Wheels87

On the Dream your Cruise Director should have been Hennie and on the Elation it should have been Brandon. We know both these guys, give us your take on their performance.

They were both great! Brandon was a solid cruise director and Hennie was fantastic! I have seen that he has gotten mixed reviews, but we really enjoyed his humor and he seemed to be everywhere!

Yes, the Elation is showing all the signs of wear that you mentioned. Generally, I don't really pay too much attention to that kind of stuff, however, since I essentially got off the Elation and then got on the Dream three days later, it was definitely more noticeable. I will say that it in now way interfered with my vacation at all.

If your friend has sailed Royal Caribbean and NCL, make sure they understand that the Elation is one of the oldest and smallest ships in the fleet and is not really representative of most of the Carnival ships. If you have ever been on a Fantasy class ship, then you know how small everything is, which also makes it easy to get around, so that could be considered a plus to some folks.

Good luck!

Is Chef Vaz still the Chef du Cuisine on the Dream?

Honestly, I usually pay close attention to those types of details, but this time I did not. I'm terribly sorry.

Brad

I am looking at booking the dream during spring break. How packed was the waterslide and pool area during your trip?

Did you like the size and layout of the dream?

What room did you stay in? We are looking at a balcony but some have said they do not like looking down at the track that goes around deck 5.

Of course, during the sea days, there were a lot of people around and in both pools. Honestly, the water slides weren't that bad. During peak times, the longest wait that we experienced was only a few minutes. Personally, I like to hang out and sip beer back by the aft pool, which is usually less crowded than the main Lido pool.

My family had two balcony staterooms on deck 11. My wife and I were in 11273 and my children were in 11235 (a spa stateroom). The Lanai deck (deck 5) is far enough down that it didn't bother us at all. In 11273, we were pretty close to the deck 11 pool chairs and ping pong table and we could hear a little noise at times, but nothing too bad. Overall, we were very happy with out stateroom selections.

Good luck with your trip!

As leaving NOLA takes several hours, what time does the casino open?

I am terribly sorry, but I honestly didn't notice. It did seem like it opened rather early after the sail away. Also, we were in the southwest pass of the Mississippi River as of 10:00pm on the last night, yet, the Fun Times said that the Texas Hold'em players were meeting at 11:00pm, so it was open at least some point in the river.

Thanks for the great questions!

Brad

Hi, Just a few questions:

1. Did you get robes in your cabin?

2. Did you have the Fun Times delivered to your cabin at night?

3. Did you ever go hear the band in the Ocean Plaza? If so,what was the name of the band and how was it?

Thanks for any answers! Kendra

1. Did not get robes, but I understood that they were available, if requested.

2. Yes, the Fun Times was delivered every evening when the stateroom was cleaned.

3. There were several individual performers in the Ocean Plaza as well as a group called "Take Two."

I hope this helps!

Brad

Also, usually, you will directed to report to a particular lounge/room on the ship. Then you will be led down to the first tender by a host/hostess. At least that was the process on the Dream in Grand Cayman last Thursday.

1) Did you stay in a hotel before/between/or after the cruises? We found a Crowne Plaza in the French Quarter. Is that a good place to be? What should be seen in the city?

 

2) Is the embarkation/debarkation a mess? I've heard different stories.

 

3) When you are sailing down the Mississippi, does your cell phone still connect to local service (no charge), or the ship's?

 

4) In Progreso, did you do an excursion? Which one did you do?

 

5) Is there a problem with long lines or no chairs on Elation?

 

Thank you so much in advance :D

Great questions!

1. Since we live on the gulf coast of Mississippi (only 1 hour and twenty minutes from the port), we did not stay in a hotel. There are several nice hotels in the French quarter, although I cannot specifically comment on the Crowne Plaza. I can say that the French quarter is just down the street from the cruise terminal and it would take about two minutes by taxi to get there.

2. I have sailed out of New Orleans many times and I can honestly say that this was by far the smoothest embarkation/debarkation experience that I have ever had. They were very well organized. The parking garage was easily accessible and since we arrived fairly early (around 10:00 am both times), we got an excellent parking spot. We had FTTF for both cruises and it was clear that the personnel working in the terminal were very serious about maintaining order and ensuring that things proceeded in an orderly manner. We were guided to a special screening lane, escorted to the FTTF check-in line, which was being taken ahead of the general line, and then were directed to sit in certain rows while waiting to board. Wedding parties were boarded first, followed by Diamond/Platinum, followed by FTTF, followed by guests needing assistance, then the standard boarding. They did this exactly the same for both cruises and we were on both ships by 11:30am. We chose self-assist debarkation for both cruises and received a letter in our stateroom the day before directing us to wait in a certain lounge by a certain time. That time was about an hour earlier for the Dream than the Elation. We were led to the gangway and were one of the first vehicles out of the garage. In fact, this morning on the Dream, we witnessed two couples try to crash the FTTF debarkation party who entered the waiting area after being told not to. Shortly thereafter, the lady there came over once again and told them to kindly go wait in the proper area. It took a little convincing, but I was pleased that they indeed left.

3. Cell phone service down the Mississippi is hit-or-miss. You will stay connected to the local towers for several hours, but after a while, the signal is too intermittent to really be useful. Just for the record, we have Sprint. Also, be sure to contact your cell phone service provider and turn on international use if you plan to use the ships signal to send texts or place/receive calls. It is $0.50 to send a text and $0.15 to receive one. I think calls are $2.99 per minute as well.

4. We did not take an excursion in Progreso. We simply took a taxi to "Corona Beach." The taxi was $20 each way. In the past, my family have taken the excursion to Uxmal and really loved it. If you are a drinker, it is also great to hang out at Mr. Sol International Fun Bar, which is located in the shopping area that is just off the ship. Please say hi to Felix for me!

5. Being an early riser, I have never had a problem acquiring a deck chair on any cruise ship. By early riser, I mean that I typically wake up by 5:00 am and am sitting in my chair by 6:00 am. I follow all the rules regarding reserving chairs and spend the majority of the sea day lounging by the pool. Just like any cruise, there can be lines at the buffet during peak meal times and I didn't notice them to be longer than any other ship.

I hope these answers help and that you enjoy your Elation Vacation.

Good Luck!

My family and I just returned from 5 days on the Elation and 7 days on the Dream and I would be happy to answer any questions.

Thanks!

Brad

We got off a 5-day on the Elation a week and a half ago which was $1400 for five of us.

We literally just got off the Dream and it was just over $2,000 for six!

Dream also has an aft pool that is quieter than the main pool, but children are still allowed back there.

Good luck!

Bed bugs and they expect you to stay in that cabin, I'd bust out laughing and tell them to stick that suggestion right up their a$$. What a bunch of fools.

So, if the ship is truly sold out, what exactly do you expect Carnival to do?

Zero days and eight days!!!

We are leaving for New Orleans in about two hours for our Elation cruise, then after we get back, we will be going on the Dream on August 2nd!

Finally!

I drive to New Orleans to cruise frequently. On my last three cruises out of there, we did self debarkation and got off the ship and drove the 1 hour and 20 minutes home and were in our driveway by 8:40 am. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you could make the airport by 10:00.

Good Luck!

There is no way that you should comply with that. Just show up whatever time you want. You will get in line and get on the ship in the order in which you arrived.

Have fun!

Me, personally, knowing how difficult it is to clear my schedule at work and get prepared to go and to find a week or two which works for everyone, I would be completely deflated and would hate myself for not flying in the day before. I cannot imagine the disappointment of seeing the ship sail away without me and my family and it is just not worth the risk to me.

To each his own.

Brad

This is simple...It's all about risk. Just think for a minute how you would feel if, after months of planning and hours of packing/driving/flying, you arrived late and missed your cruise. If this would not bother you, then by all means, fly in the day of your cruise. If this would cause you some serious heartburn (like I assume it would most people), then perhaps you are better off flying in the day before.

Someone telling you that you would be fine flying in the day of your trip because they have been on eight or ten or even twenty cruises and never had an issue is really irrelevant.

Good luck!

Giminy Christmas...how do you know how much I travel or what my travel experience is. I've probably logged more hours of travel than most anyone else on this board since I spent a good part of my life actually "traveling" for a living.

 

I am not telling anyone when they should fly into a port to start their cruise. I am relaying actually facts that refutes the idea that it is "necessary" to fly in the day before a cruise.

 

Single leg flights with reputable airlines in other than horrific weather scenerios are reliable. Saturdays and Sundays are not "huge" travel days since business travel actually accounts for the largest portion of air travel.

 

No one is telling someone that needs to travel 6000 miles with 4 stops and 12 hours of flight time to schedule their travel "same day" as departure. But common sense, for the most part, will be some one's best ally when choosing when to fly irregardless of the "horror" stories that someone else tells.

Most of this is rank speculation. While it is true that fewer people fly on weekends, that does not apply to cities with cruise terminals. I have personally been stranded in Charlotte, NC because of a late connection and was stuck there for over eight hours! I was begging the airline to book me on any flight to San Juan, but the problem was that on cruise days, there are simply zero seats available. Every flight flies full. Just imagine if you were flying to Miami on a Saturday or Sunday and your flight with 140 passengers out of Dallas was cancelled. Every one of those passengers needs to get to Miami. Do you really think there are 140 empty seats on the next few flights going that way? To believe that is to be really naive. Having experienced this first hand, I can tell you that it really sucks.

As far as cruise ships waiting on flights...I was on a cruise where 30 people were late when the ship was leaving San Juan at 10:00pm. The ship left without them and they had to catch up in Aruba. They were attempting to fly in the day of their cruise from Detroit in December. How foolish was that?

Anyway, it is a personal choice, whether or not to fly in the same day as your cruise, but just know that if you don't make it, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Good day!

I was on the Dream twice last summer during the peak season. Yes, there were lines, however, with a little planning, you could avoid many of them. For example, I have seen many people complain about the buffet line on embarkation day...then, come to find out that they went to eat at 1:30, the peak time on embarkation day. I always arrive early so as to skip the line at the buffet because I know how much I hate lines! I'm not sure what people expect when sailing on a vessel with thousands of other people. I am not in any way criticizing the original poster...this is more geared towards those who expect a Cunard cruise at Carnival prices. I always make my family get to the shows at least 30 minutes early so we can get in as soon as the doors open. That way we can sit in the area that we want. It is a bit of an annoyance, however, that's how I cope with my distaste for lines. As for the buffet lines...I find that the biggest problem is when fellow passengers take an hour to fill their plate. They grab like two french fries at a time and act like they are the only ones on the ship; it is ridiculous. If people were to do the math, they would realize that if they take 4 minutes to make their plate, and if the other several thousand passengers did the same thing, then no one would get to eat!

Regarding the robes...if they aren't in your room when you arrive, simply ask your stateroom steward and they will get one for you. It's no big deal.

Again, I am not faulting the original poster for posting their observations, just pointing out what I think should be the obvious.

The Dream is a beautiful ship and most people should have a great vacation on her, as long as they remember that it is a Carnival cruise that only costs a fraction of other cruise lines.

Good day!

Brad

I have been on the Elation many times and will be on her in less than two weeks! I can't wait.

I live about an hour and twenty minutes from the port and usually arrive around 9:45am and pull right into the parking garage. It costs around $115 to park there for the five days, but the convenience is hard to beat. If you arrive that early, you can pull right up to the porters and drop off your checked luggage. Always make sure and tip them because they have your luggage under their control.

We get checked in pretty quickly at that time and are usually sitting and waiting to board by about 10:00 or so. If everything is on schedule, they usually begin boarding any wedding parties at around 11:10 - 11:15, followed by Diamond/Platinum then FTTF. With FTTF, we are usually dropping off our luggage in our cabin before 11:35. Then, we head straight to the Lido deck to eat before all the crowds get there. If you wait, you will have a hard time finding a place to sit down to eat. The Mongolian Wok is open (outside by the pool) and there is Pizza and made to order sandwiches in the back of the buffet. The rest of the ship/activities are just like most other Carnival cruises. The muster drill will take place around 3:45.

Cozumel is such an awesome port and there are many many activities to do there. There are several beaches within a short taxi ride (Paradise Beach, Playa Mia, Playa Palancar, etc.), or you can just hang out at Tres Amigos by the pier. Taking either a powered catamaran or the Twister boat to Isla Pasion is also another favorite of my family. It really is beautiful out there on the island.

Progresso is a sleepy Mexican village with friendly people and besides booking an excursion, you can just take a taxi or bus to the mainland and go to Corona Beach for some inexpensive drinks. The water there is not the clearest, but it is still refreshing.

Anyway, good luck and have a great time! I'm sure you will get lots more advice in the coming hours.

Take care,

Brad

I second the comment about Favors by Serendipity. I just got another new set of ten in the mail about five minutes ago. They work great and can be used over and over again.

Prior to that, I used to cover each tag in clear 3" wide tape. It took forever. One day I read on these forums about the reusable ones and never looked back!

Good luck,

Brad

In an earlier post, you stated "For me, the part that I really dislike is that I have been through scenarios on Royal Caribbean where I had to reschedule and also got multiple price drops and at no time was any of my money at risk or non-refundable. (outside of final payment date of course)"

I am fairly certain, cruise for cruise, you also pay more on Royal Caribbean, correct? I am not being snarky here, just pointing out that while RC may be more flexible, they are also more expensive. You get what you pay for.

Good luck!

Brad

The secret to getting an abundance of free drinks at the past guest party is to give the first server who waits on you a $5 bill. I have been to many past guest parties and always found myself struggling to finish all of the drinks I had in front of me.

Good luck!

Brad

My family and I have been on the Elation many times. You will love it! There are always people who choose to drink a bit too much no matter where you go, but by the sound of things, you won't be hanging out in those areas anyway.

Have a great cruise!

Brad

I have done three B2B cruises on the Elation and ten days on her sounds like Heaven to me! It is such a beautiful ship...who care what the tile in the bathroom looks like? How much time do you spend in there? That itinerary looks fantastic as well. In fact, I am now considering it for myself!

My wife and I have stayed in one of the balcony suites on deck 11 and it was great! You can't beat the location...you simply walk out you door onto the deck above the pool and grab a chair.

Have fun!

Brad