I am sitting here on the Ecstasy, a cruise that I took for myself, by myself for purely reflection & "recharging". I thought I would also like to give a personal and fair perspective about the cruise. I will try to do this daily, but, depending on satellite communications, and the "slower than dial-up" speed, please bear with me.
I have been on the Elation, the Ecstasy's sister ship, and fell in love with cruising. Just havine been off the Conquest in September, I felt that the ship was SMALL in comparison, but, as comfortable as an old friend. She was decorated in garlands of greenery, red and gold. I saw a few Christmas trees, but not so overdone it was nauseating. There was also a large Menorrah (sp?) present. It was all actually very simply done, but warm & beautiful. Anyway, back to the ship - In the true styles of the 90's, the Ecstasy is somewhat bathed in Neon. It is her personality. The decor promotes "party".
I chose the option "Your Time Dining", as I did not want to be tied into any time restraints, although, to be honest, I have skipped nights in the dining room before for the Buffet for that purpose. I was seated promtly. The hostess asked if I would mind sharing, I told her ok. My table mates were first time cruisers, and asked me about the ports they were going to. We chatted over dinner, and I have to say that dining with them was a joy. One or two things I noticed about YTD - the waiters did not seem as 'intuned' to each other as I have witnessed in the past. Our table was near the server station, and there seemed to be a lot of chaotic flurry. Maybe because it was the first night? I went around 6:45, and there were also many families (note to self-go later if at all possible) with small fussy children or infants in our area. 2 couples actually asked to have thier tables changed mid-way between appetizer and main course! The St Louis ribs were as expected - fall off the bone great, and so much that I couldn't finish as always. I skipped dessert - but did go to the coffee shop and picked up a slice of Apple Crisp for a snack in the middle of the night on my tiny balcony (Another story). It was Gargantuan! I actually thought it was 2 or 3 servings...but was only one - and well worth the $2+ price.
Extremely small balcony - The balcony chairs only fit either sideways or at an angle. Would not be comfortable for 2 people to sit out. Very Quiet hallways, but just below jogging area, No hairdryer in cabin