Elation Review 6/4/16

On cruise: Myself 52, DW 51, and DD 11. This was the 4th cruise for the ywo of us and 1st cruise for DD. Stops in Nassau and Half Moon Cay (or so we thought).

Pre-cruise: Drove down from Columbia SC and stayed at the Hampton-Airport. It was nice. Went and ate at the landing and then had some pool time the rest of the day.

Embarking: Booked in February and FTTF was sold out but it became available in April. We arrived at the port about 10:30. Checked in the FTTF line which was much shorter than the regular line. Got seated and was on the ship at about 11:20. Went right to our room M151 and it was ready and all of the luggage was there. Put it away and had 1st drink in hand before noon.

The Ship: After reading some comments on here you would have thought the ship belonged in the scrap heap. Not true. Could you find some rust? Yes, if you looked hard. All of the public areas were clean and always being cleaned some more. Same with our room. No problems at all.

The crew: Easily the friendliest crew we have had. Marlou was our steward and he was wonderful. He cleaned twice a day and kept our cooler filled with ice. Our favorite by the pool was KeShore. Always kept our drinks full. Best of all was Alex our cruise director. He goes by Professor Bing-Bong. I am normally one that could care less about a cruise director. I couldn't even tell you who they were on our first 3 cruises. Alex was funny, didn't make too many announcements, and there was plenty going on. Also want to mention the performers. They were great. The 2 female lead singers were excellent.

Food: I will say that food is not a high priority for us on a cruise. We can always find something. Ate 3 meals in the main dining room and 2 at the buffet. All were good. Breakfast was fine too. Had an omelette each morning. Love the lunches. Burgers are always good and the deli is fantastic. My wife also loves the Mongolian Wok. Pizza OK. And DD had about 20 ice cream cones.

Stops: Have read about Nassau for years I now understand. I really got sick of saying no thank-you. But it is what it is. Walk down to Junkanoo beach and spent a few hours there. It was nice. We were the only ship in port that day so it wasn't crowded. Unfortunately we were unable to go to Half Moon Cay. DD was so sad. My wife and I have been there before so we knew how incredible it is and she was so looking forward to going there. There was a tear or 2 shed that morning. She was fine after a while and enjoyed her day around the pool. She got me to go down the slide with her about 20 times. It was fun. Again this where Alex did a great job. He planned some extra activities and kept most people happy. Of course there were people who whined the rest of the day. It's really kinda funny listening to them. Some people are never happy.

Debarking: We were in group 2 that would be called after the people that carried everything off themselves. We met in the theater at 9:00 and were called to leave about 9:25. We were driving home by 9:40. Painless.

Summary: All 4 of our cruises have been great. This was no exception. We have now been on the Miracle, Inspiration, Fantasy, and Elation. No "BIG" ships but we really don't need some of the things on them. Give us a drink and a chair around the pool and we're happy. Yes it was dissapointing missing HMC but we made the best of it. I'm sure I forgot things so if you have any questions ask away.

Thanks for your review. We are on the Elation the first week of July. What was the reason for missing HMC? The early storms have me a little worried that we could also miss this port. HMC is one of the main reasons for booking this itinerary and I know I will be disappointed, probably whine a little, wine a lot, then eventually get over it.

There was some wind and waves. Not terrible but enough!!

Thank you for sharing ! We are on the Elation in January. :)

Thanks for your review. We have sailed on this ship 4 times and have really enjoyed it. I am sorry you missed Half Moon Cay. It is our favorite island.

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for your review. We have sailed on this ship 4 times and have really enjoyed it. I am sorry you missed Half Moon Cay. It is our favorite island.

It just gives me a reason to book another cruise!!

Thank you for this informative review. Could you tell me if you did the cheers program and if not, how were the alcohol prices?

Did you go to any evening activities ?

Just saw this report, thanks!

Glad you enjoyed the cruise.

Keith

Thanks for your review.

Sailing on her in December, my wife and daughter have already done a daily countdown on our calendar. Needless to say, we are ready to set sail.

The Elation is a great ship....sailed her in May. No lines for anything!!!! Entertainment was great and the crew is awesome. You will have a great time, enjoy!!!!

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Me and 7 of my girlfriends will be sailing first week of October. So glad to hear what a great time, great ship it was. I really hope we don't miss HMC. We have a villa, and I'm ridiculously excited for it!

Me and 7 of my girlfriends will be sailing first week of October. So glad to hear what a great time, great ship it was. I really hope we don't miss HMC. We have a villa, and I'm ridiculously excited for it!

I have been to a lot of beaches. Went to HMC on the May cruise and went there expecting "yea, just another island beach, no big deal"....I have to say, while it isn't Ka'anpali in Maui or Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda, HMC ranks pretty high....really, really nice beach day, we had a blast

I have been to a lot of beaches. Went to HMC on the May cruise and went there expecting "yea, just another island beach, no big deal"....I have to say, while it isn't Ka'anpali in Maui or Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda, HMC ranks pretty high....really, really nice beach day, we had a blast

HMC is my most favorite place. It will be my 3rd time there, but everyone else's first visit. I can't wait for my friends to see it!

DW & I doing a B2B beginning Feb 6, 2017.... Meaning 2 stops at HMC..

I have trouble walking long distances (both knees replaced and "old")

How accessible are the basics??

DW & I doing a B2B beginning Feb 6, 2017.... Meaning 2 stops at HMC..

I have trouble walking long distances (both knees replaced and "old")

How accessible are the basics??

If you get off the tender, the beach isn't to far a walk....If you sit on beach close to the tender, it is a decent walk to the BBQ buffet. You may want to hang out by the chairs and have someone pick you up some food