Elation 6/19 Review And Thanks To Cruise Critics

[neveslaw]

After all the time I spent on this Board researching and planning, I wanted to return the "favor" and provide additional and/or verification of information I received. Thanks to all of you who helped me plan what turned out to be a great trip.

 

We sailed from Galveston on the ELATION with a party of 18 (6/19/05 - 6/26/05). This was a family trip gift from my parents to their kids and grandkids. By default, I became the planning director for the cruise and most of the air travel. (If this job is ever offerred to you, kindly say no and hang up or leave the room as fast as you can.)

 

Ten of us caught a 7:00 a.m. direct flight from San Diego to Houston and arrived at Bush International at 12:08 with all our luggage. We met up with my sister's family of 4, as they had flown in from Phoenix earlier. We all proceeded to the Chartered Bus/ Limo area where "American Limos & Transportation" was to have a minibus waiting to take us to the cruise ship terminal in Galveston. Well, no bus and its hot and humid in Houston at this time of year. While everyone stared at me like I was some kind of idiot, I broke out the cell phone and started making my calls. First, the dispatcher tells me that the driver is in another part of the airport and would be there in "5 minutes." After 15 minutes I called back etc . . . . The minibus finally showed up at 1:45 to a very unhappy crowd. The driver avoided being pummeled by my 72 year old mother by announcing that the original bus/driver had canceled at the last minute and that he worked for a different company that was filling in. There is one advantage to arriving at 3:15 for a cruise that leaves at 4:00 - no lines and no waiting. Got our picture taken and its down to the rooms with our carryons. My other sister and her family (4) had flown in the day before and had been on the ship since 2:00. We past them in the hall as they were proceeding to the liferaft drill that had just been called.

 

We had booked Guaranteed Oceanview rooms on the Riviera deck. Carnival put us all on the Port (left) side Aft. Rooms R204 to R240. These are good rooms, mostly quiet except for port calls or when the Captain is forced to run at top speed to make it back to Galveston in time. As you may know, we had a woman jump over the side Friday morning and Captian Donado had to turn around to search for her until nightfall. Then he lost the Port engine for about 2 hours Saturday afternoon. (As far as I was concerned, he could have floated out in the Gulf for the next week. The seas were calm, the weather great the whole trip and I was having a good time.) About 1 - 2 hours before entering port, there is a loud rumbling sound, first from hydrolic motors followed by what sounds like a large metal item being dragged across the deck. If you are a light sleeper, order early room service on port day and have a good book handy.:D When the ship has to adjust its variable propellers to move at top speed, the entire ship vibrates and you are right over the pods at the back of the ship. Otherwise, the rooms were very quiet, there is no one running up and down the hall yelling (except my 3 year old nephew). The bed is really comfortable and has new pillows, blankets, etc. By the way, you adjust the A/C at the overhead vent. Took me 2 days to figure that out. My only suggestion to Carnival is to remove that corner box unit thats used to store the life jackets and luggage and the large ship light. (Go to the Carnival website and pull up a picture of the room) It is way too bulky, and makes the king size bed arrangement awkward.

 

I followed the suggestion about bring your own wine (was not charged for corkage) and soda/water. Weighs a lot (13 bottles of wine/ case of water & soda) when you're traveling by air and its in your carryon/collapsible ice chest so plan ahead. Got my scotch aboard wrapped in bubble wrap and stowed in my luggage. My wife's jalapeno martini olives made it through unscathed. (note: when you store your wine in your room, make sure it won't roll around at night when you're sleeping. I had a hell of time trying to figure out why people kept tripping over the room service tray in the hall before I figured out that it was the wine bottles rolling into each other.

 

The outlet electric bar was a good idea, but we did not need the hanging shoe bag. The laynard card holders (Wallmart $.99) is a must.

 

For ship's drinking water, refill your bottle at the water stations at Tiffany's or the adjoining pool deck food area. Its as good as bottled water. For some reason, the water at the bars and spa tastes terrible.

 

Cigars: I went to the Havana Club and my brother in law went to Casa de Cubano in Cozumel. Good Cuban cigars, but way over priced ($19.00 for a Cohiba 6x42). The Arturo Fuentes they sell at the Gatsby's Great Bar are better in my opinion and cost about $8.00. The cigar prices at the duty free store are not that bad either.

 

The prepaid drink coupons (Carnival online) was one of the better ideas. For about $19.00 you get 4 coupons for any drink priced up to $4.75 or a bottle of wine. I ordered $200.00 worth because I knew I was going to be buying a lot of drinks for this group. Now, as long as you buy the expensive drinks, like the FunShip Special, and you reuse the tall plastic glass, its perfect, plus for those drinks that are over the limit, you charge the balance to your Sail&Sign card. The tip is already included in the coupon and at the end of the trip, your account has no or little bar charges.

 

Food: We ate all our dinners in Inspiration Dinning room. We had requested 6:15 dinning but received 5:45, probably because the elevator near our rooms went directly to Inspiration. I asked the assistent matredi (sp?) if we could change and she told me it was not necessary since our party had 2 adjoiuning tables, just show up by 6:15. Our head waiter Alejandro and his assistant Waraporn (pronounced Wadapon) were great. My mom is about 90% blind. Alejandro took special care of her, cutting her meat, removing any shells from the seafood, etc. He opened all our wine and never charged us. Because we sat later than most tables, they had to wait until we were done to prepare for the next sitting. No problem, "would you like another dessert or how about another expresso?" Great service! (Same with our room stewart - kept us loaded with ice and room service took about 10 minutes) As my only other cruise was on the Ryndam, I have to say that the Elation's dinners were superior although a specialty restraunt like Pinnacles would have been nice. We ordered multiple entres and got our caeser salads, even if they were not on the menu.

 

Predinner Sushibar. Even cooked, it was good and you had a daily selection of 4 items. I went there 5 nights

 

Excursions/ports of call

Progresso - Its too hot to see the Mayan ruins. Turn left at town, walk past "Corona Beach", and sit down under a palapa. We ordered drinks and chips for about 3 hours and it cost $21. The water is not clear but its clean and warm. The boys went on the bannana raft and had a good time being thrown off at high speed. Wave runners are $60.00/hour $30/half hour, but they restrict the area you can run around in. The walking venders were there, but they're no worse than Mazatlan or any where else in Mexico. Just be polite and say "no". We tried the shopping but I was not impressed. Never did find any wood carvings. After about 3 hours we went back to the ship.

 

Cozumel- My brother and I did two tank dives while my wife and two boys snorkled, all off one of the "Deep Blue" boats. We went diving with another family that we picked up along the way and had a good time. Definite recommendation for this private operator. If I did it again I would use them but I would want both dive in 40 feet of water. I like seeing fish etc. which tend to be in the 10 - 40 foot range. Got close up to a turtle. Can't wait for the dive pictures to get developed. Mario, the DM, threw out some bannanas around my wife while she was snorkling near the boat. Drove the fish nuts. She was so happy that all these fish suddenly were swimming around her until one of them got attracted to her bright finger nails and decide to take a bite. You could hear her scream through her snorkle. :D My sister and family took the jeep/snorkle excursion offered aboard. They liked the jeep part of the trip, but the reef that they tried to swim to was 100 yards off the beach and the currents were strong. Very exhausing and not much to see. The parents and young kids went to Channaka (sp?) Park. "It was ok."

 

Belize: We booked the cave tubing trip through Coral Breeze Limited. Great excursion, Carlos Gonzales (aka "Speedy") was a great tour guide. I highly recommend this trip, not only for the caves but for the rain forrest. The only time it rained on the entire cruise was when we were in the rain forrest. It was spectacular. The lunch that was served after we got back to the head of the trail was very good, bbq chicken, rice, etc. The beer is extra but I recommend it. Also, I got to meet Alison, aka Blueagave, and her party. She had the door decorations down to an art.

 

I'll try to get the "Carnival Capers" scanned and online as soon as I can.

 

Overall, the ship was in excellent shape. Very clean and a happy crew. The kids were for the most part well behaved. I only had to ask security once to keep the minors out of the adult jaccussi. There was one kid who was a problem and eventually made the mistake of burping out load during a formal dinner next to my table. :mad: I kind of react automatically when something like that happens. Lets just say that he was no longer a noise problem after that.

 

Got any questions?

[Lotzafun]

This is the best review ever!!! I leave in 6 days and I can't hardly wait. Couple questions.....

 

1) The bar coupons....how many people were these used for? It will just be my husband and myself, we like to have our toddy's but not to a breaking point!

 

2) Did you have transfers to take you from the airport to the terminal? We purchased transfers but are hearing horror stories of waiting time and wondered if it would be faster to rent a taxi.

 

3) When did you pack the soda/wind/water? Did you pick it up in Galveston? We can't figure out how people are packing so much weight in their checked luggage?

 

Thank you so much!

[Live_2_cruise05]

Glad you had a great time! We are on her again for the 2nd time this Sunday!

[neveslaw]

This is the best review ever!!! I leave in 6 days and I can't hardly wait. Couple questions.....

 

1) The bar coupons....how many people were these used for? It will just be my husband and myself, we like to have our toddy's but not to a breaking point!

 

2) Did you have transfers to take you from the airport to the terminal? We purchased transfers but are hearing horror stories of waiting time and wondered if it would be faster to rent a taxi.

 

3) When did you pack the soda/wind/water? Did you pick it up in Galveston? We can't figure out how people are packing so much weight in their checked luggage?

 

Thank you so much!

 

1) Bar coupons: http://www.carnival.com/BonVoyage/Default.aspx?page=1 They come in sheets of 4, so figure 4 drinks per day (2 each) times 6 days = 24 coupons or 6 sheets @ $19.50 per sheet. Personally, I would plan on 5 drinks per ship transit day. 2 during the day, one before or at dinner, 2 during the casino or shows/dancing. I did not include any discussion about the shows, casino, or dancing but we did a lot of that (especially the casino - didn't do to bad but stay away from the machines) and with an early dinner sitting, you have several hours to burn before its time for bed. (Then again maybe not.;) )

 

2) Transfers: This was the problem with American Limo. But the Carnival bus was not much better since that group was standing around until after 1:00. I know this because we almost changed our plans and went with them. There are shuttles at the airport that will take you from Bush to the terminal for $35.00 per person. But that is one way. Carnival charges $66.00 round trip. I think a cab will charge you $100 each way.

 

3) Water/wine/soda: If you stop on the way to the terminal, its going to cost you on the transfer price because of the waiting time. We packed all the wine, soda and water on our carry ons because the airline does not weigh these items. I had to transfer a 12 pack of coke from my brother's suitcase to my son's two-suiter bag to get him under the weight limit. Plus you do not want to risk having good wine broken by baggage handlers. For you, I suggest you buy a collapsible icechest, pack the soda/water, and include it with your checked luggage or if its not too large as a second carryon. That way you'll have room for your wine in each of your carryons. (We lucked out and were able to take 2 carryons.)

[charyoung]

Hi! Glad ya'll had a great trip! Who did ya'll go diving with in COZ? We are assigned to the Inspiration Dining room. Was it nice? Did you see the other dining room? How did it compare? On the Celebration, we were in the smaller dining room and it didn't have that open feel? Yes, bring on the capers! We will be sailing soon! Thanks!

[SLL]

We are thinking about a cruise over springbreak 2006 with our 5 kids, ages 8- 20. Could you please tell us more about your experience with children on your cruise or any cruise? I don't mean to be rude, but it sounds like children are not welcome on cruises. Is this really the case?

 

Thank you

[neveslaw]

Charyoung:

 

We used Deep Blue: www.Deepbluecozumel.com

 

We only ate in Inspiration, sorry. But from the deck plan for the ship, I would be suprised if it was different. Our tables were near the window and all the way towards the back corner which makes a difference. The tables that are on the raised portion of the room might seem a little close. Its a very well lit room and work well for our needs.

 

SLL:

You rude? No way.

I think your children will have a great time on this ship. I did not hear any complaints from the kids. My 5 year old niece loved Camp Carnival. Her 3 year old brother wanted to stay with dad but that's just the way he is always. My 15 year old nephew hung out with my boys and he was never bored. Lots of basket ball and pingpong plus lots of pizza. I did not see any kids not having a good time. Just make sure they watch their manners at the appropriate time, like at dinner etc. and that they follow the rules of the ship. If their done with their ice cream, make sure they don't leave the bowl in the elevator. In other words, simple common sense stuff.

 

For you other parents with teens, something to watch for: Our family was sitting at two adjoining tables on the Lido deck near the pool bar for a good part of the day (It was Family Poker day.) I was the last to leave and decided to go to the jacuzzi before getting ready for dinner. As I got up, I noticed these two kids, about 14, watching our table. Well, I still had my bag of stuff on the table and I knew they were waiting for me to walk away. Sooooo, I walked toward the pool shower and turned around. Sure enough, they made their move to the table, but not for my bag. Instead, they grabbed some ice-melted red drink that someone had left behind, then hightailed it through the outside deck door. I was going to let it go, but I couldn't resist. I've got a loud booming voice that gets attention when needed. I opened the glass door, put on the approriate stern face and boomed "hey, where do you think you're going with my drink." Response: "Sorry, I didn't know this was your drink." Response: "Well I just saw you steal it off my table" Response: "I didn't know that was your table. Do you want the drink back?" I'm trying not to laugh: "No, just don't let me catch you stealing anything from my table again." It was funnier than it reads, and I doubt there was any alcohol left in that glass. It reminded me of the clubhouse dinner scene from "Caddyshack". But if you got teens, pay attention to what they are up to.

 

One final item. Leave those 2-way radios at home please. I never heard anything more annoying the whole trip then when I had to sit next to a table by the pool that had one of them on. Every 20 seconds, the radio would squeal. Finally, I just turned and stared at this guy until he figured it out. Forget the fact that there is a large sign that says no radios unless you use a headset. I think the perfect solution is for Carnival to rent out the same pagers they give to parents who have kids at Camp Carnival. Whenyou want ot speak to your kids (or viceaversa) you call on a house phone and punch in your extension so they can call you back.

[Lisab733]

Sounds like you had a "GREAT TIME"! We are scheduled to sail on the Elation on 10/09/05. I was wondering "how much wine/water/soda/etc" you brought onboard with you? I have read on other forums that they will confiscate it on boarding. :( I would hate to pay for all that wine to have it taken from me.

 

Thanks,

Lisa

[neveslaw]

Sounds like you had a "GREAT TIME"! We are scheduled to sail on the Elation on 10/09/05. I was wondering "how much wine/water/soda/etc" you brought onboard with you? I have read on other forums that they will confiscate it on boarding. :( I would hate to pay for all that wine to have it taken from me.

 

Thanks,

Lisa

 

Lisa, Carnival will allow a "reasonable" amount of wine and beer. Says so right on Carnival's web site and in your ticket pack. I carried aboard 13 bottles of wine that my brother and I split for his family and our parents. Two bottles for every dinner. All packed in my family's carryons. They never even blinked when the wine went through the scanner. But you did remind me.

 

Don't take soda in cans! It drives the scanners at the airport nuts because xrays can't penetrate the cans. One of my sons was carrying two carryons, each with a 12 pack of Coke. They pulled him over surrounded him with personnel and made him empty the contents of both carryons. Of course, there were two bottles of wine wrapped in socks at the bottom of one carryon that I had "stowed" away the night before. I was a little worried because he's 19. They didn't even look.

 

We took way too much soda and water. Next time, I'll take a six pack of water and just refill the bottles. We took a 12 pack of Diet Pepsi and left 6 cans behind, plus about 8 bottles of water. (O.k., so I overpacked.) The boys brought back some of the Coke. Don't ask me why. Sure enough, the cans set of the scanners again!

[powriel]

My parents are taking this cruise in February and I'm helping them will all their arrangements. They are flying in the day before and will need a hotel in Galveston and transportation to there. Can you recommend anywhere? Also, when they depart the ship they will be looking to rent a car for a few days flying out of Dallas mid week. Did you happen to see any rental agencies nearby?