Elation Review LONG 1/20-1/25/07

[Hogladyrider]

FYI – two mid 50’s adults, true Carnival fans, Florida residents, first time sailing in the month of January! Booked an Ocean View – Main Deck cabin 65, right near the elevators.

Arrived at Port Canaveral before the buses hit, just prior to 11 am; we were far from the first cruisers to arrive. When paying for our parking the attendant advised us that we would receive complimentary valet parking as Elation would be returning to port and “docking” in Glory’s spot and our car would be brought to us. The only other choice we had would be to drive to the other terminal and park and get transportation to our docking area – no thanks – we wanted on the ship!

Embarkation was a breeze! Fun Pass was completed as were immigration forms as was sign and sail form – in no time we had our sign and sail cards and were on our way to sit and wait until 11:30 to board the ship.

Embarkation photos, pretty painless, they had two set ups and the line moved right along.

Once on board we were directed up to Lido deck for lunch or whatever you liked as the cabin corridors were closed off until 1:30 pm.

1:30 came and we decided to head to our cabin and get into some shorts as we had jeans on as it was quite cool for us Floridians in the morning when we left home but by now the sun was shining on us and it was warm! Well, our sign and sail card would not open the cabin door so up to the purser’s desk one of us went. Cards were reprinted and we gave it another shot – no luck, light turned red but never green, so back to the pursers desk for the 2nd time; again the cards were reprinted or whatever they do behind the desk; so we figure 2nd time is a charm, NO WAY, still red light no green no cabin admission. So off to the purser’s desk one of us goes for the 3rd time. This time the purser gal says “I will go with you”………we were laughing it off, as we were on vacation and this was a minor distraction. It was amazing how many fellow cruisers walked by and offered assistance and were surprised when the cards did not work. Well even more surprised was the purser gal when she tried the cards and her own “magic card” and it didn’t work. She said it must be the battery and it must need changing, she would go call maintenance and send them to assist us, so we both hung out in the hall and waited and waited and waited and finally one of us went back up to the pursers desk to say “hello, no one has shown up yet” – she was apologetic and said she would call maintenance again. Finally in about 10 minutes the maintenance man came strolling down the hall with his big DeWalt cordless drill in his hand…….well he couldn’t open the door either! He looked perplexed and said he’d be right back and off he went but he left his drill behind and I had some fun with that baby making some noise! Needless to say the maintenance man was half way down the corridor, heard his drill and turned around startled, but we got a laugh out of him. He finally came back got the cabin door to open but advised us that the light would not work we’d just have to “wing it” for the duration of the cruise. We didn’t care; we just chocked it up to a new experience.

Luggage was delivered to our room prior to sail away.

Muster drill – this was by far the easiest muster drill I’ve ever encountered. Our muster station was the lounge so we got balcony seats for the muster drill until we had to march outside to the life boat and we were in the front line. It was all short and sweet and onto bigger and more fun things on the ship.

Ship in general – public areas are in excellent shape; the main pool needs attention, the coating is separating at the water level and there are what look like “rust stains” above the water level; the outside showers near all the pools were often not working; cabins, at least ours was very worn; furniture is chipped, doors don’t close properly; bathroom sink was chipped and “patched” with non matching pink out; sink stopper was black with mold but otherwise the room was top notch clean and the bed was so comfy as usual. None of this affected our cruise, just stating the facts as I saw them. I was well aware that Elation had been utilized as relief for hurricane Katrina.

Debarkation was a breeze as well. We always choose self-assist. We had room service for breakfast at 7 am, by 8 am there was the announcement that the ship had been cleared and those wishing to self assist debark could begin. We made our way up to Empress and we were off the ship and thru customs in no time. Valet delivered our car right to us and we were headed for home before 8:30 am.

Food

Dining room – we didn’t visit it once, it was a conscious decision we made for this cruse and we were just as happy eating our meals in Tiffany’s and thru room service.

Pizza and deli was as usual and definitely did a good business the entire cruise.

Burgers and hot dogs on Lido deck were always busy and didn’t disappoint but hey I was on vacation and didn’t particularly want burgers every day.

Tiffany’s buffet was always very good. Turkey was moist and delicious; roast beef was very tasty and tender; prime rib was served the same night as formal night; pasta was available every night as well; there was always soup, an assortment of veggies and potatoes along with a huge salad bar; endless desserts (which I never had any); a very busy ice cream and frozen yogurt machine, (which I had every day).

Breakfast was room service every day. One morning we had the buffet on Lido deck, there was plenty to choose from and it was good and nice and hot.

Ports: ;)

Nassau – been there before; we only got off the ship for a short time; we walked to the British Colony Hilton Hotel and walked around. After reading about this spot on Cruise Critic message board I wanted to check it out; it is everything people have said and a very lovely spot if you want to stay local and an easy walk from the ship.

We tried to get into Senor Froggs and it was so crowded and loud we said we’d pass and we went back to the ship and considered it our “sea day”. It was great having the ship pretty much to ourselves.

Half Moon Cay (HMC) – what a beautiful place to spend a beach day! 36 full time residents, everyone else comes by boat to work for the day. There is nothing there but beach and a beautiful one at that. We had booked a snorkel excursion but it was cancelled due to high winds and 4’ swell; we received a full refund and we spent the day at the beach snorkeling from the beach and enjoying the crew waiting on us. Here is a “tip” walk down the beach and find a chair around the “I Want To Stay Forever” bar – this is a closer location to the pavilion where the crew prepares your lunch. If you stay up near the kid’s beach area you will have a longer hike to the luncheon. I hope that this stop can remain as undeveloped as it is for years to come it is truly a beauty! This is a tender port so the earlier you depart the ship the more shore time you will have. Our return tender ride was a trip; we floated around Elation for 30 minutes as our tender captain could not “connect” with Elation. A replacement tender captain had to be brought out from shore via a parasailing boat to get us hooked up with the Elation. It was all handled with good humor, by all, some sang Gilligan’s Island song and we made the best of an unfortunate situation.

Grand Turk (GT) – another beautiful stop. We booked the ultimate snorkeling excursion here. It was a full excursion; over 40 people onboard. We had two stops, each with 35 minutes of water time. Water temperatures 78 at both HMC and GT. The reefs we stopped at were beautiful. There were about 3’ swells and a mild current. The boat captain told us how the ocean drops off right were the ship docks to 8000 feet; it’s called the “wall” and where most scuba diving takes place in GT.

After our excursion we went to Margaritaville, which was a lot of fun. The pool is awesome and very refreshing after all the salt water. There is a swim up bar and there is plenty of room for all. We did not eat here, just had a few drinks and relaxed by the pool.

There is plenty of beach area and chairs as well in GT. The shopping is right at the dock as well. There are also numerous other shore excursions available at this port along with scooter rentals on your own. This is a port stop that I wish we had longer at as we would love to explore the island more; which is what we will do next visit to GT.

Last full day was a “sea day” which is our favorite. We played putt putt golf and just relaxed. We watched the belly flop contest, which was won by a female! There was the ice carving demonstration which drew quite a crowd. We took in the Newly Wed Not So Newly Wed game which is always good for some laughs and we saw the show that night SPIN which was entertaining and enjoyable. The other show we saw was The Village Idiots Juggling Show, which was enjoyable as well.

Miscellaneous:

We did not make it to the adult comedians this time nor did we visit the casino or any of the night clubs. It was pretty quiet on deck poolside at 9:30 pm maybe things came to life later but we weren’t around to experience any of it.

The ship was full but did not feel crowded at all. I’d say it was 70% retirees – who sure know how to have fun and enjoy life – most of the men in the hairy chest contest were retirees! 25% were the 20-50 something crowd and 5% kids and babies.

Someone, the first night we sailed thought it was comical to put soap in the hot tubs so they were all closed on Sunday.

Carnival is definitely “photo crazy” – we didn’t purchase any this trip, but it seemed like more photos were taken than ever before when you walk thru the photo gallery!

We did make it into the Fun Ship DVD movie though on HMC, not once but twice!

We enjoyed the free movies shown daily, there are three different movies shown each day; they are shown at several times throughout the day.

Lessons learned:

We were due a $100 onboard credit when I went to the pursers desk to inquire and make sure it was recorded they knew nothing about it they advised that I should have received written confirmation from Carnival to present when boarding. This took place prior to our sailing so I phoned my PVP and left her a detailed message requesting that they take care of this for me. Viola, mission accomplished, sign and sail account was credited but it took until Tuesday for it to show.

Shore excursions – this was the first time I’ve booked thru the ship; check the day before your excursion to make sure its still on – one of ours was canceled and they moved us to a different time and they “forgot” to tell us. No big deal to us but for a family it could be a huge deal.

Make sure if your shore excursion is cancelled and you are advised you will receive a refund that your sign and sail is credited the refund; in other words, follow thru and check with the pursers desk that you get that refund; they are in no rush to credit your account believe me.

In closing it was another great Carnival Cruise. When visiting HMC and Grand Turk we couldn’t help but wonder how many years it will be before these two ports are commercially developed like they have done in St Martin. If you have a chance to visit HMC and GT in the next couple of years I’d say DON’T MISS THESE TWO they are priceless!

If I missed anything you’d like to know ask away. We loved sailing in January looking forward to cruising January 2008. 240 days until we sail Glory September 2008 another new adventure for us, sailing during hurricane season and with our first aft balcony cabin!:D

[gypsyrose]

Great review and pics. Can't wait to see HMC and GT now. You are right, it will be just a matter of time till they will be over commercialized. Anxious to hear about your aft cabin in Sep. After hearing others rave I told Mark we may try one next year. How did your wonderful PVP get you an OBC?

[DelRio]

Enjoyed your trip report, thanks for posting. The Elation is one of our favorites. We have 19 total days on her. One point, you said......... "I was well aware that Elation had been utilized as relief for hurricane Katrina".

The Elation was not used for relief, it was her sister ship the Ecstasy.

Del

[BeachAngel]

Thank you for the review, we will be on her Monday! I can't wait!! I had asked someome early if the ship has a theme night. Both times we was on the Inspiration they had a Pirate night, do you know if Elation has a theme night?

3 days 15 hours I will be on that ship!!! WOOHOO:D :D

[#1parrothead]

Great review and Beautiful pictures!! Thanks for posting them so quickly. Looks like you had a great trip. Helps with my countdown--looking at your pics and reading your review:)

So you would recommend the Ultimate snorkeling in Grand Turk? Did you talk to anyone that did the power snorkeling in Grand Turk? I'm trying to decide which my DH and 14 yo DS would enjoy the most. Any thoughts?

Was formal night on the 2nd night as is usual? I was wondering if it may have been switched to another night since the 2nd night is Nassau which happens to be the latest time leaving port on this itinerary. (7 pm). An early dinner seating would really cut into port time if that is the case.

Well, I'm sure I'll have more questions later, so please bear with me.:D I appreciate any and all info.

Sherri

[luvz2run2000]

Great photos, thanks for posting them.

[NeptunesGoddess]

Loved the review and beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing.

[dreaming]

I so enjoyed seeing your pics. They were beautiful. We leave on Feb. 8th, Can't wait.

 

Thanks for sharing:)

[tessky]

Hi Hogladyrider, didn't get home till 9:30pm last night so just getting around to doing pics & will post my review later but had a great time!

 

The girl who won the bellyflop contest was my boss's girlfriend, (since you saw her my boss is only 26, not any creepy old man thing going on with the 23 yr old) that's what she did to amuse herself while we had meetings! Were you her heckler? lol

 

Parrothead - formal night was on the 3rd night for us. We did the Reefs & Rays excursion in GT, as someone who has snorkelled & dived lots was dissappointed by the snorkelling but loved the sting ray part was amazing, everyone in our group & it seemed on the boat loved it. Most liked the snorkelling part too, others in our group had never done anything like that before so they really enjoyed it.

[#1parrothead]

Thanks, tessky, for the info. I am glad to hear that formal night is on the 3rd night. Would not have wanted to make the decision whether to stay in nassau or go to formal dinner, as I have requested early seating due to having young children.

 

OK. Now another option in Grand Turk--the Reef and Ray excursion. So now I have to decide between power snorkeling, ultimate snorkeling or reef and rays.

 

My 14 yo ds wants to snorkel. Any thoughts on the better excursion for my dh to take him on? Any thoughts would be appreciated:)

[tessky]

Thanks, tessky, for the info. I am glad to hear that formal night is on the 3rd night. Would not have wanted to make the decision whether to stay in nassau or go to formal dinner, as I have requested early seating due to having young children.

 

OK. Now another option in Grand Turk--the Reef and Ray excursion. So now I have to decide between power snorkeling, ultimate snorkeling or reef and rays.

 

My 14 yo ds wants to snorkel. Any thoughts on the better excursion for my dh to take him on? Any thoughts would be appreciated:)

 

 

Can't say what was the better excursion since only did the one but if your DS is a brave one people really liked feeding & holding the sting rays. If seeing the fish and colourful reefs is his interest then what I saw wasn't impressive in my opinion.

[elvo73]

I was wondering if the Elation have refrigerators on the rooms, any info about that?

[Hogladyrider]

Hi Hogladyrider, didn't get home till 9:30pm last night so just getting around to doing pics & will post my review later but had a great time!

 

The girl who won the bellyflop contest was my boss's girlfriend, (since you saw her my boss is only 26, not any creepy old man thing going on with the 23 yr old) that's what she did to amuse herself while we had meetings! Were you her heckler? lol

 

Parrothead - formal night was on the 3rd night for us. We did the Reefs & Rays excursion in GT, as someone who has snorkelled & dived lots was dissappointed by the snorkelling but loved the sting ray part was amazing, everyone in our group & it seemed on the boat loved it. Most liked the snorkelling part too, others in our group had never done anything like that before so they really enjoyed it.

 

Hi tessky - NO NO NO we did not heckle the gal who won the belly flop contest, we thought it was GREAT! I applaude her for stepping up to compete and she WAS THE BEST. Since I am in my mid 50's which is closer to retirement I was thrilled to see all the retirees being so active! It keeps one young in mind and heart.

 

You had a LONG travel day to get home!

 

I too was disappointed in the snorkeling but only because of what I have seen in Cozumel and in the Florida Keys and I would not discourage anyone from going on these excursions as we all have different experiences.

 

Glad you enjoyed the cruise, we sure did, looking to go again next January but not sure on which ship yet.

[Floridaman]

Thank you for your review of the Elation and the beautiful pictures. We leave Febuary 8th on the Elation . This is our first cruise and we are very excited. Thanks Again !!!