We booked the March 5th cruise out of Galveston, and had amazingly good weather the entire time (five nights). As far as basic services, Ecstasy is very good. Food is good; the service in the MDR is almost excellent. Boris and Worshat were very attentive and knew our names immediately. We ate in the MDR every night for the late seating.

The Grand Suite was very spacious, having enough storage for twice as many passengers. Our balcony was on the starboard side and was next to a bump-out balcony. Some people have commented that they consider these suites as partially obstructed views, but I do not agree- I tend towards thinking it increases the privacy factor and if you are forward of the bumpout, you see all of the approaches clearly.

The rooms and shiip are very well maintained- our suite showed signs of needing some carpet replacement in a few months. Decor is pleasant and there was constant cleaning going on. I wiped down surfaces myself when we boarded- I think that is a wise thing to do, since turn-around is quick. I was not impressed with our room steward on this trip. I think he was afraid to bother us, and we were out of the room frequently- getting ice was a big deal, so we didn't make much of an issue about it, knowing he was busy. I'd brought a collapsible cooler that only was filled once... and I feel that the stewards want their tips ahead of time before they give you attentive service. Since it's a common practice to do so by others, it sets up an expectation that not everyone is going to follow- tips should come after the fact for good service. We did not change the automatic tip, but I wish people would stop tipping before the fact. Read more