Going on Elation out of Mobile in June

[lemonade shaker]

Anyone gone out of Mobile? What did you think? Can you give me any helpful hints?

[PunkinsDad]

We were on the Holiday out of Mobile in April 2007, had a wonderful time. I've never been on either the Fantasy or Elation so I can't help you there.

 

We've been to a lot of the western Caribbean ports and can probably answer questions there.

 

We also live in the Mobile area, so if you have any questions about the area or the port I can probably help there too.

[KimtheCruiser]

We've been out of Mobile 4 times and have 2 more scheduled out of Mobile this year. The only problem we've ever had was fog delays, but that should not be a problem for you in June.

 

Very smooth embarkation process, very friendly folks at the port. My favorite experience: I went to take one of my suitcases out of the trunk of my car, and the porter said, "Step back, ma'am, your vacation starts now!"

[thirsty]

We are cruising out of Mobile in June too! June24-28. What are your sail dates?

[cruisetraveler2]

We left out of Mobile on the Fantasy a few weeks ago. They have a nice parking garage. It did seem a bit small to me. I would suggest getting there between 11:00 and 11:30 so you can get a spot in the covered area. We just dropped our luggage off with the porters and then went to park. They had 2 machines that took your money and one was broken. They actually had a worker that stood at the machine and fed your money in. We had never encountered anything like that before...very slow process. I can only imagine the backlog because we were there early. The check in process also seemed a little slower than we have encountered before. We have never cruised out of Mobile before but decided to give it a try because it a close port for us. I do like other ports better but would not hesitate to sail out of Mobile again. Have a great cruise!

[lemonade shaker]

We are cruising out of Mobile in June too! June24-28. What are your sail dates?

We are going to be on the Elation the week before.

[lemonade shaker]

Thanks for all the input. We have been on the Elation before and really enjoyed it. This will be our thrid trip to Couzmel and first to Progreso. Always went out of Florida ports so we are really curious about going out of Mobile. Sounds like it will be great.

[PunkinsDad]

Thanks for all the input. We have been on the Elation before and really enjoyed it. This will be our thrid trip to Couzmel and first to Progreso. Always went out of Florida ports so we are really curious about going out of Mobile. Sounds like it will be great.

 

Having a cruise ship home ported here is very important to Mobile. The cruise terminal brings in a lot of revenue to the city, and they make sure it is well run. Of the ports we have sailed from, only Tampa was better.

 

There is a lot to do pre and post cruise in the Mobile area. Downtown Mobile is very nice and worth a tour, there is the USS Alabama Battleship and park located minutes from downtown. Plenty of great seafood to be had at the various restaurants.

[mrsneurotic]

We are sailing out of Mobile in May. We live 45 minutes away--first time to cruise from there. We're just thrilled about not having to travel far to get on the ship! I def agree there is a lot to do in the area. Mobile is a beautiful city. We cruised the Elation in 2004, look forward to doing it again.

 

How's the parking? Is there somewhere other than the port to park?

[Nunu]

Booking for August.

 

http://www.shipmobile.com/news.php

[slkmbz]

We just cruised out of Mobile for the first time. It was smooth and easy.

 

We stayed at the Hampton and parked there for the cruise. It was a quick 10 minute walk. Well honestly our father dropped us off at the terminal and then went back to park. He said he was going to have to wait 20 minutes for a cab so he decided to walk it.

 

The only snag he ran into walking to the terminal they would not let him in. I had all of his paperwork and until they saw that they wouldn't let him past the guards. Kind of ironic since we had just driven through and no one asked for documentation for the 3 of us he dropped off. I guess the luggage was an indication but I still would have thought there would been a check at the parking gate.

 

I did run into one thing different at Mobile that I had not experienced at any other terminal since Carnival has gone paperless. Mobile insisted that you still have to have a printed FunPass to enter the building. It didn't hang us up but I had arrived in full paperless mode (excluding passports of course) since we registered and were complete online. It was the escalator staff that questioned us. The embarkation registration staff did not question anything at all. (Again with irony, waiting on my father I had to go to the bathroom and they didn't question me at all - they just let me go up the escalators to the waiting area. But riding the escalators to the registration desk they needed a fun pass.)

 

Disembarkation was a breeze also! The only trick is that when you come to the area to claim your luggage - the numbers are not exactly in order. We were 6 or 7 and when coming down the escalator I was looking for our area. I could see where 3 -4 -5 were so I immediately headed to that area thinking that logically numbers would be sequential. Well they are for the most part. However 6 or 7 are under the escalators (which was out of visual range while on the escalators). It was a bit difficult going against the flow of people to get back to our area once we realized where we should be.

 

All in all - it was a great port and we are looking forward to doing it again in May 2010!

[bigtoeswim'n]

Hi Lemonadshaker: (What a name). Dh and I sailed out of Mobile on Fantasy Dec 2010. We had a great trip even though we were sopped in by the fog for an extra day. We live in Mobile and have flexibility in our jobs, but I sure felt sorry for those folks and their travel plans. We had previously been on the Holiday and got addicted to cruising.

 

We parked in the parking garage there. It is a small garage and was built for the smaller Holiday. We felt BLESSED to get a spot up on the top and not covered. We always handle our own luggage. I'd suggest getting there as early as you can to get a spot and get ahead of the pack. In June, it is going to be mighty HOT, HOT, HOT. Having a funpass does not get you thru the lines any faster, so again, early-smerly, I say.

 

I seem to remember a person being there to take our credit card and push it into the slot. Seemed the machine was a bit too high for a car driver. When leaving, you just drive away. Entering the garage is a slow process. We didn't have any luggage to drop off bc we always travel light and have a rule of only one roll-on overnight case per person. Makes life easier. Using compression magic and some careful planning, you can get all the clothes/shoes in there. I do have another smaller bag for my mechanical gadgets and then, my laptop. So, that is like two or three luggage items per person. I like those suitcases with the straps or cloth strap that you can slide over the handle of the roll-on.

 

The new gang plank was impressive but also very, very steep. Wear flat shoes. My heart went out to people who have to push someone with a wheelchair. I saw one poor soul doing just that. Seems the terminal should have staff available to do just that.

 

The staff there at the port were very friendly and do the best they can under the crush of the crowd. I noticed that the part where your photo is taken and embedded on the sail-and-sign card is done on the ship now, probably due to that steep gang plank. With the Holiday, it was done in the terminal building.

 

Debarking went smoothly. We do the self-assist and showed up in centrium to desembark. Due to the extra night, seemed everyone was in a hurry to get off. Clearing customs was smooth because we again did the self-assist route, otherwise, we'd have to wait until 10:00 a.m. something to get off. Oh, we ordered room service for port days and last morning to avoid the crowds in the WJ. We had the smoked, sliced salmon on bagel. Soooo delicious. Coffee was good two. Room service is included in cruise, but we gave a generous tip to the man who delivered it. They work so hard on that ship. Since we got off early, getting our car out wasn't a problem. I'd hate to see what life would be like in that garage when the huddled masses come out. I don't where you would park once the garage fills up!!. I'd like to know.

 

We are already booked on the Elation for another Dec 2010 cruise. I want to see what the newer ship looks like and also just love to cruise. Living in a port city does have it advantages. Hope this helps. Thanks for letting me relive my cruise. (guess my name is just as odd. LOL)

[Nunu]

Hi Lemonadshaker: (What a name). Dh and I sailed out of Mobile on Fantasy Dec 2010. We had a great trip even though we were sopped in by the fog for an extra day. We live in Mobile and have flexibility in our jobs' date=' but I sure felt sorry for those folks and their travel plans. We had previous been on the Holiday and got addicted to cruising.

 

We parked in the parking garage there. It is a small garage and was built for the smaller Holiday. We felt BLESSED to get a spot up on the top and not covered. We always handle our own luggage. I'd suggest getting there as early as you can to get a spot and get ahead of the pack. In June, it is going to be mighty HOT, HOT, HOT. Having a funpass does not get you thru the lines any faster, so again, early-smerly, I say.

 

I seem to remember a person being there to take our credit card and push it into the slot. Seemed the machine was a bit too high for a car driver. When leaving, you just drive away. Entering the garage is a slow process. We didn't have any luggage to drop off bc we always travel light and have a rule of only one roll-on overnight case per person. Makes life easier. Using compression magic and some careful planning, you can get all the clothes/shoes in there. I do have another smaller bag for my mechanical gadgets and then, my laptop. So, that is like two or three luggage items per person. I like those suitcases with the straps or cloth strap that you can slide over the handle of the roll-on.

 

The new gang plank was impressive but also very, very steep. Wear flat shoes. My heart went out to people who have to push someone with a wheelchair. I saw one poor soul doing just that. Seems the terminal should have staff available to do just that.

 

The staff there at the port were very friendly and do the best they can under the crush of the crowd. I noticed that the part where you photo is taken and embedded on the sail-and-sign card is done on the ship now. With the Holiday, it was done in the terminal building.

 

Debarking went smoothly. We do the self-assist and showed up in centrium to desembark. Due to the extra night, seemed everyone was in a hurry to get off. Clearing customs was smooth because we again did the self-assist route, otherwise, we'd have to wait until 10:00 something to get off. Oh, we ordered room service for port days and last morning to avoid the crowds in the WJ. We had the smoked, sliced salmon on bagel. Soooo delicious. Coffee was good two. Room service is included in cruise, but we gave a generous tip to the man who delivered it. They work so hard on that ship. Since we got off early, getting our car out wasn't a problem. I'd had to see what life would be like in that garage when the huddled masses come out.[b'] I don't where you would park once the garage fills up!!. I'd like to know. [/b]

 

We are already booked on the Elation for another Dec cruise. I want to see what the newer ship looks like and also just love to cruise. Living in a port city does have it advantages. Hope this helps. Thanks for letting me relive my cruise.

 

From the cruise terminal website: Once the garage is full we have an off site parking area at the civic center.

[lemonade shaker]

Hi Lemonadshaker: (What a name). Dh and I sailed out of Mobile on Fantasy Dec 2010. We had a great trip even though we were sopped in by the fog for an extra day. We live in Mobile and have flexibility in our jobs' date=' but I sure felt sorry for those folks and their travel plans. We had previously been on the Holiday and got addicted to cruising.

 

We parked in the parking garage there. It is a small garage and was built for the smaller Holiday. We felt BLESSED to get a spot up on the top and not covered. We always handle our own luggage. I'd suggest getting there as early as you can to get a spot and get ahead of the pack. In June, it is going to be mighty HOT, HOT, HOT. Having a funpass does not get you thru the lines any faster, so again, early-smerly, I say.

 

I seem to remember a person being there to take our credit card and push it into the slot. Seemed the machine was a bit too high for a car driver. When leaving, you just drive away. Entering the garage is a slow process. We didn't have any luggage to drop off bc we always travel light and have a rule of only one roll-on overnight case per person. Makes life easier. Using compression magic and some careful planning, you can get all the clothes/shoes in there. I do have another smaller bag for my mechanical gadgets and then, my laptop. So, that is like two or three luggage items per person. I like those suitcases with the straps or cloth strap that you can slide over the handle of the roll-on.

 

The new gang plank was impressive but also very, very steep. Wear flat shoes. My heart went out to people who have to push someone with a wheelchair. I saw one poor soul doing just that. Seems the terminal should have staff available to do just that.

 

The staff there at the port were very friendly and do the best they can under the crush of the crowd. I noticed that the part where your photo is taken and embedded on the sail-and-sign card is done on the ship now, probably due to that steep gang plank. With the Holiday, it was done in the terminal building.

 

Debarking went smoothly. We do the self-assist and showed up in centrium to desembark. Due to the extra night, seemed everyone was in a hurry to get off. Clearing customs was smooth because we again did the self-assist route, otherwise, we'd have to wait until 10:00 a.m. something to get off. Oh, we ordered room service for port days and last morning to avoid the crowds in the WJ. We had the smoked, sliced salmon on bagel. Soooo delicious. Coffee was good two. Room service is included in cruise, but we gave a generous tip to the man who delivered it. They work so hard on that ship. Since we got off early, getting our car out wasn't a problem. I'd hate to see what life would be like in that garage when the huddled masses come out. I don't where you would park once the garage fills up!!. I'd like to know.

 

We are already booked on the Elation for another Dec 2010 cruise. I want to see what the newer ship looks like and also just love to cruise. Living in a port city does have it advantages. Hope this helps. Thanks for letting me relive my cruise. (guess my name is just as odd. LOL)[/quote']

 

Thanks for all the information. Glad you like my name. That's my summer job. Helps to pay for all my trips!:D

[conchead]

We are booked for July.

Thanks for the info everyone.

We will follow the advice and arrive early.:D

[greenboi]

We have cruised out of Mobile twice on the Holiday and loved it. Going on the Fantasy in March out of Mobile. I'm considering the Elation as well for your week I think. We have a group from here going on Jun 19th from Mobile. They have a great rate, might try to sneak one more in for the summer.

[lemonade shaker]

I've read were a few of you stayed at the Hampton Inn Downtown. How was it. We normally stay at HI whenever we can. We were thinking about staying there. Would you stay there again?

[littlelion]

Husband and I going on Elation Aug 14th 2010 for my 50th Birthday. I use to cruise years ago (20-25 years back) with my first husband and have never gotten this one to go. I hope he falls in love with it because I want to do Hawaii for our 20th in 2011. It had been so long since I had travel with Carnival I was no longer in their system even though they swear if you have ever cruised they would know it. To bad I threw out the old iteneries along with the ex.LOL Would love to talk with anyone going on that 5 day.

[RollerCoasterLover]

We are sailing out of Mobile in May. We live 45 minutes away--first time to cruise from there. We're just thrilled about not having to travel far to get on the ship! I def agree there is a lot to do in the area. Mobile is a beautiful city. We cruised the Elation in 2004, look forward to doing it again.

 

How's the parking? Is there somewhere other than the port to park?

 

mrsneurotic,

 

We are also sailing out of Mobile in May, on the 15th. I noticed your countdown had the same date. You should join our roll call and meet others that will be on that cruise!!

[NavarreCruiser]

 

We parked in the parking garage there. It is a small garage and was built for the smaller Holiday. We felt BLESSED to get a spot up on the top and not covered. We always handle our own luggage. I'd suggest getting there s early as you can to get a spot and get ahead of the pack. In June' date=' it is going to be mighty HOT, HOT, HOT. Having a funpass does not get you thru the lines any faster, so again, early-smerly.

 

Since we got off early, getting our car out wasn't a problem. I'd hate to see what life would be like in that garage when the huddled masses come out. I don't where you would park once the garage fills up!!. I'd like to know.

 

[/quote']

 

 

The following is about off site parking in Mobile that I posted earlier: "I will give you some info. on alternative lots. Having read a Mobile parking thread about alternative parking lots, we went looking for the less expensive lots. Because of a Labor Day parade on our departure day, Government street was closed until about 11 a.m. We parked on street a few blocks away and walked to the Radisson at 251 Government Street. We found an uncovered lot directly across from the Radisson on Government Street, a lot that is $10.00 a day. You pay and get your receipt from a machine that takes cash or credit cards. We parked there no problem.

 

While on the ship another passenger said there was a $7.00/day lot close by. On our return I took a walk around the Radisson and discovered the other lot. It is a covered lot next to the Radisson with an entry off S. Jackson, a one way northbound street. If driving from the east on Government take a left on Joachim just before the Radisson then take a right on Church right behind the hotel and then another right on Jackson and the lot is halfway up the block.

 

I am sure this is the same lot the Radisson uses. So for a 5 day cruise you can pay the Radisson $55.00 and use their shuttle or pay $35.00 and walk. The walk is between 1/2 and 3/4 mile and takes 15 - 20 minutes."

 

We have taken 3 cruises out of Mobile since then and used the government lot next the Radisson each time. It is a covered lot that charges $7.00/day versus $15.00/day at the port.

__________________

[NavarreCruiser]

Husband and I going on Elation Aug 14th 2010 for my 50th Birthday. I use to cruise years ago (20-25 years back) with my first husband and have never gotten this one to go. I hope he falls in love with it because I want to do Hawaii for our 20th in 2011. It had been so long since I had travel with Carnival I was no longer in their system even though they swear if you have ever cruised they would know it. To bad I threw out the old iteneries along with the ex.LOL Would love to talk with anyone going on that 5 day.

 

To talk with people about a specific cruise you go to boards page and click on Carnival roll calls then click on your ship. You will see a list of all the threads about specific cruises. If i did this right (this is the first link I have ever posted) below is the link to the Carnival Elation roll calls. It doesn't look like a thread has been started yet for the 8/14 cruise, but you could start one or keeping checking back later to see if one gets going.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=340

[Cruise, J.D.]

We've cruised twice out of Mobile and did not have any problems. We ate at the Original Oyster House on the causeway both times. We are going back for a family cruise in July.

[PunkinsDad]

The Oyster House is nice, but IMHO the best seafood on the Causeway is either Ed's or Bluegill.

 

Ed's is hard to miss, big yellow building on your right (heading east). Bluegill is a little harder to spot. Further east and on your left.

 

If you go to Bluegill, don't miss the fried pickles..........YUM!!!!!!