The Carnival Ecstasy is Carnival Cruise Line's second oldest ship in the fleet at this time, but the ship is filled with many spaces and amenities for cruisers to enjoy. The Carnival Ecstasy was the first cruise ship I ever sailed on and this ship deserves the credit for starting my cruise addiction. This article will give some basic facts about the ship and tips for cruisers that will be sailing on the Carnival Ecstasy in the future. 

Basic Facts:
         The Carnival Ecstasy launched into service in 1991 after being built in Finland.  The Carnival Ecstasy, as well as many other Carnival ships, is registered in Panama. The ship's fact sheet reports there are 920 crew members and 2056 guests (double occupancy). The ship may not be the largest in today's cruise industry, but it weighs over 70,000 tons and is about 855 feet long. The Carnival Ecstasy is a member of Carnival's Fantasy class ships. For more interesting facts about the ship click here to view the Carnival Ecstasy's fact sheet.

Some Highlights Of The Ship's Features and Places:

• Carnival's WaterWorks:  
  ​       As part of a big dry-dock a few years ago, the Carnival Ecstasy received Carnival's WaterWorks enhancement. The Carnival Ecstasy's WaterWorks consists of a splash pad and multiple waterslides. To get on the waterslides you will have to go up to Deck 12's aft, by the ship's funnel. The waterslides will land on Deck 11 (the Verandah Deck). For those that have cruised the Carnival Ecstasy in the long ago past, the WaterWorks replaced the aft pool on Deck 11. 
• Serenity Adults Only Retreat:  
            Cruises are often filled with children and some adults want to get away from kids. Carnival designed and implemented an area on the Carnival Ecstasy referred to as the Serenity that is for adults that are 21 & older only. This area is located at the very back of Deck 9, which is the Promenade Deck. 
• On The Lido Deck:  Red Frog Rum Bar and Blue Iguana Tequila Bar
            Carnival refreshed the Carnival Ecstasy's Lido Deck in a 2014 dry-dock by adding two Fun Ship 2.0 features named the Red Frog Rum Bar and the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar. If you are around the Lido Deck's main pool, you should be able to find both of these bars.
• Blue Sapphire Theatre (or referred to as Blue Sapphire Lounge)
  ​            The Blue Sapphire is the Carnival Ecstasy's main show lounge. This is where the ship's production shows take place as well as some other entertainment activities that draw larger audiences. One of my favorite things about the Blue Sapphire is the stage's curtain. At times, the lounge's lighting system will make the curtains sparkle and look like shiny jewels are sewn into the curtain. The Blue Sapphire is located on two decks. The bottom level of the lounge is on the Atlantic Deck (Deck 8) and the upper level of the lounge is located on the Promenade Deck (Deck 9). 
• Panorama Bar and Grill
                The Panorama Bar and Grill is the Carnival Ecstasy's Lido Deck buffet. The buffet is located at the back of the Lido Deck, which is Deck 10. In the buffet you will find many different food lines that have some different options depending on the day and meal being served. Also, the Carnival Ecstasy's pizzeria and deli are located at the very back of the Lido buffet.
• Guy's Burger Joint 
               Guy's Burger Joint serves free hamburgers and french fries at lunchtime. Prior to getting Guy's Burger Joint, the Carnival Ecstasy had a generic hamburger grill on its Lido Deck. 
• Blue Iguana Cantina
               The Blue Iguana Cantina is another feature Carnival added to the Carnival Ecstasy's Lido Deck. The Blue Iguana Cantina serves burritos and tacos at lunch. Usually, the Blue Iguana Cantina also has some breakfast options too. To compliment tacos and burritos, Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina also has a salsa bar. The salsa bar has a multitude of options available for cruisers. The Blue Iguana Cantina is complimentary!​
• Alchemy Bar
  ​               The Alchemy Bar was also added during the Carnival Ecstasy's dry-dock.  The Alchemy Bar allows cruisers to purchase mixed drinks in a pharmacy themed bar setting. Cruisers are able to tell bartenders to mix ingredients to make a drink a certain way. The ship's Alchemy Bar is located on the ship's Promenade Deck (deck 9). For cruisers that were familiar with the Carnival Ecstasy prior to this dry-dock, the Alchemy Bar is located where the Society Bar used to be. This near the back area of the Promenade Deck right by the Starlight Lounge. 
• Cherry On Top 
                  The Carnival Ecstasy received Cherry On Top, which is essentially a candy shop. This shop sells candy, gifts, and a few other things. The ship's Cherry On Top is located on the ship's Promenade Deck (deck 9). ​
• City Lights Boulevard 
                On the Carnival Ecstasy's Promenade Deck (Deck 9) you will find an area called City Lights Boulevard. This is a walkway that links many of the lounges and places located on the Promenade Deck.

Some Helpful Tips and Tricks:

• If you are trying to walk from the front to the back of the ship (or vice versa) almost all decks will be able to get you from one end to the other. However, the Atlantic Deck will not because the dining room galley is in the middle of the deck. Also, Decks 12 and 14 are split and will not allow a cruiser to get from one end to the other.
• The Carnival Ecstasy has the full selection of Carnival's youth programs onboard. For those that are interested, the Circle C lounge is located on the Atlantic Deck in the atrium, the Club 02 lounge is located on the Promenade Deck in the atrium, and the Camp Ocean lounge is located on the Verandah Deck. Each youth program has different age restrictions and may not always meet in these lounges. Each program has an activity schedule that give's information about the voyage's youth activities, the times of these activities, and where these activities will take place.
• The Carnival Ecstasy's atrium has two glass elevators. These elevators are sometimes a little slow, but offer a great view of the atrium below. 
• On the Carnival Ecstasy's lido deck, around the middle, you will see a covered stage. On one side of this stage is a glass dome that has a stairwell. This stairwell will take you down into the middle area of City Lights Boulevard on the Promenade Deck. For those needing to get from the Lido Deck to the middle of the ship quickly, consider using this stairwell. 
• At the front of the Carnival Ecstasy's Verandah Deck (Deck 11), there is a door that will allow cruisers to go outside onto an observation deck. This observation deck is directly above the ship's navigational bridge. The best way to get to this observation deck is to walk to the front of the Verandah Deck to the area where the Verandah Deck staterooms begin. You will have a choice to go left or right. Take the hallway to the left and at the very front of this hallway you should see a door that leads to the outside. Once you open this door there will be another door only a few feet away that you will have to open before being completely outside on the deck. 

For More Research On the Carnival Ecstasy:
http://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-ecstasy.aspx -  This is Carnival's website page that is dedicated to the Carnival Ecstasy. Here you can find some dining information, amenity information, and the deck plans.

            A budget is way for you to plan your expenses and then afterwards go back and see how much you actually spent. Detailed budgets will allocate specific dollar amounts to different aspects of cruising. Before you take the time to create a budget there is something you must understand. A budget is only good if you plan on following it. If you create a budget, but then disregard it and spend freely on your vacation it was pointless creating a budget in the first place. If you don't plan on following your budget you should not waste your time making one!

1.  How To Begin
             Starting to create a cruise budget may be the hardest part for many cruisers. I have a free printable budget template you may use (click here for it) if you would like. If you are freely creating your own budget worksheet make sure you have categories that reflect required spending (such as your stateroom, taxes, pre/post cruise transportation, and others things that you know you will be forced to pay in order to go on vacation). However, you will also want to have categories that reflect spending that is at your discretion. This could include things such as gambling, bars, specialty dining, and specialty entertainment. These categories are not things the cruise line requires you pay for, but if you want to budget money on these items make sure you create a category for them in your budget. Next, for each category you created, allocate the maximum amount of money you would be willing to spend on things related to that category. Once you have done this, add up the amounts you set to get a total. 
               
2. Be Reasonable and Realistic
            Since you are planning how to you want to allocate the money you will be spending for vacation, it is important to be realistic when setting amounts. For example, don't allocate $50.00 to shore excursions when you know that the price of the excursion you want is more. The same logic can apply to other categories of your budget too. 

3.  Just Because You Budget An Amount Doesn't Mean You Have To Reach The Limit You Set For Yourself
            Let's say you put in your budget you would spend $200.00 on gambling. However, this does not mean you have to spend all of that $200.00 on gambling. You could decide to gamble only $100.00 during the cruise and then save the other $100.00. After all, there will be a post-cruise bill and having a total owed that is less than you expected can be a great thing. You could always put the amount you saved towards another cruise!

4.  Compare Your Budget With What You Actually Spent After The Cruise
              Following your cruise, take a look at your budget and see if you spent more than you planned or spent less. You will also learn for next time how to create a budget that better fits your spending habits.

      People that are new to cruising or are not very familiar with the technical aspects of cruise ship terminology may be wondering what it means when a cruise ship is going into dry-dock. 
         Typically, dry-docks (in terms of regular cruising) are planned times when a cruise ship is taken out of service. There are times when a cruise ship's dry-dock is unplanned, but these situations are rare and usually occur after a major problem. Once a cruise ship has finished its last cruise prior to dry-dock and disembarked all passengers, the cruise ship will travel to a facility that has a dry-dock. When the cruise ship arrives, this dry-dock area will be filled with water and the ship will be able to slowly sail in. Before the water is drained, measures will be taken to make sure the ship is secured in place. This can be done by placing blocks under the ship. Each facility or shipyard may have a slightly different way of doing this, so please realize processes may vary. 
         Throughout the time in dry-dock, the ship will be receiving different types of work. Some things that occur during the dry-dock will be changes that are visible to the cruise ship's passengers. For example, cruise lines often use dry-dock times to add new features or renovate places onboard. In some cases, cruise lines just use the dry-dock time to refresh public areas by deep cleaning surfaces, replace carpeting, or do things that are hard to do when the ship is normally in service. Other areas of work that may occur during a dry-dock may not be directly visible to the cruise ship's passengers. A cruise line may decide to have the ship's hull painted during dry-dock or get some mechanical parts replaced. Although passengers cannot see these things, they are still important to keeping the ship functioning properly.
            If you know a cruise ship is going into dry-dock you may be curious about what will be done to the ship during this time. I recommend calling or emailing your cruise line and asking if any information can be disclosed about the changes that will be made during dry-dock. In many cases, cruise lines will say more information will be coming later. This could mean the cruise line is planning on putting out a press release or details are not finalized yet. It never hurts to try to find out information. 

           Many crew members working on cruise ships rely on receiving tips as part of their income.  Some cruise lines have required tipping policies, but others allow each cruiser to leave tips as he or she wishes. There is no correct or incorrect way to tip a crew member because there are different methods people like to use for tipping. The goal of this is to share basic information about tipping for cruises and to help give suggestions on how much you should tip crew members based on the level of service recieved. 
            Do not forget to add tips into the cost of your vacation or into your cruise budget. The overall cost of your vacation should include the base price of your vacation, extras, and tips.


Tipping Suggestions For Your Cruise Vacation:
     I have created this suggestion guide to give you a basic idea about which crew members you should tip and for how much you should tip based on the level of service you feel you have received.  Please note, the way this set up is the better service you receive from a crew member will earn him or her a higher tip. In some areas you may want to tip higher for exceptional and great service, but in others you may want to lower tips because you feel the crew member did not to their job well. 

I.  Baggage Handlers
         These are people who take your luggage at the cruise terminal and bring it to be loaded onto the ship.  Baggage handlers are often not employees of the cruise line or of the cruise terminal.  In some places they rely solely on tips to make their money. 

I recommend tipping these people based on the number and size of the suitcases/bags you give them:
Small Bag: $3          Suitcase:  $5           Important Baggage or Medical Equipment Bags:  $6 - $10

Note:  Baggage handlers are usually never included in a cruise line's auto gratuity. If you choose to use your cruise line's auto gratuity, you should still tip baggage handlers separately because they are probably not included. I recommend giving your baggage handler cash before he or she takes your luggage away. 

II.  Stateroom Stewards & Stewardess
        These are the people who clean your room during your cruise vacation. On many cruise ships tips are supposed to be shared between head & assistant stewards. I recommend on deciding a total amount you want to tip your steward or stewardess team for the entire cruise vacation and then splitting that total amount to include something for all members of the team. Be careful not to leave a stateroom steward or assistant out that cleaned your room.
Tip Amount:
High Level of Service (Above & Beyond)       -     $4.50 - $6.00 per person per day
Excellent Service (Performed Duties Well)    -    $4.25 - 4.50 per person per day 
Average Level of Service                             -    $3.75 -  $4.25 per person per day 
Poor Service                                                -   $3.25 -  $3.75 per person per day 
Awful Poor Service                                      -   Consider Removing Tip or Giving Little

III. Dining Room Team
          These are the people that serve you in the main dining room. On some cruise ships you are assigned to a specific table with specific servers, but on other cruise ships you have flexible options that don't give you the same service staff each night. If you do not think you will have the same service staff each night, leave auto-gratuity on. Most cruise lines will give you the option to increase (or decrease) the auto-gratuity for certain staff, teams, or departments. 
Tip Amount:
Above & Beyond Exceptional Service            -       $7.50 -  9.00 per person per day
Excellent Service  (Performed Duties Well)   -       $6.00 -   7.50  per person per day
Average Service, But Still Good                    -       $5.00 -   6.00 per person per day
Poor Service                                               -       $3.50 -   $5.00 per person per day
Terrible Poor Service                                  -       Consider Removing Tip or Giving Little
            
            On some cruise ships you may have an option to eat at a specialty restaurant. Don't forget to leave a tip for these crew members too! 

IV.  Shore Excursions and In Port
Tour Bus Driver -  $5 - $10
Tour Guide -   $5 - $10
If the tour bus driver is also your tour guide I would give $10 - $15, assuming this person have you a safe quality tour. Sometimes shore excursions require tipping, but if not the amount you tip is up to you.   

V. Other People To Consider Tipping
These people are sometimes included in auto-gratuities and work hard during cruises. Consider giving these people a tip to show your appreciation for their hard work: 

Dining Room Maitre D' -   $5 - $8  
Entertainment Staff Member  -   $2-$5 
Kitchen Staff  -   $3-$4  per cruise 

Bar Staff -   15-25% off bar tab (note: this is sometimes included in price with some cruise lines) 
Laundry  -   $1-$3 per bag of laundry 
Any Crew Member (Not Already Mentioned)  Who Provided You With Excellent Service   -  Your Choice ($ 2 - 10) 
SPA Treatment Crew Member - $4 - $7, depending on service and quality of treatment
Room Service -   $2-$8   depending on size of order. For small orders give less and for larger orders give more.

        Some services require tipping and other crew positions may require tipping.  If a position was left off this blog post that does not mean that you should not tip the crew member.  Use this Tipping page as a general reference only.   Tipping will vary by cruise line, ship, and the individual service. If you plan on tipping crew members individually, do not leave tips on tables or counters. Hand your tip to that crew member in an envelope if possible. Tips that are left out could be stolen by a guest or another crew member.

        If you feel more comfortable leaving the auto-tips on, don't worry about any of the information on this page!  The cruise line will take care of the dividing out of the tips!!