Our cruise was our first real vacation in ten years and we were all VERY excited. I almost allowed the negative reviews about the Ecstasy ruin my cruise before I ever set sail.

I (41) cruised with my husband (39) stepdaughter (16) and daughter (6). We drove down from GA the day before and spent the night at the Raddison at the Port, we took the shuttle over the dock the next morning. The shuttle staff were extremely nice and we waited almost no time to board. It was quite hot out but the line for embarkation moved really fast, also a carnival staffer circulated through the line with a tray of ice water. The staff helping us embark were the nicest you could ever hope to encounter. Once we were on the ship we were directed to the Lido deck where lunch was being served. There was a line but it moved well and I went through and got a plate of food to share.

We were allowed in our room around 1:20, we had boarded about 12:30. The cabin was much much better than we anticipated. We had booked a balcony room and contrary to what I read on other reviews, the balcony was large enough for all 4 us to stand on it comfortable and we're all normal size. We had a queen bed, with the bunks that fold down. Again contray to what I've read the beds were SUPER comfy. I slept like a log every night and I do not not sleep well away from home. The bathroom was also a good size and we had abundant closet space and under the bed space as well. Read more