Elation 2/3 - 2/8 trip review (very long)

[mgasaway]

Background: There were 11 of us on the cruise ranging in age from 17 to 85, with most of us being in the 45-55 age group. For my 50th b-day I wanted to go on another cruise and bring my son & DIL along as a belated wedding/anniversary present (they ran off to Jamaica and got married last year). Soon DH’s family was going along and it turned into a 50th b-day (me), 60th b-day (SIL) and anniversary gift (DS,DIL). We had 6 cabins on the Upper Deck, U10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 22, & 24. Our PVP did a great job of getting us all together. We also had the late seating in the Imagination dining room and they were able to set the table for all 11 of us. DH & I were on the Elation out of Galveston last February, so when I saw the itinerary for her out of Port Canaveral, I knew this was the ship we wanted.

Embarkation: Everyone made their own arrangements for getting to Orlando. DS, DIL, DH and I flew into Orlando the day of the cruise. I really HATE doing this, but with work schedules there was absolutely no way around it. We flew Southwest out of Chicago Midway (-4 degrees when we left!) and were late leaving because of a problem with the water system (i.e, the toilets weren’t working) on the plane, (Frozen????) 45 minutes late we were finally heading to Orlando. We’d made arrangements with Art’s Shuttle to pick us up at the airport at 11:15. It was 12:30 when we landed and the rep was waiting for us in baggage claim when we arrived. Of course, our bags were just about the last off the belt! It was a bit after 1pm when we finally headed to Port Canaveral. By 2pm we were handing our bags to the porters and heading to the ship. There was a line – maybe 50 people ahead of us but it went really quick. The Carnival CSR that took our paperwork, sail & sign, etc was very friendly and the whole thing only took 10-15 minutes at the most. Emabarkation photos taken and we were ON-BOARD!!! 1st stop was our cabins to drop off the carry-ons. 2nd stop the Drama bar for some alcoholic refreshment. Drinks in hand we headed for the 3rd stop – Tiffanny’s for lunch. It was quite cool in Port Canaveral and overcast so we opted for eating indoors rather than out on the Lido deck. After lunch back to the cabin to get the life vests for the muster drill. YEAH! We didn’t have to trudge up to the lifeboats this time. Take the life vests back to the room, grab the jacket and head up on deck for Sail-away. Like I said, it was quite cool in Port Canaveral so soon after we got into open water we all headed inside. By this time our luggage had been delivered to our cabins.

Cabins: We had a block of cabins on the Upper Deck forward. When I made the reservations the floorplan showed U10 being bigger than U12 and it was. There was actually room to walk around the bed when made into a kingsize. We had 3 ocean view porthole cabins and 3 inside cabins. The room was clean, although I could not tell what updating had been done to it in drydock last year other than maybe being painted. The furnishings and color scheme was the same as last year. The beds, as usual were HEAVEN!! I’d love to have one of these beds at home. There were enough hangers in the closet and of course the signature towels and robes. Our cabin stewardess Vitalija was WONDERFUL! She came to introduce herself right away and was always right there with anything we needed. She was the cabin stewardess for all 6 of our cabins and we all tipped her extra at the end of the cruise. She was especially attentive to my MIL, who walks with a cane and used a transport chair for getting around the ship (double knee replacement)

On Board Activities: Having been on the Elation last year, the shows were the same so we didn’t attend them this trip. We watched the Superbowl sitting at the bar in the Great Gatsby lounge (buckets of Coors for $13 plus a free lighted glass – what a bargin – lol). Unfortunatley, Da Bears were not able to pull it off, although I think they could here us in Miami! Our at sea day we played some mini golf. Quite a trick when the wind is blowing and the ship is rocking. We went to see the comedian, Michael Macy that night at the R rated show. I though he was hilarious but if you offended easily this was NOT the show for you. We also saw the other late night comedy show with ‘The Village Idiots’. It was corny and slapstick but still entertaining. DS & DIL went to the Jeckle & Hyde lounge a couple of nights and said they enjoyed the music and dancing. They also did Karaoke every night they had it they had a blast. As with our last cruise on the Elation, we found the piano bar, Dukes, very under utilized. We stopped there very night prior to dinner for a drink (since it’s right outside the Imagination dining room) and only one night was the piano player there. We’d check back after dinner and again, no piano player. We spent quite a bit of time in the casino in the evening. Didn’t win anything but only lost what we’d planned on spending in the casino. DS played Texas Holdem quite a bit. I spent most of my time playing Let It Ride since it’s my favorite and they took it out of the casino I go to here at home. The last night DH and I played Blackjack for over 2 hours on $50. We were up, down, up down and finally left with our original $50.

Ports of Call:

Grand Turks: In Grand Turks DH and his BIL did the bike ride around the island ($60 per person). They both said it was interesting and although listed as a ‘3’ for strenuous in the guide, BIL who is almost 70 said it was ‘invigorating’. He is in real good shape though. I took the ‘Guana’ Island bus tour. I enjoyed it, with stops at the lighthouse and the old prison, but thought the $39 price tag was a bit much. $20 would have been more in line. There really isn’t much on Grand Turks unless you are into the beach and snorkeling. DS & DDIL spent the day at the pool at Margaritaville (no charge) and on the beach. Margaritaville is EXPENSIVE! $21 for a margarita and a beer. I must admit though, it was one of the best margaritas I’ve ever tasted.

Half Moon Cay: No report – we had to skip Half Moon Cay due to weather. The wind was at 45 knots and the seas were at least 10-15ft swells – much too dangerous to tender in. It was also quite cloudy. Everyone was given $25 OBC (which I promptly spent in the casino and the Captain went full speed ahead to Nassau.

Nassau: We arrived in Nassau about 6pm. It was cool and still quite windy. The area around the cruise port isn’t very lively at night. We chose to return to the ship for dinner. BIL and family took a cab to Atlantis. They said it was expensive but a lot of fun. The next morning we awoke to blue almost cloudless skys and warm temps. DH, DS DDIL and I took the Blackbeards Cay Stingray excursion ($55 per person). We really enjoyed it. They take you out to Blackbeards Cay and you can spend the entire 3 hours snorkeling with the rays or park your body in a beach chair and soak up the sun. We swam with the rays for a while before retiring to the beach chairs. DS & DDIL spent the whole time with the rays, including getting to feed them. After being taken back to Nassau DH & I wandered around downtown souviner shopping before heading back to the ship.

Food: The food was excellent! Love that chocolate melting cake. Our waiters, Sing and Sol were wonderful! After the first night they remembered our names and what we liked to drink with our meals. They were very attentive and very informative on the next days port of call. We tipped them extra the last night. Between the 11 of us I think we probably tried just about every dish on the menu. The only complaints were on the beef, Every one of us ended up with a tough steak at least once. One of the new dishes, the Teriaky ribs was excellent however – very, very tender, almost like a good brisket. We ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet every day. While I don’t consider the buffet food outstanding, it was still very good. I really liked the Mexican selections. IMHO they need a bit more variety, especially for lunch. The burgers on the Lido deck were really good this trip (I didn’t care for them last year) and of course the deli and pizzeria were wonderful.

Disembark: What a nightmare! We do self debark. When we saw the crowd of people hording to the exits, we just plopped in a chair on the Lido deck and enjoyed the last of our time on the ship. We waited until as late as possible to get off. We had a late flight back to Chicago so we rented a car and drove along the coast and then stopped for lunch before heading to the airport. Once we finally headed to the exit, it went relatively quick.

All in all, it was a great trip. No complaints and only a few disappointments (missing Half Moon Cay, but ya can’t change Mother Nature). Time to start planning the next cruise – Alaska for DH’s 55th birthday!

[Illinoisgal]

Ahh ILOVE the Elation. I just got married on her back on November. Too bad you missed HMC it is just to die for, I could have stayed there all cruise.

Glad you enjoyed it so much like we did. I wish she was staying on the east coast :(