My CARNIVAL ELATION 2015 Cruise Review With Pictures!

[thecruiserofships]

Time To Continue With Day 5

 

The towel demonstration was something I did not attend, but I did walk into the Mikado Lounge during the event to see what was happening. Many years ago I tried the towel animal demonstration and quickly learned my towel animal skills were dismally terrible. I would not last as a stateroom steward on a cruise ship. The back of the lounge had a table set up with towel animals. The crew members were trying to sell towels as well as a towel animal demonstration book.

 

Barf Bag Distributors On the Stairwell:

One thing I noticed was barf bag distributors hanging on many of the ship's stairwells. Each of these were stocked with about 10 - 15 bags for people to puke in. The ship's crew probably put these out for those that were sick from all of the rocking. I did not see anyone take a bag or use it during my cruise.

 

Lunch At Tiffany's Lido Buffet:

Today's Chef's Choice buffet line was serving "American" food. The buffet line contained popcorn shrimp, pork chops, fish, soups, and some different vegetables. The Deli, Pizzeria, Mongolian Wok, Grill, and Rotisserie were also open.

The dessert station was open, but for today's lunch was transformed into a special line called the Chocolate Extravaganza. The Chocolate Extravaganza serves a variety of different sweets, but (of course) the focus of the buffet line is chocolate related foods.

[Mommy2three]

Thank you so much for this review.

 

We are taking our first cruise at the end of August and while there is an overwhelming amount of reviews and information about other ships, it's hard to find stuff about Elation.

 

Couple of questions...

 

I saw that you didn't book excursions. Is it possible to not get lost and still enjoy yourself without excursions? My husband would like to snorkel so we may attempt a snorkeling excursion in Cozumel but I am considering not even getting off the boat in Progreso because I have been told that if you don't book an excursion, there isn't much to do.

 

I am really nervous about getting off the ship but that's probably because I have never been out of the country and am not sure what to expect.

 

What would you recommend for a first time cruiser when it comes to excursions and Cozumel/Progreso?

[thecruiserofships]

Thank you so much for this review.

 

We are taking our first cruise at the end of August and while there is an overwhelming amount of reviews and information about other ships, it's hard to find stuff about Elation.

 

Couple of questions...

 

I saw that you didn't book excursions. Is it possible to not get lost and still enjoy yourself without excursions? My husband would like to snorkel so we may attempt a snorkeling excursion in Cozumel but I am considering not even getting off the boat in Progreso because I have been told that if you don't book an excursion, there isn't much to do.

 

I am really nervous about getting off the ship but that's probably because I have never been out of the country and am not sure what to expect.

 

What would you recommend for a first time cruiser when it comes to excursions and Cozumel/Progreso?

 

You're welcome! I agree it is hard to find Carnival Elation stuff at times.

 

While it is possible to book excursions on your own without getting lost, I recommend as first time cruisers you stick with Carnival's shore excursions. Here are some reasons why I recommend booking with Carnival:

- Carnival is responsible for your tour if the itinerary has to change. If the ship misses docking in the port, Carnival will refund your money.

- Also, if the excursion is delayed getting back to the ship, Carnival will hold the ship or have to pay for you to get to the next ship stop.

- If the excursion goes bad you have a pretty good chance of getting a refund when you get back onboard the ship.

 

I cannot recommend specific excursions unless I know a little bit about your interests. Do you prefer beaches, dolphin encounters, shopping, cultural activities, or learning about a port's history? I will not be able to recommend specific beach things, but I can recommend shopping and historical tours & things to do.

[thecruiserofships]

An Afternoon Of Laziness:

This may sound uneventful, but my last afternoon onboard pretty much consisted of sitting around and watching others walk by. There were no activities scheduled that I was interested in attending. Normally, sea days are filled with trivia, scavenger hunts, and a variety of other games. However, this cruise was not like that.

 

Past Guest Appreciation Drink Coupon:

After cutting the VIFP Club party for Gold members a few months ago, Carnival replaced the party with a Past Guest Appreciation Coupon for Gold members. Platinum and Diamond members still get to have the VIFP Club Party on 5 day cruises and longer. This Appreciation Coupon was designated for use at any bar after 5:00pm on the last sea day for any one drink up to $9.00 in value. At 2:00pm, on the last sea day I was able to use my coupon at the Drama Bar. The crew member working allowed us to use our coupons early because she did not want to have a rush in the evening. I used my coupon on a Strawberry Smoothie. It was delicious!

[thecruiserofships]

Starting The Process of Packing To Go Home:

In the middle of the afternoon before dinner we started the process of packing. Within 30 minutes all non-essential items and clothes were packed in the suitcase. We overpacked coming to the cruise and had trouble fitting everything back into our suitcase.

 

TIP: Don't overpack. Everything you acquire onboard and brought with you must go home!

 

Last Dinner In the Imagination Dining Room:

For our last dinner on the cruise ship, we had the same waitstaff from the past three nights. Alfred, Oswin, and Juan Roly went above and beyond to make sure the service at their tables was exceptional. As always, the food tasted great. One of the last night's traditions is the farewell song, but the dining room staff were unable to perform due to sound system technical difficulties.

[viciouslysh]

Your website and pics are great!!!

[Mommy2three]

You're welcome! I agree it is hard to find Carnival Elation stuff at times.

 

While it is possible to book excursions on your own without getting lost, I recommend as first time cruisers you stick with Carnival's shore excursions. Here are some reasons why I recommend booking with Carnival:

- Carnival is responsible for your tour if the itinerary has to change. If the ship misses docking in the port, Carnival will refund your money.

- Also, if the excursion is delayed getting back to the ship, Carnival will hold the ship or have to pay for you to get to the next ship stop.

- If the excursion goes bad you have a pretty good chance of getting a refund when you get back onboard the ship.

 

I cannot recommend specific excursions unless I know a little bit about your interests. Do you prefer beaches, dolphin encounters, shopping, cultural activities, or learning about a port's history? I will not be able to recommend specific beach things, but I can recommend shopping and historical tours & things to do.

 

My husband is very outgoing and will talk with and make friends with anyone (love this about him). I, however, am very introverted and have social anxiety so I prefer to not be in huge crowds. My husband keeps mentioning snorkeling so I would like to see about doing an excursion that includes snorkeling. The excursions I read up on for snorkeling say you go in a large group which makes me nervous. I would much rather find a secluded spot with maybe a small handful of people but I am willing to come out of my comfort zone so that my husband can experience things and have awesome memories from our first cruise. I did notice that the "Dolphin Swim & Ride" excursion had snorkeling and swimming with the dolphins and had good reviews. I am pretty sure we are booking something like this in Cozumel.

 

I am just very undecided on excursions in Progreso, to the point that I am just willing to stay on the ship.

 

I know the areas we are going to will still be hot at the end of August so I prefer activities that you are not constantly in the sun/heat. A friend said they went to the ruins on their last cruise and while she said it was amazing and would definitely do it again she said it was a lot of walking and it was extremely hot. Not sure I would enjoy myself too much if that's the case (I really don't like the heat/maybe I should have booked a cruise to Alaska :rolleyes:)

 

I am open to all suggestions on excursions in Progreso because I can't make up my mind one way or another and I would hate to say I went all the way to Progreso and stayed on the ship.

[thecruiserofships]

My husband is very outgoing and will talk with and make friends with anyone (love this about him). I, however, am very introverted and have social anxiety so I prefer to not be in huge crowds. My husband keeps mentioning snorkeling so I would like to see about doing an excursion that includes snorkeling. The excursions I read up on for snorkeling say you go in a large group which makes me nervous. I would much rather find a secluded spot with maybe a small handful of people but I am willing to come out of my comfort zone so that my husband can experience things and have awesome memories from our first cruise. I did notice that the "Dolphin Swim & Ride" excursion had snorkeling and swimming with the dolphins and had good reviews. I am pretty sure we are booking something like this in Cozumel.

 

I am just very undecided on excursions in Progreso, to the point that I am just willing to stay on the ship.

 

I know the areas we are going to will still be hot at the end of August so I prefer activities that you are not constantly in the sun/heat. A friend said they went to the ruins on their last cruise and while she said it was amazing and would definitely do it again she said it was a lot of walking and it was extremely hot. Not sure I would enjoy myself too much if that's the case (I really don't like the heat/maybe I should have booked a cruise to Alaska :rolleyes:)

 

I am open to all suggestions on excursions in Progreso because I can't make up my mind one way or another and I would hate to say I went all the way to Progreso and stayed on the ship.

 

For Progreso, if you don't find anything that interests you too much I recommend saving your money and not booking anything for that port. At the place where the ship docks there are some shops, a bar, and a restaurant because the locals know not all cruise passengers are going to want to be shuttled four miles down the long pier.

 

You could take the free shuttle that departs every 20 minutes to the mainland. The four mile ride goes by rather quickly. The town is not the greatest, but the place where the free shuttle drops you off is a quick walk away from a beach and some shops. If you do this you need to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship!

[thecruiserofships]

Your website and pics are great!!!

 

Thank you so much!

[pink roses]

I love your webpage and appreciate the hard work you put into this review.

[HawksFan74]

I have tried Cruise Critic's help article with picture posting in the test area of the forum and I just cannot get pictures to load on here.

No need to upload them here. They are already hosted on your site. You should be able to just copy and paste them when you post, like so:

 

 

[thecruiserofships]

No need to upload them here. They are already hosted on your site. You should be able to just copy and paste them when you post, like so:

 

 

 

Here is my test:

Edited June 23, 2015 by thecruiserofships

[thecruiserofships]

@HawksFan74

Thank you so much!!! So many people were not getting to see the pictures that go along with the text. Most people do not click on websites they do not know, which means they stayed away from the full review I had on my blog.

Thank you again!

Edited June 23, 2015 by thecruiserofships

[thecruiserofships]

I love your webpage and appreciate the hard work you put into this review.

 

Thank you for the kind words!

[thecruiserofships]

Last Dinner In the Imagination Dining Room:

For our last dinner on the cruise ship, we had the same waitstaff from the past three nights. Alfred, Oswin, and Juan Roly went above and beyond to make sure the service at their tables was exceptional. As always, the food tasted great. One of the last night's traditions is the farewell song, but the dining room staff were unable to perform due to sound system technical difficulties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thecruiserofships]

 

 

 

 

[thecruiserofships]

It is time for me to finish posting this review here. I'm almost done!

 

Production Show - "Just Rock":

Tonight's show was "Just Rock" in the Mikado Lounge. There were two showings, which were 8:15pm and 10:15pm. This show was still going to be performed on a few more cruises. I attended both showings of "Just Rock" because the show was very good. There was a variety of 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s music performed during the show. For those that have cruised on the Carnival Miracle, this show was very similar to "Generations". However, the Carnival Miracle is now rid of this show because the ship has already received the upgrades the Carnival Elation is in the process of getting.

During the second showing, a medical emergency occurred in the lounge. I do not know the specifics of what happened, but something happened to a lady during the middle of the show. I was watching the show when a bunch of people stood up and this got the attention of the assistant cruise director. He went over to investigate and it looked like he pulled out his shipboard phone to call for help. Some guests found the cruise director's seat and got his attention as well. The cruise director managed to get the technical staff to close the curtain and turn on the overhead lights. Within minutes staff from the onboard infirmary came to get the lady. She walked out with some help from them and others. Overall, it appeared the crew members handled this situation well. We were told before the show continued the lady was alright.

 

A Quick Visit To the Lido Buffet For "Good Eats"

Good Eats was taking place in Tiffany's Lido Buffet. There were a variety of foods and desserts being served. I ate a piece of lemon cake from the dessert station and it tasted great. I went to the deli for a pastrami on rye sandwich and the staff remembered my preference before I got a chance to order.

[bluejay555]

Very nice review! I love how your website is organized and your pics are great!

[thecruiserofships]

Very nice review! I love how your website is organized and your pics are great!

 

Thank you so much!

[thecruiserofships]

I forgot to post the last day's writing, so I will do so now:

DAY 6

Last Morning Walk Around The Ship:

I woke up around 5:15am on the last day of the cruise. There were a few things I still needed to pack, such as my toothbrush, after using it onboard for the last time before going home. Once all of my belongings were packed and the suitcase was zipped up, I wanted to walk around the ship one last time. There were no other cruise passengers out at this early time and the line at guest services was non-existent.

In the ship's atrium the equipment for disembarking guests was already setup. The equipment was located on the opposite side of the atrium from where we boarded on the first day of the cruise. This indicated the ship would not be turning around before docking in New Orleans.

 

Almost everything onboard the ship was closed and locked, which is normal for the early morning. The ship's library had window shades down and was completely closed. The shops do not open on the last morning of the cruise. This means anything you may want to buy must be purchased on the last sea day before the shops close.

 

While walking through the Elation's Way Promenade, I saw the Faster to the Fun disembarkation meeting spot. It was located in the Romeo & Juliet Lounge. On some Carnival ships, Faster to the Fun guests get mixed with the VIFP Platinum & Diamonds, but not on this cruise. The Platinum and Diamond guests were told to meet in the Mikado Lounge for priority disembarkation. I will discuss this more later.

The Musical Cafe was not yet opened when I walked by. The lights were off and there was not a crew member working yet.

 

Walking Around the Outside Decks:

When I first walked outside to take pictures, my camera lenses fogged up. I had to wait a few minutes before I could start taking pictures. As I took more pictures the fogged lenses improved and the quality of the pictures got better. It was nice getting to take a look at the Mississippi River as we sailed back up to New Orleans. It was bittersweet seeing some of the same areas we saw when sailing away from New Orleans a few days earlier because now the cruise was nearly over.

 

Last Breakfast At Tiffany's Lido Buffet:

According to our disembarkation flyer, breakfast was being served at Tiffany's from 6:00am - 9:30am. Open Seating was going on in the Imagination Dining Room from 7:00am - 9:00am for those that did not wish to eat in the buffet.

I got to the breakfast buffet between 6:15am and 6:30am. There were no lines because most people were probably still packing and some may have been sleeping. My first stop in the buffet was the general breakfast buffet line. Pancakes were being served again today. The general breakfast buffet line had a variety of choices including bacon, pancakes, sausage, hash browns, oatmeal, grits, ham, eggs, and more. The food was greasy, but delicious!

Immediately after finishing my food, I got in line for an omelet. Normally, the omelet station's lines can be long, but today there was no line. I ordered an omelet with everything. The omelet toppings consisted of bacon, ham, onion, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese. I love eating omelets and a cruise is the only place I ever get to eat these.

 

Arrival Back Into New Orleans:

As I ate breakfast, I looked outside at the banks of the Mississippi River as we sailed closer to New Orleans. After eating breakfast, I went outside to take a look at the view as we got closer to the cruise terminal.

 

Disembarkation Spot For VIFP Platinum & Diamond Guests:

For guests that were Platinum or Diamond, the designated disembarkation wait area was the Mikado Lounge. The paperwork that was sent to our stateroom told us to be here by 7:30am. There were snacks and drinks setup on a table for anyone that was hungry or thirsty. Most of the people that were zoned to wait in this lounge came closer to 8:00am.

The bottom level of the atrium (Empress Deck) was blocked off by crew members. This was because the ship's crew did not want guests to wait on this level. For those cruising on the Elation, do not bother attempting to wait on the Empress Deck because the crew will turn you away.

At exactly 8:00am, a ship's crewmember came into the Mikado Lounge to get the Platinum & Diamond guests. Two elevators were being operated by crew members to help Platinum & Diamond guests move their luggage down one level.

 

Disembarkation is always my least favorite time of the cruise, but it is something that must happen in order for the next cruisers to get their chance to have a great time. Once we were on the Empress Deck we were directed by crew members into the atrium's lobby. The atrium's lobby had the shipboard card scanners in full operation and security was scanning each person's card in order to keep track of the guests remaining onboard. Once my Sail & Sign Card made its last ding, I knew my cruise was officially over and the only thing left was going through customs. After walking down the terminal's gangway we were directed downstairs to the US Customs & Immigration checkpoint. The time was 8:02am and this checkpoint was not officially open. This meant we had to wait until the terminal's staff were given the signal we could proceed. At 8:05am, the checkpoint opened and after the agent looked at our passports & declaration forms we were free to leave. Before the parking garage's elevators, there are restrooms that disembarking cruise passengers can use. The restrooms were clean, but not too big.

Getting back to our car was easy. The cruise terminal has three elevators that are large enough to accommodate many people and their suitcases. Once we were in our car, we loaded our suitcases and departed for home. The first photo on the row below was taken in the gangway, but the next two photos were taken from the parking garage.

[lilchief27]

I have loved every bit of your amazing, detailed oriented review. I also enjoyed your website, funtimes & the kids' club handouts. I may never see my teens the whole trip. ;) We sail on Elation in October & I am reading all I can about the ship & its ports. Thanks for all of your hard work!

[Sumo83]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this review. It is very detailed. we have a group of 19 booked for the end of October and have a lot of first time cruisers that have also found this review so useful. Thanks for all the pictures and Funtimes!!

[Monthend]

We just booked the Elation for a repositioning cruise on april 13. I really enjoyed reading and seeing the pictures.

 

Super great job!!

[travelingla]

I am astounded at the details and gorgeous photos you've provided here and on your blog. It is a wealth of valuable information! I am soon to take a trip on the Elation for the first time -- I much prefer big ships and not so much a Carnival fan....but this one is convenient and cheap! ;)

 

Due to your review and other positives I have read on CC I am sure to enjoy my 5 nights aboard this ship.

 

Thank you so very much for your TIME (whew) and effort to share your adventure -- it is soooo very helpful.

 

Looking forward to traveling with you again -- soon, I hope!:D

[Cruiser 2 too]

Thank you for wonderful review and pictures! I appreciate all of your hard work and your info was helpful.