Though the Ecstasy is an outdated ship, it still had its charm. I was looking forward to taking my 80 year old father and Mother, along with my nephew on this 4 night outing. When cruising, there is something for everyone! This would have been the case as well, had it not been overshadowed by the horrendous service and horrible attitudes. Of course, not all were like that, but most. Check In was a breeze (highly recommend the VIP check in) - the easiest ever! Loved the people that assisted us at every turn. My father was in a wheelchair and they made him feel so comfortable and it was speedy! I thought this was going to be a great cruise!It didn't take long after boarding to discover the major flaws in service. Where was the "welcome aboard" smiles and assistance... non-existent! After a lunch on the lido deck, it was time to explore our grand suite. Nice digs, nothing special but far better than a regular stateroom with a balcony. These rooms are small, no matter what category you choose. And, with 4 people, it was even smaller. However, it provided adequate space and the balcony was a plus.Waiter at dinner - horrible! I gave him 4 nights to improve, it never happened. We were always the last table to be done as service was SO SLOW. In addition, he continuously put plates in front of us that we didn't order. Don't know if the guy was new to being a waiter or not, but he was unfriendly and stressed to the maximum. First time ever I didn't get a picture of our waiter with us. Not a memorable experience at all.Food - hit and miss. Lunch in the restaurant was by far the best meal. Soups were awesome and the butter on this ship is amazing (could be the 80% fat content). We found that if we ate the bread and butter along with a soup, it was very satisfying. Other than that, it was scary. Lobster was HORRIBLE and the gulf shrimp they had to go with it was not edible (rubbery). Other entrees tried were just as bad including a salmon that I swear had been frozen for the past year! On the last night, a few of us tried the crab cake as an appetizer, took one bite and literally spit it into our napkins. Fishy, mushy, and a texture that told us if we ate this we could quite possibly get sick. I will also say that this ship has an excellent baker/pastry chef. Deserts were always above par and again, the bread was a highlight for us all. The buffet on the Lido deck was unedible as well unless you got the hamburgers.That brings me to another food related catastrophe - ROOM SERVICE. The worst room service food and service EVER! Having elderly parents with horrible sleep patterns, coffee was VERY important to us all in the mornings. We put our continental breakfast tag out every night and it was delivered on time. However, the coffee was un-drinkable (old like it had been sitting overnight). And, one morning, the 2 pots they brought us were delivered with no lids on the pots (little desert bowls were teetering on the top). That means when you went to pour it, coffee spilled all over you. In addition, one of the cups that they brought was cracked all the way down the side and when I poured the coffee in for my Dad, it leaked all over him and me. I was shocked at the lack of quality control and that they would allow a coffee tray to be sent to a room with cracked cups and pots with no lids. And, that wasn't our only room service mishap, not enough cups, not enough cream, no spoons, it went on and on. One evening it was late and we were back from Cozumel... we decided to have sandwiches and salads in our room. 3 salads - one dressing, 2 iced teas - 1 iced tea. 2 Reuben sandwiches - both with no sauerkraut and the meat was pressed something (mystery meat). Oh, and one morning I ordered danish because my dad was in need to something on his stomach... when I told them to send 8 (2 per person) they told me the rules were 6 maximum! OMG - did they really say that to me. Other problems rampant - service for 3 not 4 - this was a trend. It was sad to see how far Carnival has declined in service to their customers.Spa - booked a massage for my father and upon the reservation, was assured that they had male therapists, as he will not go to a woman. I left the ship for an excursion and left him at the spa. Upon our return, discovered that they have NO MALE therapists and he was given a woman. They lied to me outright and I believe it was only to book the appointment that was non-cancelable. He was embarrassed and upset about the whole experience.Casino was a joke as well. Based on what I observed, they certainly made their weekly quota at the casino. Dealers were so hot we had some that would deal themselves 3 to 4 blackjacks in a row. I am not saying they are cheating, but I am an experienced blackjack player. I was given two three's during one hand, and drew 2 more. About 4 more hands into it, those same 3's came out again to someone else, and again about 5 minutes later. Are those machines shuffling the cards? The video poker machines ($.25) were where my Mom and Dad spent their time. However, the max bet is $2.25 not $1.25 because it takes 10 quarters to bet max. We love Piano Bars and tried the Neon Bar one night. This guy was so loud that you could hear him 2 decks down. We didn't last long in there as every song he sang was screamed into the microphone. Chinatown Karaoke was our favorite and since it was my Parent's 61st wedding anniversary, the crowd went crazy and made them both feel so very special. Mind you, these were fellow cruisers though, and not the staff. They didn't give a flip. Which was apparent at dinner when I mentioned it to our waiter and nothing was ever done about it.Entertainment was horrendous... the shows were outright HORRIBLE - not even up to high school standards. The bands throughout the ship, for the most part, were subpar singing off note and off pitch.Cleanliness of ships was also an issue - tables left uncleaned for hours, public restrooms dirty, etc... I could go on and on but I won't. I have been on many, many cruises and don't expect a lot. I am not a picky traveler and everything does not have to be perfect. However, I was shocked at how very bad this cruise was. We made the most of it and enjoyed our time together. However, I would not recommend this ship to anyone for any amount of money. One interesting note... we had a missing passenger on the 2nd night. Have never experienced this - and they were extremely thorough by waking us every 1/2 hour all night with announcements in the staterooms for this passenger to call 7777 immediately. At around 4:00am they even did a room to room search showing everyone her picture. It was a night of no rest. Thankfully, they found her early the next morning passed out somewhere. Don't know why they didn't find her earlier! That was the talk of the ship for sure. Again, unless they address the serious service issue on this ship, stay away!