Will never sail Carnival again

Carnival Ecstasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

ncb2368

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 56

Overall rating:

2.3 out of 5

6 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 19, 2017

Ship: Carnival Ecstasy

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 7 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

1 out of 5

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

1 out of 5

Sub-par at best. Cold, sometimes inedible food in the main dining room.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

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

2 out of 5

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

1 out of 5

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

2 out of 5

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

1 out of 5

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

4 out of 5

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

Ports of call

Charleston, South Carolina

4 out of 5

Charleston is a very nice city. The port was horrible.

Thumbs Up 2

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

4 out of 5

Beautiful island, beautiful water, friendly staff. Took a very long time to get off of the boat.

Thumbs Up 2

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

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.

Thumbs Up 5

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

1 out of 5

There is nothing here. Should have stayed on the ship and avoided this place. Highly industrial, a bit surprised we stopped here.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

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.

18 Comments

timc3479 7 years ago

Hey ncb2368- How many cruises have you taken? Your profile list you as zero cruises

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GIL155 7 years ago

At least you tried it and found out it is NOT for you. There are many others ships which I know you know as "avid cruisers". Good luck to you on your next cruise. Hope it is more to your preference.

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CRUISESBYPROTOC 7 years ago

I Enjoyed everyone of my pass Cruise's ; Cruisers play a Important Role on the Outcome of their Cruise !!! Always bring Air Freshener too combat the Sewer Smell & Higher Floor Level the Higher the Better ; I like the 9th Floor

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cochranp 7 years ago

We loved the Ecstasy...did not encounter misy of the items you mentioned. Pool is too small and hot tubs always full of kids was only thing I agree with. No issues eith smells, staff or food.

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phoenixraquel 7 years ago

We go in early-mid November or early-mid December before the holidays. It's only a handful of kids. I never experienced the summer crowd, but I heard it's overwhelming.

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jenny072 7 years ago

I understand about the kid issues I've seen it but I did take my kids 4,7on a cruise n let me say this my kids know mommy does NOT allow them to act like inappropriate.when we say for dinner you sat n if u even try to act a mock they got the look n acted right.but we could never get in hot tubs kids were in it n I'm sry no matter how old mine get they will not be let loose on a ship.n having our kids with us other then maybe one cocktail at dinner we did not drink alcohol.I'm sry it wasn't what u expected but try again during Feb or March less kids on board

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phoenixraquel 7 years ago

@denf24 where on deck 7 were you? I will be on deck 7 (in the front). Just curious.

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dbenf24 7 years ago

Some people will complain about everything. We spent a lot of time on Serenity and NEVER saw any children there. We just got off ship Friday 8/25. Never seen buffet without food, never had an issue with salad bar, pizza stand had 2 people working at all times..... What cruise were you on? We stayed on deck 7 and had no issues with any sewage smell....

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jmutt24 7 years ago

Couldn't wait to get off the boat? At least vaca is over and you are back at work now!

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casino777 7 years ago

our ninth cruise is coming up,Mar 3,2017. we love Carnival,we always book a suite. sailed on the Breeze,Pride,Dream,Fantasy,Magic and Sunsine. A few we sailed a few times. We had great service and food was good. Buffet at times were crowded for breakfast,so we ate in the Main Dining Room. Spa was great. Dont book spa treatments right away. near end of cruise the spa has great specials. Comedy Club was good. overall cruises are the best, so,so relaxing!!!

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enos0357 7 years ago

I don't know if they think carnival is going to give them a discount on their next cruise or like some people who are trying to get a free meal in a restaurant. I don't know if they have rectified the sewer smell that I've heard about from other posts. There may not be anything that they can do about that but I do know in order to get a job on ANY cruise ship you have to be a "people" person. No matter how many references you have in the interview you must display the right attitude or you don't get the job.

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Lovingmylife 7 years ago

Never seen the buffet out of food

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Lovingmylife 7 years ago

We love this ship. Just got back and leaving on the 15th so I am confused. I don't see all this . We always have a ball.

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Manatee386 7 years ago

why would you disbelieve these comments when they seem to be a perfect mirror of today's society? Undisciplined children without supervision, overbearing inebriated individuals with no regard for fellow travelers, rude or uncaring employees, and the list goes on . Additionally, thus is not the only post to outline almost identical problem areas. I believe this person experienced all of these issues as outlined . what's in it for them to lie to the next group of 2,000 passengers to board this ship ?

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phoenixraquel 7 years ago

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Honestly, others have been saying the same things about this ship, so it can't be too far from the truth. I'm just hoping the sewage smell will be fixed by the time I get on the ship next year.

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enos0357 7 years ago

Just a warning to OUR fellow cruisers. Don't believe all the negative comments about this cruise line. I don't know what their motives are but I find it hard to believe that season cruisers would recommend this cruise line and this ship in particular.

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ncb2368 7 years ago

Just giving my honest opinion, sir. We paid thousands for this trip and for that price it's reasonable to expect a certain level of service. We didn't expect an incredibly upscale luxury cruise of course, but we didn't expect this either. Just a warning to our fellow cruisers.

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enos0357 7 years ago

I think you should just stay home where everything is perfect. I'm surprised at the number of frequent cruisers that have such a wonderful time on the same ship.

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Don’t listen to bad reviews

We had a wonder family vacation!!

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