cuppettmd

Hey, All; A year or so ago, Carnival was checking into building a new port near Freeport. Has there been any news on this? Just curious. Thanks!

Hey, SHof515; You're The Best! Worked like a charm! I went to APKpure and it "wuz-plum-ez". Thanks Again!

4 hours ago, shof515 said:

Most fire tablets run some kinda of android operating system that is mostly skinned to amazon branding. Somewhere in the settings (usually the developer options you have to enable ) is the option to enable Applications from unknown sources. Depending on the device, the wording might be different.Enable this setting. After it is enabled,  Go to a APK download site like https://apkpure.com/carnival-hub/com.carnival.android to download the APK. Transfer the downloaded APK to your tablet by connecting the tablet to your computer. After the file is transferred to the device, use File Explorer/My Files to open the apk and allow it to install. 

 

If you have an old fire tablet running  android version 6 or less, you will need to download the older carnival hub app version 2.2.4. The new updated carnival hub app (3.0.2 and higher) only support android 7 and newer 

Thanks! I'll give it a try.

Hey, All; On my cruise last Oct. I had a problem loading the Hub on my Fire Tablet. I tried again for my cruise next week on the Elation with no luck. After checking it out, I was informed that Amazon will not allow Google Play Store apps (which is what Carnival uses) on their service. Does anyone know of a "work around", or is this just a get over it moment? Thanks!

8 hours ago, Tiger0613 said:

They charge the 18% delivery fee on water now.  The delivery fee was being charged on water for my two January 2018 cruises when the delivery fee was still 15%.  I didn't order any water because of it.  I won't order water again unless they drop the delivery fee on water.  That will obviously never happen.

 

Tax still isn't charged on water unless it comes with a cooler and cups.

You're right, I went back and looked and what I thought was sales tax was indeed a delivery fee. Things that make you go Hmmmm!

I had the same thing happen to me. I was ordering some things from the Fun Shops, and when I went to check out, I saw the fee, so I cancelled. I remembered that Carnival does not charge a fee for water or Cruise Cash so I ordered the water. One of the things that I like to order is the cookies as some of the money goes to St. Judes. Sorry Kids! I'll do the "Groove"!

Hey; I don't know if the same band is on that was there in Oct. Don't remember the name but they were quite good. The Elation has three shows plus the Welcome aboard Show. Diva's, Heart of Soul, and the Classic Rock show. Be sure to see the preshow for Diva's and the Rock show. The other night they have Hasbro. They no longer have the Karaoke Live. Just the standard in the Romeo & Juliet lounge. Anytime dining is in the forward MDR. I think it's the Imagination, gut I'm not sure. Hope this helps. We're on the Elation next week. Be Blessed! Mikey

We love the steak house and a $3 increase is reasonable. Most of our cruises are on ships that do not have steak houses. What I would like to see is the "Steak House Selections" offer the rubbed rib eye steak instead of the New York strip. That would surely be worth $3! How about it, John?:D

Hey, All We are sailing on the Elation this Halloween. Halloween is on Wednesday and we debark the ship on Thursday morning. We will have to check our luggage on Wed. night. My question is this, will Carnival change the festivities to Tuesday night to avoid the rush? I've been on a few Halloween cruises but have never had this come up. Usually the party goes on till the wee hours. If no one knows, I'll check with my PVP. Thanks!:D

Here are two true upgrades that I have not seen mentioned: You no longer have to take your life jackets to muster drill and the digital karaoke is much better than the old "limited" cd's that always got misplaced. At least these are upgrades to me.:D

I liked the food. (crab sliders) The only issue that I had was that they charged a 15% gratuity. It kinda caught me by surprise since it's a food venue.:confused:

My Wife and I did it last year. The rays were in a pen so it was nothing like Grand Cayman, where they are wild. It was still OK but on a much minor scale. I think we only had one squid apiece. My Wife liked it, but I had been to "Sting Ray City" just two cruises before so I was "meh".:D

My three also showed invalid, last week. I called my PVP and he applied them with no problem. I've had this problem a couple of times with my AARP cards. Jack my PVP fixed them as well.:D

Hey, All We are sailing on the Fantasy latter this year and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a motel in Mobile? Thanks in Advance! Mikey

27th

We're on the Oct. 27th cruise as well! Third trip on the Elation, one before and one after renovations. Great Ship!:D

Hey, All We have FTTF for the first time next month in Port Canaveral. I have seen mention of this on the boards but nothing specific. When giving your check in luggage to the porters, do you have to get special stickers or something to let the ship know that you have priority boarding? Thanks for any clarification! :D

I've had it with orange sherbet. Quite Good! :D

Has anyone done the surf fishing excursion on Princess Cay? I've just booked it but there are no reviews yet. Any info would be Greatly Appreciated! Thanks! Mikey:D

Hey, we were on Elation last Oct. (after dry dock) The only thing that I noticed was when time to disembark back at Jax, they had everyone meet on the 8th, 9th, or 10th deck to take the elevators down. This included the self assist people. It was a new process and it did not go well, so maybe they have since changed it. The ship is Beautiful, by the way. It took the longest to get ashore than on any of our previous 10 cruises out of Jax. Be Blessed! Mikey:D

My all time favorite was Stingray City with Stingray Sailings on Grand Caymen. We were the first ones there and had unlimited squid to feed the rays. It was Great! My second best was a Nassau city tour with Perry McPhee. He took us everywhere and spent four hours with us.:D

Our favorites are in the aft near the elevators. This brings us up into Tiffanies buffet. Very handy!

Thanks Mikey, loved your review. And looking forward to being on the Elation in two weeks.

 

How long was the walk to get on the ship? DH has been ill (cancer, and a terrible fall) he says he wont need a wheel chair to get on board, and I want to make sure he can get on with just his cane?? And not walk too far.

Hey, are ya'll driving in? If so, drop him off out front with your luggage and then go park the car. (if you park at the port) If you park off port the shuttle will drop you off at the door. Getting on the ship is no problem, since they have the check in times, I think there is less walking than before. The Elation is just like when you were on the Fascination you board on deck three toward the front of the ship, but there are elevators right there. Your problem might be on debarkation. Unless they get their stuff together, there is a lot more walking and standing. We called for a porter and that helped a lot as we skipped a lot of the lines. Hope this helps. My wife uses a walker and I'm just Slow! Be Blessed! Mikey

Well, you could always do both like we did.:D We have done both and we have booked both again this year! Being older, (sixties) we like the Elation better as it's more laid back. The Liberty has more for your kids such as the "Dive In Movies". Since the dry dock the Elation is pretty good with Guy's and Blue Iguana. Elation also has a different show each night. You can't go wrong either way!

Hey, Ya'll; Let's wrap this thing up! This was the "You don't have to go home, But you can't stay here day". I woke up about half way up the river at Jax. It was still dark because the time had not changed yet, but I could still see quite a bit. We had put our luggage out in the hall the night before and it was picked up (Hopefully by Carnival):D I figured that we would do as we had the previous ten or so cruises out of Jax, and just relax and enjoy our remaining time on board. We gathered up and went to breakfast in the MDR. We were close to the Mikado where we would wait until our time to leave. You have to be out of your cabin by 8:30 and this was a good place to wait. They showed some episodes of AFV to help pass the time.

Now comes the only "Big Problem" on this voyage! Carnival, in their infinite wisdom, changed the way that they have done debarkation. Used to be, they would let the self help people wait on Riviera Deck and when customs had cleared, these folks could hit the stairs and be gone. They now have it where everyone has to wait on decks 7, 8, 9, or ten. They block off the forward elevators just for people leaving the ship when they are called, luggage and all! We were in porthole cabins on Main Deck, so we had to take our carry-ons to the rear elevators, come up to deck 8, then come forward to the theater to wait. All of the self-embark folks had to do the same thing but with all of their bags. Talk about "Goin' around your a$$ to get to your elbow" this was something to see! After all was said and done, there were a Lot of upset folks that were worried about making flights. It was almost 10:30 before we got off the ship! I just don't know who's bright idea this was!

Okay, here are my thoughts on this cruise:

Pros: The Elation is a Beautiful ship with the BEST Crew in Carnival (of course I say this about every ship I've been on) They have done a great job of up-grading her. The cabins with the Mini-fridge, hair dryers, flat screens, new safes, and decors are much nicer than before. Love the new venues, Guys, Blue Iguana, water works, and the new bars. A different show each night is a real plus. Kevin the CD was very active and entertaining. The food (American Table) and the dining rooms were a very good up-grade. Also the embarkation with the check-in times went very smoothly. There was a lot to Enjoy on the Elation!

Cons: There were a few minor things that were noticeable such as not having the new Deli menu (Oh Well, maybe next time) no pineapple juice, no crab cakes in the MDR , and no Mexican buffet at the deck party. None of these were a "Big Deal" but they are cumulative "Little Deals". The only "Big Deal" was debarkation. Carnival needs to address this issue as it's not hard to imagine that they could possibly lose some customers if folks missed their flights!

Conclusion:

Carnival did a few things wrong, but they did Many Things Right! The good outweighed the bad by a large margin! I really Enjoyed the "New" Elation, and have booked her again for Halloween 2018! Bye and Thanks for Reading! Be Blessed! Mikey:D

Hey, Ya'll; It's a "Fun Day At Sea"! I like the sea days as you can do as much or as little as you want to. Today we went to the sea day brunch for breakfast. I really like the eggs Benedict in the MDR. (They are better than the ones on Lido) We had good service, though I can't remember the waiter's name. One little thing that I noticed, they no longer have pineapple juice. Not a big deal but, it is the cumulative little things that can make or break perceptions. Afterwards we went to the "Towel Animal Theater" and then to Kevin's Q &

Awesome. Both of these were worth going to. We then went to the future cruise show. This was no big deal as you get the same offers for two weeks following your cruise. I sure wish they would bring back the old Future Cruise Certificates! (I have booked two more cruises for the upcoming year)

Another thing that I noticed, or maybe just missed it, was that I didn't see "Tea Time". They usually have it on sea days. Maybe I just didn't see it. I went to the ice carving and did some more trivia, (no more Ships on sticks:() It was a pretty relaxing day, overall!

I then went to our Facebook Slot Pull and proceeded to give back our twenty bucks from before. I swear Carnival makes the odds better on the first days just to suck you in! (just kidding) It was a lot of fun! We then went to supper with our friend, Senvil, and it was very good again.

After supper we went to :Epic Rock". This is a very good show, but be sure to go to the Pre-Show part! That guy can Play!:cool: The party kept going in the Atrium and a Good Time Was Had By All! I then hit the Karaoke for the last time and then some ice cream. Another change that I noticed: They had the deck party but not the Mexican buffet! I don't know why, maybe because they have Blue Iguana? Who knows what lurks in the hearts of "The Beards". I didn't miss my case of heartburn on debarkation morning! More Later! Be Blessed! Mikey:D