cruisenovice2017

We had three ports on a five day this past April....

I got the social media package last month on the Elation and it worked great. You can use Messenger to keep in touch with folks back home. And I had absolutely no issues with speed. It worked just as well as it does on land.

I will say this as well: don't believe all the horror stories you hear because I found pretty much all of them to be virtually nonexistent.

We were your neighbors in U124. We did have a flat screen TV, but it was just in the box that the old tube one sat in. I did hit my head on the box at least once. I did see some of the halls that had been updated. It looked like a total different ship in those areas.

My apologies!! LOL I'm pretty sure ours wasn't a flat screen but then I didn't pay much attention to it. But I was pleased with the room overall. The only "complaint" about anything was the food. I found it to be mediocre but still it dampen our trip.

How was embarkation and debarkation? Sorry you missed HMC it is a nice place to visit. I didn't realize the weather was bad that far south.

It rained all day Sunday (was supposed to be Freeport) and the forecast for Monday (HMC) was for strong winds so being a tender port they cancelled it. So Sunday became our sea day (was supposed to be Wednesday), hit Key West Monday, Nassau Tuesday, and Freeport Wednesday. Embarkation wasn't too bad. We got there at 1:30 and there was a pretty good line but it moved pretty quick. I'd say within 30 minutes we were walking on board. Debarkation was a hurry up and wait game. It was at least an hour by the time we walked off the ship and got through customs. Even with that we were in our car heading home by 10:15 a.m.

Any port that you enjoyed?

 

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Because of weather we missed HMC but got Key West instead so we couldn't really complain. That and Nassau were probably our favorites. We ended up walking to the beach in Nassau and found it to be more then adequate.

What cabin did you have and had it been updated (old tube TV or flat screen, ugly pink cabinets or new wood grain)? I find it interesting they are upgrading cabins before the month long dry dock. They must be not selling certain cabins on some sailings in order to do that work?

We were in U128, Deck 6 Oceanview. It had not been updated but it wasn't bad at all. There is room to move around, it was clean. But really, besides sleeping, what kind of time are really spending in your room? We had the tv on for noise but were we disappointed it wasn't a flat screen? Not in the least. The shower had plenty of water pressure and hot water.

Gusti was our favorite poolside server.

Yay! I am in elation on May 29. It's my first cruise ever. What was your top 5 fave things on your cruise. Thanks!!

 

 

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1. Ease of navigating the ship

2. The staff is very friendly

3. Senor Frogs at each port

4. The piano bar

5. Met really nice people and made new friends. It was our first cruise as well and we just relished the rest and relaxation. We made it a point not to HAVE to be on the go the entire time. Vacations are to relax not worry about the next show, or excursion, or whatever.

We are just off the Elation from our 4/22-4/27 sailing and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions future cruisers may have!

I am on Carnival Elation on May 29. I can't wait to read your review!

 

What was your (or anyone's) absolutely favorite thing to do on the ship? This is my very first cruise ever so I am anxious to make a list.

 

 

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I found the ship easy to navigate. I never encountered long waits at the bar. Heck, if you are by the pool or on one of the outside decks, the bar staff/waiters walk by every couple of minutes anyway. Ask for Gusti. We never waited for a table for two in the MDR. We didn't do any shows but did enjoy Zach in the piano bar. He's high energy and fun. I'd be happy to answer any other questions folks may have!!

Atj1971, I look forward to your review.

 

I was on Elation 2 weeks before your cruise. I thought the crew, ship, food and entertainment were all great. The new cabana style design and lighting of the renovated cabins and hallways were beautiful. We missed HMC but Key West was and excellent substitute.

 

Glad to read you also enjoyed your cruise on Elation. Thanks for posting your review.

I was on that cruise and we had an amazing time. No complaints. Everything went smooth and we didn't have any hiccups at all. Key West was a more than desirable alternative due to the weather in HMC.

We departed on a Saturday and ours was on Monday.

They are around $6 a piece individually as well. If you get a bucket by the pool (4 ) they usually knock a couple of bucks off.

We consumed plenty of alcohol and drank coffee every morning and came out about $200 or so less than what we would have paid with Cheers....

Walk around.

 

Go to Sloppy Joes. They had a guy playing guitar and singing when we went in around lunch time. Enjoyed a few beers and chilled out while munching on sloppy Joe fries, which is exactly what the name suggests.

 

Not a big fan of touristy things, but I consider myself a little bit of a Parrothead, so going to Margaritaville in Key West was kinda neat for me...just did the gift shop, though.

 

But you may like completely different things, so.............

Sloppy Joes was the only place open at 9:30 a.m. when we were there so yeah, we're big fans...

We just did a 5 day and the Social Media package was $22. I found it to work really well and was not slow at all.

We did not purchase Cheers for our Elation cruise last week and with coffee/alcohol combined spent about $200 less than what we would have with Cheers. I don't ever see us buying it.

Who the hell goes to bed at 10 while on vacation? We'll be on the Elation soon so I guess we'll have the dance floor to ourselves!

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

We sail out 4/22-4/27 on the Elation. This will be our first cruise and I'm looking for tips/hacks/advice. How is the check in/embarkation process in Jacksonville (our window is 1-1:30)? I guess I may bite the bullet and park at the port, but how is the lot that is across the street? We are going a la carte on the drinks, but how is the beer from the self-serve station? Will deck chairs be a hassle to get? We have any time dining, what is the best time to go? Is the casino really, really smoky? Any other helpful tidbits would be greatly appreciated!

I believe we have Kevin Donahue on the Elation in a couple weeks. Thoughts and opinions?

Will probably be getting the Social Media package. Is this charged to Sail & Sign account or billed separately? Is it feasible to sign up both of our phones or just one of them? It's my wife and I so we will pretty much be together the entire time.

I have been following John Heald's page on Facebook and have come away with this: Are "cruisers" really that uptight, self-righteous, pretentious, and have a feeling of extreme entitlement; or are the "messages" he posts from people made up? Or maybe people send him these messages as a way of trolling. I just can't imagine that they are real because while I know most people in general are selfish, some of the messages he posts just take it to an entirely new level.

I am heading to the Bahamas in a short period of time and have been reading on a certain website about rampant crime in the Bahamas, in particular Nassau. I am staying on the ship in Freeport, not too worried about HMC, but was going to at least get off and explore the port area in Nassau for a bit. Do I need to hone my ninja skills or is what I am reading kind of blown out of proportion?