Elation Review: April 27-May 2

[mary80]

We just got back from our five day cruise aboard the Elation yesterday. This was our 3rd cruise on the Elation, and after the last one, I swore I would never sail on her again. However, some family had already booked and invited us to join them, so we decided to go. When we sailed in 2014, we had a great time, and the crew was wonderful, but the ship was falling apart. Multiple sections of the ship were roped off with caution tape everyday. The serenity deck was closed a lot of the time. Tile was being ripped out, in Tiffany's, holes were cut in walls to access pipe, etc. It was in desperate need of a dry dock, and from what I've read, it did go into dry dock at the end of 2014. I've seen a lot of people comment that they saw no difference after the dry dock. On the surface, nothing looks different. However, there was far less caution tape happening on this cruise. All I ever came across was routine maintenance. So, there are still giant boxes in the corners of the room for life jackets, most rooms still have zenith tube televisions, and cosmetically, she might not be beautiful, but she at least functioned way better than she did in early 2014.

We set sail on Monday, and the weather was HORRIBLE. We arrived at the port maybe around 11:30. Things ran really smoothly until we got to the last line and were told that the weather had caused a problem with the gangway. Apparently, something had "come loose" and needed to be repaired. We were all asked to get out of line and have a seat while it was repaired. It didn't take more than about 30 minutes, and we were back in line to get on the ship. By the time we got on, it was around 12:30, which worked out perfectly, because that was when our room was supposed to be ready. We went to our rooms to put away our carry on bags, and the room was ready as promised. We had an ocean view room, which is what we've had for every cruise, except for our last one on the Dream where we had a cove balcony. I thought that the room might be a huge disappointment after having had a cove, but since we were traveling with another couple, we were out and about all the time anyway, and really could have been fine with an interior.

[mary80]

 

Our room had a king bed and a pull down bunk instead of a couch. I'm not sure how to describe the cleanliness of it. Our steward was excellent and there was nothing that he could have done better. The room was clean on the surface, but the boat is almost 20 years old. If you expect the walls to be shiny and new, and the grout in the bathroom to be bright white, this is not the ship for you. Again, the steward was great, we couldn't have asked for better. The room was perfectly fine for us, but if you want shiny and new, go with a ship that is shiny and new. We had sailed this ship twice previously, and after our last experience, we had very low expectations and were pleasantly surprised that overall, the ship seemed in much better condition and not in a constant state of repair. Also, our steward on our last cruise on the Dream was terrible, so just having such a great steward made up for the aging room.

Edited May 3, 2015 by mary80

[MrsPhoenix91]

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Can't wait to read more :)

[cruiser fanatic]

Like you the last time I sailed the Elation (June 2012), I swore I would never sail that ship again. The cabin was dated and the ship looked worn. I am actually considering the Elation for Halloween and only because it is such a good price. I am happy to hear that things have improved since you sailed her last.

[justusfour2014]

We cruised on Elation right after dry dock. Having previously been on the Fascination, I was very disappointed in this boat. The crew were great but we won't sail on the Elation again.

[mary80]

So, Monday we got lunch on the lido deck. It wasn't Guy's Burgers, but it was good. Then we unpacked, and it seemed like not long after that, it was time for the muster drill. I find it to be so much nicer now that they are indoors and that we don't have to be squeezed onto the decks in the hot Louisiana weather. We had dinner in the MDR that night. We had requested to be seated with my brother -in-law and his girlfriend and we did get a table with them as promised. It was an 8 person table. One other couple showed up nightly, and the other two chairs stayed empty throughout the cruise. The other couple was a lot of fun and we enjoyed eating with them every night. Our wait staff was wonderful. We had Prayudi, Jorge, and Roberto. The food was good every night and service was super fast. We had early dining at 6:00 and were done eating by 7 or a little after every night. The best appetizers I had were the fried alligator fritters and the chicken tenders in thai spices. The entrees were all good, but I didn't love any of them, and the best desserts by far were the bitter and blanc, and the grand marnier souffle. That night, we went to the welcome aboard show. Wally was our cruise director, and he was okay. Not my favorite ever, but not my least favorite either. There was also game show mania, which was fun. Other than that, all that sticks with me from Monday night was the horrible weather. It was mostly while we were still in the Mississippi river, and easily the worst weather we'd ever been through on a cruise. It lasted through the night, and was over by early the next morning. There were lots of sick people walking around, and our wait staff even commented the next night that it even made some of them a little ill. The worst of it did only last that night and a little into the morning, so I hope that it didn't deter anyone from cruising again in the future.

[mary80]

Like you the last time I sailed the Elation (June 2012), I swore I would never sail that ship again. The cabin was dated and the ship looked worn. I am actually considering the Elation for Halloween and only because it is such a good price. I am happy to hear that things have improved since you sailed her last.

 

We only sail out of New Orleans because the port is an hour away from our house. I didn't think I'd sail it again, but I am glad we did one last time before it gets replaced by the Triumph. I've only sailed on 3 different ships, but we had the cruise on the Elation, where it was falling apart, then we went on the Dream, which had all the fancy upgrades. After going back on the Elation, I do have to say that the crew makes up for what the ship lacks in upgrades. I did miss the dive-in movies, and maybe another thing or two, but I'd say go for it if it is a good deal.

[mary80]

Since we didn't do much at either port, I'll wrap the rest of the cruise up in this post. Tuesday was another day at sea. We always found that there were a lot of activities happening on board, seemingly even more that usual. So, we were never bored and stayed pretty busy each day. One of the few things that I was disappointed about was that the shows were the same as they were when we sailed over a year ago. The first show was Win, which was Tuesday night, and the second was Just Rock, which was on Friday night. They were both good, and I did go see both again on this cruise, but it would have been nice to see at least one new show. We also watched the marriage game another night, which was a good laugh as usual. At Cozumel and Progresso, we did get off, but only for about an hour or less, just to get souvenirs at the shops near the pier. We did a lot of the trivias, and went to family feud, and whatever other little game shows there were on board. We didn't gamble or play bingo, or drink much, but the few drinks that I did have were really good. There was a guy who sang and played acoustic guitar each night in the atrium. I think his name was Eugene, and he was very good. We did go to watch karaoke a couple times, but that's just not the same without the best karaoke host ever, Mathias. Overall, we had a great cruise. The best parts were the crew, and that there was so much going on all the time, there was always something to do. Sadly, I am now seriously lacking on vacation for the rest of the year, and won't be able to cruise again until at least January.

[cruiseclues]

Nice review...thanks. :):):):)

[dhrnrcpa]

We were on the same cruise, and that first night was some kind of rough, but it was my understanding that we were out in the gulf when it got really dicey (but I could be mistaken).

 

This was our second cruise (first was last year on the Dream), and had a great time.

 

Just to prove that not everyone gets the same experience (something to always remember when reading reviews), we thought WIN was horrendous. I didn't care for the storyline, the dancing or the singing. I thought a group of junior high kids had taken over the stage. Glad you enjoyed it though.

 

I also did not enjoy the singer in the atrium, but that blues show on Thursday night- wow! Incredible!

[maldenmusic]

We cruised on Elation once since leaving dry dock and I honestly couldn't tell much difference. Will be on Elation again next month for my 6th and probably last time. Once she moves to Florida next April I will not cruise on her again because I use the port of NOLA because it's close enough to drive to.