Elation April 30th - Hints & Tips

[Debs224]

Just getting back to reality after our cruise on the Elation last week. We had a great time, and the itinerary was wonderful. There have been a few posts about the ship itself so I won't do a full review (don't want to bore anyone) but I'd be happy to answer any questions about the ship or the ports of call.

 

Just a few observations and hints.

 

If you are flying into FLL instead of Miami, I would highly recommend renting a car instead of hiring a cab or limo. We did both so we could compare. We flew in on Saturday and had prebooked a limo to pick us up in FLL and drop us off at our hotel in South Beach. This worked really well, but the cost was $64. When we arrived back in Miami we were wondering what to do with ourselves since our flight didn't leave until 5:45 and we were off the ship by 11am. We noticed the Alamo shuttle picking people up while we were having our last coffee on the lido deck :( so DH called Alamo. An hour later we had taken the shuttle to the Alamo depot by Miami airport, paid $28 for a sub compact car, and drove away in a new Chevy HHR. We were able to drop it off at the FLL airport for no extra charge. It gave us somewhere to leave our luggage while we had a nice lunch and did some touring before going to the airport. Definitely the way to go.

 

Lunch in San Juan - For all you Beer Lovers

 

While most of the people we talked to had a marginal lunch at Senor Frog's in SJU we stumbled acrossed the Old Harbour Brewery. The food was delicious, if a bit on the pricey side, but my DH loves to try new beers. Old Harbour actually brews 5 different beers, including a Pilsner, a Lager, a Wheat Beer and a Dark Ale. They offer a sampler, which is a mini stien of each of the 5 beers. DH was in his glory, and it took hours to wipe the smile off his face!

 

Dukes Piano Lounge

 

I had suggested that we go to Dukes but DH talked me out of it for most of the cruise because it is one of the smoking bars and I am allergic. On the last night we decided we would pop in for a drink since we didn't want the cruise to end. It was the most fun we had on the ship. Greg, the pianist, has a huge repertoire of music from the 60's to present day. There was a small crowd, very cozy, and we all sang along as Greg played one request after another. It was cool to see how he could go from the Beatles to Billy Joel, to Neil Diamond and Jimmy Buffet. I would have been there every night if only I'd found it before the last night :p

 

:eek: Warning - Ladies Night at the Spa - Don't do it!!!

 

When we first boarded the ship we went to check out the spa. Most of the prices were pretty expensive, but they had a Ladies Night special for $60. The package said a "mini facial, massage, and hair treatment". This was definitely a "too good to be true" deal. When we arrived for our ladies night (there were 4 people booked) we were taken to the aerobics studio and sat on the floor. The hostess proceeded to provide us with products and a lesson on how to take care of our skin. We gave ourselves a mini facial, and each other a massage. The only thing that stopped us from revolting was that she offered us each a $60 credit towards any of the products used in the demonstration. I really do wish that they would have advertised it as a product demo, and not as a spa treatment. The products were good, and the lesson was informative, but it was not what any of us were expecting.

 

Shore Excursions

 

If there is something you really want to do I would recommend booking it in advance and preferably through the ship so that you will be covered for any itinerary changes or other problems that may pop up. However, if you just want to take a tour of the port and explore there is no shortage of local cabs and tours that are all waiting for you at the end of the pier for a good deal less than you what you would pay on board. In St. Thomas we were going to do the aerial car, which was $18. We decided to just walk over instead of doing through the ship, which cost more. On or way there we were stopped by a nice cab driver who explained what we would get for our $18 was a 5 minute ride to the top of the hill, a nice view and a couple over priced gift shops. He offered to take us on a tour of the island, including stops at 2 scenic lookout points that were both higher than the aerial car, and then drop us downtown in the shopping district when we were done. This cost us $25, and we got exactly what was promised. :o

[pacerzfan]

Thanks for the Hints & Tips on Elation any more ............... Always looking for Elation info...LOL

[mkshea]

Thanks for the info on the Piano Bar. I haven't heard much about it and was wondering. Now I'm even more excited!

[Debs224]

The other thing that we found really helpful, with keeping our sail & sign account under control, was to order a bottle of wine at dinner. I know that ordering a bottle is cheaper than ordering by the glass, but we wouldn't drink a whole bottle at a single dinner. When I ordered a glass of wine the first night our waitress explained that we could order a bottle, and if we didn't finish it she would keep it for the next night. That worked out really well.

[seashell36]

Thanks for the tips! I can't wait for our trip, although I do have a looong wait:( . Oh well, that just gives me more time to plan, and dream:), and maybe plan another one:D .

[Caine]

I really appreciate the heads-up on the spa treatment bait-and-switch. I would have been really angry if I'd paid that much money to give myself a facial and get a massage from an untrained stranger!

[kayeo]

What did you do in the other ports? (Grand Turk) And how was the food?

[Debs224]

Food on the ship was great. We ate all dinners in the main dining room (definitely recommend the late sitting), and had breakfast at Tiffany's on the Lido deck. We had lunch at Tiffany's a couple times, once in the dining room, and at San Juan, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay we ate lunch on shore.

 

San Juan we just walked all over Old San Juan. Everything is within a 15-20 minute walk of the pier, so no worries there. Next trip we will venture out and do the rainforest, but this was our first visit. The 2 forts are really neat - if you only have time for 1 go to El Morro. It's further away but more impressive. We had lunch at Old Harbour Brewery, which is a must if you are any kind of beer fanatic like my DH. We stopped in at the Sheraton Hotel which is right across the street from the ship, and got a map of the area from the front desk.

 

In St Thomas we did a tour in a cab ($25pp) that took in a good part of the island, with a couple of nice scenic lookouts. The tour takes about 1.5 hours and then dropped us off in the shopping district downtown. Lots of jewellery stores and liquor stores, but we found the liquor prices on the ship better.

 

In Grand Turk we did the Dune Buggy tour ($99pp) which was fun and lasted about 2 hours. We were back at the cruise terminal by 11:30, and had lunch at Margaritaville. The food was good but a little over priced. Alot of people just went back to the ship since it is not a tendered port. The pool and beach at the cruise terminal are beautiful and a great place to hang out. They have a DJ and contests/activities pretty much all day, and lots of chairs.

 

Half Moon Cay is paradise. I rented a water float/air mattress for $6 for the day and just baked in the water. If you want shade you can rent a clam shell that covers 2 beach chairs for $15 for the day. There were still clam shells left when I checked at 12:30. The ship does a BBQ for lunch and there is free juice. There are a couple bars (one named "I Want to Stay Here Forever" very appropriate.

[pinklady982]

Where is there a Margaritivlle in Grand Turk....? I never knew there was one there.

It is Jimmy Buffet's Margaritiville right ??? I am excited now.

[karengh]

Can someone tell me if Elation still has room key cards and sail and sign cards or are they the same card now?

[senorita frog]

Not only is there a Margaritaville in GT, they have it billed as the biggest one anywhere. We stopped there on our way back to the boat and wished we had spent more time there. Very fun, but a little expensive...

[Debs224]

The Margaritaville is right at the end of the pier, and it is HUGE! Like Senorita Frog says, it's a little pricy, and the service was a little slow, but the food was good, and the DJ was awesome. You can grab a table right by the pool overlooking the beach.

 

The sign & sail card now doubles as your stateroom key.