For the last eight years my wife and I have been spending New Year's Eve with two other couples on the Viking Serenade going down to Ensanada and back. One of our group is now widowed but happily for us, also goes along. Since Royal Caribbean no longer goes there and chose not to replace the ship on that trip, we took the Carnival Ecstasy. The following is our experience and thoughts.

Embarkation:

In the past we took outside cabins only. This year we all decided to splurge and go for three mini-suites. A pleasant surprise was, that by doing so, we received priority boarding at the "Skippers Club." It took no more than ten minutes. Our friends had a minor problem when one of the Carnival hostesses said she had never heard of the "Skippers Club" and another pointed to the wrong place. They too were soon on their way though. Looking at the line the rest of the passengers were in, I'm sure their comments wouldn't be the same. Walking through security, the baggage check, and the interminable walk to the ship, took longer than waiting in line. This also included dragging our carry on bag up two flights of stairs. No escalator. Our widowed friend told us that she was unable to find a porter, and carried her bags on board, for her the walk was very difficult. The line seemed endless. One jarring note. A woman using a cane as she entered the terminal, asked where the elevator was. We could see a pleasant gentleman in a "Carnival Uniform," send her happily on her way, via an elevator located outside of the security check area. So much for safety. Read more