Is Elation really that bad?

[LMBB]

There was a brand new thermostat in my room and I was chilly a couple of nights. It worked very well! Can’t speak for every room of course, YMMV

[Cruisegirl6]

What type of room did you have and thank you.

[Jamman54]

We had a new thermostat. The room was plenty cool. We were in U181 which is an outside cabin.

 

[LMBB]

My thermostat looked exactly the same and I was in an interior

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you!  

[queenpailhead]

Man yall have given me even more to think about. For the 2 port days I'm not concerned but 2 sea days makes me more concerned. I can lay by a pool for a while but my DH is a "wants to do stuff" kind of man. I see mini golf and the casino but are there lots of onboard activities? We can of course hit some shows in the evenings, but on our other cruise there were trivia games, he played volleyball, etc. 

 

We love good food. We're not super fancy but food is definitely a concern. I'm a little wary hearing that the food isn't great or even good. I do like that Guy's and Blue Iguana are included. But if the food is outright bad that makes me nervous.

[ray98]

On 1/15/2019 at 9:49 PM, 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 don't agree with that.  I started with newer ships before eventually booking a Fantasy class.  I went into it knowing she ship would be missing some of the wow factor.  I ended up really enjoying it and everyone after, it is a more simple experience for me that I enjoy.

 

The key is not expecting a mega ship and enjoy the experience provided.

Edited January 17, 2019 by ray98

[Schoifmom]

36 minutes ago, queenpailhead said:

Man yall have given me even more to think about. For the 2 port days I'm not concerned but 2 sea days makes me more concerned. I can lay by a pool for a while but my DH is a "wants to do stuff" kind of man. I see mini golf and the casino but are there lots of onboard activities? We can of course hit some shows in the evenings, but on our other cruise there were trivia games, he played volleyball, etc. 

 

We love good food. We're not super fancy but food is definitely a concern. I'm a little wary hearing that the food isn't great or even good. I do like that Guy's and Blue Iguana are included. But if the food is outright bad that makes me nervous.

 

There will be trivia, casino will be open, hairy chest contest, and all other kinds of things going on on sea days.  He won't have any trouble being entertained, unless he doesn't want to be.  

 

As far as food is concerned, I've never been served food on board any ship that I considered to be "bad."  Think about reasonably good banquet food, and that is probably what you will get.  Remember, they have to serve tons of people at a time!  Those people who complain that the food is subpar are simply expecting what they would get at a high-end restaurant.  This is not that.

[MLJS]

I have cruised many times on Elation.  I personally like the fantasy class better than the bigger cruises.   I cruise to get away and have a break.  With 6 kids in college, we are on a tight budget, so the price is a big influencer.  The Oasis is beautiful but you pay for the experience.  I would rather take several small cruises over the year than one BIG cruise once a year.

 

I did a review of our cruise in November on the Paradise.  Although it is a different ship, it also had the say upgrades done in drydock as the Elation.  I talk about some of the differences and what to expect.  Just go into it with a good attitude.  You will gave a great time and Jacksonville is an awesome port to cruise out of.

 

[sushitex]

Our family sailed on the Elation in November 2012, so it was definitely before any recent make-overs. However, I kinda enjoyed hanging out in the Romeo and Juliet Lounge, and other venues, for trivia or watching other people sink karaoke songs. It wasn't the biggest, fanciest ship...

 and the itinerary was Cozumel (again!) and Progreso but but there was just something about the ship that I found charming. 

We almost scored a free cruise  on the Elation (spouse and myself, anyway, not our son)  a few years later when the Casino Club offered my husband a free cruise the morning we were disembarking from our Carnival Dream cruise. Alas, my husband suffered a heart attack about  2 1/2 weeks prior to the freebie cruise (he is fine now, thank heavens) so that second Elation cruise never happened. 

 

However, if Elation were sailing out of Galveston or New Orleans nowadays, I would definitely be tempted to sail on her again.

 

BTW, our first Carnival cruise, way back in Sept. 1993, was on the OLD Mardi Gras. We even had the time of our lives on that ole ship, tiny by today's standards.  Now Carnival has come full circle, with the recent announcement that the next mega-ship will be another Mardi Gras! 

 

Sailing in less than 2 months on the Carnival Glory, getting more excited every day!

[sushitex]

On 1/14/2019 at 11:29 AM, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

OK, so I checked out the reviews, as have others above.

 

it looks like debarkation at ports and especially the return to Jacksonville were issues that would have affected everyone.  I can only say that CBP was slow for us in Dec in Canaveral, so maybe the issue with Elation in JAX is on CBP too.  And as for the fog delaying a return...well...no, "hurrying back to JAX" would not have avoided that issue, as one review complained.  Fog is a risk in JAX (and Tampa and Galveston) in Dec through Feb - usually late-Dec though, not right after Thanksgiving.

 

It also appears that several elevators were offline at times - I don't recall seeing anything about that on the main Carnival forum, but yeah, that must have been frustrating.  Though it was "a total of four" reported by that one reviewer, not sure if all at one time, and since there are 12 elevators on board, it probably wasn't a huge inconvenience.

 

Some of the other complaints are "personal experiences", like the one reviewer who seemingly didn't really like any of the food ("the food that didnt taste like fish was okay").

 

On the other hand, there are more positive reviews from the same time frame, so...?

 

My family (husband is retired navy) was stationed in Jacksonville in the early 90's, and yes, I do recall thick, heavy fog in the "country" roads right outside of the city (we lived in Orange Park, a nearby suburb.) It would have been great to have had a cruise port in Jacksonville back then, but we did take our first cruise out of Port Canaveral (back in September 1993.) It was a 4-day cruise on the OLD Mardi Gras, Carnival's very first cruise ship. Small, but I thought it was a pretty ship, and hubby and I had the time of our lives!

[Paelos]

We went on the Elation in May for our honeymoon, here were some thoughts about the ship.

 

We had a junior suite which was very spacious and nice, but hotter then expected. As a result they brought us a fan and that worked well to cool is down in the evenings after enjoying the drink package all day. 

 

The ship layout is a bit odd with the elevators because you can't really get to all parts of the ship without making a transfer if your room is on the upper decks. 

 

The food was great, and I like food. If you do the buffet all the time, you should probably know by now that's not the place to get the best food anywhere in any format. The MDR did a great job with the selections and I especially liked the spice on the Indian options which was so hot one night I could barely eat it and I asked for hot! They know what hot means!

 

The casino stinks, don't bother, too few tables and too many slots.

 

The decor is very crazy but I enjoyed it as whimsical. Excursions weren't a problem because they had everyone really timed well. We skipped Nassau and stayed in the back of the boat to enjoy the adults only section all day, which was great and relaxing.

 

Drinks vary by bartender but the best by far was the Rum bar. Best breakfast is blue iguana but I freaking love breakfast tacos and burritos. 

 

Again, avoid the buffet, enjoy MDR, tip ppl and you'll love it. Relax, and let the Elation take you the rest of the way. 

[Cruisegirl6]

What do you mean the ship is odd with the upper deck?  The upper deck is identical layout of the Empress deck, you have all access to all three elevators on that deck.

Edited January 20, 2019 by Cruisegirl6

[Paelos]

Sorry meant the grand deck where the JT cabins were. Supposedly when I talked to the staff it was added on later so there's only one elevator set that goes there. 

[schazzy]

17 hours ago, Paelos said:

We went on the Elation in May for our honeymoon, here were some thoughts about the ship.

 

We had a junior suite which was very spacious and nice, but hotter then expected. As a result they brought us a fan and that worked well to cool is down in the evenings after enjoying the drink package all day. 

 

The ship layout is a bit odd with the elevators because you can't really get to all parts of the ship without making a transfer if your room is on the upper decks. 

 

The food was great, and I like food. If you do the buffet all the time, you should probably know by now that's not the place to get the best food anywhere in any format. The MDR did a great job with the selections and I especially liked the spice on the Indian options which was so hot one night I could barely eat it and I asked for hot! They know what hot means!

 

The casino stinks, don't bother, too few tables and too many slots.

 

The decor is very crazy but I enjoyed it as whimsical. Excursions weren't a problem because they had everyone really timed well. We skipped Nassau and stayed in the back of the boat to enjoy the adults only section all day, which was great and relaxing.

 

Drinks vary by bartender but the best by far was the Rum bar. Best breakfast is blue iguana but I freaking love breakfast tacos and burritos. 

 

Again, avoid the buffet, enjoy MDR, tip ppl and you'll love it. Relax, and let the Elation take you the rest of the way. 

 

I kinda have to disagree on the statement about the buffet vs MDR, it really depends on the ship and the cooks. On our last two cruises, it varied. Dinner buffet on the Ecstasy left something to be desired but the MDR was great. But on the Miracle is was a lot better, night and day difference, I actually enjoyed my dinners there more than I did in the MDR.  

[Treyatl2006]

If you compare the Allure to the Elation then you will be disappointed. I sailed on the Elation two years ago and I had a great time. The  crew was very nice and worked extra hard to make up for the ships shortcomings. I would sail her again,  however I dont know if I would recommend the Elation for other cruisers. I know how to adjust my expectations between newer ships with all the bells and whistles to older ships like the Elation. But many people dont know how to adjust those expectations and will be disappointed.

[ProgRockCruiser]

3 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

What do you mean the ship is odd with the upper deck?  The upper deck is identical layout of the Empress deck, you have all access to all three elevators on that deck.

 

1 hour ago, Paelos said:

Sorry meant the grand deck where the JT cabins were. Supposedly when I talked to the staff it was added on later so there's only one elevator set that goes there. 

 

Yeah, as clarified, Paelos said "upper decks" not "Upper Deck" (which is a specific deck).  We have a Scenic Ocean View on deck 14 for our next cruise, and there is only one elevator that takes you to that deck.  Which means, depending on your desired destination, you may need to go aft on a different deck to another set of elevators to arrive correctly.  e.g. Aft Dining Room - can't just go down to Deck 8 and then head aft, the Galley gets in the way.  So take elevator to deck 9, perhaps, then walk aft and take aft stairs or elevator to aft MDR.

[Cruisegirl6]

We had that cabin on the Fascination, you can walk outside to get to the other end of the ship but we never did, so we would just go down a deck or down to the promenade and walk over.  It wasn't an issue for us.

[jessmarieislove]

I went on the Elation last March for my first cruise. I was thoroughly impressed. I have a review on here that goes into detail. I work in hospitality at a 4-diamond establishment and from a service point of view, I was so impressed. It was a great time. 

[nccruzencouple]

I just got off of Elation on Thursday. We had a great time. Service was great throughout the ship. Room attendant, waiters in the dining room, and the bar staff all did a wonderful job. Ship was clean. Food was great. Good shows.  Serenity area on Fantasy class ships is great being at the back of the ship with two hot tubs. Yes it is a much smaller ship than the Allure but a lot less people also.  I would go on this ship again in a heartbeat. 

[dmndlil]

On 1/14/2019 at 12:29 PM, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

OK, so I checked out the reviews, as have others above.

 

it looks like debarkation at ports and especially the return to Jacksonville were issues that would have affected everyone.  I can only say that CBP was slow for us in Dec in Canaveral, so maybe the issue with Elation in JAX is on CBP too.  And as for the fog delaying a return...well...no, "hurrying back to JAX" would not have avoided that issue, as one review complained.  Fog is a risk in JAX (and Tampa and Galveston) in Dec through Feb - usually late-Dec though, not right after Thanksgiving.

 

It also appears that several elevators were offline at times - I don't recall seeing anything about that on the main Carnival forum, but yeah, that must have been frustrating.  Though it was "a total of four" reported by that one reviewer, not sure if all at one time, and since there are 12 elevators on board, it probably wasn't a huge inconvenience.

 

Some of the other complaints are "personal experiences", like the one reviewer who seemingly didn't really like any of the food ("the food that didnt taste like fish was okay").

 

On the other hand, there are more positive reviews from the same time frame, so...?

 

Elation will be sailing out of Port Canaveral in November 2019, so fog should not be an issue at all.  Usually Port Canvaral embark and disembark is pretty smooth and Im hopeing for that as hubby and I are booked on Elation in November.

[scpirate]

On 1/14/2019 at 1:19 PM, BoDidly said:

I can only wonder if most of the bad reviews come from people that sailed on ships with all the bells and whistles before hand.

Carnival should make a rule whereas if you're a red card holder you must cruise the Fantasy class first  

I have sailed fantasy class first.elation still stinks.it was before dry dock but i judge by food and entertainment.and they were lacking.but i did do a celebrity before that so that might be the problem.i loved celebrity.im about carribeaned out anyway.

[boomhower]

No it is not, just understand what you are getting.  It's an older ***** that doesn't have the new tech.  Staff is stot on for what you need with all the usual sea stiff.  You are buying the losest line and will get less service from the higher end llines.   Want better service pay the priec.  Ive been happy with carnival.  

[young_ens]

On 1/14/2019 at 11:55 AM, queenpailhead said:

Our only other cruise experience is on the Allure and I know that I can't compare as she's like the mother of all ships

 

 

Not a seasoned cruiser like some others, but we have 4 cruises under our belt.  Going on the Sunshine in a few weeks and had the same sort of thoughts you did:  Will that be a good ship or will we be disappointed (after having cruised the Allure)?  We always seemed to upgrade ships and this one is a step back but for the price of the cruise and airfare AND the ports, too good to pass up.

 

The way I look at it is: I'm escaping feet of snow, don't need to cook or clean.  All I have to do is show up!   I've also heard concerns the water might be cold: I was skating on my lake yesterday which has 11" of ice, I think the water will be plenty hot in the Caribbean!

So don't worry, make your own fun.  And like me, keep an eye out for a deal on the Symphony, Harmony, Mardi Gras, Vista, Sunrise, Horizon. 

[AmberTeka]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 10:36 PM, 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! 

I find myself agreeing with you so many times. We were on the Fascination. I held my nose. Tiny little ship, too old, drunks because it was not that expensive, we had only been on big ships............I loved it. The staff was great. The food was fine. ( I don't care for the MDM  food on RCI) Granted it did go from JAX to Key West, my favorite port,  but it was all good. Passengers were friendly. Most were Southerners. I have never had doors opened so much for me, and Yes Mam said by children, in my life.  Lots of activities. Trivia. Sailing down the River to Mayport. Awesome. Apaches buzzing around, Mega Ships. Awesome. We Sail on the Elation in a few weeks.