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A Review of the Under-Appreciated Elation


galawdog
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A REVIEW OF THE UNDER-APPRECIATED ELATION

 

Sometimes you just have to take your daughter on a She Got a Job Cruise. Especially when she just got a job. Therefore, Dear Wife, Dear Daughter and I took a six-hour jaunt to Jacksonville for a five-day to Nassau and Half Moon Cay from July 7-12, 2018.

 

Having sailed thirteen times with Carnival, we have high expectations, and they were met on this trip. Here are some brief observations.

 

THE PORT:

The actual terminal at JaxPort has the ambiance of a feed & seed warehouse, but the employees are incredibly welcoming. The Priority boarding lounge is small, but the staff processed everyone so quickly that we didn't get a chance to bond with the naugahyde couches. We have gone through non-priority boarding there many times as well with no complaints.

 

The parking is easy and safe, being well-fenced and all on one level. Parking can be purchased online at a small discount.

 

No large ships,Carnival or otherwise, can be housed at Jaxport due to the bridge between the port and the Atlantic Ocean. That's a shame. We would love for this port to be more like Tampa, which has short-haul cruises along with week-long options.

 

THE SHIP:

Carnival veterans know that the Elation is one of eight Fantasy-class ships. We found it to be very clean with some updates in the last dry-dock. We stayed in a Junior Suite with a partial obstructed view. It was cheaper at time of booking (early May)than a regular outside cabin would have been. I'll take that deal every time. We had a great view of two lifeboats from our balcony, but enough sea air and view of the water to make it quite pleasant. Our steward did a wonderful job of keeping the cabin tidy and well-stocked with towels and ice.

 

PLEASANT SURPRISES:

Being an amateur musician with experience as a musical director for local theater, I hated to see the demise of the ship's orchestra. I liked the sound and feel of live music in an orchestra pit. However, the quality of the singers and dancers has improved greatly. This was the first cruise in years that we attended (and enjoyed) all the production shows. The singers used to be just that--singers. Now, the lead singers must be as versed in the dance moves as everyone. The main lounge was almost full to the gills for every show.

 

We will never pick a cruise based on who the Cruise Director is. However, we were amazed at the infectious energy of Melissa Durant. She was everywhere. All the time. Probably our favorite CD ever. She had literally hundreds of people hanging over the balconies in the atrium to play her "Finish the Lyric"games.

 

The food quality was excellent. Even though we had Your Time Dining, we requested the same wait staff every evening.

 

Our most recent cruise was in April on the Miracle to the Panama Canal. The average age on that ship was 71. It was great fun, but it was nice to sail with a younger crowd on the Elation. It was actually the first time we cruised during the summer in many years, but we thought the crowd was well-behaved. Even the teens and children.

 

Tender service to and from Half Moon Cay was prompt and efficient.

 

DISAPPOINTMENTS:

The bars at Half-Moon Cay are staffed by the same friendly bartenders from the ship. Therefore, I feel that the Cheers Program should be honored on the island. It was disappointing to order a bourbon and coke and be given a flimsy eight-ounce cup for $7.50 plus gratuity. Far less quality and quantity than offered on the ship.

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

For those who drive to port from the Southeast, Jacksonville is so easy. This cruise reminded me that even the older ships offer a great cruise at a good price.

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Sailed her 12 years ago on our 2nd cruise. We had a blast and met lifelong friends!

Thus far my favorite ship is the Magic but we’ll sail the vista in a few days! Yay!

 

 

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The actual terminal at JaxPort has the ambiance of a feed & seed warehouse

 

LOL! it's so true! :') I've sailed out of JAXPort twice now, I remember in 2007 being told by a staff member that it was a temporary building and that a new permanent structure was planned to be built soon. Well, cruised out again in 2010, same building. And now, 11 years later, I'm starting to think this IS the permanent structure! :D

 

 

No large ships,Carnival or otherwise, can be housed at Jaxport due to the bridge between the port and the Atlantic Ocean. That's a shame. We would love for this port to be more like Tampa, which has short-haul cruises along with week-long options.

 

Same here, since we only cruise out of drive to ports, I would love if Charleston and JAX could offer more options than just mostly short cruises. We went on a 7 day out of Charleston last April and loved it!

 

Of course, Charleston's port building has the ambiance of a 1970's bus terminal :D

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Thank you for taking the time to write the review. It reinforced my sentiments regarding the Elation. I have sailed her twice and out of Jaxport several times. I found the staff on the Elation to be among the friendliest of all ships I have sailed. We loved her and wouldn't hesitate to go on another cruise. We are going to miss the Elation when she relocates. The Ecstasy is taking her place and hasn't had the refurb yet. I wish Carnival would stop treating Jacksonville like the "forgotten" port. Every time a Fantasy class ship needs an overhaul, they move her to Jaxport, refurb, then move.

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Thank you for taking the time to write the review. It reinforced my sentiments regarding the Elation. I have sailed her twice and out of Jaxport several times. I found the staff on the Elation to be among the friendliest of all ships I have sailed. We loved her and wouldn't hesitate to go on another cruise. We are going to miss the Elation when she relocates. The Ecstasy is taking her place and hasn't had the refurb yet. I wish Carnival would stop treating Jacksonville like the "forgotten" port. Every time a Fantasy class ship needs an overhaul, they move her to Jaxport, refurb, then move.

 

The Ecstasy received Guys, BI, Red Frog, Alchemy, etc last year, just not the extra cabins like Elation.

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Our first cruise was on the Elation when she was in New Orleans .. she'll always have a place in my heart. [emoji173]

 

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Us too! Loved Elation from NOLA.

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The Ecstasy received Guys, BI, Red Frog, Alchemy, etc last year, just not the extra cabins like Elation.

 

Thank you for the information! I guess I hadn't really researched the Ecstasy yet, since I don't have a cruise planned for her yet. That said, I really enjoyed the cabin refurb's and extra balconies added to the Elation.

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I completely agree with your assessment. I was on elation for the first time in February and was pleasantly surprised about the ship and in particular, the updates to my cabin. I’m usually a solo cruiser and opted for an interior upper lower midship for quiet and dark. The room was so spacious and I really appreciated having the mini fridge. The addition of USB charging ports in convenient locations was also a plus. I enjoyed the cruise and ship so much I’m doing the same itinerary (even in the same room) next February.

 

The only thing I didn’t love was the terminal itself. As you said, it’s basically a pole barn. I think my experience was worse than usual because we had a fog delay on embarkation day and it was incredibly crowded. People were still in line well after scheduled sail away. There were lots of mosquitos and biting bugs, so folks should think about bringing spray. Overall though it wasn’t enough to discourage me from sailing out of Jax again.

 

The only thing I really miss on fantasy class compared to other classes is the dive in movies.

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Great description of the port. We sailed on her over Christmas, and we really liked the ship. This was my husbands second civilian cruise, our daughters first, and I've been in a few civilian cruises and military. My DH and I just chuckled when we saw the port. It's easy to park at, and easy to get on the ship. I feel like she gets a bad rap for being old, but we were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed every moment. The staff was great. I want to try one of the newer bigger ships, but DH really enjoys the smaller ships. We sail on Sunshine in a couple weeks. Planning on another Christmas cruise, and he wants to go back on the Elation again.

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My very first cruise was on the Elation for my honeymoon back in 1999 to Mexico. This ship holds a very special place in my heart. Only sailed her once though.:(

 

 

 

I’m so happy to see all these positive experiences on the Elation. We sail in exactly a month from today on our honeymoon!

 

 

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I completely agree with your assessment. I was on elation for the first time in February and was pleasantly surprised about the ship and in particular, the updates to my cabin. I’m usually a solo cruiser and opted for an interior upper lower midship for quiet and dark. The room was so spacious and I really appreciated having the mini fridge. The addition of USB charging ports in convenient locations was also a plus. I enjoyed the cruise and ship so much I’m doing the same itinerary (even in the same room) next February.

 

The only thing I didn’t love was the terminal itself. As you said, it’s basically a pole barn. I think my experience was worse than usual because we had a fog delay on embarkation day and it was incredibly crowded. People were still in line well after scheduled sail away. There were lots of mosquitos and biting bugs, so folks should think about bringing spray. Overall though it wasn’t enough to discourage me from sailing out of Jax again.

 

The only thing I really miss on fantasy class compared to other classes is the dive in movies.

 

 

 

Haha, I was on that fog delayed cruise coming back...crazy. We are never in the terminal that long to care one way or another but I can see how it would be an inconvenience for an extended period. Love the ship tho...it has everything I need

 

 

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We were on the Elation in February (fog delayed cruise). It was amazing!! We had such a great time. We're fairly new to cruising and have only sailed Fantasy class so far. In August, we sail on the Conquest. We can only hope we have as good of a time on a larger ship.

 

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