This was our second cruise after being on the Carnival Conquest in November, 2006. There were four of us cruising including one first time cruiser. This was also my birthday cruise.

After our first cruise on the Conquest we were a little concerned about being on the older, smaller Ecstasy. However, our concerns melted away almost immediately. The atrium was beautiful. There were very few areas that revealed the ship's age at all. The Ecstasy's recent refurbishment was very very good to her.

The cruise director, Darcy Knievel, got kind of a slow start at the Welcome Aboard show; however, by the end of the cruise we loved her. Darcy was very visible. It seemed that we would find her all over the ship and just chatting with the guests. Darcy even made an appearance in the spa while my wife was getting her manicure and pedicure. Darcy and her staff made if very obvious that they took their job seriously and they worked hard at it. Read more