The "I'm Sorry" Owners Suite PH1 Ecstacy Review

[scubamommy!]

Well, we went on the Carnival Ecstacy a few weeks ago in November and stayed in the Owners Suite PH1 to celebrate my 50th Birthday with 24 girlfriends. We all had an amazing time because we know how to have fun and blow things off, not let the little things ruin it for us. But I must say I have never heard the words " I'm sorry" so much in one week.  Here are my thoughts:

 

1- I stayed in the Pent House suite with my mom ( who is 70) and the room was really lovely. The couch could be replaced but everything else was neat, clean and updated. The bathrooms were especially nice, although the lighting wasn't the best, especially for makeup. Minor nuisance. We never heard any noise from below ( neither to loud music from atrium or the pool) and the only place we could slightly hear the runners from above was in the bathroom. Never bothered us a bit. We ordered room service one morning and it came right on time, we enjoyed it the huge balcony.

Downfall: We were never escorted to our room as I had been told and when we got  there we  were told our keys would be at our room, no keys to be found, making us go all the way back down to guests services to retreve them. Our luggage ( which I had been told would have priority) didn't arrive till after 4:00 and I had planned a little sail away party in our room and had gifts for my guests in one of my bags. We had to scramble mid party to get into the luggage to retrieve them all. Not as I had imagined it at all. The guys who brought up the lugagge said they were sorry it was so late.  We had ordered some pastry/party nibble plates to be delievered for the party and they never arrived, the charge was taken off the bill with another I'm sorry . There were chocolate covered strawberries upon arrival from our TA that we did enjoy. Our room steward was not the tidiest or wasn't seen to often. My main request was that I had fresh ice every morning and in the evening. Never happened. Well, I had fresh ice two times, that I had to ask for each time I saw her. Of course she was sorry with a sweet smile. 

 

2- The dinning room was a nightmare the first night. We had late seating at 8:15.  Never have I had worse service on a cruise or on land anywhwere. Our server who I think was new was over worked and had a hard time understanding English AND speaking it. She was the head waiter for all 24 of us at two tables. When we asked for things she would hastily shake her head yes, making us think she would order it for us but then it would never come. We asked for our first drink ( mostly wines) several times. Our appetizers came, our salads came, our entres came and we finally got our first drink mid entre. We are all drinkers so this was a BIG DEAL! Some of us got a second drink, some that ordered did not. Some of us got coffee when ordered some it never came for. Several didn't get items they ordered. She apologized all through and after dinner, and I felt bad for her, but even worse I was embarressed I had planned this crusie for all my guests. Bosting of the wonderful 2 hour relaxed dinners that we got waited on and no one had to cook, clean up or cut up thier kids foods for was a big drawl for a group of moms like us! Night two could NOT be like this! I went to the desk the next morning and asked for a new server. They apologized and apparently they assigned us the best server on staff for the rest of the nights. He was MUCH more professional and quite nice and tried his best to make us all happy. He was trying his hardest and doing the best he could. The problem was that he needed HELP. 24 guests at 2 tables are alot to take care of. NOT his fault. I can't believe how overworked the staff is on this ship. Needless to say every night someone's dinner was late or never even came. He always smiled and really was genuinly sorry I think. 

 

3- The shows and entertainment were fun and enough to keep us all happy in the day and and at night. They played Bingo, did the pool games dance/ singing competitions and had fun at the pool bars!  We loved the piano bar! Several of the girls in our party came out ahead in the casino which was a surprise. One won $400 and another $320 and another $2,000 ( on penny slots!) LOL. Only complaint was that smokey smell you left with after spending any amount of time there. Oh and if you are a single girl looking to meet someone this is your place to go, the guys line up after last call just like vultures! We were all married but had a good time watching it all take place.  The comedy was great, we all enjoyed that several nights! The dance club was really fun if we got there early enough but the late night crowd was a bit rough looking ( not sure if it is always like that or just our cruise) . There were 3 body guards there at all times and we REALLY would have loved to dance more or had another option to go to dance but no such luck. We loved the 70"s night and the 80's music and pop rock but that only lasted so long before the heavy Rap and booty shakers took over the entire club. When we asked security where else we could go to dance they said they were sorry, understood WHY we wanted to go elsewhere, but this was it. sigh...... 

 

4- The pool bars were great and the breakfast and lunches were a hit! Favs included the Guys Burgers, the Taco Bar ( loved the breakfast burritos) and the Pizza at all hours of the day and night. The servers were very attentive with keeping our drinks full, I am sure all the extra tips we were all giving out helped. The hottubs were overcrowded, but we nudged our way in when we could. Downfall: The pizza bar always had a line and the guys there seemed to move at a slow pace. They should just always have pizza made, it's popular, someone will always eat it. Why wait to make one till it is ordered??? I know, I know they are sorry! The servers  in the moring dinning room were on top of their game and the food was always great there. We all went in smaller groups whenever we were ready and some ate at the buffet on different days. No complaints about any of the breakfasts! 

  

5- There was a few girls who had rooms on the 5th and 6th floors that had awful smells. After complaining and several days of different things to fix the problem from air fresheners, to plungers to even the plumber coming nothing ever fixed it. They were sorry and let all those that had problems order from the steak house menu one night to make up for it. Hmmmm.

  

6- The ports were fine, I had been there before but many had not. We went to Nassau and Princess Cays. Boarding and debarking was all VERY SMOOTH and efficient.

 

7- I loved Carnivals message system and online app to keep up with menus and events on the ship, which was very inexpensive and easy to use. Yes, spotty at times, which I had read, but worked better than expected and really glad to have it for a group this big to stay in touch! 

 

8- The Spa was nice , however not cheap and messed up a few appoinments from over booking. They were sorry and added some comped services to the girls who it happened to, but they had to go at odd hours instead of the choices they first booked with.

 

9- On my actual Birthday it was formal night and we got a GREAT shot of all of us on the staircase by the Alchemy Bar that I will forever cherish! John was very kind and sent a ship on a stick, chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of champange to me that night to the room. Very very very sweet. What a nice surprise!  If only I had some ice to keep it cold. 😉 There were two different cakes ordered on two different nights from two different girls that both had to be removed from the bill due to them never coming at all.

 

10- The BEST for LAST. The ALCHEMY BAR made our cruise so much more fun than it would have been without it. Those guys, Jason and Zoran( the mixologists)  were AMAZING and catered to our every whim and call. They humored us, made fun of us and had fun WITH us! The cocktails were amazing, they jokingly named a corner of the bar for us and we went there EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. both before and after dinner at some point. I can't say enough about them! They are the true stars of the Ecstacy. A ship that although she is old, looks pretty darn good even though she needs some new decor. Although, more importantly in need of some plumbing issues fixed and CERTAINLY needs more staff! 

 

As I mentioned, we all had an amazing time. I had all these girls from different walks of my life come together, many who had never met before ( or never cruised before) and all got along so well. Many were exchanging numbers and info when we left which made my heart so happy. It is not often you can get 24 girls ( aged 30-70) together, have so many things go wrong and have NO DRAMA and all leave perfectly happy! We all agreed we are going to cruise again in 2020 together , however sadly Carnival will not be our cruise of choice. We origianlly picked this ship because it was close to home to drive for about 1/2 of them ( NC) and the others ( MI and OH) flew there. The price was right for so many different budgets to work with. However the fact that we ( mom and I)  splurged and got the Pent House Suite with very poor service was my  personal biggest disapointment. My husband and I love to cruise Celebrity and I think we will stick with that line. The older and smaller ships there are fine because they make up for it in service, which in my point of view is honestly the most important thing. Luckily for me, my next cruise is only 6 months away and its on Celebrity Constellation, a ship and line I know I will be much more happy with! 

 

Thanks for reading my review, hopefully it will help anyone deciding on which ship/line, if this is the right one for you. Feel free to ask me any questions. I'll try and check back soon. Cheers!   

 

[thanna]

"I'm sorry" you had so many issues. The Alchemy bar is always the highlight of our cruise, to the point now that we will not book a ship that doesn't have one.

 

[deedle7544]

Enjoyed your review, thank you

[sanmarcosman]

I'm sorry, too that you had to endure the deep labor cuts that Carnival implemented 3 years ago in the MDR. Bar service  in the MDR has been non-existent for us since 2011 and now we stop by a lounge to take a drink into dinner with us.  Better luck in your future travels.

[scubamommy!]

5 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

I'm sorry, too that you had to endure the deep labor cuts that Carnival implemented 3 years ago in the MDR. Bar service  in the MDR has been non-existent for us since 2011 and now we stop by a lounge to take a drink into dinner with us.  Better luck in your future travels.

Thats really to bad. We DID take a drink to dinner with us but on a two hour dinner ( many nights it was almost 3 hours for this big a group) one needs more than one martini to tide them over. Some nights the girls didn't even want to go to that nice dinner because of the drink service. But maybe thats Carnival's intention. Too bad, they just lost several new potential customers from my group. If you haven't sailed Celebrity , you should try them. They cater to you at dinners and throughout the entire trip!  

[JaniceB]

It seems that dining room service has slipped on all lines.  I just sailed on another line and never got coffee with my dessert, in fact you order dessert at the same time you order your dinner, no separate dessert menu.  Drinks usually come from the bar staff and we tell them the first night that we will be ordering drinks and need a server.  These are little things but they do add up.  We tried Celebrity with a group of girls and had a great wait staff.  It is a little more laid back as far as activities but we had a great time becaus we were together.

 

Thanks for your review.

[BoDidly]

I made the comment on these boards years ago that Carnival most used words are " I'm Sorry"

As others have stated the MDR has become a joke. I don't bother with it much not unless my wife request that we go.

Although 4:00 sounds fairly decent for the luggage. Being Diamond we have received ours much later than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scubamommy!]

2 minutes ago, BoDidly said:

I made the comment on these boards years ago that Carnival most used words are " I'm Sorry"

As others have stated the MDR has become a joke. I don't bother with it much not unless my wife request that we go.

Although 4:00 sounds fairly decent for the luggage. Being Diamond we have received ours much later than that.

 

 

The luggage came mid sail away party ( the party started at 4:00) so I think luggage came 4:30 or 4:45. Which I wouldn't have minded had I been told that. I would have carried the bag with the gifts on myself. I had originally been told it would be walked on ( escorted) WITH me but when we got there the luggage guys said ok and took my bags and assured me they would take it right away. I tipped them generously for it as well. When we got to check in no one escorted us on at all, no one even offered. I asked if there was any special treatment that I had heard about and they all just shrugged their shoulders......with a polite smile, but ......still. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bury me at sea]

I sympathize with you.  Over the last few cruises I have noticed a fairly severe reduction in the number of MDR service teams and cabin stewards.  Service in both areas has suffered commensurately, and bar service in the MDR is approaching nonexistent.

 

Historically Carnival has offered great value for the price paid.  In my experience, not so much anymore.  I find this sad.

 

The MDR teams are working hard, as are the stewards, but they are now expected to do more than is possible.

 

I currently have 2 cruises booked, with the minimum refundable rate paid.  After the next one I will reevaluate the 2nd one with plenty of time to cancel without penalty.  I hope not to do that because I have truly loved cruising with Carnival.

 

If new cruisers have lowered expectations, and that is the new business model, so be it.

 

 

[Schoifmom]

1 hour ago, scubamommy! said:

1- I stayed in the Pent House suite with my mom ( who is 70) and the room was really lovely. The couch could be replaced but everything else was neat, clean and updated. The bathrooms were especially nice, although the lighting wasn't the best, especially for makeup. Minor nuisance. We never heard any noise from below ( neither to loud music from atrium or the pool) and the only place we could slightly hear the runners from above was in the bathroom. Never bothered us a bit. We ordered room service one morning and it came right on time, we enjoyed it the huge balcony.

Downfall: We were never escorted to our room as I had been told and when we got  there we  were told our keys would be at our room, no keys to be found, making us go all the way back down to guests services to retreve them. Our luggage ( which I had been told would have priority) didn't arrive till after 4:00

 

 

I'm glad that you are a great group and could have a a great time without letting annoyances get to you 🙂

 

"I'm sorry" you had a rough start:

• I have never heard of being escorted to your suite.  I believe that is a different line that does that.  
• What time did you attempt to enter your room?  Suites do not have priority room access (unless you are also Platinum/Diamond or have FTTF).  If it was before 1:30 and you don't have priority access, that would explain why your key wasn't there.
• Priority luggage delivery is not listed as a suite perk, even though some people have reported getting that.

[scubamommy!]

5 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

 

I'm glad that you are a great group and could have a a great time without letting annoyances get to you 🙂

 

"I'm sorry" you had a rough start:

• I have never heard of being escorted to your suite.  I believe that is a different line that does that.  
• What time did you attempt to enter your room?  Suites do not have priority room access (unless you are also Platinum/Diamond or have FTTF).  If it was before 1:30 and you don't have priority access, that would explain why your key wasn't there.
• Priority luggage delivery is not listed as a suite perk, even though some people have reported getting that.

To answer your questions: We went to our room after we ate and looked around, it was about 2:30. This is not just a regular suite. This Pent House is also called the owners suit and can not be booked online anywhere. There are special circumstances that allow you to book it. Because we had so many cabins I was "allowed" to pay ( alot) extra to book it. Because it was a special occasion we choose to do so, the perks were very limited , we knew this going in. The only extra perk was priority boarding and being escorted to the room with my luggage and being able to use the Paltinum/Diamond Guest Services. I was told this by my TA who was told by Carnival. My card read VIP and was Silver. I actually got a few extra perks that I wasn't told about such as the Platinum/ Diamond gift ( a fanny pack of sorts in November) a free pin and free waters in the room.   

[Schoifmom]

1 minute ago, scubamommy! said:

To answer your questions: We went to our room after we ate and looked around, it was about 2:30. This is not just a regular suite. This Pent House is also called the owners suit and can not be booked online anywhere. There are special circumstances that allow you to book it. Because we had so many cabins I was "allowed" to pay ( alot) extra to book it. Because it was a special occasion we choose to do so, the perks were very limited , we knew this going in. The only extra perk was priority boarding and being escorted to the room with my luggage and being able to use the Paltinum/Diamond Guest Services. I was told this by my TA who was told by Carnival. My card read VIP and was Silver. I actually got a few extra perks that I wasn't told about such as the Platinum/ Diamond gift ( a fanny pack of sorts in November) a free pin and free waters in the room.   

 

Then you really did have a horrible start!  So sorry that this happened to you.  It looks like they gave you an honorary Platinum status for the cruise and you didn't get all of the benefits 😞

 

[serene56]

re"   your waiter-- did she NOT have two other helpers?    your drinks come from bar service  not the wait staff.  (two different departments.

 

your luggage not getting to you til 4-- is the porters at the pier-- as more then likely they put it in the wrong bin. 

[scubamommy!]

3 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

 

Then you really did have a horrible start!  So sorry that this happened to you.  It looks like they gave you an honorary Platinum status for the cruise and you didn't get all of the benefits 😞

 

It's ok. As I stated we all had a great time. The reason  of my review here was to emphasize that service goes A LONG WAY! I haven't cruised Carnival in a long time. I know it is cheaper ( when you don't stay in the Pent House)  than most lines and expectations were lower due to this. Like when you go shopping at Walmart compared to Macy's. You don't expect the same quality. I was pleasently surprised in some aspects ( as mentioned the lunch places and the app) and completely dissapointed in the service. They could do so much better! I would rather pay a bit more and get a much better experience. Just my opinion. 

[scubamommy!]

2 minutes ago, serene56 said:

re"   your waiter-- did she NOT have two other helpers?    your drinks come from bar service  not the wait staff.  (two different departments.

 

your luggage not getting to you til 4-- is the porters at the pier-- as more then likely they put it in the wrong bin. 

There were a few "food runners" bringing out the dishes and doing bread. but she ( the first night) and He ( the other nights) were the only ones taking any orders of both food( including desserts) and drinks ( including coffee) of any kind. 

[serene56]

15 minutes ago, scubamommy! said:

There were a few "food runners" bringing out the dishes and doing bread. but she ( the first night) and He ( the other nights) were the only ones taking any orders of both food( including desserts) and drinks ( including coffee) of any kind. 

usually there are 3 people.   the head waiter   who takes the orders.   the runner who gets the food and the other who fills drinks  (NOT bar drinks) and bread along with condiments and helps the head waiter serve.    I hope you told someone about the service so those people can be trained right to get it done.       That sounds like a nightmare-- sorry to hear that for you

 

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

I sympathize with you.  Over the last few cruises I have noticed a fairly severe reduction in the number of MDR service teams and cabin stewards.  Service in both areas has suffered commensurately, and bar service in the MDR is approaching nonexistent.

 

Historically Carnival has offered great value for the price paid.  In my experience, not so much anymore.  I find this sad.

 

The MDR teams are working hard, as are the stewards, but they are now expected to do more than is possible.

 

I currently have 2 cruises booked, with the minimum refundable rate paid.  After the next one I will reevaluate the 2nd one with plenty of time to cancel without penalty.  I hope not to do that because I have truly loved cruising with Carnival.

 

If new cruisers have lowered expectations, and that is the new business model, so be it.

 

 

 

I have made similar comments on this board and when talking to MANY people on cruises over the last few years, especially at D&P and D parties. Carnival’s business model seems to be moving more and more towards appealing to Blue card passengers. I know Carnival understands the cruise industry way better than I do, but I don’t see how Carnival can survive long term if they don’t have a significant number of repeat cruisers on every sailing.   Personally I am still happy cruising on Carnival, but I know a lot of friends and co-workers, many who I cruised with in the past, who will no longer sail on Carnival. 

Edited December 18, 2018 by PhillyFan33579

[serene56]

Our next cruise on the Magic will probably be our last    It is what it is.  Was a good run.   Just not for us any more 

[hard_eight]

We stayed in PH1 on the fascination a few years ago and after check in at the pier a lady came and whisked us away skipping the photos and getting us a private ride to the top in an elevator. Probably another cut back...

 

We were also Platinum for the duration of that cruise.

[kona_wahine]

Being a server on a cruise ship has to be the worst job in the world. they don’t just serve dinner. I’ve seen our server from the night before at breakfast first thing in the morning. Those people work their fingers to the bone. 

[xDisconnections]

Sorry it fell short of meeting your expectations. Upholding their commitment to provide you a memorable experience, they hope to better serve you on a future Carnival vacation.

 

**probably sounds just like Carnival’s Medallia**

Edited December 19, 2018 by xDisconnections

[xDisconnections]

2 hours ago, kona_wahine said:

Being a server on a cruise ship has to be the worst job in the world. they don’t just serve dinner. I’ve seen our server from the night before at breakfast first thing in the morning. Those people work their fingers to the bone. 

Don’t forget they also have their emergency assembly positions that require constant training refreshers and on the last night of the cruise, they have to polish all of the silverware on top of doing their two additional Lido shifts each week.

[KmomChicago]

10 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I have made similar comments on this board and when talking to MANY people on cruises over the last few years, especially at D&P and D parties. Carnival’s business model seems to be moving more and more towards appealing to Blue card passengers. I know Carnival understands the cruise industry way better than I do, but I don’t see how Carnival can survive long term if they don’t have a significant number of repeat cruisers on every sailing.   Personally I am still happy cruising on Carnival, but I know a lot of friends and co-workers, many who I cruised with in the past, who will no longer sail on Carnival. 

 

These are all valid points, but they seem to have a lot of repeat passengers regardless.  John Heald recently posted the stats for a cruise and right about half of the passengers were blue card, probably a third were red, and that still left room for several hundred at the next tier and a couple dozen at the very top.  And there are many reviews mention high numbers of top tier passengers each sailing.  Seems to be even worse on the RC boards where many up there in the rare air complain about how crowded the exclusive venues are. 

[schazzy]

With the exception on the first formal night, we actually had great service on the Ecstasy in the MDR although the food was kinda slow coming out. Fast forward to the Miracle this past May and while the food came out pretty quickly, the overall service left a lot to be desired. We gave up on the MDR after the first few nights and went to the Lido for dinner and actually enjoyed our dinners there more than the MDR and going forward will probably have most of our dinners there.

[FSHLOT]

We were on the Dream Dec.2-9th, and the Head waiter WAS the bar guy too. I think this is a real problem for CCl and the way they handle the MDR.  Service has been going down hill the last few years, and if they dont fix it, i know a few dozen loyal CCL  cruisers who will have no problem changing to a more reliable  cruise line. There is still a lot of good on CCL, but for the people that cruise often can notice a huge change in services. Maybe they are catering to the "New" cruiser crowd.