New Cruise Review - Carnival Ecstasy - Time to Sink this Ship!

btate · November 29, 2015

"Now I know why so many people jump overboard on Carnival"

WeCruiseToo · November 29, 2015

Thanks for the review Byron – so sorry to hear that it didn’t meet your expectations. Here’s hoping your next cruise is perfect!

btate · November 30, 2015

I will embark on my 18th and 19th Princess cruise in January (back to back) on the Caribbean Princess. So far, all of my Princess cruises have all been amazing. With Princess, I always know what I am going to get. . With Carnival. . .Well, lets just say that their name fits them well.

Shari2 · November 30, 2015

So sorry that you had a bad experience with Carnival, Byron. Being that that was an older ship, and a 3/4 night cruise you may find it much better on a larger and newer ship, and on a longer cruise. My husband and I had a bad experience on the Holiday back in the '80s and said that we would never sail Carnival again, but we decided to go with a group of friends back six years ago. We went on the Carnival Liberty and had a wonderful time. Being with a group of friends made it very nice, but, I was also surprised that the food and service was much better on that cruise...also our group leader got us a tour of the Bridge which is rarely done these days. Now we haven't been able to cruise for the last six years because of health so I do know that things change all the time. So, can't say what the newer ships are like on there today. Hoping that you have a much nicer cruise the next time. Celebrity has remained our favorite, but I would love to sail Princess. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Our daughter and her guy were just down in FL for the Nascar race...they went with a group of people. They love the races, too.

btate · November 30, 2015

So sorry that you had a bad experience with Carnival, Byron. Being that that was an older ship, and a 3/4 night cruise you may find it much better on a larger and newer ship, and on a longer cruise. My husband and I had a bad experience on the Holiday back in the '80s and said that we would never sail Carnival again, but we decided to go with a group of friends back six years ago. We went on the Carnival Liberty and had a wonderful time. Being with a group of friends made it very nice, but, I was also surprised that the food and service was much better on that cruise...also our group leader got us a tour of the Bridge which is rarely done these days. Now we haven't been able to cruise for the last six years because of health so I do know that things change all the time. So, can't say what the newer ships are like on there today. Hoping that you have a much nicer cruise the next time. Celebrity has remained our favorite, but I would love to sail Princess. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Our daughter and her guy were just down in FL for the Nascar race...they went with a group of people. They love the races, too.

I have sailed on the Carnival Valor. It was one of my favorite cruises! That is why I said to stay on a newer ship if you sail Carnival. Of the 27 cruises I have been on, this was the only negative experience I have had.

cruisetarp · November 30, 2015

So sorry you had a bad experience but thanks for sharing your thoughts with us

jacketwatch · December 1, 2015

I am sorry to hear of this awful experience. I do agree to avoid the older CCL ships snd the booze cruises which are on them mostly.

Princess offers a great experience and we will be on our 6th cruise with them in Feb. on the Sapphire out of Singapore.

Jan115 · December 1, 2015

It seems that the music themed Carnival cruises do attract a certain crowd, especially depending on the artist. We are huge Princess fans as well, which is why we tend to steer clear of Carnival. It's a shame about the condition of the ship. I like the smaller ships, and I wish the cruise lines - not just Carnival - would invest some money in revitalizing some of the old classics before they're gone for good.

btate · December 2, 2015

I am sorry to hear of this awful experience. I do agree to avoid the older CCL ships snd the booze cruises which are on them mostly.

Princess offers a great experience and we will be on our 6th cruise with them in Feb. on the Sapphire out of Singapore.

The Sapphire is a beautiful ship! It was renovated a couple of years ago and the improvements are very noticeable. I was on it before it was renovated and they fixed a few issues with queues at the food lines. You will enjoy that ship very much!

btate · December 2, 2015

It seems that the music themed Carnival cruises do attract a certain crowd, especially depending on the artist. We are huge Princess fans as well, which is why we tend to steer clear of Carnival. It's a shame about the condition of the ship. I like the smaller ships, and I wish the cruise lines - not just Carnival - would invest some money in revitalizing some of the old classics before they're gone for good.

I agree with the ship size. It seems like some of the new gigantic ships are getting mixed reviews. Bigger is not always better when it comes to cruise ships. I like the size of the 100k ton - 125k ton ships for the most part. I also have enjoyed the 75k ton ships I have been on. It seems like you don't have to walk as far to get where you are going. The good part about the big ships is that I can use the extra walking to walk off some of the food I eat!