Elation / Mobile Review June 5-10

[jam3]

I just got of the Elation on Thursday and I’ve finally settled down enough to write a review. I’m not the type to write a day-by-day review including everything I ate but I will address just about everything I can that I have read on these boards. Hope you find it helpful.

I might try to post pics soon but wanted to get this out quicker.

 

Embarkation / Mobile: We drove from Birmingham, so we didn’t have to worry about flights, etc. We arrived around 9:45 and it was too early to enter the parking deck so we drove around Mobile a little and then sat in the free parking under the interstate across the street. Around 11:00, just as the police officer said, he motioned that it was okay to enter the deck. We drove over and got in line. My only complaint here was a train stopped on the tracks for 17 minutes and we could not cross the tracks into the deck (not Carnivals fault).

Once it moved, we proceeded into the deck. You pull up to the Porters area and then quickly come to the car to unload. The guy saw I had a $5 in my hand for 4 bags and he informed me that he usually gets $2 a bag…That kinda ticked me off (not Carnivals fault) but I did not protest because all I could think of was my bags “not making it” onto the ship. I paid him $10 and then proceeded to park. I was able to park on the 2nd floor.

We went into the inside area and started the check-in process. It only took about 5 minutes to get to the counter. There was some confusion because my Mom booked the cruise for myself, my niece and sister. The lady was not familiar with how to change the Sail & Sign accounts to our separate credit cards. It only took about 10 minutes and then we went to the picture taking line. That took less than 5 minutes and then we were on the ship! The most clogged line was the picture taken for the sail and sign card but it wasn’t that bad.

We were informed as usual that the cabins were not available until 1:30. We went to the Lido for lunch and DOD’s. I was informed that my Sign & Sail card was not connected to a credit card (yes, Carnival’s fault). I went to the Service Desk and stood in that line for 20+ minutes and they said it was taken care of…

After 1:30, we went to our cabins and started our vacation officially! My only complaint with Carnival on this process was that I had to visit the Service Desk two more time that evening because my card was still not working. The last person I talked with said it was just set up incorrectly and all was good from this point on.

Pools/Deck Chairs/Public Seating: I really did not experience the “chair hogs” as they have been mentioned several times on this board. A couple of mornings, I saw some older ladies setting up camp for 10-12 people with towels and belongings but these areas were upper decks and not pool side. I saw a few people around the Lido pool saving chairs but I kinda understood. These were parents of smaller children that needed to be near the pool to watch their child in the pool and they did not leave for extended periods of time. Other than those instances, we were always able to find 3 or 4 chairs together and had no issues.

Seating in the Mikado Lounge for shows can be a little more frustrating because of seat saving but I noticed that they ran several functions in a row in the lounge and people would saty from one to the next, so the crowd or seat saving seemed a little worse than it actually was. Their parties would leave to go to the restroom or to get something from the room and come back in 5-10 minutes. It really wasn’t an issue. There were always seats available but maybe not on the front row. Oh well, what’s that saying? The early bird gets the worm? I don’t care to get out of the sun 45 minutes early just to get a front row seat for a cruise show! J I could always see and enjoyed the shows.

Lido Eating / Tiffany’s Seating could be a little chaotic but our sailing days were very hot and most people wanted to eat inside. The wait staff cleaned the tables quickly and we were always able to find a table on our 1st pass thru the dining room. It may not be a window seat, but again, oh well. The buffet lines could be long but having patience is key for a small space with so many people! I had a great time listening to a woman near me one day complaining very loudly about lines, waiting, seating, etc. I wanted to turn to her and say “if you don’t like crowds or waiting your turn, then a cruise is not for you!” but I refrained. I later heard her complaining during the past guest party, so she was not a new cruiser just a complaining, grumpy lady. That seems to be the case with most complaints about this stuff although there are some legitimate cases on occasion.

Food: My entire party was impressed with the food in the Inspiration Dining Room. We sampled many different things and never had one complaint except for the Caesar Salad, oddly enough. They include anchovies in their dressing and there was a distinct fish taste which was a huge turn off. The steaks were cooked very well. Yes, they are a cheaper cut of meat than Shula’s Steakhouse or any other expensive steakhouse but they were great.

I had Mahi Mahi twice because it was so good and my sister had steak twice because she enjoyed it so much. Three of us got the lobster tail on formal night and loved it! Yes, it’s fairly small but along with the shrimp and the starters, it was plenty of food for any adult. It was not rubbery or overcooked, it was perfect. And of course, the desserts were awesome.

None of us were impressed with the buffet food. It was okay and served its purpose (less formal and easy eating) but you could tell it was mass produced and not as good as the dining room. Still, no complaints because we were there for the whole vacation experience and not the “eat till we die” experience. Breakfast was always awesome and the buffet was much less chaotic on port days.

Ports: We visited Progreso and Cozumel. We decided prior to the trip to just go with the flow in Progreso and book the Dolphin Experience in Cozumel. I was excited about Progreso because I wanted to experience a true Mexican city without all the tourist hype. The port is actually really far from the city because the water is too shallow up close. You go thru the traditional port area and load a bus shuttle to the city. As soon as we stepped off the bus, the hounding and craziness began.

I have been to many countries and cities and understand the sales people trying t get you to buy their stuff. These people were in our faces, saying derogatory things about us three girls and making lewd comments. We were totally disgusted and scared at times. If one more man asked if we needed a Mexican boyfriend, one of us might have gone crazy on them. We stayed a total of 1 ½ hrs before getting back on the bus as quickly as we could. I don’t mind hagglers and sales pitches but we actually felt unsafe and bombarded. We ended up shopping in the port and sting by a little pool with a Corona hut. Even the guys that ran that kept whistling and saying things in Spanish and were inappropriate but at least we could run to the ship if needed. I will never return to Progreso…..

We had all been to Cozumel before several times and still enjoyed the port shopping. We left in a taxi to Chankanaab Park for our Dolphin excursion which was the highlight of the trip! We enjoyed their beach for a couple of hours before and then had the best time playing with Louis, our dolphin. At one point, there was a Mexican military vessel that docked beside us and a uniformed officer with two camo’d, machine gun toting bruisers debarked and walked the park for about 45 minutes. That was a little weird… Also, we saw their military planes fly by in-formation three times while we were there. I assumed they were trying to show us American tourists that they have force and will use it if needed. We were also searched on the pier by their immigration officials coming and going which has never happened before. Anyway, I always felt safe except for the taxi ride back to the port which was at least 100 mph but we didn’t know because the speedometer was broken. I actually gasped out loud and the drive never even looked at us until he wanted his money.

Debarkation: We went into this process knowing it is very hard to get so many people and their luggage thru two lines off the ship, into the building and thru the 4 Customs lines. We did self-assist and did not try to debark until about 9:05. We were able to go ahead and get in the line since they had already called all self-assist and were now calling the zones. I had way too much luggage, so it was a little tough but it went smoothly. We were in the car and on I-10 at 9:55. Not too shabby! My Mom, who spends an average 100 days per year cruising even commented on how smoothly it went.

Miscellaneous: Speaking of my Mom….she cruises many repositioning ships , so she will spend 14-28 days on a ship at a time. She has flown to Japan and cruised back, Europe and many other places. She has now cruised all of the major lines since this trip. I asked her about the experience and nothing she said was shocking. She is 66 and her Mom is 88. They cruise mostly together on ships that have a demographic closer to their own. So she commented on kids, chaos and loud passengers. But she did say the value of the Carnival line was a good aspect and understand why my sister and I tend to go Carnival out of Mobile.

There were many kids on this trip as expected due to the timing. I only experienced a handful of disrespectful kids since most were in Camp Carnival. The ones I did encounter were obviously ignored by their parents, so you see the fault right there.

Annoying people were present but that is nothing new! I can go to Walmart or Publix and run into annoying people everyday. We chose to take this as a people watching opportunity. There were some very interesting specimens for sure and we had a blast watching their antics.

Our cabin steward was MIA the entire trip but I actually prefer that over one that is constantly in my face. The rooms were cleaned and ice was in the bucket whenever we needed some for our beverages. That is all that really matters!

Our dining room staff was great! We had Juan in the Inspiration dining room and my niece fell in love with him. He was not a handsome man but he was “precious” as she said constantly. He is such a jolly little guy and made our dining wonderful. I will say that we had dinner in the MDR every night and never finished quicker than 1hr and 45 mins. It was a long process/wait but we enjoyed the talking time and interacting with Juan.

Yes, we did encounter oil on the return trip. The ship went thru a large oil sheen about 80-100 miles out from Mobile. Many of the staff joined us on the decks to look at this horrible atrocity. It was not the thick clumps of oil but a sheen that was very definite and you could see the outlines of it as we moved in and out of the area. You could also look down at the water splashing off of the ship and see it was orangish and strange looking. This is the area that is full of oil rigs which is usually pretty cool to look at during the evening but it really hurt this time. I am in the investment industry and specialize in “real assets” i.e. Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Etc. I understand the need for oil drilling and the dangers involved but this really broke my heart and made me question my industry. I also have some very strong feelings against the ban on drilling in the gulf for the next 6 months, but that is for another forum!

Overall: We had a wonderful trip and I wouldn’t have changed a thing except for Progreso.I truly believe that cruising is only for certain people that understand they will be in lines and around people that annoy them and deal with it. I also believe that your trip is what YOU make it out to be. Yes, there will be instances that will tick you off and beyond your control but if you are out looking for something to ruin your trip, you will definitely find something. Don’t let anyone make you miserable and have fun! Also remember that everyone’s experience will be different so don’t let reviews on this board make you nervous about an upcoming cruise. Take the information and let it prepare you to make your own assessment. Chances are, you will think “that wasn’t as bad as I thought it be”!

Happy cruising! I will back on the Elation for Thanksgiving!

[jam3]

My formatting did not come thru as I had hoped, so sorry it is a little cluttered.:eek:

[BabyJacks17]

Wonderful review! Thanks for sharing :) I'm sailing the Elation this coming October so you review is a fresh of breath air, gets me even more excited for the coming trip.

[bike1964]

I don't get the reason Carnival is still calling in Progresso.:mad: I thought this port was to be a "fill in" until they finished rebuilding Costa Maya. (which has been completed now) It's a waste of time to even get off the ship. We like to book 5 day cruises out of Mobile and New Orleans as we can drive there from St Louis in about 10 hours. It makes a nice week vacation if you go in a day early, but I am certainly not going to Progresso.:eek:

[firefly333]

OP did you know when you do the fun passes you can set up whom pays for which S&S?? Thats probably why she didnt know how to fix it, it wasnt set up the right way when you'all filled out your fun passes. Doesnt sound like Carnival's fault, and they are not that great at fixing problems.

 

We had the same issue on our last Triumph about saving seats, people just stayed from the previous and we could never get near the middle front row, had to sit off to the sides. Big men were sitting on the front row, that were too hard to see thru.

[ohyes]

Thank you for this review! Taking off on the Elation on 7-26 and your review has my DH and i feeling better. Well, i wasn't worried, but some of the forum info i have been relaying had him a bit concerned.

 

Lucky you to already have a November cruise planned as well. :)

 

(Thanks for the tip on tipping the porters).

[jam3]

OP did you know when you do the fun passes you can set up whom pays for which S&S?? Thats probably why she didnt know how to fix it, it wasnt set up the right way when you'all filled out your fun passes. Doesnt sound like Carnival's fault, and they are not that great at fixing problems.

 

We had the same issue on our last Triumph about saving seats, people just stayed from the previous and we could never get near the middle front row, had to sit off to the sides. Big men were sitting on the front row, that were too hard to see thru.

 

My Mom booked thru an agent and when we all created our fun passes, it would not let us change the credit card that was attached. I'm sure there is probably a way but we could not figure it out. I asked on her and was advised to just do it at check-in, so I didn't worry about it much.

 

What's funny is that is the only thing I actually blamed on Carnival in my review but I knew someone would call me out on it ;).

[jam3]

I don't get the reason Carnival is still calling in Progresso.:mad: I thought this port was to be a "fill in" until they finished rebuilding Costa Maya. (which has been completed now) It's a waste of time to even get off the ship. We like to book 5 day cruises out of Mobile and New Orleans as we can drive there from St Louis in about 10 hours. It makes a nice week vacation if you go in a day early, but I am certainly not going to Progresso.:eek:

 

I'm bewildered at why they are going there. It looked like they built it just for Carnival and we were the only ship there. I read up on it before I left and there are some people on here that love it so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to get on a speaker and tell those people that they will lose visitors if they don't stop harassing them!

[live.love.cruise]

Great review...thanks for sharing. I'm considering same sailing for Thanksgiving.

[idlenote]

Thanks for a great review, really nice to see something positive about the Elation after all the negativity that's been on here of late. I was beginning to think we had made a mistake going out of Mobile, but this doesn't look like anything we haven't been through before.

 

Note on Progresso, we only use it to do the tours to the Mayan ruins. We've done Chichen Itza (never again) and Uxmal (wonderful). Sure wouldn't waste my time in the town.

[dengirl]

Thanks for your review. My husband and I will be on this ship in august. I am so excited. Some friends went to the same port as you last year and she said it was dirty and she will never go there again. We get to go to calica and cozmuel so get to avoid it. I did want to ask you about shows.we weren't really planning on going to the evening shoes but if we did decide to give one a try what would you recommen. We don't drink, smoke, or enjoy foul language. Lol also does this ship have the theater for nightly movies.? We are so excited and can't wait till august gets here. Thanks..

[jam3]

Thanks for your review. My husband and I will be on this ship in august. I am so excited. Some friends went to the same port as you last year and she said it was dirty and she will never go there again. We get to go to calica and cozmuel so get to avoid it. I did want to ask you about shows.we weren't really planning on going to the evening shoes but if we did decide to give one a try what would you recommen. We don't drink, smoke, or enjoy foul language. Lol also does this ship have the theater for nightly movies.? We are so excited and can't wait till august gets here. Thanks..

 

We went to the first night show and the last show. I enjoyed them but they are a little "chessy" as in, high school show choir... I really enjoyed the last night that includes the passengers that were picked during karaoke. Nothing was inappropriate that I saw. There are R rated comedy shows late at night but we did not go to those. They do run movies and they looked current although we did not go. The fun things for me were the trivia, marriage show and the Michael Jackson dance class. As I said, it's what you make of it and if you are willing to let loose and have fun you will!

[jam3]

We are not big drinkers but I do enjoy an occasional cocktail. I noticed this as well as many others...The first day drinks are MUCH stronger than the drinks the rest of the time. Being in marketing, I can see this as a sales tactic but be very careful or you will miss the first night dinner :D

[moonandsun]

Thanks for your time in writing the review. We will be on the Elation Aug 5th. We will be traveling in a group of 9. Good tip about the parking. I am always the early bird arriving way way before I need to. Thanks again.

[bravestar]

Great review, thanks!

 

Could you give your opinion on the condition of the ship in general - staterooms, decor, public areas.

 

There have been quite a few negative nelly threads lately relating to the Elation showing her age very badly and all. Since I'm sailing her in December, I'm a tad worried about this myself.

[marshhawk]

Thanks for the review, we are planning this same trip(mayan ruins in Progreso) for next years cruise, but may change it to Cozumel, Grand Cayman out of Tampa. I really want to see the long pier in Progreso, so ...do you think that you were harrassed more because you had no male with you?

[jam3]

Great review, thanks!

 

Could you give your opinion on the condition of the ship in general - staterooms, decor, public areas.

 

There have been quite a few negative nelly threads lately relating to the Elation showing her age very badly and all. Since I'm sailing her in December, I'm a tad worried about this myself.

 

Keep in mind that I have only sailed two ships BUT I travel for work and pleasure and stay in nice hotels (Fairmonts, Omni, etc) I never once noticed anything bad about the condition of the ship. I'm not a fan of Carnival decor in general because of the loud color schemes, so I did notice it looks like any of them but nothing in disrepair or obvious issues. I felt that all areas were clean and never felt I was cheated on my cruise experience because of the condition of the ship.

The staterooms are typical but clean. The shower was actually bigger than the Holiday showers.

I never noticed any smells (I did on Holiday) and I thought the water was great! I couldn't drink the water on Holiday, so I was scared but I drank at least 8 glasses of water a day on this cruise and had no complaints.

I'm not sure where all of the complaints have been coming from. I think a person would have to be paying way too much attention to the ship in order to find anything wrong. I prefer to have "life is good" moments while sitting in the sun :rolleyes:

[jam3]

Thanks for the review, we are planning this same trip(mayan ruins in Progreso) for next years cruise, but may change it to Cozumel, Grand Cayman out of Tampa. I really want to see the long pier in Progreso, so ...do you think that you were harrassed more because you had no male with you?

 

Yes and No. Yes for the lewd comments but no because others said they were harassed for buying stuff as well. We just felt like our personal space was invaded. I don't mind saying "no thank you" and moving along but they kinda blocked the sidewalks which was the really annoying part. Others have said the ruins tours are good and you will see the long pier.... it's really just personal preference, so don't be deterred by my experience! Look at it this way, we got back on the ship and enjoyed a quite day by the pool because so many were off the ship! Can't beat that.

[firefly333]

Can you tell me which shows are on elation ...we love the shows.

 

thanks in advance.

[jam3]

Sure! I have the Fun Times at home. I will post the info as soon as I can tonight.

[LHP]

Of course, we would love to see Fun Times...but I understand that posting those can be difficult at times.

 

If you still have some of your Fun Times....I would love some first names....

(which are usually posted by the activity)

 

Karaoke host, solo promenade entertainers, which Asian band????

 

Thanks...

[firefly333]

I just want to know the shows, the two main shows if nothing else, to see if they are different than the ones on the other ships Iv been on.

 

thanks.

 

the other shows would be nice to know too though...if you remember them.

[Ashpalo]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review. I really appreciate it - especially since there aren't many out there for the Elation out of Mobile yet.

 

I'd like to know the "Taste of Nations" - what nations were featured each day?

 

Thanks,

Ashley :)

[jam3]

Let's see if this answers most questions. I'm posting the highlights. Unfortunatley, I don't have all of the little parts that you separate from the paper....that gives more details

 

Saturday :

Not so Easy Trivia 6:00

Mind Game Mania 6:30

Cha Cha Dance Class 8:30

The Great Game Show 9:00

Welcome Aboard Show 10:30

Singles Party 12:00

Lunch Taste - Italian

DOD Funship Special

 

Sunday: Day at Sea

Two Step Into Some Fun with Nick 3:00

Wine Tasting 2:00

Steve's Gender Showdown 3:30

Karaoke & Legends Auditions with Cory 7:00

R Rated Comedy with Carl Rimi 10:45 and 12:00

Golf Clinic 12:00

Show "Rhythm" Featuring "Beth and David" 8:45 and 10:30

Captains Celebration 5-8

 

Monday: Port Progreso

Show "Spin" 7:00 and 8:45

Big Screen Movie "Avatar" 3:00

Mexican Buffet 11:30(pm)

Live Guitar with Dan

Karaoke Party with Cory

Piano Fun with James

 

Tuesday: Port Cozumel

Morning Trivia 11:00

Big Screen Movie "The Hurt Locker" 3:00

Afternoon Sports Trivia 3:30

Show "Variety Showtime" Comedy and Ventriloquism w/ Tim Harkleroad and Vocals with Yolanda Barber 8:45 and 10:30

Lunch Buffet "American Southwest"

DOD Mexican Mama

 

Wednesday:Day at Sea

Show "Carnival Legends" 10:30

Cory's Thriller Dance Class 2:15

R Rated Comedy with Tim 12:00

Sing-Along with Michael 1:00 and 9:30

Steve's Marriage Show 3:00

 

Thursday : Debarkation

 

Like I said, I did not have all of the separated portions which have all the times. I didn't include all of the Bingo sessions, etc but this should give you an idea.

[jam3]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review. I really appreciate it - especially since there aren't many out there for the Elation out of Mobile yet.

 

I'd like to know the "Taste of Nations" - what nations were featured each day?

 

Thanks,

Ashley :)

 

A couple are included in the reply I just wrote but I didn't have all of them because they are listed on the separated part of the paper....Most of those were thrown away after the day.