One Week Until We Sail....A few Questions Elation/Jacksonville

[cruisenovice2017]

We sail out 4/22-4/27 on the Elation. This will be our first cruise and I'm looking for tips/hacks/advice. How is the check in/embarkation process in Jacksonville (our window is 1-1:30)? I guess I may bite the bullet and park at the port, but how is the lot that is across the street? We are going a la carte on the drinks, but how is the beer from the self-serve station? Will deck chairs be a hassle to get? We have any time dining, what is the best time to go? Is the casino really, really smoky? Any other helpful tidbits would be greatly appreciated!

[BoDidly]

Embarkation process in Jacksonville is rather smooth if your parking there. Deck chairs are a hassle on any ship. :').

 

Smoke is a major problem , always.

 

Any time dining should be a good choice if you go early. Just to add the Elation is one of the dirtiest ships I have ever been on , the staff just don't seem upbeat and could care less . Lido tables were left uncleaned and when they did clean if you requested it ,food was still left on the tables.

[tef43]

Out of all the ports in FL, Jaxport is probably the worst for embarkation.

 

If I recall, and it's been a number of years, the onsite parking was $15/day. It's probably more now.

[KPfromCT]

Embarkation process in Jacksonville is rather smooth if your parking there. Deck chairs are a hassle on any ship. :').

 

Smoke is a major problem , always.

 

Any time dining should be a good choice if you go early. Just to add the Elation is one of the dirtiest ships I have ever been on , the staff just don't seem upbeat and could care less . Lido tables were left uncleaned and when they did clean if you requested it ,food was still left on the tables.

 

Out of all the ports in FL, Jaxport is probably the worst for embarkation.

 

If I recall, and it's been a number of years, the onsite parking was $15/day. It's probably more now.

 

Wow!!!!! I bet these two posts are getting the OP really excited for her FIRST cruise!:'):')

[pcvtmom]

We were on the Elation in January. Although a small ship, it was very well maintained. See the linked article! I can't address beer from the beer station, but chairs were widely available on the deck above the Serenity, aft. Our embarkation was fine...no better or worse than any other port.

 

https://carnival-news.com/2017/03/22/carnival-elation-earns-second-consecutive-100-u-s-p-h-inspection-score/

[Essiesmom]

Out of all the ports in FL, Jaxport is probably the worst for embarkation.

 

If I recall, and it's been a number of years, the onsite parking was $15/day. It's probably more now.

 

 

Hmmm...I've always found JAX to be easy for embarkation. I always park at the port. You don't have to wait for a shuttle to get to your car, or get from the parking area to the port. A year ago it was still $15/day. Have your boarding pass handy to get into the gate of the port. EM

[obx_fintoo]

We sail out 4/22-4/27 on the Elation. This will be our first cruise and I'm looking for tips/hacks/advice. How is the check in/embarkation process in Jacksonville (our window is 1-1:30)? I guess I may bite the bullet and park at the port, but how is the lot that is across the street? We are going a la carte on the drinks, but how is the beer from the self-serve station? Will deck chairs be a hassle to get? We have any time dining, what is the best time to go? Is the casino really, really smoky? Any other helpful tidbits would be greatly appreciated!

 

Hey there! We were on the Elation in December and are on this same cruise with you. Think I saw you on the Roll Call. Here's my take:

 

I've always thought they do a good job with check-in at Jacksonville. I haven't done the staggered check in and we are Platinum so that skews it a bit. I would suggest getting there a few minutes before 1, then just go with the flow. We always park at the pier. It's nice to have the car right there when we get off as it's an almost 9 hour drive back home. Parking is easy and secure.

 

I haven't used the self-serve beer stations, but chatted with several folks who did and they loved them. I remember seeing one with Heineken and I believe the other was Bud Light, but it's possible that changes now and then. You can buy four beers in a bucket for a slightly cheaper fee on the lido deck bars. You can mix and match them if you want, 2 Buds and 2 Miller Lites for example. They are served in 16oz aluminum bottles with the lids and you can always take these back to the room and save them for later. Your room steward will fill this bucket with ice each day as well.

 

Deck chairs will be available. If you want to be close to the pool on the sea days, you may need to get there a little early. If you don't need to be close, then the next deck up (deck 11) usually has lots of chairs. Especially on port days if you stay on the ship.

 

We do anytime dining and usually go early, by 6pm at the latest. We have never had to wait to be seated.

 

The casino is smoky but the best bet is to look for tables or slots that are non-smoking. They are scattered around and there will be smoking areas near them, but it does lessen the full-force of the smoke.

 

As far as cleanliness, I personally did not see the dirty tables and think it's probably a crew by crew basis.

 

Other tips: check the Fun Times the night before for things you might want to do the next day. If you get the HUB app on your phone you can even set a reminder that something is coming up. (ie: bingo, trivia, a show, a class, etc) Do things you like or think you'd like to try. Don't try to do it all! Have fun and hope you guys enjoy your first cruise!

[Jamman54]

We have cruised out of Jaxport quite a few times on the Celebration and Fascination, and we find that it's probably the easiest of all the Florida homeports. We will be back at Jaxport in October to sail on the Elation for the first time. :)

[elainmir]

We've been out of Jax twice and parking is right there and easy to get to. Jax is one of the easiest for embarkation. Very fluid movement and the staff in the pre-boarding area know what they are doing. The Elation is just an older and smaller ship but guess what? You may be like me and find you prefer that over the newest and greatest! Casinos are smoky no matter what ship you are on! And I look at it like this...YOU ARE ON A CRUISE..not at work or doing the daily grind...relax and find cool places on the ship and do things YOU want to do! I hope your cruise is a blast!

[First and Ten]

The Elation is a GREAT ship. We had a blast on her when we sailed. Food is really good, always something going on and shows we're great. Parking cost around $75 for the 5 night cruise. Embarkation was a breeze, especially between 1-130. The herd has already cleared out. Don't listen to the snobs who only sail "bigger/newer". You will have a great time [emoji106]

 

 

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[the nurse]

We cruised out of Jacksonville this past January. We parked in the lot across the street and felt very comfortable with leaving our car there. They have two shuttles that take you over to the terminal. I think we had to wait for 1 group ahead of us. I would suggest that you make your reservation on line.

[cb at sea]

Rarely is there a need to be in the 1st row of seats next to the pool...it's noisy and crowded right around the pool. Go up one deck...more space, and plenty of loungers! Not a huge deal to hit the pool when you get hot!

[elklemi]

Was on Elation April 3-8 and I really liked the open areas on Deck 11 since no waterworks thing there. Ship was clean and friendliest staff of any cruise I have been on. I went by the casino several times and thought there was less smoke than other cruises but may have been because there seemed to be less people in the casino than I usually see. Jacksonville seems to be more organized than FLL or Miami and I really enjoyed this ship.

[AFuncruiser]

We cruise on the Elation several times a year and other cruise ships several times a year. We will be on the Elation May 1st.

We enjoy the Elation for what it is an inexpensive get away. If this is your first cruise and you have a good attitude I predict you will be in the majority and you will have a great time.

 

Dennis

Jacksonville, Fl

 

 

 

629 days at sea

71 cruises

14 cruise lines

T/P, T/A, Hawaii,Central & South America, New Zealand & South Pacific, Rio/ Amazon,Alaska

[dcrobin]

We sailed on Elation out of Jax. Super easy to get to the port, park and board the ship. It was smooth going through the check in area, and getting on board. Everyone was nice and friendly.

 

 

We don't use the casinos much, but they are ALL smoky, no matter the ship.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise. It will be fun! Try new things, try new foods, meet new people.

[JohnSpo]

I'll be on this cruise with you. Also doing Your Time Dining. I'll give the beer machine a try. Hopefully they have Heineken. Give the Taste Bar a try for some small appetizers before dinner. The deli is really good and is open late. I look forward to going to Half Moon Cay. That will be a nice port day. I will do a snorkeling day in Freeport at Paradise Cove. It is $40.00 including transportation and snorkel equipment or just lounge around the beach for $33.00. In Nassau, I will take the 15 minute walk to Junkanoo Beach for some good drink&beer&food deals. The beaches in the Bahamas are nice but are a little dirty with garbage so you may want to bring water shoes to protect your feet. Enjoy your first cruise and enjoy Elation.

 

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[elklemi]

The self service beer April 3-8 was Heineken and Red Frog lager

[Mawamw]

How much are the self serve beers? And are they clean taps?

 

Thanks

[hrmkr]

We cruised out of Jacksonville this past January. We parked in the lot across the street and felt very comfortable with leaving our car there. They have two shuttles that take you over to the terminal. I think we had to wait for 1 group ahead of us. I would suggest that you make your reservation on line.

 

Hello,

 

What was the name of the place where you parked across the street? Did you have to leave your keys? Do you remember how much it was per day?

 

thanks

[Moonlighting]

The self service beer April 3-8 was Heineken and Red Frog lager

Do you swipe your card and get a draft? Is it nice and cold? I would love to know price also.

[jgcarolina]

Do you swipe your card and get a draft? Is it nice and cold? I would love to know price also.

The cost depends on what you pour, like at the gas pump. The cost for the red frog draft was about $4 for 16 oz. You swipe your sail and sign card. Not sure if I poured correctly but I found it difficult to get a beer without too much foam.

[Moonlighting]

Was on Elation April 3-8 and I really liked the open areas on Deck 11 since no waterworks thing there. Ship was clean and friendliest staff of any cruise I have been on. I went by the casino several times and thought there was less smoke than other cruises but may have been because there seemed to be less people in the casino than I usually see. Jacksonville seems to be more organized than FLL or Miami and I really enjoyed this ship.

 

Did you have to wait until 1:30 to get on? We got a phone call for this coming Saturday we have to wait