Wish I could respect their opinion/Elation review

[gregg204]

Just returned Monday from an Elation cruise to Cozumel. It was my 2nd cruise in a year and we have another that I wish would hurry up and get here in July! I know everyone has the right to their opinion and I usually respect that. But its very hard to sometimes because of how great the cruises I've been on have been. Just as it was on my last 4 cruises, I had a wonderful time on board the Elation. The New Orleans embarkation went smooth. My room steward was on top of his game. The room was immaculate every day. Although the food is not what it used to be, I had no complaints. The buffet was good, the deli was great and even the pizza was better this time. Our dinner service in the main dining room went very smooth. The food was the right temp, and we never had to wait long for anything. Victor, our waiter was great. On board activities were the same as always but we enjoyed every minute. What's a Carnival cruise without a hairy man contest and bingo? The shows and comedians were entertaining.

In Cozumel we went to Mr Sancho's as we did last time and I'll be there again in July. Its hard to beat the AI there. The service was exceptional. I like my beer and never had a cup go empty without another waiting for me. The food was good and we were blessed with perfect weather again. Can't wait to go back!

Disembarkation was a little slower this time but I was still off the boat before 9am.

Overall...5 stars. I go on vacation to relax and leave the petty issues behind and Carnival comes through every time.

As for them negative reviews I'm supposed to respect, sorry. I read on another review on this cruise how someone will never cruise with Carnival again. One of their biggest gripes was they couldn't find a pen to fill out the customs form. And there was a discrepancy on their bill, which I'm sure they will get corrected and the service was below par and they didn't get off the boat till after 8??? Really? I honestly think these guest and others like it go on the cruise looking for the worst. They really need to find a cruise where proper attire on the lido deck is suit and tie. I never see these things. I know every cruise and situation will not be perfect, but for every aspect to be bad, not buying it....Conquest in July, hear I come!!:D

[my3boysmom]

I'll be anxious to hear your Conquest review. I was concerned because I read a number of negative things about Conquest and experienced NONE of them!

 

btw, LOVE NOLA!

[chasinraynbowz]

We loved the Elation when we sailed on her and look forward to the Conquest in December!! Like you, we go on vacation to get away from the day to day stuff in our lives. We always come back refreshed and ready to face the world again!!

 

Glad you had a great cruise!!!

[munchkin4]

Vacations are what you make of them. If you have a positive attitude then "most" of the time you will have a positive vacation experience. Like you, we go to get away and leave everything behind and Carnival always lets it happen. We are crusing with some newbies this time and I plan to tell them not to expect everything to be perfect but to just have FUN!!!

[cruise_girl2002]

no pen? HAHAHAHA!!! WHY dont people travel with a pen. lol. does it take up that much space in a carry on? not off the boat till 8? HA!! when i sailed with Royal they became backed up big time in customs and didnt get off till noon...thankfully we had a 5pm flight out of MCO.

[terrywayne]

I agree. I have never had a bad cruise. Sure there have been issues, but we make the best and always have a great time. I am sailing on the Elation April 30th and am counting the days. Although we have mostly sailed with NCL, my favorite ship I have been on is the Conquest. I am sure you will enjoy it.

[rosecruise]

Have fun on the Conquest. We sailed on her for our first cruise August 2005. We are sailing on Freedom in July and glad we know the layout of the ship since its part of the Conquest class. :)

[Rottweiler Puppy]

OP You can still respect others opinions even if they are not glowing reports like yours. You don't have to agree with it but you can still have some respect for the person and their review. Some here dont. Please don't be like them.

 

That said, glad you cruise was good.

[gregg204]

OP You can still respect others opinions even if they are not glowing reports like yours. You don't have to agree with it but you can still have some respect for the person and their review. Some here don't. Please don't be like them.

 

That said, glad you cruise was good.

I could not agree with you more...I do respect most opinions. Like I said I know every cruise is not perfect or that you might be the unlucky guest that gets a worker on his/her bad day, we all have them. Its just the ones (and you can tell who they are) that find every single thing about the cruise negative. If a cruise is not their thing cool, but to bash the cruise line because they didn't supply you with a pen...sorry.

[leedixie]

My first two cruises were on the Fantasy out of New Orleans. I found CC before the first cruise. I was horrified with some of the complaints. Had I made a terrible mistake? I loved both cruises and had a relaxing, fun time. Was it five star? No. Were there glitches? Sure. Did I really care? Heck no - I was on a ship being waited on and not at work, and for a reasonable price. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect that. Just don't always understand the petty complaints.

[hansolosmom]

This is like life, some people are half full and ore are half empty. We're considering Carnival this summer so I like to read the reviews and the boards to get a feel for the people I might find on the ships. Did the same thing when we chose Princess last year.

 

I take all the reviews with a grain of salt. You can usually tell right away if it's someone who's miserable with everything. I just read one where someone complained because their dinner time was 8:15, everything else was bad too. For me if I'm on a cruise I'm happy. I can deal with bad weather or a slow waiter because I got nothing else to do. I like to read reviews which tell me relevant things like condition of the ship, what activities are going on etc, what were the ports like etc.

[kmc500]

and they didn't get off the boat till after 8?

We came back from a 5 day on the Elation in early March and had a great time. It was one of our best.

 

We did have an issue clearing customs, but after speaking to a couple of U.S. Customs agents, I believe that to be a Customs issue not a Carnival issue. One of the agents we spoke to said that by slowing the line down they are 'making' people traveling with birth certs to get a passport. Very odd. I noted to him that he is punishing everyone in line, but that did not seem to register.

 

Kevin C

[KimmieTN]

Gregg - we were on the ship with you. We also had a great cruise, although we did not participate in any daytime activities except lying on the Serenity deck, leaving only to go to the deli, grill or get pizza. We were on the Elation in October and we found this time, it was a younger, more energetic crowd and we were not the only ones in the dance club. We did Your Time Dining and never had to wait more than 15 minutes and service was good. We also went to Mr. Sanchos and it was a great time just like when we were there in October.

[bplazo]

We are going on our first Carnival cruise on the Elation on April 30th. I am just going to go and have a great time and spend some good times with my daughter and husband.

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

I was also on this cruise, and it was great! If someone has a legitimate complaint, I'm all for it...but not having a pen and not getting off the ship until after 8 seems a bit of a stretch. Oh well...their loss!

[gregg204]

Gregg - we were on the ship with you. We also had a great cruise, although we did not participate in any daytime activities except lying on the Serenity deck, leaving only to go to the deli, grill or get pizza. We were on the Elation in October and we found this time, it was a younger, more energetic crowd and we were not the only ones in the dance club. We did Your Time Dining and never had to wait more than 15 minutes and service was good. We also went to Mr. Sanchos and it was a great time just like when we were there in October.

Hey Kimmie, I was on the Serenity deck on the trip back in...very relaxing! Between that and Mr Sanchos, I'm sure we ran into each other and didn't even know it. Glad to see you and QLUVS2CRUZ enjoyed the cruise as much as I did.

[vivavegas]

I agree, vacations (cruises) are what you make them! I'm just happy to be cruising!;)

[RenoNanaOz]

Just returned Monday from an Elation cruise to Cozumel. It was my 2nd cruise in a year and we have another that I wish would hurry up and get here in July! I know everyone has the right to their opinion and I usually respect that. But its very hard to sometimes because of how great the cruises I've been on have been. Just as it was on my last 4 cruises, I had a wonderful time on board the Elation. The New Orleans embarkation went smooth. My room steward was on top of his game. The room was immaculate every day. Although the food is not what it used to be, I had no complaints. The buffet was good, the deli was great and even the pizza was better this time. Our dinner service in the main dining room went very smooth. The food was the right temp, and we never had to wait long for anything. Victor, our waiter was great. On board activities were the same as always but we enjoyed every minute. What's a Carnival cruise without a hairy man contest and bingo? The shows and comedians were entertaining.

In Cozumel we went to Mr Sancho's as we did last time and I'll be there again in July. Its hard to beat the AI there. The service was exceptional. I like my beer and never had a cup go empty without another waiting for me. The food was good and we were blessed with perfect weather again. Can't wait to go back!

Disembarkation was a little slower this time but I was still off the boat before 9am.

Overall...5 stars. I go on vacation to relax and leave the petty issues behind and Carnival comes through every time.

As for them negative reviews I'm supposed to respect, sorry. I read on another review on this cruise how someone will never cruise with Carnival again. One of their biggest gripes was they couldn't find a pen to fill out the customs form. And there was a discrepancy on their bill, which I'm sure they will get corrected and the service was below par and they didn't get off the boat till after 8??? Really? I honestly think these guest and others like it go on the cruise looking for the worst. They really need to find a cruise where proper attire on the lido deck is suit and tie. I never see these things. I know every cruise and situation will not be perfect, but for every aspect to be bad, not buying it....Conquest in July, hear I come!!:D

We loved the Conquest, I know some don't like the stadium seating but we really liked it!! Have a wonderful time

[Sargent_Schultz]

Thank you for an honest review. It is refreshing for a change.

[Almost Packed]

Well, I like you go on my vacation with a positive attitude. However, my cruise on the Elation was blah. It all depends on many things. Weather (it rained on us a couple of days) did not bother me one bit. I didn't care if it was sunny or not. I happily spent 11 days in a rain forest.

 

What did bother me was crappy service from my steward. Hair in my shower, not enough glasses for the people in our cabin, oh, and the fact that i never saw/met our steward. He or she never introduced himself/herself to us.

 

The ship is in need or service...or at least multiple elevators-including the one we were momentarily stuck in. The glass elevators in the atrium, which at one point, both were broken at the same time. I could name a few others.

 

My point is, we all are entitled to our opinion, and I respect that. Some people have different experiences. Did I let this ruin my vacation? Heck no! What it did do for me is teach me that I did not like the Elation, and I will not book that ship again (or a small ship).

 

Silly things like missing pens, incorrect S&S bills etc. do add up however, and it is all a part of customer service. I personally bring my own pens, because, of course, my steward did not leave pen/stationary in our cabin either.

 

I'll continue to cruise. I'll for my own opinions about my vacation/cruise. I take everyone's review's with a grain of salt. What some people perceive to be important for them to have a great vacation i do not.

 

Some people are crazy picky like you said...they need to go cruise on those other $$$$$$$$$$$$$ lines if that's the expectations they have.

 

I'm happy where I'm at. I learn each time I cruise.

[gregg204]

What did bother me was crappy service from my steward. Hair in my shower, not enough glasses for the people in our cabin, oh, and the fact that i never saw/met our steward. He or she never introduced himself/herself to us.

My point is, we all are entitled to our opinion, and I respect that. Some people have different experiences. Did I let this ruin my vacation? Heck no! What it did do for me is teach me that I did not like the Elation, and I will not book that ship again (or a small ship).

 

Silly things like missing pens, incorrect S&S bills etc. do add up however, and it is all a part of customer service. I personally bring my own pens, because, of course, my steward did not leave pen/stationary in our cabin either.

I'll continue to cruise. I'll for my own opinions about my vacation/cruise. I take everyone's reviews with a grain of salt. What some people perceive to be important for them to have a great vacation i do not.

Some people are crazy picky like you said...they need to go cruise on those other $$$$$$$$$$$$$ lines if that's the expectations they have.

 

I'm happy where I'm at. I learn each time I cruise.

 

Now you see , that I can understand. You had legitimate issues that I would not want on my cruise. But you also did not let it ruin your cruise and I can live and learn from that and you did not come here to see how bad you can make a cruise line look. Also AlmostPacked...you only have 325 days till your next cruise...better finish packing!!:D

[beach410]

I don't get the negative reviews either, haven't been on a bad cruise yet, even when things were not up to par. The service seems to be getting better and better. And I love the small ships, you cant judge an entire ship on one bad server, steward or experience. I feel very fortunate, but that's why I keep coming back for more.

[Almost Packed]

Now you see , that I can understand. You had legitimate issues that I would not want on my cruise. But you also did not let it ruin your cruise and I can live and learn from that and you did not come here to see how bad you can make a cruise line look. Also AlmostPacked...you only have 325 days till your next cruise...better finish packing!!:D

 

well, i could complain that it's 325 days away. Thankfully I have 4 land vacations booked between now and September...thus the reason i'm always almost packed. the luggage never gets put away lol.

 

I believe there could be experiences that ruin a cruise. Concordia comes to mind, Splendor and a few others. i'm exaggerating yes....but for the most part, most people seem to enjoy their cruises.

 

I think it's all in the attitude. :p

[Banditswife]

The worst thing about our cruises have been that they end, and we have to come back home-- dang. Wish we could be on any vacation 24/7. But gotta work to pay for the next 1.

[Sargent_Schultz]

If I had crappy service from a room steward, I would be calling Guest Services about it and get it fixed while on the cruise. I have never had one that didn't introduce themselves to me and say hello to me several times a day.

 

Of course, passengers have a responsibility to vacate the cabin and allow the steward in during the steward's regular hours.

 

Glasses I could help myself to off of one of the service carts.