Good Value for the Money. Easy Departure point.

Carnival Ecstasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 43

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Ecstasy

5 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 25, 2017

Ship: Carnival Ecstasy

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: E207

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

I booked this cruise because the departure port of Charleston was within driving distance (9 hours) but didn't require double the distance to Florida. While the Ecstacy is one of the older ships in the Carnival fleet, she is well-maintained and had just been through dry-dock to refit some of the features now found on most Carnival vessels. Red Frog, Iguana Cantina, Guy Fieri's burger joint, etc.

 

The food was very good, service wonderful. My only disappointment was in the evening entertainment, which I found sparse. Comedy was good, but only one show. And apart from Trivia, not much going on that wasn't trying to up-sell something from the shops during the day.

 

Ports of call were Nassau and Freeport, pretty standard.

 

We did have a boarding delay due to some weather prior to the ships arrival, but the cruse line provided a small credit to compensate; it was too small in my opinion given that we lost one meal in the dining room as a result. These are a treat and on a five-night cruise, that's a pretty major loss.

 

I would sail Carnival again. Other lines may have better accouterments, and newer ships, but there is a lot to be said for convenience and value for money!

 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
I found the food plentiful and of excellent quality.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Trivia all the time, but there weren't as many structured and planned programs as I would have liked. Most of the "events" seemed to be trying to sell from the spa or shops.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Comedy was good, but only one stage show.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
I had FIVE PEOPLE in the cabin, but with pullman bunks and a trundle, we made it work. I was actually surprised how well the bunks worked. The trundle is something I wouldn't recommend though it looked comfortable. Gave little room to walk but from a review standpoint, this is one of the few ships that can accommodate a quint....and putting four in this room would have been quite comfy.

Ship tip

Putting four or five in a cabin was definitely easier with the ocean view window. They have pullman cabins without a view...wouldn't want to do that. Also....live at Pizza Pirate and the burger joint. Yum.

Ports of call

Charleston, South Carolina

5 out of 5
Quaint French Quarter full of art galleries and a nice waterfront park nearby. We had to kill time due to a boarding delay, and this made that a little easier.

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5
We hired a driver for a personal tour of the island to see everything.

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

5 out of 5
Paradise Cove. Trust me. But book directly to get this at half cost. deadmansreef dot com.
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