Elation 1/15/11-1/20/11

[suezyq50]

I was on the same cruise. I really like how the Elation has most bars in one central area. The night we went to the piano bar, it was standing room only. We really enjoyed it. The last night, there is a farewell party. Drinks are free. It is held in the Cole Porter Club. If you like sushi, it is offered at, non other but the "Sushi Bar", right around the corner of the photo gallery. It is tucked in a corner. They serve from 5-8 or 9. They have three varieties each night. We would have some before dinner.

At Progresso, Carnival offers a free shuttle into town, through autoprogress. We didn't venture out far at all. We did take a tour that was described as we were bussed in. We took the Maderia town tour, $25. We went to a government building, cathedral, fountain square, and of course "main street". The tour guide shared info. Also offered was a ruins tour at $29. There might be more last minute options, but we didn't get off the ship until 10:30, so that's all that was offered with the time we had.

In Cozumel, we went to Paradise Beach. It is really nice. We went parasailing, $55 for 10-12 minutes. Just loved it.

Edited January 24, 2011 by suezyq50

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Progreso

 

We woke up in the night to a strange fishy smell in our cabin. It got worse as the night went on. We called guest services & they said it was seaweed that had washed in & it was all over the ship. Some excursions like the Corona Beach Party were cancelled due to the seaweed in Progreso.

 

I had been to Progreso once before a couple of years ago with my daughter & we went to the Reef Resort through Carnival. (That was the only excursion I have ever booked through Carnival but I had never been to Progreso & it was just my daughter & myself.) The Reef Resort is an all-inclusive & had a gorgeous pool area but the beach was not so wonderful. We had a good day there though.

 

We had absolutely perfect weather in Progreso! There is some shopping & a couple of bars (more on that later) as you get off the ship.

Auto Progreso provides free shuttles to go down the 5 mile pier into Progreso. There were plenty of buses & it did not take long.

 

My DH & I planned to take the double decker bus that is $3 & then hang out at the beach that is on the left at the end of the pier & spend the day sunning, jet-skiing, getting massages & having some great Mexican food & drinks but the seaweed smell there was HORRIBLE!

 

We went over to get on the double decker bus to take a short trip around town & the man there told us about a relatively new beach resort place that is geared towards cruise ship passengers & is only about 10 minutes away. He said $15 each for transportation to & from there & the use of the facilities.

 

I was skeptical of going somewhere I had not researched 1st but he said the seaweed was not as bad there & he showed us pics of the place & it looked nice. We talked him down to $15 each for the double decker bus & the beach resort. He had a vanload ready to go so we decided to do the double decker bus when we got back. We were not sure he would even be around when we got back but life is a gamble!

 

The driver took us to Silcer Beach Club. It is also a marina. We were impressed. For the $15 each we paid we got roundtrip transportation with vans leaving every 30 minutes, nice beach chairs, pool, VERY clean nice restrooms & showers, & the use of ocean kayaks.

 

They had an all-inclusive liquor package for $25 each or food & liquor for $35. We did not plan to stay that long so we just paid as we went. We saw one family that was really getting their monies worth though! Beer was $3 each. We also ordered chips & salsa that was very good. The salsa had lime in it giving it a different flavor. The service was EXCELLENT. The family that did the AI had a waiter almost at their beck & call.

 

The beach was nice (it is not Barbados nice but much nicer than at the Reef or what we saw of the beach close to the pier. We had a view of the ship from the beach & the seaweed smell was barely noticeable.

 

My DH & I took a long walk down the beach & met some really nice people that were wintering in Progreso in condos. We watched some locals out fishing & pulling their cart with their catch down the beach. It was really very quaint & not crowded at all! If you like to collect shells we saw TONS of beautiful shells on the beach while we were walking.

 

Massages were available & there was only one vendor there selling his wares & he only approached us once!

 

The man that talked us into going to Silcer Beach Club, Cristobal Figueroa (he said everybody calls him Cris) showed up to make sure we were having a good time. I told him I wanted to post about the Silcer Beach Club on CC when I got back so he gave me a card. If anyone is interested his e-mail is criss.tours@live.com or his website is www.crisstours.webs.com

 

We ended up staying longer than we meant to at the beach & when we got back the double decker buses were through running for the day so Cris showed up & gave us our $3 each back. Again, I was very impressed!

 

I didn't know if he would (we just went on the Victory cruise in October where we went to gorgeous beaches) but my DH really liked Progreso. I'll have to use the word quaint again to describe Progreso & the people there are so friendly.

[Rena921]

Thanks for your review! We will be on the Elation in 13 days - can't wait:D

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Progreso

 

Luckily this shuttle filled up & we got on a brand new shuttle!

 

 

 

The Cruise Terminal

 

 

Silcer Beach Club

 

 

 

 

The water was a little chilly but some people swam!

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

More Progreso

 

The Beach with the cruiseship in the background

 

 

 

 

 

Kayaking was included!

 

 

 

I had never kayaked. It was fun!

 

 

 

The chips & salsa were good!

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

We had a great time at the Silcer Beach Club.

We got back on the shuttle to head back to the ship. We looked through a few of the shops & stopped by the little bar on the left right before you get to the ship (sorry but I forgot the name of it). It is a happening place with our fellow cruisers grabbing a last drink before they boarded the ship. There was plenty of music & some pretty wild dancing. The waiter there was full of personality & was dancing on top of the bar & making things interesting. It was a lot of fun!

I think beer or tequila shots were $3 each.

 

Here is one of the pics I can post from there! lol!

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

I was on the same cruise. I really like how the Elation has most bars in one central area. The night we went to the piano bar, it was standing room only. We really enjoyed it. The last night, there is a farewell party. Drinks are free. It is held in the Cole Porter Club. If you like sushi, it is offered at, non other but the "Sushi Bar", right around the corner of the photo gallery. It is tucked in a corner. They serve from 5-8 or 9. They have three varieties each night. We would have some before dinner.

At Progresso, Carnival offers a free shuttle into town, through autoprogress. We didn't venture out far at all. We did take a tour that was described as we were bussed in. We took the Maderia town tour, $25. We went to a government building, cathedral, fountain square, and of course "main street". The tour guide shared info. Also offered was a ruins tour at $29. There might be more last minute options, but we didn't get off the ship until 10:30, so that's all that was offered with the time we had.

In Cozumel, we went to Paradise Beach. It is really nice. We went parasailing, $55 for 10-12 minutes. Just loved it.

 

 

Sorry we didn't meet. We should have gone to the Piano Bar the night you went. We meant to go back but we always run out of time to do all the things we want to do!

[cruzngma]

Enjoying your review... Silcer Beach Club might work for us. I have been tossing ideas around for Progreso, would really like to go to Chichen Itza but not sure we will have the money for it. (not really sure I want to get up and off the boat by 7am either!) We just booked last week, this past Friday our refrigerator decided it wasn't going to freeze anymore, so unless we are able to get it working again we will be crusing on a very limited budget.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Hey Cool Breeze Cruiser,

Thanks for the review. Can't wait to hear about Progreso. This has never been one of our stops and we were wondering what we should try to do there.

 

---- We sure miss Opry Mill Mall and the German Roasted Nuts booth!:(

 

Bass Pro has reopened. I think they said the rest of the mall will reopen in 2012. Luckily for us Lebanon got some of the Opry Mills stores at the Outlet Mall.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Enjoying your review... Silcer Beach Club might work for us. I have been tossing ideas around for Progreso, would really like to go to Chichen Itza but not sure we will have the money for it. (not really sure I want to get up and off the boat by 7am either!) We just booked last week, this past Friday our refrigerator decided it wasn't going to freeze anymore, so unless we are able to get it working again we will be crusing on a very limited budget.

 

The people that we talked to that went to Chicken Itza enjoyed it but it makes for a really long day! We just wanted to relax.

The weather this time of year is great for the ruins since it is very warm but not unbearably hot!

Juli

[suezyq50]

The people that we talked to that went to Chicken Itza enjoyed it but it makes for a really long day! We just wanted to relax.

The weather this time of year is great for the ruins since it is very warm but not unbearably hot!

Juli

Some that sat at our table went toChicken Itza. They really liked it. They did get sun burnt. It is a good time of year to go.

[ellemae]

thanks for the great reviews! I am from Jackson, TN and yes i do know where Lebanon is. As a matter of fact i used to go shopping at the outlet stores there all the time.

 

this is my first trip on the elation but this will be my second cruise. i am going with my mom and three aunts in July and i hope they enjoy it as much as i did on my first one.

 

When it gets closer i may email you with questions!!

 

Thanks again for the great info!!!

[CMOTO]

We too have stayed at the same Hotel in Saraland, it was great and your absolutly right about the staff, the drop off and the pick up, they were wonderful and it was nice to just walk out the door get in the van and be wisked away and not have to worry about the traffic. I would stay there again!!!!

Great review!!!!

[ouachita]

We were on the same cruise with Cool Breeze Cruiser as well as staying at the Microtel and I can, without reservation, confirm CBC's review of both.

 

Our group of 9 was favorably impressed with the Microtel and it's staff. The rooms were somewhat smallish but very clean and comfortable with a microwave, fridge, and WiFi. There is a internet station in the lobby for guest to use where I met CBC. The staff was exemplary - in fact, one of our members who has worked in the hospitality industry was very complimentary of the staff's friendly professionalism. Special kudos to Amanda (who is expecting by the way). Our shuttle driver, Mark, not only had coffee for those who wanted it but took the time to bring a shawl that one of our ladies had left in the shuttle up into the port building.

 

Embarkation was a smooth process for us with no problems or undue waits.

 

Once on the ship we had lunch in Tiffany's and at 1:30 were in our room and settling in.

 

I can't add much more to CBC's assessment of the ship other than to say that our group voted the Atrium bar as the best on the ship - no doubt that the drinks were full strength there. :)

 

In Progreso we accidently found "Pablo" the American expat tour guide you may have read about. It would actually be more accurate to say that Pablo's business associate, Pedro, found us. We were going to take the $3 Progreso city bus tour when one of our party was approached by Pedro who offered to take us on a tour to see the flamingos, ruins, and beach for $15/person. We were ready to take him up on the tour and when we found out that Pablo was the guide the deal was cinched. Excellent tour with a very knowledgable and personable guide. On the return leg of the tour we stopped by a small beachside villa owned by a friend of Pablo's and had lunch and drinks. (meal - $7usd, drinks - $3usd/each) The meal and drinks were good. Unfortunately the beach there was covered with seaweed and the pool was a little chilly for us older folks to really enjoy - with the seaweed gone and a warmer pool it would have been a great end to the tour, we just caught it at the wrong time so it was just merely very nice. LOL For those who are interested they did have palapas, kayaks, and beach volleyball available. If you have a chance to take one of Pablo's tours, his personal story is almost as interesting and entertaining as the tour itself.

 

In Cozumel my wife and I went scuba diving on the Carnival excursion (Sand Dollar Sports). It was the first time either of us had scuba dove in the ocean and it was a fantastic experience for us both. The Santa Rosa wall and the reefs are amazing even with the hurricane damage to the reefs. When you are used to freshwater lakes diving in the waters of Cozumel is a revelation. One of our other divers (from a RCL cruise) had just dove Cayman on his cruise and said that the Cozumel dive was better in his opinion. The rest of our party went to an all inclusive beach resort that they arranged on the dock. They came back happy as larks and pleased with their experience. I don't remember all the details of their self arranged excursion but if anyone is interested I will find out.

 

We had the early seating for dinner and our wait staff was great. Our head waiter, Godfrey, had a great sense of humor and kept the ladies going while Bambang kept the drinks and bread filled. Kudos.

 

We took the standard disembarkation and things went smoothly with only one piece of luggage in the wrong pile were it was quickly found. We got out quick enough that we actually threw Microtel's shuttle service a bit off schedule and we had to wait about an extra 20 - 25 minutes for our ride. If that is the worst thing that happens with that many people on a trip then I consider it a success. Even with that minor glitch we were back to our vehicles and on the road before 11.

 

Cool Breeze, I'm sorry if I butted in on your excellent review, I just wanted to add our "amen" to what you had to say.

 

Remember to stand before you flush and turn the lights out 'cause its more romantic!

Edited January 25, 2011 by ouachita
happy fingers mistakes

[ouachita]

The majority of the people on the Elation were from the South. Mostly Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia.

 

We're from lower Arkansas. It was nice to go on a cruise where people spoke proper english without a funny accent.;)

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

We're from lower Arkansas. It was nice to go on a cruise where people spoke proper english without a funny accent.;)

 

It was great meeting you & Christy. Wish we had found time to hang out more. J.R. & I choose to be around positive upbeat people & you fit that bill!

Glad you found Pablo in Progreso. I thought about trying to contact him before the cruise. The seaweed could have put a damper on Progreso but we had a great day there! Gosh it reeked by the pier though!

We went to Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel & had an INCREDIBLE day there. I will post about it tomorrow.

We are in Gatlinburg for a conference. Hard to believe we were enjoying the Caribbean last week & now we are here expecting major snow!

Juli

[cruzelovr]

Great review. Can't wait to hear more. Going on the Elation in just over 3 weeks.

[mattp269]

Hi :

 

I just wanted to say I was on the Carnival Elation for the same cruise on January 15th and just wanted to add a couple of comments.

 

1st , I'm so sorry I didn't get to meet everyone on here that was on board, Juli I live just down the road from you in Murfreesboro, TN.

 

I drove down that Friday and it was great going from snow to no-snow the further you drove south on I-65.

 

I had booked a room via priceline.com and ended up staying at the Holiday Inn Downtown Mobile, I only paid $66 and it was an older high rise hotel, but the room was recently remodeled and was very nice.

 

I parked at the pier in the parking garage ($75), I like being able to get off the ship and into the car quickly when it's time to drive home. I pulled out of the parking garage at 8:26am on Thursday.

 

This was my 17th cruise, my 11th on Carnival, but my 1st on a "Fantasy Class" ship. I would like to say that the cruise was just great. Progreso was a lot of fun and was great to visit, it was like going back in time. The Carnival Pier in Cozumel has so much to do that if you didn't want to you wouldn't have to leave to see anything else in downtown Cozumel.

 

I took my brother, it was his 1st cruise, we had a great time. I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone that has never cruised before or that has cruised many times. The ship is well maintained and the staff is just outstanding! Carnival does an excellent job with this 5 night cruise. :)

 

Matt

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Hi :

 

I just wanted to say I was on the Carnival Elation for the same cruise on January 15th and just wanted to add a couple of comments.

 

1st , I'm so sorry I didn't get to meet everyone on here that was on board, Juli I live just down the road from you in Murfreesboro, TN.

 

I drove down that Friday and it was great going from snow to no-snow the further you drove south on I-65.

 

I had booked a room via priceline.com and ended up staying at the Holiday Inn Downtown Mobile, I only paid $66 and it was an older high rise hotel, but the room was recently remodeled and was very nice.

 

I parked at the pier in the parking garage ($75), I like being able to get off the ship and into the car quickly when it's time to drive home. I pulled out of the parking garage at 8:26am on Thursday.

 

This was my 17th cruise, my 11th on Carnival, but my 1st on a "Fantasy Class" ship. I would like to say that the cruise was just great. Progreso was a lot of fun and was great to visit, it was like going back in time. The Carnival Pier in Cozumel has so much to do that if you didn't want to you wouldn't have to leave to see anything else in downtown Cozumel.

 

I took my brother, it was his 1st cruise, we had a great time. I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone that has never cruised before or that has cruised many times. The ship is well maintained and the staff is just outstanding! Carnival does an excellent job with this 5 night cruise. :)

 

Matt

 

 

Glad you had a good time too. Sorry we didn't get to meet. We should have held a Meet & Greet. We met ouachita at the hotel before the cruise while I was on the hotel computer on CC trying to find out about the propulsion problems from the week before & I recognized mfeenker from his pic on the roll call board & we actually ended up sharing the same dinner table & had a great time.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Cozumel

 

There are so many things to choose from in Cozumel that even though we have been there several times it is hard to decide what to do. We decided to go to Mr. Sanchos because I had researched it for my daughters cruise back in September & she loved it there & actually got engaged while horseback riding on the beach.

 

We got off the ship about 9:30 & caught a cab ($15 one way for up to 4 people) to Mr. Sanchos. We were some of the 1st people there. Mr. Sanchos is nice & the restrooms are clean!

 

You have the option of paying as you go or doing the all-inclusive. We chose the all-inclusive. It is $50 for unlimited food (except lobster) & drinks or $45 if you book online & pay a $5 deposit. It also includes ocean kayaks & snorkeling equipment. There are lockers available for a $10 deposit. The center section at Mr. Sanchos is reserved for all-inclusives & you get a table with an umbrella & lounge chairs. The service was incredible! We had a wonderful waiter, Roman, that made sure we had everything we could possible want. Very friendly staff!

 

We sampled MANY of the frozen drinks (the Dirty Monkey was our favorite), beer & a couple of tequila shots. What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico right?

 

We ordered chips & salsa, guacamole (my DH said it was the best he had ever eaten), chicken nachos, chicken fajitas, coconut shrimp & Caribbean fries. All of it was DELICIOUS! Wish I had some of the fajitas right now!

 

There is so much to do at Mr. Sanchos. There is an infinity pool (kind of small though) & they have just built a nice pool with a swim up bar (it was not really finished yet though but will be nice). They have swings & hammocks. You can rent ATV's, horseback riding, camel rides (yes, I really said camels), para-sailing, banana boats, jet-skis, get massages (a lady sitting next to us raved about how great it was), get henna tattoos, hair braiding, etc.

 

We went para-sailing & it was WONDERFUL! I am scared of heights but I loved it. My DH & I got to go up together & it was one of the highlights of our trip! We paid $55 each for about 15 minutes after we talked them down from $65. The boat ride out was fun too!

 

There is an aquatic park at Mr. Sanchos that is an additional $12 each but has great slides & climbing walls & things. Not sure how to describe it. We didn't do it but it looked like fun. The water was a little chilly though.

 

There is a little craft market as you go into Mr. Sanchos. Definitely bargain. My DH asked about a cap & was told $15, then $12, then as we were leaving the guy asked $8! We found great prices for vanilla & meant to go back & buy some but forgot. There is one shop there that I was really impressed with. The man makes jewelry & trinkets out of coral. What a craftsman! He is very interesting to talk to & not pushy at all. I ended up buying a beautiful coral & freshwater pearl bracelet.

 

To the left of Mr. Sanchos is a long stretch of deserted beach that we took a long walk down. Even though there were a lot of people at Sancho's it did not feel crowded especially in the AI section.

 

There were plenty of cabs lined up waiting to take us back. It was $15 for up to 4 people. be sure to have the right change or most of the cab drivers will tell you they only have pesos for change.

 

What a great day we had at Mr. Sanchos! We definitely got our money's worth! We stayed longer than we meant to & got back to the ship right as the 1st horn was blowing!

 

Juli

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel

 

Great food!!!

 

 

Chips & salsa & guacamole

 

The drink menu (sorry I didn't take one of the food menu, guess you see where my priorities were)

 

 

 

To the right of Mr. Sancho's

 

To the left of Mr. Sanchos

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

More Mr. Sanchos Pics

 

Looks like we have our own private beach!

 

 

Mr. Sanchos

 

 

You can rent horses.

 

 

Swinging the day away!

 

 

The little shop where I bought my coral bracelet

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Parasailing at Mr. Sanchos

 

The boat ride out

 

 

Getting strapped in

 

 

My heart was pounding! Put me on a 1000 pound bucking horse but I am scared of heights!

 

 

Here we go!

 

 

What a view!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parasailing was so much fun! We try to do something different on every cruise. A couple we met on the cruise went too & took pics of us parasailing. I wish I had taken my other camera too so we could have taken pics from the air. It was gorgeous up there!

[cruzngma]

Can't wait for our cruise (16 days)! I had to take my husband out to lunch today at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

 

Parasailing is on my bucketlist, I hope that I can get up enough nerve when we cruise in October.

 

Wonderful review! Thanks again for all the information..

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Can't wait for our cruise (16 days)! I had to take my husband out to lunch today at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

 

Parasailing is on my bucketlist, I hope that I can get up enough nerve when we cruise in October.

 

Wonderful review! Thanks again for all the information..

 

Para-sailing was such a wonderful experience. If I can do it anybody can! I hate heights & could never go ski-diving but the water is under you when you para-sail & the para-sail would float you to the water. At least that is how I rationalized it to convince myself to go up. Once I was up there I never thought about the height. I was to in awe of how amazing it was!

Hope you have a great cruise!

Juli