I just came back from a 4 day cruise on the Carnival Ecstasy with my 75 year old mom, who had open heart surgery in March. I really tried hard to make sure everything went smoothly…best laid plans and all that!!
Embarkation: I had arranged for a wheelchair assist for both embarkation and debarkation. We arrived at about 10:30 am and they immediately grabbed a wheelchair and escorted us through the lines (I also had FTTF) and to a waiting area to check in and wait for them to start boarding. We waited for about half an hour and then a very pleasant young lady came and started wheeling us up to the ship. We by-passed the embarkation photo op and headed up the ramp to the ship. It got a little dicey, because the ramp was steep, but thanks to a helpful passenger, we got my mom up the ramp and onboard the ship but about 11:45AM.
Our room was ready, a balcony, one of the few. My mom was thrilled! I bought Cheers (it took a few minutes because they were being very thorough in their explanation of the total cost and benefits) and got our first Fun Ship Special! We drank it on our balcony and then decided to walk up and grab something to eat. We ended up getting deli sandwiches, a corned beef on rye for mom and a turkey and swiss on a country roll for me. Yummy!!
This cabin was in a perfect location, close to elevators on either end, the Atrium Bar, embarkation, debarkation...and it was QUIET!