jdoc2010

We were able to get S Pellegrino water in the MDR during dinner with cheers. However during brunch, we were charged for them.

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You dont need to buy the WIFI package and/or social plan to use the Carnival Hub Chat Feature. Its 5.00 per phone for the entire length of the cruise. You need to download the Carnival Hub App before departure and can add the chat app while sitting in the Jacksonville Cruise Terminal. Make sure you have the phone on airplane mode and turn on the WIFI.

As others have said, specifically about the Elation, the chat feature was NOT working when I was on the 10/16 sailing. Customer Service refunded the monies on the 2nd day and they were aware that it was not working.

One of the benefits of FTTF is that your checked luggage will arrive earlier than most. Generally after lunchtime. You can carry on ALL of your luggage if it fits through the scanners. Or you can check your large bags, they will be marked as FTTF and priority, and then you can drop off your carry on in your room early too.

Yes, go straight to Shore Excursions right when you board. If you prepurchased, they will have a small envelop with your name on it and then you can pick out your cabana #. You will also need to sign a small waiver or liability and choose which sodas you want for your cabana.

I had cabana #10 and loved it.

Sailing 12/16. Would also love pics of dinner menu & funtimes

I will be on the 12/16 sailing too! Also just got back from the 10/16-10/21 sailing on Elation. Interested to see what they finished since my last sailing.

Free to download and use the "HUB" app. You can check the funtimes right from your phone. No need to pay for the internet plans. The Chat app is a flat fee of 5.00 per device, and should allows group text messages. We tried it on the Elation 10-16/10-21. On 10-17, customer service refunded my group the 5.00 fee, since the feature was not working and they were aware of it.

I personally enjoyed it - for the specialty coffees and S.Pellegrinos and wine at dinner. And to order drinks I have never tried - if I didnt like them, no big deal, I just got a different one. For me, its the worry free part I appreciated- I pre-purchased with a 10% discount gift card, so breaking "even" was easier.

We are cruising Elation in 10days. We are driving to Jax from NC and are staying at the Microtel Inn & Suites near the airport. We've stayed at Microtel in other cities and they have been great. We decided to park at the port to avoid aggravation

 

I'll write up a trip report when I get back.

 

 

 

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If you are going to park at the port and get there fairly early (like 11-12), just park instead of trying to "drop off" and then park. Much easier to just park and drag your luggage to the terminal. The drop off line takes WAY TOO long.

Been a few weeks since I got off the elation (10-16/10-21) with kids close to the ages you are taking - mine are 10 & 13. Will be back on it 12-16 with kids again.

Yes, you can bring soda (12 pack) or 1 bottle of wine. We had cheers/bubbles, so didnt need to lug any of that around. The kids soda program is 4.95 per day, so you may want to check into that for the kids. Mine enjoyed going up to the bars and getting drinks and ordering in the dining room something from the "bar".

For the kids:

CAMP !!! My kids LOVE it. My 10 year old, I gave approval for her to be able to sign herself in / out of camp. She absolutely loved the games and activities. My 13 year old still hung out at camp and played video games and found some friends.

I opted to have their charging privileges turned off. There isnt anything on the ship they should be buying alone and it prevents panic if they do lose their card (they probably will).

Mine loved ordering room service - even if it was just cookies and milk. I let them tip the servers with cash that we kept near by. They will need their room # (example E-999) and name.

Free playing cards from the pursers desk kept the kids occupied a bunch.

The library also has a lot of board games to keep them occupied in the event there is a wait for dinner (we had ATD - and the library is right next to the imagination dining room).

Trivia - my kids enjoyed participating and we did it in a group -- unfortunately most of the trivia is right outside the casino bar, and its smoky.

They were not too impressed with the pool (we have a large backyard one anyhow) and the Waterworks must have still been under construction - it was up and open, but most times the water pressure was lacking.

My 10 year old did build a bear - its 25.00 and they get to pick a bear and stuff it. It also came with a cinch backpack. Well worth it to her.

We did SUESS AT SEA - it was our first time. Cute, but we wont do it again.

The shows are fun with kids too - early ones are best if you can manage it.

Nassau with kids - we opted to do a self guided hike up to the Queens Staircase and walk through the forts. Super do-able with kids and its not far at all. The forts do ask for a 3.00 "donation" per person, but this is optional - we paid a little extra to keep the place running. My kids loved the view from the top of the forts. Then we went into Diamonds International to get the free charm bracelets (my daughter loves these for some reason).

Then back to the ship for lunch and NO CROWDS.

Freeport -- no comment.

Elation had them in the pull out drawers above the mini-fridge cabinets. We had inside cabins and not a suite.

I like the flat iron steak, usually medium rare. The size and thickness of the flat iron varies night to night. And if you dont like it, you can always order something else.

You can still find gift cards (both E-Gifts and physical cards mailed to an address) on AARP and Drivewise and at a 10% discount. AARP does charge .59cents to mail the cards to an address.

Also, cruise cash can only by used once on ship.

I would suggest to get an E-gift card sent to you, and then purchase Cheers online with the giftcard -- its pretty easy to do.

Serenity deck does have a SERENITY Sangria on the drink menu. You can also get both red and white sangria at most of the bars. We ordered sangrias in the MDR too.

25.00

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They had fruit punch, orange and a sugar free Rockstars on the Elation.

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If you add the 500.00 gift card to your S&S account while on ship it will be added as OBC. If there are any funds left over from your OBC, it will be refunded to you by check (only if its over 10.00). You can move it the last sea day from your OBC to your casino account and then cash out at the casino as well.

If you use the 500.00 gift card and purchase cruise cash before your departure date through the FUN SHOPS and are not going to spend the entire amount, you can still cash out using the casino method.

Your S&S account will first deduct from cruise cash, then OBC, then your method of payment on file.

Also refer to the carnival FAQs

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2544/~/minor-guest-policy

Traveling with a Minor

When traveling with a minor where one parent or both parents or legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent(s) or legal guardians authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security.

I just got back from a cruise (10/21) and I was travelling with both of my minor kids and had a notarized letter from their dad stating he is aware of the out of country travelling.

I had split my kids up in a different cabin with their grandma, and my son was stopped at the port check in desk because his grandma was not his legal guardian (the last names do not match). I was right next to them at a check in desk and provided the documents to show I was his parent. I also presented the notarized letter, but she just glossed it over and handed it back to me.

Were there indications that there were still unfinished works, like detour signs on roped area, being a post dry dock voyage?

 

 

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There were a few roped off areas (like on deck 8, forward, port side) and we could not access to the observation deck every time we tried. Still a lot of work being done, but nothing that ruined the cruise.

Some of the staircases were randomly blocked off - as we saw several workers still nailing down trim.

But there were no huge areas blocked off indicating that something new was going to be installed.

Did they add refrigerators to the Elation in all rooms? Or did I miss that you were in a suite? Thanks!

We had two interior rooms on deck 7, not suites. Both rooms had mini-fridges in a cabinet under the vanity.

Thanks for the review. Carnival missed a good opportunity when they didn't convert the Great Gatsby bar into the Alchemy. That bar is never crowded.

In speaking with the bartender at Gatsby, she said the rumor is that the coffee bar will eventually turn into an Alchemy and the coffee bar will move by library.

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Yes, there are a few options on Lido deck to get soda refills. at the poolside bars outside or the inside bar at the aft of the ship.

Carnival Elation - Post Dry Dock 10/16-10/21

Quick review - ask questions and I will try to answer.

Embarkation - it was a breeze - had FTTF, got to port at 10:30, general boarding lines through security were shorter, so we asked to skip the priority line and had no wait getting up to the check in desk. Received our cards at check in - they were already hole punched too. Sat in holding area with other FTTF / Diamond / Platnium. On ship by 11:30.

We could smell the paint on the lower levels and a few stairwells were still blocked off with rope.

ROOMS

Room was ready as soon as we got on ship, and we dropped off our carry ons in the room.

Empress/AFT/Interior/Quad ... as expected, two pullmans, 1 king in middle. Our other party right next to us had a Empress/AFT/Interior - the bed configurations were weird. Normally they push the two beds against each wall leaving a space in the middle for walk around room. Unfortunately, there were no bed lights on the outside walls, so the beds were side by side with a little space.

Plenty of outlets and usb access. Refrigerator, Hairdryer and flat screen TV (no more bulky boxes) were in rooms. Air didnt seem to blow cold often enough. Plenty of storage space. The safe was keycode only - I was used to the magnetic strip access safes, so that was a plus to only enter in a keycode.

BARS

Gatsby Bar - Amazing, never too crowded at since it was just two floors up, easy access and great drinks.

Drama Bar - UGH - HOLY Smoke ... I dont smoke and also dont mind people who smoke - but the kids ... poor things. The candy store and most of the trivia is done RIGHT THERE -- kids are being exposed to the flumes of smoke. They really need to move the candy store and have the trivia/games elsewhere.

Empress Bar - great location for me (down the hall). Usually crowded, but the smell from the drains was nauseating ... like stinky cheese. They really need to bleach those things out.

Red Frog/Blue Iquana Lido deck bars - They were as expected. Fun, warm and convenient.

Coffee Bar - Yes, please. Loved it - other than the 1 barista working and the longer lines, it was well worth it. Im a coffee drinker and enjoyed my coffee, milkshakes and getting a vitamin water.

Dining -

We had ATD - Imagination dining room. It was as expected, no issues. No tablecloths, american table. Staff is very attentive and if there was ever a wait, dukes or the library were right there to entertain the kiddos. Windows were dingy, needed a good cleaning.

Popped into the Inspiration Dining room for Suess @ Sea breakfast - this dining room was much more updated than the Imagination.

Lido deck dining

Guys Burgers, Yummy. Blue Iquana - Breakfast burritos were ok. Tacos were delish.

Pizza Pirate - They REALLY need to get more staff. Only had 1 person working. And good luck trying to get a specialty pizza - Pepperoni and Cheese were the only one he was cranking out. Got a lot of attitude when I asked for a specialty pizza and a ceasar salad.

Shows

Mikado Lounge - The decor does not look updated.

Epic Rock is my favorite. Divas --- they need to cycle this one out, its been around way too long.

Comedy shows - good and entertaining. The Cole Porter lounge was still being worked on. A lot of trim peices were falling off and the furniture was breaking apart.

Will post more later ...

I just got off the Elation yesterday (10/21). Will try to post a quick review later. It wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. I cruise to have a relaxing and fun time, so not much will bother me. There were still a lot of maintenance issues and workers on the ship. I didnt notice it much on the Empress deck (we were AFT Empress), but you could still smell paint on Main/Riveria Deck. The Cole Porter Lounge had a lot of issues with the furniture and details .. ie the trim peices falling off/sticking out. A few of the seats fell apart while we where in there.

The ladies restroom by the casino only had 1 stall available - the other stall door was completely off its hinges. Oh and the Empress lobby bar mid ship reeked of a cheesy smell - the drains need to be seriously sanitized and bleached. The fruit flies/gnats were insane.

My kids tried out the new Waterworks - said the waterslides lacked water... I personally didnt try them out.

We had no issues with our cabin, other than it being warm most of the time. We had the cool air cranked as high as it would go, and still at 2:00 AM in the morning, would wake up sweating.

Overall, it was a good cruise. The crew make the ship fun and entertaining.

We will be going back in a few weeks to try it out again, so hopefully the minor issues are resolved.

I believe the credit is attached to each cabin, no matter who paid for it. Since you found a better deal and paid for both cabins, I see no reason that you can't or wouldn't use the above posters suggestion of the candy store gift cards. The members of the other cabin should be very grateful for what you have already done. You are in no way scamming Carnival.

 

Have a great cruise. :D

Thanks - I am going to try the gift card route and we shall see how it goes.

I don't know why you would call it scamming if they paid for both rooms, then they are entitled to the money back due to a price drop.

 

This is what I would do. I would have the person (who I assume you know well if you paid for their room) go to Cherry on Top (the candy store) and buy 3 - $100 Carnival gift cards and give them to you (you can give the $2 difference back if you need to). Then you can take those 3 gift cards and apply them to your sail and sign account to use for your onboard spending as needed.

 

They will pay using their sail and sign account which will "eat up" that $298 credit and you get the gift cards to apply to yours. The easiest way to transfer it I see.

Thanks - this is a great idea.