We left Dallas for Galveston 2 days early so the kids could have some down time before the cruise. On the morning of the cruise Daddy took our 7 year old to get her first look at Ecstasy after she docked that morning. Her word for the ship was "GINORMOUS". We stayed at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites on the Seawall and took the shuttle to the port.

Embarkation: We left our bags with the porters and headed up to the terminal. It took all of 20 minutes for us, a family of 5, to be checked in and headed up to the Lido deck for lunch.

Muster Drill: very smooth, fairly quick and painless. The younger kiddos kept fidgeting and wanting out of the life jackets, but I expected as much. Read more