Review Introduction:
It never occurred to me to review any of the cruises that I went on before I started this website until now. This is not my typical cruise review. If you want to see my typical cruise reviews I recommend that you check out my Carnival Miracle or Carnival Triumph cruise reviews under the My Cruise Reviews tab. Unlike those reviews this review will focus more on the highlights and not the details because a lot of the minor details about this cruise have been lost over time. I also will have fewer photos included in this review because at the time of this cruise I did not take very many photos.
Cruise Itinerary:
Day 1 July 5, 2007 Galveston, Texas
Day 2 July 6, 2007 Fun Day At Sea
Day 3 July 7, 2007 Cozumel, Mexico
Day 4 July 8, 2007 Fun Day At Sea
Day 5 July 9, 2007 Galveston, Texas
It never occurred to me to review any of the cruises that I went on before I started this website until now. This is not my typical cruise review. If you want to see my typical cruise reviews I recommend that you check out my Carnival Miracle or Carnival Triumph cruise reviews under the My Cruise Reviews tab. Unlike those reviews this review will focus more on the highlights and not the details because a lot of the minor details about this cruise have been lost over time. I also will have fewer photos included in this review because at the time of this cruise I did not take very many photos.
Cruise Itinerary:
Day 1 July 5, 2007 Galveston, Texas
Day 2 July 6, 2007 Fun Day At Sea
Day 3 July 7, 2007 Cozumel, Mexico
Day 4 July 8, 2007 Fun Day At Sea
Day 5 July 9, 2007 Galveston, Texas
July 5, 2007, Day 1: Galveston, Texas
Today was the first day of my first cruise. The morning started with a lot of excitement and last minute packing to get ready to go. When I first woke up I remember turning on the Galveston Webcams to see if the Ecstasy had docked yet. The webcam was offline on this morning and had an outdated picture, so I kept thinking that the ship was not in yet. I turned on the local 8am news and they were live in Galveston showing my ship, the Ecstasy, docking because a passenger committed suicide on the cruise before mine. I then realized that the webcam was not showing a live picture. I enjoyed seeing some video of my ship, although it was a little scary and sad that someone jumped off on the cruise before mine.
First Time Seeing The Ship and Embarkation:
The first time I saw the Ecstasy I was amazed at the large size. At the time I did not know that cruise ships could get any larger. The area around the Galveston cruise terminal was busy with people, cars, buses, and shuttles. We parked at Lighthouse Parking and took their shuttle to the terminal. We arrived at the terminal in the early 11 o'clock hour because we read that boarding was scheduled to start at noon. I did not know that boarding really starts as early as 11:00am, but today boarding was delayed because of an investigation by Homeland Security.
For future cruises I knew to arrive at the cruise terminal in the 10 o'clock hour.
The way the terminal was in 2007 was a little different compared to following years. We had an option of using a porter or taking our luggage to a little counter. We brought our luggage to a little counter and it was checked in. Next, we proceeded into the terminal and immediately got directed upstairs via an escalator. All of the lines for document check and security were short and the only long line was the line to get Sail & Sign Cards and finalize the check in process.
Boarding The Ship & First Impression:
This part of the entire day stands out to me the most. After our zone was called we got in a long line to take a picture with this photo backdrop (it was quite ugly, to be honest). After that we walked a little bit more and we got our picture taken for the Sail & Sign Card system. We continued to follow people, but instead of using the gangway, passengers were directed to the bottom floor of the terminal and we boarded the ship on Deck 3 (lowest level above the waterline). My first opinion of the ship was this is very bland compared to the pictures. I had no idea that Deck 3 was intended for crew with the exception of the infirmary. Passengers were told to get in an elevator and go to Deck 10 - Lido. We got into an elevator and went to Deck 10. After I got out of the elevator I was very impressed with the ship's appearance. I really liked the atrium and also liked the pool deck on the Lido.
Lunch:
I don't remember too much about lunch except I had a headache and was not very hungry. I could not find the Pizzeria, Grill, Deli, or even the dessert station. I was very lost and found the Taste of Nations buffet line. The featured nation for the day was Italian. The food was pretty good.
Stateroom:
Our staterooms were closed until about 1:30 or 2:00PM. When we arrived in our room we had a Carnival Capers (presently Fun-Times) waiting and a bunch of other papers too. My stateroom was on the Main Deck Starboard side. I was startled the first time I flushed a toilet on the ship. It was loud and had very good suction.
First Time Seeing The Ship and Embarkation:
The first time I saw the Ecstasy I was amazed at the large size. At the time I did not know that cruise ships could get any larger. The area around the Galveston cruise terminal was busy with people, cars, buses, and shuttles. We parked at Lighthouse Parking and took their shuttle to the terminal. We arrived at the terminal in the early 11 o'clock hour because we read that boarding was scheduled to start at noon. I did not know that boarding really starts as early as 11:00am, but today boarding was delayed because of an investigation by Homeland Security.
For future cruises I knew to arrive at the cruise terminal in the 10 o'clock hour.
The way the terminal was in 2007 was a little different compared to following years. We had an option of using a porter or taking our luggage to a little counter. We brought our luggage to a little counter and it was checked in. Next, we proceeded into the terminal and immediately got directed upstairs via an escalator. All of the lines for document check and security were short and the only long line was the line to get Sail & Sign Cards and finalize the check in process.
Boarding The Ship & First Impression:
This part of the entire day stands out to me the most. After our zone was called we got in a long line to take a picture with this photo backdrop (it was quite ugly, to be honest). After that we walked a little bit more and we got our picture taken for the Sail & Sign Card system. We continued to follow people, but instead of using the gangway, passengers were directed to the bottom floor of the terminal and we boarded the ship on Deck 3 (lowest level above the waterline). My first opinion of the ship was this is very bland compared to the pictures. I had no idea that Deck 3 was intended for crew with the exception of the infirmary. Passengers were told to get in an elevator and go to Deck 10 - Lido. We got into an elevator and went to Deck 10. After I got out of the elevator I was very impressed with the ship's appearance. I really liked the atrium and also liked the pool deck on the Lido.
Lunch:
I don't remember too much about lunch except I had a headache and was not very hungry. I could not find the Pizzeria, Grill, Deli, or even the dessert station. I was very lost and found the Taste of Nations buffet line. The featured nation for the day was Italian. The food was pretty good.
Stateroom:
Our staterooms were closed until about 1:30 or 2:00PM. When we arrived in our room we had a Carnival Capers (presently Fun-Times) waiting and a bunch of other papers too. My stateroom was on the Main Deck Starboard side. I was startled the first time I flushed a toilet on the ship. It was loud and had very good suction.
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Muster Station Drill and Sail-A-Way
I don't really remember much about the Muster Station drill except I was stationed at Muster Station F. Muster Station F was outside on the Lido Deck near the outside buffet lines. We had to bring our lifejackets to the muster station drill and this was my least favorite part of the entire cruise.
The ship departed Galveston on-time and it was enjoyable to watch Galveston go by from the ship's front.
I don't really remember much about the Muster Station drill except I was stationed at Muster Station F. Muster Station F was outside on the Lido Deck near the outside buffet lines. We had to bring our lifejackets to the muster station drill and this was my least favorite part of the entire cruise.
The ship departed Galveston on-time and it was enjoyable to watch Galveston go by from the ship's front.
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Dinner in the Main Dining Room
The food was great and the service was great in the main dining room. I had early seating at 5:45PM in the Wind Song Dining Room. In 2007, there was no YourTime Dining. Either you had early or late seating. I was impressed with the large amount of silverware that was on the tables because I didn't even need half of it. I enjoyed the food and was excited to come back the next day for breakfast and lunch the next day (which were not as good as dinner).
The food was great and the service was great in the main dining room. I had early seating at 5:45PM in the Wind Song Dining Room. In 2007, there was no YourTime Dining. Either you had early or late seating. I was impressed with the large amount of silverware that was on the tables because I didn't even need half of it. I enjoyed the food and was excited to come back the next day for breakfast and lunch the next day (which were not as good as dinner).
The First Night's Entertainment - Or Lack of For Me
After dinner we went to bed. We didn't go to the Welcome Aboard Show or go eat any food at the midnight buffet like I had planned. The bed was very comfortable and mixed with the swaying of the ship it was easy to fall asleep.
After dinner we went to bed. We didn't go to the Welcome Aboard Show or go eat any food at the midnight buffet like I had planned. The bed was very comfortable and mixed with the swaying of the ship it was easy to fall asleep.
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