Going from 2nd largest ship in world to Carnival Elation- will I be disappointed?

[Joebucks]

Depends what you are looking for. I don't need the big ships, but I do wish there was a little more on the smaller ships.

[scpirate]

I'm no carnival cheerleader ,just the opposite .i see lots of things wrong with the product.i sail carnival because my wife likes it so every other cruise is carnival.you will probably be disappointed if you want activities.it will be more relaxed.from what I gather most carnival cruisers are into heavy drinking and the casino.i sail for the ports the ships all seem the same after a while .all you can do is try it and make your own decision.because honestly this is the wrong place for a carnival versus rcl because.carnival will always win here.good luck

[Schoifmom]

14 hours ago, scpirate said:

I'm no carnival cheerleader ,just the opposite .i see lots of things wrong with the product.i sail carnival because my wife likes it so every other cruise is carnival.you will probably be disappointed if you want activities.it will be more relaxed.from what I gather most carnival cruisers are into heavy drinking and the casino.i sail for the ports the ships all seem the same after a while .all you can do is try it and make your own decision.because honestly this is the wrong place for a carnival versus rcl because.carnival will always win here.good luck

 

I'm not sure that this is a "carnival versus rcl" question, but a giant ship vs. small ship question.  

[martini_guy]

15 hours ago, scpirate said:

.i sail carnival because my wife likes it so every other cruise is carnival. from what I gather most carnival cruisers are into heavy drinking and the casino.

Almost feels like a shot at your own wife. 

 

In reality, most Carnival cruisers are not into heavy drinking and the casino. Besides, it's a vacation when most people that drink are going to drink more than usual.

Edited November 30, 2018 by martini_guy

[jsglow]

If my choice were the largest RCL ship afloat vs. a StarClipper sailing vessel I'd take the latter every day and twice on Sunday.  It's all what one wants out of their ship. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

17 hours ago, scpirate said:

from what I gather most carnival cruisers are into heavy drinking and the casino.

 

Wait, I think I have a broader brush you can use...  plus you forgot to mention Wal-mart.

 

 

Yes, I drink when I cruise.  A fair bit more than home, but that is mostly because I don't get to have a drink at breakfast or lunch or 2pm during the week while I work, and I don't get to sleep in after a late night for that same "work" reason.

 

I would say that most Carnival cruisers don't use the casino regularly - the place isn't big enough to hold a rotating useful portion of the thousands of people on board.  I don't use it - but I don't gamble, period - I am a lousy gambler, and all I do is give my money away too quickly and get no satisfaction from it.  But that's me, not judging anyone else!

 

(Were you so annoyed at having to take another Carnival cruise that you typed so hard/fast that your punctuation and white spacing got all balled up?  Dang that's hard to read!)

[Otowncruiser]

We just did the same cruise this Thanksgiving but on the Sunshine.   We enjoyed the cruise and these ports very much.  Have never been on the Elation which I don't believe has as many bells and whistles as the  Sunshine.   As previously stated if you manage your expectations you will still have a great time.

[brookeq]

We sailed on the breeze with our kids a few years ago since it was a newer ship with more features.  Everyone had a great time.  This year We did a last minute cruise just my husband and I on a smaller/older ship.  We had a great trip.  We spent a lot of time on the serenity deck just relaxing.  We had late dining.  We enjoyed just checking out the different evening entertainment options.  Some were good, some were just ok.  But there was always something to.    I don't think our kids would have loved the old ship.  But we as adults were just fine.   We stopped at Amber Cove and Grand  Turk.  We did 27 waterfalls tour in amber cove.  Our kids would not have been able to do that excursion.  And we always enjoy a stop in Grand Turk.   We were also lucky enough to go to Half Moon Cay.   I think you will probably compare the ship.  That is normal.    But you can still have a good time. 

 

You mentioned food.. what we enjoy most about carnival is the different options for lunch.  I never like the buffet too much on cruises.  So I like having the option of blue iguana and guys burgers.  The elation is missing the pizza and other fun stations.  But at least you have a few other options.  We also enjoy the sea day brunch.   

 

 

[sanmarcosman]

2 hours ago, brookeq said:

The elation is missing the pizza and other fun stations.  

No, all Carnival ships have 24/7 pizza. The pizza outlets go by different names but they all have pizza. On Carnival Elation it goes by Pizza Pirate.

[shdixon]

I have been on allure and utilized very few of its amenities. Grand ship but wasted on me. Took a smaller ship for the next cruise and had no issues. My next cruise doesnt have a steakhouse so that may be the only thing I miss 

[Treyatl2006]

It really depends on you... Everyone is going to have different opinions. Some people love fantasy class ships like the Elation and despise the mega ships. Some people like all the bells in whistles.

 

Unfortunately for you.. You decided to take your 1st cruise on one of the biggest ships. So any ship afterwards may seem underwhelming. Sometimes is good to work your way up and that will give you something to look forward to.

 

Me personally... I would enjoy any of Carnival or RCL ships. I've been on Elation and had a great time. I been on larger and newer ships and also had a great time. I going on the Fantasy next month and I'm sure I will have a great time because I adjusted my expectations, know what to expect, going to relax and enjoy new adventures and etc. But that's just me. I know people who have gotten used to Carnivals newer ships and would not enjoy the Elation.

[TheTravelista]

Im sure you already know the answer to your question lol. Yes, I believe you will be disappointed. With new cruisers, it’s really best to start small and work your way up to the bigger ships because going the opposite direction really can mess with you.

 

It would be very different if you didn’t like Allure and thought it was too big or too crowded, or that all the amenities were a waste. I swore off Carnival Fantasy class ships over a decade ago and wouldn’t sail one for free. Going on Elation after loving the Allure is begging for disappointment, IMHO. 

[momof3cruisers]

I agree with managing expectations and knowing what you are going into. Shows are NOT going to hold a candle to the main shows on Allure, but Carnival has several comedy shows throughout the week and on the smaller ships, getting a seat is very easy. The crew IMO tend to be more personal on smaller ships too. The pool area is much smaller, but there are several thousand less people on the ship too. 

 

We we like trivia games etc and always have found an adequate selection of those types of activities on every ship we have sailed on regardless of the line. 

 

We think Amber Cove is great. The people of the DR are very warm and welcoming whether you leave the port area or stay right there. The pool area is extensive and free, nice shopping and good bar staff. If you decide to go on an adventure there is a wide variety of things to do. We have done the Puerto Plata tour, friends did one of the short tours and then to a beach excursion, talked to a couple on board who hired a taxi driver to give them a private afternoon tour. All had a very nice time. I think our next trip we are going to do the chocolate farm excursion.

 

In my world, any cruise is a good cruise.

[Beth C]

On 11/29/2018 at 9:06 AM, Schoifmom said:

I still would argue that it's all about expectation management.  Research the ship, know what to expect of the cabins and amenities.  Since you say that this cruise is more about relaxation, I think you will be fine.  Enjoy the Serenity deck, go to a comedy show, have a little fun in the casino.  

I agree as well about the expectation management.  I did the Oasis Inaugural cruise as my first time ever on a ship followed by Grandeur of the Seas - a life boat in comparison.  Went into the Grandeur cruise knowing it didn't have all the bells and whistles of the Oasis but did find myself comparing the 2 ships constantly... that said it was still a great vacation escape 🙂

[boomhower]

I cruised the Elation twice this year and loved it.  You just have to understand what you are getting.  There is not near as much to do as there is on the theme parks at sea.  Most of my days is spent people watching with a cold drink.  Outside of Lido parties/events and evening shows there isn't a ton to do.  They have trivia like most ships and the art crap no one cares about.  It's a small ship with limited entertainment.  But it's also a five day cruise with only two sea days.  Sleep in and do the sea day brunch.  Hit the lido for some cold drinks and people watching.  Latish lunch, hang the lido for a bit longer and then dinner and shows.   Close the night out with the comedy club and pizza.  Just know what you are getting and you will be fine.  The CD and crew are wonderful. 

[Pratique]

I read all of the comments saying to manage expectations and I wonder why that is even necessary. Unless you are cost conscious and the big ships are priced out of your budget, why should you spend money on a cruise and limit your options while also managing expectations? Honest question. The biggest restriction with the large ships are the ports. If that is important to you then a different ship is required.

 

We always sail the Oasis class ships and do as much or as little as we feel like doing. We debated whether to try a smaller ship and decided it wasn't worth it to us. It's better to have options for entertainment, dining, and activities and not to use them then to not have those options and be confined to a smaller, older ship, not to mention that the ride tends to be smoother on the big, wide ships.

[Cruisegirl6]

I am in the very same situation....the past 3 years we taken 3 cruises on the Oasis, one on the Allure and one on the Harmony.  We had credit with carnival that we would loose by March, 2019, so we decided to use up the credits and go locally on the Elation which is only a 30 minute drive time from our house.  I am debating whether to cancel this cruise and just take a loss but since this cruise on February 2, 5 night is incredibly inexpensive, my daughter and her b/f and my father in law booked her up along with my sister/brother in law will be booking this week, so we can't bail out now.

 

From my experience.....yes, it will be disappointing for me, although we don't do the shows and rock climbing and all those other things, what we will miss is the abundant assortment of places to eat/get food on the ship.  We know the only thing to eat after 11pm is pizza and by the way, you will wait on lines and wait a long time to get a slice of pizza, because Carnival doesn't continuously make the pizzas like RC does, they make one or two at a time, hand the slices out then they make 2 more pies, and they aren't as large as RC pizza pies...so they serve less, and you always have to wait awhile for the pizza.  We will terribly miss all the other late night food options that we get on RC.

 

Another thing that bothers us, not that we drink alot, but many of the drinks are served in smaller glasses than RC and Carnival limits you to 15 max alcoholic drinks a day, where RC is unlimited (but larger glasses)....my father in law drinks grey goose and tonic so that drink be half the size of what he gets on RC so its possible that he will get to his 15th drink, maybe not but possible.

 

Another thing we will miss dearly, Carnival offers us our most favorite specialty restaurant.  We only dine at specialty restaurants but the Elation does not have one, which will mean we will loose the added pounds the holidays will add onto us lol.  She also offers the least desirable lunch buffets, the smaller ships you get less quality and less assortment than the larger Carnival ships.   The Elation also doesn't have the wonderful Alchemy bar we will miss that too, so as you can see, we are with you OP, but we are going because any cruise is better than no cruise and this ship is so inexpensive, HAVE A GREAT TIME!  

 

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by Cruisegirl6

[Lottacruises]

Depends on you, I would be happier on the smaller ship.