Chose the cruise initially because there would be a 6 month gap in cruises for us after a Bach 2 Back in February on the Magic and another Back to Back in July (family cruise). We initially booked the Sunshine Journey out of Charleston. As this was a repeat of the 2016 cruise, we decided to take the November Journey on the Ecstasy. Same port, close to home - winner! Well, not so much. Thanks to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the itinerary was changed to Aruba, Bonaire, Grand Turk and Princess Cays. Okay, I can deal with that. Had never been to Bonaire. Beautiful island! Weather got in the way, and with c26mph winds, there was no way we could dock at Grand Turk. A 10 day, 5 island cruise turned into a 4 island then a 3 island cruise.

For us, the cruise is the destination. So, although there was some disappointment at not being able to get to Jack's Shack, or to see our friend, Fernando at Milano Jewelry, we still had a nice time.

The service in the MDR for early dinner was VERY SLOW for our table. Our head waiter was supposed to be one of the "trainers", but the service was incredibly slow, at one point we were asked to leave so they could set up the next dinner seating. In 28 cruises, I have never eaten on Lido for dinner. On the second to last evening, ewe got up and left, the service was that slow. Spoke to the Food Services Manager, and it improved on our last night. Read more