REVIEW Elation Feb. 15-20 family cruise

[B4May]

We are just back from our cruise on the Elation with my husband, our two boys, ages 7 & 2 and my mom. Had a great time! Happy to answer any questions anyone might have.

 

I'll post in this thread with some details of the cruise, and specifically those that pertained to having kids onboard because I didn't find any other recent reviews that had this info. :)

[B4May]

Embarkation at the Port of New Orleans went really smoothly with the new staggered check in times. We selected 10:30-11 am but were late getting to the port because we sat for 30 minutes in the car waiting for a train to move at Henderson Street. :/ Once we got parked ($90 for 5 days in the Carnival garage) and got into the actual port, things moved quickly and we were on the ship before noon. There was a line but there seemed to be plenty of agents working so we waited maybe 15 minutes tops. We were happy to see our rooms on the Verandah deck were already ready for us so we dropped our bags and went straight to the Lido for lunch. I really preferred getting there a little later - on our last cruise we were on ship by 11 but had to lug our carry on bags for about an hour, which was inconvenient.

 

We had two inside rooms on the Verandah deck, V24 & V28. This is my favorite deck and the only place we've ever cruised. The proximity to everything is awesome. Just one deck above the Lido, one deck below Camp Carnival, and on the same level as the children's pool. Being inside doesn't bother us at all because you are just steps from two outside decks. We did book rooms a little farther aft for this cruise, to make sure we were under the spa and not the gym. The cabins are worn but still in good shape and clean. Ours (V24) had a flat screen TV (sitting in the box that once held the tube TV) and my mom's (V28) still had the old tube TV. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had more channel options than when we last cruised three years ago. It was nice to have some cartoon channels when the little ones needed a few minutes break from the action.

[B4May]

The Elation doesn't have Waterworks like the Fascination did, and we missed it. On the aft part of the Verandah deck, there is a children's pool, one hot tub and one hot tub sized tot pool, along with netted volleyball and basketball courts. It's kind of an odd setup because the ship's only waterslide is in the main pool, so all the kids onboard were in that pool, and the two hot tubs on either side of it.

 

The good news is that this part of the deck was never very crowded, very few people in the pool and lots of loungers to go around. My older son isn't much of a waterslide guy so we hung out near the children's pool mostly. Not much swimming happening though because the water is COLD. The tot pool felt like there was ice in it, it was that cold. There are also rules that state no children with swim diapers are allowed in the pools but that was pretty much ignored.

 

We also enjoyed the giant chess board, the ping pong tables, and the mini golf course.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report.

[h_blond2]

I'm looking forward to reading your review. I love the Elation!

[B4May]

We booked an all inclusive day at Playa Mia beach resort in Cozumel and it was wonderful! We booked directly with them online, for $73 per adult and $63 for kids 4-11, which included transfers there and back. We did have to ride in a van taxi cab, which I was concerned about with the car seat situation for my 2 year old, but I just held him on my lap for the 10 minute drive. :eek: The beach was beautiful and it included a ton of activities - an inflatable obstacle course, kayaks, paddle boats, and very nice water park and several pools that were perfect for the kids.

 

The included buffet was good and offered quite a bit of variety. The included drinks were not strong but they were tasty and our waiter kept them coming. :D Overall a great day and I'd highly recommend it for any family with kids!

 

Progreso was a slightly different story. We didn't have any excursions booked so we just took the free shuttle in from the port and figured it out from there. We started with the 45 minute AutoProgreso city tour which was $9 per person (2 yo was free) and that was really great. They took us all around and we felt like we got a good representation of "real" Mexico. Our tour guide Ishmael was really great, very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of interesting perspective on the area.

 

After that, we walked several blocks from the shuttle depot to the public beach and found a beach side restaurant to eat lunch. It was crazy windy there, to the point where you almost felt like you were getting a microdermabrasion treatment from the sand pelting you. There was also lots of seaweed so between that and the wind, we didn't do any swimming. The real negative was the aggressiveness of all the vendors there. Someone was coming up to us every 2 minutes trying to sell something, offer us a massage or play us a tune and demand a tip. It made it really difficult to enjoy the day. Our waiter said it was a slow day in port (we were the only ship) so I'm sure that contributed as there were fewer people on the beach. But if we ever went here again, I'd definitely book an excursion and stay far, far away from the public beach.

[B4May]

My 7 year old really enjoyed Camp Carnival - they seemed to have a variety of activities and kept them entertained. They are separated into 6-8 year olds and 2-5 year olds but it's really one big room with two separate entrances. He enjoyed the kids only dinner on the Lido deck so he did that a couple of nights before they all went back up to the Camp area as a group. Video gaming time was a big hit also. Definitely don't miss the Kids Farewell party on the last night, where they each get to color a free t-shirt.

[cruiser fanatic]

We booked an all inclusive day at Playa Mia beach resort in Cozumel and it was wonderful! We booked directly with them online, for $73 per adult and $63 for kids 4-11, which included transfers there and back. We did have to ride in a van taxi cab, which I was concerned about with the car seat situation for my 2 year old, but I just held him on my lap for the 10 minute drive. :eek: The beach was beautiful and it included a ton of activities - an inflatable obstacle course, kayaks, paddle boats, and very nice water park and several pools that were perfect for the kids.

 

The included buffet was good and offered quite a bit of variety. The included drinks were not strong but they were tasty and our waiter kept them coming. :D Overall a great day and I'd highly recommend it for any family with kids!

 

Progreso was a slightly different story. We didn't have any excursions booked so we just took the free shuttle in from the port and figured it out from there. We started with the 45 minute AutoProgreso city tour which was $9 per person (2 yo was free) and that was really great. They took us all around and we felt like we got a good representation of "real" Mexico. Our tour guide Ishmael was really great, very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of interesting perspective on the area.

 

After that, we walked several blocks from the shuttle depot to the public beach and found a beach side restaurant to eat lunch. It was crazy windy there, to the point where you almost felt like you were getting a microdermabrasion treatment from the sand pelting you. There was also lots of seaweed so between that and the wind, we didn't do any swimming. The real negative was the aggressiveness of all the vendors there. Someone was coming up to us every 2 minutes trying to sell something, offer us a massage or play us a tune and demand a tip. It made it really difficult to enjoy the day. Our waiter said it was a slow day in port (we were the only ship) so I'm sure that contributed as there were fewer people on the beach. But if we ever went here again, I'd definitely book an excursion and stay far, far away from the public beach.

 

I wish Carnival would stop going to Progreso. There is nothing to do there and as you said, someone is trying to sell you something every 2 minutes.

[B4May]

I wasn't as impressed with the food this time around. The lunches on the Lido were pretty good, standard fare. We particularly liked the pizza - the De Chevre (goat cheese & mushroom) and the Calzone were very good. Sandwiches from the Deli were just ok, the burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, fries, etc. from the grill were good. We did not ever try the Mongolian Wok or the Rotisserie.

 

For dinners, we ate about half in the dining room and half on the Lido. Maybe this was the case on our last cruise and I didn't realize it, but the Lido restaurant typically had a few of the same "Today's Menu" choices that were available in the dining room, just buffet style.

 

We often stopped by the Taste Bar before dinner and enjoyed everything we got there as well. The Fried Sweet Potato Malaga was my favorite.

 

A few dishes that stood out to us were the Flat Iron Steak, Bacon Mac and Cheese, and the Chateaubriand. A few not-so-good were the Fried Shrimp (overcooked), the Thai Chicken appetizer (again, overcooked). We also really liked the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake of course, the Grand Marnier Souffle, and the Cappuccino Pie.

 

We also loved the Seuss at Sea brunch on the last sea day; the food was great and it was such a fun event for the kids. Worth every penny of $5 per person. The characters came around to every table and the dining room was all decorated in the theme.

[Hillwood]

My 7 year old really enjoyed Camp Carnival - they seemed to have a variety of activities and kept them entertained. They are separated into 6-8 year olds and 2-5 year olds but it's really one big room with two separate entrances. He enjoyed the kids only dinner on the Lido deck so he did that a couple of nights before they all went back up to the Camp area as a group. Video gaming time was a big hit also. Definitely don't miss the Kids Farewell party on the last night, where they each get to color a free t-shirt.

 

We will be taking our 8 year old and 2 year old on this ship the end of march so I'm glad to see your review. Did your 2 year old go to camp carnival? If so did he or she like it?

[sjn911]

I think Carnival excels with the Camps for the younger groups...always hear more pros than cons and parents can have 2 hrs adult meal time anywhere...even in the main if preferred at smaller table and upcharge of steak or something from steakhouse menu.

 

I believe even Fantasy class has the upcharge steaks etc if they want a fancier meal...

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your review.

Keith

[B4May]

We did not take our youngest because he was a few weeks shy of his 2nd birthday so he wasn't quite old enough. He did go with us to the family play time there and he really liked the space, the toys they had, etc.

 

What's really nice for the younger ones is that they give you a cell phone so they can reach you if needed. At least they did three years ago when we cruised with our oldest who was 4 at the time. Gave us great peace of mind while he was there.

 

He loved the kids dining both this trip and back when he was younger. Awesome for parents who want to have a peaceful meal a few times on the trip!

[*Cassie*]

My 7 year old really enjoyed Camp Carnival - they seemed to have a variety of activities and kept them entertained. They are separated into 6-8 year olds and 2-5 year olds but it's really one big room with two separate entrances. He enjoyed the kids only dinner on the Lido deck so he did that a couple of nights before they all went back up to the Camp area as a group. Video gaming time was a big hit also. Definitely don't miss the Kids Farewell party on the last night, where they each get to color a free t-shirt.

 

Thanks for this info! Glad to hear you had a great trip.

[sjn911]

We did not take our youngest because he was a few weeks shy of his 2nd birthday so he wasn't quite old enough. He did go with us to the family play time there and he really liked the space, the toys they had, etc.

 

What's really nice for the younger ones is that they give you a cell phone so they can reach you if needed. At least they did three years ago when we cruised with our oldest who was 4 at the time. Gave us great peace of mind while he was there.

 

He loved the kids dining both this trip and back when he was younger. Awesome for parents who want to have a peaceful meal a few times on the trip!

 

Good points.....I am an Auntie not a mom and forgot about that 2 year old rule...which is good...thinking about siblings and their cough cough...grands...lol.

 

You have such a great review here...I still love the original Fantasy class. Thanks again.

Edited February 26, 2016 by sjn911