Just got off of the Carnival Ecstasy today. This was my third cruise and my second Carnival Cruise. I was nervous because my other experience with Carnival was the Splendor which is one of the newer/larger ships. The Ecstasy is one of the older, smaller ships in the fleet.
Embarkation: I was nervous because we were flying from NYC and going to Miami. I was always uncertain about getting the connection from the airport to the port. We signed up for the bus transportation that Carnival provides @ !6.50 per person and it was worth every penny. Cruise representatives are near the baggage claim to guide you through and you get your sign and sail card, room assignment, etc. before you even get on the ship. Once arriving to the terminal, same thing, always someone to tell you where to go. We had "Faster To the Fun" so we got to board a little after 11:30am and went right to the Lido Deck for lunch.
Cruise: The cruise was fine. All the people complaining about the food or condition of the ship really need to lighten up. It's an older ship but it is clean and the wear and tear is not that bad. The deck chairs are in good shape, the tiles aren't falling off places, everything inside is air conditioned, etc. Because it was only a 4 night cruise I didn't feel we needed a balcony so we had a window room. The bathroom is small and not pristine but everything worked. Cabin service was good too.
Fine. No problems. Curtain starting to come off on the window but not terrible.