My husband was not terribly interested in a 5-day cruise from Galveston, so he suggested that I ask my sister to go with me. The two of us had been on several cruises together with our husbands, but never just we two. SS lives in a small town south of Dallas and I live in San Antonio. We agreed to meet at a cousin's home near Austin the night before departure and we had an easy drive on Highway 290 to the Beltway around Houston and into Galveston. It took a total of 4-1/2 hours, with two stops. I had booked a parking space at E-Z Cruise, since we'd used them on a 7 day Conquest cruise in September. Only later did I read on Cruise Critic that the 4 and 5 day cruisers were taken to another lot. We were really anxious to board, so the 30 minute delay seemed like forever. The next time, we'll go with Lighthouse instead. We waited in line about an hour in the terminal, finally boarding about 1 p.m. They whisked us straight up to the Lido deck for lunch. SS and I both had the ruben sandwiches which were excellent. SS had the first of her four ice cream cones that day. I think it goes without saying that she really enjoyed that ice cream machine. Our cabin was ready at 1:30 and it was roomy and immaculate. We did change the arrangement of the beds and made a lot more room for ourselves. I had taken a small fan, since I like frigid room temps and SS prefers sauna-like temps. I never used the fan. The stateroom was really cold, as was most of the rest of the ship. Our stewardess, Osa, came and introduced herself. She managed to keep our cabin in great condition despite our best efforts. The ice bucket was always full, and she never intruded on us. Our luggage arrived shortly so we were unpacked and ready to rock by 3 or so. We had been given the 5:45 seating, and we thought that was just too early, so we went to try to change to a later seating. The maitre'd didn't give us much hope, but said he would try. We explored the ship a little, then went back to change for dinner. In about an hour we had a card saying that our seating had been changed to 6:15. Learning your way around the Ecstasy is remarkably easy. The layout is great, the atrium is beautiful, the music venues are plentiful and easy to find. Service in the bars is attentive. We were seated in the midships dining room at a table for 8. Our dining companions were friendly and interesting. Three young ladies showed up the first night but never came back. The rest of us came every night. Hello to Wanda and Phil and Matthew if you're reading this. Our waiters were Franciso and Wunna, and they were awesome. We ordered decaf cappuccino the first evening, and it just appeared every night after that. We chose the fish dishes most evenings. The food was well-prepared and there was plenty of variety. SS liked the melting chocolate cake almost as much as she liked the ice cream machine. I liked the drink of the day almost as much as SS liked the ice cream machine. We went to the show the first evening, and it was pretty disappointing. Most of the entertainment was fairly unentertaining. The one exception was the "Extreme Country" show and it was great. We made small donations to the casino before turning in. Our first day at sea started with Eggs Benedict followed by trivia (SS won a gold-plated piece of ship on a stick). Lunch was in the dining room, tea in the Neon Bar, the Captain's Cocktail party in the showroom and the formal dinner boasted lobster tail and prime rib. Our first port was Cozumel. We shopped. Then we sat on the beach and drank beer. Our second port was Progresso. We shopped. Then we sat on the beach and drank beer. The last sea day was busy with trivia, tea, casino, nap, the usual vacation stuff. We chose self-assist debarkation and it worked well for us. We were on the road by 10 a.m. The Ecstasy really shines in all the important ways: food, service, cleanliness. Our favorite "new" thing on a cruise was tea. Both the desserts and savories were fantastic. They do need to upgrade the entertainment. Other than Extreme Country, the Newlywed-Not-So-Newlywed game was the best thing we saw. Our cruise director, Tina, was the most entertaining person on board, but she can't carry the whole thing by herself. My advice: take the cruise, but take a good book and stay out of the showroom. (And the casino.)