Elation 6/20 Review

[StaceyM]

Wow! What a great time we had! The weather was perfect the entire week and the ship was beautiful!! I will try not to make this too long but I will start from the top! My Dh,Dd and I arrived in Galveston on Saturday and stayed at the Econolodge. I probably would not stay there again mainly because the hotel is just 3 years old but looks lik eit is about 10 years old. It was not kept up as well as I would think it would be. It is one block from the seawall and very convienent to get to. We ate dinner on Saturday night at Gaidos Seafood Restaurant which was very good and within walking distance from Econolodge.

On Sunday morning we called for a cab to pick us up at 10:00, which they did and we arrived at the terminal about 10:20. There were about 50 people there before us and 3 different wedding parties. The wedding parties were boarded first. We were on the ship by 12:30. We ate lunch at Tiffany's which was very good and proceeded to our room at around 1:30. We were in room R188 on the Riviera deck which is mid ship. Our room was fine and in a good location. We found that the Riviera deck is not as "rocky" as the upper deck which we were on last year. We liked the Riviera deck and felt that it was worth it to save the extra money. We were NEVER in our room anyway except to sleep. Our steward was Donello and he was very efficient. We had early seating dinner (5:45) but had requested 6:15. We stayed with it because we had 24 in our party and were told that they couldn't accomidate our entire party at 6:15. It turned out to be fine but the extra 30 minutes would have been nice.

On the first fun day at sea we had a great time just hanging by the pool however the pool band is horrible. Everything they played sounded the same but with different words. Monday is also the first formal night which we enjoyed. The best time we had all week was in the Kareoke bar which turns into a disco at 11:00 p.m. The reason it was so much fun was because the country singer Steve Holy was on our cruise with a bunch of people from the company D.R. Horton, who is a home builder in the DFW area. He sang several songs each night including his own, "Good Morning Beautiful", which was #1 on the charts several months back. I had seen him perform several years ago before he got his record contract so I knew who he was. That was probably one of the highlights of my trip. The disco was alot of fun every night also and the social hosts Darrell and Mike were a hoot. They hung out in there quite a bit.

Now to Progesso.... It was definitely the worst part of the cruise. The beach itself is fine. The shopping is not very good but if they have what you are looking for, buy it there because the prices are alot lower than Cozumel.

The reason that it was bad there is because the venders on the beach are extremely obnoxious and will not leave you alone. Literally they were there over and over again asking us to buy something.. The sames ones over and over. Then there were the muscians that wanted to play for money.. they wouldn't leave either. I plan to write Carnival about this port. The beach and water is much like Galveston..Not nice at all. I would probably stay on the ship if I had to go there again. I will say that things have probably improved but they have a long way to go.

 

Cozumel... We LOVED Paradise Beach!! It is awesome and I would recommed it to everyone. The beach is beautiful and the water clear. The resaturant was outstanding. We met Paradise Beach Tom and he bought us a drink. We brought him Twizzlers and Milk from the ship. He especially liked the chocolate milk. Thanks for a great day Tom if you are reading this!!

 

Belize... We also loved Belize but we weren't there for very long as we took the Coral Breeze snorkeling trip/Shark Ray Alley/ which was great. The tender situation was not nearly as bad as I had expected. The only problem with our snorkeling trip was that there were 45 people on a very small boat. They said that the boat they normally take holds 60 but it had mechanical problems. That was my only complaint but overall we had a great time.

 

The shows...The first production show was not that great but the other one called "spin" was good. The comedians were pretty good. Our group was very involved in the activities, including myself as I was chosen to play survivor at sea. Luckily I got voted off quickly. We also bought a horse named Bluebell which was really fun. We had a great time promoting her throughout the week. She didn't win the race but she did win most promoted which was fun. One guy in our group won the Hairy man contest and we also did the scavenger hunt which is where you bring things into the Micado lounge that you think they will ask for. We had great time with that.

 

Camp carnival was okay but I will have to say that our 12 year old girls didn't like it too much. They are at that in between age where things are "stupid". The teens seemed to enjoy the disco, however, there were a couple of 16 year olds supplying alcohol to some other teens in the disco. Our kids informed us of that so beware. They were getting it from their parents. The younger kids in our group had fun at camp carnival but didn't always want to go. I will say that we thought that the first night would be informational and maybe there would be an ice breaker but there wasn't. the orientation was nothing more than signing up the kids. I think they could really improve in this area and try to get them involved from the beginning.

 

Overall, this was one of the best trips I have ever been on! I would love to answer any questions that anyone might have. Sorry it wa so long!!

[aggieastrosfan]

Isn't the pool band the WORST?? I wonder if Carnival's reading these boards, because I think every Elation cruiser is coming back and mentioning how much these guys just hurt your ears when they sing!

 

Glad to hear you had a good time, I sure miss the Elation :( .

[Birms38]

Thanks for the review, we will be sailing the Elation on 9/26/04 and we are counting the days down!

[GolfingDV]

StaceyM,

 

Sounds like about what I'm expecting. We take the Elation on July 4th. This will be our 7th cruise on Carnival ships so we pretty much know what to expect. Glad you had a good time and thanks for info on the ports.

[cruise50]

We are sailing Elation July 18 . Thanks for the info

[jbsteven]

winepres

 

I will be on the Elation on the 7-18-04 date. If you see a young guy in the casino with long hair playing Blackjack, that would be me. Stop by and say hello.

 

Jason

[best of show]

Hey girl. So glad you had a great time. Loved your review, Im on vacation again, in Iowa but got on to see if you were here. Havent checked my work email but will when I get off here. Just curious if you found "HIM"? :)

[hammybee]

I have not sailed on Carnival in years but will do so with my 16 year old on 8/8 and family friends. Are hair dryers supplied or should I bring my own? What is the legal drinking age on the ship, 18 or 21? I am concerned about this and will keep my eyes open. Other than shop or beach in Progresso were there any shore excursions that you wish you had taken instead? We have done the "chicken pizza "ruins and are looking for something new. As for Paradise Beach, were you able to swim? What made this such a nice place? Thanks in advance.

[hilltopfamily]

We go on Elation Aug 1 so was glad to read your review. Hope you don't mind some questions! BTW, I know what you mean about your 12 yr old, our DD is at that tough age also, 13 almost 14 but not as "mature" as some girls in her class. (mature being used very loosely here!) She has a little trouble meeting up with others but this time we're bringing her best buddie, so I'm hoping for the best.

Sorry to hear Progresso isn't that nice. We're thinking about going in to Merida. Did you speak with any others who did that? I've read people here on the boards saying Merida is a beautiful city, so I'm hoping that will work for us. Any comments?

And we're thinking strongly about Altun Ha/River Wallace while in Belize. Any in your group go on this? I'm hoping it won't be too blistering hot for that activity but the ruins really interest me & DH (not sure how much interest it will hold for our kids :D )

We were already planning on Paradise beach, maybe after first going to Chankanaab for a bit, since the snorkeling is better there than at Paradise. Do you think we'd have time to make it to both places comfortably? Don't want to rush like crazy and DO NOT want to miss the boat!!!

Finally, was there a video arcade or was it at the back of the kids/teen disco area? My DS 10 lives for video games, so I'm hoping that at least for a little bit of time he can fulfill this "need". ;) Thanks for any answers you can provide. Glad you had such a great cruise, you've made me even more excited to go!

[StaceyM]

Sorry, I have not been on the boards in a couple of days so I haven't answered your questions... Hill Top, yes there is an arcade however my dd didn't have any interest so I couldn't tell you alot about it. I have not hard about any of the excursions that you mentioned. One family in our group opted to rent a car and visit the ruins on their own in Progresso. They really seemed to enjoy their day. I WOULD NOT recommend the beach at progresso if you are looking to relax. The vendors are relentless and would not leave us alone. I plan to e-mail Carnival about this port. I did read another review from someone who did a resort hotel all inclusive and said it was really nice. That one is offered as you are on the bus from the port into town. I think it is 25.00 per person and includes all you can drink. Camp Carnival really needs some help. I think that it could be greatly improved. Many of the teens seemed to just be hanging out and not really participating in the organized activities. Our five 12 year old girls got most of thier entertainment by sitting in the halls where all of our rooms were. We were so overjoyed to have paid all of that money for them to sit in the halls. But you know what.. They claim they had a blast... To each his own. The trip will be what ever you make of it. Have a great cruise!

 

As far as paradise beach goes. it was probably the highlight of my cruise. The atmosphere there is wonderful and relaxing. No one is bothering you trying to sell things. The restaurant was awesome and very clean. The water is nice. My Dh snorkeled out a little ways and he said he could see several different fish but he had to got out to do it. Paradise beach Tom was soo nice. I would highly recommend this beach!! Anymore ?'s please ask. As for hair dryers, there were not any.

[ksufan]

Jason and winepres,

We will be on the Elation with you. We have a group meeting planned if you care to join. The info is on Roll Call Elation 7-18-04..Our unofficial leader "jake" would love new posters on this site.

Sharon

[hilltopfamily]

thanks for the info, especially on the teens group. Very disappointing, as I have one 14 & one 13 (1 month shy of 14) year old girl going in our group. I sure hope they have a good time! Sounds like it may not be the great time for them that I was hoping it would be.

[aggieastrosfan]

Are hair dryers supplied or should I bring my own? What is the legal drinking age on the ship, 18 or 21?

Unfortunately, there are no hair dryers on the Elation. The drinking age is 21, gambling age is 18.

 

Enjoy your cruise, I wish I was going back on the Elation soon!

[tlwaters]

Hi to winepres, jbstevens, and ksufan!!!

 

I too will be on the Elation 7-18, with my husband and 9 year old. This will be our first cruise....very excited!!:D

[davidaperryman]

You get your hair dryer at the pursers desk with a refundable deposit.

[Philly Steve]

We're bound for Elation come New Year's eve week. Thanks for the review!