My CARNIVAL ELATION 2015 Cruise Review With Pictures!

Information About This Cruise & Me: This was my 10th cruise and my second time to cruise on the Carnival Elation. This cruise was June 8 - 13, 2015 and it departed from New Orleans to Cozumel & Progreso. This was my first time traveling on a 5 day cruise to Progreso.

My Review: I am going to post all of my written review here as I write it. I try to do the review in parts, by day. However, I will be posting all of my photos, Funtimes (activity newsletters), and paper handouts on my blog because I don't know how to upload them to Cruise Critic. This is the same way I have done my review here on Cruise Critic for the past several years.

Here Are The Photos & Fun-Times:

http://www.embarkandaway.com/carnival-elation-5-day-caribbean-cruise-review.html

Note: I will be sharing the same written information from my blog here too, but I will share some extra information that I didn't written in my blog here! It is also easier to view everything on a desktop or tablet computer, not a mobile device.

And Now It is Time For Me To Start Sharing The First Parts of This Review!

Feel Free To Ask Questions! For Those Getting The Elation In Jacksonville Next Year You Are In For a Great Ship That Will Be Missed By NOLA!

DAY 1 - Monday, June 8, 2015

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Arriving At The Cruise Terminal and Parking:

After a long tiresome drive to New Orleans, it was a relief seeing the Erato Street Cruise Terminal with the Carnival Elation docked directly behind it. I arrived at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal around 9:50am. The cruise terminal was bustling with cars as disembarking passengers were leaving and embarking passengers were trying to get parked. The port charged $16.00 per day to park in the cruise terminal's parking garage. After paying for parking, the attendant directed us to go up a spiral ramp to a luggage drop off zone. Upon arriving at luggage drop off, a luggage steward examined our boarding passes and took the luggage from the trunk of our vehicle. He then directed us to continue and told us we could park on certain levels of the garage that were designated for Carnival Elation cruisers.

Checking In & The Embarkation Process:

After finding a parking space and exiting our car, we took an elevator to the ground level of the cruise terminal. Before being allowed to proceed further, we had to show our boarding pass and passport to the embarkation staff. This took less than 2 minutes as there was no line at this time in the morning. We then proceeded up an escalator in order to go through a security checkpoint. There were several scanner stations opened and this took less than a minute to get through. Luckily, I did not make the scanner beep because I always seem to forget to take something out of my pockets. All carry on bags and items had to be screened during this process.

Immediately following the security checkpoint, Platinum & Diamond guests were escorted to the Captain's Lounge and General Embarkation guests were sent to the regular check in stations. I was fortunate to travel with a family member that is Platinum. This meant that I was able to enjoy the VIP priority boarding and check in process. Check in was smooth and during this time we learned the Elation's captain extended our docking times in Cozumel and Progreso. By 10:00am I was checked in and sitting in the waiting area for boarding! All of the cruise terminal staff throughout the process were extremely friendly and helpful. Boarding the Carnival Elation started shortly after 11:00am. Platinum and Diamond guests were allowed to board the ship first!

Here is a copy of the modified itinerary we received when we checked into the cruise:

NEW ITINERARY:

Day 1 June 8, 2015 New Orleans Depart: 4pm

Day 2 June 9, 2015 Fun Day At Sea

Day 3 June 10, 2015 Cozumel, Mexico Arrive: 7am Depart: 7pm

Day 4 June 11, 2015 Progreso, Mexico Arrive: 8am Depart: 7pm

Day 5 June 12, 2015 Fun Day At Sea

Day 6 June 13, 2015 New Orleans (Disembarkation) Arrive: 8am

This was a great way to start of the cruise! The letter was signed by the Captain. My guess is this was Carnival's way to make more shore excursion revenue! ;)

Lunch #1 at Tiffany's Bar & Grill (Lido Buffet):

The Carnival Elation's buffet has a variety of different lines cruisers can choose from. Today's lunch options included Italian food from the Chef's Choice buffet line as well as various options from the Elation's Grill, Mongolian Wok, Rotisserie, Deli, Pizzeria, and dessert station. When I entered Tiffany's Bar and Grill I quickly walked around to look at all of the food options and decided I wanted to eat from the deli first. I ordered a Pastrami on Rye sandwich, my favorite. The sandwich was delicious and the service at the deli was exceptional. The crew working the deli remembered my preference to eat a Pastrami on Rye sandwich when I came back the next day.

I also had a slice of pan pizza from the 24 Hour Pizzeria. The slice of pizza was tasty, but the service from the Pizzeria was not very good. After eating my sandwich and pizza, I enjoyed some desert from the desert station. The cupcake I took were okay, but the cookies I ate were delicious!

The buffet was always clean, but I wish the a/c system was a little better inside. When it is packed it is hot in there!

Touring The Inside Of The Carnival Elation:

I started my tour of the inside of the ship on the Promenade Deck. The Elation's promenade walkway is known as Elation's Way. The Elation's Way is home to main venues such as Casablanca Casino, Drama Bar, Romeo & Juliet lounge, Jekyll & Hyde Disco, Gatsby's Great Bar, and the Cole Porter aft lounge. The Drama Bar is a central place on the Carnival Elation where many activities and games take place.

The Jekyll and Hyde Nightclub is the Elation's disco. It had nice décor, but contained a faint smell of smoke mixed with rotten puke. This lounge smelt this way the entire cruise. Better ventilation may be needed in this lounge.

The Elation's Way Promenade did not contain any foul smells at all. The Casablanca Casino had good ventilation because the smell of smoke was extremely faint for the most part.

My Stateroom:

My stateroom was an Ocean View room located mid-ship on the Main Deck. The location was near the middle elevator/stairwell zone. The stateroom contained two twin beds, an old tube TV, small vanity area, two closed closet spaces, one open closet space, and a pull down bed. The room was a good size and had plenty of floor space. The room was always kept clean by our stateroom steward, but it had a slight smell of old mold.

The stateroom's bathroom smelled better than the room itself. The bathroom consisted of a shower, sink, toilet, and the mirror was a small cabinet that could be opened for shelf space.

Our stateroom steward did not introduce himself on the first day, but he did come by on the 2nd day of the cruise. He did his job well, kept the room clean, and was friendly when we passed him in the hallway.

Although the Carnival Elation does not have the most up to date staterooms, the room was still nice. The smell was the only problem I had with the room.

However, I will be posting all of my photos, Funtimes (activity newsletters), and paper handouts on my blog because I don't know how to upload them to Cruise Critic. This is the same way I have done my review here on Cruise Critic for the past several years. [/i]

Pardon my ignorance, but that seems to be a convenient way to drive traffic to your own personal site. You mean to say that you know how to build an entire website about cruising but can't figure out how to ask Google how to post pictures to these forums? Okay... [emoji57]

Pardon my ignorance, but that seems to be a convenient way to drive traffic to your own personal site. You mean to say that you know how to build an entire website about cruising but can't figure out how to ask Google how to post pictures to these forums? Okay... [emoji57]

You're right, it does appear a convenient way to drive traffic to my personal blog. That is not my intent, but a little traffic is nice. However, after doing reviews in this format before I have learned that I don't increase my traffic more than a few people.

For website building I use an editor that works similar to Microsoft Word, which means I have no technical knowledge when it comes to the mechanics of websites. I have tried Cruise Critic's help article with picture posting in the test area of the forum and I just cannot get pictures to load on here.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the review. Have a great day! :)

Oh give her a break! I posted a review and tons of my pictures wouldn't upload. I would try again and some would. It is a huge hassle. Was there really any need for your comment?! Just don't go to her site if you don't want to.

Enjoying the review so far!

I have a few questions I would like you to answer, if possible:

- What time did staterooms open for non-VIP passengers?

- How was the bottled water for VIFP members?

- Was the chair hogging policy enforced?

Enjoying the review so far!

 

I have a few questions I would like you to answer, if possible:

- What time did staterooms open for non-VIP passengers?

- How was the bottled water for VIFP members?

- Was the chair hogging policy enforced?

1) The staterooms opened for non-VIP passengers at 12:30pm.

2) The bottled water was actually pretty useful! If you request ice from room service or bring it to your room from the Lido you can drink it cold in your room.

3) The deck chairs were like hotcakes during the sea days. Yes, the policy was enforced from what I saw.

Glad you are enjoying the review so far! :)

If anyone else has questions please feel free to ask!

Loving your review so far! I'm taking my 14 year old son in a couple of months. Is there enough for us to do on the ship?? He doesn't really want to go to the Teen Club. Guess I'm having a bit of buyers remorse...

I think your website looks great ! =)

I've been looking for an easy way to update my sites.

May I ask what yours was built with ?

Great information so far. I'm very excited, we leave on the 27th. Wonder if we will be lucky enough to get an extended stay in port :)

Thank you do much for your review. We sail in 26 days and I am so excited.

Thanks so much for the awsome review!

Looking forward to the rest of the review!!

Loving your review so far! I'm taking my 14 year old son in a couple of months. Is there enough for us to do on the ship?? He doesn't really want to go to the Teen Club. Guess I'm having a bit of buyers remorse...

There should be enough for ya'll to do on the ship without using the kid's programs. The Elation has mini golf' date=' basketball, volleyball, shuffleboard, and Ping-Pong on the outside decks. There is also an arcade if you are willing to spend a little bit of extra money. Also, there are multiple pools and one waterslide onboard. During each day you will receive a newsletter called the Fun-Times that outlines a variety of different activities going on around the ship. Activities could range from trivia to scavenger hunts and most of these would be great to try! I hope this helps!

I think your website looks great ! =)

I've been looking for an easy way to update my sites.

May I ask what yours was built with ?

Thank you for the compliment! I build my website with a service called Weebly. I have nothing but positive things to say about this company.

Great information so far. I'm very excited, we leave on the 27th. Wonder if we will be lucky enough to get an extended stay in port :)

You never know!! :) I did not foresee extended port of call times and was very excited when we got the letter from the captain in the terminal explaining the change. Have a great cruise!

Thank you do much for your review. We sail in 26 days and I am so excited.

You're welcome! I hope you have a great cruise!

Thanks so much for the awsome review!

Thank you for your compliment!

Looking forward to the rest of the review!!

Thank you! I can't wait to share more!

Good Morning Everyone!

I Will Continue With The Review As Soon As I Write More!

And Here I Will Continue...

After checking out the Promenade Deck, I decided to walk one deck lower to see the Atlantic Deck. Duke's Piano Bar on the Atlantic Deck was one of the nicest lounges on the Carnival Elation. Duke's Piano Bar has a New York City theme and includes NYC highlights such as a Statue of Liberty head, Empire State Building, and other city buildings. This lounge was clean and had a good smell.

The majority of the Carnival Elation's shops are located on the Atlantic Deck near the front of the ship. The logo shops sell a variety of Carnival themed gifts. There is another shop on the Atlantic Deck that sells a variety of different perfumes, jewelry, and alcoholic beverages. Between the two shops, there are entrances to the Mikado Lounge.

After walking around the Atlantic Deck, I walked back up to the Elation's Way Promenade. One of the first places I visited was the Romeo & Juliet Lounge. This lounge was used for a variety of functions during the cruise vacation.

Muster Station Drill: The Muster Station drill is always a required event for every passenger on the cruise ship. My muster station was "C" which was the Romeo & Juliet Lounge on the Promenade Deck. The drill was scheduled to begin at 3:30pm, but was delayed due to stragglers. The ship's crew would not start the drill until all cruisers were present in their required muster stations. The drill probably started about 15 - 20 minutes late due to people being late.

In muster station "C" the staff was friendly and did an excellent job explaining all of the necessary safety information. Lifejackets were not needed for the drill, but the crew demonstrated how to put on a lifejacket. The cruise director, Brandon, made several announcements as well as the captain. Before we were allowed to be dismissed from the drill, we had to practice walking from our muster station to the lifeboats. This took less than five minutes and everyone cooperated. While we were outside at our designated lifeboat, it started raining and everyone was forced to get wet because we had no choice. Luckily, once the rain started the cruise director spoke quickly and ended the drill. Overall, the muster station drill was not that bad and is usually the most unenjoyable part of any cruise vacation.

Sail-a-Way From New Orleans: As I mentioned earlier, I love cruising from New Orleans because of the Mississippi River. The muster station drill ended at approximately 4:15pm and within 5 minutes we were already moving. The ship's ropes were untied during the muster station drill. It was still sprinkling when we began to move, but it was a light rain that cleared up within minutes.

The outside decks were packed with cruisers wanting to catch a view of New Orleans as we departed. I chose the back of the Verandah Deck to watch sail-a-way. This area of the ship was crowded, but I managed to find a spot. Within 10 minutes we made our first turn on the Mississippi River. The Elation was able to make the turn smoother than the Carnival Dream. This may be because of the size of the ship.

Dinner #1 In The Imagination Dining Room:

I had Your-Time Dining which means I could dine in a specific dining room from 5:45pm until about 9:00pm. My assigned dining room was the Imagination Dining Room. The entrance for cruisers with Your-Time Dining was in the Elation's atrium. On this night of the cruise, there was no line for dinner until a few minutes before 5:45pm. However, on later nights of the cruise, a long line would be formed by 5:30pm.

The food was very good! The hostesses working the entrance of the Imagination Dining Room were very friendly and did a great job getting everyone seated. We requested a table by a window to get a view of the Mississippi River as we sailed. Our dining room staff members did their jobs well, but were not above & beyond. I think these dining room staff members had just gotten on the ship for a new contract and were still trying to get the hang of the job. Although the service was not exceptional, we were well taken care of. I'm not complaining about the service, but I have had some crew members in the dining room that have gone above & beyond.

Stateroom Nightly Turndown

Our stateroom steward came during dinner and cleaned our stateroom for the night. In the process of turning down the room,the stateroom steward left a towel animal as well as the daily activity newsletter for the second day of the cruise. Carnival no longer gives chocolate mints at night due to some changes implemented by the corporate office. I knew about this change before the cruise, but it was weird not having the tasty mints to end my day.

The stateroom steward also lowered the pull down bed during the nightly turndown. He forgot to put padding on the bed, but when he came in the morning to service the room he must have realized his mistake. After the first night the upper bed had padding and was comfortable. The room was comfortable, but I did not sleep well the first night because of being in a different environment.

Welcome Aboard Show In The Mikado Lounge

The Welcome Aboard Show was at 10:15pm in the Mikado Lounge. This was the last time the Elation's cruise passengers would ever get to watch this show because the ship is getting new shows. The show started with the lead female vocalist singing "Holiday" by Madonna. The dancing part lasted about 5-6 minutes and then the cruise director, Brandon, spoke. He told us this was the last showing of this Welcome Aboard Show and the following day the set would be destroyed.

After the cruise director spoke two comedians performed. Both were good and had the audience laughing the whole time. Following the comedians, another singer performed and then the show was over. Overall, the welcome aboard was great and it was cool getting to be a part of the show's last time being performed.

That is all of the text I have for now. I am currently writing Day 2's review. The next day will be in one part only.

Have a great evening and feel free to ask questions!