Great cruise for a great price!
Written: Nov 08 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Service, activities, cabin service.
Cons: Kind of worn, table seating, embarkation and disembarkation.
The Bottom Line: I say that it is worth the money. Have fun! Then come back and tell me your thoughts!
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| MAplumlee's Full Review: Carnival Ecstasy |
We sailed on this ship in August 2002. This was mine and my husband's second cruise. This ships itinerary was from Los Angeles to Ensenada and back to Los Angeles. The ship pulled off at 5pm on Friday and returned on Monday at 8am.
This review is going to be brutally honest but please don't let that stop you from deciding for yourself.
We arrived about 3 hours before the ships departure to be met with a line that wrapped around the building. There were no less than 600 people in line. After standing in line for 1 1/2 hours, we were finally able to see the ticket counter, where we were met with another line that was 1/2 hour long. When we finally made it to the counter, the entire process was exactly 4 1/2 minutes to receive our boarding papers. We walked down another aisle where we were given our room keys and took the embarkation picture and walked up the gangplank and straight into the ship.
My first impression was that someone was blind when they decorated the ship. It is all done in a gaudy red and orange. BUT on a whole, it worked. It was festive. There are many stairways and elevators so you were not left wandering around looking for one.
We went to our room and we were pleased with it. We were on the Rivera deck (the bottom) in an inside cabin. There was enough space for both of us. There was a nice little basket in the restroom filled with items ranging from Tylenol PM to Oil of Olay Daily Facials. The room was clean and tidy. Closet was fair sized (Remember we are only there for 3 nights). Carpet was a little worn but not that big of a deal.
We went up to the Lido deck to see the ship leave the dock and there was a Reggae band playing and drinks flowing everywhere. They had a nice lunch set up cafeteria style with burgers and salads.
After the ship left the dock, we went down to our room to get changed for dinner. Our luggage had not arrived yet. So we waited. And waited. Finally, at 7:30, our luggage arrived. And dinner was at 8:15pm. I was not real pleased about that but what can you do? We hurried and got ready and put our clothing away and raced up to dinner.
Our dinner seating was second seating with assigned tables. We were seated with a newlywed couple on their honeymoon and another couple who had teenage children (which they left at home). I can honestly say that it was strained conversation. The age difference was the problem. We really had nothing in common with these people and could not wait to be finished. The food was pretty good on all nights there except the last night when there was not a single thing on the menu that I felt like eating so I had room service. Room service is a great thing. Sandwiches and salads and desserts brought to your room.
Now, about the rest of the vacation. The casino is great (played nickle slots and won $600 dollars through the course of our stay)and the spa is out of this world. I highly recommend getting a message or facial while you are there. It was HEAVEN!!! The spa is ran by Steiner who is world renowned. Pricey but totally worth it.
The staff on the ship is some of the NICEST people you will ever meet. They really go out of their way to make you feel at home. We had a wonderful room steward who would make little animals out of our towels and leave them on the bed for us with the next day's newsletter. And he would only do that after he turned down our beds and put a mint on our pillow. TOP NOTCH!
The pool has a water slide but we never went in it because it was filled with children at all times. The hot tubs seemed to be empty every time we saw them.
We had a little bit of rough water on the way back and the boat got a little rocky. I would bring Dramamine if you are prone to sea sickness. Quite a few people were green.
Disembarkation is a JOKE. You have to wake up early (if you want to eat) and you spend the next 3 hours in a line of 1000 people who need to go through customs and then waiting for your luggage tag color to be called so you can leave. There was only water and fruit to snack on while you are waiting and you must wait in a certain area (according to colored luggage tag) until your color is called and you can leave.
I know that it sounds like I pointed out a bunch of bad things but in all honesty, it was a really fun trip. We had so much fun that we booked another one for Aug 2003 with all 3 of our kids!
In summary, for the money, this is a good trip. It is not the QE3 but a lot of fun for a little amount of money.
PROS:
GREAT staff
good casino
EXCELLENT spa
proportioned room space
GREAT room stewards
good room service
good size boat
decent food
CONS:
shabby decor is some spots
Embarkation and Disembarkation is a lot of "hurry up and wait"
Seating assignments need to be more thought out. Age wise, we were in different worlds.
Late seating for dinner makes you miss out on a lot of shows and contests. Highly recommend early seating if possible.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
MAplumlee
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Location: California
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 22 members
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