Elation take three... My third time on her and last cruise before her dry dock

[Msbabynurse]

My daughter and I just stepped off the Elation Saturday 9/20. This cruise was the third time for both of us on the Elation, but it was a little different for us. It was a last minute cruise. I booked a guarantee room ( first time to book guarantee ) for the cheaper rate because I just wanted to get away. I didn't care where they put me as long as I was cruising. We were in U166... Which is right by the elevator. This was also the first time we chose early seating for dining. There were no more anytime dining spots available so early seating was our second choice. ... Another first for us.

 

EMBARKATION: We arrived at the port at 12:30 pm. It was a little later that we had intended but it worked out perfect. Within 30 minutes we were dropping off carry-ons and getting acquainted with our room, then to Lido for lunch. We seriously thought about faster to the fun but I am glad I did not pay the 50.00. Our room was ready for us when we arrived, and our luggage was in our room before muster drill. This is our third boarding in NOLA and it has always been very smooth and efficient.

 

OUR ROOM: Initially, I was very happy with our assignment. I could walk just a few feet to the elevator and hop 2 floors and be right in the lobby to our dining room. Just 3 floors up on the elevator was the Promenade.... Where I could take a short walk and be at my favorite hangout... The coffee shop and windows looking out at the sea. BLISS!! Being central to my favorite areas was perfect... As I have had 2 knee surgeries in the past 13 months and it is very painful to walk at times. The down side to our room location was the noise level. There was a lot of traffic. There was also some construction going on. About 8 am every morning there seemed to be a jackhammer running on the side of the ship. This would continue all through the day. There were workers all over the ship doing the same thing. They seemed to be removing old paint and rust. So it was hard to escape the noise and it made it hard to relax. We did find sanctuary in the windows in the Cole Porter Lounge. We would sit there and prop our feet in the windows and watch the ocean roll by. I can appreciate the fact that work must be constantly done to keep her sea-worthy... But I wondered if they were getting a head start on the dry dock festivities. Will I book another guarantee room? Not if I can help it. But I can't swear that I wouldn't. I would have traded walking a little more in exchange for some peace and quiet.

 

More to come on dining experience, service, entertainment, and what we were told to expect from dry dock (oh yea... I asked lol)

 

If someone can explain to me how to post pics on here I will gladly share some.

 

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

Thanks for posting about your cruise. Sorry your room location wasn't the best. I hope your vacation was wonderful anyway!

[mandakate42]

Leaving on her November 1st!!! Can't wait to hear about your experience!

[Msbabynurse]

Thanks for posting about your cruise. Sorry your room location wasn't the best. I hope your vacation was wonderful anyway!

 

 

It was absolutely wonderful despite the room and noise. I did sleep well once the noise settled down. My daughter, however, didn't seem to notice. She is 23 with an 8 week old. After being up every three hours with a new baby, she could sleep through a hurricane!

 

 

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[Msbabynurse]

Leaving on her November 1st!!! Can't wait to hear about your experience!

 

 

Yay!! You will have to let us know how it goes. I am quite fond of the Elation. She was my first... And my favorite.

 

 

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[Msbabynurse]

DINING .. And food in general: As I said earlier, we had early seating. This was my first time to do anything by my time dining. We were seated with 4 other people. Another mother-daughter pair and a grandmother-granddaughter pair. The grandmother pair did not show up for the first 2 nights. The first night, on embarkation day, is when we met the other mother/daughter pair. It was a little odd for us. The daughter was half naked (meaning spaghetti strap tank, no bra and shorts) and wore a baseball cap at the table. She was quite demanding of our waiters and was what I call "nit picky". It was very hard to "bond" with them because they just seemed so stoic and private.... Like they'd didn't want a group table maybe? Well we just tried to make the best of it, hoped they would, warm up in the coming days, and hoped that maybe she just forgot her bra.

 

I remembered our head waiter from our last cruise. His name is Wika. He is so precious and has a true servants heart. A true professional. After our dinner companions left, he sensed the uneasiness at our table and apologetically stated that he must have done something wrong or offended the other 2 ladies. We both assured him that his service was impeccable and that he did nothing wrong. We loved him so much that on the first night we considered asking for a change in seating, but we decided that we would tolerate our company in order to keep Wika.

 

The second night was much the same, if not worse. The ladies were ....cold. They just wouldn't warm up. We tried starting conversations and they would answer but it was like pulling chicken teeth (as my grandmother would say... Have you ever tried to pull a tooth from a chicken?).

 

The third night was much better. They didn't come to the dining room that night. The grandmother and granddaughter did, however. We bonded immediately. They were very appropriate in dress, manners, and were very friendly. They were a joy to be around. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and the evening flew by. We traded cruise secrets and stories and talked about family.

 

The fourth night everyone showed up. We continued our bond with the grandmother couple while the other 2 just sat there.

 

The fifth and final night we finally got everybody involved in conversation. They 2 that were not very talkative finally seemed to loosen up. They began asking us questions about what itinerary to take next and other cruising questions.

 

And I just want to say that our wait team handled the awkward situation at our table with elegance.

 

The food.... Well it was marvelous. The only hiccup we had was when I ordered a fish dish. The fish was too strong for my liking (redfish.. Admittedly I don't know much about fish) and Wika was quick to offer another menu selection. And the chocolate melting cake was awsome!! I even managed to get the rest of my table addicted.

 

 

More to come.

 

 

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[WLHyatt]

What is interesting is they must be doing a crew trip to Cozumel. I see them in Cozumel today when it comes to their AIS data.

 

They must be taking crew and contractors for a day off before heading to Freeport.

[taccfish]

I thought dry dock was not scheduled until 9/25.

[Msbabynurse]

What is interesting is they must be doing a crew trip to Cozumel. I see them in Cozumel today when it comes to their AIS data.

 

They must be taking crew and contractors for a day off before heading to Freeport.

 

 

I noticed the exact same thing today. The barista in the coffee shop told me that some were staying on board during dry dock and others were leaving. Everyone I talked to said they were staying. They said it was too much trouble to move around.

 

 

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[Lydia B.]

I was hoping for more about the review. Am I missing something or did it just stop? Thanks Lydia of Ohio

[Muumuu]

It was absolutely wonderful despite the room and noise. I did sleep well once the noise settled down. My daughter, however, didn't seem to notice. She is 23 with an 8 week old. After being up every three hours with a new baby, she could sleep through a hurricane!

 

 

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Was your 23 year old on this cruise with you and with the 8 week old?

[Stacy_C]

OP - How would choosing your own cabin help you avoid the noise on the ship?