Ecstasy from Charleston, just back

[misshfitz]

We just got off the Ecstasy on Monday. I am surprised your kids didn't like Camp Ocean. My 6 year old loved it and my 15 year old made a lot of friends in Club o2. Given your past vacations and what resorts you have been to, I would have not chosen the Ecstasy. The magic or breeze or Royal Caribbean would have been a better fit most likely.

[AdoraBelle]

This cruise vacation cost us about the same as our AI resort trips including flights (A bit less than Disney World, but we usually do a 10-12day Disney trip and this was only a 5night cruise. Broken down into a nightly rate though, I suppose about the same as we spend on Disney trips as well). Actually, had we bought the drink packages for the cruise, the cruise trip would have been far pricier than the AI resort trips (keep in mind AI resorts include all drinks)

 

 

Hmm. I'm a little confused at the pricing you mention. 10-12 days at WDW with a full family would be astronomical when factoring in park tickets etc. I would think a short cruise on a very, very, very old Carnival ship would be on the far end of cheap. Having trouble making these two numbers line up.

 

I do think you should try cruising on a nicer ship. If you're going to FL anyway, you have tons of better options.

Edited April 27, 2016 by AdoraBelle

[mawvkysc]

I can understand your wanting to cruise to Bermuda. It is the most affordable way to see Bermuda. MAYBE you would like an NCL cruise to there in a Haven suite. I say this because you mentioned that you liked having several restaurant choices. With NCL you have more complimentary options. If you get the dining plan way more choices open up. It would be crowded but if you are in the Haven area you have the whole ship within a ship thing going on. Plus, three days in Bermuda so more time with trees and plants:) and no ship movement.

[Girlsmom]

Hmm. I'm a little confused at the pricing you mention. 10-12 days at WDW with a full family would be astronomical when factoring in park tickets etc. I would think a short cruise on a very, very, very old Carnival ship would be on the far end of cheap. Having trouble making these two numbers line up.

 

I do think you should try cruising on a nicer ship. If you're going to FL anyway, you have tons of better options.

 

 

Yes, the total price for our last Disney trip was higher than the total price for this cruise, but the Disney trip was more than twice as long....in attempt to compare "apples to apples" on the price, I broke it down to per night cost.

 

Including all taxes and fees:

Our nightly rate at WDW 2015 (at Disney port Orleans with base tickets and Disney dining plus) was $380.

This Ecstasy nighty rate was $460

[AdoraBelle]

Yes, the total price for our last Disney trip was higher than the total price for this cruise, but the Disney trip was more than twice as long....in attempt to compare "apples to apples" on the price, I broke it down to per night cost.

 

 

 

Including all taxes and fees:

 

Our nightly rate at WDW 2015 (at Disney port Orleans with base tickets and Disney dining plus) was $380.

 

This Ecstasy nighty rate was $460

 

 

It sounds like you got one heck of a deal at WDW if you got on-site lodging at a moderate, park tickets and dining for your whole family for $380 / day. (Maybe I'm losing track of how many are in your group.

 

I guess SC cruise prices are getting more expensive than I realized, given the limited / older ship offering.

 

In any case, despite what others have said about cruising not being for you, I still think you were at a particular disadvantage with this ship. That said, you won't get enormous pools on cruise ships, for the most part, so if that's your main goal in vacationing, I can see how it would be disheartening.

Edited April 27, 2016 by AdoraBelle

[Girlsmom]

It sounds like you got one heck of a deal at WDW if you got on-site lodging at a moderate, park tickets and dining for your whole family for $380 / day. (Maybe I'm losing track of how many are in your group.

 

I guess SC cruise prices are getting more expensive than I realized, given the limited / older ship offering.

QUOTE]

 

Yes, we do WDW as economically as possible. (We did this cruise as economically as possible too: no drink package, no excursions, interior cheapest cabin, the only "extra" we bought we FTTF...but the taxes and gratuities nearly doubled the total price of the cruise!)

 

So for WDW:

-10 day (2 days at resort/pool ect on a 12 day trip) base ticket is only $40/day for adults (they were even cheaper last year) https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tickets/

-Port orleans resort in value season last year was $200/nt http://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/10/13/projected-disney-world-2015-price-seasons/

-of course we get Free Dining http://vacationmaybe.com/walt-disney-world-resort-vacations-2/ (speaking of: free dining was just released this week for travel this fall, if anyone is interested in cheap(er) WDW trip;)

[Girlsmom]

I can understand your wanting to cruise to Bermuda. It is the most affordable way to see Bermuda. MAYBE you would like an NCL cruise to there in a Haven suite. I say this because you mentioned that you liked having several restaurant choices. With NCL you have more complimentary options. If you get the dining plan way more choices open up. It would be crowded but if you are in the Haven area you have the whole ship within a ship thing going on. Plus, three days in Bermuda so more time with trees and plants:) and no ship movement.

 

Thanks for the tip!;I will look into this!

The "Haven" and 3 days in Bermuda sounds great!

[Muushka]

OP, I thank you for your review. We have never cruised on Carnival and are trying to find one in Nov without having to drive to FLL for our normal cruise line (Celebrity). We were considering this cruise because of the departure port.

 

Your description of the ship is what I had thought it would look like. Therefore, it won't be a cruise for us.

 

Now, about you. You booked an inside cabin on an old small ship. Massive mistakes.

Don't give up on cruising based on this cruise. Trust me.

A balcony cabin on a nice ship (we've cruised DCL, RCI and Celebrity (X)) and have had wonderful cruises.

 

By the way, Port Orleans Riverside is also our favorite resort (when we don't stay at DVC which sadly, has been a long time). But I will always call it Dixie Landings!:D

[2xsin12mths]

I think maybe your expectations were alittle high for a cruise ship this old. We love Ecstasy! I am cruising her again in September for the 4th time. I also love Carnivals big ships. We loved Dream and Breeze. We also loved Glory, Splendor, Miracle, Pride etc. etc. Oh heck we just LOVE cruising.

Give me a ship and take me to a beach and I am on it:)

[GTO-Girl]

I wrote up review, but thought I would post this info here too:

 

disenchanted by cruising

 

We (parents, 3 children ages 6, 9, and 11) have done several all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean in the past (and Disney World once a year too --just so you have our background experience), but I couldn't find an all inclusive that would work for us in Bahamas...and none in Bermuda. Since Carnival cruises to both places, I thought we should try it.

 

My favorite place in all the world is Eleuthera. We visited there often when I was a child (at Club Med which is no longer there), so I was thrilled to find Carnival's Half Moon Cay is only 24miles from Eleuthera. I was not as excited about Nassau but thought we would make the best of it and focus on the beautiful sand and water.

 

The ship is *not* in pristine condition. We were aware it was an older ship, but after so many visits to impeccably kept All Inclusive resorts (Grand Palladium, Sandos Caracol, Riu Mayan Riviera, ect), our expectations were high. The interior of the ship (atrium area) looks like Boogie Nights. The stairwells have atrocious carpet paired with hideous wallpaper. We were baffled that anyone in their right mind thought that combination was a good idea. The neon lights and mirrors and brass --it was all pretty tacky. The only area of the ship that we were in that was not strip-club remnicient was Wind Star dining room. We wished the whole ship could have been decorated more similarly to that restaurant -much more tasteful and classier. Hopefully their reno Jan 2017 will tone down the gaudiness in décor!?

 

We arrived at parking area just about 11am (we had FTTF and carnival.com indicated we should arrived between 11am and noon). We waited over an hour to get parked and shuttled to the ship. We got into the shorter line at check in (because of FTTF), thank heavens! We boarded the ship around 1pm and went straight to our cabin to leave some things there before lunch.

 

We had lunch always on Lido. The lunches were similar to Golden Coral (we do not like Golden Coral...at all).

 

The pool was a cruise ship pool I suppose (it seemed really pitiful to the expansive pools at AI resorts). I hadn't realized how important sprawling pools were to me/us until this cruise. The "hot tubs" were uninviting -we didn't get in once, even though we normally enjoy hot tubs. Our children did enjoy the waterwork waterslides. The deck around the waterslides stayed pretty crowded and windy.

 

Our children did not like the kids club at all. We forced them to go for the fancy night dinner, because the dinners lasted so long, it was exhausting to entertain hungry children (in a calm way) while sitting in the restaurant each night for 2-3 hours. Then they would habitually bring the childrens food before ours...and wait to bring our food until after the children finished eating theirs. So, then the kids were done eating, had already been sitting 2+ hours and we needed them to sit and wait for us to eat. Wind Star (your time dining) was the best food we had, but the service was lacking. The chocolate melting cake was delicious, as was the steak and eggs at Seaday Brunch (warning: any eggs that are not fried are nasty powdered eggs). Our water glasses stayed empty for hours...the coffee I ordered to try to have with dessert each night was not delivered before dessert was finished, every night.

 

Nassau: we took a $4pp ferry to Paradise Island and wandered aimlessly until finally paid another $4pp to cab back to Junkanoo beach. I wish I had booked an excursion for the Nassau day (I had wanted to do Atlantis but was worried about how expensive it was and not knowing what weather would be and if we would be seasick by the time we got to port ect). We got a couple plates of chicken at Tiki Bikini Hut and our kids enjoyed the limbo and hula games at Tiki Bikini Hut. The activities at Tiki Bikini Hut were the "kids activities" that my children liked best on the whole trip.

 

Half Moon Cay: this beach was the absolute BEST part of the entire trip. The beach is the most beautiful I have ever seen...well, until it filled cram packed w/ all the cruisers, around the water sports area. We walked away from the tender station to get a bit of space and solitude and it was heavenly. We had brought floats and air pump from home and were very glad we did (they are rented on HMC for $15each). The lunch carnival serves on HMC was subpar. I ate mostly cookies and fruit. Our schedule showed we were to be at HMC 8am-4pm, but that day, the announcement was that the last tender left HMC at 3pm, so we go in line for the tender at 2:30. we hated leaving HMC so early. We said over and over again: we need to stick to vacations where we can access Caribbean beach the entire vacation in the future.

 

We went to 2 PG comedy shows that were funny. The second one, I think titled "childish" was a black man comic: he was hilarious! We loved the night shows at Blue Sapphire ("the Brits" and "Motor City").

 

Biggest Cons: The ship's tacky décor and crowds of people everywhere. The people...the other cruisers were not like the other guests we have encountered at AI resorts or Disney World. So many of these people had us cringing in embarrassment that the native at ports of call would think this group was representative of "Americans" ( rather trashy! )

 

DH said over and over "this is my first and last cruise!" Our children liked it better than we did. I missed trees and grass and winding pathways through mangroves/rain forests and enormous pools and countless restaurants and more upscale fellow vacationers and excellent service and delicious food (all that we have experienced at AI resorts), but I would be willing to try a different cruise line, maybe Royal Caribbean, specifically in order to get to Bermuda...but for the money we spent, we could have had a spectacular vacation at an AI in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, or Mayan Riviera.

 

Seasickness:

We heard from a few other people on the ship with experience cruising that this trip was "very smooth." Right now (24 hours after debarkation), DH and I are still feeling wobbly, woozy, a bit dizzy. DD and I took one Bonine each night. we had brought scop patches, Dramamine, ginger ect just in case, but didn't feel nauseous on the ship. I feel worse right now than I did the entire time on the cruise.

 

Cabin: We knew cabin would be small, and it was what we expected. We specifically selected Riviera (lower) deck and an interior cabin to minimize seasickness. I brought power strip and extension cord, air fresheners, over the door hanging storage, suction hooks (for the shower), flashlights to use as nightlights to get to bathroom. We had king (2 twins pushed together), two Pullman bunks, and one cot a few inches off the ground. We called it our "fort." We decorated the door with tropical poster cut outs to make finding our cabin easier.

 

Maybe you feel cruising is not for you BUT sailing on a small older ship (on any cruiseline) is not going to give you a true sense of cruising. Die hard Carnival fans will say they love the Elation but while it is cost saving it is not a ship that would give you a good experience because it does not have all the really nice features you will find on the bigger and newer ships.

 

Since you are already a fan of Disney you should try a cruise on one of their ships. It is a more expensive than the one you just did BUT the ship, shows and especially the kids club will blow you away!!! We just got back from taking our 8yr old granddaughter on the Disney Dream and we could not get her out of the kids club....LOL

 

Please do not judge cruising by your experience. Try a longer cruise on a newer bigger ship (Disney, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity) before you completely write off cruising.

[erby2283]

I sailed on the Fantasy last August. Like others have said, don't judge the industry (or Carnival too much) for cruising on an older ship. Once you have sailed some newer ships, it's very hard to go back to a ship that has fewer features; kind of like once you book a balcony, you never want to book an inside. :D

 

People sail on Carnival b/c they are usually priced cheaper. That being said, I think if you had cruised on the Breeze or the Vista or another of the newer ships, you may have a different opinion.

 

Maybe you can book a girls cruise sometime and try a different ship?

[honestguy]

I wrote up review, but thought I would post this info here too:

 

disenchanted by cruising

 

We (parents, 3 children ages 6, 9, and 11) have done several all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean in the past (and Disney World once a year too --just so you have our background experience), but I couldn't find an all inclusive that would work for us in Bahamas...and none in Bermuda. Since Carnival cruises to both places, I thought we should try it.

 

My favorite place in all the world is Eleuthera. We visited there often when I was a child (at Club Med which is no longer there), so I was thrilled to find Carnival's Half Moon Cay is only 24miles from Eleuthera. I was not as excited about Nassau but thought we would make the best of it and focus on the beautiful sand and water.

 

The ship is *not* in pristine condition. We were aware it was an older ship, but after so many visits to impeccably kept All Inclusive resorts (Grand Palladium, Sandos Caracol, Riu Mayan Riviera, ect), our expectations were high. The interior of the ship (atrium area) looks like Boogie Nights. The stairwells have atrocious carpet paired with hideous wallpaper. We were baffled that anyone in their right mind thought that combination was a good idea. The neon lights and mirrors and brass --it was all pretty tacky. The only area of the ship that we were in that was not strip-club remnicient was Wind Star dining room. We wished the whole ship could have been decorated more similarly to that restaurant -much more tasteful and classier. Hopefully their reno Jan 2017 will tone down the gaudiness in décor!?

 

We arrived at parking area just about 11am (we had FTTF and carnival.com indicated we should arrived between 11am and noon). We waited over an hour to get parked and shuttled to the ship. We got into the shorter line at check in (because of FTTF), thank heavens! We boarded the ship around 1pm and went straight to our cabin to leave some things there before lunch.

 

We had lunch always on Lido. The lunches were similar to Golden Coral (we do not like Golden Coral...at all).

 

The pool was a cruise ship pool I suppose (it seemed really pitiful to the expansive pools at AI resorts). I hadn't realized how important sprawling pools were to me/us until this cruise. The "hot tubs" were uninviting -we didn't get in once, even though we normally enjoy hot tubs. Our children did enjoy the waterwork waterslides. The deck around the waterslides stayed pretty crowded and windy.

 

Our children did not like the kids club at all. We forced them to go for the fancy night dinner, because the dinners lasted so long, it was exhausting to entertain hungry children (in a calm way) while sitting in the restaurant each night for 2-3 hours. Then they would habitually bring the childrens food before ours...and wait to bring our food until after the children finished eating theirs. So, then the kids were done eating, had already been sitting 2+ hours and we needed them to sit and wait for us to eat. Wind Star (your time dining) was the best food we had, but the service was lacking. The chocolate melting cake was delicious, as was the steak and eggs at Seaday Brunch (warning: any eggs that are not fried are nasty powdered eggs). Our water glasses stayed empty for hours...the coffee I ordered to try to have with dessert each night was not delivered before dessert was finished, every night.

 

Nassau: we took a $4pp ferry to Paradise Island and wandered aimlessly until finally paid another $4pp to cab back to Junkanoo beach. I wish I had booked an excursion for the Nassau day (I had wanted to do Atlantis but was worried about how expensive it was and not knowing what weather would be and if we would be seasick by the time we got to port ect). We got a couple plates of chicken at Tiki Bikini Hut and our kids enjoyed the limbo and hula games at Tiki Bikini Hut. The activities at Tiki Bikini Hut were the "kids activities" that my children liked best on the whole trip.

 

Half Moon Cay: this beach was the absolute BEST part of the entire trip. The beach is the most beautiful I have ever seen...well, until it filled cram packed w/ all the cruisers, around the water sports area. We walked away from the tender station to get a bit of space and solitude and it was heavenly. We had brought floats and air pump from home and were very glad we did (they are rented on HMC for $15each). The lunch carnival serves on HMC was subpar. I ate mostly cookies and fruit. Our schedule showed we were to be at HMC 8am-4pm, but that day, the announcement was that the last tender left HMC at 3pm, so we go in line for the tender at 2:30. we hated leaving HMC so early. We said over and over again: we need to stick to vacations where we can access Caribbean beach the entire vacation in the future.

 

We went to 2 PG comedy shows that were funny. The second one, I think titled "childish" was a black man comic: he was hilarious! We loved the night shows at Blue Sapphire ("the Brits" and "Motor City").

 

Biggest Cons: The ship's tacky décor and crowds of people everywhere. The people...the other cruisers were not like the other guests we have encountered at AI resorts or Disney World. So many of these people had us cringing in embarrassment that the native at ports of call would think this group was representative of "Americans" ( rather trashy! )

 

DH said over and over "this is my first and last cruise!" Our children liked it better than we did. I missed trees and grass and winding pathways through mangroves/rain forests and enormous pools and countless restaurants and more upscale fellow vacationers and excellent service and delicious food (all that we have experienced at AI resorts), but I would be willing to try a different cruise line, maybe Royal Caribbean, specifically in order to get to Bermuda...but for the money we spent, we could have had a spectacular vacation at an AI in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, or Mayan Riviera.

 

Seasickness:

We heard from a few other people on the ship with experience cruising that this trip was "very smooth." Right now (24 hours after debarkation), DH and I are still feeling wobbly, woozy, a bit dizzy. DD and I took one Bonine each night. we had brought scop patches, Dramamine, ginger ect just in case, but didn't feel nauseous on the ship. I feel worse right now than I did the entire time on the cruise.

 

Cabin: We knew cabin would be small, and it was what we expected. We specifically selected Riviera (lower) deck and an interior cabin to minimize seasickness. I brought power strip and extension cord, air fresheners, over the door hanging storage, suction hooks (for the shower), flashlights to use as nightlights to get to bathroom. We had king (2 twins pushed together), two Pullman bunks, and one cot a few inches off the ground. We called it our "fort." We decorated the door with tropical poster cut outs to make finding our cabin easier.

 

Yea cruising isn't for you. Different stokes for different folks. I've done AI. Our Honeymoon was at Excellence playas Mujeres. i've known plenty of people that have done sandals, and done cruises. The food being better is just your perception. They are really one in the same. Sure this dish might be better here than there, but both AI, and Cruise ships serve the same quality of food.

 

I honestly question your reports of how long dinners lasted. Having managed restaurants for years guests always say the times were a lot longer. There's nobody dining for 3 plus hours on a cruise ship. Sorry try again.

 

As for the decor you could have known this by looking at pictures online beforehand. Carnival is known for its flashiness.

 

You would like the looks of other ships better, but the food would be about the same.(I've sailed 4 different lines like carnival the best) Being that you and hubby got seasick I would stick with land vacations. The fantasy class ships handle very well, and the bigger ships can rock even more.

 

Lastly I love your knock on the people. Wow do we think highly of ourselves. Yes the ship is based in charleston, and it attracts some country people, but I've sailed out of charleston twice now, and have met some really nice folks.

[honestguy]

Maybe you feel cruising is not for you BUT sailing on a small older ship (on any cruiseline) is not going to give you a true sense of cruising. Die hard Carnival fans will say they love the Elation but while it is cost saving it is not a ship that would give you a good experience because it does not have all the really nice features you will find on the bigger and newer ships.

 

Since you are already a fan of Disney you should try a cruise on one of their ships. It is a more expensive than the one you just did BUT the ship, shows and especially the kids club will blow you away!!! We just got back from taking our 8yr old granddaughter on the Disney Dream and we could not get her out of the kids club....LOL

 

Please do not judge cruising by your experience. Try a longer cruise on a newer bigger ship (Disney, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity) before you completely write off cruising.

 

I disagree with this 100 percent. This lady isn't going to like cruising period. First off any ship is going to rock. No way around it. the fantasy class tends to rock less since they aren't as big. (most motion comes from the wind)

 

Secondly the food is the same on any carnival ship. Sure The dream class has a few more options but buffet food is buffet food. It's all the same menu's It's all the same recipes. I've had the same dishes On fantasy class ships dream class ships, and conquest class ships. They all taste the same.

 

Disney might suit this lady though, as it seems that appearance matters the most with her. Won't have any of those lowly Carolinians running around.

[fin]

You sound like an experienced traveler - I'm not sure why you would book a cruise on a ship you knew was aging, on a cruise line with the reputation of being a "budget" line and expect it to be as good or better than the fancy resorts you're used to?

Doesn't seem quite fair.

If DH and I want "upscale" we book another line with a reputation for that and pay the additional $$ that entails.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

I once did a Panama Canal transit on this ship, which was later used as a hotel for emergency workers after Katrina hit the Mississippi coast.

[twentyknots]

We were on the same cruise (if April 25) and pretty much agree with your review, especially the part about the passengers. This was our first on the Ecstasy after 7 times on the Fantasy. The Fantasy had been gradually deteriorating in terms of the passengers it attracts but the Ecstasy takes the prize for the fattest, tackiest, poorly dressed, gluttonous people I've ever seen in one place. And, to top it off it was full of children, many of whom were allowed to run around in the Lido and eat ice cream all day long. They're on the same path as their parents I'm afraid. I booked this cruise because I believed there would be fewer children on board since school is still in session, not a holiday, or spring break. I guess parents just dont care if they take them out if they can save a few dollars.

 

We still plan to cruise, but as many have said here, you get what you pay for. We cruised on the Celebrity Reflection last December and the passengers were nothing like those on the Ecstasy. I'd rather cruise once a year on the Refection or similar ship rather than twice on the Ecstasy. Plus I think we'll go back to HAL where the age group is a bit older and fewer children.

[Pisgah]

We were on the same cruise (if April 25) and pretty much agree with your review, especially the part about the passengers. This was our first on the Ecstasy after 7 times on the Fantasy. The Fantasy had been gradually deteriorating in terms of the passengers it attracts but the Ecstasy takes the prize for the fattest, tackiest, poorly dressed, gluttonous people I've ever seen in one place. And, to top it off it was full of children, many of whom were allowed to run around in the Lido and eat ice cream all day long. They're on the same path as their parents I'm afraid. I booked this cruise because I believed there would be fewer children on board since school is still in session, not a holiday, or spring break. I guess parents just dont care if they take them out if they can save a few dollars.

 

We still plan to cruise, but as many have said here, you get what you pay for. We cruised on the Celebrity Reflection last December and the passengers were nothing like those on the Ecstasy. I'd rather cruise once a year on the Refection or similar ship rather than twice on the Ecstasy. Plus I think we'll go back to HAL where the age group is a bit older and fewer children.

 

A cruise is what you make of it. I do not judge the passengers on looks or body size. From what I have heard about Celebrity it may be better for "higher class" folks like you think you are. Some of the nicest people I have met on a cruise are the "fattest, tackiest, poorly dressed, gluttonous people"

as you called them. I hope this offends you because it was meant too!

[LUVMYGSDOG]

A cruise is what you make of it. I do not judge the passengers on looks or body size. From what I have heard about Celebrity it may be better for "higher class" folks like you think you are. Some of the nicest people I have met on a cruise are the "fattest, tackiest, poorly dressed, gluttonous people"

 

as you called them. I hope this offends you because it was meant too!

 

 

I agree with you 100%!!! Wow - I've seen "fattest, gluttonous people" on every cruise we've taken but I agree they were the nicest people!

 

The worse people I've met are the ones who judge people by their weight or the way they dress. We will be sailing on the Ecstasy in June and I can't wait!

 

 

Kim

[loubetti]

Regal Empress was our first cruise -Fall Foliage out of NY, north. It was the most beautiful ship ~ old world style... Beautiful and lavish midnight buffet with gorgeous ice sculptures and great food, wonderful teak wood everywhere! And we prefer smaller ships. Wish there were more like the Regal Empress. We will be going on Carnival Ecstasy in Sept. first Carnival, probably last, from reading reviews. We liked Holland America to Alaska (class), Celebrity Century to Bermuda(was nice ship many years ago), Princess to Panama Canal, RCCL to Caribbean and Norwegian to W. Carib. which we DID NOT LIKE. But cruising is great and now that we are retired we hope to get to go on many more.

 

Sadly, there is no replacing Regal Empress, she was special, and I can assure you that most cruisers today would hate that beautiful, 20,000 GT vessel, but I loved her. Over a dozen cruises, and never a disappointment!

 

Ships like her are never coming back, but she had a good 56 year run. I used to call her "my little Queen Mary". I am quite certain the OP would have also hated her, but so nice to find someone, like yourself, who loved her!

 

 

Oh, look, tablecloths!

 

 

A mini suite...

 

 

Sadly, most would not appreciate this type of ship today

[Freckle53]

We were on the same cruise (if April 25) and pretty much agree with your review, especially the part about the passengers. This was our first on the Ecstasy after 7 times on the Fantasy. The Fantasy had been gradually deteriorating in terms of the passengers it attracts but the Ecstasy takes the prize for the fattest, tackiest, poorly dressed, gluttonous people I've ever seen in one place. And, to top it off it was full of children, many of whom were allowed to run around in the Lido and eat ice cream all day long. They're on the same path as their parents I'm afraid. I booked this cruise because I believed there would be fewer children on board since school is still in session, not a holiday, or spring break. I guess parents just dont care if they take them out if they can save a few dollars.

 

We still plan to cruise, but as many have said here, you get what you pay for. We cruised on the Celebrity Reflection last December and the passengers were nothing like those on the Ecstasy. I'd rather cruise once a year on the Refection or similar ship rather than twice on the Ecstasy. Plus I think we'll go back to HAL where the age group is a bit older and fewer children.

 

FYI, our schools in upstate NY had spring break last week and I suspect many of the other northeast schools did as well, thus this sailing having many children. Our school year goes through late June.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Freckle53

[teknoge3k]

Heaven forbid parents let children eat (free) ice cream all day while on vacation. How dare they! They let them play on the lido deck? What is this world coming to??? They take our chocolates away, they take our tablecloths away, everyone doesn't wear a suit and tie and jacket to elegant night. How dare they! I knew it would be crappy before it started. They parked their crappy Toyota next to my brand new Rolls Royce and it was hard for my butler to open the door for me. Lowly, filthy animals. Now, back to tea time.

[Freckle53]

Heaven forbid parents let children eat (free) ice cream all day while on vacation. How dare they! They let them play on the lido deck? What is this world coming to??? They take our chocolates away, they take our tablecloths away, everyone doesn't wear a suit and tie and jacket to elegant night. How dare they! I knew it would be crappy before it started. They parked their crappy Toyota next to my brand new Rolls Royce and it was hard for my butler to open the door for me. Lowly, filthy animals. Now, back to tea time.

 

I see you are about to sail on the Ecstasy soon. I hope you've made sure to get your weight up to the minimum required to board the ship and picked out your tackiest clothes to pack. Hope you have a trashy time with your bad mannered, ice cream loving children. :rolleyes:

[NYcruzzer]

Sadly, there is no replacing Regal Empress, she was special, and I can assure you that most cruisers today would hate that beautiful, 20,000 GT vessel, but I loved her. Over a dozen cruises, and never a disappointment!

 

Ships like her are never coming back, but she had a good 56 year run. I used to call her "my little Queen Mary". I am quite certain the OP would have also hated her, but so nice to find someone, like yourself, who loved her!

 

 

Oh, look, tablecloths!

 

 

A mini suite...

 

 

Sadly, most would not appreciate this type of ship today

 

Ahhh these pics bring back some wonderful memories. I had the pleasure of sailing the Regal Empress to Canada/new England from NYC. Some of the best food we ever had on a cruise.

[Tapi]

Experiences like the OP's are the reason why I cringe when I read "glowing reviews" of these older Fantasy cruise ships sailing from smaller ports on budget minded itineraries. I understand that these ships are sentimental favorites for many, but we are not doing anybody a favor by glamorizing the experience on these ships. Subjective and overly positive reviews just set new cruisers up for disappointment.

 

Yes, these ships are wonderful for a quick, easy, unpretentious, and budget minded getaway. But they are far from being the right fit for people who are more traveled, who set the bar higher, and who expect more out of their vacation.

 

I don't blame the OP for feeling like they went on vacation to a tackily decorated Golden Corral surrounded by people to match. It's a product of unrealistic expectations probably triggered by unrealistic reviews.

 

To the OP. I don't agree with the statement that "cruising in general may not be your cup of tea". But I do believe that "cruising on ships like the Ecstasy may not be your cup of tea".

Edited May 4, 2016 by Tapi

[fin]

Experiences like the OP's are the reason why I cringe when I read "glowing reviews" of these older Fantasy cruise ships sailing from smaller ports on budget minded itineraries. I understand that these ships are sentimental favorites for many, but we are not doing anybody a favor by glamorizing the experience on these ships. Subjective and overly positive reviews just set new cruisers up for disappointment.

 

Yes, these ships are wonderful for a quick, easy, unpretentious, and budget minded getaway. But they are far from being the right fit for people who are more traveled, who set the bar higher, and who expect more out of their vacation.

 

I don't blame the OP for feeling like they went on vacation to a tackily decorated Golden Corral surrounded by people to match. It's a product of unrealistic expectations probably triggered by unrealistic reviews.

 

To the OP. I don't agree with the statement that "cruising in general may not be your cup of tea". But I do believe that "cruising on ships like the Ecstasy may not be your cup of tea".

 

Most excellent, perceptive and literate response. I agree 100%

[AdoraBelle]

Pretty sure OP is long gone, so the dog pile is in vain.