Elation 7/18-7/24 review!!!!

[Sandy504]

All in all the Elation met our expectations. Thanks for all of the reviews and posts that helped us as we prepared to sail from Galveston.

 

Saturday

We went to Galveston a day early so we would be well rested and ready to board early Sunday morning. We stayed at the “Harbor House” hotel located at Pier 21. The hotel was located approx. 2-3 blocks from the dock for the Elation, and within walking distance to a lot of very good restaurants. The rooms were nothing special, and the hotel was a little pricey. But considering the location I guess it was worth it. It was nice to get up early in the morning and sit outside on the tables watching the river traffic, sea gulls, and the Elation. I think we paid $175.00 for the room, and $28.00 to park for the week.

We went by car approximately two blocks north of the hotel to a place they called, I believe, The Strand. There they had lots of stores, horse drawn carriage rides, and bars, and a nice place to spend the evening.

Once back at the hotel we walked to a restaurant called “ Fisherman’s Warf”. The seafood was very good.

 

Sunday

We left the hotel around 10:45 to go to the cruise terminal. My husband dropped us and the luggage off, and then went back to the hotel to park. He then just walked back to the terminal. This time seemed to work for us because by the time he made it back we were able to go through the check in and get a seat. Speaking of seats, there were not many left when a very nice lady said we could have the two beside her. As we were talking we learned we had been talking to each other on the Cruise Critic message boards, and had planned on a meeting after the lifeboat drill. (Thanks Sharon)

Our cabins were E-71 and E-73. These were on the Empress deck, three doors from the Atrium, directly behind the pursers desk. I liked the room being close to the Atrium, but did notice a lot of noise around 10:30 at night for about an hour and a half. One night it started around 1:30. We complained for four nights and had security check it out . We never found what was causing the noise because the library was above us, but I believe a part of the dining room was also above. It sounded like chairs being drug across a wood floor. Carnival did offer a 10% discount on a future cruise and apologized for the noise. We had the cabin decorated for a special occasion. The decorations were very nice.

 

Monday

What a wonderful relaxing day at sea. Enjoyed the pool, pizza bar, Tiffany’s Bar & Grill, and found our way around the ship.

 

Tuesday

Progreso/Merida

After getting off the ship in Progreso we boarded the free air-conditioned bus to take us down the 6-mile pier. Once off the bus they had a little shopping area. There we met Carlos in one of the small taxi stands. We negotiated with him for a 3 ½ hr. tour for $90.00 for the four of us. We went to Merida visiting the Cathedrals and shopping areas. Merida is a large town with many of the stores we have in the states including Sams Club, McDonalds, etc. We did not stay long in Merida. I asked Carlos about a place to eat. He recommended a place called Eladio’s. At Eladio’s we paid for our drinks, and our food was free. Yes, I said free. I do not know if Carlos arranged this or not. Carlos stayed with us explaining each dish. We had six cokes, and all the Mexican food you could want. They would bring out one thing, let you try it, and then bring out something else. I believe they brought out eight different dishes. Our total bill was $16.00. It was delicious. This was very authentic Mexican food.

I then told Carlos I wanted to see where the Myan people lived. Once we left Merida heading back toward Progreso Carlos told the driver where to go. We went by a Myan settlement and visited a place where they were making things from wood and stone. I bought my daughter a small cross (approx. 6” tall) for $5.00. We saw a lot of the Myans riding bikes, etc. I know they are very private people and we respected their privacy. Carlos they took us back to the beach close to where the bus dropped us off. There we watched the “Corona Girls” and waded in the water. This was well worth the $90.00.

 

I will try to get to part II tomorrow. Please excuse any spelling/grammar mistakes. These are only my observations and hopefully will help someone planning their trip like CC board helped me.

[txsmiles]

Sandy504 - Thanks for the beginning of your review... I am so excited to hear more things about the Elation, even with months to go until my cruise, can't wait to read the rest when you have time for part II!

 

About the cabins, we are also booked on the Empress deck, on the opposite side of the ship in E 86. Did you find there was a lot of traffic or chaos being so close to the atrium? I've also been a little worried about being under the edge of the dining room... any thoughts? I've wondered whether I should ask to be moved down a deck to avoid the potential noise. I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts about this!

[Grayce]

It's so exciting to read a new review on the Elation as i am getting so excited for my cruise in September. Can't wait to hear more!:D

[ksufan]

Glad to hear some of your review..."i need change for a 50" sorry you had noise..Our cabin was E190 and the only noise we had was neighbors. We were surrounded by that family of 70..Not too bad and certainly not enough to make the cruise bad...Sharon

[Sandy504]

Part II

txsmiles - she’s a beaut! get ready

E-86 - we did not have any trouble being close to the atrium even though they had a grand piano, bar, and a small sitting area a lot of the teenagers seemed to enjoy. Our problem was noise radiating down from somewhere. I know we had tablemates on Riviera deck that called security about teens running down hallway at all hours. They posted security outside hall and running stopped. One thing I will say security is very good about coming when called. When asked, they did excellent job of curtailing noise. Especially with 800+ children onboard.

Grayce - I wanta go back....I wanta go back

Ksufan - glad to see you made it home. We looked for you for a drink toward the end, but didn’t see you.

 

Wednesday

Cozumel for the day. Our ship docked in Cozumel so there was plenty of shopping. We hired a taxi (under $10) to bring us to Diamonds International (DI), a kinda starting place on our map. If you go to the port talk they will give you coupons to be deposited into boxes at a lot of stores for drawings. DI had a coupon for a free charm bracelet. (Small bracelet for a young girl) and for every DI store you go into they will give you a charm to put on it. At the talk they also had a drawing for a free diamond bracelet worth $200.00, and they drew my name. It was beautiful!

After shopping we caught a taxi ($12) and headed for Paradise Beach, a beach we had read about on the MB. I wanted to meet this PB Tom, as he seemed quite a character. The beach was pretty nice, Tom was gone for the day, had nice bathrooms, changing areas, etc. One thing I didn’t like was where we went into the water there were lots of small rocks you kept stepping on. I did learn from another CC member that to the right closer to the iceburg the bottom was clean.

Next, taxi ($10) to Chankanaab State Park. Entrance fee $12pp. We had been before and wanted to do some snorkeling. The park was absolutely beautiful. We rented gear ($6.00 for snorkel & fins). They also had vest if needed. Saw lots of fish. We had brought small swim boards. They also have a beautiful walkway through a tropical setting in which we saw lots of Iguana, birds, lagoons, etc. The Iguana let you walk right up to them posing for you to take a picture. We did not have a problem getting chairs and umbrellas for everyone (free). Well worth the money.

Next a taxi ($10) from park back to pier. Finished shopping and our last stop to the popular “Senior Frogs”. A must see. Shots $3. Really good. Dancing, free popcorn, fun atmosphere!

Pt. III coming up next

[Sandy504]

Thursday

Today we were supposed to tender into Belize. Something was happening with the transportation (taxi’s, water taxi’s, etc.) system. We heard a couple of stories one being Belize transportation system was on strike, the other being Carnival’s transportation was on strike. Didn’t get all the details. The captain said for all involved we were leaving and going to Playa del Carmon, and would anchor there Fri. morning. So today was a fun day at sea lounging by the pool, sipping green drinks, depositing money in the Casino, and just relaxing.

 

Friday

Today was spent in Playa del Carmon. We tendered into, no problem, no wait. Shopping was right when you got off ship. Wonderful beach where you tendered off, free umbrella & chairs, beautiful water. Enjoyed the day! I will not spend much time on Playa as this was not the usual stop.

 

Saturday

Relaxing day at sea, more deposits in casino, Tiffany’s Bar & Grill for lunch, lounging by the pool.

 

Will try to get pictures downloaded soon as possible. Hope this helps with your plans. Some bits of info are:

We brought a small fan with a power card, which we enjoyed. PCard worked great as we could only find one outlet. Sometimes we needed to charge camera battery.

We brought the small swim boards ($1 each from dollar store) for kids to hang on. These fit flat in suitcase.

We brought from Walgreens the collapsible clothes hampers for clothes, which worked out great. These fit flat in suitcase.

We brought the small waterproof containers you hang around your neck to place our S&Sign cards and pocket change in while swimming.

We brought small face towels to dry off on the beach with. Worked great, not as heavy to pack around.

Brought small collapsible cooler w/cokes/bottled water for room which when asked steward iced down for us.

We purchased two sets of drink coupons, one dozen cookies, one cake delivered on Tuesday night, decorated room, and cooler/cap/beer package for men from the Bon Voyage dept. All arrived except the cooler package. Just luckily I kept a copy of my confirmation. It was finally delivered Wed. Cookies were wonderful—very large.

 

The ship was beautiful, waiter was the best we have ever had even remembering everyone’s name, and adding those special touches to each meal. The food was very good. Most breakfast/lunches we ate at Tiffany’s Bar & Grill due to us not wanting to miss one single ray of sunshine. We were usually very tired at night so missed a lot of shows, but did not hear any complaints. The two Los Vegas style shows were very good. I will try to answer any questions. We were on a slightly tight budget with the four of us, and have found you can do a lot of things yourself saving a lot of money.

[tngirl1979]

It's so exciting to read a new review on the Elation as i am getting so excited for my cruise in September. Can't wait to hear more!:D

 

Grayce,

I will be on the Elation on Sept 19th also with my DH and a close family friend. We have booked a Inside guar and an A1 (family friend staying by himself). It is great to finally meet someone.

[Grayce]

Hi tngirl1979,

 

I am traveling with my DH and my sister and brother in law. We have booked oceanview rooms on the main deck (right next to each other). It is very nice to see that we aren't the only ones on the ship. I keep checking on the Carnival website an there are tons of cabins left. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the upgrade fairy pays you a visit!;) Since I have an assigned cabin I am pretty sure I won't be getting an upgrade.:rolleyes:

[Birms38]

Sandy504, thanks for the review! Glad you had such a wonderful time, we will be sailing her on Sept 26th. Our cabin is on the Empress deck E74, oppisite side of the ship from where you were. I hope we don't have the same prob. as you did. Surely they will get the Belize thing worked out by the time we go!:confused:

[tpear3]

Sandy504--thanks for the great review. Reading these makes our time go by a little faster and makes for great planning. I really like the swim board idea. Where did you get your small waterproof carrying case? I used to have one from river running, but not sure what I did with it.

[tngirl1979]

Grayce,

You might get an upgrade? You never know with Carnival. Have you ever sailed on Elation?

[txsmiles]

Brms38 - Can't wait until the end of Sept. to hear about your cruise and your experiences on the port side of the Empress deck... we'll be in E86 this winter and I'm a little worried about noise... please be sure to post your thoughts when you return!

[jubilee]

HI Sandy we where on that cruise on the Elation july 18~25!!It was so much Fun!!..by the way we are watching the travellog right now.lol!!Hey what dining room where yall in??we where in Inspiration dining room and our waiters where Henery and Nichole..Thanks

[Sandy504]

tpear - my husband got them as a safety prize, but I believe the dive shops will have them

jubilee - we looked for you after the lifeboat drill...we were in the imagination dining room

[nurseone]

When they skipped Belize did they offer excursions in Playa? We leave this next Sunday. thanks

[jubilee]

ya!after the life boat drill we got stuck behind a long line of ppl. going to our room!!after we went to the room and put up our life vests we came back down to the bar and nobody was there!!we where soooo disapointed!!:(Well did you injoy the cruise..what activities did you do??

[Sandy504]

nurseone - Yes, they did offer excursions in Playa. We loved it there.I know the water was beautiful. A lot of the people we talked with said they were glad the schedule changed. The excursions for Belize sold out fast, especially the snorkeling ones. We were thinking of taking the water taxi on our own, but was told by Carnival it would be a 45 minute boat ride each way. We were still considering our options when the captain announced we were leaving.

[Grayce]

tngirl1979-I have never been on the Elation before, this is my first cruise. :)

[Longin2cruise]

A friend & I will be on the Sept. 19th cruise too. It's getting close enough I'm really beginning to get excited. We have a TBA cabin. I've always had pretty good luck with upgrades & hope my luck will hold.

[tngirl1979]

Grayce, Congradulations on your first cruise. You will be hooked. I can promise that one. Myself and my DH are hooked. We are trying to get our friend hooked also.

 

Longin2cruise, how exciting. 2 people that are going to be on the boat. I was wondering if we were the only CCers that would be there. Have you ever been on the Elation? I have cruised with RCCL and wanted to give Carnival a shot. I hope they don't disappoint me.

[Longin2cruise]

tngirl, no I've never been on Elation before. My last couple of cruises have been on Conquest & Spirit, so I'm wondering how I'll feel about crusing on a smaller ship after that. My first cruises were on Celebration which is really small, but I loved it too. I do hope your first Carnival cruise is a great experience for you.

[Joe1014]

We were on the 7/18-7/25 Elation with about 22 friends and family. Had a great time! The only disappointment to some was missing Belize, but Playa Del Carmen was still a lot of fun. Crew was great and the food was 4.5 stars out of 5. Looking forward to our next cruise. :D

[jubilee]

Hey everyone...hey so we are so disappointed that we did not get to make the meet and great!!anyway what activites did yall do..where any of yall in the guest talent show?Or interviewed??(on the travellog?) Thanks

[slabeaume]

We were on the 7/4-11 cruise. It did have the scheduled stop in Belize. The snorkeling there is great.

 

As far as rooms----we had a rather unique one. It was the inside room on the Riviera Deck all the way to the front---where the point of the ship is. I was a little concerned about that, but it turned out to be rather nice. There was NO traffic through that area and was very quiet! I thought there might be rocking, too, but hardly felt any.

[cruisekimmy]

So tell me who was all your waiters on the crusie??