We decided to do a family cruise this year. Three of the seven of us have cruised before so this was a new experience for four members of my family . Embarkation went smoothly enough. Upon boarding the ship our room was easy to locate but we found it was quite small for an ocean view room. Once settled we went up to the Lido deck for something to eat. Maybe if the weather had been better I would have had a better first impression of this ship. This ship is very small! The food overall was average but certainly not something outstanding. I have to say that as an avid coffee drinker I was looking forward to having a great cup of Carnival coffee but in the five days I was onboard I couldn't even get through two cups! It was AWFUL. As for dining options we ate mostly in the dining room (6 pm seating). The food was good but I expected more options on the menu. The wait staff in the dining room was excellent. Kudos! The price of an alcoholic beverage was outrageous and there is now an 18% gratuity added to everything! Lower the prices PLEASE. Seeing as how small the ship was there really wasn't much to do as far as activities. This ship is in desperate need of a good live band as there was no live music to be had except in front of the casino where two people performed (and their singing was only mediocre). Our two port visits (Nassau and Princess Cays) went very well and we did a snorkel and stingray excursion which was fabulous. I recommend! I have never sailed on a ship that had so many children running around wildly....and inhabiting the only pool onboard. Needless to say we avoided the Lido deck a lot. Service on this ship was okay but our room steward was not very friendly and couldn't be reached when we needed him. I think this ship needs some major updating! There just was not much to do on sail days at all so we just kind of walked around doing a lot of nothing. It was disappointing. The one highlight of this particular cruise was the cruise director Leon. He is the BEST cruise director of any Carnival ship I have experienced thus far! Just fabulous! The live stage shows were incredible, just very entertaining....lots of talented singers and dancers. We spent as much time as possible at the live shows. Again, KUDOS! Debarkation day was a nightmare. They let everyone disembark at the same time so the line was very long just to get off the ship. Half of our party had to wait on us :( Honestly this was probably the most disappointing cruise I have ever had with Carnival. I have sailed on Glory, Triumph and Valor and this ship couldn't hold a candle to those. I wish Carnival would make upgrades to Ecstasy, offer more options for activities, and improve the taste of the food. My next cruise will still be with Carnival but I will choose a bigger, cleaner, and more luxurious ship. I love Carnival.........and my experience on the Ecstasy will not keep me from planning another cruise in the future.