It took two and a half years, but we finally got to go on another cruise!
Cruise details~
Embarkation Port: Galveston, Texas
Ship: Carnival Ecstasy
Date: Sailed 5/19/2007
Length: 5 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean, Cozumel/Progreso
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Embarkation~
The Port of Galveston is a fairly easy one hour drive from Downtown Houston. There are plenty of hotels (some with park n cruise options) close by, and a few different parking options besides the parking available at the port. However, having family in the Houston area definitely has it's perks. So we saved some money by getting dropped off.
I don't remember how long the process took, but I do know we have never had a complaint with the check in process in Galveston. Even the times we have had to wait a while before getting on the ship. I also know we were on the ship early enough to eat lunch and still walk around a while before getting in to our room about 1:30.
Itinerary~
This cruise itinerary was very similar to our first cruise. We had a stop in Cozumel and then Progreso, with sea days on either side.
The first sea day was relaxing, but at the same time we kept ourselves busy. We spent a lot of time out on the deck. In between laying out times we'd hang out in the public areas of the ship or play mini golf. That night was formal night. I love a reason to get all dressed up! There was also a comedy show late that night. It was a good day!
Waking up in the caribbean tops my list of Most Favorite Things Ever. :) To look out and see the perfect teal colored water makes my heart so happy. This morning we woke up to the teal waters of Cozumel. More details on our day HERE. There was still time after we finished shopping, so we decided to take advantage of most people still being off the ship, and we went to a near empty pool area. It was a nice way to finish up our day in Cozumel.
Progreso, Mexico was our second stop. We went on an excursion this time. Check it out in Destination Review: Progreso. :)
That night was the past guest party and then after dinner we went to a show in the main lounge. To this day, the X-Treme Country show on the Ecstasy is still one of my favorite Carnival shows. They are all good, but that one is excellent.
The second, and last, day at sea was full of lounging. We slept in, slept on deck chairs, there may have even been a nap in the lounges. It was the most laid back day of the whole cruise.
Debarkation~
We chose Self Assist debarkation again, hoping to be off the ship early. Things went smoothly, until we were off the ship and in the line for customs. All of a sudden people were coming through telling everyone in line to follow them. We all had to go to a holding area because the security dogs smelled something in the ship's cargo. 20 minutes later we were told we were getting back ON the ship "so we would be more comfortable". It was hot and not air conditioned in the holding area, with only one large door opened to let air in. We were inconvenienced, but at least Carnival was doing what they could to make us comfortable. Apparently the Coast Guard and FBI were called in to search also. Two and a half hours later, we were still some of the first passengers off the ship, just later than we had hoped.
This and That :) ~
The Ship
Although the Carnival Ecstasy is an older ship, it only showed age in the decor. Even with dated decor, everything was kept up nicely. There was always someone cleaning or polishing the different areas of the ship. They were always inconspicuous and always had a smile when we would walk by.
The Food
Just like before, the food was amazing. The don't do this anymore, but there was a midnight buffet one night. It was magnificently decorated... with food! Everything on the table was edible, but looked like decoration. It was such an elaborate set up that they opened the doors 45 minutes early just for people to walk through and take pictures.
Our Cabin
We chose an ocean view for this cruise. We were in M70, which is on the Main Deck, mid ship, but more toward the front. It was a nice cabin. Pretty much just like our first cabin only with a window. Once you've gone ocean view, there's no going back. We loved waking up and immediately seeing the ocean. We never closed our curtains. That being said, an ocean view room is not a deal breaker for me. If there ever came a time when I wanted to cruise but was trying to do so as cheap as possible, I'd rather cruise without a window than not cruise at all. :)
Service
I don't foresee ever having something negative to say in this area. With many more cruises to go (I hope!) that could change. For now though, our service was impeccable! From the deck hands, to the wait staff, to even the higher ups, we were greeted happily in one way or another. They were always ready to give or do whatever we needed.
The whole cruise was extremely enjoyable. Even with the delay they tried to make things fun. The delay was completely out of Carnival's hand and we certainly do not blame them. We found it a little ironic that our first two cruises were both delayed though. And yet... it never swayed our opinion. We were hooked and very much looking forward to when we would be back on the ocean!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
The Cruise That Started It All
Our first cruise was a surprise for me from Scott. He had booked it before telling me we were going. It was a wonderful, but shocking, surprise. I had had it in my head that cruises were only for people who had lots of money, which we did not. A friend of ours had been on a couple and told us they were actually pretty affordable and I guess that's when Scott started looking into it.
We were sailing out of New Orleans, which is about an 8 hour drive from home.
Cruise details~
Ship: Carnival Holiday (retired in 2009)
Date: Sailed 9/11/2004
Length: 5 Days
Destination: Scheduled- Western Caribbean, Playa Del Carmen Mexico/Cozumel Mexico. Actually visited- Progresso Mexico/Veracruz Mexico
We arrived in New Orleans the day before we sailed. I've heard awesome things about New Orleans and we wanted to do a little sight seeing before the cruise. I would highly recommend arriving the day before setting sail. It's a big stress relief knowing you are already in the area and there isn't anything, like traffic or delayed flights, stopping you from getting on that ship. This is the only time we have sailed from New Orleans, but I am itching to do it again! If you can sail from this port and have time to see the area, it's a must.
Embarkation~
Driving up to the Port of New Orleans made our cruise dreams a reality. We could not believe how big the ship was. As it turns out, the Holiday is the smallest ship we have been on. It's hard to believe! After dropping our bags with the porters at the terminal (It's recommended you tip the porters $1 per bag. They don't work for the cruise lines.), we parked at the pier parking lot. If I remember correctly, it was $10/day. We had a short walk to get back to the cruise terminal and before we knew it we were lined up to check in. I don't remember the process for this first time checking in. I do know it was different because back then we had paper tickets, but we also had nothing to compare it to. So for us, it was great. :) We had been told we couldn't board until at least 1:00, but we were checked in, received our Sail n Sign cards (more on that later), on the ship and in line for lunch by 11:45! Yes, lunch was ready and waiting. And this is where we began to feel spoiled. A feeling that never went away the whole week.
If you're reading this and are new to cruising then you need to know about the Sail n Sign card. This credit card sized card is how you will pay for anything while on board. The ships work on a cashless system. You can put cash towards your account at guest services, or you can just give your credit card number when checking in. Either way, you'll get a bill towards the end of the cruise that will have a breakdown of everything you have purchased and how much you owe or how much will be charged to your credit card. The Sail n Sign card is also the only way you can get on or off the ship. So don't lose it! :)
The Itinerary~
Our itinerary included two sea days that surrounded our two port days. We were scheduled to sail to Playa Del Carmen and then Cozumel the next day. However, Mother Nature had other plans. We learned too late, that we were sailing during peak hurricane season. (For the record, if the timing worked for us, we would sail during peak season again.) Scott and I are very much "Go with the flow" people. That served us well on this cruise. All the changes could have easily turned us away from cruising if we let them bother us. The afternoon of our first sea day we found out that due to Hurricane Ivan our itinerary would be changing. Rather than Playa Del Carmen, our first stop was at a little fishing village called Progreso.
For more details on Progreso, check out my review HERE.
That night when we were back on board we found out we wouldn't be able to go to our scheduled stop in Cozumel either. Instead, we were going to a town called Veracruz. We didn't do too much while docked here. More walking and exploring of the town. The locals were fun to interact with. We walked along the beach and bought a couple souvenirs before getting back on the ship. To my knowledge, Carnival has not been back to Veracruz as a main stop.
It should be noted that as far as I know Carnival did line up some excursions when the itinerary changed. We did not have anything lined up originally so we didn't worry about seeing what we could possibly do at the new stops. Throughout the entire ordeal we felt like Carnival handled everything very well. I know there were some who were not happy. Especially when we found out we would be delayed getting back to New Orleans as well.
On Wednesday we were supposed to have our last day at sea, but the Mississippi River had been closed, New Orleans had been evacuated, and we were in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico avoiding Hurricane Ivan while still dealing with the effects of the storm. The ship was rocking so much, it was impossible to walk in a straight line. Most of the time we would wobble our way from one sturdy fixture to the next. We never felt like we were unsafe though. Slightly sea sick, yes, but not unsafe. We were able to get some dramamine from the infirmary and take a nice long nap. :) For us, if we were out on the open deck the motion didn't seem to make us feel as bad.
We ended up with an extra day on the ship due to the hurricane. Since the port in New Orleans had been closed the captain decided to try and help passengers out by stopping in Galveston, Texas. If passengers wanted to make their own arrangements to get home from Galveston than they could. At this point, we weren't sure when we would be getting back to New Orleans, and if we did, we weren't sure if our car would even still be there. Reports out of the area were saying the storm could be very destructive. Any passenger who chose to get off the ship in Galveston was on their own, and if we stayed onboard we took a chance that we would still have to figure out transportation to get back home.
Remember our whole "Go with the flow" mentality? Well, we chose to stay. Another day on board? Another day at sea? Another day of amazing food? Yes, please! All we had to pay was one more day of gratuities. Everything else was covered. We knew our son was safe and that my mom was able to still stay with him. I'm having a hard time remembering, but I'm almost positive Carnival also opened phone lines and the internet so that passengers could call home or make arrangements. I know that we didn't pay anything when we contacted my mom. We felt like that was just one more thing that Carnival did to go above and beyond when the situation was out of their control.
After spending a couple hours in Galveston we started our slow return to New Orleans. We pulled in around 4pm on Friday and a couple hours later we were able to get off the ship. Our car, and the rest of New Orleans, suffered no damage, but it was a ghost town. It was a surreal experience compared to what we had seen the day before our cruise sailed away 7 days earlier.
Debarkation~
We chose Self Assist, rather than Relaxed debarkation. With Relaxed, you pack your bags and set them in the hallway the night before arriving back at the home port. (I'm not sure how this worked with our delayed, afternoon, arrival back to New Orleans) By choosing Self Assist we keep all our bags and carry them off ourselves. Self Assist passengers will be let off the ship before the Relaxed passengers. This process was not bad, but we had luggage without wheels. Note to self: Choosing Self Assist is a much better option if you have wheeled luggage!
This and That :) ~
The Ship
I'd love to give a review about the Holiday, but it was so long ago I really don't remember the details about the ship itself. I don't think it would matter much anyway since the ship was retired in 2009. Here's a neat fact though: A year after our cruise, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Carnival took the Holiday out of service for a year to help with Katrina relief. It went back in to service a year later and sailed with Carnival for three more years.
The Food
We had dinner in the main dining room every night. This was by far the best food we have ever had. I can cook, but I wouldn't boast about it. And I certainly can not cook 5 star type meals. We were in heaven! Breakfast and lunch at the buffet on the Lido deck were delicious as well. It was too easy to over eat on this vacation. Also a surprise to us first time cruisers- pizza, ice cream, and room service (!!) 24 hours a day. What's not to love about that!?
Our Cabin
We were in cabin U190, which was an interior cabin on the Upper deck towards the back of the ship. I had no expectations and we were pleased with what we saw. Being in an interior room is interesting. Without a window, there's no way to know what time of day it is. If you like to sleep in a room so dark you can not see your hand right in front of your face, an interior cabin could be for you. The biggest downfall for this particular room, or maybe general location, is that every time we were coming in to port there was an awful, loud noise (possibly the anchor being dropped) that started very early in the morning. It did not affect the enjoyment of our cruise though. :)
Service
I could go on and on about the service. We were never once disappointed. As I said before, we felt spoiled. There wasn't a single person on that ship that wasn't working hard to make sure every passenger felt the same way.
Our first cruise was such a wonderful experience. Everyone we talked to told us once we'd cruised, we would never want to vacation any other way. They were right!
We were sailing out of New Orleans, which is about an 8 hour drive from home.
Cruise details~
Ship: Carnival Holiday (retired in 2009)
Date: Sailed 9/11/2004
Length: 5 Days
Destination: Scheduled- Western Caribbean, Playa Del Carmen Mexico/Cozumel Mexico. Actually visited- Progresso Mexico/Veracruz Mexico
We arrived in New Orleans the day before we sailed. I've heard awesome things about New Orleans and we wanted to do a little sight seeing before the cruise. I would highly recommend arriving the day before setting sail. It's a big stress relief knowing you are already in the area and there isn't anything, like traffic or delayed flights, stopping you from getting on that ship. This is the only time we have sailed from New Orleans, but I am itching to do it again! If you can sail from this port and have time to see the area, it's a must.
Embarkation~
Driving up to the Port of New Orleans made our cruise dreams a reality. We could not believe how big the ship was. As it turns out, the Holiday is the smallest ship we have been on. It's hard to believe! After dropping our bags with the porters at the terminal (It's recommended you tip the porters $1 per bag. They don't work for the cruise lines.), we parked at the pier parking lot. If I remember correctly, it was $10/day. We had a short walk to get back to the cruise terminal and before we knew it we were lined up to check in. I don't remember the process for this first time checking in. I do know it was different because back then we had paper tickets, but we also had nothing to compare it to. So for us, it was great. :) We had been told we couldn't board until at least 1:00, but we were checked in, received our Sail n Sign cards (more on that later), on the ship and in line for lunch by 11:45! Yes, lunch was ready and waiting. And this is where we began to feel spoiled. A feeling that never went away the whole week.
If you're reading this and are new to cruising then you need to know about the Sail n Sign card. This credit card sized card is how you will pay for anything while on board. The ships work on a cashless system. You can put cash towards your account at guest services, or you can just give your credit card number when checking in. Either way, you'll get a bill towards the end of the cruise that will have a breakdown of everything you have purchased and how much you owe or how much will be charged to your credit card. The Sail n Sign card is also the only way you can get on or off the ship. So don't lose it! :)
The Itinerary~
Our itinerary included two sea days that surrounded our two port days. We were scheduled to sail to Playa Del Carmen and then Cozumel the next day. However, Mother Nature had other plans. We learned too late, that we were sailing during peak hurricane season. (For the record, if the timing worked for us, we would sail during peak season again.) Scott and I are very much "Go with the flow" people. That served us well on this cruise. All the changes could have easily turned us away from cruising if we let them bother us. The afternoon of our first sea day we found out that due to Hurricane Ivan our itinerary would be changing. Rather than Playa Del Carmen, our first stop was at a little fishing village called Progreso.
For more details on Progreso, check out my review HERE.
That night when we were back on board we found out we wouldn't be able to go to our scheduled stop in Cozumel either. Instead, we were going to a town called Veracruz. We didn't do too much while docked here. More walking and exploring of the town. The locals were fun to interact with. We walked along the beach and bought a couple souvenirs before getting back on the ship. To my knowledge, Carnival has not been back to Veracruz as a main stop.
It should be noted that as far as I know Carnival did line up some excursions when the itinerary changed. We did not have anything lined up originally so we didn't worry about seeing what we could possibly do at the new stops. Throughout the entire ordeal we felt like Carnival handled everything very well. I know there were some who were not happy. Especially when we found out we would be delayed getting back to New Orleans as well.
On Wednesday we were supposed to have our last day at sea, but the Mississippi River had been closed, New Orleans had been evacuated, and we were in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico avoiding Hurricane Ivan while still dealing with the effects of the storm. The ship was rocking so much, it was impossible to walk in a straight line. Most of the time we would wobble our way from one sturdy fixture to the next. We never felt like we were unsafe though. Slightly sea sick, yes, but not unsafe. We were able to get some dramamine from the infirmary and take a nice long nap. :) For us, if we were out on the open deck the motion didn't seem to make us feel as bad.
We ended up with an extra day on the ship due to the hurricane. Since the port in New Orleans had been closed the captain decided to try and help passengers out by stopping in Galveston, Texas. If passengers wanted to make their own arrangements to get home from Galveston than they could. At this point, we weren't sure when we would be getting back to New Orleans, and if we did, we weren't sure if our car would even still be there. Reports out of the area were saying the storm could be very destructive. Any passenger who chose to get off the ship in Galveston was on their own, and if we stayed onboard we took a chance that we would still have to figure out transportation to get back home.
Remember our whole "Go with the flow" mentality? Well, we chose to stay. Another day on board? Another day at sea? Another day of amazing food? Yes, please! All we had to pay was one more day of gratuities. Everything else was covered. We knew our son was safe and that my mom was able to still stay with him. I'm having a hard time remembering, but I'm almost positive Carnival also opened phone lines and the internet so that passengers could call home or make arrangements. I know that we didn't pay anything when we contacted my mom. We felt like that was just one more thing that Carnival did to go above and beyond when the situation was out of their control.
After spending a couple hours in Galveston we started our slow return to New Orleans. We pulled in around 4pm on Friday and a couple hours later we were able to get off the ship. Our car, and the rest of New Orleans, suffered no damage, but it was a ghost town. It was a surreal experience compared to what we had seen the day before our cruise sailed away 7 days earlier.
Debarkation~
We chose Self Assist, rather than Relaxed debarkation. With Relaxed, you pack your bags and set them in the hallway the night before arriving back at the home port. (I'm not sure how this worked with our delayed, afternoon, arrival back to New Orleans) By choosing Self Assist we keep all our bags and carry them off ourselves. Self Assist passengers will be let off the ship before the Relaxed passengers. This process was not bad, but we had luggage without wheels. Note to self: Choosing Self Assist is a much better option if you have wheeled luggage!
This and That :) ~
The Ship
I'd love to give a review about the Holiday, but it was so long ago I really don't remember the details about the ship itself. I don't think it would matter much anyway since the ship was retired in 2009. Here's a neat fact though: A year after our cruise, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Carnival took the Holiday out of service for a year to help with Katrina relief. It went back in to service a year later and sailed with Carnival for three more years.
The Food
We had dinner in the main dining room every night. This was by far the best food we have ever had. I can cook, but I wouldn't boast about it. And I certainly can not cook 5 star type meals. We were in heaven! Breakfast and lunch at the buffet on the Lido deck were delicious as well. It was too easy to over eat on this vacation. Also a surprise to us first time cruisers- pizza, ice cream, and room service (!!) 24 hours a day. What's not to love about that!?
Our Cabin
We were in cabin U190, which was an interior cabin on the Upper deck towards the back of the ship. I had no expectations and we were pleased with what we saw. Being in an interior room is interesting. Without a window, there's no way to know what time of day it is. If you like to sleep in a room so dark you can not see your hand right in front of your face, an interior cabin could be for you. The biggest downfall for this particular room, or maybe general location, is that every time we were coming in to port there was an awful, loud noise (possibly the anchor being dropped) that started very early in the morning. It did not affect the enjoyment of our cruise though. :)
Service
I could go on and on about the service. We were never once disappointed. As I said before, we felt spoiled. There wasn't a single person on that ship that wasn't working hard to make sure every passenger felt the same way.
Our first cruise was such a wonderful experience. Everyone we talked to told us once we'd cruised, we would never want to vacation any other way. They were right!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Where to Begin?
Where to begin indeed. For close to a year now my husband, Scott, has been encouraging me to start a cruise blog. I've hesitated because I'm just not sure I have that much to say. Well, I have a lot to say. Whether or not anyone cares is another story. :)
Over time, my hope for this blog is for my cruise reviews to be fun and informational. If there seems to be interest, I'd love to get to a point where I could help people research and plan their cruises. I absolutely love cruising, and that includes when other people get to go. It's a lot of fun for me when friends ask me questions that will help them plan their trip. If I can't go on a cruise, helping someone else plan theirs is the next best thing!
A little background... Scott and I have been on a small handful of cruises compared to most of the other cruise bloggers I've seen. Our first cruise was in 2004 and we have been hooked ever since. We've been on 7 cruises, all with Carnival Cruise Line. We have been very happy with all our cruises, and since they have always had the best value we have not felt the need to try a different line. However, we're not opposed to it, and do hope to have some comparisons sometime in the future. Our cruises have been 4-7 days in length, and we have been to the Western Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean, and the Bahamas. We like warm weather. ;)
To say we have been very happy with all our cruises is true, but that does not mean there has not ever been any issues. Even though it's been almost 11 years since our first cruise I plan to do a post for each of the cruises we have done so far, even if there isn't much to remember. Maybe whatever I can put together will be helpful to someone. IF that's what ends up happening with this blog. If nothing else, it will be fun to relive my favorite vacations!
I guess all that's left to do is... start reliving!
Stay tuned...
Over time, my hope for this blog is for my cruise reviews to be fun and informational. If there seems to be interest, I'd love to get to a point where I could help people research and plan their cruises. I absolutely love cruising, and that includes when other people get to go. It's a lot of fun for me when friends ask me questions that will help them plan their trip. If I can't go on a cruise, helping someone else plan theirs is the next best thing!
A little background... Scott and I have been on a small handful of cruises compared to most of the other cruise bloggers I've seen. Our first cruise was in 2004 and we have been hooked ever since. We've been on 7 cruises, all with Carnival Cruise Line. We have been very happy with all our cruises, and since they have always had the best value we have not felt the need to try a different line. However, we're not opposed to it, and do hope to have some comparisons sometime in the future. Our cruises have been 4-7 days in length, and we have been to the Western Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean, and the Bahamas. We like warm weather. ;)
To say we have been very happy with all our cruises is true, but that does not mean there has not ever been any issues. Even though it's been almost 11 years since our first cruise I plan to do a post for each of the cruises we have done so far, even if there isn't much to remember. Maybe whatever I can put together will be helpful to someone. IF that's what ends up happening with this blog. If nothing else, it will be fun to relive my favorite vacations!
I guess all that's left to do is... start reliving!
Stay tuned...
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