Trying Carnival for the first time, a few questions.

[PrincessMelody]

Hi all!! We've cruised lots...mainly with Princess...and now booking my first Carnival cruise out of Charleston on the Ecstasy, and I had a few questions for the experts here. :)

 

1. Is is best to book with the Early Saver rate? It seems like the best way, since you can get price drops anytime.

 

2. Is the best deal to be had through a Carnival Vacation Planner, or a TA?

 

3. Any major bits of info that I should know for my first time on Carnival, or specifically the Ecstasy?

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, or anything I may need to know!! :)

[marty1950]

I have one question for you. After cruising on princess for so long, why for your first carnival cruise would you pick one of the oldest ships that does not have alot of 2.0 updates, to judge a new cruise line?

[k2excursion]

Early Saver is great if there is very little chance of needing to cancel or change dates or replace somebody in the cabin. These restrictions cause some people to never use ES. But if the restrictions are fine with you, ES is a great way to go. We have seen some big drops after the final payment date, and only ES matches those price drops.

 

Unlike the previous poster, I personally don't think that a full 2.0 ship is necessarily the best that Carnival has to offer. My favorite cruises have been on ships without anything 2.0. 2.0 is a gimmick that involved renaming some things and replacing others. Some replacements have been for the worse, but it's called an upgrade. Sometimes, it would be a downgrade for you but an upgrade for some others, so it's quite subjective. I prefer the Carnival experience pre-2.0 to how it is now.

 

If you have a TA that has been really good to you and has gotten you perks, you might as well stick with them. But keep in mind that with Early Saver, any price drop forms would need to be submitted by your TA. So instead of being able to do it yourself, you'll have to wait for the TA to get back with you, and the price may go back up by then. Carnival's vacation planners don't do much, for the most part. A select few are great, but most won't do anything that you couldn't do on your own. I do my own research now. I have even booked a cruise just on the website.

 

Ecstasy is in Carnival's smallest class of ship. I don't know how she compares to what you've been on. I don't know if I could handle going back down to a ship that size, but some people prefer the smaller ships. If you enjoy theater shows, Ecstasy has the new style of shows: only 30 minutes, no live music, and fewer performers. This is one of the 2.0 "upgrades". I see it as a downgrade, but some people like it. Ecstasy has just the one main pool, plus a big waterslide and other Waterworks features in the back.

[PrincessMelody]

I have one question for you. After cruising on princess for so long, why for your first carnival cruise would you pick one of the oldest ships that does not have alot of 2.0 updates, to judge a new cruise line?

 

Hi! We wanted an extra cruise next year, and decided on the Ecstasy since we are in SC and the Ecstasy cruises out of Charleston...so it's super convenient for a 7 day cruise not to have to fly anywhere. :)

[PrincessMelody]

Early Saver is great if there is very little chance of needing to cancel or change dates or replace somebody in the cabin. These restrictions cause some people to never use ES. But if the restrictions are fine with you, ES is a great way to go. We have seen some big drops after the final payment date, and only ES matches those price drops.

 

Unlike the previous poster, I personally don't think that a full 2.0 ship is necessarily the best that Carnival has to offer. My favorite cruises have been on ships without anything 2.0. 2.0 is a gimmick that involved renaming some things and replacing others. Some replacements have been for the worse, but it's called an upgrade. Sometimes, it would be a downgrade for you but an upgrade for some others, so it's quite subjective. I prefer the Carnival experience pre-2.0 to how it is now.

 

If you have a TA that has been really good to you and has gotten you perks, you might as well stick with them. But keep in mind that with Early Saver, any price drop forms would need to be submitted by your TA. So instead of being able to do it yourself, you'll have to wait for the TA to get back with you, and the price may go back up by then. Carnival's vacation planners don't do much, for the most part. A select few are great, but most won't do anything that you couldn't do on your own. I do my own research now. I have even booked a cruise just on the website.

 

Ecstasy is in Carnival's smallest class of ship. I don't know how she compares to what you've been on. I don't know if I could handle going back down to a ship that size, but some people prefer the smaller ships. If you enjoy theater shows, Ecstasy has the new style of shows: only 30 minutes, no live music, and fewer performers. This is one of the 2.0 "upgrades". I see it as a downgrade, but some people like it. Ecstasy has just the one main pool, plus a big waterslide and other Waterworks features in the back.

 

Thank you so much for this information and your insight! :)

 

The Carnival person I spoke with explained the restriction of the ES...I would definitely make sure that we were certain about the cruise before committing to it...would not want to lose our deposit! She did mention that if we needed to change the date of sailing, that we could pay a $50 pp change fee to do so.

 

We've mostly cruised on big ships like the Regal/Royal Princess...but I'm sure that we would have a great time on a smaller ship too. :)

[SadieN]

I've sailed on the Grand class ships out of CA, in OV, Minisuite and full suite. Sailed many cruises on Carnival Fantasy class ships but not on the Ecstasy.

 

As said before realize she's a sister in the oldest class in Carnival's fleet.

Muster--you won't need your life jacket. Most stations meet in a lounge on Promenade deck 9, then go outside to the muster station on 10.

 

Public decks start at 8, almost all lounges are in 9.

 

Food is very subjective. Our dream would be Carnival's MDR, deli, new pizza, soft serve and lido hot chocolate. Princess's Horizon court and IC. Carnival's MDR cheese plate is better than Princess's but the cheese at the HC is better.

By the pool there should be three hot lines...grill, Chinese or Mongolian wok, and a rotisserie between them. The rotisserie usually carves something different than the buffet hot line.

[SadieN]

Assuming you'll have an IS or OV. The balcony are additions to OV cabins. The cabin is larger, three closets (hopefully all three have doors, some only have two). Anti-theft hangars. Safe needs a card to use.

Bathroom vanity is lousy, larger shower. Bring your own bath stuff, the gel is ok.

[A&Jfamily]

Hi all!! We've cruised lots...mainly with Princess...and now booking my first Carnival cruise out of Charleston on the Ecstasy, and I had a few questions for the experts here. :)

 

1. Is is best to book with the Early Saver rate? It seems like the best way, since you can get price drops anytime.

 

2. Is the best deal to be had through a Carnival Vacation Planner, or a TA?

 

3. Any major bits of info that I should know for my first time on Carnival, or specifically the Ecstasy?

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, or anything I may need to know!! :)

 

We cruise a lot on Carnival (cheaper as a general rule) but actually prefer Princess. I think the Princess crowd has less of a loud party tendency (which can be really prevalent on Carnival's shorter cruises) and my youngest likes their kids program better. My teen prefer's Carnival. I would say the food is about even up - I like some things better with each line.

 

I have not been on Ecstasy but at least two of her sister ships; I actually prefer this class of ship to the larger Conquest class which is hard to navigate on deck 3 and 4 as it is blocked by kitchens and dining rooms. You can tell they are smaller ships but the rooms are the same as on the larger. I will tell you however, that we will not sail the Fantasy again, or any other ship without standard balcony rooms - an OV just doesn't work for us and we noticeably missed the balcony.

 

I would suggest before booking you examine your style of cruising - how important is the ship? Will not having a steakhouse or other specialty restaurants be an issue? Or are you happy go lucky cruisers who can just go with the flow and have a good time? Some people need/expect the bells and whistles of the specialty restaurants, sports courts, flow riders etc, and that just is not the Ecstasy.

 

We have almost always booked ES and having used both a TA and a PVP, I prefer the PVP. There is no requirement that you call YOUR PV if you see a rate drop; simply go on line and complete the form whereas if you book with a TA, then you must go through them.

 

Please keep asking questions and we will try to help!

[marty1950]

The only reason I questioned going on the smaller ship w/o any 2.0 upgrades is. We are tired of hearing how bad their first Carnival experience is because they chose to go on the oldest, lightest Carnival ships and then compare them to Big new ships they have been on. Gary

[DJSteve552003]

The only advice I would say is stay away from Karaoke. The hostess for Karaoke was extremely rude and I made a foraml complaint about her.

 

Steve

[RubyGold]

The only advice I would say is stay away from Karaoke. The hostess for Karaoke was extremely rude and I made a foraml complaint about her.

 

Steve

 

Don't forget to mention about your wife's luggage that went missing.

[Tapi]

Two suggestions:

 

- Unlike Princess where pricing can vary substantially from their website to a TA (and among TA's), on Carnival there's little incentive to shop around different TA's since pricing is almost always the same. Their regulations prevent TA's from discounting. You may find some TA's that throw you a perk, like a small OBC, but otherwise, it's almost better to book directly with the cruise line than through a TA since you'll have full control of your booking. Also, keep in mind that the agents that you reach on the 800-Carnival number are not the same as PVP's which would be my recommendation when booking Carnival cruises since you'll always have the same person assisting you.

 

- Go with REALISTIC expectations. You're choosing this cruise because it's convenient and it's cheap. So expect convenient and cheap. In other words, don't expect Princess. You can definitely have a wonderful time, as long as you adjust your expectations accordingly.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Tapi

[sayaguru]

We recently tried CRnival for the first time. The price was too good to pass up. Our expectations were realistic.

We loved Glory (new format). Food was good, as was the service. We loved the shows.

 

On Splendor it is the old format. Still happy with the food and service but we did not like the entertainment. Service was a little slow in the MDR but not terrible.

BTW I do not consider the Hasbro show as appropriate entertainment, especially 2 nights out of 7. And one night was the marriage game. Poor form.

 

Both had the Punchliner comedy club which we thought was great. Top comedians.

I think for the price point Carnival has a lot to offer. I will book with them again.

[joeyancho]

Going from Princess to Carnival will be a letdown. Especially the Ecstasy, the second oldest ship in the fleet.

[redflag216]

Not to deter the OP from booking a super convenient cruise, but I vowed never to sail on the Ecstasy again. It was my second cruise and the ship just didn't do it for me. My son did enjoy waterworks though, so I guess that was a plus....

[PrincessMelody]

Thanks to all who took the time to post! :)

 

While I'm sure we could have a good time on the Ecstasy...we have reconsidered based on all the feedback about this ship. Perhaps we will try Carnival one day on one of the newer ships in the fleet. Until then we will stick with Princess. ;)

[okwriter]

I've cruised on the Ecstasy and had a great time! For me, a cruise is what I choose to make it. I would book online on the Carnival site or by phone, but if you've changed your mind, none of this really matters. :)

[travelnteach64]

We are also new to carnival, from Royal.

 

My question is about boarding. It seems like Carnival has a long boarding process with lines. We've walked right through everything with Royal without stopping. Any thoughts to share about this? We've read that boarding on the Liberty can have some waiting periods. We like to make the most of the ship on the first day.

[cruzelover55]

We, personally only book early saver, never from a TA, and have stopped the PVP, as it is a waste of time, you call them and have to wait for callbacks. Last 2 cruises we just booked over the internet. As long as you are not using a TA, all you have to do if you have ?'s, is call Carnival, any one that answers can help you with your question. We usually book over a year in advance, but sometimes just 6 months. The best deal we ever got was my checking online everyday for early saver drops. When we got on the ship, I had $950. in onboard credit. SWEET! Last time we must have really gotten the best deal as only got $100. obc. We only book out of Galveston, ( as we live here) and going any further down the Gulf Coast has the same ports of call. Would definitely encourage any one to buy the insurance. We did not for a long time and the 1st time we did was because my parents are in bad health and wanted to be able to cancel if something happened. Turned out, my husband fell and hurt himself enough to have to have surgery, so was glad we had it. Would never cruise again without it. Also, if you are lucky enough to book when Faster to the Fun is available, it is more than worth it. If you have a tendered port of call, you do not have to wait in the long lines. Plus, you can board earlier, go directly to your room and luggage is delivered FAST! Have a lot of cruise experience, any ?'s I would be glad to help. About time I contributed as have just read the forums and not responded before.:

[satxdiver]

Hi! We wanted an extra cruise next year, and decided on the Ecstasy since we are in SC and the Ecstasy cruises out of Charleston...so it's super convenient for a 7 day cruise not to have to fly anywhere. :)

 

I book on Carnival out of Galveston for the same reason in that I can drive to the port in a short time. I see in a later post you decided to not take the Ecstacy which IMO is a good move.

 

My second cruise ever was on the Elation, a sister to the Ecstacy, and it was a tub. I hated it and swore to never board another CCL ship again. However encouraged by comments and incentives from CCL, I decided to go on the Magic, the newest class of ship and loved it. If it is available, I would encourage the first CCL adventure to be on a dream class ship. However I still prefer Princess - after all it is the LOVE BOAT!:D

[nlrhogfan]

You must know that complainers are the most vocal group. I have been on 4 of the Fantasy class ships (including the Ecstasy) and enjoyed them all.

Of course you asked for opinions and those few that would complain that the sky wasn't blue enough will say so. I have gone on every cruise just to have a good time. Sometimes things happen but you are on a cruise ship. Compared to a day at work, it's all good. It's all in your attitude.

No disrespect for your choice and hopefully you take the opportunity to find out for yourself at a later date.