Carnival Elation July 1-6th, 2023 - Trip Report

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

Good Morning to All,

 

We returned from the Carnival Elation this past Thursday. I wanted to leave a brief trip report if anyone cares to read it or if anyone has any questions.

 

We arrived at Jacksonville about 10am for our 10am check in. We pulled to the terminal and dropped the luggage off, went to the other side to park the car, and headed to the terminal. There was a HUGE line next to the terminal, so I decided to keep walking past them as I didn't think they all were there for 10am check in. They were not. They were the early arrivals that had a separate line. If you arrive at your check in time, skip the line and walk around to the front. Check in and security was a breeze, and we were on the boat about 11am.

 

Our stops were Nassau and Princess Cays. Nassau's new terminal area is now open. it is very nice. It has given the port a total 180 look! We just walked around the shops around downtown and in the terminal are for a few hours and headed back to the ship. This was my first visit to Princess Cays. I have been to Half Moon Cay several times before. After visiting Half Moon Cay, Princess Cay was a big let down. The beach was rocky and not as appealing to the eye as Half Moon. It was a okay beach get away, but I wasn't jumping for joy when we arrived there.

 

We didn't do any excursions, but we finally got around to doing the Behind the Fun Tour. Our entire group really enjoyed this. We had a great time visiting many of the things that we often wondered about. We had a good tour guide and most of the people at each stop were great at answering our questions.

 

We had 14 of us at early dining. I have been reading posts and reviews about the food quality decreasing. We were served the same decent food that Carnival has been serving since we started cruising. We may not have cared about some foods as much as others, but over all it was good. We had the Inspiration ding room for early seating. Shania, Seon, and Reuben were amazing! We were sad when we had to leave them.

 

The entertainment stuff was pretty much the same as the past. I don't 100% like the playlist production shows as compared to the old type shows, but Epic Rock was good. We really enjoyed it. I visited the piano bar for the first time ever. I don't know what I have been missing out on this. Roger was great and kept us well entertained while we were there. We are certainly looking forward to visiting this again.

 

We had an ocean view room on the main deck. Our room steward was a let down compared to past room stewards. But others in our party just below us had a great steward that knew our names, but our own steward didn't know our names. Our room stayed rather warm. We reported it, but it seemed to be within Carnival standards. I always pack and fan and I am glad that I had it. Our fridge/cooler thing did work at all, so our steward kept us stock with ice.

 

We spent a good bit of time in the casino, which was really good to us this trip. For those wondering, the blackjack minimum is now $10 and the side bet is now $5 and $10. Bar service in the casino was good. We also visited Franklin at the casino bar from day 1, and he kept us hooked up with great drinks.

 

If anyone has any questions, let me know. I tried to cover much of what I keep seeing people as about above to hopefully help.

 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Gamecock_Cruiser

[bafinegan]

We LOVE the Elation.  Booked to go on our 5th cruise on her this Feb.  And I agree with you about the food in the MDR ( never had a problem, some things I like better than others).  Same with the piano bar and getting drinks in the casino.  

 

DId you get a chance to visit the Alchemy bar?  We snagged a balcony on the Panorama deck and the ALchemy bar is literally around the corner from our cabin😁.  Also did you hapen to notice when the coffee shop opens?  That too is also very close.

 

Glad you had fun and thanks in advance!

 

baf

Edited July 10, 2023 by bafinegan

[notscb]

Thank you for sharing with us!

 

I've been wanting to take a Cruise on the Elation or Paradise before they are sold for scrap. These older ships just have a charming look to them, IMO.

 

How did they do serving 14 of you at dinner? Were you all at the same table?

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, bafinegan said:

We LOVE the Elation.  Booked to go on our 5th cruise on her this Feb.  And I agree with you about the food in the MDR ( never had a problem, some things I like better than others).  Same with the piano bar and getting drinks in the casino.  

 

DId you get a chance to visit the Alchemy bar?  We snagged a balcony on the Panorama deck and the ALchemy bar is literally around the corner from our cabin😁.  Also did ou hapeen to notice when the coffee shop opens?  That too is also very close.

 

Glad you had fun and thanks in advance!

 

baf

We loved it too. I personally love the Fantasy class ships. They did a great job on the last dry dock for sure on her!

 

We visited once. I really forgot about it until the last day. I am not sure what time they opened. The first sea day, I am pretty sure it was shortly after 7am when I went by and it was opened.

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, notscb said:

Thank you for sharing with us!

 

I've been wanting to take a Cruise on the Elation or Paradise before they are sold for scrap. These older ships just have a charming look to them, IMO.

 

How did they do serving 14 of you at dinner? Were you all at the same table?

We linked all of our bookings together and all sat together at a big round table. Service and serving us was great. We had early dining, and were done every night by 7pm. We sat around to wait for "show time" after the first two nights since we were finished so early. 

[Sickballer34]

My wife and I are doing this same cruise and itinerary in a couple weeks and had a question.  This will be our first cruise so wasn't sure if there will be beach towels available at the beach on port days or do we need to bring our own? Looked around on the forum but didn't see any info on that. Thanks 

[bafinegan]

1 hour ago, Sickballer34 said:

My wife and I are doing this same cruise and itinerary in a couple weeks and had a question.  This will be our first cruise so wasn't sure if there will be beach towels available at the beach on port days or do we need to bring our own? Looked around on the forum but didn't see any info on that. Thanks 

Each cabin will have Carnival beach towels that you can bring with you.  BUT, if you don't bring them back, you onboard account will be charged at the end of the cruise

[tonit964]

Thanks for the trip report.

The Elation was my very first cruise back in 1999, she holds a very special place for me.

Edited July 14, 2023 by tonit964

[quattrohead]

On 7/10/2023 at 10:41 AM, notscb said:

 

I've been wanting to take a Cruise on the Elation or Paradise before they are sold for scrap. These older ships just have a charming look to them, IMO.

 

Does anyone know when the last sailing will be for either of these ships ?

I thought I saw this info once but I cannot find it again.

[Jamman54]

5 hours ago, quattrohead said:

Does anyone know when the last sailing will be for either of these ships ?

I thought I saw this info once but I cannot find it again.

As of now there are no plans to scrap these ships. 😎

[Frank12]

We love the Elation.  Have not sailed her for a few years but that's all about to change in 2024!

[Frank12]

On 7/10/2023 at 10:36 AM, bafinegan said:

 

 

DId you get a chance to visit the Alchemy bar?  We snagged a balcony on the Panorama deck and the ALchemy bar is literally around the corner from our cabin😁. 

 

 

It's actually on the Promenade deck.  We have stayed here twice.  BEST cabin location ever if you like the Alchemy Bar! 😜

[simplelife]

On 7/10/2023 at 10:36 AM, bafinegan said:

We LOVE the Elation.  Booked to go on our 5th cruise on her this Feb.  And I agree with you about the food in the MDR ( never had a problem, some things I like better than others).  Same with the piano bar and getting drinks in the casino.  

 

DId you get a chance to visit the Alchemy bar?  We snagged a balcony on the Panorama deck and the ALchemy bar is literally around the corner from our cabin😁.  Also did you hapen to notice when the coffee shop opens?  That too is also very close.

 

Glad you had fun and thanks in advance!

 

baf

We are doing the Elation one more time in March

[simplelife]

On 7/13/2023 at 5:23 PM, Sickballer34 said:

My wife and I are doing this same cruise and itinerary in a couple weeks and had a question.  This will be our first cruise so wasn't sure if there will be beach towels available at the beach on port days or do we need to bring our own? Looked around on the forum but didn't see any info on that. Thanks 

Your steward will put 2 beach towels in your cabin the evening before beach days, Just bring them back to your cabin after use and you steward will pick them up.