Carnival Ecstasy Review 11/7/11

[karinvt]

I have read a lot of reviews on here and will do my best to try and cover as much as I can. My DH (John) and I went on this cruise with my brother in-law (James) and two good friends (Kristy and Barry).

 

This was her first sailing out of Port Canaveral and it seems there was still some hiccups that needed to be worked out. Boarding time was scheduled for 3:00 pm, but had been delayed to 5:00. We arrived at the pier around 4:45 and were told by the Port Authority that it was closed. They said the Ecstasy was not there yet and they were not permitting any more Carnival passengers to enter until it arrived. Glancing at the line there appeared to be less than 100 people in line. However, Port Authority told us to come back in an hour to see if we could come in then.

 

An hour later we returned to Port and they were letting people in and it appeared they had been doing so for awhile. We gave our bags to the porter and got in line. The process seemed to take forever. Like I said when we arrived they had clearly been letting people back in for awhile because we were towards the end of the line with maybe 200 people behind us. After a lot of waiting we boarded the ship around 9:00 pm.

 

Carnival tried to make up for the delay by creating everyone with sandwiches and juices. They refused any other form of compensation as many people were asking for it. They said the weather caused all of the delays, but rumors were floating that there were issues docking the ship. Regardless, we were on board and ready to start our vacation YAY!!!

[karinvt]

We took some time to check out the atrium and then headed to our rooms for our first towel animal. They were so cute!! I made sure to take pictures of them every night.

 

While we were checking it out our cabin steward, Emond, stopped by to greet us. He was great! He pointed out the vents that controlled the temperature and asked if we needed anything. Everytime we saw him he had a smile on his face along with his helper. The next morning my husband asked for us and when we return from port we found not only was our ice bucket full but he had brought another larger bucket and put our bottle of wine on ice for us. For us it is the little things like this that go the extra mile. OK well enough about Emond.

 

After this we headed to the buffet but because it was so late they were closing it down for the Muster Drill. We grabbed so fruit salad quick and ate that before we headed to the Sapphire Lounge. The fruit was very good and seem fresh. The Muster Drill was very boring but I guess a necessity.

 

After the drill they had the Welcome Aboard show. We really enjoyed this and were very glad we stayed. It was set up as a variety show that gave you a little bit of a sneak peak of the shows to come.

 

It was also time for a first DOD and boy did it taste GOOD! It was the Funship and I would recommend it.

 

After this it was the Lido Buffet again for a chance to actually get some dinner, since we boarded to late for the dining room and then a bit more exploring.

 

More pics to come unfortunately I have to re-size all of them so it is taking longer than expected.

[karinvt]

More pics from Day 1 as promised.

 

If anyone had questions please feel free to ask them!

[karinvt]

Today we ported in Freeport so we got up early and had breakfast in the main dining room. When choosing between the dining room and the buffet my preference is the dining room. When it is early in the morning, I like having my food and drinks brought to me. It was also a lot less hectic than the lido buffet. We ate in the main dining for breakfast 3 times and the service was always good. The only complaint I have is that the menu was limited and did not change. It would be nice to see a few different selections on the menu.

 

DH had Eggs Benedict and chicken sausage. He liked the Eggs Benedict and ordered it a few times during the cruise. He was not impressed with the chicken sausage and this was not because it was chicken sausage..lol..as he is use to eating these healthier versions, he thought it was dry and bland. He also ordered the melon in season. James had the Salmon Bagel with no complaints and I had the French Toast and Corned Beef Hash. The fruit that came with it was very fresh and the French Toast was yummy. I also had the crossaints and the guys had some pastries too. I never tried the pastries as I feel in love with the crosants that first morning and had one everyday. They were very light and flacky just the way they should be.

[TriciaEMTB]

Great start! I love the ecstasy!

[LBumb]

nice start

[RuthlessBoss]

Great start! I love the ecstasy!

Ecstasy has turned out to be a favorite of mine too.

[karinvt]

OK, so when researching the ports I read a lot of negative things about Freeport. I have to say that this port is what you make of it. If you have good friends and know how to relax and have a good time you will have fun.

 

After breakfast the five of us met up and headed of the ship. There were lines to get off but they moved very quickly and withing minutes we were off the ship. At every port there are photographers waiting to stop you and take your picture. We posed for a few but after a few stops it gets rather annoying. If you do not want your picture taken just keep walking when they try and stop you. Do not feel rude about it as they are just going to stop the next person anyway.

 

We followed the crowds of people past the shops and to the covered area where the taxis lined up. It was rather organized with people asking where you were going and getting you into the proper lines. We decided to go to Port Lucaya. It was about a 20 minute ride that costs $5 per person. When we arrived we were given the option of paying for our return trip in advance and told the taxi returned to that spot every hour on the hour. The location was convenient and right next to the straw market. (In the picture of the man in the Junakoo outfit you can see a van behind him. That is where the taxi stops). We browsed the shops for a bit but had already decided we were saving our shopping for Nassau. If you go here you have to get a drink from the stand in the middle of the marketplace. You cannot miss it just look for all the people walking around sipping out of a coconut. Watching them make it was neat, the lady came out of the shop and started chopping the fresh coconuts with a machete. They were very reasonably priced too $7 for a drink that filled the coconut and you got a smaller cut filled with the left overs.

 

After this we wandered fuller into the marketplace and found a man playing a mix of island music that really set the mood. My husband tried the Bahamian Beer Kalik. He thought it tasted a lot like Budweiser so he was not too impressed with it. He prefers Sam Adams and stuff like that.

 

I love stopping and talking with the locals they are so friendly and always a wealth of information. We stopped and talked with a man dressed in the tradtional Junkanoo festival wear. He spent some time telling us about the island's history and the festival. Then offered pictures with him, for a fee of course. But it was only a couple of dollars and his time and entertainment was well worth that.

 

After we had our fill of the marketplace we headed to the restrooms and changed into our suits and headed to the beach. It was very close and locals directed you there without asking. The beach was beautiful with it turquoise blue waters. When you first walk on it was crowded but we tend to head for the more secluded areas. The water was really warm and the beach nice. Just a few minutes walking down the beach and there were just a few people. When you first enter the area there are vendors trying to make a deal with you, we politely told them we were not interested and they back off. I think being further down the beach helped because very few vendors approached us down there.

 

We headed back to the Marketplace to catch the 2:00 taxi back to the ship. Tonight is elegant night so we wanted to time to get ready and explore the ship some more. We had a good time in there, like I said Freeport is what you make of it.

[karinvt]

Once back on the ship we headed for the Lido Buffet to grab some lunch. I did not get any pictures of the buffet but we though it was not to bad. One thing that I really enjoyed about the Lido buffet was the outdoor seating. Every time we ate there we sat outside. It is just lovely watching the sea as you eat. I had the fish au gratin and that was delicious along with a stuffed tomato. The stuffing was made out of pumkin and added a really unique flavor. It is something I would have never thought of pairing but it was very good. DH had a burger and fries. The burgers were alirght, not the worst but I have definitely had better. I am really curious about the new Guy Burgers on the other ships though.

 

After this it was time for a nap. We wanted to catch the extreme county show later that night as well as the adult comedy show. We snoozed for about an hour than were off to explore again.

 

We checked out the promenade deck and more of the Lido pool area and the waterside. We kept saying we were going to do the Matini tasting but somehow it never happened. After this we headed back to our cabin to get ready. The guys wore blue button up shirts and black pants (we did not plan this). While Kristy and I wore black sparkly cocktails dresses, we really had a good laugh about this as we seemed to all be matching.

 

We then headed up to the Promenade deck where they had tons of sets for pictures all over. There were so really cool backdrops and we took some time getting photos done. After all, why not we were all dressed up. I was not too impressed with the pricing of the photos when we went to check them out the next day. I thought $22 for one sheet was rather high. We did end up buying some on the last night though. And contrary to what I have heard on here they no longer mark them down.

 

So off to the dining room for elegant night and some lobster and prime rib. I decided before we got there that I wanted to try new things so I made it a point to eat off the DIDJA menu most nights. Tonight they had Alligator fritters, they were so good but very small portions. I ordered a second dish.

DH had stuffed mushrooms and friends got the spinach dip and they raved about it. James got the chilled strawberry soup, I tried his and it tasted like strawberry yogurt with a thinner consistency. For dinner our party ordered lobster, prime rib, and spare ribs. The lobster was a lot smaller than I expected it to be. I ended up ordering two of them because they were so small but they were very good. I tried a bite of the prime rib and it was very tender and had a good flavor. No one at our table realy complained about the food this evening.

 

For dessert that night we all ordered warm chocolate melting cake. Let me say all the reviews on here are right this stuff is great.

 

After dinner we headed to catch the Extreme Country show. It was very good. The singers were not the greatest or the worse but it was the dancers that really stole the show. Oh and the cruise director played a mean fiddle. I have never heard a live fiddle playing like that before but he really was amazing. After this we went to the midnight adult comedy show. I do not remember his name but I honestly was not too impressed with him. He seemed to play off the audience too much and really lacked his own material.

 

After this, bed as we are heading to Nassau in the morning.

[karinvt]

Thanks everyone more will surely come!

[keishashadow]

informative review, thanks. So many others i've read have just dismissed the ship out of hand.:confused: Trying to book a 'bonus trip' cruise to HMC this summer without breaking the bank...ecstasy seems to fit the bill nicely.

[SurfCat]

Thanks so much for posting this. We sail on Ecstasy Thursday morning and this is getting us even more excited about our trip.

 

Any tips on avoiding the confusion upon arrival to the port?

[momof3cruisers]

Great to start seeing reviews on Ecstasy out of PC! Thanks! Our plan for Freeport is pretty much what you described so I really appreciate all the details. Were there chairs to rent there or did you just put a towel down on the sand or what?

[gelo7]

Great start, bring on the rest.

[Kurt Repchull]

Yes, thanks very much for this wonderful detail. My family and I will be on this ship January 30th and just can't wait!

[spideyfam]

Thanks for posting a review! I will be on the ship in a little over 30 days!!

[noah53]

Thanks for the review, will be taking first cruise on Ecstasy on Jan 30th.

[Limar]

Great review! I completely agree with your attitude about Freeport, and I love the detail of Port Lucaya Marketplace in your review. It has given me a better idea of what to expect. We too have a great time wherever we go. . .so I'm sure Freeport will be a fun adventure. I am definitley going to have a coconut drink.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review, the pictures made me hungary!

[GaNavy]

I'm enjoying your review - thanks for writing!

 

I was on the same cruise and had such a good time (in spite of the Embarkation From Hell :o) that I'm going again next month.

 

Love Ecstasy - long may she wave!

[jlucas04]

Loving the review our first cruise is in January on the Ecstasy!

[RuthlessBoss]

We went in Nov, our cab left us at the casino at Lucaya. The casino was huge and inviting, and it loved my "donation" to the slots. The cabs came and went from that location very often, not hourly. They don't run till the van is full though.

[karinvt]

Great to start seeing reviews on Ecstasy out of PC! Thanks! Our plan for Freeport is pretty much what you described so I really appreciate all the details. Were there chairs to rent there or did you just put a towel down on the sand or what?

 

 

 

I did not see any chairs but I was also not looking for anyway. We just used a beach towel and our friends brought a blanket to lay out on.

[karinvt]

Great to start seeing reviews on Ecstasy out of PC! Thanks! Our plan for Freeport is pretty much what you described so I really appreciate all the details. Were there chairs to rent there or did you just put a towel down on the sand or what?

 

informative review, thanks. So many others i've read have just dismissed the ship out of hand.:confused: Trying to book a 'bonus trip' cruise to HMC this summer without breaking the bank...ecstasy seems to fit the bill nicely.

 

 

I know I have read a lot of negative reviews on the Ecstasy and I really do not understand it. Sure it is not as big as other ships and it may not have everything they have but the price makes up for that. Besides if you cannot have fun on cruise there has to be something else wrong.

 

We loved Half Moon Cay, it is by far our favorite port on this cruise and we have already talked about going back there again. If you are looking to get a itinerary with Half Moon Cay on, this is a good way to go.

[karinvt]

I'm enjoying your review - thanks for writing!

 

I was on the same cruise and had such a good time (in spite of the Embarkation From Hell :o) that I'm going again next month.

 

Love Ecstasy - long may she wave!

 

 

Yes, I remember you from the roll call. Going again so soon, I have to say I am jealous!