Elation review 6/14-19

[RuthieandTony]

Sunday, June 13, 2010

To say that DH and I have been waiting for this day for a long time would be a huge understatement! We got married just yesterday, and this is our honeymoon cruise. I am an experienced cruiser, this being number eleven. They are all with Carnival, and I am a very loyal customer. This is DH very first cruise. I have attempted to prepare him as best as I can, but I know that I will be hearing several “OMG” throughout the next several days.

This cruise was chosen for several reasons. First of all, it fit our wedding schedule. Secondly, I love Cozumel! And finally, Mobile is just a one day drive from Kentucky. I have never sailed on the Elation, so that was an extra perk.

We woke up this morning, and checked out of the wedding hotel and went home to do the suitcase shuffle. I have a large bag, DH has a large bag and then there is our carry on which has the computer, meds, emergency change of clothes, and yes – smuggled alcohol. Now I will be honest, my DH can put away some booze. So, I’m under no misconception that these two bottles (rum and amaretto) are going to last us the entire trip. We will be finding a friendly bartender to see to our alcohol needs throughout the trip. Anyway, we were out of the house at about 8:30 AM, and with numerous potty stops, lunch stop, ice cream stop and filling up the vehicle with gas, we got into Mobile at approximately 7:15 PM (local time). Not too bad! We have made reservations at the Windham by Wingate hotel with their park and cruise package. $99 for the room, parking our vehicle and shuttle back and forth. I have read so many negative comments regarding the parking at the pier that I felt it was best to have the hotel and shuttle. We needed a hotel anyway, so this was the best plan.

Our room is beautiful. A nice, comfy king sized bed, large dresser, chair, microwave, mini-fridge, and work station makes up the room. It is clean and I feel safe (of course hubby is with me, so I always feel safe). We dropped our bags, had dinner at Red Lobster, checked Facebook for wedding pics and then went to sleep. The shuttle leaves in the morning at 11:00 AM!!!

Monday, June 14, 2010

CRUISE DAY!!! WOO-HOO!!! We were up and going at about 8:30, and went downstairs for our complimentary “hot breakfast”. It was, well, okay. The eggs were totally funky, but the biscuits and gravy were good. And since I knew that much better yummy food was coming our way, I wasn’t too worried. We went back upstairs to get cleaned up, close the suitcases, do a last room check, and down to check out and wait for the shuttle. And wait . . . . and wait . . . . and wait!!! When we got downstairs, there were about 20 other people (5 families) with tons of luggage, and only one shuttle and one driver. They were totally unprepared for the volume of people and luggage, and the shuttle finally dropped us off at the pier at about 12:15 – approximately 45 minutes after we should have been there. But, that’s okay, because we were at the pier!! And we could see our ship for the next five days. DH was totally excited, as was I. We got out of the shuttle and proceeded to the VIP line (WOO-HOO again). Far easier to maneuver that what looked like the endless line of people at the other end of the room. We went to security and they scanned our carry on. And then, it happened – our booze was totally busted by the x-ray vision machine. The very nice security lady said that she had to open the bag, and she asked what alcohol we had in there. I played my best innocent “we’re on our honeymoon” acting (I expect the Emmy nomination any day now), but she was having none of it. Alcohol – gone, and we will get it back when we depart. Oh well - it is what it is. We breezed through check in and no we’re not contagious forms, got our first of many, many pictures taken and “bing bong”, we’re on the ship. This took all of about 30 minutes. That is the best embarkation I’ve ever experienced. Too bad debarkation didn’t have the same jive, but that will come much later.

DH was just amazed and jaw dropped at the look of the atrium, and I was excited just seeing him excited. It was very much like seeing Cinderella’s Castle for the first time. Big eyes everywhere. We made our way up to the very crowded Lido deck for lunch. Sorry, no food porn. And I don’t think I can remember what I ate every meal. But it was all very yummy! After lunch, our rooms were ready so we went down to R101. This was an outside window cabin in the middle of the ship. It has never mattered to me what floor we were on. My lobster tasted just as good as those folks in the fancier cabins on the Verandah deck. I was just glad to be there. The beds were pushed together, which left very little walking room, but we managed just fine. We dropped off the carry on’s, and went to explore. DH had his drink of the day, and I had one of many margaritas. Back to the room and our luggage had arrived. DH quickly understood the value of unpacking and getting the suitcases out of the way. After our safety drill, we went to the Serenity Deck for sail away. Goodbye Mobile, we will see you later.

We choose to have early seating dinner in the Imagination dining room. I wasn’t sure I would like anytime dining. I enjoy that our waiter (Michael, who was fabulous) knew we wanted iced tea every evening and that when I ordered steak, it should be well-done. This was an incredibly lucky dining experience, as our table mates were fabulous. Ironically, everyone represented a different SEC school (KY, Ole Miss, Miss State, Tennessee and Florida) and was all avid sports fans. Two couples were celebrating their honeymoon and two others were celebrating their anniversary. It was just a really good fit, and we enjoyed spending time with them each evening. Again, I don’t remember what we ate, but it was all totally delicious. After dinner, we roamed around exploring the ship, and went to the Welcome Aboard show. Our cruise director, Steven, was excellent. He was engaging and funny. After the show, we went back to the cabin for some sleep!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

This was our first fun day at sea. We slept in late, which is a rare treat. Upon leaving the cabin, we met our cabin steward, Samuel. This was the first and only time we would physically see him, but his service was awesome. We had towel critters every night, and the room was always spotless. We went to the dining room for breakfast, which was again, delicious. My first of many servings of lox and bagels. The only hiccup was that DH was wearing a tank top and shorts, and was asked to change his shirt prior to entering the dining room. Now I thought the “dress code” was only for dinner time, and was really surprised at this request. Keep in mind, I’m wearing a bathing suit top and Capri pants, but was deemed appropriately dressed. We complied, but found it odd. Our plan was to find a nice spot on the Serenity Deck and sail the day away. Not so much – because this is where all the chair hogs were hanging out. One dude was actually holding over eight lounge chairs, which just pissed me off. So we went to Lido, which surprisingly had several chairs available. I got quite a bit of sun, napped and read my book. The musicians were playing on and off, but there was always some type of music going. After several hours, we at some lunch on Lido, and then went back to the room for a nap. Since it was formal/elegant night, I needed some time to get all fancied up. But then we noticed something not so good – the dress pants for DH were sitting in the closet back in Kentucky. Fortunately, we had some dark jeans and his dress shirt, so once again – it is what it is. And ironically, there was no issue with the jeans, despite the specific instructions in the Fun Times that jeans were not appropriate for elegant night. A puzzle!

After getting dressed up, we opted for some photos. I’m not sure why I thought this was a good idea. I mean really, we just got married and had tons of pictures taken. Why did I force poor DH to do more pictures? But I did, and when I saw them the next day, they sucked, and down in the garbage shoot they went. Anyway, dinner was great with my double dose of lobster and prime rib. DH had two lobsters and would have had another one, but he was ready to explode. We opted not to do the show, but went and saw the karaoke show. This was both good and frightening. An early night for us, because tomorrow is Cozumel, and the best part of the cruise, Nachi Cocum!!!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

This was the port we were most looking forward to because we booked our day at Nachi Cocum. This was, without a doubt, the best idea in the world. We woke up to the room service dude bringing us breakfast. We decided to wait until about an hour after arrival to get off the ship, so that we didn’t get trampled by those trying to make their excursions on time. After walking down the pier and looking at the cruise ship parking lot (we were in between the Legend and the Inspiration), we made our way to the taxi stand and went to Nachi. It was about a 15 minute ride and then we got to paradise. We paid the balance due and had yet another photo taken and we were lead to the pool and beach area. Our wonderful waiter, Carlos, lead us to the beach, but I preferred to be by the pool. I’m happier being in the pool and just looking at the beach. Not much for the sand being all over me. So we set up by the pool and enjoyed the day. Carlos gave us a lot of drinks and the food was very yummy. We were there about 5 hours, and it was the best day ever.

After returning to the ship, we got cleaned up and had supper. More great food in the dining room. We didn’t do too much this evening. I wanted to see more karaoke, but there was the NBA finals that were apparently more important. The show that night didn’t interest me and neither did the casino, so we opted for an early evening. I can get used to all this relaxation time.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

This was Calica day. We had looked at the excursions for this port, and had decided that nothing was really sounding fabulous. I’m not much of a beach person, and we weren’t looking to go shopping for anything. And in order to get to anything to look at, it required a taxi to Playa Del Carmen. So this was a quiet, stay on the ship day. I am loving the serenity deck when everyone else is off the ship. We had the hot tub to ourselves, and our pick of comfy lounge chairs. We also participated in the sports trivia and name that tune games. Sadly, and not surprisingly, we lost. The funniest part of the day was watching the oh so very late passengers running towards the ship about five minutes before departure. Really, buy a watch people! This was also the past guest party – AKA bring me free liquor. A good time was had by all. I entered the blackjack tournament after dinner, and let’s just say that it was a quick but painful loss. Fortunately, I didn’t have to pay to enter, compliments of being a VIP. The entertainment after dinner was a juggler and then a comedian. The juggler was wonderful – sorry I don’t remember his name, I didn’t keep the Fun Times. The comedian was pitiful. I had heard other folks comment that his R rated show was much better. I didn’t even give him that chance. We ordered some room service that night (chocolate cake and cheesecake were fabulous) and down for the night. Not a very exciting day, but the relaxation was just what was needed.

Friday, June 18, 2010

This was our last fun day at sea. This means our last full day on the ship. Pouty faces all around! We soaked up the rays on the Lido deck (my tan is fabulous) and had one last lunch in the Tiffany’s restaurant. DH enjoyed watching the ice carving demonstration. I tried and tried to get him on the water slide, but no luck. I think he was a little bit scared, but that’s just my opinion! After some packing we went and watched the Marriage Show, or as I remember it the Newlywed/Not so Newlywed Game. DH was convinced that we should hop up on stage when the CD asked for volunteers. I explained that these questions were VERY PERSONAL, and did we want that being shown over and over on channel 27 for the remainder of our cruise? That would be a big no. But no worries, because there were 15 newlywed couples who came up on stage. The couple who could make out the best was chosen. So glad we dodged that bullet. Some things just don’t need to be seen by 1,000 of your closest friends. We answered the questions to each other, and I think we got 8 out of 10. Not bad for only one week of marriage! Dinner was good, and we said a sad goodbye to our new dining friends. That night was the Legends show, which I watched about half. Since we had a long drive the next day, I didn’t really want to still be awake at midnight.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

When my cell phone alarm began to jingle, we were almost in port. Major pouty faces all around. We got ready and loaded up our carry-on bag, and made our way to the dining room for the last breakfast. Since we are VIP, after breakfast we were told to wait in the library for debarkation at 8:00. This sounded great, because we had a long drive ahead of us. 8:00 came and went and at 8:30, one of the staff finally came and got us to get off the ship. Only to wait in line again. About 15 minutes later we finally got off the ship (after collecting our stolen booze). We got a porter, and our luggage, and went to sail through customs. But wait, oh my, the line from hell was waiting. The VIP folks had a much shorter line to wait in, but everyone else might still be there in the stinking, hot building. There were folks in line who hadn’t filled out their customs forms or bothered to have their identification out and ready to go. After finally clearing customs we went to the designated area to get on the shuttle. I had already called the hotel to let them know we were nearing the end of customs. I was told the shuttle would be there waiting. Not so much. The security dude said that we would have to call the hotel again and they would send the shuttle. It was almost 10:30-11:00 before we were back at the hotel and safely in our vehicle. The whole point of staying there was so that we wouldn’t have to deal with parking craziness. It just had us deal with shuttle craziness. Not the best way to end a fabulous week.

 

Other thoughts –

• I didn’t spend much time in the casino, and I love Texas Hold ‘Em poker. I don’t enjoy the electronic table, and wish Carnival would just supply a dealer and a table. I will tip generously, I promise!
  

· I found the entire cruise to be wonderful. The ship was filled to capacity, but I didn’t really feel crowded. DH is ready to book another trip!!

· We used early saver booking, but never received a price drop. But I believe we got a wonderful deal.

· I think the only complaint I really have is with the shuttle service from the hotel, which had nothing to do with Carnival.

If you have any questions, just let me know. I may try to upload some pictures if I can find my camera!!

[Cruzman]

Glad you had a great cruise! We will be on the Elation in October (and March) and we know that we will have a great time. Our Halloween sailing is already sold out. If and when you get back to Calica, may I recommend that you grab a cab to Xcaret National Park (about 10 minutes away from the pier). As I recall, the cost is about $65 per person for an all day pass and one cannot possibly see it all in one day. Google it and see what you missed.

[idlenote]

Thanks for a great review, nice to know that once we get on the boat everything is going to be great, it's just the part at either end that doesn't seem to be so good. Oh well, I think we can handle it.

[jm99egg]

Great Review! We were thinking about staying at the Windham for the shuttle service but maybe not now. Still trying to figure out if we want to park at the pier.

[Purplesaurus]

Thanks for a wonderful review, I'm looking forward to sailing and getting more excited, even though I don't leave for a while.