My First Review Elation March 12-17

[Larry'sLady]

These photos only convey some of the fun we were having. The weather was beautiful (80s) and sunny. The Carribean sun is hot. Be sure to wear sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen.

 

Tricia Enjoying Her Margarita

 

 

Volcano Nachos

 

 

Our Waiter

 

 

Resting Outside

 

 

Beautiful Cozumel

 

 

Map of the Area

 

[Larry'sLady]

This was our bicycle taxi. Couldn't believe 1 man could pull both of us.

 

 

Karoke Lounge Area

 

 

Friends We Met Onboard The 2 girls on the left were from MS. My SIL is from MS too and the dark haired girl is the neice of her friend in her hometown. We didn't know they were on the cruise. Dalton's mom V'Lois is to my left.

 

 

Dalton is the young man we met. Lady on the right was friends with Dalton & his mom.

 

 

Cheesecake from the Musical Cafe

 

 

Our Elephant Towel Animal

 

[rocketmom09]

Great review!! Looking forward to the rest of it!

[Larry'sLady]

Well folks, I am finally at the end of my review. Here are the last two days.

 

Day 5

 

Slept in this last day of our cruise. I had a rough night. Guess it was the 1/4 piece of that huge slice of cake I ate last night. Got up about 10:30 & ordered coffee from room service. We just stayed in the cabin & packed our bags. This last day was going to be a relaxed and lazy one. We finally got ready and headed to the the Lido Buffet for lunch. I had the buffet and fruit for dessert. Tricia had her favorite hamburger & fries from the grille. The chicken nuggets were very good too. We sat and talked and then we went & bought our embarkation photo. Tricia had a scalp massage scheduled, so I went back to the Lido & found a comfy spot. Just watched the ocean for a while.

 

Around 3 I went to play 7 game jackpot bingo in the Mikado. Didn't win. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and we finished our packing. Bought T-shirts that we looked at earlier in the week. Price went from $16.95 to $10. Nice shirts, too. Bought hubby a litre bottle of Macallum single malt scotch. Don't buy a hat before u leave home. They had a lot on the ship & in the ports at great prices.

 

Went to dinner around 6:30. Sat with V'Lois & Dalton. I had the salmon. It was excellent. Well seasoned and cooked just right. After dinner we went to the room and put out our luggage. Met our friends in the Mikado for $5000 Powerball Bingo (You can buy cards with cash or Sign & Sail card. Cash was faster). Also, the Win A Cruise Raffle. Didn't win either one.

 

The last show was the Elation Showcase of Stars and featured 6 cruisers who auditioned and were chosen to perform. All did a great job. We were going to the comedy club, but realized we had seen the shows earlier. Just walked around and ended up on the Lido Deck where the party was going strong. Lots of dancing, eating & drinking. We exchanged email and Facebook names with our new friends and headed off to bed about midnight. We have been in touch with our friends Dalton & V'Lois since we got home. Our towel animal tonight was a Swan.

 

The Drama Bar

 

 

Party on the Lido

 

 

 

 

 

[Larry'sLady]

There was a question on here about the fit of the Carnival robes. Here is a picture of me in the one in the cabin. I am a size 18-20. My BIL bought one to take home. He is over 6 feet tall and weighs about 230. His robe fit fine. I didn't purchase one. To heavy & bulky.

 

 

Towel Animal -Swan

 

 

Day 6- Debarkation Day

 

Got up early (7:30) and were out of the room by the required 8:30. Headed to the Lido Deck for our last breakfast buffet. Since we had Zone 22, we knew we would be the last group called.

 

At last our zone was called. Made our way to Deck 7 only to see a major backup going into the terminal. We stood in line at least 30 minutes. Finally got into the terminal. Were divided into two lines to get on the escalators to get our luggage and go through customs. When we got downstairs a port employee asked if we needed a porter. YES!!!!! He loaded our luggage & we headed for the porter line. You cannot have a phone or camera in the terminal building so no photos of the huge crowds. The porter line was faster than the individual lines. The young ladies in the pictures with us on Day 4, did not have passports & bought lots of liquor & cigarettes. When we went by them after we breezed through customs, they were having their luggage searched. Still don't know what happened. Finally got out of the terminal and met up with our hotel shuttle. We were on the road home by 11:15AM.

 

We got home to MS about 3:30. Hubby & I left MS for our home in VA on March 19.

 

Here are a few things I learned as a first time cruiser:

 

1. Don't worry if this is your first cruise. You learn everything u need to know either on the CC board or when u get on the ship. Deck plans are posted by every elevator & they give you a copy of them when you get onboard. Takes a day to get oriented & figure out which elevators to use.

 

2. Power strips are needed.Also, bring a hairdryer. I also had a hair straightener. No problem getting them onboard.

 

3. Unless u are a VERY picky eater, you will love the food. Be adventurous and try something u have never eaten or that u don't eat often. MDR menus are posted daily outside the MDR.

 

4. The water was fine. Coffee & tea just ok. I took individual Crystal Light packets of tea and it was good. Had coffee in the Musical Cafe several times. Next time I will take my Diet Dr Pepper. They only have Coke products; Zero & Diet Coke but I missed my DDP.

 

5. Don't be concerned about wrinkled clothes. Take Downey Wrinkle Release. I did. Never used it. Did not notice anybody with wrinkled clothes. If u aren't flying, don't worry about the amount of clothes u take. I have to have options and am uncomfortable with packing a minimal amount of clothes & shoes.

 

6. Go to shows & activities. We loved them. Use your Fun Times. Carry it with u.

 

7. My SIL loved the Spa. She has shoulder & neck problems & the massages helped her a lot. She had high praise for the Spa facilities & staff.

 

8. Don't be anxious about your ports. GET A PASSPORT. I cannot stress this enough. Have a photo ID & your Sign & Sail when u leave the ship. U will need them to get back on in ports. We did not take our passport into port but could have possibly needed it. I took a copy of passport as photo ID. We felt safe in ports by staying in the areas that were recommended.

 

9. Smile a lot (like this is a problem) they take your picture all the time. Take lots of pictures yourself. I have looked at mine several times & pretended I was still cruising.

 

Hope you have enjoyed my review and maybe read something that you can use. I loved everything about Carnival. HAPPY CRUISING. We are hooked!!!!

 

Last picture is of my SIL Tricia waiting to debark. We found out how much we got along after spending 5 days in a small room together. She's the best. We can't wait to cruise again.

 

[robbercatcher]

Great Review!! Only 70 more days until I am on the Elation.:)

[xxjulzxx]

Great review, thank you for posting!

Cruising is addicting, eh?? :p

[rocketmom09]

Great review, sis! LOL! :p

[raylene5]

Ah, I think that's really cool you got to hang out with your SIL! What fun! Your review was great and it looks like you both had a wonderful time. Enjoy your upcoming cruise with your husband!

 

P.S. : I didn't really pay attention to your screen name when I first started reading your review...all I really paid attention to was the "Larry" part. So when you were talking about how you were traveling with your SIL and staying in the same room I thought "Hmmm...that's interesting!" Ha ha :)

[Larry'sLady]

Guess I need to put a picture as my avatar. My SIL Tricia is my husband's sister. We spent the winter with her family in MS and decided that we would give cruising a try. We both loved it and are planning another next spring. That would be strange a BIL & SIL in the same room........

[Sundiego]

Excellent review. Enjoyed all your pics. Thanks so much!