CM1984

GOOD FOR YOU!

Hello All, We cruised on the Elation 4/23-4/28/2022. We had read so much on social media and CC, the positive and the negatives and I was a bit concerned. So you will see here that we enjoyed our experience very much. I am posting my review here as well as the Review section. Why here? In case anyone has a question about the cruise….. and here we go: PRIOR to CRUISE: We stayed the night before at the Crowne Plaza Airport, which provided parking for 7 days within the total cost. $5.00 for each day thereafter. They do NOT have shuttle service to the cruise port, only to the airport. We used Super Shuttle. The cruise port website has transportation information of taxis and shuttle services that they recommend, one phone number for each. I saw that after I had booked the shuttle, but it worked out great. EMBARKATION: Very easy - we booked a Jr Suite and with that, we could Check-in online 2 days prior to Balcony and below cabins. We selected the 10:00-10:30 arrival for check-in, and got to the terminal at 9:50. We were guided in, through the rope course in record time. We checked in easily, provided our passports and showed our VERIFLY app. She simply looked to see that the app showed green, info confirmed, and sent us on our way to wait to board. (They scanned our passports and their system uploaded our picture and that is used instead of taking a pic, but hubbys didn’t work, so got one taken on the ship.). Our Sail and Sign cards were not given to us then, they said the cards would be at our cabin door. (If you don’t have the VERIFLY, it surely is a good idea – it made our process so much easier and faster) We sat and waited for about 15 minutes, they announced that once we board, the cabins would be ready. This early is probably because the Elation had docked the day before, moving from Port Canaveral, so they had time to get our cabins ready. Note: Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level. SPECIAL NOTE: We found out the ship was at approximately 54% capacity, which meant no long lines, plenty of deck chairs, etc. THE CABIN: Verandah Deck 11, V9 - Jr Suite, Starboard side. This is about the same size as a balcony cabin on other ships. The balcony is wide enough for two chairs, but not deep, you have to walk sideways to get to sit! Deck below us was a walking deck, so we could not look down directly at the water. No biggie. The Bridge is one deck down and extends to the edge of ship. The cabin had all we needed, two nice size closets, one set of tall shelves, an extended dressing table & drawers with stool, sofa and chair, hairdryer (lower wattage and speed), frig, Flat screen TV, and bath with shower. The bed! We asked for ours to be king, which as most know, they push the twins together. BUT warning - they do not have a mat or eggshell mat to put on top, so the twins have a tendency to slide a bit apart, which means you might end up in the little gully in the center! As you will see, this review is mostly positive, however, my cruise friends, I do believe Carnival can afford to provide 2-ply toilet paper over 1-ply! Climate control was outstanding, easy to use thermostat and the unit worked great! Our cabin steward Marco was wonderful and a fun guy! Upon arrival, he asked if we would like cabin service in the morning or evening, we chose morning. And of course, the towel animals were there each day. LAUNDRY SERVICE: I read on Carnival’s website that they have laundry service and a laundromat. Laundry service is a cost per item, ironing at a cost as well. They also have a wash and fold service of $15.00 a bag, I had read from different posts that the bags are small and can only fit a small amount in there. NOT SO! The paper bag size is 14 X 3 X 21 and held the following rolled clothes: 2 pair of slacks, 4 T-shirts, 2 pair shorts, 5 pair underwear, 2 pair of socks. We used the service twice and results were great. You can save the money by packing more OR you can spend the money and pack less! (Also, the wash and fold option was not on the form in the cabin, I went to Guest Services and asked. It took a bit for the employee to get a yes for me but he did) FOOD: We have been on a few cruises and are at the point in our lives not to anticipate the very best of the best or worst, but just go with the flow. Cruise lines we have been on always use huge plates, bowls and sometimes the app, entree or dessert will fit on a saucer or dessert plate, but presentation is 50%, yes? Carnival allows you to order as many of anything you want that is part of the standard offering. (Priced entrees, I.e. filet mignon or lobster do have a $20.00 surcharge). We enjoyed the MDR very much, again, it’s all in what you anticipate. Service was outstanding! We had one formal evening (or whatever they call it) on the first Sea Day. It was a bit upscale, but did not offer lobster, that did surprise us. BUFFET: Ate lunch once and breakfast once. Breakfast even had eggs Benedict. - wonderful and Omelets cooked to order, delish. GUY’S BURGERS: Outstanding! Gotta try, you will get hooked and the line moves right along, I never knew 80/20 burgers could be so tasty! PIZZA: Just did not get around to it, but wish we had. ROOM SERVICE: We only ordered the free Continental Breakfast from the Room Service card. It was very good and they brought as much as you wanted to order. Once done with room service they ask you to place the tray outside room. We did not get the Bubbles or Cheers package, not cost effective for us since we don’t drink that much. Cheers is 15 drinks a day, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. PORTS: Nassau & Princess Cay - been there, done that so we decided to stay on the ship. We did not see any excursions that interested us this time, but there were many to consider. ENTERTAINMENT: There was plenty of entertainment, lots of fun to be had. Pool deck had lots of fun going on every day, don’t miss it. It was definitely a happy place. Our favorite of favorites was at the Atrium bar, listening to Electric Waves, an outstanding violin duo, Hermes & Jola! They had the place rocking and mellowing and sometimes singing along! They took requests, as well. From rock, to classical, to country and on and on. And they have two CD’s. SHOPPING: I can safely say that they have the usual shopping venues. WiFi: We did not purchase, friends did, but it was so spotty that they got full refunds (if you went to Guest Services) DISEMBARKATION: The instructions were left in cabin night before; we had an option of walking off with luggage (not us) or tagging luggage with group # and leaving outside the cabin by midnight (us). We only had to show our Sail and Sign card when leaving the ship and walked down down down again to the terminal. Except hubby got stopped and since I had the Passports, a port employee escorted him down. We were required to go to another line and talk to Customs. Since hubby bought some jewelry, they wanted to have a chat. The Customs Agent was professional and friendly, asked him some questions about the jewelry and sent us on our merry way. Did not ask to see jewelry or receipts, I guess since it was purchased on board. You want to get through that long line, buy some jewelry! The passenger parking lot was right at the dock, no walking across the street, I don’t know if there was a cost. Taxi service was readily available as soon as we left the terminal. Very little walking involved. Would we cruise on the Elation again? Absolutely! I hope this answers some questions you might have! Mimi W Virginia