Randy Lilleston

Age: 36 to 45
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Ship: Ecstasy
December 18, 1998
Itinerary: Miami to Nassau

This was my first-ever cruise and I went with about 15 folks, most of whom were related to each other (although I was one of the "friends," not one of the relatives). I have traveled extensively by air but have never gone cruising. Here's how it broke down for me.

ATMOSPHERE: Hey, Carnival advertises itself as the "fun ship" line, and this cruise was only for three days, so it's not exactly the one you'd pick for relaxing. You get on this cruise, you should probably expect to party. A lot. That's what we did.

Think Carnival doesn't know that? Watch the aggressive hawking of powerful rum drinks at the welcome aboard party around the pool and see how you feel. A couple of those babies and I felt just fine, thank you.

That's kind of the theme of this particular cruise, as far as I'm concerned. It's an excuse to hit the sea and Nassau for three days and be self-indulgent. This cruise works just fine for that.

ROOM: I was pleased with my cabin (in the lower "Riviera" berth) except for one thing: The two single beds. My wife and I felt like Ricky and Lucy Ricardo as a result, as we weren't allowed to actually have a bed together. The beds were pushed together at our request, though, but they still were "made up" separately. However, they were comfortable and the size of the cabin was a very pleasant surprise. I've definitely slept in smaller hotel rooms on land. Considering the reasonable price of this cruise (about $320 each, I think), this was an outstanding bargain.

FOOD: I really wasn't expecting much (there are numerous warnings on the Net about the food on this ship) and I basically felt it was the quality of food you get at banquets at a hotel. That's sort of to be expected, considering Carnival has to feed 2,000 guests three meals a day. I felt the food was adequate but not memorable. The pizza was, as everyone notes, pretty good. Think "banquet food" and order accordingly...stick with food that keeps well in a food warmer, such as fish (no steaks, for example) and you'll be all right. But if you want gourmet food, fork up the bucks for a higher-priced cruise.

I was one of the few wine drinkers in the group but never ordered a bottle or a glass with a meal; the prices were quite fair.

SERVICE: Very good, but I must admit to having a constant language barrier problem with servers, almost all of whom do not originate from English-speaking countries. On the other hand, they were very eager to serve, seemed to enjoy their jobs (it would get old for me, fast) and the multicultural atmosphere on the ship added to my enjoyment.

ENTERTAINMENT: I'm a part-time musician and was very bummed out the first night when the singer in the band in one nearly deserted lounge told the small crowd, "Welcome to K-Mart cruise lines." Cruise ships pay serious cash to musicians and that's a rare thing; if someone wants to piss and moan about working on a ship, there are 100 musicians dying to replace him.

That being said, the music definitely was aimed at as broad a class of people as possible and I suppose that's to be expected. There was the calypso band by the pool, the rock/country band (with the aforementioned smart-ass) in one club, a duet in another club, a piano bar, a guy with a guitar and a drum machine outside the casino (who let me sit in with him for a whole hour when I pulled out my blues harps), and probably others I never saw. There also was a hard-core disco....serious light show and pounding music.

I didn't see any shows so I can't comment on them.

RIDE: Smooth, baby, surprisingly smooth. Saw no one get seasick.

OVERALL: I enjoyed this trip...basically, it aimed to be cruising for the Masses and succeeded. Next time, I might dig up some more bucks and go for something more luxurious/less crowded, but for the money I spent, I felt the value was good and I certainly had fun.

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