We sailed at 2 pm and we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the rear pool deck. From our previous cruise I remembered that our favorite place to sit by the pool was on the upper level of the midship pool deck. There were always lovely breezes to keep you cool there. On the Ecstasy (and all Fantasy class ships) the lifeboats line this upper level blocking both air and any view. We sat in the rear pool deck because of this but it is a huge space packed with people and no shade anywhere. Although the ship seemed to have adequate deck space I missed a cascading aft and quiet areas with shade. The few deck areas with shade didn't have chairs so you were forced to sit in the hot sun.
The Captain's cocktail party was this night and we were really surprised that they had trays of free cocktails and appetizers for all. They didn't stop you at just one drink either and we felt it was very generous since we were expecting only champagne. Dinner that night (formal night) was excellent (lobster and prime rib) they had moved us to a wonderful table for eight by the window at late seating so we were pleased. They were extremely generous with the food too. I had prime rib and our waiter came by and offered me a lobster tail too! If you didn't like something they immediately brought you something else. It was surprising how many people didn't eat in the formal dining room though. I can't imagine that they preferred the less interesting fare in the smelly Panorama grill, but who knows. Since it was a Carnival cruise I wasn't expecting to see many men in tuxedos and we didn't. Everyone looked really nice though. We saw the big production show after dinner and it was fantastic. The dancing and singing were very professional and we all enjoyed it immensely.
We hit some very heavy seas in the morning on the way to Cozumel (10 to 12-foot swells) and the Ecstasy was really rocking and rolling. It only bothered two in our party and I actually thought it was fun. As we arrived in Cozumel I was excited to see several other ships docked there. At the main dock downtown was the Norwegian Sea and at the international dock there was the Leeward (our previous ship), the Sensation and an older ship, the Italia Prima of Andrea Doria fame. We docked right next to the Sensation and it was incredible to see these two giants side by side. Chuck had gone on the Tulum tour, Terri, William, Becky and Paul had gone snorkeling and the rest of us just did some shopping. The snorkeling and Mayan ruins were both big hits. We had another good meal that night too. Some gambling, dancing, shows and off to bed.
Our last day was at sea and I mostly rested – or at least tried to. Up to this point I had not thought that there were excessive announcements on the ship but they more than made up for that the last day at sea. It was incessant and annoying with the emphasis on getting you to buy, buy, buy. I was able to resist. This last night was the usual with the tips being handed out. In the brochure it mentions tips for only the room steward, the waiter, and the busboy. In reality, you are expected to tip the headwaiter and the maitre de also. No big deal but I think it should be mentioned in advance. We saw the passenger talent show that night (not too much talent there, but very fun) and gambled a little more. Juanita, who is most familiar with gambling, thought the slots were extremely tight. Becky did win a $100 at blackjack though and she was thrilled. We got to bed fairly early and when I awoke it was to the beautiful lights of South Beach in Miami twinkling in the distance. I got up and watched from over the bridge as the huge ship made her way up Government Cut. The debarkation was painless since we got off first and we were at the airport by 9:45 am! We were able to get on an earlier American flight than we were booked on and we were home in Washington, DC by 1:15.
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