My LONG Elation Story with pictures and Funtimes - 04/29 to 05/04

[mitsugirly]

On 5/11/2024 at 10:45 AM, mlshum said:

If you have a big shelf in your room, you have to try it out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are those lights on the top of the porthole? I've never seen anything like it before. Love the shelf!

 

 

On 5/14/2024 at 10:01 AM, mlshum said:

 

 

 

 

This was one of the biggest of this variety I had ever seen.  I tried looking it up online.  It looks like a picture of a Bermuda Chub.  Is that right?  Does anyone know?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, this is a Bermuda Chub. 🙂 

Wow it's really beautiful there! I hope to make it there some day.

 

 

On another note, I loved your review. Nassau looks like it has really changed a lot. I'm having a hard time picturing this area. I just remember getting off the ship and walking down the long pier and then you go out onto the road area. Where are all these vendor shops located? I just can't picture this area now. (We've been here multiple times and I try to book a cruise to avoid this stop so haven't been in awhile). 

 

 

[mlshum]

1 hour ago, Frank12 said:

Totally agree with you about the straw market.  That place stresses me out. 

Yes!  I’m glad I’m not the only one!

[mlshum]

36 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

Are those lights on the top of the porthole? I've never seen anything like it before. Love the shelf!

 

 

 

Yes, this is a Bermuda Chub. 🙂 

Wow it's really beautiful there! I hope to make it there some day.

 

 

On another note, I loved your review. Nassau looks like it has really changed a lot. I'm having a hard time picturing this area. I just remember getting off the ship and walking down the long pier and then you go out onto the road area. Where are all these vendor shops located? I just can't picture this area now. (We've been here multiple times and I try to book a cruise to avoid this stop so haven't been in awhile). 

 

 

Thanks so much for reading!  Your reviews are what caused me to start writing and I have enjoyed it so much, so I owe you a debt of gratitude.

 

In the porthole picture, those are window covers to seal the window , if necessary.  I can’t imagine a scenario where you’d need to seal those windows.  I don’t WANT to imagine a scenario where you’d need to seal those windows!  We just left them open the whole time.

 

If you haven’t been to Nassau in a while you should definitely check it out.  When you disembark and walk down the pier you walk into this new port area before you get into the town proper.  All of those vendor stalls are in this new area arranged into little “streets”.    There’s a fence separating the port area from that Main Street where you’d normally turn.  The first thing you will see upon entering the port area is that screen with the shark.  It has other pictures, too, I just liked the shark.  Pictures absolutely don’t do it justice.  There are videos of that screen online.  It’s phenomenal!

 

I don’t mind Nassau since I always find something to do there but I do think this new area is a huge improvement.

 

Thanks for the ID on the chub!  I’m learning!  lol

[mitsugirly]

33 minutes ago, mlshum said:

Thanks so much for reading!  Your reviews are what caused me to start writing and I have enjoyed it so much, so I owe you a debt of gratitude.

 

 

 

Well you did a great job and I really enjoyed it!

 

Thanks for the visual of the port. We always find something different to do there as well...just not one of my favorite ports. 

[nc762shooter]

1 hour ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

Are those lights on the top of the porthole? I've never seen anything like it before. Love the shelf!

 

 

 

Yes, this is a Bermuda Chub. 🙂 

Wow it's really beautiful there! I hope to make it there some day.

 

 

On another note, I loved your review. Nassau looks like it has really changed a lot. I'm having a hard time picturing this area. I just remember getting off the ship and walking down the long pier and then you go out onto the road area. Where are all these vendor shops located? I just can't picture this area now. (We've been here multiple times and I try to book a cruise to avoid this stop so haven't been in awhile). 

 

 

Those covers would be great if you decided you want interior levels of darkness😂. The shelf is neat, all the aft facing cabins on Fantasy class used to have really big ones before they added the balconies. Big enough that I (6'3" 230 lbs) could tuck sideways and recline fairly comfortably and watch the wake for a bit. My wife being a foot shorter could almost use it like a chaise lounge😆. Also makes a great place to keep your towel animals!

[mlshum]

8 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

Well you did a great job and I really enjoyed it!

 

Thanks for the visual of the port. We always find something different to do there as well...just not one of my favorite ports. 

I agree!  Not my favorite either BUT it's almost a necessary evil I guess.  LOL  A couple of years ago we had a stop in San Juan changed out for a stop in Nassau.  Not cool at all!

3 minutes ago, nc762shooter said:

Those covers would be great if you decided you want interior levels of darkness😂. The shelf is neat, all the aft facing cabins on Fantasy class used to have really big ones before they added the balconies. Big enough that I (6'3" 230 lbs) could tuck sideways and recline fairly comfortably and watch the wake for a bit. My wife being a foot shorter could almost use it like a chaise lounge😆. Also makes a great place to keep your towel animals!

Yes, yes and yes!  LOL  I'm sure if you wanted a total darkness in the room those would do the job!

 

That's interesting!  I've only been in the side balconies or interiors on Fantasy class.  That sounds massive!  We also kept our towel animals there!  It's actually a convenient storage space.  I kind of liked the porthole in spite of the noise.  I may do it again at some point.

 

The only time I ever had an aft balcony was on Sunrise, I think.  To be honest, I wasn't a fan.  Every morning there were be soot all over everything and in the afternoon the sun beat down on the space and made it uncomfortable.  That, coupled with the fact that people above you could look down onto your balcony made it a "no thanks" for me going forward.

[nc762shooter]

6 minutes ago, mlshum said:

I agree!  Not my favorite either BUT it's almost a necessary evil I guess.  LOL  A couple of years ago we had a stop in San Juan changed out for a stop in Nassau.  Not cool at all!

Yes, yes and yes!  LOL  I'm sure if you wanted a total darkness in the room those would do the job!

 

That's interesting!  I've only been in the side balconies or interiors on Fantasy class.  That sounds massive!  We also kept our towel animals there!  It's actually a convenient storage space.  I kind of liked the porthole in spite of the noise.  I may do it again at some point.

 

The only time I ever had an aft balcony was on Sunrise, I think.  To be honest, I wasn't a fan.  Every morning there were be soot all over everything and in the afternoon the sun beat down on the space and made it uncomfortable.  That, coupled with the fact that people above you could look down onto your balcony made it a "no thanks" for me going forward.

We loved the oceanview aft cabins on the Fantasy class, the way the hull is sloped made that shelf probably be about 2 ft deep. Nowadays our daughter would love playing in there, especially since the curtains make it like a little stage. Honestly it would probably be a struggle to keep her from using blankets and pillows to make a nest and SLEEP in there🤣! You also get some noise during docking from the thrusters and vibration at times but not enough to be a problem in my opinion. You will feel movement being at the extreme end of the ship but to us it's much more like a slow, gentle rocking motion that is predictable, similar to a rocking chair or seesaw and is quite soothing. Midship the movements always felt choppier and less predictable to us. 

 

The best part on Fantasy (RIP) if you stayed on deck 7 was a "secret" staircase right across from the aft cabins that you could use to go up past the crew only deck area on 8 to another staircase and quickly get to Serenity and the Lido bar without having to go forward at all!

 

We've never done an aft-facing balcony, only a regular side balcony very far aft, but from the sound of things is the soot level does seem to vary between ship classes with some being much worse than others. Not much way around the privacy thing though! 

[mlshum]

2 hours ago, nc762shooter said:

We loved the oceanview aft cabins on the Fantasy class, the way the hull is sloped made that shelf probably be about 2 ft deep. Nowadays our daughter would love playing in there, especially since the curtains make it like a little stage. Honestly it would probably be a struggle to keep her from using blankets and pillows to make a nest and SLEEP in there🤣! You also get some noise during docking from the thrusters and vibration at times but not enough to be a problem in my opinion. You will feel movement being at the extreme end of the ship but to us it's much more like a slow, gentle rocking motion that is predictable, similar to a rocking chair or seesaw and is quite soothing. Midship the movements always felt choppier and less predictable to us. 

 

The best part on Fantasy (RIP) if you stayed on deck 7 was a "secret" staircase right across from the aft cabins that you could use to go up past the crew only deck area on 8 to another staircase and quickly get to Serenity and the Lido bar without having to go forward at all!

 

We've never done an aft-facing balcony, only a regular side balcony very far aft, but from the sound of things is the soot level does seem to vary between ship classes with some being much worse than others. Not much way around the privacy thing though! 

You definitely know your Fantasy class ships!  I have to say, I'd be right there with your daughter.  LOL

 

I've only had the one aft balcony on Sunrise.  We usually don't get a balcony because we're never in the room and just don't use it much.  We DID book a balcony cabin for our trip to Alaska next year.  It's just a side balcony, mainly because of the soot and privacy issue.  

 

 

[mikayla73]

On 5/13/2024 at 6:38 PM, mlshum said:

We went straight to the theatre after dinner because it was time for Deal or No Deal.  I picked up two cards and we settled in for a fun game.  I made precisely one match on each of the two games.  Ron won a Bingo package.  Both of the contestants walked away with around $120 dollars.  The big winner was a lady in the audience named Carmen.  She won a 5-day cruise!  I’ve never seen that happen before!

How does the audience participate in the game? I know you have to buy the tickets, but how does it work for the audience. We've never went to check it out and I was curious. 

[mikayla73]

Never mind I found my answer ... your trying to match the case on the card you get to what's in the case on the stage board. Thank you though!

[mlshum]

3 minutes ago, mikayla73 said:

Never mind I found my answer ... you’re trying to match the case on the card you get to what's in the case on the stage board. Thank you though!

Yes!  If you match one, you get nothing.  Two gets you a free Bingo game.  Three is $30 in the casino and on up.  Seven is a free cruise and I’ve never seen that happen except on this cruise.  The most I’ve ever won is the $30 in the casino.  The prizes are redeemable on the last sea day.

 

The contestants are randomly selected from the card sales.  All cards have a number on the bottom.  They will play two games and your card is good for both of them.

 

I don’t know what I would ever so if I were selected to go up on stage!  I’m not much of a gambler and I doubt I’d have the grit to see it through to the end.  lol. It’s unlikely I’ll ever have to find out.  😜

[mikayla73]

That makes sense. I'm the same. My gambling consists of "Hey lets go play this $25 and see if we can last more than 5 min." Then I'm done.

 

So if I played this, I'd probably never be picked to be on stage. And if I was, the next place I'd go would be the casino cause maybe it's my lucky day. 

[mlshum]

43 minutes ago, mikayla73 said:

That makes sense. I'm the same. My gambling consists of "Hey lets go play this $25 and see if we can last more than 5 min." Then I'm done.

 

So if I played this, I'd probably never be picked to be on stage. And if I was, the next place I'd go would be the casino cause maybe it's my lucky day. 

 

LOL  You are my people!  I'm exactly the same!

 

Honestly, I have to confess...the one time I won the $30 casino credit I went to the casino and played a slot machine.  I lost the first $10 trying to figure out how to work the slot machine.  I quickly lost the second $10.  On the third $10 I was getting tired of the process and was about ready to quit when bells, whistles and lights started going off and the numbers started climbing.  I told Ron, if it reaches $20 I'm cashing out.  The numbers just kept climbing and finally landed at $302.  I was astounded and not sure I was even reading that right.  I went to the cashier and told her I thought I had accidentally won $300.  She chuckled at first but then said that I had, indeed, won $300.  She gave me the cash.  I left as fast as I could before they changed their minds!  That was on Magic a couple of years ago.  It's never happened again....probably never will.  😁

[mikayla73]

2 minutes ago, mlshum said:

 

LOL  You are my people!  I'm exactly the same!

 

Honestly, I have to confess...the one time I won the $30 casino credit I went to the casino and played a slot machine.  I lost the first $10 trying to figure out how to work the slot machine.  I quickly lost the second $10.  On the third $10 I was getting tired of the process and was about ready to quit when bells, whistles and lights started going off and the numbers started climbing.  I told Ron, if it reaches $20 I'm cashing out.  The numbers just kept climbing and finally landed at $302.  I was astounded and not sure I was even reading that right.  I went to the cashier and told her I thought I had accidentally won $300.  She chuckled at first but then said that I had, indeed, won $300.  She gave me the cash.  I left as fast as I could before they changed their minds!  That was on Magic a couple of years ago.  It's never happened again....probably never will.  😁

We have a similar story. Hubby was playing a slot machine that he put $10 in. It was a dime machine and he thought he was betting .10 with each spin. He was doing max bet and ended up winning $210. We cashed out and never looked back. lol

[mlshum]

17 minutes ago, mikayla73 said:

We have a similar story. Hubby was playing a slot machine that he put $10 in. It was a dime machine and he thought he was betting .10 with each spin. He was doing max bet and ended up winning $210. We cashed out and never looked back. lol

 

Yes!  Like I said, you are definitely my people!!!  LOL

[Oakman58]

The odds of anyone winning more than $50 in Deal or no Deal are very high so winning a cruise the odds must be ridiculously high.  I'm glad to hear it's actually possible to win a cruise.

[mlshum]

51 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

The odds of anyone winning more than $50 in Deal or no Deal are very high so winning a cruise the odds must be ridiculously high.  I'm glad to hear it's actually possible to win a cruise.

I thought the same!  I’ve seen a few people win $100 or $200 but never anything like that! I hope Carmen took her good luck to the casino and made out like a bandit!

[Essiesmom]

But, it’s an experience that must be…’experienced’.  Like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, the souk in Marrakech…but on a smaller scale.  I wonder if the shopping area in the new dock area has cut down on the crowds in the Straw Market…?

[mlshum]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

But, it’s an experience that must be…’experienced’.  Like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, the souk in Marrakech…but on a smaller scale.  I wonder if the shopping area in the new dock area has cut down on the crowds in the Straw Market…?

You may be right.  My three or four experiences with it have convinced me I don’t want to do it again!  LO,

 

I hadn’t thought of that.  I guess it’s possible?  That’s a great question, though!

[PartyLikeIts1990]

does the elation have usb ports by the bed?

[mlshum]

9 hours ago, PartyLikeIts1990 said:

does the elation have usb ports by the bed?

Yes, but only one side.  There were two stacked together.