This was my first cruise & I was very impressed. The people on the ship & everyone there is very polite,friendly & helpful. The food was very good overall, there is a lot of variety and there are several restaurants that you can enjoy but that you will have to pay but prices aren’t bad. The rooms are very clean & spacious. Also they have a lot of thing to do for lots of different ages. I think you should definitely go. It was well worth it. There is lots of variety in music & there is a few adults only places which is good if you would not like to be around kids & also lots of ways to win free items & money. The process of getting on & off the ship is awesome & good thing is that I was able to travel without a passport just with my drivers license & my birth certificate. Read Less

We chose this cruise for what was supposed to be a honeymoon. NEVER again will we cruise with carnival. We met ONE nice bartender on this ship. The food was crappy as well as the people serving it. They were rude and acted like they hated their jobs. This line allows underaged kids to get plastered and start arguments with adults. When security is called, "it doesn't matter that they are underage and drunk." Security was an absolute joke. If you have an issue, you're better of handling it yourself. You smell weed everywhere on the boat, even in the family areas, therefore I'm super glad we did not bring our child with us. I guess some people don't understand we have decent jobs and get drug tested and do not care to smell that 24/7. It was just an overall bad expierience. I do not recommend booking with them and if you do, Elation is not a line you want to take your littler ones! Read Less

I will start by saying we have cruised 5 different cruise lines, this was our first Carnival cruise. Yes we have heard a lot of negatives so we were prepared for the worst! However I must say the Elation is in very nice condition, refurbished and quite nicely done. The cabins are plain, yet served there purpose. Staff was nice, however the ship is understaffed and service suffered. Food was much better than expected and was very good in the dining room, good to average at the buffet. Guys burgers and the Cantina were excellent. There was plenty to do for evening entertainment, and the Rock show was outstanding. The problem for us was not the ship at all. However be prepared for the crowd a low cost 4 day cruise gets. The quality of the people did not match the quality of the ship. Perhaps I just cannot adjust to the younger under 40 crowd.(I am in my 60's, took my kids and grandkids for this cruise) My grandkids felt it was a great cruise, so it is a matter of perspective. If you like loud, and I mean really loud music on the pool deck, kids taking over the jaccuzi ALL DAY, Kids and adults walking the hallways all night talking loudly and waking up everyone who actually tried to sleep, parents who take absolutely no action to control their children, than this is the cruise for you. I will stick with Celebrity or Royal Caribbean which gets a better crowd. Will I try a 7 day Carnival cruise in the future? Will the crowd be different? I'm not sure yet. As for now I need to recover from this one! Read Less

We cruised Sept. 22-28 on the Sunshine, originally for 1.5 days in Bermuda, but diverted due to hurricane Jerry to Princess Cays and Nassau. We were disappointed as Bermuda was the main reason we booked the cruise and the fact it was leaving from Charleston. We knew it was hurricane season, but unfortunately, all of the Bermuda options on Carnival from Charleston are during hurricane season and not a lot of other options are available. We were disappointed, but made the best of the cruise. We have sailed the Sunshine before in 2016 when it was making less frequent runs from Charleston, it is now home based there. It is an older ship that was re-designed in 2013. We typically enjoy the very large ships better because there are just more options. There are some oddities with this ship in getting to certain areas. You can’t pass through on all levels and find yourself going up or down a floor, walking through and then going up or down where you need. It is confusing, but not a deal breaker! By the time you figure out the system good, it’s time to get off the ship. Because it is not that big of a ship, it doesn’t take long to get to either end. But, it is larger than the Fantasy class ships. With the exception of the first evening and next morning, we rarely felt movement on the ship. I attributed the movement early on to being close to hurricane waters, but who knows! The rest of the trip, we wouldn’t have known we were on a ship. Of course, on the trip back to Charleston from NASSAU, the trip was only moving at about 12 knots. We had an outside stateroom with picture window, deck 1, midship (less movement typically) The room is a very nice size and in looking at some newer ships on OTHER lines, their outside cabins are very small ( I have not compared to Carnival’s newer ships yet). Our room had good room on each side of the king bed (2 twins together), small tables with storage on either side, a desk/vanity area that was wide, large mirror, lots of storage shelves and drawers. There is a small stool type chair for the vanity, a couch that seats 3 and table. There were 3 closets, 2 with hangers and space and the 3rd had the safe and shelves. There was plenty of storage and room for suitcases under the bed. TV had very limited channels including 2 movie channels and at least 2 channels for kids. You could not check your account on the TV, nor did it have menus, you could see menus on the hub app. You could also follow the days schedule on the app. Lighting was excellent in the cabin. There is an outlet with two plugs at the vanity area. I took an extension cord so I could use my sound machine to drown out snoring! The temperature was comfortable most of the time, a few times it felt a little warm even though we kept the settings on the lowest setting. I will say if you like your room very cold, that is not happening. It was comfortable, but not cold. Keeping curtains closed when sun is on that side helps keep the room from getting too warm. Outside temps were 70’s (night I think) to high 90’s. There is a hairdryer in the top drawer at the vanity, but difficult to use, so if you can, take your own. It is attached in the drawer and does not stretch far enough for you to use it adequately. I had to bend over to get it to my head and I am short. I could not see what I was doing as it would not stretch to the mirror. You also have to keep holding the button as you use it, or it cuts off. That is challenging too. It really was useless except maybe for drying, forget styling! There was space for storage in the bathroom and the size of the shower was very good. We had hot water most of the time and the water pressure was good most of the time. I am sure when a lot of people are using at once, that changes. Our cabin steward was Komang and he did a great job. We were given the option for morning, evening or both for room service, and we chose evening. I asked for ice to be brought nightly and he did that. We did not “see” him often but when we would return to our room, no matter what time we ate dinner, he had been there! He left awesome towel animals too. I try and keep the room straight, neat and clean, so didn’t leave a lot for him to do. We saw in some rooms as we’d pass by and I could not believe the mess people left. I do not feel it is their job to clean up behind us; but to clean bath as needed, leave fresh towels, empty trash, make the bed/turn down and ice. (though I sort of keep my bed made). Sad what some people expect. I always tip stateroom attendant extra because I know what they do is not easy. Food was good, nothing exceptional but it has been that way since the extra fee restaurants came into being. I also think because the chefs/cooks are form other countries, the food/recipes is not prepared as we are used to eating it. The buffet was pretty much similar items for breakfast and lunch. Deli had some great sandwiches and they are open until 11:00pm. Guys Burgers is open until about 6:00pm and the Blue Iguana closes around 2:30 (tacos, salads and burritos). They had late night snacks at 11:30-1:00 in the buffet area, but I never went to see what was offered. The only option for 24 hours is pizza or room service. There is not a fee for room service (unless you order items with an extra cost). Of course, tip is appreciated. Oh, if you are a fa of the cranberry rolls I teh dining room, they only had them one night, so eat up if you see them! All the bread was good though, as was the whipped butter! Sugar straws came with frozen drinks, etc. and they were fine until they started "melting" so to speak, they were like limp wet rubber and you could not drink through them. Not much flavor to them and they did not taste sweet. We found as many have said, the desserts look better than they are, including the cakes. They were good, just not exceptional or awe inspiring, no “wow” factor. Some desserts had odd textures. but they filled you up! I cannot speak for the extra fee restaurants as we did not eat at any, but they may have been better. I heard someone who ate at the steakhouse said it was excellent. I had beef tenderloin for one dinner in the dining room and it was very good, and I enjoyed the filet mignon steak and egg breakfast for brunch in the dining room. The chocolate melting cake was good, as it always is. The 24 ice cream machines were available as were lemonade, tea, coffee and water. I am not a big ice cream fan, so that didn’t appeal to me. All of the staff in the dining room and other dining areas were very nice, friendly and helpful. I saw numerous times throughout the ship, not just at dining, but other times as well, anyone who needed assistance, staff were right there to help them. They were very accommodating. I went to guest services twice and staff were very friendly there as well, Also the excursion desk. I never saw or encountered any rude staff or anyone appearing to be disgruntled. We had my time dining and used our Carnival Hub App to request a table. We went anywhere from 5:30-6:45 and never had more than a 10 minute wait. We would make the request on the app and it would tell us when our table was ready and gave the number. You walk in the dining room on deck 3 and the host has you seated. Only one night in the dining room did we wait what seemed a little longer for our food. Most nights, it was all very quick service. You can pay $5.00 each and be able to chat with each other on the ship through the app if needed. My husband had the premium (2nd level) wifi and was able to receive and send texts, check email and get on the web and make and receive wifi calls, though Carnival does not state/guarantee that will be available. We could sign off one device and use another as needed. My husband is a workaholic and gets stressed if he cannot have access. Our phones with T-Mobile worked on princess Cays and Nassau without the wifi. Just remember when you return to the ship, to put it back on airplane mode. I do not think the ships wifi worked on Princess Cays. I thought we’d be able to check our account on the app, but I was never able to do that. I did go to one of the 2 kiosks and printed out a statement to check our charges. If you have gift cards, you must go to guest services to load them to your account, it no longer works at the kiosks. The production shows were good as well as the comedy club acts. Adam, the Cruise Director was very good, professional and entertaining. When I saw any of the entertainment staff, they were all very good, seemed to be having fun (though I know they are working, and it is a job and not as fun for them as the passengers) and did a great job. Staff were always cleaning throughout the ship and nothing was ever amiss. It is an older ship, but kept in good condition. I never smelled any sewage odor. You could smell smoke on the decks near the casino and in the casino. We stayed out for that reason. Lots of music and bar options. When out by pool areas, waiters came around often to ask if you needed anything. The same during shows. Dress for the dining room, I know this is always a hot topic! On elegant nights, I saw shorts and jeans, as well as formal wear, so the full gamut. It doesn’t matter to me. We elected to skip the first elegant night because hubby did not feel like getting dressed. They had most of the same menu items in the buffet except for the lobster tails, which is OK with me as I am more of a shrimp person. I will say, the oysters were not what we in SC are used to and I could not eat them. The breading is totally different, but the oysters themselves were very strong for lack of a better word and almost fishy like and did not taste like oysters I have eaten elsewhere, including FL. I usually love fried oysters, but not those. For casual dining they do suggest no flip flops, but I saw men in those, after telling my hubby he had to wear closed toed shoes! Next time I won’t worry about it. We did the “behind the Fun” tour (95.00) and enjoyed it very much. It was the first time we have ever done one. It was conducted by Benn, who was getting off the ship same day as us for 2 months of vacation, and he did an excellent job. The tour was very informative and there were several surprises which I will not reveal, or they won’t be surprises for you! I will say there are photo ops and ladies, you may want to take that into consideration! You must wear closed toed shoes for this excursion and no skirts or bathing wear. You cannot take a camera or a cell phone on the tour. There is time for bathroom breaks and a short refreshment break. Though most of the 3.5 hours was walking (stairs as well) and standing, there were several times, where you could sit for a few minutes. Most of our crowd was 50+ and no one seemed to have any challenges. One exciting moment was when we were off the coast of Jacksonville, an air force jet flew over the ship. It was so close and cool to see, would have loved to have had a picture of that! For pictures taken throughout the cruise, they are still posted in slots on the walls and you have hunt for yours. I never did find most of mine and figured we must have broken the camera! I did overhear a passenger chastising an employee for telling someone with him, that she could not take pictures, of the picture! I would think that is common sense, but the passenger was trying to make the employee feel bad for doing his job. Not cool. Just admit you’re wrong and move on. We did the stingray excursion in Princess Cays and it was very good, especially for the price. I have swum with stingrays many years ago in Cayman Islands and loved it, but that was challenging because the water was almost neck high for me and lots of waves to keep navigating. For this excursion, the area with the rays is blocked off from the rest of the beach, but is right there when you get to the beach. You walk right in and the rays swim around all the way up to the shoreline. You have the opportunity to pet them, snorkel in the beach area with them and later, feed them and hold them. The handler was very good and has been with them for 3 years. She said when a storm comes, they let them out of the fenced area, but they always come back. My husband was hesitant to get in because of the Steve Ervin incident, but he became more comfortable and did get in with them, though he did not feed or hold one! He took lots of pictures for me. We were allowed to take our own pictures, which was very nice. There were many lounge chairs on the beach (sun and shade) and float chairs to rent as well as many other things to rent. The stretch of beach is long, so keep walking and you will find a chair in an area you like. There was a nicer souvenir shop (takes the sign and sail card only) and straw market type booths as well as hair braiding offered. Bar service was good. Restrooms were limited, so don’t go at the last minute! Band played live music and that was nice. The lunch provided from the ship included hamburgers and hotdogs and was filling. They gave you very small cups for your drink though (lemonade, tea, water), like a bathroom sized dixie cup. People were busy cleaning up, not only the meal areas, but throughout the entire area. It was very clean there. The beach was calm but rocky, you do need water shoes! You must take tenders to the ship and we had no issues with those nor long lines. There was a small shallow pool in the kid’s playground area with lounge chairs. But the ocean was calm and little ones could sit right at shore. There were showers to wash off shoes, etc. but the stream of water was very limited and slow and they didn’t do much good. We did the walking tour in Nassau since we had already been there 3 times, and also did not want a beach day after Princess Cays. It was a very nice and informative tour, our guide was David who was great. It was hot, but he provided us with an iced water bottle about half the way. He also had devices we used so we could all hear him no matter where he was in the group. Highly recommend for a short and informative tour, 1.5 hours. We did not have trouble getting into any of the shows in the theater. It did get full for the love and marriage show, but by the way Adam talked, that was an anomaly, probably because we were in Nassau overnight and most stayed on the ship! For the comedy club, there are lines. The earlier you get there the better. We went about half an hour early and never had trouble getting seated. Once one show ends, everyone has to leave and if they want to attend the next show, they must go to the end of the already formed line. They did have staff at the door watching this. We preferred Jimmy Carroll as the comedian, but both comedians had long lines and full shows. The 18+ is not for kids for sure because mainly of the language. I did not play bingo, I have no idea what the cards cost, but they did give away a cruise on Wednesday, $3000.00 on Thursday and $5000.00 on Friday. There were less than 200 kids on our cruise, so the waterpark was not as crowded as it could be. I did see people on the ropes course. Numerous other outdoor sports options and mini golf. The main pool is not very large, but this seems to be an issue on all ships. There is a smaller waterfall and shallow pool on the serenity deck for adults only. That area is also very nice if you can get a chair. I think the area had been enlarged since my 2016 cruise. Embarkation was quick and easy, though because of the layout of the Charleston terminal, you do go to separate buildings, some walking, some riding a bus. There were no good signs for where we were to turn to park on embarkation day, despite there being good signs to the port itself. That is not Carnival’s fault of course and after turning around, we eventually found the way! You drive in and pay first, then drop your luggage, then go park. You walk to a building where you are checked in (it was quick) and then you go by bus (security reasons) to the ship where we went right on. The sign and sail cards are at your room when doors open at 1:30 (unless you have priority boarding, FTTF, etc. and get in your room early). It was about 12:30 when we got on. For debarkation (silent), also easy. We had to be out of our rooms at 8:30 am and most are off the ship by 9:30am. If you are checking your luggage, you pick up tags the day before departure for early (8:30-9:00) or late departure (9:00-9:30). Your bags are left outside your door the last night on the ship. The departure times are shown on your TV and on the big screen at the pool area, etc. I wish this could be added to the app. Those taking all their luggage off themselves, can start departing much earlier. Announcements are not made because Charleston asked they not be, but this worked just fine. When our number was shown, we went down and walked right off, very quick. When you get into the customs building, you pick up your luggage and go through customs. This took us only about 5 minutes. We normally get a porter, who can get you through a fast porter line, but there weren’t any available and it worked out fast anyway and we saved some bucks! We walked out to the shuttle buses, which take you to the parking lot. We were leaving the parking lot by 9:50am (our number was shown at about 9:15am on the lido pool deck, so entire process took about 35 minutes). There are people to assist those who need it. So, despite the oddities of the terminal (thanks to Charleston), the system works very well and was fast and efficient. I have waited much longer in fancier terminals! Efforts have been in the works to build a nicer terminal, but there are some in Charleston fighting that. I vote with someone who suggested moving up to North Charleston. It would be closer to the airport, less expensive hotels and the ship would sail under the Copper River Bridge! That would be a plus! Love sailing out of Charleston because it is 2 hours from my home. Just wish we had more ship options and more itinerary options. But I am thankful Carnival does offer what they do, as a small group of Charlestonians holds up progress and makes cruising from there difficult. Be glad to answer any questions I can. Overall and good cruise and plenty to do. Debbie Read Less

We chose this cruise and cruise line based on many great reviews that we read. We wanted something short as this was my first cruise and also we were wanting to bring our 18 month old. We were so excited to see they offered child care for children and the rooms were very nice with a lot of toddler activities or so it seemed. We were extremely disappointed. They advertise child care but don’t advertise their hours. We called NUMEROUS times to get details on the day care and never really got a straight forward answer. SO, here is the TRUTH! They offer child care from 8-10 am. And 10pm-1am. Which are both extremely unreasonable. Our son is asleep before 10, and we wanted to spend time with him in the mornings before people got too crazy later in the day. So the childcare was not beneficial to us in the least bit. The drink package is nice but what they don’t tell you is once you reach your 15 drinks you aren’t even allowed to purchase anything additional. For most people this wouldn’t be an issue. For anyone who might exceed that, here was your warning, lol. Also, you might as well just find a place to sit for the day and make sure it’s near a bar. You have to wait 5 minutes between each drink with the drink package but it takes about 20-25 minutes to get a drink. The cruise director “No-no” is awesome and made every activity so much fun! Even to watch since we didn’t participate in any activities due to no daycare like they advertise. It would have been nice to be able to go to shows and drop the baby off for those times but that wasn’t the case. Every staff member we encountered was extremely enjoyable and you could tell they loved their job. The only exception to that is the bartender in the sky box. I didn’t catch his name but each time we went in there he was extremely rude and obviously overwhelmed. Read Less

We chose this cruise to celebrate our anniversary. We like the short itinerary because we had never been on a cruise, and I am super prone to motion sickness. My wife was super excited as we arrived at Port Canaveral. We went through the embarkation process and got on the ship in about 10 or 15 minutes, which was outstanding. We paid for the faster to the fun package, so we should have been allowed immediate access to our room, but we were denied entry by multiple people and had to drag our garment bag and carry on around with is through the crowded lido deck and attempt to get food separated from each other to have one person watch the luggage. That's not exactly the perfect way to start the cruise. As I stated before, I am super prone to motion sickness, so I prepared with the ginger pill dramamine, which did really well for me, but the waves were horrible and rocked the ship until we heard nothing but complaining about it from every cruisegoer we met. I realize this isnt Carnival's fault, but I thought it rich when the captain said we will be having just a light chop for the last day, and it knocked stuff over in rooms. The food was sub par on the buffet, Golden Corral is better, and the lines are shorter. The service is good at the tables, but there are very few things that can be done to make it more palatable because almost everything is pre made. (Even the employees will admit this.) The Silver dining are was fun, but 75% of our meals were just ok. The prime rib on formal night was a giant, universal, fail. We really liked our waiter though, shout out to Cuckoo...as he said he should be called. The room was small, but it said 170 sq ft, so, what do you expect? Well, the shower was clogged, the AC was horrible, and the sink had no water pressure. The AC was fixed on the third night of the cruise, the shower was same day, and the sink never was. Out room attendant, Michael, was quick to accommodate us with a fan and calling maintenance. Nono was the cruise director, and she was awesome. I have nothing but good things to say about her. Nassau was a disappointment, Princess Cay was awesome. The people for the most part were great, and the other parts were not. We will be booking again, but we will try other cruise lines before returning to Carnival. Read Less

This was a last minute booking. I booked on Sep 12th around noon and got in the car to drive South. We like sailing at of Jacksonville as it is not to hateful of a drive from Ohio. We were just looking for a quick get away and Carnival Ecstasy did not disappoint. Since we booked so late, our check in time was 1:30PM however, we showed up early on the of chance they were ahead of schedule. We were on the ship around 12:30. Fifteen minutes from the time we parked till we got up on the Lido deck. The ship is showing her age but she is slated for dry dock on October which I expect consist of a good paint job and new décor. We will find out as we are booked on the Ecstasy in November. We had a port hole cabin on the main deck. The room was extra deep based on its location. The room was very clean. For the most part, we ate only on the Lido deck, Bonsai Sushi express or room service. We looked at the dining room menus through the cruise and everything sounded good. I only packed shorts, so we did not go in for dinner. I know that you can but cruise casual to me is at least a golf shirt and pants. Its not difficult and I will they would at the very least enforce the current code even though its to lax. The cruise director Cam and the Fun Squad were very good. Everything we saw, we enjoyed. DJ Spike was one of the better ones that we have seen in a while. The dancers were really good and you could see their practice paid off. This was our first time to Princess Cay. I still prefer Half Moon. While the beach is very pretty, they cram a lot of beach chairs in the various coves so it is hard to get away if you are looking to truly relax. We would definitely go again though. We didn't spend much time in Nassau. I was not feeling great so we just walked around for a few hours Read Less

This was a cruise to celebrate my sister's birthday. I've been on Carnival 7 day cruises before and had no complaints, but as soon as we entered our balcony stateroom, it was disappointing. The glass on the aft-balcony was dirty and stained brown to the point where you could not sit on the balcony and have any view looking through the glass portion. The balcony chairs and chaise lounge were also dirty. The carpet in the cabin....dirty as evidence from the bottoms of my slippers, so yes, bring slippers and wear them. Not long after sailing, there was a terrible gurgling noise coming from the bathroom. Water (including fecal matter) coming from drain behind the toilet and up from the shower drain. Called cabin steward, who contacted plumber. Came back to the room, and same thing!! Plus, bath mat was still soaking wet and dirty. Called cabin steward, who didn't seem to happy about it. Now, this was after his first appearance where he was laughing and when asked what was so funny, he just said oh the smell is terrible! Went to customer service to make sure this was taken care of and she said the plumber would meet us in the room. Met with plumber, who said the drains were functioning properly and hopefully wouldn't have a problem any longer (we did not, thankfully). Plumber had to call our cabin steward, at our request, to clean the floor of the bathroom and shower. He didn't seem too happy about it, but did it. I mean, there was p-o-o-p on the floor, why wouldn't you clean that? Needless to say, we wore our flip flops in the shower. Yes, bring a cheap pair of flip flops just in case! Seas were rough on our first night out but our room was the only one affected (plumbing issue) from what we could tell (in our general area, at least). There was a foul odor in various parts of the deck as we passed through throughout the cruise. Piano Bar....very tired looking decor. Misso Ferrer was a very good piano player, but his vocals lacked which was disappointing because on previous cruises, the Piano Bar was always a hopping place. America Rocks show with Carnival singers and dancers...Ok, two of the singers did a great job! Otherwise, reminded me of a high school performance. Comedian Michael Macy....very good, unfortunately did not make it to the adult shows. Hairy chest contest and newlywed game...need to be retired Food was good, but don't know why they had the "formal" night at our overnight stay in Nassau. We didn't make it back to the ship until 6pm anyway so opted for dinner on the balcony, which worked out fine. Guy's Burgers and BlueIguana Cantina, very good. Especially liked the breakfast burrito at the Cantina, no lines! Sandwiches and fries at the Deli were excellent. Kids unattended in the Lido whirlpools were crazy, diving from the sides in to the water with a carnival worker standing there doing nothing. Nassau was great. Weather was perfect. Did not do any ship sponsored excursions, opted to book on our own with a food tour. Had a great time and got a little shopping in as well. Would probably not do a three day cruise again, unless the price was right. This hasn't soured me on Carnival, but was overall, disappointed. The only thing that saved the rating from getting a "poor" was the food options, food quality and comedian. Read Less

The only 3 Day available in my area. But we were very happy for the service and address of NoNo, who is an excellent director, demonstrates a lot of love for what she does and her joy and affection is for everyone, from children to the elderly. It really is very positive that they have people like her in the Carnival family. In addition, all the staff made us feel part of them and at all times were willing to help us. We are very pleased to have had this experience that will certainly not be the last. Thank you for everything you made us feel and for the energy and joy of your director NoNo. We love her. The attention of my dining room team was excellent: THW- Marcos, Jeffrey Jimenez. TW- Jele, Siphilisiwe, ATW- Chua, Hazel Ong. Something we don't like is the child care schedule that on their first day they only have to register them and very late for what is a day that children cannot enjoy that service they should think of a better schedule and that neither they offer children meals or snacks while they play. Read Less

Carnival review First I would like to say that the staff on this ship was excellent! Unfortunately the overall cruise left us rather disappointed. I knew going in this was going to be a budget get away but I expected more from Carnival. It is obvious they cut corners to cut cost on this older ship. Now for the details: Jacksonville Port: 5/5 stars. We paid for parking at the cruise terminal and parking was right there in front of the ship. Since we had Faster to the Fun we walked right in, checked in, had our bags scanned, and were on the boat without any wait at all. Our car was safe for the week and we were able to disembark, walk out to the car, load up, and drive away within minutes of getting off the boat. No need for taxi or shuttle. Ship: 2/5 Stars. The Carnival Ecstasy is an old ship. Overall it is still in good condition but it does show its age. There was a smell of sewage or trash on occasion in different areas of the ship. I do not think it was lack of cleanliness, as the staff was very attentive to keeping things clean, but more due to a lack of ventilation on this old ship. This layout of the public areas is choppy and makes for crowded events. The pool is way to small the hot tubs are tiny. The one club with a dance floor was extremely small. The Buffet is small. The putt putt golf course is unusable space due to wind. Overall its just a poor design that lacked functionality for a cruise ship. Cabin: 3/5 stars. Cabin M262 Ocean View (6b) was a good size. The window was nice to have. On Port days we could feel a good bit of engine vibration as the ship positioned itself and the tie ropes were pulled out. However since we were already waking up for the day this was not that disruptive. Our room steward was excellent. I did notice some stains on the linens and the pool towels looked old. The room needs more draw space and at least 2 power outlets. The TV worked fine though it was small. The first night it was kind of warm but apparently they fixed something because our room stayed nice and cool after that. Food and Dining: 1/5 stars. The food was very lackluster and basic. Breakfast buffet was equal to a basic hotel breakfast. It was exactly the same every day. On 2 occasions my husband got spoiled milk! The lunch and dinner buffet was not better. It was small, had very few options, and the desserts were not good. There was a serious lack of vegetable options at all dining venues. If you are hungry later at night your options are soft serve ice-cream that melted faster than it could dispense into a bowl or pizza from the 24 hour pizza counter (which we never tried). The dessert selection was mediocre at best. I found some chocolate chip cookies a couple times that were pretty good and resorted to taking about a dozen back to our room to have as a snack after the evening comedy show ended. The main dining room food was good but not "great", for example the steak was flavorless. The staff at the main dining room was great though sometimes they took a little too long to bring dessert menus or refill our water glasses. There were a few things that were good but overall Carnival needs to up their game on this cruise’s menu. Entertainment and Activities: 2.5/5 stars. Before 7pm it was total boredom unless you wanted to hang out at the pool which was way too small and over crowded, play bingo, or gamble in the casino. After 7pm the entertainment was pretty good. The evening stage shows were excellent. The Comedy guys were pretty good. One guy was better than the other one but both made us laugh. Beyond the stage shows and the comedians there was a piano bar /sing along which was cool until overly drunk people came in and were so loud and obnoxious you couldn’t enjoy it anymore. There was a violin duo which was very good but there wasn’t much room to sit and listen or dance while they played. There was a band at another bar area that was great but it was right in the main walk through so you couldn’t dance there either. There wasn’t really anywhere to go to dance other than the one “nightclub” room that was small and had a DJ that played music based on a theme (80’s, 90’s, Motown etc) for about an hour. Service: 5/5 Stars. The staff and crew are all very hard working and attentive to the guests. Only one staff was somewhat rude. My husband stopped a buffet staff member to tell him about the spoiled milk and his response was “get another one” and he walked away. Later we let the head staff member know about the milk and he seemed aware there was a problem. Ports and Shore Excursions 2.5/5 stars: We went to Half Moon Cay which was beautiful but lacked activities in my opinion. We did not try to eat at the cook out on the island and went back to the ship for lunch. In Nassau we just walked around close to the port since we stopped here right after a major hurricane and there was a huge influx of refugees from the other Bahama Islands. I was happy to find a Starbucks for some coffee and we shopped at the touristy souvenir shops. Obviously there is more to this beautiful Island but we just did not venture very far. There were a lot of people urging you to take their taxi or carriage ride or buy from their shop. This is expected and no one was too aggressive, a polite “no thank you” from us and they moved on to the next passenger that walked by. We took the Behind the Fun tour on the ship and it was enjoyable. If you like to learn how the ship is ran it’s a great experience. Unfortunately we had rough seas the day of our tour and by the time it ended we were quite sea sick. Read Less

Over 20 cruises with Carnival. Each one an experience. Although this ship is a little old now,she is still a fun ship. Great staff on this ship makes the voyage lots f of fun and entertaining. Cam,the cruise director is definitely one of the best. He really puts his all into everything he does. One of if not the best singing/dance teams we have seen. Ardestra Gardens in Nassau was beautiful. Small garden with marching flamingos! About $18 for ticket and a $20 taxi ride there. Definitely worth a visit, highly recommend. Half moon cay was beautiful as usual, watch out for jellyfish! Otherwise beautiful sandy beach with lots of room for fun and relaxation. Looking for jewelry? Check out Effy on ship, Marianne or Alexandra are 2 ladies who know their stuff. They also give away lots of cool stuff. Guys burgers are always a hit, and they have improved their desserts in the lido restaurant. Had ocean view room, which was comfortable and plenty of storage space for 2. There was worn spot in shower floor which was repainted during cruise while we were out and about. I also recommend that when looking at reviews to take more notice of this who have done more than one review. These folks have cruised often and know what to expect. Just saying! Read Less

They do not know the meaning of "All Inclusive" or customer friendly. Everytime your turn around they are trying to charge you for something. Whether it be the seafood shack or steak house , they are charging you for something, not just the drinks. Don't waste your money on a cruise with Carnivale , they just want to get you on the ship to sell you as much stuff as humanly possible. And, not to mention the cut one of our ports off because of Hurican Dorian, they spend that day trying to sell you more crap u don't need. Their customer service is crap. You tell them your issue and they repeat explanations, not helpful answers but robotic explanations. I was ready to go home the second day. Here's a idea Carnival, if you are going to cut someone's port for any reason, give them the option to either go or reschedule for another day. Oppps, but that may make you loose money and we know that your only concern. Not happy with my shortened trip. Do better Carnival, and stop nickel and diming your customers!!! Read Less

I am a Diamond Member in the Carnival Loyalty Program, so I've sailed with this line at least 75-plus days. I live in Jacksonville FL area and it's an easy drive to both JAX Port and Port Canaveral. I like the character of the older ships based in these two ports, and they are kept ship-shape in every way. My 'outside' cabin was center ship, around the corner from an elevator, was well appointed with more than enough storage, and has a lovely ledge in the window which is large enough for me to sit in and enjoy the ocean view. The food served in the Lido is always enjoyable and there's plenty of variety for even picky eaters like me. There are also a number of alternate eateries. (I skipped the main dining room this trip, but know from past experience the food and service are top-notch.) The cakes served daily are some of the most beautiful and moist that I have ever had anywhere, land or sea. There is always something to do, and a place to do it, from casino action, to lounging in the quiet of the Serenity areas reserved for adults only. My fellow passengers at this time of year, when children are in school, tend to be mostly young adults who drink to excess, and behave badly. I stay away from the parties held on board, and the bars, but the foolishness creeps all over the ship by late evening. BE AWARE: the crew WILL NOT intervene. I avoid the fray by returning to my cabin to read or watch tv, and relax with a glass of wine. I have never let this flaw deter me from cruising with Carnival, and I plan to continue to sailing on their short trips to the Bahamas. If you're not a Diamond Member, be sure to buy the FASTER TO THE FUN PASS and avoid ALL lines and waiting! Read Less

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I have to say I was happily surprised about many things that weren't like I had read on the reviews on this site. This was my husband and my 4th cruise and our two teenage daughters first cruise. We parked our rental car at 528 Port Parking. We only waited a few minutes for the shuttle to Carnival Liberty. It was only $35 to park and the shuttle was included. We arrived an hour earlier than our boarding time but they sent us right on the ship. We went up to the Lido deck and had lunch. Most of the tables were full but the lines were short for food and moved quickly. We didn't check any bags so we headed to our room at 1:30, unpacked and went to the muster. This is a miserable process because it is hot and you are so close to so many people but it seemed to go smoothly. We chose anytime dining and chose to have dinner at 5:30 the first night. We were some of the first to arrive. The service was great, the food was hot and tasted good, the portions are small but I love that because you can try more things. We ate in the dining room every night. The menu was different each time. We even went at different times and we still had great service and great food. As far as other food experiences, we loved the burgers at Guy's, the pizza place was good, the crust was a little thin but we didn't mind that, the deli was good, I had a turkey avocado sandwich on a pretzel bun and it was really good, the breakfast burritos at the Mexican place were to die for (I even ordered an extra at breakfast and ate it for lunch at Atlantis), Sea Day Brunch is a must, I loved the 12 hour french toast, we had chocolate melting cake every night in the dining room, it is so good, the girls ordered room service one day and they liked it, I had read about long lines, we only experienced this at the pizza place once after everything else was closed. Many reviews talked about how old and run down Liberty is. You can tell it is an older ship but it is still nice. Some reviews talked about the workers not clearing tables or cleaning, I saw many of them clearing and cleaning up. Our cabin was an inside cabin and it was super crowded with 4 of us in there but we don't cruise to sit in our room so that didn't matter to us. The a/c didn't stay as cool as we would have liked but we really like it cool. The ship lay out isn't super easy to navigate but you learn quickly. The Carnival Hub app is awesome. I highly recommend using it. It helped with ship navigation but also help us know what activities were happening all the time. We liked the Rock show and the Hasbro Game show. We didn't attend any of the others. My husband went to the casino a few times. He lost his allotted money quickly so he didn't stay long. I played bingo once and liked it. We didn't go to any of the comedy shows. We did however watch movies on deck every night and we loved it. They have popcorn. The girls sat in the hot tub and I on a deck chair. We booked a room at Comfort Inn and Suites to get the free Atlantis tickets that they offer. It was much cheaper than buying through the ship or Atlantis. Book your room ahead of time though because they fill up fast. We had a great time at Atlantis, there were no lines, we loved the rapids river and the slides, we snorkeled in the Lagoon and spent some time on the beach. The water in Nassau is the most beautiful blue. We took a water taxi to Atlantis and we took a regular taxi back to the ship, it was about $20 each way for 4 of us. Make sure you have your sail and sign card and your ID to get back on the ship. Debarkation took longer than we expected but we were on deck 8 so we were the last to be called. We waited about 30 mins for our shuttle. We love cruising and it was fun to see our girls experience cruising. Oh, I almost forgot. I was given a $50 card to use at the spa from Carnival for my birthday that is this week. I had the most amazing combined facial and massage. TY Carnival for the cherry on top. Read Less

Yes it was a great price for a suite with other spiffs thrown in. However, Dorian did cause issues. Were were not contacted with final details until 6pm the day before the cruise. Had to be at Jacksonville port between 2 and 6 pm. We would park at Jacksonville port and take a 2.5 hour bus ride port carnival and the cruise would end at Jacksonville port. Okay, not a major deal for us because we were driving. This is our second experience with Carnival not able to handle some bumps in the road during embarkation and disembarkation. We arrived at 1:30pm busses waiting. It’s 95 degrees and outside. It’s was a ridiculous wait. Had several empty busses just sitting there waiting to be loading. You had port security checking boarding passes and Id ( why I have no idea why ....we never entered the port and carnival was checking boarding passes and Id). Obvious no preplanning and no one actually in charge. Busses hold 50 people and carnival staff were trying to figure out how to load the busses. The boat is dated which we expected. Our balcony cabinet was clean and had plenty of room. Had no issues with cabin or steward. Ships’s staff was generally courtesy and helpful on the cruise. Food was below average. The only good meals served were breakfast and guys hamburgers. The buffet served the same meals for lunch and dinner. For three days they served roast beef or prime rib.(I could not identify by looking at it). They served cold baked ham the last day and 2 inch size pieces of fried chicken with little meat and mostly bones. Myself and other cruisers could not determine what part of the chicken they came from. The food in the dining room was boring. Nothing but average diner type selections. The pizza on Carnival is usually good..but not on the Ectasy. The pizza had a little sauce and some cheese and whatever topping you wanted. Pizza was dry. The deli....well I can’t give it more than a two. I ordered a BLT. It was served on sourdough bread. The bread was so tough..it was like biting into a piece of leather. The ship’s design blocks any head winds on the outside decks. If you are at the pool level you will not feel any breeze at all. If you are on the level above the pool area you will not feel any breeze at all. You have to be at the front to the ship to get any kind of breeze. This design does not go well with 95 degree weather. If you outside and not in the pool you will be roasting. The only things that worked great were the bartenders and disembarkation. We were off the ship at 8:30. I don’t recommend this cruise. Read Less

First thing embarkation. Out of Charleston, SC was super easy no long lines and on and in the ship without faster to the fun. Hint- Deck 5 has BBQ that was awesome and we avoided the crazy Lido deck before leaving. Muster Drill- Is what it is. James made it fun when we got to the area. Just do it and get it over with. Dinner-food was above average in dinning room. JIJI and Bonzai Sushi was the best food on the ship 5/5. The steakhouse had a horrible hostess made us not go back. The steak was only okay but for $38.00 you get enough food to make up for it. Entertainment-all the shows were nice and the comedians were really funny. Bars- Inside bars are the best and can make any drink. Serenity deck could only do basic drinks and frozen stuff. Great cruise and will do it again in the future. Highly recommend. Read Less

This cruise was a little different than my previous cruise, for several reasons. First, Charleston was being evacuated the day we were scheduled to sail due to Hurricane Dorian. We had notice that Half Moon Cay would be removed from the itinerary the day before we left, which was disappointing but understandable. Because of the evacuation, my husband and I decided to leave and head to Charleston a day early to be able to beat the traffic and the road closures and re-routes. Unfortunately, we decided that at 9:30 pm the night before the cruise, so we got to Charleston at about 1 am, got booked at a hotel, slept, and then headed to the port Monday morning. The cruise opened arrival early because of the evacuation and delayed the departure, so we really got a full day on the ship that first day-- we were on by 10 and didn't leave the port until 6. We sped east to move around the hurricane. While it was SUPER rocky due to the speed, and I did get queasy and seasick and had to lie down, we never felt unsafe. The cruise overall was really great. Beautiful weather, great communication from the cruise director about our ports and Charleston, the ship was well-equipped with lots of new features for us (our previous cruise was on a smaller ship), and a wonderful excursion in Nassau. Our steward was really great-- always available, and always had our room ready after dinner (we like evening turndown), but never obtrusive in the way it can sometimes feel. The dining room staff was awesome. Putra and his team are amazing. Read Less

I have been on 3 Carnival Cruises and my wife has been on nearly 10 of them and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had on a cruise. First, I realize that we cannot control the weather but as another person included in their review, our itinerary remained unchanged until late Sunday evening when we were informed we would be going to Key West instead of Princess Kay. No big deal, but then we spent the rest of the cruise on the damn boat. No other ports that we could go to so we spent 4 1/2 days at sea of a five day cruise. Secondly, I will echo another reviewer in stating that the Captain continuously placed us at risk by getting too close to the hurricane. Although the status of our location said we were safely away from the hurricane, there were more than two instances in which the ship was sailed into the green area of the hurricane. On Tuesday morning at 2:00, the ship was rocking so bad from the waves that it literally caused my wife and I to roll in the bed. It kept us up all night, not to mention the kids that were in the room next to us. Sounded like construction going on all night long. Went to guest services, they apologized and said if it continued to let them know. Well guess what, it continued. We called guest services and were placed on hold waiting for someone to answer. And this was at 1:00 in the morning. Still nothing done. There was a strong sewage smell that stayed the entire cruise. We could smell it in our bathroom, down the hallway, on the Lido deck, practically everywhere. The explanation we received was that it was "Sea Water". Sorry, but the only place it smelled like that was actually on the boat. So back to the rough waters of travel. On Wednesday (last day at sea), the waters were so rough that dinnerware was sliding on the tables, deck chairs were sliding on the decks, and chips fell over in the casino at the table I was at. But we were continuously reassured that all was safe. Each day, the Cruise Director and Captain held a Q&A session regarding the status of the cruise and the hurricane. Once we were informed that we would not be going to any other ports after Key West, we were told they were going to add a lot of entertainment on the ship to make up for the missed time from our destinations. If you consider adding trivia games and back/arthritis seminars as added entertainment, then you have different expectations of what entertainment is than I do. One of my biggest complaints of all is the fact that while we were at sea, they never made an announcement or sent a letter to our stateroom to inform us that they provided all the passengers free WiFi so that we could contact our families to let them know we were alright. We found that out from other guests who were at our dining table. Piling on with some of the other reviews on here, we arrived to Port Canaveral and was sent on a charter bus for two hours to the Jacksonville Port after being told multiple times that they were going to extend the cruise until the Port was open. In conclusion, I called Carnival Customer Service today and inquired what they were going to do to satisfy our complaint. I was informed that when we booked, we signed a disclosure that stated Carnival reserves the right to alter the cruise itinerary at their discretion and would not be offering any reimbursement of credit for this cruise. Ultimately, Carnival said screw all of the unhappy guests with the decisions that they made and we are going to keep your money for a cruise that did not reach one destination on the itinerary (Key West was not on the original itinerary), offered nothing more than an apology for the inconvenience, and couldn't care less about the members who have CHOSEN their cruise line. We were planning on taking a family cruise for our family's 10 year anniversary next year but you can rest assured it won't be with Carnival Cruise. Their Customer Service can now be ranked up there with AT&T and Comcast. Read Less

Our cruise experience was doomed from the start. About a week before our cruise hurricane Dorian started forming. As our sale date approached we kept a close eye on the projected path and Carnival‘s website. As it became clear that hurricane Dorian was going to affect the Bahamas we regularly checked in to make sure that our sailing was still happening and we were going to be going to our ports. Our first day on board was relatively OK. We had clear skies and the lunch buffet was actually really good. That’s the only positive statement I have for the entire cruise. Dinner time rolls around and the dining room was horrible. The bread was under baked . Both my steak and their signature dessert (melting cake)was over cooked. The first night the boat was extremely rough. I had hoped that that would be the only rough seas we would experience. Day two was a day at sea. About halfway through the day the captain comes on and informs us that we were not going to make it to princess Cay and that the port will be substituted with a trip to Key West for a half a day. Key West was OK but definitely not the Bahamas. I had hoped to find a beach only to find out that Key West does not offer beaches. While in Key West my sister calls me and informs me that the Carnival corporate website has updated stating that our trip to Nassau for the next day has now been canceled. We went to the service desk and asked what port we would be going to instead of Nassau. Mind you Nassau was the whole reason we booked this cruise. Absolutely love going to Aquaventure at Atlantis. So we were very disappointed to find out that we were not gonna make it to Atlantis. The service desk denied that the port had been canceled and told us that they couldn’t speak to what their corporate website said. They lied to us. As the ship pulled away from Key West the captain came on and informed us that our trip to Nassau had been canceled and no other ports were available so we were going to be getting a third day at sea. I booked a cruise to the Bahamas ! Not a cruise to float at sea for four days and get a half day in Key West. On top of being stuck on that boat our captain insisted on finding every possible patch of rough seas possible. I couldn’t sleep at night because the boat was rocking so bad. Pool lost half of its water from spilling over hitting waves. And the Lido deck buffet we sat there and watch plates fly across the floor. On our final day at sea the captain informed us that there was a chance we would not be able to return to Jaxport on Thursday. The plan initially was to spend an extra day at sea until the port reopened. Dinner time on our last night at sea the captain comes on to inform us that we will be docking in Port Canaveral and receiving shuttle bus rides back to Jacksonville. It’s really sad when we arrived at port Canaveral customs and border protection waived us on through saying we didn’t take a cruise to anywhere so we did not have to declare anything. Our cruise director found it funny to joke about how we were on a cruise to somewhere but he didn’t know where. Carnival really let us down. They should have canceled our sailing knowing that they were not going to be enough ports available to substitute adequately. But they wanted their money. To add insult to injury the whole reason they docked us in Port Canaveral was so that they wouldn’t have to delay their next sailing. I called the customer service line after we got home and they refused offer us any compensation. I always knew in the contract that they could change ports but I never expected them to treat us so poorly. So our beautiful beach vacation to the Bahamas turned into a week of rough seas, never seeing a beach, and never putting on our bathing suits. We took a cruise nowhere and didn’t even make it back to our original destination. At this point I will never cruise with Carnival again. Read Less

Terrible. Crusty ship. Brown water from bathroom sink. Captain was terrible and kept Sailing up into the bottom of the hurricane causing us to have an unnecessary rough ride. He would find the roughest seas at night so that no one could sleep from the rocking. We were lied to from the get go. They should have canceled the cruise because of the hurricane but they are too money hungry. They kept saying no change to itinerary so that we weren’t able to cancel or change dates without penalty. We didn’t end up going to any ports except lame Key West for only a few hours and there wasn’t enough time to do anything. And to top it all off they refuse to reimburse any money or make it right in any way. They were basically just like oh well too bad. So we paid full price for a trip we didn’t get to take. Didn’t see a beach once. And they also said that if the port to return home was closed they would stay out to sea until it opened.. more lies. They dumped us off at Port Canerval and made us take a 2&1/2 hour bus ride to Jax. NEVER cruising with Carnival again. It’s the sucky low end of cruise ships anyways. Choose a different line. Read Less

Reunion of our friends. we want to cruising to Bahamas. Because of Hurricane Dorian curies was divert to Mexico. planing days extended three days to six days. we wear bit of worried but it was safe journey and we all had a grate time. cabins are really good. change linen everyday. House keeping staff was very good.Specially Deva and Xavier Also dining and food was excellent. all seven days they didn't drop the quality. Staff was very help full and very friendly Specially Romeo and Sheela (Guess Service lady) we really enjoyed the staff was dancing on breakfast, lunch and dinner time Wilfredo - T-Hw, Shereme - Tiw, Jwayan in Golden Liberty they wear very good except Indian staff members they are not friendly at all. Entertainment and Fitness & Recreation are really good. Cruise Director (NO No) was wonderful and very friendly Also full of entertains. Front service desk staff are not much help full, anyway we were thoroughly enjoyed, had a grate time. Read Less

It was my mother's 50th birthday cruise, we had a group of approx. 34 ppl. Paulvic and Yuseph were amazing at keeping our room looking spotless. The staff was constantly cleaning so I feel like it was a sanitary environment. They even cleaned the pools nightly. My children loved camp and the staff there made me feel comfortable leaving my children with them. If a large group use walkie talkies, it helps you stay in contact. However my son's hand got crushed in the elevator frame (in between the elevator door and the wall) and Carnival is refusing to listen to me on how they can prevent this from happening to other children. THIS IS 100% PREVENTABLE ON CARNIVAL'S PART. I'm said to see that they are trying to sweep it under the rug when they can fix it. My son is terrified of elevators now. Their staff didn't even know what to do, I have pictures of the medical staff just watching in aww. Other than the safety of children the ship was good. Read Less

I cruised as part of a large group and because of the group I was with had more fun than I have ever had on a cruise. I purchased Faster to the Fun and it was totally worth it. Skipped the line at embarkation, cabin was ready as soon as we boarded, and disembarkation was quick. If I were ever going to cruise Carnival again, I would pay for that. Also,the cruise director Cam was fabulous. I enjoyed the activities, especially the lip synch battle, and the mixology contest. Also had fun at Karaoke and Stripes. That being said, however, the ship itself was a huge disappointment. At such a low price point, I wasn't a luxury cruise, but the ship was not only old, but dirty. One of the public bathrooms on the Lido deck was filthy and I had to go back to my cabin to use the restroom. The entire ship had a noxious odor that was inescapable. The water was undrinkable due to the odor and I ended up spending the $3.75 per bottle water available in the stateroom. There is rust everywhere and wherever you look you are reminded that you are on a budget cruise. The food was merely passable. Nothing exciting. The burgers at Guy's were good but I didn't want that everyday. Ship personnel were not rude, but unlike on other cruises I have taken, they were not friendly either. I would never cruise with Carnival again. I don't feel there is any excuse for allowing a ship in this condition to be put in service. This doesn't speak well for the level of commitment to cleanliness, safety and sanitation they have throughout the fleet. Read Less

First time, and it was a gift from my sister, for me and her birthday, which was the same day, August 29.The house keeping was excellent from Arnold and Khym,who smile and spoke everyday say our names,the people who clean the tables spoke very pleasant and saying good morning, they ladies that clean the bathrooms spoke, all the food was good, very pleasant waiters in wing star dinner 6 o'clock, we received birthday cakes and they sung to us,I don't remember her name but the bingo lady was very nice, crazy jokes, I like how everyone was always cleaning making sure no plates was left on the tables, entertainment was fantastic, but the best and far most thing I like was our crew director Cam,he was so busy ,entertaining, full of energy and kept us busy every moment, never giving you a chance to get bored, he just everyone laughing,and smiling even if they didn't want to, when I go on another cruise I would like to be on one that he is the director,now the only thing I didn't like was the price of drinks, too high,thank you very much and take my comments under consideration. Read Less