Is Elation really that bad?

[splash_in_the_water]

Elation was our first. a smaller ship indeed but we've found that's not so bad. The food will be pretty good, there will be enough activities, and you said you like the itinerary , so just go!

[Joebucks]

While I've never been on the Elation, I was on two other Fantasy class ships last year. Of course the internet is going to rip these ships apart, especially when Oasis class ships exist. 

 

The truth is, these ships far exceeded my expectations. We had a great vacation both times for a price that couldn't be beat. With that said, I'm going to be be giving that class a little break. I do prefer having some more options on the ship.

[Jamman54]

Even after 50 Carnival cruises we still enjoy the Fantasy Class ships from time to time. We have been on the Elation twice and the Paradise since their dry docks, and loved how they upgraded the cabins and the ship itself. Sure the newer and bigger ships have more bells and whistles, but for the most part those bells and whistles don't interest us. The Fantasy Class is perfect for the shorter Bahamas and Western Caribbean runs. When you tender into HMC or Grand Cayman, would you rather tender in with 2,400 fellow passengers or 4,500 or more that the bigger ships carry?

 

BTW, I have reviews with pictures of both the post dry dock Elation and Paradise in my signature.

Edited January 15, 2019 by Jamman54

[ProgRockCruiser]

So as noted the Elation doesn't have an Alchemy Bar.  Too bad, we like Alchemy, but this will "force" us to drink elsewhere, break our habits.

 

But Elation does have the Gatsby's Great Bar.  I was on Elation a bazillion years ago, and vaguely remember nothing useful.  

 

What is Gatsby's like?

 

Also, the Piano Bar doesn't seem to have an actual bar (the Liberty has this same bizarre shortfall).  From where do you typically get your drinks?  Up/down a level?

[evandbob]

I stopped sailing Fantasy class ships a dozen years ago because they were old back then.  "Nuff said, not my preference when I can sail Dream and Vista class ships.

 

As always, YMMV.

[millshe]

We sailed on the Elation last February and the ship and staff were fine.  We had previously said on the Magic so while it was smaller, it was a great cruise at a great price and we had no issues other than rough seas the first two days. 

[h_blond2]

It is an older, smaller ship, but I have cruised on it 6 times and never had a bad time! The only thing that I like about the newer ships compared to the Fantasy class ships is the movie screen on the Lido Deck.

[CorgiCruiser123]

Sailed on Elation last June out of Jacksonville.  First time cruising in awhile.  We loved it!

 

True, the piano bar doesn't have an actual bar there; but they do have waiters walking around that will get you a drink from the kitchen.  The piano bar was one of our favorite parts! Great way to end the evening.

 

Sailing Magic next June - looking forward to that too!

[cruiserbrianj]

We have been on the Elation several times and will be on her again in May.  I don't have any complaints and I'm not sure what everyone says is so bad with her.  Sure, there's no Steakhouse or dive in movies but overall the food across the Carnival ships is consistent.  Guys and Blue Iguana are fantastic.  Smaller ship = less crowded.  As previously mentioned, no Alchemy Bar but hey, nothing is perfect.  I say go for it and don't be scared off.

[ErickW]

My family has cruised Elation the last two years for spring break and loved it.  My wife and I have been on bigger conquest class ships in the past, but honestly I would take the Elation any day over those.  The ship is just the right size to give our kids some freedom, but not so big where we felt we needed to monitor their every move.  The staff was great and with the smaller size you tend to see more of the same people consistently, this made for a more personal experience.

Edited January 16, 2019 by ErickW

[xDisconnections]

If your only previous cruise experience is from the Allure, you will be extremely disappointed regardless of what the Carnival fans on this board will suggest.

[Cruisegirl6]

If you go on the Elation expecting what you actually will get or shall I say what you won't get it be a good cruise.  I have been on many Oasis class ships as well as other cruise lines mega ships and keep coming back to the smaller ships every now and then, knowing what to expect, I can honestly say I never had a bad cruise.

[gotscrapz]

It wasn't great when I sailed her 12 years ago that's for sure, and we are fancy lol.... But by unleashed been overhauled since then so hopefully better now. But if she's the prices and itinerary that works for you, I believe attitude makes at leAst half of the trip!

[Tapi]

33 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

If your only previous cruise experience is from the Allure, you will be extremely disappointed regardless of what the Carnival fans on this board will suggest.

I humbly believe that people that overhype these older Fantasy class ships do others (specially cruisers like the OP) a big disservice because they paint an unrealistic picture about what these ships are really like. 

 

With that said, I don’t believe that the OP will be “extremely disappointed”. If they go in the correct state of mind, with realistic expectations, and understand that it will be a completely different experience than the Allure, I believe that they can enjoy it.

 

I always remember when we sailed on a last minute cheapie 4 night cruise on the (retired) Holiday out of Mobile when I had just moved to Atlanta. Even though we were looking forward to a few days at sea, I told my wife to get ready for the worst cruise of her life, aboard an old and small ship. I remember driving up to the port of Mobile and right off the bat telling myself “well it doesn’t look as bad as I expected”. Long story short, we had set our expectations so low that everything about that cruise exceeded our expectations. We had an absolutely fantastic time, met wonderful cruise mates, and laughed like we haven’t laughed in a long time. To this day, that little 4 night cruise holds a very special place in my cruise memories and I place it at the top of all the cruises I’ve ever taken. 

 

So to the OP,  go in the right state of mind and enjoy! 

[gotscrapz]

28 minutes ago, gotscrapz said:

It wasn't great when I sailed her 12 years ago that's for sure, and we aren't fancy lol.... But by unleashed been overhauled since then so hopefully better now. But if she's the prices and itinerary that works for you, I believe attitude makes at leAst half of the trip!

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by gotscrapz
Aren't fancy _ correction

[xDisconnections]

17 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I humbly believe that people that overhype these older Fantasy class ships do others (specially cruisers like the OP) a big disservice because they paint an unrealistic picture about what these ships are really like. 

 

With that said, I don’t believe that the OP will be “extremely disappointed”. If they go in the correct state of mind, with realistic expectations, and understand that it will be a completely different experience than the Allure, I believe that they can enjoy it.

 

I always remember when we sailed on a last minute cheapie 4 night cruise on the (retired) Holiday out of Mobile when I had just moved to Atlanta. Even though we were looking forward to a few days at sea, I told my wife to get ready for the worst cruise of her life, aboard an old and small ship. I remember driving up to the port of Mobile and right off the bat telling myself “well it doesn’t look as bad as I expected”. Long story short, we had set our expectations so low that everything about that cruise exceeded our expectations. We had an absolutely fantastic time, met wonderful cruise mates, and laughed like we haven’t laughed in a long time. To this day, that little 4 night cruise holds a very special place in my cruise memories and I place it at the top of all the cruises I’ve ever taken. 

 

So to the OP,  go in the right state of mind and enjoy! 

When you’re right, you’re right. OP just needs to adjust his expectations but in the end, he may find himself comparing to the Allure throughout the cruise.

 

Me, personally, I’ve set my expectations to zero for my upcoming Carnival Victory cruise which is rather unfortunate as I’ve had many enjoyable sailings with Carnival in the past.

[Tapi]

17 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

When you’re right, you’re right.

 

Me, personally, I’ve set my expectations to zero for my upcoming Carnival Victory cruise 

Thanks.

 

Dang, at zero?? You’re bound to have the time of you’re life! 😂

[xDisconnections]

2 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Thanks.

 

Dang, at zero?? You’re bound to have the time of you’re life! 😂

Just hoping to make it back without a repeat of the Triumph or Splendor 😉

 

I am, however, very much looking forward to returning back to Royal and there’s no question I’m excited with high expectations for my Princess cruise to Antarctica 🙂

[Tapi]

53 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

I am, however, very much looking forward to returning back to Royal and there’s no question I’m excited with high expectations for my Princess cruise to Antarctica 🙂

That princess cruise sounds pretty awesome. Enjoy! 

[KyCruiseLady]

We were on the Elation in October. We have previously been on the Glory and Liberty. We were happy with the layout and such, enjoyed our itinerary, but the smaller ship did rock more.  The biggest issue was service.  We felt room stewards as well as overall cleanliness and repair were subpar. 

[Joebucks]

10 hours ago, Tapi said:

I humbly believe that people that overhype these older Fantasy class ships do others (specially cruisers like the OP) a big disservice because they paint an unrealistic picture about what these ships are really like. 

 

With that said, I don’t believe that the OP will be “extremely disappointed”. If they go in the correct state of mind, with realistic expectations, and understand that it will be a completely different experience than the Allure, I believe that they can enjoy it.

 

I always remember when we sailed on a last minute cheapie 4 night cruise on the (retired) Holiday out of Mobile when I had just moved to Atlanta. Even though we were looking forward to a few days at sea, I told my wife to get ready for the worst cruise of her life, aboard an old and small ship. I remember driving up to the port of Mobile and right off the bat telling myself “well it doesn’t look as bad as I expected”. Long story short, we had set our expectations so low that everything about that cruise exceeded our expectations. We had an absolutely fantastic time, met wonderful cruise mates, and laughed like we haven’t laughed in a long time. To this day, that little 4 night cruise holds a very special place in my cruise memories and I place it at the top of all the cruises I’ve ever taken. 

 

So to the OP,  go in the right state of mind and enjoy! 

 

When I first started cruising, the last thing in the world I wanted to do was cruise on the older, smaller, ships. Nothing about that sounded appealing to me. I avoided them like the plague, until I saw an amazing deal on the Fascination, which I watched because of its unique itinerary. We said we would give it a chance. How bad could it be with all these ports? We love ports. When we walked on the ship, we immediately thought this wasn't going to be a good trip. As it turns out, it was one of my favorite vacations ever. 

 

With that said, it is not my favorite class of ship. It does not mean I wouldn't have a great time on it.

[17andacruiseaddict]

The Elation compared to the Allure....

 

I personally think this is a daring leap and wouldn't take that jump myself. I've done Royal and Carnival (but mostly Carnival), and I only like Carnival's newer ships. But that's just my taste.

 

Don't go in expecting the Allure and all it has to offer. This ship is much older and much smaller. Doesn't even have all the bells, whistles, and space as Carnival's biggest ships. I would say, go in with the mindset that you don't know anything about cruising. Look at it as if this were your first cruise ever so you aren't setting the bar anywhere because you don't know what to expect.

 

On the plus side, with really small ships, the crew can be more attentive to you. Also, it's a short cruise so it's a good thing you're going on a smaller ship so you can see/do everything the ship has to offer as opposed to a short cruise on a mega ship, you'd miss out on a lot because there just isn't enough time to cover all the space. And hey, it's a cruise! If I had the option between Elation and no cruise, I would definitely pick the Elation.

 

Now that I think about it, that is exactly my current situation (cruise or no cruise), and I'd rather be on the Elation in the sun with a tropical fruity drink in my hand without a care in the world lol

[ChattaCruzer]

I sailed on the Elation in January 2018 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been on much bigger ships - Allure, Oasis, Freedom of the Seas, and Carnival Dream - but don't always need all the bells and whistles they offer. If you like the itinerary and the timing and price work for you, book the cruise. 

[LMBB]

I was on the Elation last February and I'm doing the exact same itinerary (even staying in the same room) in a month. I thought the renovations on Elation were great. Much nicer than the other fantasy class ships I've been on in the last few years (Imagination and Ecstasy). I do miss the outdoor movies and I don't love Jaxport (my cruise last year was delayed several hours due to fog but I certainly don't hold carnival responsible for that). Otherwise, I really enjoyed my cruise. I'm not fussy at all, don't let much bother me, and have occasionally been accused of being too cheerful. The only thing I really care about on vacation is getting good sleep. The beds are soft, the room was dark and quiet, and thanks to the overhaul had several USB outlets for phone charging AND an in-room beverage cooler. I was a happy cruiser.

[Cruisegirl6]

Is it true they got new thermostats in the room, was the room cool at night?  I find the rooms in all the ships to be on the warm side at night even on the coolest setting.