ncbookworm

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and thoughts.  The birth certificate is not acceptable for boarding per Royal Caribbean.  It also won't work for a Passport.  An amendment is the only option.  Our state is in the process of changing their records system and an amendment will not occur before our sail date.  So, we'll have to revise our plans.  I'm just so so thankful that my Mom mentioned it to me just as an aside and we didn't discover all of this when we were in line to board!

Thanks so much everybody!  I'm working on the Passport and amendment now.  We may have to move it if those don't come through in time.  Peggy

I'll look into the passport.  Maybe it would make it here.  Thanks again!

4 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

That could be an issue, and unless someone here has had the identical situation, I wouldn't trust any answers given here. Since you have to also have a government issued ID, I don't think it would be a problem but I'm guessing.

 

I'd suggest doing what it says at the bottom of this link, and call them. Insist that you be given an answer that you can show at the port if there are any questions. 

 

Can I Cruise With Just a Birth Certificate as a U.S. Citizen? | Royal Caribbean Cruises

 

 

Thanks so much for the link! I'll check it out.  Also, thanks for the suggestion of having their response in writing somehow.  I'll make sure to do that! 

8 minutes ago, crazyank said:

That type of birth certificate used to be fairly common.  two members of my family have that style and I can tell you from personal experience it is worthless for identification purposes.

Thanks for the personal experience!  I was afraid of that!

This is my Mom's first cruise, and it was sort of a quick decision to go.  We leave in March.  I just got her official birth certificate because I figure there's no time for a passport.  The birth certificate came today and doesn't have her first or middle name on it! It just says "Baby Girl" Jones.  I'm sort of panicking because I'm afraid this won't cut it to get her on board.  Anyone have any personal experience with this?  I know it can be amended, but I don't think it would get done in time.  Do you think with her birth certificate, license, and marriage certificate, she'll get on board?  Thanks for any help! 

**Sorry I just realized I put the wrong date! We sailed on 4/2/18.**

Sorry there aren't any pictures for this, but I'm not a picture taker. I am so grateful for all the help that I got from these boards, and I voraciously searched and read any review on the Elation as I prepared for this trip. I hope this quick review will help someone else!

TRAVELLERS--Me (40) [3rd cruise], DH (44) [2nd cruise], Son (14) [1st cruise], and Son (12) [1st cruise]

THE SHIP--We had a fantastic trip, and I loved this boat and the crew on it. I never met a single person that was not kind or inviting. By the end of a week, many felt like family, and that is totally because they go out of their way to make you feel welcomed and a part of them. There were rarely lines for things, and if there were, they moved quickly. It is so amazing that there can be so many people in one relatively small space, and it still not feel crowded. I've only been on this size ship, and I really like it. The pool and the hot tubs were the most crowded places, but that didn't really bother me because I don't care too much about that. My youngest always wanted to get in the hot tub, but never would because it was too crowded. Waterworks was up and going with only a few brief exceptions, and the lines for the slides moved quickly. The serenity area is small, but there were typically open loungers. However, the shaded space is at a premium there and was usually full.

FOOD--We did late dining. It's what I've always done, and I still find that that works for me. I'm usually a late lunch eater, and I feel like I'm not hungry enough to take full advantage of the multiple courses if I were to eat earlier. The service was very good and the food was pretty good as well. We made sure to have dinner there each night, and we ate brunch on the sea days. Guy's Burgers are sensational! You do have to ask for the type of burger you want or you just get a plain cheeseburger. The Blue Iguana was good, but I didn't care for the salsas that they had. For me, that made them not as good as they could be because I love salsa. We had the Cheers package and some of my favorite drinks were: White Chocolate Caramel Frappe (non alcoholic) at the coffee bar, Mocha Chocolate Getaway (alcoholic), and A Kiss on the Lips.

HALF MOON CAY--Such a beautiful place! The food there was good, and the lines were short and moved quickly. We had Cabana #10, and we loved it. I would definitely recommend a cabana. I am not a sun bather, and I really enjoyed the shade, the cushioned loungers, the fan, and the a/c. The a/c doesn't make it cold, but it did cool off the shaded area. Having our drinks right there in a cooler was awesome. We got a ride to our cabana, but we walked back to the tender. It wasn't a bad walk. We also got snorkel gear and floats to use. The water was a little cool at first, but once you acclimated, it was really nice.

NASSAU--We booked an excursion through Carnival for a full day at Atlantis with a deep water dolphin swim. It was a little slow to get started because we had to wait for the group leaders from Atlantis to get onto the ship, give out wrist bands, and complete paperwork. Once we were on our way, we had to walk to the waiting shuttle buses. It was a little difficult to stay with the group because there are multiple other groups going different places doing the same thing, and it can get confusing. Stay close and keep up, is the best advice I can give. Some of our group got lost in the crowd, but the leader did go back for them. Once we arrived at Atlantis, we had another leader that took us through the resort. It's huge! We would have struggled to find our way without her. We had the first assigned time for the dolphin swim, and she took us to the Dolphin Cay area. We quickly got suited up and in the water, and we had a great time. We were on our own to find our way to the waterpark area, but we found someone to ask and they were helpful. We had to ask for help to direct us back out to the shuttle are, but once again, there was someone to ask that gave good directions. We had a great time, and I'm so glad that we went. The lines were long for some of the more popular slides, but not too bad overall. My only complaint would be that there was not a lunch voucher with this excursion, even though the full day without the dolphin swim does have one. The food wasn't bad, and the price was comparable to other theme parks. No cash, only credit or debit cards accepted here.

ONBOARD ACTIVITIES--My youngest is shy and reserved. He went once to the Circle C club, but didn't want to go back again. I think if he had a friend he knew, he would have been fine. We loved the library and playing the games there. I would suggest that if you like puzzles, bring your own so that you know you have all the pieces. Next time I'll bring a few other games that we like, as well. My oldest is outgoing and has never met a stranger in his life. He took advantage of many of the activities. He will be 15 in a week, and on the second day, he took it upon himself to ask to be moved to the older teens group. I had no idea he had done it until he told me at the end of the week. They did let him move up. He knew most of the Fun Crew's name and they knew his, by the end of the week. He's asked to go on another cruise for his next birthday. The PunchLiner Comedy Club was great. The comedians were hilarious, and I wish there were more shows! The production shows were good. I prefer a story, and the 2 that were showing this time were more about rock and pop music. They were well done, but again, not what I would typically choose to see.

EMBARKATION/DEBARKATION--Super simple and easy. We had Faster to the Fun, and I would

do it every time. We also carry on our luggage which I think helps to make the process easier and faster.

I think that is everything that I was looking for information about when I was planning this trip. I can hardly wait until our next cruise! Let me know if you have any questions. Peggy

Atlantis was amazing! We booked directly through Atlantis in advance which saved a couple hundred dollars, worked out for us but can be risky. Don't bring your ship towels as you can use theirs. Make sure you bring cash or a credit card for lunch. The 5 of us ate for $70 including sodas which was a lot more reasonable than we expected. I'm not sure what else to say, get there as early as possible and ride every slide! Admission includes the aquarium which is neat.

 

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That was all helpful! Thank you!

We just disembarked from the Elation this morning and I have to say we were much more impressed with the upgrades than we thought we would be! After sailing the Magic last September I was expecting to be disappointed going back to a fantasy class, but I was so wrong! A couple things were missing due to the lack of space, but we really enjoyed the smaller ship. I don't want to write a full review now but I am happy to answer any questions people may have! Btw our ports were Half Moon and Nassau and we booked Atlantis directly through the resort so if anyone has questions on that experience feel free to ask!

 

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I'm so glad you had a great time! Tell me about Atlantis. Any tips?

Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the review and the pictures! Looks like you had a great time!

We've booked separate rooms with my husband and I in one and our boys (14 and 12) in the other. They are rooms right next to each other, not connecting, and our bookings are linked under my name. No problem at all. The reservations were made through Carnival and the person helping me did make a note that we, the parents, were in the room next door. But the boys were listed in their room, and husband and I listed in ours. I was thinking my husband and I would have to be split up with one of the kids with each of us, but I didn't even have to ask her to arrange it so they were in their own room, and she did it for me. I think you'll be fine. Have a great cruise!

Great review! Thank you!

That's awesome! Congratulations! That gives me hope that I might snag it before our cruise in April. I was beginning to give up hope.

Thank you! We go in April, and I'm always looking for Elation info!

We did Atlantis through carnival a few years ago' date=' so things could have changed.

 

Our excursion ticket told us to meet in the comedy club. Once there they gave us liability forms to fill out. When we handed the forms and tickets in they gave us wristbands , different colors for different excursions (Dolphin, aquaventure, etc). Then they called by wristband color and led us out of the boat to a shuttle. Upon arrival at Atlantis the guide walked us to dolphin area to check in. There they assigned times for the encounter. Ours was a late time so we went to the Dig first. After dolphins (which was AMAZING) we got our pictures, had a snack, and went back to Dig for a bit. Shuttles back to ship left every half hour, but there was always a shuttle waiting so you could get right on. They told us when we first arrived what time the last shuttle would be.

 

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Thank you so much! Very helpful and reassuring!

Yes 8:30 is the time that you will meet up right outside the cruise ship. There will be people standing there with signs and you will go to the person holding the Dolphin Swim (or whatever you are doing) sign. They will then wait a couple of minutes for everyone to show. They will then shuttle you to where you need to go.

Thank you!

I have not sailed Carnival, but I would assume they pretty much work the same as NCL for excursions. On NCL, 8:30 would be the meeting time to get the transportation to Atlantis. When we got to Atlantis, a guide met us and took us on a little tour of the grounds then to where we needed to be.

 

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That makes me feel much better! I was considering cancelling this excursion, and now I feel reassured. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I've searched and read, but I still can't find clear and recent answers. I'm hoping y'all can help me!

I've booked the Atlantis Aquaventure and Dolphin Swim through Carnival. It stated my "timeslot" is 8:30. We are in Port from 8-5. Here are my questions:

-Is 8:30 when we disembark to meet our transportation to Atlantis at the Port or when we're supposed to be at Dolphin Cay? That's not a lot of time!

-Anyone know if there is transportation included? I don't see it listed in the information, but much of what I've read elsewhere seems to imply that.

-Once we're at Atlantis, do we walk through there to get to Dolphin Cay? I hear there's a shuttle, but only runs every 30 minutes, maybe? Sounds like signage is poor, and if anyone has directions for getting from the front to Dolphin Cay, that would be great!

-Is there somewhere we have to check-in, besides Dolphin Cay?

Maybe some of these questions are answered in the information we'll get once on board, but our time is so short, and I don't want to waste any being lost or backtracking. Any help is much appreciated!

I think that's all... for now.