The Oct. 18th sailing was my 2nd time on the Ecstasy and 10th Carnival sailing. As usual, Carnival gave me a good vacation and a very good value for my money. I did not arrive at the Bayport Terminal until 11:30 and it was quite congested as the ship was three hours late in arriving. There was a line to get into the terminal and even a longer line to get through security. I was disappointed with embarkation as I should have been in the 1st group to board after the Bridal Party but this didn't happen. When I finally stepped onto the ship, I proceeded to my cabin and found it clean, cool and comfortable. I was surprised and a little disappointed that the muster drill took so long. What should have taken 15-20 minutes took 45 minutes. I had late seating in the Windstar Dining Room and my dining room team were very friendly and efficient throughout the cruise. I found the food to be very good, for the most part, with the prime rib on the 2nd night excellent. Good entertainment throughout the ship on this sailing as well. I did not do any shore excursions as I've been to Cozumel many times and this was my 3rd time to Progreso. I found the quality of the food on the Lido Deck to be good to very good and tried something different every day. The cheeseburgers and deli sandwiches were two of my favorites. Very good service from my cabin steward and his assistant who brought me extra ice every day. I was disappointed with debarkation. I should have been the 1st group off the ship but at least two other groups were debarking at the same time. The lines at customs were disorganized. There were no lines separating U.S. Citizens from Non-U.S. Citizens so it took much longer to clear customs than it should have. Fortunately, Carnival will be moving both of their ships back to Galveston this coming weekend; and I look forward to sailing on the Conquest Nov. 30th.
Clean, cool and comfortable. Ample closet space for clothes.