Will never sail Carnival again
Carnival Ecstasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 56
6 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)
Sail date: August 19, 2017
Ship: Carnival Ecstasy
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
Overall, my family and I will likely not sail Carnival again. This was our first cruise with this line as we heard it was a good family cruise. I wouldn't recommend the Ecstasy to anyone quite frankly, it's not worth the thousands you have to shell out. The staff seemed burned out and exhausted at nearly every turn. The ship smelled like it had a sewage or plumbing problem. Our rooms were in the middle of the ship and that was where it was the worst. Guest services said there was nothing that could be done to mitigate. Buffet was always out of food and wasn't very good to begin with. Whatever was left of the salad was always warm and sometimes slimy. We asked the gentleman working if there would be more salad soon and he just laughed and walked away. Pizza counter was understaffed almost always, the soft serve and frozen yogurt machines always had old ice cream cones stuck to the bottom in a warm, sticky mess. The deli was good, the burgers at Guy's and the tacos at Blue Iguana were much better but good luck getting up to the counter. Pool was surprisingly small for the number of people aboard. Lots of parents were allowing their kids to run free all over the place, even running around through the Serenity area (21+) and knocking people over. The staff did not care or take any measures to stop this. Very few areas to escape the children on board. Our kids themselves had difficulty playing in the children's area due to the smell of the carpet. My son ended up with a rash on his arm - after that the kids never went back. The fitness area was the nicest area of the ship. Drinks were weak and at premium prices, so we stopped ordering them after the second day. The iced tea, lemonade and water all tasted funny so we started purchasing bottled water instead. There were many rude people on this boat as well, lots of redneck types who ignored the dining room rules, were loud and boisterous and let their kids roam everywhere. One family had two women that were incredibly drunk during dinner - one fell off her chair while her kid nearly ran over our poor waiter. After reading some other reviews I guess I'm not surprised - these types of people seem to be a theme on this particular cruise. With this being considered a cheap cruise, we should have expected that though. Many, many problems with this ship. It should be retired but instead is being treated as a cash cow for those of us who are unsuspecting - my mistake. I love to cruise, and after satisfying my curiosity about Carnival I will be looking to other lines for my future cruises. Our entire family of avid cruisers couldn't wait to get off the boat - that speaks for itself.Embarkation
My wife, 2 kids and I stood outside in a huge line at our correct check-in time for 40 minutes in the heat. I believe it was over 100F that day. Did not prepare for that because we had no idea that would happen.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Sub-par at best. Cold, sometimes inedible food in the main dining room.
Onboard Activities
Enjoyed the fitness center and the mini-golf, although the mini-golf course was never attended to and there were no golf balls left by the end of the cruise.
Entertainment
Comedy was good, juggler was good, shows were just okay. Wish the comedy lasted longer than a mere 30 minutes. Comedians complained about the ship a lot!
Children's Programs
Kids complained about the carpet in the kids area, said it smelled funny and walked away with a rash. Said the activities were not very fun so I'll take them at their word. Who would know better than they?
Service and Staff
The best service we received was from our steward. He was excellent and very good at his job. The lady behind the coffee bar was also very friendly, did not catch her name. Waiters seemed annoyed most evenings in the main dining room.
Ship Quality
Our stateroom was clean but the rest of the ship was not. Panels coming off of the walls, carpet was old and matted, elevators not working properly etc.
Cabin / Stateroom
Good and clean. Knocked off a star for the lack of outlets in our stateroom. Great steward!
Ship tip
Look elsewhere for a cruise.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)
Beautiful island, beautiful water, friendly staff. Took a very long time to get off of the boat.
Pretty area but strangers randomly grabbing at you to purchase over-priced things. Also read a statement in the Fun Times that said to watch out for crime in the area - that worried us during our visit.
There is nothing here. Should have stayed on the ship and avoided this place. Highly industrial, a bit surprised we stopped here.
Disembarkation
Diamond, platinum VIPs and FTTF should have been allowed to get off of the ship before the others, but staff was allowing everyone to get off whenever they wanted. Getting off the ship took way longer than it should have.