Just home from the Elation 10/23/06 (long review!)

[seashell36]

--- First a little bit about us, the whole family cruised this time – me 38, DH 38, DD 9 & DS 4. We chose this cruise for the different itinerary & the fact that Elation had the newly installed mini-golf.

--- Our room: we went with an interior quad this time – just to try it out. Our last cruise was in an ocean view room. We were in room E161. DH loved the interior because he could go in anytime and take a nap. It was a little crowded, but we are a close family. We loved being on the Empress deck – it was close to everything.

--- Embarkation: This was a little off because this was the first cruise for Elation out of Port Canaveral. We drove by the port around 9am on Monday & the Fantasy was disembarking. We drove through to ask when they thought the Elation would arrive. He said probably around 11am. We went to breakfast, shopped some and walked on the beach. Around 11am we went back to the port, the Fantasy was still there. We were allowed to drop off our luggage and park. As we were walking back to the terminal, the Fantasy started pulling away from the dock.

--- We went through security, were told to go upstairs and wait for time to check in. By the time we went up the escalator & started to go over to the seats, they were ready to check us in. The agent that checked us in couldn’t find our names on the manifest :eek:. After about 15 minutes, she found our info in the main computer and checked us in. We couldn’t get our Sign and Sail cards yet because the Elation wasn’t at the dock. So, they sent us to our seats to wait. We got the last seats in the front row – so we had an up close view when the ship docked. Around 1pm we got our Sign and Sail cards and around 1:30 we were allowed to board.

--- We went to our room, met our steward Dave, and headed up to Tiffany’s for lunch. It was as good as we remembered! We had hamburgers and hot dogs from the grill. Then we walked around the ship. The kids were so excited by everything, it was really fun watching them. We were so busy looking at all the things to do and see that we missed the meet and greet for our roll call group (Sorry guys!) Then it was time for muster drill – it was quick and painless, except for the fact that my life vest was slightly damp and smelled like mildew. Sail away was set for 4, I think. We got our cameras and went to the front of the ship to take some pics. After we made it out of the channel we went back to the room see if we had our luggage yet. We did! We unpacked, then went up to the sushi bar for an appetizer. It was good – not the best I’ve had – but good.

--- Dinner was early seating in the Imagination dining room. Our waiter Gerardo and his assistant Igede were just great. They were very friendly and had our favorites down by the second night. They had the kids chocolate milk waiting at the table every night. We had a booth that was supposed to seat six, but our tablemates never showed up.

Got to go put some clothes in the dryer. Will do some more in a little bit!

[Keke1031]

Keep the review coming. Sounds good so far. Going on her in a year with our 3 boys. They will be 5,8, and 13.

[truecruiser]

<p>

--- Embarkation: This was a little off because this was the first cruise for Elation out of Port Canaveral. We drove by the port around 9am on Monday & the Fantasy was disembarking. We drove through to ask when they thought the Elation would arrive. He said probably around 11am...Around 11am we went back to the port, the Fantasy was still there.

 

 

Very, very, very bad!!!:eek: I hope they get their act together before the new year! I travel in February and when I disembark, i need to get to MCO (40-45 mins away from the Port to begin with) for a 12:30 flight. This is really cutting it close if I can't even get off of the ship b/4 11!

 

Is it that the FANTASY and ELATION are still sharing a slip here? Is it that the FANTASY will be leaving by year-end leaving the ELATION to dock on time???? (please let this be the answer). I would truly appreciate hearing from anyone knowing the answer to this. Thanks.

[seashell36]

That was the Fantasy's last trip into Port Canaveral. The Elation was taking over that interary. So, it was just a matter of the change over didn't go quite as smooth as they had hoped. But, now they don't have to share.

[seashell36]

--- I can’t recall what we had for dinner the first night, but it was good. After dinner we went to the Camp Carnival orientation. Then, we went for a walk looking at the different lounges and had to go check out the coffee bar. We made an early night of it as we were all tired. I had forgotten how comfy the beds were. The ship was going pretty fast to make it to Grand Turk so we were rocked to sleep.

--- The first Sea Day --- We woke up to more rocking. It wasn’t bad enough to make us sick – but it was noticeable. We ate breakfast in Tiffany’s – standard breakfast buffet fare. We went to the Shopping Talk and then lounged on the deck until lunch time. Today’s buffet was Indian food – we didn’t try it. After lunch, we watched Survivor at Sea, and then went to the Casino while the kids were at Camp Carnival. This was the only day that the Casino gods smiled on me. This was formal night and the night of the Captain’s Cocktail party.

--- At 5pm we got in line to go into the lounge for the party. There were two parties one at 5 (for early seating) and one at 7:15 (for late seating). We shook the captain’s hand, and grabbed a couple of drinks. The whiskey sour was not that great, but the melon ball was pretty good. DH said the rum punch was a little weak. The waiters made sure the kids had punch and appetizers.

--- Dinner was wonderful tonight! The lobster was cooked just right and the prime rib was delicious! DD had lobster, but DS stuck to the kids menu, most of the time. He did like the chilled Strawberry soup and the French Onion Soup.

--- We went to the show tonight. “Rhythm” was good. The kids enjoyed watching the performers. During one of the songs, the dancers some down into the audience and give out necklaces. Both of the kids got a necklace – DS wore his to bed that night. After the show, we took the kids for ice cream then it was off to bed.

[truecruiser]

That was the Fantasy's last trip into Port Canaveral. The Elation was taking over that interary. So, it was just a matter of the change over didn't go quite as smooth as they had hoped. But, now they don't have to share.

 

Thank God! Thank you for that response Seashell. My heartbeat was speeding up a bit there. Didn't even finish reading the OP's post. Once I got to the embarkation line, I stopped with a "Holy ****. Hope someone out here on CC can "splain this one away!"

 

Barring any customs issues, I'm usually eating lunch on Lido Deck by noon. This was definitely "off."

[truecruiser]

Didn't even finish reading the OP's post. Once I got to the embarkation line, I stopped

 

Sorry. Just realized you are the OP. :)

[lookingforward]

I am really enjoying your review! We head out on Elation on 1/1/07 and can't wait! I am really wondering what you thought about Camp Carnival?? We have a 8 year old. Thanks:)

[seashell36]

Grand Turk: We woke around 8am and went to have breakfast at Tiffany’s . When we stepped onto deck it was raining! By the time we finished breakfast it had stopped raining. So, off to the beach we went. This cruise was just laid back – no big excursions planned. We walked through the Duty Free shop and into the plaza around 9:30am. The kids wanted to hit the beach – so we found a couple of lounge chairs to the left of the pier and hit the water. It was really nice there because we could hear the music from Margaritaville and we close to some ladies selling sodas and water. While we played in the water, the sun came out and the beach filled up. It was crowded close to the pier. Further down the beach it was still pretty open.

--- There was a group that was playing Frisbee in and out of the water next to us. I had told DH “some one is going to get hit” when they started. About an hour later, DS and I were sitting in the water looking for shells and whammo – Frisbee up side the head! The guy who threw it came running over to make sure I was okay. He was really nice – everytime I saw him after that (and it was at least once a day) he would ask if I was alright.

--- After the Frisbee, I sat and took pictures while DH played with the kids in the water. Around 12:30 we decided to go look through the shops and head back to the ship. DD bought a necklace and a couple of shell boxes from the local vendors. We went to Del Sol and bought some key chains for DD’s friends. Walking back to the ship, we could see fish in the water next to pier. Lunch was at Tiffany’s again. Today’s Taste of Nation’s was Italian – couldn’t really find anything we liked so we went for Pizza and deli sandwiches.

--- DD and I went up on deck for sail away from Grand Turk to take some pictures. After we sailed the kids went to Camp Carnival and I went to spend some of my winnings in the Casino. DH found him a deck chair and took a nap.

--- Tonight was the past guest party. We lined up to go to basically a little less crowded version of the Captain’s Cocktail Party, had a couple of melon balls and some appetizers. I had to leave the party early because tonight was the Halloween Party and DD wanted to change into her costume. Dinner was really good. The only thing that made a blemish on dinner was one of the tables close to us was a group of 8 young men who had a few to many at Margaritaville and then a few more after they got back on the ship. They got pretty loud and obnoxious that night.

--- Camp Carnival had trick or treating for the kids. As a family, you had to follow a treasure map to six or seven locations around the ship to get the candy. The kids really enjoyed this. It was fun seeing all the bartenders, waiters, waitresses and counselors dressed up. After we finished the trick or treating, we went to the kids costume contest. There were probably 40 kids in costume. Everyone got a prize for participating. After the contest, we went to the coffee bar and got hot chocolates.

--- The older kids in camp had a late night party that night 10pm – 3:30am (for an extra charge). DD went and had a blast! They had water balloon fights, played games and had eating contests to name a few things.

[seashell36]

I am really enjoying your review! We head out on Elation on 1/1/07 and can't wait! I am really wondering what you thought about Camp Carnival?? We have a 8 year old. Thanks:)

We really liked the camp. The ratio of kids to counselors was not that bad. I think in DS's age group there was a counselor for each 3 kids that were in camp.

DD's age group (9-11) was out and about most of the time. They met in different lounges and did a lot of activities that took them around the ship. DD could sign herself in and out - but had strict rules from Dad about where she could go. We took walkie talkies and if she was in camp she had one with her.

The younger groups 3-5 and 6-8 stayed in the Camp Carnival room on Deck 12. They did lots of different activities, music games, excersise, crafts and video games. Some of my kids favorites were the T shirt coloring and decorating and the Build a Bear. The Build a Bear activity was a family activity and had an extra charge, but all the kids seemed to enjoy it.

If you have any other questions please ask.

[David148]

WOW!!!

 

Sounds GOOD! i can't wait to go on this cruise next year!! KEEP IT UP!

 

Do u have any pictures of the islands and the ship?!

 

David.

[seashell36]

--- The show that night was The Comedy of Jorge Solano and a singer/musician Jesse Lopez. We really enjoyed the show. We had a busy evening between the show and the Camp Carnival activities. We made it to the scary stories in the lounge but, had to go back to our room part of the way through the deck party on the Lido deck. We had to rest up for Half Moon Cay.

--- This stop had to be our favorite of all the stops on this cruise and the last one, also. The tender process was really quick and painless. After breakfast we went to the Mikado lounge and got a tender sticker. We were on the second tender to the island. We walked through the shopping area and rented snorkel equipment right next to the beach. DD & DH hit the water to snorkel some before it got crowded. I staked out a spot near the kids play area on the beach. DS wouldn’t go down the slides, but did enjoy climbing around in fort part of the area.

--- I can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed this stop. The sand is amazing! It is so soft and cool. There were a lot of fish to be seen just off the beach. They have placed several pieces of reef starters out from the kids play area and you can see even more fish out that way. We took the tram to the lunch pavilion around 12:30 and got in line to get some lunch. No one will tell you, but there are at least 4 lines going all the time. Everyone gets off the tram and just gets in the first line they see. The other lines are a lot shorter. We had jerk chicken and several different salads. DH & DS had hamburgers and fruit. It was all very good.

--- Back to the beach, a man had lost a wedding band next to us in the water earlier in the day and they were still looking for it when we returned. DH & DD used their masks to help him look. But, no luck. Around 2 we headed back to the tender. We showered and everyone else decided to take a nap. I went up, got an ice cream and found me a chair on the deck above the lido deck. There were several activities on the Lido deck that afternoon that everyone enjoyed.

--- DD had to have some sushi tonight. So, we went and she ate sushi while I looked for pictures in the photo gallery. This is where most of my money went on this cruise – pictures. After dinner we took the kids to Camp Carnival – they were having a pajama party. We went to the late night comedy show (R rated). Jorge Solano was really funny in this show! If I’m not mistaken I think he was a Carnival Cruise Director before. Not sure, though. We picked the kids up a little after midnight and went back to the room for bed.

[seashell36]

--- Nassau --- This is the stop that we didn’t really enjoy as much as the others. We got up, breakfasted and got off the ship. We had decided we had enough of the beaches, so we were going to take a water taxi to Atlantis then do some shopping. We got off the ship and as soon as we walked out of the welcome center we were hit with a wall of vendors all yelling at the same time. Needless to say, DS freaked out. He’s not big on loud noises, so he was ready to go back to the ship. The plans changed quickly as DH decided we didn’t need to spend a lot of time on the island. We went to the few shops I had heard about here and during the shopping talk. I was searching for an Ammolite pendant to go with the ring we bought in Grand Cayman last year. There were two stores in Nassau that sold Ammolite. We found one of them and were referred to the other store (the Venetian). Their stock of Ammolite jewelry was not great. Most of the cuts of stone were large ovals or round. Too big for what I was looking for. The only one pendant that was around the size I wanted was very dark. So, we settled for a trip by the Straw Market to Senor Frogs and a stop at Piranha Joes for some shirts. We spent the rest of the day on the Lido deck watching the festivities. DS really enjoyed watching the cruise ships coming and going. I think there were 5 or 6 total for the day (arriving and departing at different times).

--- Last night at dinner was really good. I had the Neptune platter (fried fish, shrimp and calamari). DD ordered chicken fettucine with mushroom cream sauce, but when she saw my plate she wanted the same. So, our waiter went and got her another plate. DH had the New York Sirloin which he said was really good (must have been he didn’t offer me a bite). Tonight was the parade of the Baked Alaska’s. This was right up DS’s alley because anytime there was dessert for him is was ice cream. He ate 1 and a ½ pieces, amazing the waiter. The waiter and assistant both hugged the kids when dinner was over. DD was very sad to think we weren’t going to see them anymore.

--- After dinner we took the kids to Camp and went to the Casino to spend the last of the money that I had won. While I was playing, DH disappeared. He returned a few minutes later with a little white bag. He had bought me a Tanzanite and diamond ring I had been looking at in the Ship’s store. It was my early Christmas/Anniversary present. After that I didn’t feel so bad about not finding a pendant in Nassau. Then, it was time to go pack (boo hoo!) I never did figure out how I fit all those clothes into the suitcases when I packed at home. It was a good thing I had packed an extra tote bag because I had to use it to carry our souvenirs home. After we packed we went for one last Miami Vice in the Sports bar, to watch the end of the World Series. One last trip around the decks with DH then it was time to pick up the kids. I filled out the Room Service card for breakfast – so we wouldn’t have to go up on deck to eat and cuddled up in that wonderful bedding one last time.

--- Way too soon, it was time to get up. Breakfast arrived and soon it was supposed to be time to go. They kept calling for this one person to come to the non-US citizen check out in the lounge. This went on for over an hour and a half (all for “Ruby”). By the end of that time – the self disembarker’s were all lined up in the Empress deck hall and in the Atrium talking about hunting this person down. I talked to a lady later in line for Customs who said that Ruby was asleep in her room the whole time they were calling for her. When they finally cleared the ship for self disembark we were off the ship in about 15 minutes (another good thing about being on the Empress Deck). Another 20 and we were through customs and out into the rain. It was pouring the rain in Port Canaveral, the wind was blowing. I wanted to turn around and get back on the ship again. But, then we were off to our car and on the way home.

 

---- I have the Capers and Camp Capers. I have, I think, just about everything that was given out onboard. But, I don’t have access to a scanner. So, if you have questions just ask. I’ll answer them for ya! I’ll post some of the pictures we took of the islands and the ship too.

[angelkisses]

Thanks seashell36 for your review. I leave in just three weeks and love reading everything I can find about the Elation. Do you by anychance have a digital camera? Just wondering if you might be able to get a close and clear enough picture of the capers to post along with your other pictures.

 

I'm glad you and your family had a wonderful vacation. By the way, the ring sounds beautiful!

[truecruiser]

WOW!!!

 

Sounds GOOD! i can't wait to go on this cruise next year!! KEEP IT UP!

 

Do u have any pictures of the islands and the ship?!

 

David.

 

 

We did this intinerary on the FANTASY in July. Angelkisses persuaded me to post some pics in an earlier thread. Here they are:

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/555110016RAhBZP

[envy270]

Awesome review - I read all your posts! Thanks for sharing!

[broberts]

 

I believe that Jorge's last voyage as CD on the Elation was 9/24. He mentioned on that cruise that he was going on vacation and then a comedy tour. I hadn't realized that the comedy tour was going to be back on the Elation. I guess he just can't get enough of this lovely ship. That or he had an in with whoever was booking the talent ;) .

[seashell36]

I will try to do the Capers by digital cam tomorrow morning. If I can, I'll post some pics on with them too.

[kireelady]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you and your family had a really nice time. I appreciate all of your comments about the menu. I love to eat and enjoy the whole dining experience, so I look forward to that on the Elation.

 

I'm getting so excited. 12/18 can't get here fast enough. :D

[angelkisses]

I will try to do the Capers by digital cam tomorrow morning. If I can, I'll post some pics on with them too.

 

Thank You! Much Appreciated.

[mississauga]

Thank you for taking the time to do a review. You did a great job! We go on Nov. 25/06 so I am reading every thing I can about the 5 day Elation cruise.

[nursenan]

Thanks so much for the great review. We will be on the March 12 sailing. Do you have the shore excursion times. We are going to do the dolphin encounter in Nassau and I wondered what time we have to meet for the excursion. I am hoping for some time for shopping if possible. Thanks

[lyssasis]

Thanks for your review! I am so excited about these ports! It just feels like my cruise is never going to get here :(

[Buzzfan]

Thanks so much for posting this review. We'll be on the Elation in 6 days!!

 

How much was the Build a Bear activity with Camp Carnival? I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures and the capers if you can post them. Glad to hear your family had such a great time.

[cruisefan67]

Seashell,

 

Your review was great, thanks for being so detailed. I know you said self-debarkation went quickly for you (once Ruby woke up). What time were you off the ship?