May 6th through the 11th 2017 Carnival Elation Review

May 5th through the 11th 2017Carnival Elation Review

Gettingthere-On Thursday morning May 5th , my25-year-old daughter and I took off from Chattanooga to head to Fort Stewart,GA(Savanah area). We had scatteredshowers the whole day. Not much of a scenicdrive but at least it was not storming. We arrived at my old duty station and checked into a hotel. We roamed around looking at the base and thenheaded to dinner at Applebee’s. Next, wedecided to grab some tea from the front desk and head to bed.

The next Morning (May 6th) was the bigday! We originally planned to show up atport at 1030, but because of an email stating boarding would not begin until1230 pm, we decided to shoot for 1130. We got up had breakfast and headed to Florida.

We arrived at Jax Port around 1115 and the parking lotalready had at least 100 cars. I guess afew people paid no attention to the email.

Embarkation- Was a breeze. We were suite guest and FTTF. We showed boarding passes at the gate anddropped off our bags with the porter at 1115 and parked. Then we walked a short distance (I haveambulatory issues and use a can and could still walk from the car toport). We immediately showed all ourcruise documents and proceeded inside to check in the captain’s lounge. There were two executive style desk withcomfy chairs (2 per desk) sitting opposite of the staff checking in theguest. A couple leather sofas andlemonade and cookies. No cameras where allowed so I am trying to be descriptiveas I can. We had no time forrefreshments as we checked right in and got our sail and sign cards. They already had a hole punched in them so wegot out our lanyards and on we went to go through the baggage check (a lot likean airport) we placed our carry one in the scanner and walked through a metaldetector. Next, we stopped for a quickpicture and on the boat we went by 1140. (FTTF lines where so fast and as I looked over at the other lines they lookedpretty long, but where moving along pretty fast. I am glad we paid the extra, but would havegotten on just as fast with the suite too. The only time FTTF paid off was the lines at the customer desk on theboat. It was worth the extra money ifyou have it to spare).

Boarding-We boarded on deck 1 and this is also where we got on and off ports. We waited a short time and decided to just goup the stairs to the Empress deck and get to the service desk and take care ofall the loose ends for our trip. Thechefs table, the private oasis, horses at HMC and blue lagoon excursion inNassau where all waiting for me. Ontothe room, we booked a Grande suite room U89. We got miss directed and walked through the renovation. Wow a lot of renovating, but we finally foundour way. Sadly, our room was right nextto the renovation. The Rivera and Maindecks where already completely renovated and looked amazing. We only had two issues with this cruise. 1.Could not nap because or renovations during the day and 2. Kept getting 3o’clock wakeup calls even after complaining 3 times. I hope they got that fixed before the nextcruiser took our room. These did notruin our vacation. We still had anamazing time. The room was nice and theroom stewards where amazing. We opted tobe service twice a day and they did not miss a beat. Our bags where not to our room, but we sawthem at the end of the hall underneath other people’s baggage. We then went up to the lido for a bite at thesandwich bar. They were delicious. We then went back to the room and put ourbags into our room and headed to the muster drill. We were muster drill B, it was set up infront of the Casino and Drama bar on the Prominade. The drill lasted about 15 minutes and we werethe last to get up and head to the life boats. They line you up like a can of sardines and I got to stand in front of abench so I sat down. The whole processlasted about 30 minutes. My daughter hada hair appointment and I headed up to meet the Cruise Critic roll call (at theGatsby Bar). Everyone was so great! I invited them to use the Private Oasis withus. These guys where so nice and we hada great time (more about that later).

SailAway-I then went up to watch some of the sail away.

I then went upto check on my daughter. The did a greatjob, but it took 2 hours and tried to sell her shampoo. We also scheduled two treatment for the nextmorning (Seaweed wrap and massage and my daughter got the salt scrub andmessage). The treatments where amazing,but overpriced and they tried to sell stuff the whole time. I will skip the spa on my next cruise.

Dinner,Comedy and Bedtime-We then headed to our room to statunpacking and head to dinner. We hadlate dinning at 815 so we headed to get a taste at the taste bar (Some pumpkinsoup and fried meat or some kind…it was good) and grab a drink before dinner atthe Drama Bar. We had the cheers packageand this was my 2nd drink so I had to at least drink just 3 morebefore bed. Not to worry we got morethan our money’s worth and I did not get beyond tipsy the entire trip until thelast night (more on that later). Dinnerwas next and we were seated with great table mates all 20 something’s and yes,I was Mom to all by the end of the cruise. I loved them all. 2 femalefriends sat next to my daughter and to my right sat 3 couples who all worked atDisney world. They were all comical anda lot of fun. I tried the flat ironsteak and tuna thing (cannot remember the name) and my daughter had shrimpcocktail and vegetable lasagna. It wasall delicious. We had wine with dinner(Drink 3 and 2 more to go) we had Nutella Tiramisu (I should have ordered twoit was that good) and espresso for dessert. Every night dinner lasted 2 hoursbecause of our conversation and we just enjoyed it so much. We were alwaysalmost the last ones to leave. I am a smokerand headed to the casino bar for another drink and an after-dinnercigarette. This is a crowded place to benow until midnight. The music is alwaysgood but few people danced here. We thengrabbed another drink (5th drink!!!) and headed to the cole porterlounge for the comedy show. It washilarious and I saw my daughter blush several times(it was definitely not forthose who get easily offended). Beforethe coffee bar closed we grabbed a specialty coffee and headed to theroom. We were greeted by our towelanimal (a dog). I finished unpacking andmy daughter went to bed. I was unable tosleep and went back to the bar and had a nigh cap.(Drink 6). Then went to bed.

Firstday at sea-We got up early to go to our Spa Appointments. They were great, but I could have gotten thesame treatments on land for half the price and they seemed to try and sale morestuff to us after the treatments so I will probably not use the spa again. Theydid do an excellent job and if there wasn’t a sale pitch every time I might useit again. We then went to sea day bruncharound 1030 we got a mimosa and a bloody mary. I order the steak and eggs and it was to die for. My daughter ordered eggs benedict and shesaid it was delicious. I did not getmany pictures and the camera I used to take pictures of the food took thepicture too dark to see. But all thefood looked and tasted very good. Mydaughter went to the serenity deck and I headed to guest services to hand inthe paper work for HMC’s Private Oasis. Ithen decided I was tired and headed off to take a nap. We hung out on our balcony and then decidedto get ready for formal night.

Dinner was amazing we had strawberry Bisk for appetizersand blue crab and Lobster followed by Crème Brule. We were both on drink 5 by dinner so I dranka coke and my daughter still had wine. We headed to the bar after and had another drink and chatted withseveral people. I think one of myfavorite parts of cruising is to meet different people. We both headed to the coffee bar and got aLate then headed off to bed early. Wehad several coffees, vitamin water and cokes that day along with 6 or 7drinks. So far, the cheers packages waswell worth the cost. We headed to bedand were greeted by our second towel animal (a bear).

HMC- We woke upearly ate and got our suits on to head to the Mikado Lounge to meet for thefirst tender off the ship. This was the day we were most excited for as we werescheduled for the Private Oasis Excursion. I invited the friends I made on cruise critic since it was too much forjust two people and they took care of tipping the staff. There was 9 of us total and I think it wasthe perfect amount of people. The daywas amazing. The water at HMC looks morelike a pool than an ocean and was only slightly cool at first. It was warm by noon. It was perfect. We tendered to the port and went to the shoreexcursions desk to check in. The cabanawas within walking distance, but we were given a ride in an oversized golfcart. We were greeted by the host Abbyor ABCDE was her real name and her assistant Evan. They were amazing. We never wanted for anything. There was a bartender whose name escapesme. The drinks just kept flowing all dayand they were very strong. There wasalso a cooking crew. There was a spreadof fruits, chips, salsa, guac, and salads. Waiting for us when we arrived. The 8-person hot tub was huge and warm. We had floats and snorkel gear for everyone. We also had a slide that everyone went downat least once. Just try to remember itsshallow at the end. I had forgot, but itwas great. Also make sure your wetbefore going down or like my daughter you might get stuck on the way down lol. She went down twice though and we had ablast. To all my critic friends, thanksfor sharing our day with us. It wouldnot have been nearly as enjoyable without you guys. At 2 my daughter and I headed out to ourHorse riding excursion. But everyoneelse stayed until a little after 3. Wewalked around and got some pictures but my daughter pictures were the only onesthat came out. Then we headed to theexcursion desk. We then rode on the samecart we had rode earlier. We were withone other person who worked on the ship so this excursion felt very exclusiveeven though it was not. We got extracare and I let them know this was only the second time I had ridden ahorse. I was nervous and I rode General,he kept trying to walk away from the others at first but as the day went on hestayed right on track. We were able tosee parts of the Island we would not have seen without this excursion. Goats and even retired horses. The guides were very knowledgeable, but I don’tremember half what was said because I was nervous riding the horses. We wore helmetsand were able to get onto the horses using stairs. It was not that physical, but back issuesmight be a problem. They offered a drink(water or soda) as we took a break and waited for the horses to be prepared forthe water. There are no stirrups and wehad to bend our legs up in the water. One of the horses used the bathroom in the water, but we steered awayfrom it (thank goodness). It was all soamazing. HMC is now my happy place. We headed back to the tender then to theship.

We then got cleaned up and headed up to get back ontrack on our cheers package. We listenedto music and chatted it up at the Drama Bar as we listened to Trivia. We did not know most of the answers but itwas fun watching. After about 2 drinks Idecided to get some coffee and my daughter got a chai tea. We then headed off to dinner. I had lasagna and chocolate meltingcake. We then headed to the bar andgrabbed a drink and headed to the room. My daughter got 5 drinks but I only had 4 and my coffee. I had already drank a lot at HMC and did notget my five this day. We headed to bedand were greeted by our 3rd towel animal(Dinosaur). We decided to line them all up on the couchso we could keep them throughout our cruise. The took our fur babies place and were our cruise pets.

Nassau- We gotto sleep in as our excursion was not until 10 so we grabbed breakfast on theLido and headed off to blue lagoon Island the VIP Beach. It was really nice. We got one free mimosa and comfy loungechairs with umbrellas. The lunch was deliciousand then we headed back to the tender to the ship. This day was not long enough. We did some shopping and then headed back tothe ship. I am not a fan of Nassau butthe blue lagoon Island is far better than Nassau and you can see the dolphinsand sea lions up close. It would be goodfor a family too. That side of theisland had games, hammocks and water sports and blow up slides and stuff.

We got cleaned up and headed to the Chefs table. The food was so interesting and verygood. I ate way too much and becamemiserably full after the 3 hours of stuffing my face. It is a great experience and we did not getour cheers package worth on this day as we drank a lot at the Chefs Table andit was free.

We then headed to bed early and said good night to our4th towel animal(Cat).

Last Day at Sea- This day we hit up the sea day brunch and had omelets and French toast. We decided to try to hit our 15 drinks onthis day. We drank all day with breaks ofcokes, coffee and vitamin waters, so we would not get wasted and forget theawesome vacation. I went to the pool and made sure to hit the slide (veryfun). We made sure to pack up beforedinner and fill out all our paper work. We sat our bags outside the room before dinner. We decided to go to karaoke with our tablemates were my daughter sang hopelessly devoted to you while they alldanced. We then went to the night club wherewe found out we were on drink 14. We didone last shot and decided we got our money’s worth and never got drunk only areally big buzz. We headed to bed andour towel animal was no animal but a heat and some thanks from the staff. I placed and extra tip inside the heart andlaid it with the other animals on the sofa.

The staff was amazing and I really had fewcomplaints. I only wish it would havebeen longer. I tried to tip well to theMDR staff, room steward and at HMC. Ihope this review helps in decisions and just remember to have fun! Feel free to ask any questions.

Very interesting and informative review. Thanks.

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Thanks for a positive, informative review! HMC is my "happy place", too!

What a fun review. You sure held your cool with all those wake-up calls!

Happy sailing.

Great review!! I'm still so sad that it ended. Please tell your daughter we said "Hello". Thank you both again for including us at HMC! You are amazing, giving people!! Happy Mother's Day!

Great review!! I'm still so sad that it ended. Please tell your daughter we said "Hello". Thank you both again for including us at HMC! You are amazing, giving people!! Happy Mother's Day!

She says hi to you guys and we both miss it. We are just glad to share our fun with you. Thanks! and Happy Mother's Day to you too! Can not wait until next year!!!!

Thank you for the great review. Too bad about the constant selling at the spa - that can put a damper on your enjoyment.

Very nice review. I remember my horse riding excursion on HMC pays to have the lead horse and then you don't have to steer clear of the droppings. That was not my favorite part, I was in the back of the pack lots to go around. I was afraid I would fall off the horse right onto some.:eek:

Fabulous review so excited to embark June 3rd

Thanks for the review.

Thank you for the great review. Too bad about the constant selling at the spa - that can put a damper on your enjoyment.

It did not put a damper on our trip or the treatments I just wanted to for warn they are out to sell you some more stuff. The treatments were amazing and the price was a little high compared to where I am from, but not compare to others. It just varies from person to person. Depending on your preference. Just be prepared to say no thank you.

Very nice review. I remember my horse riding excursion on HMC pays to have the lead horse and then you don't have to steer clear of the droppings. That was not my favorite part, I was in the back of the pack lots to go around. I was afraid I would fall off the horse right onto some.:eek:

Ha Ha I was not at avid horse person so I was terrified the whole time, and especially the falling into the droppings. Our guide laughed and said "its fish food". LOL

Thanks for the review! Looking forward to our June 3rd cruise..

Glad to see you enjoyed the Chefs table, do you happen to recall what the main dish was? or the Dessert? I am really just trying to get an idea of which menu they are using, so my wife knows what to expect. ( I eat anything...)

Fabulous review so excited to embark June 3rd

Thanks! You will have a blast!

Sorry I have some pictures but I am not sure how to add them to the site

Sorry I have some pictures but I am not sure how to add them to the site

You have to use a third party hosting site, like google or photobucket.

Then you tag the HTML into the window pointing to the picture. I think CC does not want to manage the space involved with thousands of peoples pictures, so they only allow you to post links to them.

Thanks for trying.

You have to use a third party hosting site, like google or photobucket.

 

Then you tag the HTML into the window pointing to the picture. I think CC does not want to manage the space involved with thousands of peoples pictures, so they only allow you to post links to them.

 

Thanks for trying.

Thanks I will try and use the sites and post my pictures as soon as I can.

Ha Ha I was not at avid horse person so I was terrified the whole time, and especially the falling into the droppings. Our guide laughed and said "its fish food". LOL

I think I might like to try again and not be afraid of falling into the "fish food"!