Carnival Ecstasy Cruise - September 3, 2022 - Embarkation Day

We booked this cruise fairly last minute (about 5 weeks before sail date).  I wasn't excited to get back on Carnival again as it really just doesn't fit what we enjoy very well but this cruise had three really great things that would make it worth it.  

1. It left from Mobile, less than a four hour drive from our home which makes it incredibly convenient.
2. It included a stop in Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico which was a closer port to get us to Chichén Itzá Mayan Ruins.  We had already planned to visit Chichén Itzá on a cruise later this year but that excursion was very expensive and left from Cozumel so included a lot of travel time (including a ferry ride) and very little time at the site.  In Progreso, we eliminated the ferry ride (saving us almost 2 hours of travel time) and would get about twice the time at the site.  Plus Carnival's excursion was almost half the price.
3. We couldn't beat the price.  The 5 night cruise cost about $520 including port taxes and fees and included $500 of on board credit which covered the cost of our shore excursion, wifi package, gratuities, and some drinks.

Another kind of unique thing about this cruise is that we would be sailing on the Carnival Ecstasy during her last season in service.  After her October 10 cruise, she will be sold.

Embarkation day started by waking up in our own home at 5:00 a.m.  We were on the road before 6:00 a.m. and dropping off our bag with the cruise porters by 10:20 a.m.  Paul was able to get a great end spot which we believe was the same spot we parked in when we cruised on the Fantasy in 2019.  

Embarkation lines looked really long but went quite quickly.  We used the Verifly app but didn't see how it saved any time so wouldn't bother with it next time.  We were boarding the ship by 11:15 a.m.

Walking into the atrium on deck 7 brought back memories of our time on the Ecstasy's sister ship, the Carnival Fantasy which we sailed in 2019.  

Our first stop after boarding was our muster station.  I love how things have changed since the re-start.  We scanned our boarding pass at the Blue Sapphire Main Lounge (theater) and were directed to watch the short speech and demonstration of how to put on a life jacket.  Within a few minutes, we were off to  find lunch and explore.

At our Muster Station presentation

Lunch on the Lido Deck
A burger from Guy's Burger Joint and Tacos from Blue Iguana Cantina
(both were as good as we remember)

And of course soft serve for Paul!

Checking out the view from the Lido Deck

The famous funnel

We were able to get into our cabins about 1:30 p.m. and this might have been a highlight for me.  We had splurged a whole extra $10 (from the cost of an interior cabin) for a double porthole cabin.  What I didn't expect was all the tugboats and boat traffic that would be almost eye level with our portholes, especially while in the Mobile port.

Here is a tour of our cabin.  We were in cabin M24 on the Main deck which is deck 5.  It really was a great location and generally in pretty good shape.  The bathroom floor (which was bright blue) was a bit unique as it was quite lumpy.

Check out how wide these halls are!

Our suitcase arrived a little after 3:00 p.m. and sail away was set for 4:00 p.m. and we ended up leaving about 10 minutes early.  I started unpacking but then hurried up to stake out a spot to watch sail away up on deck in the front while Paul finished unpacking.  The Carnival Ecstasy has two great spots to watch from the front.  One is directly above the bridge and is a fairly large area.  The other is a narrow strip up on deck 14 in front of the mini golf course.  The deck 14 was already wall to wall people but almost no one had found the large area over the bridge and so that is where I set up for a time lapse video.  

We then found a table on the lido deck towards the back where we could watch the scenery go by as we cruised out of the bay and enjoyed some dinner from the Deli and Pizza Pirate.  Sea gulls and Brown Pelicans followed us for quite some time.

I checked out the Alchemy Bar and was quite disappointed in the slow, unfriendly service and the misleading sign about a discount (when there was no discount).  This has always been my favorite bar on Carnival ships so I was a bit disappointed.

We also did a little shopping for a ship model and checked out Cherry on Top (the candy store).  Unfortunately, they have stopped selling the gummy funnels.  We then caught one of the comedians, Dino Vigo in the Starlight Lounge for his first show.  He really wasn't all that great.  We missed the days when George Lopez was associated with the Punchliner Comedy on Carnival ships.  The comedians were so much better then.  Well that about wraps up our embarkation day.  The next day would be our first at sea day.