Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Quick Elation Review 7/10 - 7/17

Cruise, J.D.

By Cruise, J.D.,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

Recommended Posts

Cruise, J.D.

Cruise, J.D.

Posted
Posted

I don't feel like writing a full review, so here are the highlights. I went with a group of 14 family members.

 

- Park-n-cruise pkg. at the Renaissance Riverview was great. Awesome view of the ship from your hotel room.

 

- Saw tons of vehicles parked under the overpass across from the terminal

 

- Mobile's embarkation and debarkation are painfully slow

 

- Taking first time cruisers with you is a great way to "renew" your love of cruising

 

- The Elation is a nice looking ship. I liked the decor more than the other ships I've been on.

 

- Our cabin, R203, was a little warm at times, as was the buffet area.

 

- The Serenity Area was very under used. Every time I saw it there were plenty of empty loungers and the hot tubs were empty

 

- The food was great throughout the cruise. I tried the NY Deli for the first time and it was very good. Everyone in our group raved about the food.

 

- We loved the shows. The juggler/comedian was great, as was the hypnotist.

 

- The rock band, Music Degree, was pretty good. The lady who sings near the drama bar has a very nice voice. Went to the piano bar one time and thought Liz was OK.

 

- Your time dining didn't work well with a large group. The assistant MD did his best to accommodate us, but we often had to either choose to split up or wait 30 or more minutes (12 - 14 in our group each night).

 

- Jamaica: Dr.'s Cave Beach was beautiful, but the incessant begging for tips from our server got old. Watch out for the hard sell for an island tour when you take a shuttle/taxi to the beach.

 

- Grand Cayman: Tour with Captain Marvin's was awesome.

 

- Cozumel: Chankanaab Park was a nice way to spend the day. A little something for everyone. Saw lots of fish snorkeling there. First cab driver tried to quote us $15/person to take us there. Hilarious. Pretty dumb as the taxi rates were posted nearby . . .

 

Let me know if you have any questions. It was a fun cruise, especially getting to go with so much family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruzman

Cruzman

Posted
Posted

Being a local, my observation of late, has been that if you arrive after 11 AM, and before 1:00 PM, you can expect delays getting into the cruise terminal. I would recommend arriving early, or after 1 PM to avoid any delays.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise, J.D.

Cruise, J.D.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Thanks for the review, quick and to the point. We will probably get dropped off on the curb and walk in around noon ( a good time?)

 

Looking forward to cruising out of Mobile.

 

I'd get there closer to 10:30 if possible, but I like to get on the ship early. Embarkation moved sloooooooowly . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise, J.D.

Cruise, J.D.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Cruise, J.D.

 

Was the boat crowded?

 

It was a bit crowded at the peak times in the usual places, but nothing unusual. I'm used to it by now. My best advice is to try the dining room for breakfast and lunch to avoid a lot of the crowds and relax.

 

The worst crowding was probably the Lido buffet on the last sea day - must have been the chocolate buffet :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise, J.D.

Cruise, J.D.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
We are cruising in Sept on Elation and I was wondering just how warm was your room? I have heard this several times now and I am starting to worry. Did you sweat when you slept?

 

No, nothing that bad. It was a little warm the first day and night on the ship but got better. Towards the end of the cruise it got a little warm again. Bring a small fan. It might have just been the sunlight through the window. The curtain was open a lot. No one else in our group had a problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise, J.D.

Cruise, J.D.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
So, the parking under the overpass - is it legal? is it free? would you feel safe doing it?

 

When we drove by the underpass there was a sign indicating that overnight parking was not allowed and that towing was the penalty. The area was packed to the gills with vehicles at 10:30 a.m. - obviously it was people on the cruise. It is free.

 

Safe? I can't answer that. The risk of towing would be a big downer.

 

I only mentioned it because it comes up on the boards. For the prior cruise it appeared the parking rule was not being enforced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise, J.D.

Cruise, J.D.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Do you happen to have menus or remember what they were serving?? We go on her in October.. THANKS

 

It was the standard Carnival menu in the dining room. I think you can find it on the Carnival website or by searching this forum. There should be lots of threads on here about the menu as food is a hot topic! :)

 

Try this: https://www.bookccl.com/irman/bookccl/sections/shipboard/DinnerDesserts_master.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bigtoeswim'n

bigtoeswim'n

Posted
Posted

cruise, JD: Thx for the review. I'm a loca,l too, and have sailed out of Mobile twice, once on The Holiday and last Dec on the Fantasy. Had great cruises both time.

 

I used to be an employee of the Mobile Terminal. Here's what I know. The parking under the bridge/overpass is where the terminal employee park, Home Security and the check-in people, medical people, etc. It sure was annoying to have to fight for a parking space for folks who don't listen to the rules. Whether the towing was enforced, I don't know as I wasn't employed there for long, (another opera of its own).

 

I know the terminal was built for The Holiday. When it proved to be such a success, the Fantasy was brought in when The Holiday was retired. That meant more folks, lots more. So, I don't believe the parking lot could possibly hold enough cars, so maybe that explains the parking under the underpass. I dunno.

 

As for safety, I really don't go downtown much. The City Jail is located in that area as are the bail bonds. So, my DH would not feel comfortable parking in that isolated spot under the bridge.

 

All in all, I would advise to get there sooner than later if you want a parking spot in the official parking lot. JMO. Last time I sailed, I had a hard time breaking away from my job, so that made us late leaving home and put us smack in cattle-car, moo-cow huddle masses.

 

It is hot in the terminal. They do the best they can, but the facility is overwhelmed. The gangplank last Dec was ultra steep. I felt sorry for those pushing wheelchairs. I didn't see any extra personnel available to push wheelchairs up the very steep gangplank. JMO. I could only wonder how things went on debarcation with the steep decline. Yikes.

 

We went for early get-off by being in a certain place at a certain time. We got into the garage and was able to scoot away before the crowds, drive home in about an hour, and back at work. Oh, btw: We sailed in Dec and were on the ship that was fogged in for one night. It was no big inconvenience to us, but many, many were ticked off over spending another day on ship. Those in the terminal were ticked too. Such are the perils of cruising.

 

Had a great time and are scheduled this Dec 2010 on the Elation and looking forward to it. Hope this helps someone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
leedm

leedm

Posted
Posted

This was our 15th cruise, 1st on Elation, but we have cruised the Fantasy 3 times. I was very well pleased with the overall condition of the Elation. I walked all of the decks, visted the Steam/Sauna/Fitness areas and all were in great shape. Very little rust and everything looked freshly painted.

We showed up at the terminal at 1030, showed my VIP funpass and was told to go ahead an enter the terminal. We Unloaded our luggages, the VIP process was fast and we were having lunch by 1130. All our luggage showed up by 2:30 except for one bag..... At 4PM the last bag showed up with a note inside. Seems it had a lot of plastic bottles, and other items that could not be identified. Vitamins, hair spray, sun tan lotion, and other girly stuff. Anyway received a note that said "they looked and everything was OK. Glad they did not look in the other luggage with rum runners.

We did not see any oil, the water from Mobile to Jamaica was smooth and the weather was clear. Our tour in Jamacia was to the Appleton Rum Estate. It was a long ride but were had a great tour guide who described the island as we went up and down the narrow winding roads. At the Applenton Estate we went through the distillery, we had a nice lunch and then sampled some rum, sampled some rum, sampled some rum until all the bottles were empty. The ride back to the dock was 2 hours but who was counting, lots of happy people. When we achored at the Cayman Islands we went to purser desk and ask if we could get VIP tender. Yes, they escored us down the stairs and to the front of the tender line. Grand Cayman is pretty, we shopped and then had lunch at Guy Harvey's. I would recommend Guy Harvey's. It is not a fast food type place, has good service and good seafood. In Cozemel we had a snorkling tour planed, but there were heavy rains when we docked so we decided to cancel our tour and to just walk around and buy some lq to take home. After we got back on the ship I went to the Steam Room, again. On the last day me and dw had a massage and relaxed. Over all this was very nice cruise. The Elation is a good ship for Mobile. I like the 7 day itenarary better than the 4 or 5 day.

 

leedm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise, J.D.

Cruise, J.D.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
cruise' date=' JD: Thx for the review. I'm a loca,l too, and have sailed out of Mobile twice, once on The Holiday and last Dec on the Fantasy. Had great cruises both time.

 

I used to be an employee of the Mobile Terminal. Here's what I know. The parking under the bridge/overpass is where the terminal employee park, Home Security and the check-in people, medical people, etc. It sure was annoying to have to fight for a parking space for folks who don't listen to the rules. Whether the towing was enforced, I don't know as I wasn't employed there for long, (another opera of its own).

 

I know the terminal was built for The Holiday. When it proved to be such a success, the Fantasy was brought in when The Holiday was retired. That meant more folks, lots more. So, I don't believe the parking lot could possibly hold enough cars, so maybe that explains the parking under the underpass. I dunno.

 

As for safety, I really don't go downtown much. The City Jail is located in that area as are the bail bonds. So, my DH would not feel comfortable parking in that isolated spot under the bridge.

 

All in all, I would advise to get there sooner than later if you want a parking spot in the official parking lot. JMO. Last time I sailed, I had a hard time breaking away from my job, so that made us late leaving home and put us smack in cattle-car, moo-cow huddle masses.

 

It is hot in the terminal. They do the best they can, but the facility is overwhelmed. The gangplank last Dec was ultra steep. I felt sorry for those pushing wheelchairs. I didn't see any extra personnel available to push wheelchairs up the very steep gangplank. JMO. I could only wonder how things went on debarcation with the steep decline. Yikes.

 

We went for early get-off by being in a certain place at a certain time. We got into the garage and was able to scoot away before the crowds, drive home in about an hour, and back at work. Oh, btw: We sailed in Dec and were on the ship that was fogged in for one night. It was no big inconvenience to us, but many, many were ticked off over spending another day on ship. Those in the terminal were ticked too. Such are the perils of cruising.

 

Had a great time and are scheduled this Dec 2010 on the Elation and looking forward to it. Hope this helps someone.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the info! Yes, the terminal IS hot!! I forgot to mention that. I don't remember it being that way in 2006 & 2008, but it sure was this time. Mobile really needs to work on embarkation and debarkation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...