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

[CeleBrat]

The first place we could turn off the main road, we did.  And we discovered a cemetary.

 

 

 

 

This little offshoot road dead-ended into the coast with an AMAZING view! I can’t even describe how pretty!  The pictures will have to do all the work…

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also discovered a washed-up buoy, which was very strange to see.  You know how you sail past them as you leave a port, and they look so tiny?  Well, they’re not.  THEY ARE HUGE!

 

 

 

[CeleBrat]

This little tucked away spot was so picturesque.  Between the driftwood, and the ship in the distance, and the water.  I was in love! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even in black and white, this place looks stunning!

 

 

 

My husband eventually said, “Come one...there’s so much more to see than this!”  See him in the photo below looking impatient?

 

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by CeleBrat
Spacing error

[CeleBrat]

OK, OK….We got back in the cart and drove away.  “Oh look, a fun hand-lettered pizza sign!!”  I am a sucker for local signage.  My husband just rolls his eyes.  I can tell he’s not going to be a willing companion on my photo adventure today!

 

 

We stopped at a playground that caught my eye, because it abutted a dock with several conch boats, and nearby there were giant piles of conch shells!  OH.MY.GOSH!!!  I’ve never stopped to think about what happens to the shells once the conch gets harvested.  They just get tossed aside.  

 

 

 

 

The conch fisherman had set up a station in which to do the harvesting too.

 

 

Oh look, graffiti!  I love the juxtaposition of the scribbled graffiti against the Covid/vaccination safety signage and AED sign.

 

*My husband rolls his eyes again.  Do you see his frustration in his hand gesture? 
 

 

[CeleBrat]

I was intrigued by the political signage, and happy to see that politics is a “thing” no matter where you are in the world.

 

 

The road we traveled on was equal part busy with cars, and equally empty, as seen here.

 

 

Religious signage was also prevalent.

 

 

We came upon a small market, which was actually the only shopping available in the port.  It was a straw market of sorts, with lots of the same touristy stuff:  bottle openers, shells, tshirts, etc.

 

 

My husband opted to do as all husbands do:  wait patiently nearby while I shopped.  I only bought one thing:  a t-shirt for him.

 

 

The market had a small display with island info.

 

 

And social distancing was definitely emphasized here!

 

 

[CeleBrat]

Just around the corner from the market and up a hill was another pretty coastline view.  This one offered beach chairs for rent too.  I think it was one of the main beaches, as there was a sign but I can’t remember.  Radio Beach perhaps?

 

 

I was more focused on the local signage and buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back on the road and drove all the way down to the end of the main road, which led us to another cemetary and beach.  Look how old these gravestones are!

 

 

 

 

This stretch of the coastline also featured a shipwreck.

 

 

Oh look, there’s  my husband again, patiently waiting as I take a million photos.  This time he says “Come on!  It’s just another cemetery!”

 

 

[CeleBrat]

Begrudgingly, I got back into the golf cart and drove back into the town.  Our goal was to find a grocery store so we could buy some soda to quench our thirst and some Bahamian spices to take home.    Along the way, there were more interesting signs to document.

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at a place called “Grocery Store” where they did have some frosty Fantas!  

 

 

Sadly, there were no good Bahamian spices to purchase.  This little store was the size of a convenience store, and seemed to feature a lot of generic items from...WalMart.  We only encountered one other grocery store during our travels, and it was equally as small.  Interestingly, when we returned to the ship later, we saw groceries being unloaded from the ferry that had just arrived.  It was one pallet of food items and laundry detergent.  That’s it.

 

Refreshed from the Fantas, we continued diving alllllllll the way down to the other end of the road, through the resort, to the 360 beach.

 

 

The beach was nice, but not as nice as that first hidden beach we found.  There were lots of people here though, having arrived by golf cart and tram. There were chairs and cabanas to rent and a small assortment of expensive food and beverage. We overheard some other travelers complaining about the expensive $9 beer, so we interrupted their conversation to share that we had seen several hole-in-the-wall places in town advertising 2 for $5 beers. 

 

 

 

You could also see the ship from this beach.

 

 

[CeleBrat]

We had been out on the golf cart for about 90 minutes,and were unsure what to do next, as we had been from one end of the island to the other.  So, we decided to go back into the town section of the island, and travel on the “high road” which was the road that ran along the coast above the main road, through the neighborhood.  The road was actually called “Queen’s Highway”, but a highway it was not!

 

 

This was a fantastically photogenic road as it ran along the coast and allowed you to see lots of houses and churches.

 

 

Oh look!  Another graveyard!  Flanked by a beautiful while angel statue!  Even my husband said “That it TOTALLY something you need to get a picture of!”  So I did take one...or five.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband dutifully waited in the golf cart.

[CeleBrat]

Now,I’ve read some reviews of Bimini where the travelers are disappointed by the run-down nature of the island.  I consider it rustic.  And I appreciate the sheer determination it takes to live there.  What would your house look like if you were there? Especially if you didn’t have access to Home Depot or contractors to work on your house, and had to do everything by hand?  That’s what makes visiting a place like this so  interesting, as it’s so different than what we know.  And, it makes for great photos!

 

 

 

Many of the houses were in a state of disrepair, as a result if recent hurricanes. However there were “good intentions” to fix them. Do you see the huge marble countertop in the pic below, leaning against the side of the house? That’s not cheap!

These red signs were peppered all over telephone poles and light poles, and reminded me of the “Dharma Initiative” from LOST.

 

 

It made my heart happy to see recycling and organized trash cans!

 

More hurricane damage…

 

 

The high road was definitely much more quiet than the main road we were on.  Hardly any traffic.  Because of that, I was able to take these photos.

 

 

 

[CeleBrat]

Further up the street, we encountered this scene.  My husband said “Oh, you have to get a picture here!”  OK then, I will take one...or several.

 

 

 

 

Black and white is also still stunning.

 

 

Nearby, the “Empty Nest” was for sale.  My husband wondered “Hmm...what does it cost?  Do you want to live here?”  

 

 

Actually, I don’t.  I need a gym, and a Target, and Starbucks.  My husband did look up the house when we got home, but it wasn’t listed anywhere as it was truly listed just by the owner. 

[CeleBrat]

On 11/24/2021 at 3:55 PM, SenatorsFan said:

It's so nice to read another one of your reviews! I'm really enjoying all your pictures, too. 😍

Aw, thanks!

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

Sorry I missed responding to your question.  Disembarkation was super easy, even though we had a slight delay.  We were off the ship by 9:30am, and home in the Orlando area by 11am.  Totally doable to head to Sea World!

On 11/24/2021 at 4:47 PM, MistyRo76 said:

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

11 months will make your cruise all the more satisfying!

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.

I enjoyed a music/big screen less Lido as well!  Enjoy your upcoming cruises!

On 12/2/2021 at 6:23 PM, ButterflyGirly said:

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!

Have at it!  But I certainly hope you find your own picturesque moments in your cruise as well!

On 12/4/2021 at 11:08 PM, abc312_98 said:

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?

 

Yes--there is an in-app messaging feature, which you must pay for.  $5 a day, I think.  We did not use it.

On 12/5/2021 at 8:11 PM, cruisemom2 said:

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

The older I get, the more trouble I have finding a comfy bed... And the Carnival beds are SUPER comfy when I first lay down.  4 hours later though, I can't stand it!

Edited December 7, 2021 by CeleBrat

[Bostwick girl]

The chat feature on the Hub app is $5.00 for the length of the cruise, not per day.  Works well.

 

[obx_fintoo]

Your photos of Bimini are simply gorgeous!  Bless your hubby's heart for waiting patiently so you could get them for CC to enjoy!! 💜😄

[RedbirdFLCruiser]

Thanks so much for all your wonderful pictures and your commentary on Bimini. I booked a cruise today that will go to Bimini, and have never been there before!

[CeleBrat]

On 12/7/2021 at 4:09 PM, Bostwick girl said:

The chat feature on the Hub app is $5.00 for the length of the cruise, not per day.  Works well.

 

Thanks for clarifying!

On 12/7/2021 at 4:51 PM, obx_fintoo said:

Your photos of Bimini are simply gorgeous!  Bless your hubby's heart for waiting patiently so you could get them for CC to enjoy!! 💜😄

Aw thanks!  My husband is patient-ish.

On 12/8/2021 at 7:38 PM, RedbirdFLCruiser said:

Thanks so much for all your wonderful pictures and your commentary on Bimini. I booked a cruise today that will go to Bimini, and have never been there before!

OH!  I hope you enjoy Bimini as much as we did!

[CeleBrat]

Driving further down the “high road”, I mean, “Queen’s Highway” we found more rustic buildings and beautiful beach views.

 

 

 

A locater sign.

 

 

And eventually, the END OF THE ROAD.  I bet that sign was placed there likely because those darn tourists with golf carts attempted to keep driving into the scrubland beyond causing many carts to get stuck.

 

 

We literally had explored all of the roads possible in Bimini, so we opted to head back to the ship for a late  lunch.  Before leaving the “high road”, we encountered a couple who were just walking along the road.  Noticing that they were cruise passengers, we struck up a conversation with them.  They were very active people, and had chosen to walk the  island rather than rent a golf cart.  And to be clear, we were several miles from the port/tram drop off at that point.  So, we offered them a ride back, which they gratefully accepted.  I realized, as I was driving back to the tram stop, that it would be super easy to rent a cart for the day and totally make your money back by shuttling people to/from the town.  And no, we didn’t charge them for the ride!

 

Cart drop off was super easy. As soon as we entered the lot, someone came up to us and said “Oh, you have a cart from Dolphin?  I’ll take it.”  It made me slightly uneasy since how could we be sure they wouldn't steal it?  But, since I hadn’t put down a deposit, nor did the renter have my credit card #, I decided there would be no risk to handing the cart over to this person.

 

Trams were constantly coming and going, so we hopped on one and were back at the port in no time.  As we arrived to the port, we saw that a hydrofoil shuttle had arrived from Florida, carrying passengers to the resort and a delivery to for the grocery store.  As mentioned earlier, the delivery was literally just one shrink-wrapped pallet, seen in the left side of the photo.

 

 

While on the dock, I had to snap a few more photos, knowing this would be the last time I’d be boarding the ship for this cruise.

 

[CeleBrat]

Once onboard, we headed up to the Lido to enjoy lunch.  Blue Iguana tacos for me.  Another fav!  And another Guy’s Burger for my husband.  And of course cake.  Lots and lots of cake, since it was “Chocolate Buffet” day at lunch.

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around and napping.  

 

 

And of course taking more photos.  EVERY TIME we went up to the Lido, my husband commented on this odd painting of animals going over the rainbow bridge, wondering who would actually bid on it.  It was such a sad painting. So, we had to capture it in perpetuity.

 

 

I also spent time watching the guys at Guy’s as they cooked.  Here are potatoes BEFORE they become the world’s best fries.

 

*I realize how weird that sounds, that despite all of the various activities going on, I took a moment to watch the cooks in action. Sometimes you just have to stop and take in your surroundings….

 

 

The late afternoon light through our portholes…it also made me sad to think that the next time we saw daylight through those portholes it would be Port Canaveral.

 

 

And, a few more pictures of the port, as seen from the Lido deck.

Edited December 11, 2021 by CeleBrat

[CeleBrat]

Eventually it became time to cast off, and set sail for the US.  My Dad and I always have a tradition of standing on deck watching the ropes being loosened and tossed back to the ship by the shoreside crew.  Since my Dad wasn’t traveling with us this time, I had to supervise the rope-throwing task by myself.

 

 

I also love the moment when all of the crew are collected from the dock and they drive away.  Just another “day at work” for them.

 

 

When all the ropes were safely tucked back onto the ship, we slowly began to move.  And I captured the moment when we left port.

 

 

The pilot boat escorted us.

 

 

And eventually it picked up the pilot and sped away.

 

 

We watched the land disappear off into the distance and decided that this cruise was exactly what we needed.  A slow-going, break from the real world.  

[CeleBrat]

We arranged to have one last dinner in the dining room. With this being our first experience at My Time Dining, we agreed that “It’s a KEEPER!”  So easy to use the app to enter the waiting list.  And the notifications via the app when the table was tready, as well as which table was given to you, were done really well.

 

 

Our menu for the night:

 

 

Dinner was good.  I really enjoyed the Chicken Milanese whereas my husband had the ribs.

 

 

But dessert had us laughing hysterically.  What exactly is Key Lime Cheesecake Stuffed Apple?  How is it a “low calorie” dessert?  And why so many ingredients?  It was like the Terducken of desserts!  It sounded gross, quite frankly.  I was tempted to order it just to see what it looked like.  But, I didn’t want to offend the waiter.  So, we opted to skip dessert and instead head down to the Java Bar and split a piece of their decadent 47-layer cake. 
 

*Not actually 47 layers, but it seems like it.  My son LOVES this cake, and always has (1) piece each cruise. But since he wasn’t traveling with us, we did it in his honor.  It was decadently good!

 

 

Coincidentally, the 8:30pm Comedy Show was about to start as we were finishing our cake.  Since we were sitting right next to the lounge where the comedy shows occurred, we ducked in and grabbed a seat.  We should’ve gotten a clue that perhaps the comedy wasn’t really that good, when there were still many seats available at showtime.  And, yeah…it wasn’t good.  I can’t remember who it was, but it was a guy that did comedy magic.  And he really wasn’t funny.  His tricks were good, but hard to see.  And at one point he spent waaaaaaaay too much time on a bit where he had a wheel with a geometric design on it, that he would spin and ask the right half of the audience to look at for one minute.  Then at the end of that minute he would say “Look at my head!”  and it would seem as if his head was inflating.  But, painfully, he did the right side of the audience first, and then the left side.  And then he spun the wheel the other way and repeated everything with each side of the audience, and it looked as if his head was getting smaller.  While I usually love the comedy shows, this one was…just not good. Painfully so.

 

As the show ended, the Comedy Club Manager got on stage to announce that the other 2 (?) shows of the evening would be moved to the theater, since EPIC ROCKS, the mainstage show, had been cancelled for the evening due to technical difficulties.  That was our cue to head back to the cabin and call it a night.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by CeleBrat

[CeleBrat]

DISEMBARKATION, always the saddest day…

 

The last night that you sleep in your cabin is always the worst.  On one had, you’re still on a cruise.  But on the other hand, you’re waiting for the tell-take signs that you’ve entered the port again.  Usually you sense a change in engine speed, or can feel the thrusters turning on.  Or, sometimes you are rudely awoken by the sounds of the chipper Cruise Director starting his disembarkation warnings (please don’t come downstairs yet…OR…the ship is refueling…OR…).  Not this time.  Nope.  Instead, we were literally catapulted out of bed when that LOUD-RATTLING-LEAF-BLOWER noise started in our cabin.  What the heck is that!!!?!?!?!  We loved our cabin, except for that.  It was on the level of a smoke detector going off in the middle of the night in your house.  It totally gives you a heart attack, and there’s no way to relax.  

 

So, I jumped up, opened the curtains, and sat in the “window seat” and watched us slowly sail into port.

 

 

The other TOTAL RUDE AWAKENING moment came from the app, which greeted me with this message:

 

 

With nothing left to do other than get dressed and put our PJs and toiletries in our carry ons, we begrudgingly did so because we wanted to give our Cabin Steward plenty of time to turn the cabin over for the next trip.

 

Breakfast at the Lido was sad.  This sign on the buffet was also sad.

 

 

Everyone was up there at breakfast with their carry-ons.  It’s just not the same casual breakfast vibe of all the other days onboard. Some people also ruined the vibe by having their WINTER COATS with them. Hmph…!  And a suprising amount of people had ALL of the their luggage.  You guys, they will totally take the luggage off the ship for you.  So easy!  

 

Deiemarkation was slightly delayed due to a strange reason:  the escalator in the terminal was broken.  Therefore, they didn’t want to let anyone off the ship.  I mean…we can do the stairs.  And the elevators.  But, OK.  So we sat and played cards, and looked at the nearby ships.  The Ecstasy was parked across the harbor.  Sheesh, she’s looking rough!  Literally, a rust bucket.  I sailed her in 1992 with 3 friends in a quad cabin, when I was young and single and much skinnier!

 

 

Even my husband seemed melancholy.

 

 

Eventually around 9:15, the escalator was repaired, and we were allowed to start disembarkation.  We are Platinum so held a #2 tag, so got to leave in the first group called.  Walking down the Promenade I giggled at this subliminal message the “the casino is off limits!”

 

 

Of course, when we made our way down to the atrium, we found a line that wrapped allllllll the way around the atrium, down through a hallway of cabins, and into/through the art gallery.  I’m thinking that not all of those guests also had a #1-2 tag…The line moved so slowly and kept stopping, so we had time for one last atrium selfie.

 

 

And a few pics on the gangway.  I’m always amazed at the efficiency that occurs at the homeport, where immediately someone is doing something to the hull like painting, or cleaning, or patching.

 

 

If you’ve ever sailed Disney Cruise Line, you know that they don’t use a number system to disembark.  They allow any guest to leave whenever they please.  It works so much better.  I’d suggest that Carnival consider doing this as well, especially with the smaller ships like the ELATION or ECSTASY, whose luggage can easily all be accommodated in the port warehouse.

 

Sure enough, when we came down the (non-broken) escalator, there were very few pieces of luggage on the racks waiting to be picked up.  Even more confusing was the fact that the #1-2 aisle had about 10 pieces of luggage, 2 of which were ours.  Platinum is always first off, and the luggage is always the closest to the port doorway.  Why would you opt to carry off your luggage?

 

Before picking up our luggage, we had to go through Customs, which involved us individually stepping in front of an ipad where they scanned your face and compared it to your passport.  There were no forms, and no questions about prohibited items being smuggled in.  I didn’t even recall seeing those trash bins with the warning signs for passengers to through away their food/produce before getting to customs so they won’t be fined.  Apparently, none of that exists anymore.  Although I like the quickness of it all, it does make me uneasy that someone can now easily smuggle something in.  Thanks Covid?

 

Once outside, our Cruisetime parking shuttle was waiting.  So we jumped in, and were deposited back at our cars within 10 minutes.  Easy peasy.  On the road by 9:45am, and home by 11am.

 

And that’s the end of this cruise tale.  Except, I can share one last photo of something that DOES make me smile on this sad disembarkation day:

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by CeleBrat

[Joe817]

Bravo! what a wonderful review!! I thoroughly  enjoyed what an entertaining and informative review! 👍

 

Thanks so much for putting so much time in an enjoyable ride! 

[brilliantseas]

On 11/19/2021 at 5:59 PM, CeleBrat said:

Once onboard, although we are Platinum, cabins were not available until 130pm. So we headed to the dreaded Muster Station “drill”, which was actually just a quick check-in at the Mikado Theater where they scanned our boarding passes, and hosted a 5 minute talk-through of “how to put on a life jacket”. 
 

 

Once again, although I was not a fan of Covid, I was a fan of the efficiency it created with the muster drill!

 

Following that, what more was there to do than to head to the Lido for the first taste of pure Carnival goodness: a Guy’s hamburger and fries. Is there anything better?

 

I texted my college-aged kids the above photo, and I couldn’t help but grin when my daughter texted back “Those cups are ICONIC Carnival!! That’s how you know you’re on their ship, and in the Lido!”

 

 

 

It almost appears as if you got "real" Guy's Fries rather than the new frozen replacements. I'm currently on Carnival Legend and am still craving the original, fresh-cut Guy's Fries!

[CeleBrat]

6 hours ago, Joe817 said:

Bravo! what a wonderful review!! I thoroughly  enjoyed what an entertaining and informative review! 👍

 

Thanks so much for putting so much time in an enjoyable ride! 

Thanks for reading!  I had fun putting the review together!

[CeleBrat]

4 hours ago, brilliantseas said:

 

It almost appears as if you got "real" Guy's Fries rather than the new frozen replacements. I'm currently on Carnival Legend and am still craving the original, fresh-cut Guy's Fries!

I did not notice any taste different with these fries, so I think you're right!

[RedbirdFLCruiser]

Again, thanks so much for this awesome review!

 

So happy for you that you have another cruise booked! We do too - I found a great deal on a balcony room on the Liberty in late January. Woo hoo!

[SenatorsFan]

How great that you have another cruise booked! Will you be doing another review? 😊 Thanks for this one. 

Edited December 11, 2021 by SenatorsFan