As mentioned before, embark and disembark left something to be desired but in between it was pretty nice. It was my nephews first ever cruise and they loved it. I've had better but one or 2 worse as well. I guess for a first time cruiser, they should give it a try. Its close to mid Atlantic if you plan on driving from this area. I will certainly cruise Carnival again but most likely not on the Ecstasy. I've had my fill twice.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We got to the port by 1045 so we had to wait for the gates to open. It was cold that day in Charleston so we were very uncomfortable waiting in line. Once inside, we were sent over to the desk where they were to check us in. They seemed somewhat confused about our room. We had the owners suite and the lady wasn't exactly sure how to deal with that. Once checked in, we were escorted to our suite personally.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Dining was top notch. The food was good and the crew went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Lido deck was usually crowded on sea days as it seemed everyone wanted to eat at the same time. Often we had trouble finding a place to sit.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We didn't really get involved in any onboard activities but from what I saw they were good.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff in the dining room was superb. They couldn't have been nicer and remembered after our first night what we preferred as our beverages. Our room steward was awesome. He tended to our needs and didn't hesitate to keep our room clean and supplied as needed.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I have been on this ship before. It had a few upgrades since I was on it 5 years ago. They were nice but I think I would like to sail on a bigger ship next time with more amenities.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had the owners suite. It was great for the 4 of us. The view from the balcony wasn't as good as, say from another balcony type room. We had lifeboats hanging from just below our balcony. It was very roomy and comfortable. The issue I had was since it had been cold outside our suite couldn't keep up with the cold and even though we had the heat cranked on high, the room was still chilly. I informed the room steward but he said its the nature of us being in a cold city.The furnishings were fantastic.
Ship tip
For a first time cruise, it would be great. Then you can move up to a bigger ship from this. This was my 17th cruise and I definitely prefer more room to move about on the ship than the Ecstasy had.
Some good shopping but the highlight was to take a taxi over to Paradise Island and use the free beach there. Very nice although chilly by Bahamas standards.
This was lacking. Since we had the owners suite and we were carrying off our own luggage, we figured we could disembark early. They started calling decks but ours was not in the first 4 or 5. I finally went to a crew member and asked since we were the only ones on that deck, could we go? He said I don't see why not. Not very well organized in my opinion.
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