I checked out the Carnival Ecstacy cruises on CruiseCritic.com before taking this, our first cruise. We are experienced travelers, but have always maximized our time at destinations by flying or taking trains, not cruising. This cruise didn't change our mind. For us, it's all about the destinations and not the getting there. Having said that, though, I admit that the food was great (to excess), the service great, the efficiency and safety of the ship and its personnel excellent, the appointments nice (although we're not much for Las Vegas kitsch New York decor). (...but then, we didn't like Las Vegas for the same reason.) The entertainment was high-energy, and well-received by the largely-Texas/Oklahoma/Midwestern audience. Yee-haw, if you like that sort of thing. Thankfully, there is a wide variety, all of it good. We wisely didn't drink much- - face it, Carnival makes its money by selling alcohol, and promotes it at every opportunity. Drink coffee and lemonade (and the ship's water, which I believe is desalinated from the Gulf). We also don't gamble, which cuts out THAT portion of expenses. The sewer smell is an occasional, though minor problem. I had a talk with the Cruise Director about it. Don't expect to have it fixed during the Ecstacy's drydock re-fit in Freeport, Bahamas, underway as I write this. It's a tank ventilation problem plus (for those who are plumbing-aware) poor design with the drainage piping (P-traps). They could carry the vents higher, but probably won't. Not enough people complain, I guess. In summary- - great vacation, and great value. We'll continue to fly to our destinations, but wait! Cruises which sail during the night, then are in port during the days, would be great. Just avoid those long, over-eating-prone days at sea.