ELATED to finally cruise again…on the ELATION. A review!

[MistyRo76]

Your pictures are GORGEOUS!!!! Loving your review! I have about 11 months to wait until my first post-pandemic shut down cruise! 

[thewynn]

Thank you for the review, we cruise on Elation in 4 weeks. What was disembarkation like in Port Canaveral, what time did it start and what time did you get off?  I will have our own vehicle but we are going directly to Sea World afterwards and I’m just trying to plan some things around that.

 

Thanks

[RedbirdFLCruiser]

On 11/22/2021 at 4:27 PM, cruisemom2 said:

Just saw Elation head out of Port Canaveral - have a great cruise!

 

 

Thank you, thank you for the pictures!! I needed a new computer background and one of these will be perfect!

[RedbirdFLCruiser]

I hope it's okay for me to add a couple of tips to CeleBrat's wonderful review of the Elation. We returned this morning from a great 5 day cruise!

 

Here are a few things I thought might be helpful:

• Order a 12 pack of water for $5 before boarding. It was soooo worth it! The water in our bathroom was pretty gross. The first night after I brushed my teeth, I filled a glass to rinse and take some medication. The water was a very pale yellow. After that, I used one of my water bottles to rinse after brushing and to take medication. FYI, the water in the toilet ranged from brown to yellow. (Yes, we flushed. 😁)
• We found that the chairs on the far side of the Alchemy lounge were a wonderfully comfortable and quiet place to rest and read during the day. Most of the time, we had that area to ourselves. We also spent a lot of time on the Serenity deck, but the chairs weren't as comfortable as those near Alchemy. I think the lounge usually opened at 4pm, but even then it wasn't crowded or noisy.
• Bring a lightweight jacket. Many of the areas can be a little chilly.
• DH and I brought two games (Rummikub and SkipBo), which gave us something to do besides read and wander the ship during sea days. We had some not-so-great weather, so being outside wasn't always an option.
• If you get at all motion sick, I'd suggest the Sea Bands wristbands. I thought the Atlantic was pretty rocky (may have been caused by the weather) and I wore mine quite a bit during the cruise, which hasn't been the case for past cruises.

 

Happy sailing, and CeleBrat, I hope we hear more from you and see more photos!!

 

[RedbirdFLCruiser]

On 11/25/2021 at 6:45 PM, thewynn said:

Thank you for the review, we cruise on Elation in 4 weeks. What was disembarkation like in Port Canaveral, what time did it start and what time did you get off?  I will have our own vehicle but we are going directly to Sea World afterwards and I’m just trying to plan some things around that.

 

Thanks

Disembarkation was so easy! I think it started around 8 or a little before, they called our number around 8:45ish, and we were walking off the ship by 9. We had luggage tag #11 and let them take our bags off the ship. The traffic was a little heavy getting out, but we were on the road home by 9:30. If you have a similar schedule, you should be able to easily be at SeaWorld by 10:30. If you get lower numbered luggage tags, you could be off earlier. (By the way, if you were carrying your own bags off, you were called by Muster Station, not by luggage tag numbers. We disembarked at the same time as the C Muster Station group, which meant we got off earlier than many of the self-carry luggage people.)

Edited November 28, 2021 by RedbirdFLCruiser

[CeleBrat]

1 hour ago, RedbirdFLCruiser said:

We returned this morning from a great 5 day cruise!

 

Happy sailing, and CeleBrat, I hope we hear more from you and see more photos!!

 

Welcome back!  And thanks for adding your perspective.  Good tips!

 

I will hopefully be adding more to the review in the next 2 days.  That darn Thanksgiving holiday, and family, and tree-decorating got in the way!

[CeleBrat]

DAY 4--Another Day at SEA!

 

 

Normally at about this  time, I start to stress over the fact that the cruise is half over.  This time, I wasn’t having that stress.  Maybe because it was a completely unplanned cruise?  Or because I was just happy to be getting away?  Or because #2020 was the worst and I now appreciate things to much more?

 

None-the-less, another lazy day at sea. Can’t you just hear the ocean when looking at this picture? 
 

 

I woke before my husband again, so enjoyed a quiet breakfast on the aft Lido deck.  

 

 

Off in the distance there was another cruise ship.  It looked somewhat boxy.  Perhaps MSC or Norwegian?
 

 

I took a moment to once again marvel at the physics of the cruise ship by looking straight down from the Lido.  How is it possible that something that is made of steel, and weighs almost 72,000 tons, just sits in the water so effortlessly?  Physics!
 

 

[CeleBrat]

I wandered around taking a few pictures…

 

 

 I found a slenderizing mirror in the casino!

 

 

Also, had to document proper face mask wearing while in the elevator.

[CeleBrat]

During my travels, I stumbled upon a paper-airplane building contest.  Fun fact, my Dad loved to build paper airplanes with my brother and I when we were kids.  So, you can bet that I stepped up, grabbed a piece of paper, and put those skills to the test!

 

 

The contest involved building a paper airplane out of one piece of paper, and then launching it from the 2nd floor in the atrium in an attempt to get it to fly across the atrium and down the hall into the art gallery.

 

 

My plane, complete with lightning bolts (for speed).  I am proud to say that it flew very straight, into the art gallery hallway, and landed JUST BEHIND the one other plane.  A solid 2nd place finish!

 

 

Many of the other planes were total duds, and spiraled straight up into the air and then down onto the poor atrium bartender.  I’m guessing it’s the thing they hate most about working in that bar:  the weekly paper airplane contest.

[CeleBrat]

Somehow, it was time for lunch.  So I met up with my husband on the Lido buffet.  I opted to try the “Red Hot Chicken Sandwich” from the deli, which was very good.  I don’t enjoy waiting in the long deli line though.

 

 

Can I just take a moment to point out how hard the culinary staff works on a cruise ship.  For instance, look at this melon, which was on the salad bar.  Someone had to take the time to cut those little notches into the sides of the slices.  That’s impressive!

 

 

My husband and I feasted on cake again for dessert, as there were too many types to even be polite about having “just one slice”.  So, in order to preserve everyone’s opinion about us, I went to the cake buffet first and got 3 slices, telling the cake person that I was sharing with my husband.  Then he went up and got an additional 2 slices, telling them that he was sharing with his wife.  It’s all about appearances…

 

[CeleBrat]

After lunch we again parted ways.  He wanted to sit by the pool and play his video games, whereas I wanted to take a nap on an upper deck, and give the slide a try.

 

 

Now, let’s just talk about the slide on the Elation.  I was very surprised that there was no one on it.  No line.  Nothing.  

 

 

Let me tell you why.  It’s terrible.  Worst. Slide. Ever.  Not even kidding.  

 

Despite the fact that I am a 50-something year old girly-girl, I LOVE water slides.  Love them!  And I am a pro at going really, really fast on them.  Little secret, when going down a slide, if you arch your back so that only your heels and your shoulder blades are on the slide, you’ll go super fast.  

 

So, I climbed up the stairs to the slide, laid down, latched my back, and….sputtered to a stop.  Twice.  I actually had to use my hands to “paddle” against the ceiling to get me started again.  The slide is in need of waxing, or something.  I can’t even describe how terrible of a ride it was.

 

I only went on the slide.  But I did climb all the way back up those stairs to take some pictures as the height made for a good vantage point.  The lifeguard at the top was confused when I said “No thanks” as she motioned for me to get on the slide and go.

[CeleBrat]

I took lots of other lovely pics that afternoon as well.

 

 

I call this one “Sea hair, don’t care.”

 

And of course, all that stair climbing and picture taking meant I needed a small salty snack to tide me over.  Just the tiniest handful of Guy’s fries with the chipotle mayo.  The BEST!

 

 

[CeleBrat]

That afternoon was the VIFP Past Guest Party.
 

It was held in the theater, which was only half full.  A few changes from years past, likely due to Covid.  There were not any freely-passed canapes or appetizers.  That’s fine by us, as we didn’t really eat them in the past anyway.  The drink were also served in full-sized glasses, rather than the smaller artsy-looking glasses I remember from the past.  That’s also fine by me, as I wasn’t constantly searching for someone to replace my empty drink!

 

 

The biggest change though was the lack of “guessing: contests.  On past cruises there had always been some sort of contest where you had to guess the officers insignia or name the ships based on aerial photos.  That wasn’t happening.  But, there were several winners based on “milestones”.  Pre-Covid, the VIFP would award a prize to the person who had cruised the most on Carnival as well as the youngest Platinum guest.  This time, they gave out three prizes as follows:

-The person who had waited the longest to cruise since the shutdown.

-The person who had cruised the most since the shutdown.

-The person who had booked the latest (1 day prior to the cruise setting sail!)

 

It was unexpected and fun! Even though I did not qualify for any of these prizes.

 

[CeleBrat]

Past-guest party complete, we stumbled off to dinner, opting to eat in the dining room.  We were in-and-out in 45 minutes!  Gotta love this half-empty Anytime Dining experience!

 

 

The appetizers were ON POINT at this meal, which meant I had to have both the caprese (tomato and mozzarella) and french onion soup.  

 

 

But the Mains did not entice me as much, so I had the “From the Grill” strip loin steak.  It hit the spot.  For dessert we both ordered the praline cake.  We instantly regretted it as soon as the waiter said it was “low calorie” .  But, it was VERY GOOD, and not deserving of the initial judgment we bestowed on it.

 

After dinner, we sat in the atrium and listened to the violin duo.  Is the duo normally a trio?  I seem to recall trios on other Carnival ships????

 

 

All-in-all, it was a lovely 2nd sea day for us.

 

Up next: Bimini, where I *may* have taken a bazillion photos. 

 

[ButterflyGirly]

I am completely enjoying your review!! I sail on Elation on Monday Dec 6th so looking forward to the rest of your review!

[karriec]

Thank you for the review.  I too am a 50 something who loves the water slides on cruise ships.  Sorry the one on the Elation was not up to par.  🙁

[CeleBrat]

On 11/30/2021 at 5:18 PM, ButterflyGirly said:

I am completely enjoying your review!! I sail on Elation on Monday Dec 6th so looking forward to the rest of your review!

Happy travels to you! Bet you’re excited it’s just a few days away!

[CeleBrat]

On 11/30/2021 at 5:55 PM, karriec said:

Thank you for the review.  I too am a 50 something who loves the water slides on cruise ships.  Sorry the one on the Elation was not up to par.  🙁

Methinks it needs to be rehabbed: resurfaced and waxed.

[CeleBrat]

DAY 5--AMBER COVE

 

I tossed and turned all night, and finally gave up trying to sleep.  As much as a cruise is a relaxing experience, I REALLY, REALLY struggle with sleep as the beds are just not compatible with my back.  Just call me Goldilocks…

 

So, with sleep no longer an option, I checked my phone and discovered that the sun hadn’t risen yet.  Lemons...lemonade, and all that, I jumped out of bed, threw a t-shirt on over my PJs, and stumbled upstairs to catch the sunrise.  If you’ve not ever done this while on a cruise, you’re missing out!  I try to do it at least once.  And that day's sunrise did not disappoint!

 

 

 

And, as an added bonus, it was Towel-Animal Palooza at the pool!  With hardly anyone around, it was a perfect opportunity to snap some pics.

 

 

Even the towel animals enjoyed the sunrise.

 

 

Towel animals? Or early-morning chair hogs?

 

 

This towel animal is also taking Covid safety precautions.

 

 

In all my years of cruising, the towel animals at the pool are always a welcomed sight.  But I realized...I had never seen the crew put these out?  Do they do it at 3am?  And, when do they take them away?  Or is it assumed that most of the guests will destroy/take away the ones in the chairs, whereas the bigger ones are placed back into storage for the next week’s cruise.  Hmm...I’ll have to try and catch this sometime.

 

 

[CeleBrat]

Breakfast was al fresco on the aft Lido deck again, where I could  see Bimini in the distance.  I must say that our approach to flat Bimini was less exciting that the approach to mountainous Dominican Republic.

 

 

 

As we slowly approached land, it was time to wake my husband, get him fed and watered so that we would be ready to disembark in a timely manner.  Adventure awaited!

 

[dbkruzr]

Thanks for your review Elation was our last in Jan 2020. Did the Mardi Gras in Oct.  Magic this Saturday  back to MG in Jan and finally the Elation the end of March for my Bday. I agree the beds are not comfy for several cruises we have slept on top of the comforter and ask the steward for a sheet and blanket so much better. I really enjoy the lido without a seaside theater music playing is much better than a movie during the afternoon.

[ButterflyGirly]

Your pictures are wonderful.  I might just need to ask you if I can scraplift them instead of me trying to capture ones next week!

[abc312_98]

Thanks for the review we will be on the Elation Feb. 19. Just one question do they have any kind of messaging on the app to chat with other people on board?

 

[Knights on the Beach]

On 12/2/2021 at 1:48 PM, dbkruzr said:

Thanks for your review Elation was our last in Jan 2020. Did the Mardi Gras in Oct.  Magic this Saturday  back to MG in Jan and finally the Elation the end of March for my Bday. I agree the beds are not comfy for several cruises we have slept on top of the comforter and ask the steward for a sheet and blanket so much better. I really enjoy the lido without a seaside theater music playing is much better than a movie during the afternoon.

We were on Magic in August and thought the bed was very comfortable.

[CeleBrat]

Prepare for a photo onslaught...

 

Our plans for the day were solid, yet not.  We had decided that we would rent a golf cart and drive around Bimini.  And I would get to take pictures to my heart’s content!  That was the “solid” part.  What wasn’t solidified was exactly where the cart was being rented from.  I had only done some half-hearted research here on Cruise Critic, and discovered that there *should* be a place or two where carts are available to be rented from at one of the tram stops. We were definitely winging it because I normally plan everything down to the last detail.  And in the pre-Covid days, I would’ve also have procured an island map in advance and mapped out my course.

 

Not today…

 

However, the lack of planning did not matter, as everything worked seamlessly!  Once off the ship, we caught the tram, which was stationed nearby on the dock.  We asked the tram worker for “golf cart rental?” and he said “2nd stop.”  Interestingly, the tram is from the nearby Marriott Resort.  

 

 

Side note:  doesn’t the Elation look so small at this dock?

 

 

The tram ride was quick, and sure enough, the 2nd stop was actually to a parking lot, which was filled with about 200 golf carts.  All of the various golf cart owners were standing nearby hawking their carts.  And they all seemed to have the same price: $60.  So we randomly chose one person and said “yes!”  The golf cart rental person made us fill out a form with our name and driver’s license #, and then we were off.  Of note, all of the golf carts are equipped with a lock, and you are advised to lock the cart up when/if you get out and walk away from it. 

 

Somehow, I did not take a picture of this giant golf cart parking lot or the rental frenzy that was occurring, so I’m sorry.  But do know that it is a very easy process.  Also, we ran into someone later who had arranged their rental in advance for $100, and they were miffed.  So, don’t do that!

 

Golf cart in our possession, we were off!  There really is only one main road in Bimini which traverses from one end of the island to the other.  From that main road, there are a few smaller roads that jut off into “neighborhoods”, if you can call it that.  It’s where the citizens live.

 

Once leaving the golf cart lot we opted to turn to the right, which heads towards town.  To the left would have taken us further into the resort and to the more remote section of the island.

 

It was a little unnerving to drive the golf cart at first.  Not only because you were on the open road with cars, but also because driving occurs on the LEFT SIDE of the road!  We have a million “golf cart safety rules” at my workplace, and this was going against all of them!  I kept pulling over if I saw a car traveling behind me.