opgirl Posted August 2, 2005 #1 Share Posted August 2, 2005 We sailed the Elation on 7/24 and returned on the 31st. Had a great time! It was our first cruise so we only knew what to expect from these boards. The tips given were great and saved us not only frustration but money! The ship's staff is amazing...they were friendly and attentive and you truly were made to feel like a VIP. The food was much better than we had hoped for (except for the Lobster DH was not impressed) and the chocolate desserts were pretty great...although some were less than impressive. We found if you went with your waiters suggestions you could not go wrong! I am a vegetarian and so found eating in the main dining area much nicer than Tiffanys (not so veggie friendly-other than pizza). We enjoyed Tiffanys as you could sit outside and eat (on two different occassions we saw schools of dolphins playing) but the food was no where as good in our opinion. The ports- Well Progresso was just alright. We chose not to book with the ship as we were going to go to the beach and while the ship charged $35 per person for the beach break, you could walk down to the same beach for free. Now I think their break included lunch and drinks - we just bought our own and spent a total of $10 for the time we were there. Lots of people on the beach trying to sell things but they are polite and we just kept saying no and they left us alone. This is the only ship in to this port and you can tell these people need the money....so we were nice about it. In Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. Heard so much about it and due to the hurrican the week before there was not too much else to do. My DH was not thrilled with the idea of spending our whole day there but was a good sport. In the end he probably enjoyed it most of all! We got there early and got chairs in the front row closest to the ocean. I was happy about this as we have a 5 yr old and this way she could walk to the water and I could watch her from my chair. A couple of hours later a group of 14 came and they were set up in front of us with lounge chairs and umbrellas which was a bit disappointing so I would recommend getting as close to the beach as possible if you want first position! Still the staff were great, the food and drinks good and there was no one trying to sell stuff. SH bought the bracelet for $8 dollars and went snorkeling...saw lots of stuff! He was thrilled!!! Last stop was Belize and this was our favorite. We booked privately through Coral Breeze and did their snorkeling trip. I can not say enough how fantastic these people were and how this exercursion made our trip even more perfect!!! It was less expensive than the ships, you got to snorkel at the barrier reef and with stingrays and sharks, got to go to an island for lunch and then had time to take golf carts around the island, go to the beach or whatever. You were then taken back to Belize City where you had time to shop. What made this trip so special was not only the beauty of Belize but the tour guides themselves. I had briefly mentioned in an email that we would be there on my DH's birthday which they noted and wished him a happy birthday upon our arrival....but the guides were so knowledgeable! Not just about fish and coral but on the history of the country and spent a great deal of time answering our questions on life in Belize, it's history, problems, and positives. So many people were afraid to book privately but it is unfounded. I checked the state department web site and there were no warnings, talked to the staff in Belize they did say there was quite a bit of crime in Belize City but outside of that you were fine. You do not see the real Belize City as you are in a protected area and once on the Cayes the people could not be any friendlier ... it was picture postcard perfect. Go and use them-learn something and meet the real people! Some of our dinner companions went through the ship and were frustrated as they were taken straight from the boat to the snorkeling site and then straight back to the boat. They were crowded (were we only had 20 on our tour), we went to an extra place to snorkel, got to explore a Caye, talk to locals and shop. Also had a traditional Belize lunch included! We chose to use Coral Breeze from reviews on this board I would recommend you too consider using them! We are already planning to go back and take all of their other tours! The last two sea days were okay. We are all fair skinned and got a bit burned with the three port days back to back. And much of the fun stuff is on the lido deck which does not have many shaded areas so we had to miss out on a few activities that looked a lot of fun. But still it was a great trip! Oh and one last thing I will say....we had originally planned on booking an inside cabin as everyone says you don't spend much time in your room. Well by the time we booked all they had left was OV on the Riveria. I have to say I am glad we got an OV!!! With our 5 yr old she needed some down time and wanted to play a bit in the room so we would go back to the room about an hour and half before dinner and she would play and we still got to watch the sea. It was so relaxing and we were so happy to have that window. We would never do an inside room now. But if you are the type who plans on staying out the whole time it would not be an issue. If anyone has any questions DH and I are happy to answer! Kathleen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themom Posted August 2, 2005 #2 Share Posted August 2, 2005 :) So glad you had a great time thanks for the review and the ports of call. We sail on 09/11/05 and I have not been on the Elation before. This will be my first with ocean view as I have always had a balcony and due enjoy watching the sea. Dreaming of cruising and cruising to make my dreams come true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiemom Posted August 2, 2005 #3 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Did your daughter use Camp Carnival??? Did she like it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opgirl Posted August 2, 2005 Author #4 Share Posted August 2, 2005 My daughter was all excited about Camp Carnival at first but then lost interest. I don't know whether it was because she had Mom and Dad's attention all day or if she just didn't enjoy it. She usually loves things like that. We did ask her but she never gave a clear answer. I did see some parents having to literally pull their kids away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sablerose Posted August 2, 2005 #5 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Thank you for the great review!!! Just gets me even more excited! You've painted a wonderful picture, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof4boys Posted August 2, 2005 #6 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Sablerose...I bet you and DH are coutning the days, no make that hours, until he returns. You will have a wonderful time on the Elation!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricktsm Posted August 3, 2005 #7 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Great review..Glad you had a good time..I just wanted to second the praise of Coral Breeze...we loved them and will use them again when we return! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planomom Posted August 3, 2005 #8 Share Posted August 3, 2005 opgirl: Thank you so much for your informative account of your recent cruise on the Elation. We are booked for October 2. tricktsm: What tours do you recommend from Coral Breezes? We went with an independent tour operator named Oscar Brown when we were in Costa Rica last spring, and were extremely pleased. We are believers! Thank you. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricktsm Posted August 3, 2005 #9 Share Posted August 3, 2005 We went on the shark/stingray snorkel..we also went back to caye calker for lunch. You can see pictures of the caye and our boat on my Elations pictures link. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaT12 Posted August 3, 2005 #10 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Thanks for the review -- we are leaving on the Elation on Aug. 14th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof4boys Posted August 3, 2005 #11 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Lisa--We envy you. We loved the ELation! Have fun.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herewecome Posted August 4, 2005 #12 Share Posted August 4, 2005 We sailed the Elation in June. We tried to get our DD ages 9 & 11 interested in Camp Carnival activities. They absolutely hated it!!! The first and only activity they went to was the Coketail Party and since they were 5 mins. late, they had missed the "coke" part of it (they drank the cokes first and you didn't get one if you missed the time that they were served). Then, they had dancing. My girls are not super outgoing and usually have to "warm" up to things. The counselors told them that since they weren't dancing, they had to go in the middle and dance in front of everyone. How humiliating for them! It made we wonder if these counselor's have any training in child development at all. They did not want to go to anything after that. They said it was kind of wild and the counselor's didn't have much control. We didn't mind because it was a family trip and we had some quality time together. But, I have to say it was a huge disappointment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof4boys Posted August 4, 2005 #13 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Wow! My 12 year old son would not do the camp thing and we assumed it was because he was with the 12-14 year olds and they seemed to emphasize the boy/girl dance thing. He also went to the first night meeeting but would not go back. He is quiet also. :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiemom Posted August 4, 2005 #14 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Herewecome You need to write to the Cruiseline and let them know what the counselors did to your girls. That is ridiculous and I would be extremely upset if they did this to my child! :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snugbug Posted August 4, 2005 #15 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Thanks for the great review! We're cruising on the Elation this Sunday, 8/7 and it will be a first time cruise for us! It will myself, DH, and two sons... ages 11 and 12. I'm trying to learn as much as possible over the next couple of days... on top of packing! We're hiring a local (recommended by a friend) in Cozumel for a day of snorkeling, boating, and to do one of those mini-dives (non certified). In Belize we've booked with Reggies for the cave tubing. We're open in Progreso ...probably the ruins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opgirl Posted August 4, 2005 Author #16 Share Posted August 4, 2005 It is interesting that all of our children were unhappy with Camp Carnival. My daughter is a bit shy in the beginning as well. Shame really. Still we were happy to have time as a family as well. Tricktsm let me know what you think of the Conquest....heard mixed things...we were actually torn between Elation and Conquest originally. We are looking to book our next cruise for next year and trying to decide between Carnival or another line....any thoughts anyone? Just want to know what else there is...enjoyed Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missjean Posted August 4, 2005 #17 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Thanks for this wonderful review. There are six of us going on the Elation on the 21st, so we're excited! I don't have any excursions booked, but plan to do the Coral Breeze snorkel tour that you all did. It sounds so much more fun than the one from the ship. One question... how deep is the water out there? Can you stand in it? Just wondering... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricktsm Posted August 5, 2005 #18 Share Posted August 5, 2005 When we were swiming with the sharks and stingrays we could not stand. However when we went to the barrier reef there were some places you could stand in the sand..just could not hit the coral..but our guides were great to show us. One piece of advice I could share is to take at least 2 underwater cameras. We had two, I let one of my daughters use one and I used the other..we swam with the sharks and stingrays first..we were soooo excited about seeing them that we both used up all but about 3 of our picturs...so when we got to the reef with the beautiful fish I ran out...I promise if someone had a underwater camera for me to buy..I would have easily given 20.00 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live_2_cruise05 Posted August 5, 2005 #19 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Hey Glad you had a great time! The Elation is a wonderful ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricktsm Posted August 5, 2005 #20 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Hello Sablerose...I am sure you are excited on your countdown to seeing your husband. Congrats on your Honeymoon cruise! Our first cruise was our belated honeymoon cruise also..My husband was coming home from Korea..Had been there a yr...I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach I felt going to the airport to pick him up. Just wanted to warn you..we brought home a souvenir from our cruise on the Celebration..Our second daughter ;) Just wanted to let you know your family is in our prayers! Thank your husband for his dedication for us and have a wonderful cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwmimi Posted August 5, 2005 #21 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Snugbug, we are going the same week as you, so I've packed most of our house:) One more day 'til we leave for Galveston!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egsmom2002 Posted August 5, 2005 #22 Share Posted August 5, 2005 We went on Elation back in May.It was myself,DH, & our 3 year old daughter.It was our first cruise.We absolutely loved it! My daughter LOVED Camp Carnival, she hated to leave when it was time for us to pick her up. We saw the ruins at Progreso, hung out at Playa Azul when in Cozumel & also went to Caye Caulker with Coral Breeze.They were an excellent guide service.We enjoyed seeing things the way the locals live.It was a very interesting experience. Good luck on your trips! We are already planning to try & go again next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opgirl Posted August 5, 2005 Author #23 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Miss Jean I had the opposite experience with water depths than did Trickstm. We could not stand in the water around the coral reef but could with the sharks and stingray. Will second the advice to take at least 2 cameras as we had used up the one we had in the coral and had none left for stingrays! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4TX Posted August 7, 2005 #24 Share Posted August 7, 2005 Miss Jean I had the opposite experience with water depths than did Trickstm. We could not stand in the water around the coral reef but could with the sharks and stingray. Will second the advice to take at least 2 cameras as we had used up the one we had in the coral and had none left for stingrays! OP Girl, We were on the same tour I guess as we also sailed Elation. My wife and son who is 8. We had a good time and also got burned...I am still peeling as we speak....We really enjoyed belize also, the sharks and rays were awesome..... we also had one rough night at sea, from cozumel to belize..didnt get sick but it did cross my mind a couple of times... since Jorge was leaving for vacation, who fills in for cruise director? Just wondering if a whole new crew was coming in or what.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriscoLady Posted August 7, 2005 #25 Share Posted August 7, 2005 Hi everyone! I just found this site, what a wealth of information!! My family is booked on Elation 9/4 and I would love to use Coral Breeze for our Belize excursion. Does anyone have contact info for them? This will be the first cruise experience for my kiddos (12, 13 & 16), any advice? ldr4girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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