not acceptable. I reminded him that I had handed him two bottles of what I ordered, and it wasn't Silver! His response? A simple shrug and then he turned to walk away. I guess that I musta kinda blew up then. I told him to take the box back, it was NOT what I ordered. He said OK, and then pointed to the G-R desk and said to try and get a refund from them. At first they balked at the desk and said that they would have to call someone. I told them fine, I would love to speak to whoever they needed to call - even the Captain would be fine. Then they said "Oh, we can do this now" and the amount was credited to my S&S account (which had already been closed out).

As far as I am concerned, there are two "I's" that can kill an operation that is dependent on customer service. They are Incompetence and Indifference. I am not insinuating that there was incompetence - accidents will happen and packages will be mis-delivered (hopefully not to a room with non-adults). I am just appalled that they didn't try to find out where my package was delivered, and how this mistake was made. I was incensed at the fact that the shopkeeper thought that he could substitute (an inferior IMO) product without at least asking the customer first. His attitude (Indifference, the other "I" that kills customer service oriented businesses) was not acceptable - he could have at least tried to offer some other suitable substitute, or an apology.

I plan to inform Carnival of this experience. I am hoping that I am selected for one of those e-mailed customer satisfaction surveys. If not, I will contact their home office from the website.

I know, some people will feel that I am overplaying this event - after all, I was reimbursed my expense for the liquor, wasn't I? No harm - no foul as some would say. I just really had my heart set on getting the item I purchased. Substitute any other product if you feel that a special purchase of liquor doesn't qualify for angst.

 

I thought that this would be the final unpleasant event of the day, but that was not to be. Debarkation Nightmare ahead!

 

 

Just in case you didn't know; I have been told that the liquor shop on board is not run by Carnival, but sublet to a vendor. While the problem may not be directly Carnival's fault, they do need to know any problems so that they may not want to let this vendor on board next contract time.

 

Our first cruise was on the Ecstasy too. We had a great time and booked another for the Magic. Sorry your's was not great.

 

Tamara

[DryCreek]

OK, now I want to make this very clear here - the mess that was supposed to be a leisurely (and orderly) debarkation process was not, repeat NOT Carnivals fault. It seems that our arrival was selected to be one of the "100% enforcement" days that are conducted every five years. The Customs and Border Protection agents were being more thorough than they typically are (asking every imaginable question) and conducting random searches. We were debarkation zone 21, and when 11:00 rolled around and we were still sitting on the Lido Deck, I knew something was up! Finally, the assistant CD's came swooping down and informed everybody that we could all leave now as the luggage was finally unloaded. I laughed at that one - DW and I had stood at the Starboard rail and watched all of the baggage be unloaded before 9, and then see some of the boarding passengers baggage being staged for loading.

 

Any way, as recommended here on the board by many, I immediately bounded to the Porter line to snag a porter and get in their shorter line. We were greeted by a mass of humanity! These pictures were accidentally snapped as my camera fell out of my pocket :cool::

Now, to give y'all some perspective if you are not familiar with this port - I am standing in the line for the porters. This picture was taken after about 45 minutes standing there! The line to the left actually extended way past me and almost to the far wall behind me (not visible). The line to the left eventually works its way up to the queue area dead ahead in the picture, where it fans out some more. Just to the right of the last column where you see the widened queue area, you are held up and then ushered in a U-turn to the waiting C&BP inspector stations (with another line leading up to them). The porters get to "cut in line" at the point where the U-turn is made, so that is where you get ahead of the pack - legally.

 

Since the line was moving so excruciatingly slow, the porters were avoiding this section like the plague. They absolutely refused to come to the returning passengers section since they were routinely being held up in line for as much as 90 minutes! They were making better tips unloading the departing passengers as fast as they could.

Eventually, C&BP gave up the punishment and just started their normal routine - hey there, did you have a nice trip? Do you have anything to declare? (scans passports) Thank you, have a nice day.

We left the ship at 11, and we finally were on the other side and in the parking lot at 1:30. What a mess, but then again, not Carnivals fault.

 

That is my trip report. I know that it is not a glowing tribute to cruising, but we did enjoy ourselves for the most part - and we think that we got our moneys worth (remember, total cost for 2 was $702).

 

As far as the ship goes, she is in great shape for her age, rode well in pretty rough weather (we also had help from the generic Bonine [Meclazine HCl <- available OTC if requested from the drug counter at Walmart]). The food met our expectations, and in some cases exceeded it. I was impressed with most of the staff - they always were genuinely friendly and seemed to care if you were enjoying your cruise. I also laughed at the nightly ritual of "Hoppy Burse-ah-day to-ah you) in the MDR. Oh, the DW says that the Deli/Pizzeria guy must really take his job seriously (never smiles), but you do get your order, so everything is OK there (another note - she says deli sandwiches great, pizza more like Chuck E Cheeses).

 

Any more questions for a first timer?

 

Brad

[Cindy]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Even though you discovered cruising might not be the best vacation for you, it seems like you were open-minded and gave a very fair account of your experiences. Unlike you, I LOVE the downtime on a cruise, which is one of the reasons it's a perfect choice for us!

 

Interesting picture. I was not aware of any cruise ships that needed a tug anymore (other than the Splendor:().

 

I've seen tugs used quite frequently in Galveston, especially when it's very windy. There's just not a lot of margin for error, and a strong wind slamming into the side of a ship could cause everybody to have a bad cruise day!:eek:

[*Mach*]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Even though you discovered cruising might not be the best vacation for you, it seems like you were open-minded and gave a very fair account of your experiences. Unlike you, I LOVE the downtime on a cruise, which is one of the reasons it's a perfect choice for us!

 

 

 

 

I've seen tugs used quite frequently in Galveston, especially when it's very windy. There's just not a lot of margin for error, and a strong wind slamming into the side of a ship could cause everybody to have a bad cruise day!:eek:

 

 

Yep... you're spot on, Cindy. When the winds exceed about 25 knots and are in an awkward direction the thrusters can't safely maneuver the ship... gotta bring in the tugs.

If you look at the cruise cam on Galveston.com this morning you'll see the aft end of the Conquest rather than her bow. The winds are just at 25. Rather than add the expense of a tug (and they are VERY expensive...) they'll dock port side to the pier and hope that the winds lay this afternoon...

:)

[Cindy]

Yep... you're spot on, Cindy. When the winds exceed about 25 knots and are in an awkward direction the thrusters can't safely maneuver the ship... gotta bring in the tugs.

 

If you look at the cruise cam on Galveston.com this morning you'll see the aft end of the Conquest rather than her bow. The winds are just at 25. Rather than add the expense of a tug (and they are VERY expensive...) they'll dock port side to the pier and hope that the winds lay this afternoon...

 

:)

 

We've needed tugs to bring us in on at least two of our cruises from Galveston that I recall...last March on the Conquest, and one year on the Grand.

[travel girl23]

I enjoyed your review. We got off the Ecstasy as you were getting on as we were on the Thanksgiving cruise. We did dock at 7:30 a.m. which is a little later than usual. No clue why but being Platinum we were the first off the ship. We, too, stayed at the Best Western Beachfront and it was our 3rd time to stay there. The rates were even better the week before yours - $43 but now that Dickens on the Strand is in full swing, the rates have probably skyrocketed. We, too, parked across the street at the Galveston Park and Cruise and will park there from now on. So convenient. We also enjoyed the double decker bus tour of Progreso but went to the Ocean Beach Club in Cozumel.

Sorry to hear about your liquor problems but hope you enjoyed the cruise. It was our 4th on the Ecstasy.

[mfrost]

We were on this cruise as well for our first cruise. Had a great time. Already looking at dates for another cruise this time next year!

[DryCreek]

[quote name='USAF&wife']Just in case you didn't know; I have been told that the liquor shop on board is not run by Carnival, but sublet to a vendor. While the problem may not be directly Carnival's fault, they do need to know any problems so that they may not want to let this vendor on board next contract time.

Our first cruise was on the Ecstasy too. We had a great time and booked another for the Magic. Sorry your's was not great.

Tamara[/quote]

I have submitted feedback to Carnival dot coms website to inform them of the issue I had.

It's not that the cruise wasn't great, it's just that cruising might not be the type of vacation that suits us - kinda like fried liver, some folks rave over it, but it makes me queasy! I tried to be objective in my review as I didn't want to taint others perspective on cruising - especially if they haven't gone on one yet.

[DryCreek]

[quote name='douglinc@msn.com']Your pictures look familar to me also, [SIZE=4][COLOR=SeaGreen]I was born and lived in Dublin, Tx[/COLOR][/SIZE]. as a child.

Doug[/quote]

Ahhh, the home of Dr. Pepper made the correct way - with real Dixie Crystals sugar!

[DryCreek]

[quote name='Cindy'][SIZE=3]Thanks for sharing your experiences. [U]Even though you discovered cruising might not be the best vacation for you, it seems like you were open-minded and gave a very fair account of your experiences.[/U] Unlike you, I LOVE the downtime on a cruise, which is one of the reasons it's a perfect choice for us![/SIZE][/quote]

I did my best. I want to reiterate that we did not have a horrible cruise, we really did enjoy some parts of the whole experience. I just wish that the shows were of better quality (I would estimate on the same level as what you'd see at Six Flags in Arlington) and they at least put a little more effort into activities on At Sea Days. Of course, those improvements may lead to higher prices, and at the price point we cruised at, I guess that I really cannot complain (too much).

[DryCreek]

[quote name='travel girl23']I
Sorry to hear about your liquor problems but [B][COLOR=Red]hope you enjoyed the cruise.[/COLOR][/B] It was our 4th on the Ecstasy.[/quote]

My wife and I feel that we easily got our monies worth, but cruising is a bit too sedentary for us - at least with what options were offered on the Ecstasy.

[okwriter]

[quote name='DryCreek']Opens up staples on pre-packaged items and stacks of paper. Cuts those pesky little clear ties on things that are "paired" (flip-flops, i.e.) and don't forget the plastic clamshell packaging so popular now - try opening the mega-pack of batteries to fill up those hungry cameras!

And finally, I would feel more nekkid without my pocket knife than if I had forgotten to put on drawers!
[COLOR="Red"][B]Have you ever been out walking and chased down a snake, stepped on it's head and then reached into an empty back pocket?[/B][/COLOR] I have....once.[/QUOTE]

All good points I hadn't considered! ;)

A few months ago, I was walking to my sister's farmhouse next door to take her a roll of gift wrapping paper. I came upon a small snake and, in the absence of anything better, I clubbed it to death with the cardboard roll. So I guess the answer to your question is YES, kind of. :D

Carry on! :)

[marne001]

Hi Brad,

Great review! Loved your style of writing. I had two very similar situations with on board liquor purchases and communicated my concerns (in both cases) early on to the the "[I]store[/I]" and Purser/Guest Services. NO RESPONSE in either case. When I followed up on the telephone, I was politely told to be patient and someone would get back to me...never happened. Like you, I was at the store before 7am and had to catch the "store" manager who acted sheepish saying, "what can be done?". Well! I suggested they refund my money, here is the wrong product and my receipt. I used quotes around the word store as I understood back then it was simply a third party vendor and not CCL. However, CCL NEEDS to stand behind what is sold on the ship, regardless of who is the vendor. It is transparent to the passenger.

After reading your experience, I wonder how many other passengers have been bamboozled in this manner.

On another note, you were on a five day cruise I believe in Nov/Dec; however, if you ever sail again may I suggest a seven day or longer cruise between Sep/Oct. I realize scheduling is a challenge for you; but the cruise experience gets better on a longer trip. IMHO Sep/Oct is ideal, the weather is still warm and (no body flame me!) there will be less kids on the ship. I am NOT anti-kid, just prefer to not sail with >500 of them, or ANY homogenous group; Bears, Quilters, Quality Managers, etc. I have found passengers on =>7day cruisers are simply better behaved. Geez, surely gonna get flamed for something in this post!

Happy cruisin'

[cullensmom]

OP - I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thanks for sharing.

Our last cruise DH didn't have his passport and it took us 1 1/2 hours to get through the birth certificate line. I'm SO glad that we weren't there when customs was doing the really thorough check.

I got a giggle out of the "contact lens solution" drinks. I have my empty bottle at home waiting for the next trip.

I'm not sure if you mentioned it or not, but they seem to be a little more thorough checking people's carry on bags. We had some Red Bull, 5 or 6 cans of diet Dr. Pepper and 4 bottles of water in our rolling carry on (to go with our Bon Voyage order). After we went through the metal detectors, we got sent to a table where they opened the bag, checked the ends of the 12 pack of Red Bull, and shook the water bottles. Mine were water, but I had tested a friend's bottles (she had a mix of water and vodka). They do bubble differently when you shake them. She had 2 small coolers with water bottles and she didn't get sent to the "double check" table.

[cruiser fanatic]

We have sailed on ecstasy 3 times and love it we are going this Saturday.

[DryCreek]

[quote name='marne001']Hi Brad,

Great review! Loved your style of writing. I had two very similar situations with on board liquor purchases and communicated my concerns (in both cases) early on to the the "[I]store[/I]" and Purser/Guest Services. NO RESPONSE in either case. When I followed up on the telephone, I was politely told to be patient and someone would get back to me...never happened. Like you, I was at the store before 7am and had to catch the "store" manager who acted sheepish saying, "what can be done?". Well! I suggested they refund my money, here is the wrong product and my receipt. I used quotes around the word store as I understood back then it was simply a third party vendor and not CCL. However, CCL NEEDS to stand behind what is sold on the ship, regardless of who is the vendor. It is transparent to the passenger.

[COLOR=Red]After reading your experience, I wonder how many other passengers have been bamboozled in this manner.
[COLOR=SeaGreen]None, I hope![/COLOR]
[/COLOR]
On another note, you were on a five day cruise I believe in Nov/Dec; however, if you ever sail again may I suggest a seven day or longer cruise between Sep/Oct. I realize scheduling is a challenge for you; but the cruise experience gets better on a longer trip. IMHO Sep/Oct is ideal, [COLOR=Red]the weather is still warm and (no body flame me!) there will be less kids on the ship.[/COLOR] I am NOT anti-kid, just prefer to not sail with >500 of them, or ANY homogenous group; Bears, Quilters, Quality Managers, etc. I have found passengers on =>7day cruisers are simply better behaved. Geez, surely gonna get flamed for something in this post!

Happy cruisin'[/quote]

We weren't disappointed by the cooler weather during the cruise - we had actually anticipated it! I was just amazed at how rapidly the temperatures had changed, and how few others had anticipated it!

As far vacationing when there are fewer "Little Darlings" around, I am in complete agreement! That is why we normally plan our junkets to Disney World and other destinations (DC/Williamsburg/Busch Gardens) anywhere from November until late February. The middle of February is exactly the best time to do WDW we have found.

We looked into a 7 day, but with the Magic coming in, the newness has solid bookings and the rates weren't that good. The wife would like and Eastern Caribbean itinerary and seeing some of the other offerings, but we would have to plan for it. We may even look at an AI too. On the seven day cruises, do they actually put a little more effort into the onboard (sea day) activities?

[DryCreek]

[quote name='cullensmom']OP - I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thanks for sharing.

Our last cruise DH didn't have his passport and it took us 1 1/2 hours to get through the birth certificate line. I'm SO glad that we weren't there when customs was doing the really thorough check.

I got a giggle out of the "contact lens solution" drinks. I have my empty bottle at home waiting for the next trip.

I'm not sure if you mentioned it or not, but they seem to be a little more thorough checking people's carry on bags. We had some Red Bull, 5 or 6 cans of diet Dr. Pepper and 4 bottles of water in our rolling carry on (to go with our Bon Voyage order). After we went through the metal detectors, we got sent to a table where they opened the bag, checked the ends of the 12 pack of Red Bull, and shook the water bottles. Mine were water, but I had tested a friend's bottles (she had a mix of water and vodka). They do bubble differently when you shake them. She had 2 small coolers with water bottles and she didn't get sent to the "double check" table.[/quote]

They did check the ends of the 12 pack cartons of "Coke-Coler" and Ginger Ale we carried on board. I even popped open the carry handles for them to get a better look. What flagged them was the metal flask I had in the bag. I had the lid already open (it is hinged) to show the guard that it was empty. He acted disappointed since he was (in his own words) the "Official Taste Tester". He did take a good whiff of it though - and approved, as it had previously contained the beverage advertised on its exterior (Crown Royal).

By the way, to complete the ruse, make sure that you have contact lens carriers too - you know, the white plastic thingy with a round lid for each right and left lens. At least one carrier for each bottle of cleaning solution.