This was a last minute booking. We booked a suite guarantee and we were assigned U103, a grand suite. Parking and getting to the ship is just short of chaos. The line of cars to drop off luggage, pay for parking and then be directed to a warehouse to park in was probably a mile and a half long. And didn't move for the better part of an hour. After dropping the luggage off you are directed to the parking warehouse where upon exiting you are pointed to a line to board a tour bus to be shuttled back to the port to board the ship. The driver left the curb while 3 of us were still standing and remained so as no seats remained. Upon arrival at the terminal the driver pulls to the end of the building. The entrance was at the other end. Thank Goodness for suite/priority check in. By this time I was tired of being directed of where to go, stand or wait. Priority check in took less than 5 minutes. By-pass the embarkation photo and head to the series of ramps to get to deck 7 for entering the ship. This was my first time on the Ecstasy, and I have to admit, I was underwhelmed. It's now about 12:30-1:00pm and we head to the cabin to drop off our carry ons. The cabins are not ready. There was a staff/coast guard drill that morning. The steward states we can leave them under the desk/vanity. Have some lunch, explore the ship, find my children then it's off to muster. Sail away was unremarkable. Go back to the cabin expecting to find luggage. Not so. The steward comes by and introduces himself and asks if we would like the cabin serviced in the morning or evenings. Wait. What? I don't get a clean room AND turn down service? Apparently there is a form that can be filled out, but our steward decided he was just going to give a choice of one or the other. We get ready for dinner, we had late seating. Our table mates, minus one, were already seated when we arrived. The father and three children were all grumpy and tired. The mother and the late arriving 6th member of their party were chatty. Our dining team introduced themselves. Service was terrible slow. And incomplete. The second night, service did not improve any nor did the moods of the youngest child (4 years old) or the father. The next morning I called to asked if there were any seats available for the chef's table. Yes! Yay! Next stop, the Maître D to ask for a table change and to explain why. Painfully slow service and a sleepy 4 year old do not make for an enjoyable dinner. The last two nights we had superb dinner service! Our sea day traveling back to Charleston was spent going at a slower rate of speed than normal. We were only an hour later than we should have been The captain was staying behind tropical storm/hurricane Hermine. The last night was a bit rough. Didn't get tossed out of bed, but the waves had doors creaking and moving! Debarkation on Saturday morning was a disaster. The debarkation letter left with the luggage tags states to please exit the cabins by 9am. The same letter states to watch channel 13 on your television to see when debarkation for your tag number will be. Ummm, so which is it? Leave by 9 or watch the television? Apparently people did not read the debarkation letter as some were going to the deck of the luggage tag numbers; ie deck 5 for tag number 5. There were NO overhead/public announcements regarding debarking. It was chaotic. Once off the ship, it was get your luggage and either wait for a tour bus to take you to the parking warehouse or walk the half mile or so to the curb and wait for your spouse to go get the vehicle and come to pick you up. We chose the latter option. Overall, the ship is showing her age. I would not drink out of the glasses left on the shelf in the cabin. The whirlpool tub had seen better days. The mismatched granite and marble pieces in the bathroom were comical. The drapes were missing hooks. The elevators were down for maintenance quite a bit. Dining room and lido deck service was hit or miss for breakfast/brunch/lunch. The casino ventilation needs to be improved upon. Francis from Canada, part of the entertainment staff was highlight of the cruise. Always smiling, friendly and joking. Ben, the cruise director was a bit boring, monotonous lacked personality.