WLHyatt

We don't order from the waiters who roam the decks because we've found a few well placed tips to bartenders ensures even our frozen drinks are made good and stiff.

If you're looking for reassurance, I was on her a year and a half ago in a cove balcony, had no trouble with wifi.

The ship uses wifi cordless phones, so they have to have good coverage front to back on every deck.

Wifi systems are usually deployed per floor in any building. I would bet money that Carnival installed enough access points on their ships that wifi is accessible anywhere on board. Your wifi will not be dependant on being on a public deck or anywhere else.

You will not have an issue connecting to the network from your cabin.

Skagway

Cozumel

Keywest

Good to know, did not get an email, but checked the online check in and sure enough a time slot was there. I guess since the emails have not gone out for my sailing I was able to grab an early slot easily enough.

You will know what I mean by that when you get on-board

Helllllllloooooooooo!

Mine has never called me. We really don't use her though, the last cruise we took we booked onboard, and the next cruise we are taking we booked through a travel agent.

I used to be against travel agents, but he booked us as part of a group that got us a cheaper price on the cruise, $100OBC and some other things. I have been pretty impressed with the way he's handled stuff so far.

I would contact the special needs department and ask them. They can do chefs table for gluten free so there might be something that can be done for vegan too,

We had no problem on the Elation last week. Walked in, lined up for our deck, they handed us the bags and signed the form, and walked out.

Literally in there 2 minutes. We went about 8 am.

It will tell you on your sail and sign card which dining room to be in. In place of the table number that is normally printed there, it will say "whatever lower/upper dining room 6-9" or whatever.

No sales tax ahead of time or in port.

The only place you pay sales tax is on the individual drink before getting into international waters.

Same here. Just walked up to a bar and ordered a drink and she put the sticker on.

Spirit Class. We've done Conquest, Dream, Elation, and Legend and the layout on the Legend was far and away the best so far.

No, we regularly get there at 10.

Embarkation at New Orleans is pretty easy, a porter will usually meet you at your taxi, and take your bags and check your documents. You'll then go through another check station and they'll send you up the escalators and through embarkation photos to security. Once past security you walk through the seating area straight ahead to the check in line. When that's done, have a seat and wait for your zone to be called.

You can walk it, but it will be a farther walk than just 1000 feet. You'll have to go down to Henderson, then back up port of new orleans place. The walk is not very pedestrian friendly, there are train tracks and a couple of places where you will have to cross roads without crosswalks.

Not to mention that the place you would go as a walk up is under the north end of the parking garage. You'll be walking nearly a mile even though your hotel is 1000 feet away.

That is the safer of the two routes you could walk, the other one puts you in a narrow section of port of new orleans place that has no sidewalks and will be filled with trucks and taxis the day you sail. There could be more than 1 ship in port and that will make it even more entertaining.

I would suggest you get a taxi, it will virtually eliminate stress and it is $7pp.

I've worn polos and khakis/slacks on formal nights, and other times I've worn a suit and within minutes of being done with dinner been back in my room changing into shorts and a t-shirt to go to the piano bar.

If anyone is concerned about it they can mind their own business, so long as you meet the dress code for dinner in the dining room or go to the lido buffet.

Usually the day before the excursion they will be on your vanity area.

kat2009: See you onboard. While the Elation looks a little run down in the rooms, I think the public areas are fine and we had a great time last year.

3 days!

The Aquarium might be good, it's not really a museum and it is pretty interactive.

There are shops along Royal street that kids may be entertained with.

Maybe a swamp tour if you have time? Jean Laffite swamp tours runs a shuttle, and you will see at least one alligator.

There are plenty of things to do for kids.

If you are concerned about exposure to adult atmospheres then stay between Royal street and the River. Bourbon is pretty... lively and inland from Bourbon is mostly residential.

The pricing will be the same as current pricing, the only advantage you get is onboard credit for sailings booked while onboard.

You can book early saver and price match like normal.

The best way to ensure you don't have to wait too long is book more that are closer!

Lately we will not let our timer on the website get to zero without having another one booked, it is depressing to go to the site and not see a countdown.

Formal nights I will wear a suit and tie. Non formal nights I wear shorts and button up or t-shirts (depending on the day). Never felt out of place or underdressed.

If you can't get special treatment from Carnival AND you're really concerned about your son, I'd suggest getting to the cruise terminal late.

 

As others have suggested, arrive after 2:00 (assuming a 4 P.M. departure) and you should not encounter any lines and can be aboard the ship in 15 minutes.

 

Good luck!

I want to believe this, but last year when we got on the Elation we did just this. Showed up at the port at 2:30 pm and apparently everyone else followed this method. We were in line for an hour easily. We were not the last ones there, but by the time we got checked in they had closed the doors and said that they were not allowing anyone else into the terminal.

We'll be on her 7 days from right now, perfect timing for this review. We were on her about a year ago, and even though she had just been through a drydock there were many things that could use a little work. The thing that made the difference was the crew. Best we'd had until that point, and rivaling that of the crew in Alaska this summer.

I can't wait to see the rest!