Elation report 11/15 sailing

[Mystkl1]

The dictionary describes “Elation” as a feeling or state of great joy and I was wondering if the ship could live up to her name.

A little background…we are from Mobile, are in our early 50’s, and like many in our age group, are dealing with health issues related to our parents. A window of opportunity presented itself, and a cruise was the easiest thing to do. Since we live in Mobile, sailing out of our own port made sense. We’ve previously sailed on the Holiday and Fantasy out of Mobile, and Triumph out of New Orleans. We booked our 11/15 cruise on the Elation at the end of October. With such short notice, I jumped right into the Roll Calls and did as much research as I could.

The great thing about booking at the last minute is that you don’t have time to over think things. After a weekend out of town for a football game, we returned home Sunday evening to literally toss things together for our trip. Monday dawned grey and rainy but we refused to let it dampen our spirits. We weren’t in a hurry due to the weather, so we took our time putting the final items in our cases, visited with my parents, and then drove down to the port. We arrived around 1:30 and there was no wait to unload. My parents offered to take us, but we chose to have our car available when we debarked, so we parked in the parking deck.

The embarkation process was a little bit different than our previous cruises. Before, we just stood in line after line. This time, we were assigned zones. The benefit is that you have a chance to sit until your zone is called. I thought the process was pretty smooth compared to prior cruises. I think the whole process from luggage drop off to getting on the ship was about an hour. We were told during check-in that our cabin was already ready, and since our cabin was on the Empress deck (the same level where we entered), we made our way to our cabin in short time. Our luggage was already there and we were thrilled since we had some small plastic flasks of “adult beverage” substances. No letters, and no calls to the naughty room, so we were happy!

Just a little bit of a side note here. We had heard about the Chef’s Table, but had not committed one way or the other. Like I said, I like to plan and I didn’t really have time to research the whole concept. But, as we boarded the ship and were making our way to our cabin, there was a table set up in front of the Atrium elevators with a sign-up table for the Chef’s Table. It took about 3 seconds to convince us, so we became participants 11 & 12, the limit. More on that later.

After quickly unpacking, we made our way up to the Lido deck. The rain had stopped for the most part, but it was still pretty damp. The call for the muster drill came, so we made our way our designated station. The drills are much shorter than on previous cruises! Afterward, we wandered around the ship and made our way back to the Lido. I noticed a lady with Mardi Gras beads at one of the bars and I thought that was one of the “identifiers” for our Roll Call. I introduced myself and asked if she was a Cruise Critic member. Of course she was! We chatted with Pam and Dave for quite a while as we looked around to see if we could locate other CC members. No one else ever showed, but we were glad that we connected with them.

The sail away wound up being rainy. It was not the party that we were accustomed to, but it gave us a chance to explore the ship like we haven’t in the past.

MORE TO COME

[Mystkl1]

For our dinner seating, we always choose the Late Seating. It works for us, is late enough in the evening to allow us to work around the shore excursions without feeling rushed. On our first night, we were seated at a table for ten with eight people for dinner. Our waiter was Cesar and he was very good. On subsequent nights, there were only 4 of us. Two of our dinner companions said that they were trying to get moved to the early dinner, so we understood that they might not join us the following evening. Not sure what happened to the other couple. It wound up with us and another daughter/MIL couple. They were wonderful and we enjoyed their company each night we were there at dinner.

Our first day at sea, we enjoyed the dining room for breakfast. Smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels were wonderful. After that, we headed for the Serenity deck. It is a bit awkward walking through the Cole Porter lounge to get to the deck, but there is also a staircase from the back/aft balcony of the Lido deck down to the Serenity deck. Usually we hit the sandwich station for lunch. All the food there is good. The Sushi Bar that opens around 5:00 each evening is really good. I can’t really remember all the things we did , but do remember watching the show in the Mikado lounge as well as the Comedy Show in the Cole Porter Lounge that evening. The show in Mikado was good. The comedian was funny and this was the R-rated version. Our day at sea ended about 12:00 midnight.

NEXT CALICA-

[boaterette]

I love this ship. Thank you for the review.

[Mystkl1]

Our day in Calica started early by vacation standards. We set our phones/clocks for 6:30 AM and our pre-ordered breakfast arrived within minutes of our waking.

I had read very good things about a tour group called Edventures and they lived up to their reputation. They were responsive to emails, and we chose to do our shore excursion through them. They picked us up at the dock at 8:00 and we were transported, along with six others, to their offices in the Tulum plaza. Their basic package includes snorkeling the Dos Ojos cenotes and the lagoon of Yal-ku in north Akumal. We added the Tulum ruins and snorkeling Akumal Bay with sea turtles. Had I developed a Bucket List before this trip, this day would be on it!

We toured the ruins without a guide soon after arriving. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the timing was perfect as the sun was not as hot and the crowds were not overwhelming. The site is beautiful and we took our time wandering around the grounds. When the crowds started to thicken, we made our way back to Edventures.

Although we were picked up with another group, we were assigned our own guide by the name of Manny. While we were touring the ruins, he was busy packing our snorkel gear, wet suits, and our beverages (water, soda, beer) of choice. Manny is a true gem, and a wealth of information. He drove us to the Dos Ojos cenote, took over my underwater camera, and proceeded to guide us and shoot photos of us.

From Dos Ojos, we drove to Akumal Bay. The water there is clear and shallow for a long way out. We were able to swim out to the reef and we were pleased to see that it looked relatively healthy. We made our way back to the grass beds and it wasn’t long before we saw stingrays in the grass. Manny took a few pictures and kept moving. Just a few minutes later, we encountered out first sea turtle feeding! It was absolutely awesome just floating above watching as she(?) surfaced for air then headed back down. Overall, we saw several rays and sea turtles, plus several fish on the reef.

Manny took us to a restaurant just north of Akumal, on Half Moon Bay. We ordered the fish tacos which were wonderful. He left us to ourselves, but we didn’t feel right about it. We invited him to join us and he ordered his favorite, the beef tacos. We had a great time with him. He was amazed that we liked Mana, a Mexican band, and we loved that he loved Bob Marley!

Our next stop was the Yal-ku lagoon. This was just like swimming in an aquarium! Even better! The fish were gorgeous, the colors brilliant, and the variety was amazing! We have snorkeled reefs in south Florida and Belize, and we have never seen such an amazing display of fish. We stayed here for about a hour and then realized that the day was drawing to an end. Manny drove us back to the pier, and we finished our day around 4:30.

I would absolutely recommend Edventures to anyone wanting to know what to do in Calica. They offer other tours as well, so check them out when deciding on a shore excursion.

CHEF’S TABLE NEXT

[myangel]

My friend and I were on this cruise as well! We "left" our husbands and adult children home!! Had a really good time, nice and relaxing!! I am so looking forward to your review on the "Chef's Table"! We are going on a family cruise on December 5th on the Legend, and am trying to decide about the Chef's Table, like price, etc. :)

[Mystkl1]

The Chef’s Table was set up for the evening that we departed Calica. Even though we had experienced a full day, nothing can compare to what we experienced that evening! We received our official “invitations” via our room steward the night before and were asked to call a number to confirm. We did and received a visit from the chef himself at our table at dinner during the formal night. He introduced himself to us, and asked about any food preferences/allergies. We assured him that we were happy to try anything.

After arriving back on board from our shore excursion, we grabbed quick showers, and I must admit, napped for about 30 minutes. We were to meet Chef Bahal in the Empress lobby at 6:25. We arrived on time and soon were matched up with our dinner mates. Ultimately, it wound up with only 4 couples or 8 people in our group. The maximum is 12. While that was wonderful for us, I felt bad that people had signed up and backed out, possibly depriving others of the opportunity to participate. Knowing this now, if the activity is fully booked, I would ask to be put on a waiting list if possible.

Chef Bahal led us on a tour of the galley that is like no other. Not only were we supplied with champagne, but we were also given several canapés that were not even a part of the 7 courses. We were allowed to ask whatever questions we had and received detailed information on budgets, order amounts, and staff training. From there, we were given the ultimate information….how to make a Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. One of our group was allowed to do the beating/mixing while all of us were given the recipe.

From there, we watched as the early dining orders were filled. Waiters were bustling in and out and we just stood there in awe watching the inner mechanisms of a well oiled machine.

We were taken to our own private dining room that was set up in the library. The sign outside the door indicated that it was a private party. Placecards were at each place setting and I was amazed to see that my left handed husband was actually seated on the end. I don’t know if that was the luck of the draw, or if the chef was that observant on the night we spoke with him. We also received personalized menus describing the courses and menu items rolled up scroll-like in ribbon.

What followed was absolutely amazing! I’m sure the menu can be found on line, so I choose not to disclose everything in this report and ruin the surprise. Just let it be said that this was one of the finest dining experiences that I have ever had! The service was amazing, the wine was flowing, and the chef was so proud of his creations! With each course, he gave a very detailed description of what was being served and the flavor pairing of sauces, seasonings, and side dishes. There were seven courses in all –with the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake as just a small portion of the Grand Finale. The chef also surprises everyone with a gift that is sure to be well received.

The cost is $75 per person and I consider it money well spent. I would do this again and again and again.

NEXT COZUMEL