Our First Cruise

Item: Carnival Ecstasy
Rating: 4
Author: joshuagivens

Carnival Ecstasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

joshuagivens

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 35

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 24, 2017

Ship: Carnival Ecstasy

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: V30

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

Loved the private Island Half Moon Cay but 6.5 hrs is too short. Even at our other port (Freetown) we felt the ship left too early and would have appreciated a full 12 hrs to enjoy/explore the ports. Carnival initially appealed to us b/c of low pricing, and if you are a budget cruiser this is the way to go. For us we felt like by the time we paid for all the upgrades and packages (everything on board is a sales pitch) we could have traveled on a more expensive (more inclusive) cruise line. That being said, we were in no way dissapointed and enjoyed every minute of the cruise!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Housekeeping (PILAN) was always close by and never let any amenities come even close to running out. She prepared a cute towel animal on our bed each day and left us hand written notes with our itinerary for each day. She always greeted us by name in the hallways and always had a warm tone with a friendly smile.

Ship tip

Ecstasy has recently undergone renovations/upgrades. Most notably the Blue Iguana Cantina, BlueIguana Tequila Bar, RedFrog Rum bar and Guy Feirri's Burger Joint were put in. Also be sure to check out the newly installed Alchemy Bar (I recommend the "Quick Fix" or the "Cucumber Refresher").

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Charleston, South Carolina

5 out of 5

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

3 out of 5

Freeport is a very depressed economy. Private corporate governance has catered to the trade business and brought in massive profits with little trickle down benefits for the average island inhabitant. All middle class homes have tall fences with outward facing barbed wire atop them. Most buildings are in disrepair and are uninhabited. Major storm damage from Hurricane Matthew is evident everywhere you look.

Thumbs Up 3

3 Comments

ericksenfam 7 years ago

our first cruise is may 27th. we have traveled to all inclusive resorts in the past and loved it. we haven't even left on our cruise and regretting that we didn't just take the fam to jamaica instead. will cost less and no frustrations.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

sunshine220 7 years ago

There are cruises through carnival where the ship stays in port overnight maybe look into booking one of those next time we went to Bermuda and it stayed in port two nights it was more expensive but worth it.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

ccoone 7 years ago

You don't think the other cruise lines do the same thing?

Thumbs Up 3

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Disappointing