The amazing ELATION vacation 2/18-23,2013

[CruiserJul]

Enjoying your review! We sailed out of New Orleans twice on the Triumph...and DH and I have been there a couple of times before that. Love the city! It is my favorite port.

[PresDuLac]

Great review!

 

I love NOLA and I love taking the train too.

We took the train for the 1/21 sailing on Elation and it was awesome.

Love the ship and the crew.

 

Loved it so much that I'll be doing the same thing (Amtrak and Elation) solo in Nov. and I can't wait.

I'm going to check out the Prytania Park hotel for future reference.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. :)

[jamona2311]

Sorry no updates today:( worked 10 hours n then had to watch twilight breaking dawn part two with the DDs. Soooo good! :D;):p

 

Off early tomorrow so I should have some time to post more.

[chill6x6]

Hey!

Enjoying your review! I really like Mulates!

Next time you are in NO try Acme Oyster House and/or Felix's Oyster House....they are right across the road from each other.....

[Cruisin'Doc]

Sorry I didn't get to meet you guys while on the Elation this time around :) The Elation is such a comfortable sized ship. Although the crew on all Carnival ships are generally wonderful, with few exceptions, I found some of the crew on this one to really go above and beyond. Our dining team and the casino host were just so wonderful. I cannot say enough great things about them. Actually, the week I got back from this cruise, I booked another on the Elation for May (a 20% discount on top of the sale that week helped, lol) and the Conquest for August.

 

Keep up the great work on your review!

[jamona2311]

Hey!

Enjoying your review! I really like Mulates!

Next time you are in NO try Acme Oyster House and/or Felix's Oyster House....they are right across the road from each other.....

 

 

Oh I really wanted to but mom wasnt feeling it and since I planned all of what we were doing I wanted her to have some say too. AOH was the original plan for Sunday night but we were too full from our late lunch and snacking.

[jamona2311]

Sorry I didn't get to meet you guys while on the Elation this time around :) The Elation is such a comfortable sized ship. Although the crew on all Carnival ships are generally wonderful' date=' with few exceptions, I found some of the crew on this one to really go above and beyond. Our dining team and the casino host were just so wonderful. I cannot say enough great things about them. Actually, the week I got back from this cruise, I booked another on the Elation for May (a 20% discount on top of the sale that week helped, lol) and the Conquest for August.

 

Keep up the great work on your review![/quote']

 

So jealous! :p;) I have to wait practically a year to cruise again:(

[jamona2311]

Great review!

 

I love NOLA and I love taking the train too.

We took the train for the 1/21 sailing on Elation and it was awesome.

Love the ship and the crew.

 

Loved it so much that I'll be doing the same thing (Amtrak and Elation) solo in Nov. and I can't wait.

I'm going to check out the Prytania Park hotel for future reference.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. :)

 

Thanks! The train was so nice, especially after the cruise I just relaxed the whole way home, I was beat! hha

 

Hope you like what you see with the Prytania!

[Cruisin'Doc]

So jealous! :p;) I have to wait practically a year to cruise again:(

 

I only do it because I'm within driving distance of NOLA (and in the past, when they had the port in Mobile). If I lived in FL... I'd be living in a homeless shelter, but crusing once a month! LOL

[jamona2311]

I'm from New Orleans but live in Tampa now...loved all the pictures. Sailed on the Elation when it left out of Mobile..fantastic ship and crew. It was my teenagers all time favorite cruise.

 

I loved NOLA and really want to take my girls there! It really isnt anything like the rest of the US is it??? Always felt like I was in another world.

[jamona2311]

Loved my recent Elation cruise and our Conquest cruise last November and of course, love New Orleans!

 

Thanks for reading. Youre like my idol when it comes to cruise info and your reviews are so fun. Honestly I was kinda bummed when I saw you were sailing just a few weeks before me! hha Would have loved to meet the man himself:D;)

[jamona2311]

Enjoying your review! We sailed out of New Orleans twice on the Triumph...and DH and I have been there a couple of times before that. Love the city! It is my favorite port.

 

 

Thanks. I cant wait to do more review this evening! Its hard work but its fun too. I really do wish there were more cruises out of NOLA. If I didnt want to sail the Liberty so bad I would have taken my girls on the Conquest....:o

[LandlockedCruiser01]

I loved NOLA and really want to take my girls there! It really isnt anything like the rest of the US is it??? Always felt like I was in another world.

My thoughts exactly! If I ignore the fact that I spoke English and paid in dollars, it felt like I was in a foreign country. Especially when drinking from those Tropical Isle cups (shaped like green hand grenades) in plain view of uniformed police officers.

 

One word of warning: if asked about where you got your shoes, you got them on your feet in New Orleans. :D

[jamona2311]

Ok time to start working on this thing! :D

[jamona2311]

We headed back to our hotel for some down time and about 7 we decided it was time to check out Burbon St. I had to compromise with mom on this one. If she didn’t go now she might never get the energy to go back out again. Lucky for me once we were out she got her second wind and was ready for a good time! Ill just let the pictures do most of the explaining here. I was on a drink quest, mom was on a “lets just try Genas drink” quest. I think she did have a couple of her own and once back at the hotel we did the midnight munchie thing on all the leftovers we had.

 

 

Busted!! I turned to take a picture of this guy and as you can see he caught me! whoops pointed at me and then to his tip bag. Laughing at my embarrasment I tiped him and he gave me a first bump.

 

 

There ya go! Burbon street on an ordinary Sunday night. So much fun to be had!

.

 

Hand Grenades frozen or on the rocks. Mmmmm strong but good stuff

 

 

If you like Karaoke "the cats meow" is the place to go. I was trying to get up my nerve, I think I need another drink. time for a Hurricane

 

 

Pat O'Briens is the place for Hurricanes and not only is this a good stop for a drink, its beautiful as well! A fountain in the center of a courtyard, umbrella tables, pretty lights and quaint bistro tables and good music to enjoy. Oh and they do have the heater lamps for warmth sitting outside in the evening.

 

[lady_cruiser]

Anxiously waiting on more!! We sail on Elation April 1st. Sailed on her 2 yrs ago and curious if anything has changed.

Cajun Mom we are sailing on her April 11th.

[jamona2311]

 

Coming in to Pat O'Briens

 

 

We went back to Cats Meow after my Hurricane drink but mom didnt like the songs they were singing..Uhoh...so we tried a few other places and this is were we landed for a while. Its Chris Owens. And this guy was a trip! I think hes like in his late 70s but he is still a naughty boy. Serioiusly tho the songs were really good and most really funny!!! Rooster and the Chicken Hawks I believe...

 

 

 

 

Monday 2/18/13

Yay sail day!!!! But first of all there was more of NOLA to see. After a quick continental breakfast we took the St Charles street car the other way to drool at the beautiful houses of the Garden District. I forgot my map today so we kind of winged it but did find a few of the highlights we wanted. The Lafayette cemetery, Commanders Palace ( I heard Matthew McConaughey had been there the day before or something….ok that was random) the Benjamin Button house and Anne Rices house. The sky although blue in the first part of the day looked to be threatening rain soon and it was cooling down. Oh well time to get back and get on that ship! We stopped quick to pick up some water, wine and redbull and then hopped the Street car back to the hotel to check out.

 

On the St Charles Street car trying to catch some pictures. If I could I would have taken a picture of each one!!! Sooooo beautiful.

 

 

 

[jamona2311]

 

Lafayette Cemetary in the Garden District

 

 

So sad!!!!

 

 

 

 

Families burried together dating back to the mid 1800s. some of the facades are falling apart and you dont even know who is there anymore. some have been redone.

 

 

 

 

 

Commanders palace. Gentlemen must wear a suit coat to dinner but I hear they have decent lunch specials and super cheap Margaritas at lunch time so enjoy!! hehe

[battchief1]

Thanks for the review

[jamona2311]

 

This was a carriage house but we both loved it.

 

 

Ok apparently this is the Benjamin Button house....

 

 

 

 

Used to be Ann Rices house

 

 

OMG seriously crazy beautful house. Ok this is my dream home. Couldnt stop gawking and drooling

 

love the trees in front of this one. seemed very miami ish but then again Ive never even been to Miami. Maybe I just wanted to take a pic of a pink house....

[jamona2311]

Ok thats it for NOLA and that it for me for now. Ive gotta make dinner

 

Next up THE ELATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D

[BoardwalkBabe]

Great stuff! Please keep it coming.

[MelBCroozer]

Great review of the city! It is my hometown and loved seeing it from a tourist`s point of view! Can't wait to read your review of the Elation. I've been on her 3 times!

[jamona2311]

We took a cab to the Port at about 11. The driver was playing Bob Marley on the radio and he said it was to celebrate the start of our cruise. At the terminal boarding had already started so we breezed though security and check in and on to the ship. Despite the security guys shaking all of my bottles of water my rum runners made it on no problem! Now I was waiting for the moment and I got it the “WOW” that came from my mom was worth the wait.

 

Time for some lunch and a DOD for both of us. Sadly the DOD came in a regular glass. No cute carnival souvenir glasses on the Elation this time and no the back secret stair way on the Empress deck aft to the upper levels was closed to passengers this time around.

 

Rooms were ready at 12:30 so we made our way to E189. it’s a 1A bunk bed room. My mom really liked it and I cant say it was all that bad for the two of us. I really missed the aft balcony we had on the Ecstasy but 1. There are not aft balconies on the Elation and 2. I spent a lot more time hanging out around the ship and doing stuff than I did last time!

 

 

 

DOD and my lunch. Mangolian wok and a couple of items off the grill area

 

My mom is a tiny lady but man the girl can eat! She is an avid walker and trust me when I say shell barely gain an ounce from all this hehe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chilling at sail away.

[jamona2311]

 

So long NOLA Thanks for a wonderful couple of days. We so have to do it again! hha:D

 

 

Muster drill was quick but a bit chilly out there. Funny after it was over a lot of us went back inside Tiffanys for some coffee or hot coco ( wow the hot coco was good!!!) We did make it back out to Serenity for sail away and then headed back to our room to find our luggage waiting for us. We did our unpacking and got ready for dinner.

 

I like anytime dining but that’s all Ive tried so far. I was thinking of trying set dining for the Liberty cruise but Im nervous about being tied down or having to rush. I just think it would be nice to have a special table, maybe some table mates ( mom wasn’t a fan of that idea) and getting to know the wait staff. Well see… this time YTD worked out just fine and we caught the show most nights.

 

At dinner we were informed that we may not have enuf ppl for our Chefs Table. I had made reservations a few months ago as a gift to my mom for her birthday so I was really bummed. Having done it on the Ecstasy and knowing what a foodie my mom is I knew she’d LOVE it. I guess there was a huge group who had booked ahead of me for two 14person chefs tables. I crossed my fingers for good news the next day.