Carnival Ecstasy 11-27 Review!

[DryCreek]

[quote name='nrrice']We have sailed on ecstasy 3 times and love it we are going this Saturday.[/quote]
The Ecstasy is a great ship. She was well maintained and rode the heavy swells much better than anything I was ever stationed on in the Navy. Tell everyone in Progreso we said Howdy!

[marne001]

[quote name='DryCreek']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?[/quote]

Hi Brad,

You will have a slightly more erudite passenger on the Eastern itinerary when compared to the Western; think touring sites (Mikve Synogogue oldest/sand floors) versus beaches and booze cruises (I've got no issue with either!).

The downside on sailing out of Galveston is insufficient inventory; the ships fill up and the cruise lines just take the orders==not much need for going above and beyond, e.g., good customer service in the shops, competitive pricing (like those sailing from MIA/FFL, interesting itineraries. I have fatigues of the Western Caribbean "Bermuda Triangle" itinerary.

Happy cruisin'

[DryCreek]

[quote name='okwriter']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! :)[/quote]
Nothin' says Happy Holidays like the green and red pile of a smushed snake!
That must have been a pretty small snake to be dispatched by a roll of wrapping paper around a cardboard tube! Are you sure it wasn't playing possum?

[DryCreek]

[quote name='marne001']Hi Brad,

The downside on sailing out of Galveston is insufficient inventory; the ships fill up and the cruise lines just take the orders==not much need for going above and beyond, e.g., good customer service in the shops, competitive pricing (like those sailing from MIA/FFL, interesting itineraries.[/quote]

This is what I was worried about. What I meant by a "little more effort directed towards their on-board activities", a little creativity can go a long way. Take for instance their Marriage Game. Their "set" was merely six plain, straight back chairs drug up onto an empty stage. I know for a fact that there is a drop-down projection screen (used for the rather rushed Bingo! games) and an LED projector. Couldn't they project a "set" background, pipe in some cheesy canned gameshow music and at least make an attempt at showing some creativity? Not even a drop down banner from the overhead set rigging. At a minimal cost they could have made it interesting for the half-dozen or so of us that sat in on the contest.
Maybe it was a cutback due to the lost revenue from the smugglers? Oh, the shame!

[DryCreek]

I almost forgot about one topic that always seems to come up about some ships - the sewer smell.

On the Ecstasy, we only noticed it in two places, from our bathroom (slight) and, strangely enough, at the entrance to the Wind Star Dining Room!

The first time we noticed it, the wife glared at me and guess who got blamed for "it"? I had to explain to her that those odors sometimes occur on cruise ships due to ventilation anomalies and vacuum leaks. I don't think she believed me, but after five nights in a row she might think that I have a new superpower.:cool:

[kcl57]

[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]

We cruised for Thanksgiving too. Kinda glad we missed the cold front, but we did have some waves! It was kinda a bummer not being able to go topside & watch...

Loved the Ecstasy - and really liked this review, very fair, very reasonable!!
:)

[kcl57]

[quote name='DryCreek']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.[/QUOTE]


Thumbs up on your review! I like reading a fair minded review, you know? And you calling Brad "Steve" cracked me up! Sat in on one of the trivia games, run by Steve, nice northern Englander...

[melodystrother]

[quote name='Host Mach'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=seagreen]The Ecstasy is a perfectly lovely ship. The Crazies will be sailing on her again, same itinerary, in 63 days!!![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=#2e8b57][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=#2e8b57]WOOOOHOOOO!![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=#2e8b57][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=#2e8b57]:D

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I love the Ectasy tooo... gonna miss her

[DryCreek]

[quote name='kcl57']Thumbs up on your review! [COLOR=Red] I like reading a fair minded review[/COLOR], you know? And you calling Brad "Steve" cracked me up! Sat in on one of the trivia games, run by Steve, nice northern Englander...[/quote]

I'm glad you enjoyed it - I didn't want to come across as a "Cruise Basher" (or Carnival in particular). Overall, we really do feel that we got our monies worth, and parts of the cruise were very enjoyable - it's just that the lack of structured activities on sea days kinda wore us down. Even at home I don't spend more than 30 to 45 minutes playing in the pool or laying in the sun before I have to get up and start another project.

Since the DW has grown tired of WDW, I am looking into alternatives for our early spring getaway, and maybe we'll just do Universal Studios or Albuquerque New Mexico this time. Tampa may be a close second (Busch Gardens and ?).

[Fighterone]

[quote name='DryCreek']I'
I didn't want to come across as a "Cruise Basher" (or Carnival in particular). Overall, we really do feel that we got our monies worth, and parts of the cruise were very enjoyable - it's just that the lack of structured activities on sea days kinda wore us down.[/quote]

Fair and humorous review! Loved your sense of humor, and well written! I am still trying to learn how to do this...guess you got it or you don't!
I would have been livid too if my booze had been switched! BTW, I got a bottle of Bacardi Blackfor $18.99 at the Toronto duty free last month and it is fabulous. I like the Select too and enjoy Myers Rhum.

[DryCreek]

[quote name='Fighterone']Fair and humorous review! Loved your sense of humor, and well written! [COLOR=Red]I am still trying to learn how to do this...guess you got it or you don't! [/COLOR]
I would have been livid too if my booze had been switched! BTW, I got a bottle of [COLOR=DarkOrchid]Bacardi Blackfor $18.99 at the Toronto duty free last month and it is fabulous. I like the Select[/COLOR] too and enjoy Myers Rhum.[/quote]

[COLOR=Red]My advice is that you should always write in the same style that you think and/or normally speak. If too much effort is expended trying to emulate one style or another - the message will either be diluted or lost. If you have been successful at getting your ideas across in the past - your future reviews will be equally as successful.[/COLOR] The open and candid exchange we have here is what makes this board successful. It should (and often does) feel like you are sitting around and discussing things with folks you either know very well or may have just met.

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]So, I take it that you are one of the few that actually "get it" as to why I was so disappointed when the shopkeeper tried to substitute Bacardi Silver for Select! Other folks I have spoken to (who are not rum drinkers) think that I am being petty and should have taken the Silver as an honest attempt for an equal substitution.[/COLOR]

[suebee53]

DryCreek, I was [I]so[/I] thankful I'd read your review since we just got off the Ecstasy this morning, and had the potential for a similar problem last night when the "Happy Boxes" were delivered to our cabin and one was missing. Alarm bells went off in my head, especially since my DH was looking forward to the 12-year Macallan Scotch he'd ordered. We went down to the gift shop, me holding my breath. . . but the gentleman down there nodded with recognition. Apparently they were aware that something had gone wrong with a Scotch delivery, found us in the computer (which is great since we couldn't find the receipt, having only the printout of our S&S card), and boxed up two bottles with a smile.

Whew!

Great review, too. Thank you!

[Fighterone]

[quote name='DryCreek'][COLOR=red]My advice is that you should always write in the same style that you think and/or normally speak. If too much effort is expended trying to emulate one style or another - the message will either be diluted or lost. If you have been successful at getting your ideas across in the past - your future reviews will be equally as successful.[/COLOR] The open and candid exchange we have here is what makes this board successful. It should (and often does) feel like you are sitting around and discussing things with folks you either know very well or may have just met.

[COLOR=darkorchid]So, I take it that you are one of the few that actually "get it" as to why I was so disappointed when the shopkeeper tried to substitute Bacardi Silver for Select! Other folks I have spoken to (who are not rum drinkers) think that I am being petty and should have taken the Silver as an honest attempt for an equal substitution.[/COLOR][/quote]

Yep, if I had wanted Rum silver, I would have bought rum silver! That was a disappointing example of what happens when you don't have full control of your purchase...taking it home at the time of the payment.

Thanks for the tips! My speech is also rather bland, I find!

[DryCreek]

[quote name='suebee53']DryCreek, I was [I]so[/I] thankful I'd read your review [COLOR=Red]since we just got off the Ecstasy this morning[/COLOR], and had the potential for a similar problem last night when the "Happy Boxes" were delivered to our cabin and one was missing. Alarm bells went off in my head, especially since my DH was looking forward to the 12-year Macallan Scotch he'd ordered. We went down to the gift shop, me holding my breath. . . but the gentleman down there nodded with recognition. Apparently they were aware that something had gone wrong with a Scotch delivery, found us in the computer (which is great since we couldn't find the receipt, having only the printout of our S&S card), and boxed up two bottles with a smile.

Whew!

[COLOR=Red]Great review, too. Thank you![/COLOR][/quote]

I am glad that your issue was resolved so quickly!

I would be interested to hear your opinion on the Ecstasy - I see that you are a seasoned cruiser. It would be great if you could do a review that would compare/contrast our experiences! Just imagine, the same basic itinerary and ship, but seen through the eyes of two people with vastly different experience levels! I am sure that newer or even first time cruisers would be able to glean much useful information from such a post. Wherever I felt there was a weakness, you could ad how to avoid or prepare (or even refute) just such an issue.

Was the Ecstasy in port today? Did they leave early? I could have sworn that I breezed through the Galveston.com cruise webcam today and saw that the two cruise terminals were bare.

[DryCreek]

[quote name='Fighterone']Yep, if I had wanted Rum silver, I would have bought rum silver! That was a disappointing example of what happens when you don't have full control of your purchase...taking it home at the time of the payment.

Thanks for the tips! [COLOR=Red]My speech is also rather bland, I find![/COLOR][/quote]

Bland doesn't mean inaccurate. In many cases, readers with little time (or maybe patience) prefer a cut-to-the-quick style of writing. I wouldn't call it bland - just call it precise and direct. Sort of like an owners manual - just give them the information they need. Any style is good as long as the basic information is conveyed, and the reader feels that they were not wasting their time.