Pros and Cons of the Elation?

[Cinderellie]

Hi -- we had a blast last year on the Carnival Conquest last August, and loved going out of New Orleans, since we're from New Jersey. We have 2 kids -- 15 and 11.

 

If you've been on the Elation, please let us know your overall experience, and leaving from Galveston.

 

How was the ship? Service?

 

Was there anything to see in Galveston before or after?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[flygrass]

My wife and I along with our 13 year old son sailed on the Elation last year out of Galveston and we all loved it. Service was great and the ship was always in tip top shop. My son then 13 was none stop ,busy busy,busy all the time.

 

Most of the time him and some friends that he meet on the ship were just doing things on there own( not with camp Carnival) but he did sign up with CC because he did do lots of things with the group also.

You may not feel the same way we did about Elation as we did because Elation was the biggest, newest ship we have been on until last year. Before that we had been on the Celebration and the Holiday. And those ships were great also, just smaller.

With you haveing been on Conquest last the Elation may seem small to you.

Galveston was ok I guess ,not really a whole lot to do there to us.

The three of us leave again this April for the Glory and cant wait. She will be the first of the Conquest class we sail on.

Have a great time,.

[aggieastrosfan]

I've been on the Elation twice, and loved it both times. Staff was great both times, though it was a completely different staff (except for a photographer we met in May '04 that had apparently been on the ship since the last time we sailed on her in May '02).

 

The layout is very easy to learn, and it feels very open and spacious; the public areas seem to flow together, but still be distinctly separate. Plus, this ship isn't as "Carnival classic gaudy" as I've heard some of the other ships are. I've got a link in my signature below to the review I did last May, and pictures.

 

As for what to do in Galveston, there's a lot to do, but it may not necessarily be within walking distance of the terminal. There's a few Galveston residents around here that are always suggesting some great restaurants and attractions to see, a lot of which I've never seen (and I spent tons of time in Galveston with my family as a kid). Just don't plan on a visit to the beach, though - not impressive at all.

[travel girl23]

We, too, have been on the Elation twice and absolutely love her. Superb service both times. We were on the Verandah Deck over our Thanksgiving cruise and on the Empress Deck last December. We were very happy with our rooms both times. There was a different crew and entertainiment on both sailings. We learned that they move the employees from ship to ship frequently. The actual lounge entertainment was the same but with different dancers. Some of the comedians, jugglers, etc. were the same. We noticed a lot more photo opt opportunities on our last cruise, especially casual night photos which was new.

We always stay at the Best Western Beachfront Inn on Seawall Blvd. in Galveston. Last December we ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant that we ate at about 15 years ago and it was still there. The Original Mexican Restaurant. Excellent. We always enjoy walking around the Strand, which is several streets over from the pier. It is a street with lots of shops to browse in and lots of restaurants.

We like to get up early on Sunday morning (about 5:30) and drive to the South Jetty and watch the Elation come in. It is really exciting knowing that we will be on her in a few hours.

Have a wonderful cruise.

[karenh1127]

Galveston is not a great place but not bad either. The beach is just down right YUK! Water is dirty and lots of seaweed on the beach. Now there are some things to see and do. Moody Gardens is a big attraction with an aquarium, rain forest, I-Max, and a man-made beach which is alot of fun. They had an iceskating rink around Christmas but I am not sure if it is still there. The historic Strand district is just a block from the pier. There are shops, restaurants, etc. You can take a horse and buggy ride too. There is a train museum there too. On the Seawall there are lots of restaurants. We love the Rainforest Cafe and they have a little indoor ride too. Guidos (sp?) is famous for their seafood. There are surfshops and gift shops and surreys to rent and ride. Enough to do for one day but not much more unless you do the beach. Overall it is fun.

[StaceyM]

We are just the opposite.. Sailed Elation last year, sailing the Conquest this year!! We loved the Elation as we too had sailed the Celebration the year before so the Elation was larger and newer and we thought it was awesome. The staff was awesome!! I have not been on the Conquest yet and I know that it is a larger ship, however, I don;t think you will be disappointed in the Elation!

[lilmsonry]

Please, keep those posts a commin....Glad to hear about galveston also....We are 1st timers here, originally to sail 4/10/05, due to medical had to reschedule for 9/4/05, and still excited, but can't stand the wait. We are a family of 5 looking for a wonderful vacation!:p

[Another ship trip]

Everything Karen said. Also a popular tourist attraction (or it was??) is the Bishop's Palace. An old palace looking house that you can tour. IT has lots of history. There are also deep sea fishing trips that can be booked if you are here for more than a day. I have done several trips and it takes a few hours to get out to where the snapper, dorado dolphin, kingfish, etc. run. Also an interesting film about the big hurricane of 1900 that killed so many on the island.

[tricktsm]

If you are not staying near the pier..be sure to order your taxi around 10:15 am..or they get very busy. We got our at 10:15 and someone who stayed in the same hotel waited...took almost 1hr to get a taxi. We stayed at the LaQuinta on Seawall.

 

We loved the Elation! Had a great time. We are going on the Conquest this year and can't wait.

[blyle]

As for the water in Galveston. When we first moved here and went to the beach we thought it was polluted because of the brownish color. We were informed that unfortunately we are on the wrong side of the gulf so we get the brown sediment but it is not polluted. Lucky Florida gets the pretty water.

[TxStacey]

The sand in galveston is also packed very hard, so unless you have a chair to sit in, it is like laying on concrete. We have driven down both times and took chairs in our car to sit in, as we like to go to the beach. Don't expect pretty water or beaches though and there is alot of seaweed in the water and on the sand.