When it comes to vacations, it’s well known that cruising offers one of the best values you can find. You get a room, meals, entertainment and transportation to exotic cruise ports… all for less than a fraction of what you would spend on a normal vacation.
That’s not to say that every cruise is cheap, but if you want a good time for not much money, then it’s hard to beat.
But then there are deals that are so laughably absurd that they seem too good to be true. I mean a cruise for not only less than a traditional vacation, but less than the cost of a plane ticket. A cruise where it actually costs less to reach port than to sail away.
This is what I found recently from Carnival.
Carnival is known for being a budget cruise line. It’s not uncommon to find cruise fares starting at several hundred dollars. But a few months ago I saw a deal, I’ve never even seen it for such a low price.
It was a carnival ride for a five-day cruise, with fares starting at just $70 per person. That comes out to just $14 a day.
Sailing from mobile on a 31-year-old ship
Needless to say, with the cruise fee so low, I jumped at the deal.
Now, you probably know that the main price of a cruise is only a fraction of what you will pay in total. First, the cruise ticket is priced per person. So immediately, the fare doubled to $140 – despite the fact that I made this trip alone. And then you have to add port fees and taxes – another $92.
Even so, all together to sail for five days, I paid $232, or only $46 a day.
As you might expect, this free ride isn’t aboard Carnival’s biggest and newest ship. In fact, it is sailing on board Carnival Ecstasy from Mobile, Alabama.
Ecstasy first started sailing in 1991, or more than 30 years ago. His first cruise was when George Bush was President… not him… his father. It first floated more than three years before Friends premiered. And Beanie Babies – the quintessential ’90s fashion – had even been invented yet.
In fact, Carnival has already announced that the ship will be retired in October. So the ship I’m sailing now won’t even be in the fleet in a few weeks.
This cruise departs from Mobile, followed by a day at sea before visiting Cozumel, then Progreso. The voyage has one more day at sea before returning to Alabama.
Arrival at the Terminal
I’ll admit, paying so little for a cruise on a ship that’s more than three decades old … there was a shudder. So how is it so far? Let’s just say, it’s not what I expected.
First, to get to Mobile, I took a quick flight to Alabama, arriving just before noon. Upon arrival, it’s clear that things move a little slower here. The airport seemed to double in size when our small passenger plane arrived.
I booked the shuttle through Carnival and finding my ride wasn’t difficult – there was literally a person at arrivals and she was holding a little sign for Carnival passengers. It’s a long way to fly to Miami!
From there, I headed to the ship and was the only person waiting. I chatted with the driver, who was a very friendly Mobile native who shared stories about his travels (including Tina Turner, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Sly and the Family Stone in concert in 1971) while we waited for other passengers .
And waited… and waited. Anyway, I ended up waiting an hour for the next plane to arrive. At least I had good company with the driver to pass the time. Finally, two more passengers were loaded onto the small boat and then the three of us and the driver headed for the port.
I have to say that check-in at a cruise terminal is usually nothing to write home about. Sure, some terminals like the new buildings in Miami are beautiful, but normally check your documents, take a picture, board the ship.
It was mostly the same in Mobile, except I was blown away by how friendly all the staff seemed to be. Every person seemed approachable, patient and friendly as hundreds of people made their way to board. It’s something that definitely stuck with me.
After checking in, it was time to see exactly what I got myself into as I boarded the Ecstasy.
First impressions of the oldest carnival ship
Now, I’ve been on a lot of cruise ships across all kinds of cruise lines. I will say that immediately upon boarding, I realized that I have never been on a ship like this.
My expectation? With such an old ship and the fact that it was about to leave the fleet, I thought it would be deserted and dilapidated. It’s not like that.
Don’t get me wrong, it shows a lot of age. Wood decks need a lot of work. There is wear in the cabin. But I’m actually surprised it can look like this after three decades at sea. (I will say that some other passengers I spoke to were not as impressed.) I think it helps that the ship looks like it recently got a new coat of paint.
However, what has really caught my attention so far is that the ship feels like a time capsule, and I’m all for it.
Normally, when a ship is refurbished, it means tearing out a lot of places and starting over. Here, it seems as if it meant renewing what existed. The ship has a definite 1990s style.
There are lots of bright colors and lots of mirrored surfaces. And while things like cabin aisles are wider, overall things feel more cramped than on a newer ship.
Having the boat in such an old 90s style – but still looking worn – makes it unique. Instead of having a bunch of muted fashion browns and grays that you see in contemporary style on ships, Ecstasy stands out. It is a step back in time in many ways. Do I want every ship to look like this? No way, but it’s fun to experience before it’s gone.
But another thing I’m noticing is that as you’d expect, there aren’t as many amenities and activities as with a modern ship. For example, there’s a specialty restaurant on the ship – and it’s sushi served quickly (don’t worry, there’s a Guy’s Burger Joint!). Pool deck activities include a lap pool, a small children’s water park and a mini-golf course. This is.
So while there are things to do, it’s nowhere near what you’d expect from a newer ship.
Spending my first day on board (including an overnight surprise)
Today I just got to know the ship by exploring. A quick lunch of tacos at BlueIguana after boarding kept me going for the cruise party, which was as lively as you’d expect on any carnival cruise. With a little less space, the pool deck looked overcrowded.
If there’s one place that has caught my eye so far in Ecstasy, it’s the Neon Piano Bar. I have never seen this on any other Carnival ship I have sailed. It’s a piano bar (which is ordinary) but decorated with massive neon signs that take up the walls of the entire place. It looks like a fantastic place to have a good time.
Dinner was in the main dining room where I had a good chicken parmesan dish (not the best, not the worst) followed by a fantastic tiramisu.
Then the evening turned into something special, unexpectedly.
First, after dinner, I just boarded the ship on that first day at sea when everything was humming. I walked through the packed casino. I had a mojito in the Chinatown Lounge (a 1940s Chinatown-themed hangout, complete with paper lanterns and a dragon along the ceiling) while watching karaoke. I sat down at a bingo.
But to end the evening, I simply took a stroll around the ship’s pool deck, drink in hand. I always like going here at night because it’s so different than during the day. At night, it is mostly empty, quiet and peaceful.
Anyone who has been on a cruise knows that despite being at sea, light pollution from the ship makes it difficult to see many stars. But in Ecstasy, there is a place that is forward in the ship that has almost no light at all. The only lighting comes from the mini golf course which is also behind a wall.
Result? A place where the ship goes dark… and the sky lights up.
While by the pool, I could only see some of the brightest stars. Here, I could see the glow of the Milky Way across the night sky, thousands of stars, and even spotted a satellite pass overhead.
This look alone definitely gave me my $14 worth today.
Interesting observations
- On our way out of Mobile, we passed what looked like a military shipyard. The US Navy Hospital Ship Comfort – which sailed to New York during the start of the Covid pandemic to provide aid – was docked there. Very cool to see.
- One interesting thing about Ecstasy is that deck levels aren’t referred to by numbers all the time. Instead, they have names like Riviera Deck, Atlantic Deck, Empress Deck, etc. Even the floors listed above the elevator show “3 RMUEAP” instead of “3 4 5 6 7 8 9”. It honestly makes no sense not to use numbers!
Tomorrow the ship is at sea.
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