I haven't read much about the Ecstasy from any of you.. I know this is one of the ships that Fema rented during the hurricane evacuations, and that it has been renovated. Give me some specifics about the ships new look...what did they do..what shows are the best...etc.
Hi SheriNtexas!! Thank you so much for responding. You posted that this is your first cruise. You will immediately be addicted to cruising! So much fun, and beauty to see! Please post a review and of course take lots of pictures and share them with us! I know you will have a great time! Happy cruising!
Hey annie and sherri , Wife and I went on May 1st on Ecstacy. I think we were about the 5th cruise after the refurbishment, and the ship was in tip top shape. The rooms were so clean and fresh with new linens, the bathrooms were spotless and the new miniature golf was a hit. I thought the ship was in great shape for being several years old. The food was great, our servers were fanatastic and we had a blast. Celebrated our 30th anniversary, and we wondered why we never cruised before? Well, now we know what we were missing, and hope to go on many more. We will sail on the Ecstacy again! Enjoy. You can ask me questions if you think of any.
Hey Rodney! Thanks so much for your Ecstasy "review"! I had started to think that no one had been on this ship! The reviews on other sites have not been real favorable, but some people probably can't be pleased! Some of the complaints were about the decor of the ship, and that is just not something that I'm concerned about. Cleanliness, food and service is what is important to me. What part of the ship did you and your wife stay on...and where did ya'll go...was it a 5 day or 7 day cruise. If you don't mind giving me details, I'd love to hear them, and if you have pictures you'd like to share that would be great! My husband and I just celebrated our 31st anniversary in May also!
Hi annies, We departed Galveston on Monday, May 1st, on the 5 day to Progreso and Cozumel. We parked at EZCruiseParking and it was so easy. Nice people. Embarkation was easy for us, didn't wait in line but about 30 minutes to get through the whole process. Went straight to the room, it was ready, dumped off our bags and went all over the ship checking things out. We did need to request a re-assignment for our dinner time, since we were given the latest time and we wanted the earlier time. Was easy, just ask the Maitre-de (sp). Yes, ship decor is bright colors, but we really thought it was cool, not just blah colors. The muster drill (required) was kinda funny to see people with those ugly orane life vests on, but we got neat pictures of each other laughing our heads off at the site! First night we slept like a log. Next day was fun day at sea and we tried to do everything! We got tired, but enjoyed every minute of it. Didn't win bingo, won't play next time. We didn't get to dock in Progreso because of high winds, and the port authority wouldn't let any ships dock..what a bummer. We really wanted to go there because of the "real" Mexico feel of the place, and we had booked an excursion to see the Dzibilchaltun ruins. Oh well, we made the best of it and had another fun day at sea. Since we were going to see the ruins at Progreso, we had already decided to go to Paradise Beach in Cozumel and do some light shopping for souviners. Go to Paradise Beach! see my review and others at www.paradisecozumel.com Do not buy T-shirts. etc from the first person who grabs you by the arm. Just keep walking and you will find a better bargain, I promise. Last day at sea was fun, but we were getting tired so we just hung out around the pool and took a nap and ate ice cream! Ice cream 24/hrs/day is real! Food was great. Shows were great. Go to karoke at least once, you will have fun. We enjoyed the China Town Bar, small and cozy with a great band and no smoking. Raining hard when we got back to Cozumel, but debarkation was easy as pie, just go by your color. We got off within 30 minutes of our color and off we went crying (just kidding), missing that ship already. You can visit galveston web cams and see the dock where Ecstacy ports. We watched her leave a couple of times for cruises prior to ours. It was exciting. OK, I have rambled on and on, so you can see we had a blast! I hope you do as well.
I checked out the paradise beach website. That will be on my list of things to do!! Will you please tell me how you get there from the ship, cost of taxies and things a first timer should know! Thanks , Sadie
Wow Rodney, what a great review of everything! My mom and i are driving in to Galveston the day before our cruise leaves and leaving our car at the hotel while we are gone. I didn't know that the Ecstasy had a mini golf course! Since this will be my first cruise, I think i will like everything since i don't really have anything to compare! I'm an easy going person so i plan on having a blast!
Hello to everyone going on Ecstacy. Sadie, the cost of taxis is pre-set and cost will be posted on signs where you get the taxi. It may seem hectic, but they will get people in those things and out in a hurry. I believe we paid $14 one-way to go to Paradise Beach. We shared the ride back to the dock with another lady and they charged $15 for all 3 of us. The taxis are lined up at Paradise Beach waiting to take you back, bu tthe cost is one-way each time. Not bad, better than renting a car and taking a chance on their laws! DO NOT RENT A SCOOTER OR CAR! I had the grilled fish (Mahi-Mahi caught locally) sandwich at the beach and it was wonderful. Wife had grilled chicken tacos and she said they were the best she had ever eaten. If you have specific questions, you can list them and I will reply the best I can. You are all going to have so much fun!!!!!!
It's safe for the most part. We ate at La Choza in Cozumel (verrrry tasty!) in May '06 and drank margaritas there as well. If you're worried or have a sensitive GI tract, pack some extra Pepto Bismol. Just stay away from tap water if possible.
Hi annies, We checked out (via internet) the Paradise Beach process and they use filtered water. We had heard of people eating raw vegetables (like salad, etc) that had been washed in tap water getting the sickness, but since Paradise uses filtered water, we were not worried. We did take along our own bottled water, but the filtered ice was safe there. Strawberry smoothies were great! We had Pepto Bismol just in case. As a metter of fact, a friend of ours went to Cozemel to an all inclusive and got sick, so they took Pepto ever morning as a precaution. I would not worry at all if you eat at Paradise Beach or one of the well known, well traveled restaurants.
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I had the grilled fish (Mahi-Mahi caught locally) sandwich at the beach and it was wonderful. Wife had grilled chicken tacos and she said they were the best she had ever eaten. 
