ELATION Review 11/2 -- 1st Time Carnival Cruisers

[pucarter]

We just got back from a 4-day cruise on the Elation (November 2-6). What follows are my observations, and please remember that opinions are like buttholes -- everyone has one, and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks...so please don't get offended by anything I say -- my objective is not to make anyone mad -- only to report our feelings. And I'm not going to talk about the ports -- just about the ship.

 

Cruisers -- DH and me, on our first post-pregnancy mommy-and-daddy-alone vacation. That sounds very romantic, right? Actually, we took full advantage of Grandma and Grandpa watching our "Little Bit" back on land, and were in bed asleep by about 9:00 each night.:rolleyes: So I can't answer any questions about the nightclubs or anything like that. Anyhow, as alluded to in the thread title, this was our first time cruising on Carnival. We've been on RCCL, Disney, and HAL. I'll admit that we were a little hesitant to try Carnival, but those fears were proven to be completely unfounded.

 

First Impressions -- WOW! Check-in staff and process was as friendly and smooth as on any other line. Ship was GORGEOUS inside, but darker than I expected it to be. I had envisioned the atrium to be much bigger than it was. But nevertheless, I loved the vibrant colors and the beautiful artwork (not the Auction artwork -- the ship's own artwork) on the walls. Once we realized that the fiber optic signage told you what areas were in which directions, navigating the ship became quite easy. It seems intuitive enough, but at first we were a little confused. Oh well -- we're 45 and 36 -- we're starting to be more and more confused by things...LOL. :D

 

Cabin -- We had E-55, an outside cabin about six doors down from the Atrium. PERFECT location! The cabin was a very generous size. While Carnival bills their cabins as "the largest in the industry," I'd say our cabin was not THAT big...but then again, considering the ship was launched in 1998, I'm sure it was big enough for that time. No matter -- there was PLENTY of space for the two of us and we never felt crowded. In fact, we rather enjoyed the large shower -- big enough for two ;). LOL. We didn't meet our cabin steward until literally the last night on the ship. This was the first cruise upon which we'd never met our attendant. Thus my husband resorted to calling him "Leroy" (as in the limerick "Leroy the cabin boy...that crafty little nipper..." If you know it, you know where I'm going...). Well, Leroy kept our cabin in tip top shape, and there was only one time we had to remind him to replace a beach towel. Note to future cruisers -- taking sticky notes along is a good way to leave a note for your steward -- it worked wonders for us.

 

Food -- This is where my disclaimer kicks in...we didn't think it was that great. I mean it was good...and I'm sure we carried home a few more pounds than we started with...but to us it wasn't "Ohmigod" great. That's alright, though. We more than made up for it with the...

 

...Drinks! -- YUM! I think we tried one of almost everything on the drink menu. My one complaint is that the beer never seemed to be quite cold enough. But the "Foo Foo drinks" were certainly yummy...as usual I drank too much (in the Jacuzzi in Freeport -- ugh! Drunk pasty white girl + hot Bahamanian sun + Jacuzzi = sunburn + hangover :( ) and was actually tired of drinking by like day two-and-a-half. Our favorite bartender (and we shopped around) was Daima at the Drama Bar. We tipped her an extra $5 a day, and lets just say that by the last night even my husband was tired of drinking! She was great with the long pours...

 

Casino -- fun! Not as smoky as I thought it would be...

 

Entertainment -- Reggae band -- excellent. Stage shows -- not so much. There was a guy who'd play a guitar near the Drama Bar -- he was great! One other thing we really enjoyed -- the ship had DirecTV or something and got all the networks (from Denver!!!!) -- this made for a VERY happy husband who was able to watch both College and NFL Football on both Saturday and Sunday. Hooray for Carnival TV!

 

Photos -- Oh my gosh, I thought other cruise lines took a lot of pictures, but Carnival was out in force! I actually appreciated that they had many settings for formal and informal photos. Note to future cruisers -- if you see a backdrop you like, get your picture taken that night/day! They will change it to something else the next day. Picture prices seemed as (un)reasonable as on any other line.

 

Bottom Line -- We had a great time! We'd sail Carnival again if the ship and the itinerary were right. Elation is beautiful -- a very elegant lady. The service given to us was on par with Royal Caribbean. In fact, if you had taken the whole experience (with -- again our opinion only -- better food) and slapped the Crown and Anchor on the side of the ship, we wouldn't have known the difference. I'm confident that anyone else sailing on Elation will also have a very positive experience!

 

Cheers and happy sailing!

Rebeccah

[gnocchi_mommy]

Thanks for the great review!!! We're sailing Elation in less than a month, and you just made me more excited!

[pucarter]

I'm glad I could help fuel the fires of someone's excitement!

 

One huge negative I forgot to mention -- that whole self debarkation thing was a MESS! Carnival really needs to get control of that situation and do self debarking by floors or something...it almost got really ugly. I felt very sorry for the parents with babies, toddlers, and small children. It was the most push-and-shove thing we had to endure the entire time. Thus, our cruise ended on a somewhat low note, but definitely not anything to damper our enthusiasm for cruising or even Carnival. Simply a process that has a lot of room for improvement.

[cruiseapril]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on the Elation in the Spring, so I read with great interest. Will have to think about the debarkation thing.

[pacerzfan]

Thanks pucarter, for all the info. Nice to see opinions from someone who has sailed before and get objective opinions.

[crusinmama06]

Thanks for the review! You answered and calmed all of the fears I was having.

 

Maybe you can answer this for me. How formal IS the dining room? I have all of my cruise gowns ready to go but now I am worried that I will be overdressed and out of place. I know you probably see all kinds in the dining room...but if I want to dress up...will I be among the majority or the minority?

[jc4me]

Rebecca, thanks for the great review. DH and I are leaving on the 25th for a 5 night cruise on Elation :D. We are booked in cabin E86. You mentioned that the self-assist debarkation was not so good. I have heard that you disembark from the Empress deck. Is that correct? On another cruise line we tried the self-debarkation and I ended up with a shoulder injury from pulling luggage down several flights of stairs - not a good souvineer :(. We are driving from NC to Port Canaveral and so we want to get on the road as quickly as possible because of the long drive home. Any information would be appreciated.

 

Glad you had a good trip!

[flpab]

We pulled into port on time and waited and waited and waited. We got out the door and into the car at 10:30. The staff at the port was the big problem. These people were only allowing a few people to get on the elavators at a time. They kept telling people to keep three steps between people... It was so slow. Our luggage was everywhere, that took a while to find. Customs was a big joke, they never asked one question and didn't even look at what we filled out. That took the least time. I really think I will pack less and do the self disembark next time. Formal night was not that formal. I saw a little of everything but our table was semi-formal, elegantly casual. The drama bar was our favorite spot also. Great drinks and a lot going on in that area.

[Sarahjb001]

Nice review, Rebeccah! I was on that cruise, as well. (Same dates) On debarkation day, we slept late, left our luggage in the room, and went for a long breakfast. (Breakfast stopped being served at 9:30) By then the crowd had thinned out quite a bit. We waited for a few minutes, then joined the end of the line.

I agree, we saw people several deep on the stairs, with carry-ons, during the regular debarkation process. It really was kind of ridiculous. My husband travels all the time, and just refuses to get in those lines. He always opts to find a quiet place and just wait, which makes sense to me!

 

We also had a wonderful time, as first time Carnival sailors. I would definitely sail on Carnival again.

 

All of you out there, waiting for your cruies, are in for a great time!

 

SB

[Sarahjb001]

Michelle, you would not be out of place if you want to really dress up on formal night. We saw a variety of outfits, ranging from fairly casual dresses/skirts, to evening gowns. I think it's just what people are comfortable in.

 

SB

[Bahama Mama 49]

Thanks for the review, will be on her January 6th.

[pucarter]

Thanks for the review! You answered and calmed all of the fears I was having.

 

Maybe you can answer this for me. How formal IS the dining room? I have all of my cruise gowns ready to go but now I am worried that I will be overdressed and out of place. I know you probably see all kinds in the dining room...but if I want to dress up...will I be among the majority or the minority?

 

You're very welcome and I'm glad I could help -- I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

 

We only ate in the dining room one night -- Formal Night -- and this was the night after the drinking-all-afternoon-in-the-Jacuzzi episode. So after a nap, we showered and cleaned up and made our way to the dining room. I've got to admit that I didn't scope out what all the other pax were wearing, except for those at our table. Most of the gents at our table wore sportcoat and tie. Most of the ladies were in cocktail dresses -- not gowns. There was a couple wearing not-so-dressy clothes, but more like business casual. I personally saw neither jeans nor formal gowns, but I'm sure both were there.

 

I remember seeing glittery get-ups as we made our lobster-stuffed way back to our room to sleep off our overindulgence. I think the bottom line is to wear what makes you feel comfortable. If you want to dress up, then girl, you go for it! How often do you get to wear all of those beautiful gowns?!? :D

 

Have a great time! Rebeccah

[pucarter]

We are booked in cabin E86. You mentioned that the self-assist debarkation was not so good. I have heard that you disembark from the Empress deck. Is that correct? On another cruise line we tried the self-debarkation and I ended up with a shoulder injury from pulling luggage down several flights of stairs - not a good souvineer :(. We are driving from NC to Port Canaveral and so we want to get on the road as quickly as possible because of the long drive home.

 

Hi there -- you are correct in that you disembark from the Empress deck. The main problem is that everyone is trying to funnel into the Atrium from all different directions -- stairwells and hallways were packed. And even though they announce a couple of times "Do not come down to the Atrium until cleared to do so" people were packed in there like sardines! I was praying that a fire didn't break out because there would have been no hope for most of us.

 

My advice would be to just wait in your room for at least a good 20 minutes after they announce that Self-Debarkation has started. The other bit of advice I can provide to expedite your way through customs is to have a porter take your stuff up to the front of the line. With a porter you get to skip the long lines and breeze through Customs. Although they are salaried and tips aren't necessary, we gave our porter $5 just for saving us time and hassle.

 

Good luck and have fun! :D

[G.C]

pucarter,

Thanks for taking the time to do a review.

 

Could you tell me what time you cleared customs and got to the parking lot? I was just wondering if it has gotten worse. Self disembark has always been the part of the cruise I did not look forward to.

[pucarter]

pucarter,

Thanks for taking the time to do a review.

 

Could you tell me what time you cleared customs and got to the parking lot? I was just wondering if it has gotten worse. Self disembark has always been the part of the cruise I did not look forward to.

 

G.C -- When we were (FINALLY) in the Avis courtesy shuttle I looked at my watch and it was already 8:45. I remember being disappointed because I had thought we'd be well on our way to Orlando by 8:15.

 

Self disembark was a complete mess. I think they should run it like HAL does their disembarkation/tenders -- give people numbers based upon cabin class/decks and you have to turn the numbers in to get off the ship. That way you minimize people clogging the ship's arteries like they did on our cruise.

 

Hope that helps...

[marty30907]

Thank you for your review. We sail on the Elation Mar 31, 07 and getting very excited!

[broberts]

I was on the Elation 9/24, sailing out of Miami. While Carnival pushed the self debarkation thing, we elected to wait. You may get kicked out of your cabin so staff can get started on the turnaround, but the Lido deck is a fine place to wait. We were in the last 50 or so people off the ship and breezed through. Unless one has travel connection constraints, I'd highly recommend this much more relaxing debarkation option.

[G.C]

pucarter,

Thanks for the reply I was worried it was taking even longer than normal.

 

I do agree the worst thing CCL does is the cattle call mass exit free for all when it comes to getting off the ship. Several times I thought people would come to blows. I always mention this to CCL on the comment card it seems like something that would be so easy to fix and cost them almost nothing. If we did not have to catch a flight I would let them put me off last and avoid the mob exit.

[pucarter]

I always mention this to CCL on the comment card it seems like something that would be so easy to fix and cost them almost nothing. If we did not have to catch a flight I would let them put me off last and avoid the mob exit.

 

I would have loved to put it on my comment card had I not already turned it in...:rolleyes: Oh well...all in all, that was a minor bad spot in a wonderful four days!

 

Good luck to everyone else sailing on the Elation -- I'm sure you'll love her too, if you don't already!!!

 

P.S. DO get the BLT from Room Service -- chock full of bacon -- YUM!!!!