Great first time experience!

Carnival Ecstasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Ecstasy

5 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 14, 2017

Ship: Carnival Ecstasy

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: E218

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

My family enjoyed the cruise. We plan on doing another one on a bigger ship to avoid a lot of movement. We will look for destinations that aren't third world governed so the comfort level for my 11 year old will be better.

Embarkation

3 out of 5
No signage on where to go at port. $100 parking fee was unexpected. Baggage collectors were fighting over which lane I should go to which was uncomfortable. Once in the port, things were easier with plenty of employees guiding your way.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Wasn't aware of the extra cost for selected main dishes. The Bubbles charge was too much. Other than that, the dining experience was fantastic!

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Activities were well MC'd and very fun.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The shows had quality singers and we enjoyed them all.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5
Kids clubs kept my kid busy the entire time.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Every service employee was as gracious as could be which was very pleasant.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Ship layout was confusing at times. It took some time to learn the routes for certain theaters and restaurants. The ship was always clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
The beds were comfortable. The room was cramped which is normal for a ship cabin I assume. We had a balcony which helped spread people out. Room was cleaned everyday. The bathroom floor pan flooded after showers do to the shower draining slowly.

Ship tip

It is a smaller ship which will move a lot. Take necessary medicine just in case.

Ports of call

Charleston, South Carolina

4 out of 5
Charleston is a nice place to visit. Plan on spending a day or two when cruise has ended.

Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)

3 out of 5
Water was beautiful but there are nicer beaches in the states. Rocks everywhere and painful walks over rocks when in water.

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5
Our Snuba excursion was excellent but unfortunately that was the only thing worth doing in Nassau. When we left the Snuba boat, we had to walk through a gate to go back to ship. The taunting encounter we had with a local horse carriage driver scared my 11 year old and we decided not to go into town. Not sure if the some locals understand the concept of capitalism. 1/2 of the ships occupancy did not go into Nassau because of this behavior.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
Time consuming but smooth.
Was this review helpful? 29

3 Comments

ctav    7 years ago

Ive been on larger ships Destiny/Sunshine and Splendor where I experienced more rocking and rolling than I did on Fantasy Class ships and that was in 20 foot swells. I'll agree with you about Nassau and I'm not a fan of the island.

sunshine220    7 years ago

Bermuda is a very family friendly destination very safe clean and friendly locals we loved it there

GIL155    7 years ago

Lots of cruise selections out there. Hope you find one that satisfies your cruise dreams. Best wishes.

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