Help with Elation vs. Magic??

Hi guys! Haven't cruised on Carnival in a while but I'm interested in trying it again!

This post isn't so much about comparing the differences between the ships; I'm pretty familiar with the amenities each ship offers. However, here are the two cruises I'm going back and forth over:

• Carnival Elation five night over Thanksgiving 2019 (Amber Cove, Grand Turk) from Port Canaveral. One balcony and one interior for $2900, or one Grand Suite for $3000.
  
• Carnival Magic six night in May 2019 (Half Moon Cay, Amber Cove, Grand Turk) from Port Everglades. One cove balcony and one interior for $3470.
  

Elation is a better value and there is a possibility of having a suite which would be a new experience for us. Additionally, it is a smaller ship (our last cruise on RCI's Freedom was crowded), but still has lots of 2.0 upgrades and sails out of Port Canaveral which is very convenient. The dates are slightly better as well. However, we've previously sailed on the Paradise and I kind of wanted to experience one of Carnival's larger ships.

Magic is more pricey and Port Everglades is a little inconvenient, but it does offer some more than Elation (more dining options, Lanai, larger Waterworks, etc). The dates don't work as well but it is a longer cruise...

Which would you guys choose? Is Magic that much of a better ship to warrant the higher cost and inconvenience? Also, can anyone point to differences between the shows on the ships? I love seeing shows--I know Magic has Flick which I heard is great.

Thank you!

Wow that is tough as those are definitely two different times of year with similar ports.

I’ve been on both so IMO, if my kids are joining me, I’m picking the Magic ten times over. We took them on the Elation this past fall after being on the Magic and Dream and they were soooo disappointed. It wasn’t worth what we saved AT ALL. Are kids joining you?

Cruising at Thanksgiving has been on my “bucket list” since I first started cruising and we are finally making it happen next year. Couldn’t pass up the great price on the Dream since it’s only 5 days.

A suite on the Elation wasn’t as impressive as I thought it’d be (we toured it). :( Maybe because of the class of ship?

Not sure I was much help. LOL

The Elation just got the 2.0 upgrades and brand new waterworks....it’s a great ship with a great crew

The Fantasy class is a great class of ship. Much less crowded than the larger ships

Magic is a pretty new ship with more bells and whistle compared to Elation which is an old ship.

Very easy decision for me

Was on the Elation the end of January in one of the new balcony rooms. That was my biggest complaint as it was much smaller than most other ships, didn't have a sofa, little table or a chair! Only place to sit was on the bed or desk stool. Very disappointing. We were able to bring in one of the deck chairs to have a place to sit. Other than that, it was nice. Smaller ships are better to me, not nearly as crowded. The food was good as well as all the service.

Elation is a better value because it's an old clunker.

Was on the Elation the end of January in one of the new balcony rooms. That was my biggest complaint as it was much smaller than most other ships, didn't have a sofa, little table or a chair! Only place to sit was on the bed or desk stool. Very disappointing. We were able to bring in one of the deck chairs to have a place to sit. Other than that, it was nice. Smaller ships are better to me, not nearly as crowded. The food was good as well as all the service.

I noticed that, I wish they could have squeezed in a sofa somewhere in there! How was the balcony though?

The Elation just got the 2.0 upgrades and brand new waterworks....it’s a great ship with a great crew

 

The Fantasy class is a great class of ship. Much less crowded than the larger ships

The smaller crowds are attracting me...I never felt crowded on Paradise. And I was comparing the two and they both have similar features after Elation’s 2.0 upgrades, just smaller on Elation.

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Can anyone comment on the quality of the entertainment on Elation? I love shows and comedy shows—are there lots offered?

I’m actually leaning towards Elation for the price and time of year, as the 2.0 upgrades look great...what would I be missing if I took Elation instead of Magic?

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I am fresh off the Elation two weeks ago. The shows were Heart of Soul, Epic Rock, and Divas and they were all great. Comedians were 4 shows a night on sea days by two comedians. Two family shows and two adult shows.

Elation is a better value

I would quibble with this. Its old. Its ugly. Its lacking in amenities. It has decor tacky beyond words. Magic all the way.

Having been on both the Fantasy class ships and the Dream class ships I would pick Elation for less crowds. Last year on the Breeze you had to arrive at any venue 45 mins to an Hour early to get a seat (main Theater, Comedy Club, thrill Theater, Dive in movies, etc.)

The Shows are pretty much the same with the Playlist productions so thats a wash.

The only thing going for the Magic is the extra day.

I love the smaller ships. Elation was a fun ship. Magic will be our first big ship. I hope we don’t regret it. I hate hate hate crowds.

Although I love the Magic (sailing it again in August), I would go with the Elation in the Grand Suite for the sake of convenience to the port, savings, holiday sailing and GS over cove balcony (although I would miss the 2 bathrooms). Now that the Elation has the 2.0 updates I would not hesitate to sail on it. I love the Fantasy class anyway for the smaller size and smaller crowds :)

As you can see, everyone has a different opinion. Some need the larger ships; some like fewer people on the smaller. I don't know who is traveling with you but I would take 2 rooms over a GS any day - DH and I need our own space and so do our boys.

For me, if I am split like you are, I look at convenience of travel, cost and fit within schedule. Sounds like Elation wins on that point. Yes, Magic is going to win for Bells and Whistles, but when we went over Christmas time, she was so crowded it ended up being one of our least enjoyable vacations. Also, we were not fans of the Cove. It is a much noisier balcony with the waves thundering through the hulls. We prefer a little higher and the aft of the ship - so for us that would be a factor too.

Either way, you won't go wrong!

Having been on both the Fantasy class ships and the Dream class ships I would pick Elation for less crowds. Last year on the Breeze you had to arrive at any venue 45 mins to an Hour early to get a seat (main Theater, Comedy Club, thrill Theater, Dive in movies, etc.)

 

The Shows are pretty much the same with the Playlist productions so thats a wash.

 

The only thing going for the Magic is the extra day.

Not my experience at all. There were always extra seats in main theater. The people who stood were people who came in late and were upset there wasn't a seat right were they walked in so they just stood there and leaned on someone else's seat back. Comedy club same deal. Many times people would come in during the show and the comedian would direct them to open seats..usually near the stage that nobody wanted to sit in. 15mins early would get me the seat I wanted there. Thrill theater I only did once...before lunch on a sea day and there were like 5 people in there.

That said I've been on Elation three times and I've seen a lot of standing room only comedy shows in there. Get there early to get a seat at the bar and you end up with a whole row of people standing in front of you.

Having been on both the Fantasy class ships and the Dream class ships I would pick Elation for less crowds. Last year on the Breeze you had to arrive at any venue 45 mins to an Hour early to get a seat (main Theater, Comedy Club, thrill Theater, Dive in movies, etc.)

 

The Shows are pretty much the same with the Playlist productions so thats a wash.

 

The only thing going for the Magic is the extra day.

Agree Luke, the issue with the larger ships are the lines/crowds....If you want to see a Comedy show, you better be lined up 45 mins - 1 hr early. On the Elation, you can walk into the venue 5 mins before show time and find a seat....Now, you will always get the "newer/bigger cheerleader" who will say "oh, that isnt my experience", but read thru the threads and the majority of the cruisers will tell you that the issue with the newer/bigger ships are the crowds

Agree Luke, the issue with the larger ships are the lines/crowds....If you want to see a Comedy show, you better be lined up 45 mins - 1 hr early. On the Elation, you can walk into the venue 5 mins before show time and find a seat....Now, you will always get the "newer/bigger cheerleader" who will say "oh, that isnt my experience", but read thru the threads and the majority of the cruisers will tell you that the issue with the newer/bigger ships are the crowds

We have found with the Conquest and Dream class you can get a seat say 15-20 minutes before a show.

Vista class has more people and smaller venue for shows so can see where you must get there much earlier

We have found with the Conquest and Dream class you can get a seat say 15-20 minutes before a show.

 

Vista class has more people and smaller venue for shows so can see where you must get there much earlier

I agree with this. The Dream class doesn’t have near the amount of wait time that I’ve been reading about on the Vista.

We have done both the Elation and the Magic. We did the Elation during the Thanksgiving holidays and it was nice. That cruise was just my husband and I. We did the Magic July of 2017 with our four kids and they loved it! If it’s just the hubby and I we would go with a smaller ship, but for more entertainment we would do the Magic over and over! We also did the Sensation with the kids and they loved it!

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I am fresh off the Elation two weeks ago. The shows were Heart of Soul, Epic Rock, and Divas and they were all great. Comedians were 4 shows a night on sea days by two comedians. Two family shows and two adult shows.

Thanks--all three shows sound fun! And great to hear about the comedy.

Do you happen to remember if trivia is offered? I'm a huge fan of trivia on RCI!

Big things you'd miss out on if you did Elation instead of Magic:

-No Cucina del Capitano or Steakhouse (additional $)

-No Bar-B-Que, Pasta Bar, Comfort Kitchen, Tandoor, or Mongolian Wok (Free options, much less variety on Elation)

-No Alchemy Bar

-No Dive-in movies

-No Cloud 9 Spa or jogging track

There are lots of other things too, but those are the main ones in my book. That's a LOT to lose.

Also, as far as Elation being a "better value", it's not at all. It's $580 a day for the balcony/interior option, vs $578 a day for the Magic. Sure, Elation is cheaper, but that's because it's a day shorter.

In my opinion, there's literally zero debate-Magic wins hands down. However, if the extra $570 puts it out of your price range, then there's no point of having the debate I guess.

I have been on the Magic and also been on the Elation several times and have another cruise booked on the Elation ..... I think that isn't that big of a deal between the two .... the Magic is larger .... so more crowds ..... it has more things you can pay for .... and if you are into all of that go for it ....... Fort Lauderdale is SO much farther than Jacksonville .... so for me that would be a no brainer ..... now if it is leaving out of Port Canaveral that is about an hour farther for me ...... I like the smaller ships .... I like the window seats ...... I like a closer port .... I live in Georgia ..... I loved the Magic and I have nothing bad to say about it .... but if I was going to book one I would choose the Elation..... but I know all people are different

I wouldn’t even be thinking about it. I’d be doing magic no doubt.

I have been on the Magic and also been on the Elation several times and have another cruise booked on the Elation ..... I think that isn't that big of a deal between the two .... the Magic is larger .... so more crowds ..... it has more things you can pay for .... and if you are into all of that go for it ....... Fort Lauderdale is SO much farther than Jacksonville .... so for me that would be a no brainer ..... now if it is leaving out of Port Canaveral that is about an hour farther for me ...... I like the smaller ships .... I like the window seats ...... I like a closer port .... I live in Georgia ..... I loved the Magic and I have nothing bad to say about it .... but if I was going to book one I would choose the Elation..... but I know all people are different

We live in St. Pete so Port Canaveral is an easy straight shot across I-4, I hate driving all the way down to FLL/MIA.

Big things you'd miss out on if you did Elation instead of Magic:

 

 

 

-No Cucina del Capitano or Steakhouse (additional $)

 

 

 

-No Bar-B-Que, Pasta Bar, Comfort Kitchen, Tandoor, or Mongolian Wok (Free options, much less variety on Elation)

 

 

 

-No Alchemy Bar

 

 

 

-No Dive-in movies

 

 

 

-No Cloud 9 Spa or jogging track

 

 

 

There are lots of other things too, but those are the main ones in my book. That's a LOT to lose.

 

 

 

Also, as far as Elation being a "better value", it's not at all. It's $580 a day for the balcony/interior option, vs $578 a day for the Magic. Sure, Elation is cheaper, but that's because it's a day shorter.

 

 

 

In my opinion, there's literally zero debate-Magic wins hands down. However, if the extra $570 puts it out of your price range, then there's no point of having the debate I guess.

This post is super informative but I think this is why I’m leaving towards Elation...we don’t eat in specialty restaurants, use the spa, or frequent bars. And I REALLY don’t like the poolside movie screen, honestly. But the loss of free dining options is a consideration, with Guy’s and Blue Iguana there’s still more options than we had on RCI...

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This post is super informative but I think this is why I’m leaving towards Elation...we don’t eat in specialty restaurants, use the spa, or frequent bars. And I REALLY don’t like the poolside movie screen, honestly. But the loss of free dining options is a consideration, with Guy’s and Blue Iguana there’s still more options than we had on RCI...

Your mind is already made up :) There is NO WAY I would pick a Fantasy class ship over Magic. Ive been on Magic twice when she was slam full. Yeah, there are lines but you are still gonna have lines on a much older, smaller ship with many less amenities. Enjoy Elation! :)

To me, this is like asking myself do I want to drive 20 year old plain jane Impala for the weekend or a 8 year old loaded Corvette. Im choosing the Vette every time! :D