Elation 1/9/06 Reviewish Thing-a-ma-jig

Background:

I booked this cruise as a 30th b-day present for my DH. This was his first cruise and my 3rd cruise. We were originally booked on the Ecstasy for the week of Jan 14 – 19, 2006. After Hurricane Katrina, we were switched over to the Elation, after the Ecstasy was sent to help with FEMA relief efforts. Mid-September, we were informed that our particular sailing was being chartered. (I later found out it was being chartered by this group : www.therockboat.com) For the inconvenience, Carnival gave us a NICE discount when we rebooked – so we decided to just go a week earlier – Jan 9-14, 2006. The cruise was from Galveston, TX and had ports in Cozumel, Mexico and Progreso, Mexico (originally scheduled to port in Playa del Carmen). There were 2 days at sea.

Pre-cruise:

We drove from our home in Missouri to Galveston, Texas. We stayed the night prior to our cruise at the Holiday Inn on the Beach. We had an oceanview room with a balcony that overlooked the Gulf of Mexico. Some perks of staying here are that we were allowed to leave our car in a back parking lot for the duration of the cruise at no additional cost and a free shuttle to the pier. It is a great hotel and I would definitely stay here again.

Embarkation:

We took the 11:30 shuttle from the hotel to the pier arriving at the pier approx around 11:50 (it took a while to get all the luggage loaded onto the shuttle). Once we were at the pier, it took maybe 10 minutes to get checked in. About 5 minutes later, they started calling for boarding with people in the back, left-side of the room. We were standing in the front, right-side – so it took us a little while but it wasn’t bad at all. We were on board around 12:40 and were told to not go to our rooms until at least 1:00 p.m. Since our room was on the empress deck, I decided to go take a peak. But our room steward was in our room and I didn’t want to disturb him, so we took our carry-on stuff with us. To pass the time, we went to the aft verandah deck pool and met up with one of my friends from roll call. It was so nice to finally put a face with a name! She and her husband are very nice people – and somehow we managed to completely miss each other the rest of the week.:(

Room:

We had a 6D oceanview room on the Empress Deck. We were just a few doors off of the Atrium area – an excellent location, IMHO. I have only had balcony rooms before and I will admit I felt a little claustrophobic in the room. However, my husband liked the room and it didn’t feel too small to him. There was ample closet space and a good sized bathroom (larger than I remember on the other cruises).

Room Steward:

Our room steward was Constantin (I am not sure where he is from). He did a good job, but I think he is probably newer. He did not go above and beyond like other room stewards in the past have done. Our room was always clean and he made cute towel animals. But in the evenings, he would often forget our dining time and knock on the door several times asking when we would be leaving. It didn’t bother me and I actually felt kinda sorry for him because he seemed like he was a very shy person. The only thing I requested (and didn’t get) was a room service menu (because it was torn out of our book). Actually, I think it was a misunderstanding on his part because he brought us a bunch of door hangers for breakfast. It made me laugh and I didn’t care because I knew I probably wouldn’t order room service anyways.

Dining Room:

We had the best waiters EVER here! :D We ate in the dining room every night just so we could see them. Our team head waiter was Slobodan (Slobo) Cvetkovski from Macedonia and our team waiter was Georgi Petrov from Bulgaria. Slobo’s recommendations for dinner every night were right on target. Actually, one of my favorite dishes (smoked turkey farfalle) ended up being something that I didn’t order, but the Slobo brought and told me to try! Georgi made sure that we had everything we needed (wanted) and always had our water glass full or our plate full of bread. They also made fine entertainers – there was one evening where they made the ladies get up and dance the cha-cha slide with the waiter and then the next night they made the guys get up dance – it was so funny! My poor DH hated it – but I loved it. Also, one night, we received a “Congratulations” chocolate layer cake and got a rousing rendition of “Hoppy Ken u late a ju” (Happy Congratulations to You! sung to the tune of Happy B-day to you). It cracked me up and the cake was delicious! It was so hard to say goodbye to these fine gentlemen. As far as food goes, we both enjoyed all our dinners – there were some things I wouldn’t order again but there are other things that I absolutely loved. Our table mates were great – we sat at 10-top and there were 6 of us there the first 2 nights and just 4 for the remaining nights. My DH liked these because he can be quiet until he gets to know people and only having one other couple at the table really gave us a chance to get to know them. The only meal we ate in the dining room was dinner – we ate breakfast and lunch at the lido deck buffet.

Lido Deck Buffet:

For breakfast – scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, oatmeal, dry cereal, made to order omelets, fresh fruit and rotation between pancakes and French toast. For lunch – hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, potato salad, pasta salad, etc. Even though it was all standard buffet items, they all tasted so good on the cruise. For drinks, there was water, tea, fruit punch, lemonade, apple juice, and orange juice. One day, we had pizza from the pizzeria. I thought was good – but nothing out of this world. We finished lunch most days with an ice cream cone. I really wanted twist – but there was only vanilla during the cruise and on the last day, the ice cream machine was broken. This actually made me sad because I had skipped having one the previous day and was REALLY looking forward to it. I know – I have issues! For the record, we never ate at the buffet in Tiffany’s – it always looked good, we just chose not to eat there for some reason.

Room Service:

Like I said earlier, we did not have a room service menu – so we didn’t order room service. However, the evening we left Progreso as we were getting ready for dinner, there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door, there was a room server person (surely they have a name) with a tray of stuff. I immediately thought it was at the wrong room and tried to send him away saying we didn’t order anything. He kept insisting it was for me and I kept trying to send him away until he picked up the card with my name and said “is this you?” Oh well, I guess that is my name! So he brought in the tray and I scrounged around for a couple bucks. Once he left, I lifted the lid off the plate and it was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries dipped in white and brown chocolate and decorated to look like a tuxedo. There was also a bottle of Robert Mondavi wine. It was an awesome surprise from someone special!

Entertainment:

First off, I want to say that Jorge Solano is an EXCELLENT cruise director. I loved him – he made me laugh harder than I have in I don’t know how long. I will definitely attempt to cruise with him again in the future. I believe he will be on the Elation until Feb 23 and then he’s going on vacation for a while. Secondly, my DH is not into going to shows – however, I did manage to get him to the Welcome Aboard Show, Not-So-Newlywed Game and the Talent Show. We did not go to any of the other productions or midnight comedians (sorry!). The Welcome Aboard Show was okay – I didn’t really appreciate the dancing or the comedian, though I did like Jorge’s part. This is when I found out I wanted to go to a couple of things just to hear him. The Not-So-Newlywed Game was hilarious as always. The married-over-50-years couple was the best – the poor husband had a hard time following directions and answering the right part of the question – but the best part was for the question “was is the most annoying thing about your wife?” His answer: “No way” Everyone died laughing! The Talent Show was great – I didn’t realize there are so many talented people in the world. The last girl sang At Last and it took my breath away. The best part was the crew skit – “If I Were Not Upon the Sea” – the whole skit was hilarious – but the best part was when Jorge came out at the end dressed as a ballerina. You had to be there!! Other entertainment on the ship included the reggae band that played by the pool and all the games played all over the ship. The band was very good. And we did not participate in any of the games, such as Survivor or the limbo contest, but I plan on playing next time.

Crew:

Everyone on the ship had a smile on their face and was always willing to help. It was one of my best experiences as far as the crew is concerned. The only we experience that I have never had before was our original captain got off at Progreso to go on vacation and we got a new captain. I couldn’t tell a difference, I just had never heard of it happening before.

Sea Days:

On these days, we pretty much just lounged by the pool – sipping foo foo drinks and reading books. I never get to relax like this at home and I really look forward to it. My DH look a turn down the water slide at the pool and I didn’t – though I can’t remember why and wish I would have. The last day at sea as we were headed back to Galveston a cold front moved in and it got cold and windy around the pool about mid-day. So we went inside and found a quiet corner and played cards for the rest of the day. We did not go to the casino – we are not big gamblers unless we go to the casino with a big group of friends. We’re social gamblers! I don’t think we missed out on much, though.

Progreso, Mexico:

We were at port at 7 am and got off the ship around 8 am. We were able to immediately get on the shuttle down the 4 mi long pier. Before they would let us off the shuttle, the driver told us about all the tours his company offered. One of them was a trip into Merida City (which I believe the oldest city in North America?help?) for $25 per person. I had done some research before the cruise and knew I wanted to go here, but I had just planned on going to the bus station on our own. My DH decided this would probably be safer, so we went with the tour. It didn’t leave until 10:45 so this gave us 2 hours to explore Progreso. I studied in Mexico for one summer during college, so I found this to be a very charming town that hasn’t been Americanized yet. For those expecting, Cancun – you will be disappointed. We walked down Corona Beach and all over town. I even took my DH by the outdoor meat market – but he got grossed out about 200 feet away and we had to go back. If you have never seen one of these, it’s definitely something you have to do in your lifetime. Just hold your nose!

We took the tour into Merida City and got to walk around and shop for about an hour. Again, I really enjoyed this and loved being submersed into the Mexican culture (which I have a true fondness and appreciation for). I loved speaking Spanish with the locals and hearing their stories. My DH kept laughing because I would get double takes from them when they realized a blond American girl was speaking in their language. Merida is definitely more Americanized than Progreso. On the way into downtown, we passed Sears, Chili’s, Subway, etc. But the downtown area is still very true to it’s roots.

Cozumel, Mexico:

My DH and I decided that we are definitely retiring here! We had to tender into shore because all the piers were destroyed in mid-October by Hurricane Wilma. The devastation to the island is immediately noticeable. But you also notice all the hard work going on by the people of Cozumel to rebuild and restore their beautiful island. We chose to go to Paradise Beach (mainly because of all the positive things I have heard about it on this board) and we were NOT disappointed. We got the beach around 9:15 or so and virtually had our choice of chairs. We bought the wristbands for $8 each to use all the water toys – iceberg, water trampoline, kayaks and snorkeling. We had a blast playing in the water (my DH eventually made it to the top of the iceberg) and then laid on our chairs and was waited on hand and foot by “Chai” – an excellent server. I found a new favorite drink here – melon ball – yum! We also had their chicken quesadilla – which was excellent as well. A major highlight of this day was getting to meet PB Tom, his wife, and son, Host Randy, Laura S, Host Anne, Host Graham, and a few other CCers! I love you guys! We had a wonderful day at Paradise Beach – it truly was paradise – and I will not hesitate going back there in the future or recommending to everyone else to at least give it a try! Unfortunately, our last tender was at 3:15, so we did not have time to make it into downtown Cozumel for shopping. But I can wait until next time!

Also, I cannot forget about the poor drunk girl at the pier. She was obviously overserved and had passed out. The people at the pier sat her in a wheelchair and when it came time to get on the tender, they tried to get her to stand up and onto the boat - but none of that was going to happen. So they had to roll her on the tender in the wheelchair - she just sat there the entire ride back with her eyes rolled back into her head. She kept being heckeled (by other drunks), but she had a couple of good friends taking care of her and holding her head up for her. It was very entertaining at the time, but now thinking back I feel bad for her. I was actally worried - because I had never seen anyone that bad before. However, I saw her the next day around the pool and she was fine! :p

Debarkation:

I had read on here about the ease of doing self-debarkation, so I packed with that in mind to make sure we take everything off ourselves. I am so glad I did! The ship was late getting back into Galveston, but was docked by 7:10. Around approximately 7:20, they called our floor to self-debark. We were off the ship, though customs, got a taxi back across the island and were putting luggage in our car by 7:45 – I’m serious! It was that easy! I will only self-debark from now on. I have never experienced anything that easy before when getting off the ship. It was worth for just not having to dig through all the luggage to find yours.

Overall:

We had an excellent cruise. Though it was my husband’s first cruise, it won’t be his last (especially if I have any say in it). Not everything was on the cruise, but I didn’t expect it or want it to be perfect. It’s those little imperfections that make things realistic. As long as nothing major goes wrong, I am a happy camper. I would sail the Elation again in a heartbeat (though I want to try all the ships in Carnival’s fleet) and I will DEFINITELY be sailing again with Carnival. I had a great vacation for an even better price. It took me away to a place of peace and tranquility, something I was so desperately needing. I can’t wait until I get to cruise again! Happy cruising everybody!

I am sure there are things that I have forgotten or missed. Please ask any questions – I am more than happy to answer them.

I will post a link to my photos later as webshots is currently down! :rolleyes:

Great review! I am glad yall had a good time! We have sailed the Elation several times and she is still our favorite!

I loved your review. What was your room number? I told that room steward in Dec. that the room service menu was missing. I'll bet it's the same room.

Luanne

I loved your review. What was your room number? I told that room steward in Dec. that the room service menu was missing. I'll bet it's the same room.

LOL!!! Was it E43? :eek: I thought Constantin was so sweet - but he just wasn't on top of everything :p

Thanks for the kind words guys! :)

Glad to hear you had a great time. We sailed on her last June, when it was still a seven day cruise and had a great time.

I also had to post because I see your from St. Joe. I was born there many moons ago.

Yeah great review!!!!Im glad Jorge was still the CD for you he's soooo funny:)

Great review and thanks for sharing, can't wait until April gets here. :D

Thanks for the review,

We will be leaving on Sat. from St. louis driving to Galveston for Mon. 1/23 cruise on Elation. Can't hardley wait.

We to will be staying at Holiday Inn on the Beach. were you happy with the Hotel?

We also are wanting to go to Paradise beach, Did you take a cab? What was the cost?

We are a family of 5. Was PB good for kids?

I hear PB is also free to get in.

Any other tips about PB would be great thanks.

Sorry for all the questions

BOB

Thanks for the review,

 

We will be leaving on Sat. from St. louis driving to Galveston for Mon. 1/23 cruise on Elation. Can't hardley wait.

 

We to will be staying at Holiday Inn on the Beach. were you happy with the Hotel?

 

We also are wanting to go to Paradise beach, Did you take a cab? What was the cost?

We are a family of 5. Was PB good for kids?

 

I hear PB is also free to get in.

 

Any other tips about PB would be great thanks.

 

Sorry for all the questions

 

BOB

No Prob, Bob!

I loved the Holiday Inn - it is a very well kept hotel and I loved having an oceanview room - it was only $10 more when I booked it and well worth the money. It was very peaceful sitting out there. Also, you park your car in a back lot behind the San Luis resort (next door). It is a well lit area and we didn't have any problems.

I LOVED Paradise Beach. The taxi was $12 each way and I think you can fit up to 6 in a taxi, so you all should be fine. We don't have kids, but there were a lot of kids at PB when we there. They all seemed to love the water toys (which costs $8/each). When webshots is back up tomorrow and I can post the link to my photos - you will be able to see PB and the things they have to do. PB is free to use the chairs and get in the water - but they do ask that you order $10 worth of food/beverages, which if you are there for very long is easy to do. The quesadillas are out of this world and the chips and salsa or guacamole are also great. They have great adult beverages as well as soda (or pop ;) ). The only tip I would have is to get to PB early so you can get a chair and relax in near privacy before the crowds start getting there. It never felt too crowded or busy, but around 11:30 or so, things definitely picked up. When we first got there, about 9:15 or so, we pretty much had the beach to ourselves - maybe 10-15 people tops.

I hope this helps! If you think of anything else, please ask!

Have a great cruise!!!!!!! :D

Bobbi Jo

Glad to hear you had a great time. We sailed on her last June, when it was still a seven day cruise and had a great time.

I also had to post because I see your from St. Joe. I was born there many moons ago.

huskerdude - glad to see you were able to escape st. joe's pull and get away to Texas! I am planning my exodus to Texas any day now! :eek:

Finally, I am able to post the link to my pics:

http://community.webshots.com/album/545918848wSCsBh

Hey! Great pictures! I see yall stayed at the Holiday inn on the beach. What was yalls room number? We stayed there the night before our cruise and the view looks just the same as ours!

Thanks again!

Great review and pics, bj!

hanks for sharing and oh yeah----PB is awesome.

Hey BJ!

Thanks for the review! I live in your neighborhood and I'm wondering how long it took you guys to drive to Galveston?

Thanks for the review and photos.......truly appreciated and glad you had a good time!!!!!

Hey BJ!

 

Thanks for the review! I live in your neighborhood and I'm wondering how long it took you guys to drive to Galveston?

Hi Mona!

I would say it probably took us around 13.5 hours. Other than going through Kansas :eek: , it was a very enjoyable drive and I would do it again, because the flights from KCI to Hobby are just so expensive - especially when you compare them to the flights to Dallas (super cheap!). On the drive down, we stopped in Oklahoma City and saw the National Memorial for the bombing - which is a breathtaking site. On the way back, we stopped in Dallas and saw Dealey Plaza and the JFK/book depository museum.

Live 2 cruise -- our room was 405 - I think. Where were you?

Thanks for the compliments! :)

My husband and I are thinking about going on the Elation in August. How far in advance is the best time to book to get the best price? And where is the best place to book?

My husband and I are thinking about going on the Elation in August. How far in advance is the best time to book to get the best price? And where is the best place to book?

First off, oneworld, welcome to the boards! Please never be afraid to ask any questions - we are all here to help each other! :)

As far as booking, you usually get your best prices the farther out your book. OR if you can fly by the seat of your pants, SOMETIMES (not always) you can get a decent price the week a cruise sails if it is not sold out, but you run a chance of the cruise selling out and/or no good cabins being left. If you book in advance and the price goes down later, you can usually call your TA and they will honor the reduced rate. If you have already paid the cruise in full, you will usually get an onboard credit for the amount the fare was reduced by.

Now, where to book - the best idea is to shop around -- call Carnival, visit online agencies, call a local TA, click on the links on the top of this page (that's how this website remains free)....look at all your options - they are alot of them out there. Board regulations prevent anyone from giving specific recommendations. :D

Thanks for sharing your awesome pics, BJ. I'm sailing on her 02/11 with my Mom and 2 sisters (Mother/Daughter Cruise).

My first cruise was on the Ecstacy Nov 2004 and just loved it. Rhapsody of the Seas was Oct 2005 (right smack in between all the hurricanes). However, my friends and I preferred the service we received on Carnival, so - here I go again:p

The Tiffany restaurant isn't the formal dining room, is it? Is it a 'supper club'?

I CAN'T WAIT - JUST 23 MORE DAYS:D :D

Thanks for sharing your awesome pics' date=' BJ. I'm sailing on her 02/11 with my Mom and 2 sisters (Mother/Daughter Cruise).

 

My first cruise was on the Ecstacy Nov 2004 and just loved it. Rhapsody of the Seas was Oct 2005 (right smack in between all the hurricanes). However, my friends and I preferred the service we received on Carnival, so - here I go again:p

 

The Tiffany restaurant isn't the formal dining room, is it? Is it a 'supper club'?

 

I CAN'T WAIT - JUST 23 MORE DAYS:D :D[/quote']

 

Rhonda -

 

HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!! I wish I could be back on her!

 

The two formal dining rooms are the Imagination and the Inspiration. Tiffany's is the buffet restaurant on the backside of the Lido Deck Buffet - it's also where the pizzeria and ice cream are located! :D

 

I will be posting more pics (hopefully this weekend) as I will get the photos from my SLR camera -- It takes MUCH better indoor photos and there are a couple of the formal dining room (i think)

 

You'll have an awesome time! :p

I am helping a young gal plan her 1st cruise for 4-5 nts in April. This ship is one possibility, as airfare is favorable from Nashville on SW. [Personally I have never done a 3-4-5 nt cruise & never been on Carnival; only gone 7-10-11-14 nts. on Prin, RC & HAL] These young ladies are non-drinkers, and am wondering if there is ALOT of drinking going on & if they would be bothered by that.... Maybe some of you could report what sort of behavior you observed. Both have been to college, so are aware of reality...

Is this a fairly smooth-sailing ship? How old is this ship?

Kay D,

The Elation was launched in 1998 and she's still in great shape. I'm sure she probably has some wear and tear, but I honestly never noticed it. IMHO I don't think the girls would feel out of place as non-drinkers on the cruise. The only time I noticed anyone falling down drunk was on the tender back to the ship from Cozumel (because she was overserved at a bar). Sure, there are waiters walking around the pool area offering drinks - but as long as you say no thanks - they just walk away. I think the cruises that are most known for being booze cruises are the 3-4 night cruises (which a lot of people do just as a long weekend getaway to unwind from the week and let off steam.) The longer the cruise - I think generally the more calm atmosphere. This doesn't ALWAYS stand true - especially if there is a big group on board, however. Our 5 night cruise was from a Monday to a Saturday - so a true week off from work. I am sure there were drunk people on the ship - I just didn't run into them. I hope this helps you some! :)