Going on a cruise had long been a dream of mine and I finally got the chance to make that dream a reality courtesy of a gift from my father in May of 2008. As a reward for graduating from high school in 2007, my family and I sailed aboard the Carnival Ecstasy for five days in the Caribbean.
We departed Corpus Christi, TX aboard a tour bus that shuttled our group to Galveston, TX, our ship’s “Port of Call.” Once in Galveston, we boarded the boat and wandered around, fascinated at just how massive it really was. There were auditoriums, stores, restaurants, a casino, and even a mini-golf course on the upper-most deck. As soon as we departed, everyone was required to attend a short drill detailing the routes of evacuation in the event of an emergency and shortly afterwards we were free to do as we pleased.
The first day and a half aboard the ship were out at sea as we churned along towards our first stop. In this time we booked our shore excursions (adventures that we would be partaking in once on land) and attempted to attend every event going on around the ship. We played round after round of mini-golf, ate in all the various restaurants, and even tried our hands in the casino. I learned that almost all the food and drinks were free and you only had to be 18 to gamble while out in international waters.
My favorite part of the ship was most definitely the twenty-four hour pizzeria. As one of the biggest pizza fans on earth, I recall going to the pizza bar at least once during nearly every hour of the day. Whether it was two in the afternoon or two in the morning, I was almost always running on a full tank of pizza.
My first foray into the world of gambling however was a bit less satisfying as I learned the painful lesson of what a table minimum was. I didn’t want to squeeze in at the already overcrowded blackjack tables so I found a quiet spot in the casino where the tables were empty. I figured I would park myself there and play for a bit so I threw a twenty on the table and the dealer dealt me my hand. A few moments later I had lost and the dealer looked at me anticipating my next move. The awkward silence ended when he finally asked if I’d like to play another hand. I entertained his offer but soon realized my gaff when asked for another twenty dollars. Apparently no one was playing at these tables because they had such high minimum bets and being a first time gambler, I was none the wiser. I casually made my way out of there and parked myself on some penny slots before I decided that I was just simply not a gambling man.
The ship was always alive and there was always something to do. Movies on the TV in the room, talent shows in the auditorium, live music and more. Sometimes there were so many things going on that we had to miss out on one event just to attend another. There was something for everyone and of course the anticipation of arriving at our destinations only added to the thrill.
Our first stop was on the island of Cozumel. Once we landed and exited the ship, we made our way to our shore excursion of choice: The Atlantis Submarine! The submarine had around thirty to forty people in it and we descended to over 120′ below sea level as we cruised along the reefs on the ocean floor. We saw fish of remarkable color and even a few divers who waved at us in passing. After about an hour underwater we returned to the surface and boated back to land. On the island we found a nice restaurant for lunch and then walked the main drag in town, shopping at all the various shops in the area. Once finished, we returned to the ship with our newly purchased treasures and by sunset we had set sail towards our next destination.
The next day we arrived at our second stop, Progreso. In Progreso we got to visit the Dzibilchaltun Ruins and see several historic Mayan structures. After our brief visit to the historical side of town, we spent the rest of the day lounging on the sandy beaches and swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Progreso was a bit run down to say the least, but the locals seemed pleasant enough and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit there.
After we left Progreso, it was a straight shot back to where we came from. We spent another day at sea, soaking up what was left of our vacation and once we arrived in Galveston we made our way back to our shuttle to take us home. I greatly enjoyed my time aboard the ship and anxiously await the opportunity to set sail again someday.