August 2016 - 5 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Ecstasy
OUR FIRST EVER CRUISE! We would cruise AGAIN!!
denisemurray1
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Joined 08/2016
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Carnival Ecstasy
Sail date: August 06, 2016
OUR FIRST EVER CRUISE! We would cruise AGAIN!!
We would recommend this cruise for adults! The 5-Night Bahamas Cruise was just enough time to be on a cruise; not too long, not too short. We had two ports of call with Nassau, Bahamas being the first port and Half Moon Cay, the 2nd port. We enjoyed Half Moon Cay A LOT MORE than Nassau, but it is all in what you are looking for. We were looking for a gorgeous beach with a free great buffet lunch on it and that is exactly what we found at Half Moon Cay! In fact, we would probably say that Half Moon Cay was our family's favorite part of the whole trip! As adults, we had a lot of on-board activities to choose from-casino, R-rated comedy shows, bingo, music shows, trivia, etc. As our 19 year old son went with us, he found that there wasn't much to do in his age group--mini golf-(free), swimming-(free), casino-($) & arcade-($)--were about all that he found,(he was too old for the teen club) and after swimming every day, the other activities just sounded lame to him. Had the ship had an Xbox tournament or any classes on video gaming, etc., he probably would have been more excited, but they didn't. Overall, we had a good family-fun vacation, and we would probably cruise Carnival again, but we would check out other ships for 'older teen activities', if we have 'teens' along with us.
Cruise tips
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)
Half Moon Cay was the highlight of this cruise! It was a pleasure to spend the afternoon in a beautiful spot with everyone enjoying the sun, the water, and the free lunch buffet! If we could, we would pay to stay on the island for 3 or 4 days; it was just that gorgeous!!
There are levels of society in the Bahamas just like there are in the U.S. Housing is high on an island, so some people are poor and live rough. Some are mid-class, some are rich; you see a little of all that on the island. Tourism is their biggest asset and some folks prey on the tourists. Don't wave money around; be careful & alert to your surroundings.
Be aware that the port/dock is old. It is not a pretty sight, therefore we heard from fellow travelers that they didn't care for the port. We chose this particular port because it was closest to our home--we could drive in, not fly in. We would use this port again.
Carnival Ecstasy
For our 1st cruise, we were told to get a room mid-ship for less motion. So, we got a Grand Suite w/a balcony (U76) & we felt very little ocean 'rocking' motion in our room. We slept soundly each night and had very little noise in our hallway.
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We would recommend this cruise for adults! The 5-Night Bahamas Cruise was just enough time to be on a cruise; not too long, not too short. We had two ports of call with Nassau, Bahamas being the first port and Half Moon Cay, the 2nd port. We enjoyed Half Moon Cay A LOT MORE than Nassau, but it is all in what you are looking for. We were looking for a gorgeous beach with a free great buffet lunch on it and that is exactly what we found at Half Moon Cay! In fact, we would probably say that Half Moon Cay was our family's favorite part of the whole trip! As adults, we had a lot of on-board activities to choose from-casino, R-rated comedy shows, bingo, music shows, trivia, etc. As our 19 year old son went with us, he found that there wasn't much to do in his age group--mini golf-(free), swimming-(free), casino-($) & arcade-($)--were about all that he found,(he was too old for the teen club) and after swimming every day, the other activities just sounded lame to him. Had the ship had an Xbox tournament or any classes on video gaming, etc., he probably would have been more excited, but they didn't. Overall, we had a good family-fun vacation, and we would probably cruise Carnival again, but we would check out other ships for 'older teen activities', if we have 'teens' along with us.