The ELATION - Our Review & Open to Questions

[CM1984]

 

Hello All, 

 

We cruised on the Elation 4/23-4/28/2022.  We had read so much on social media and CC, the positive and the negatives and I was a bit concerned.  So you will see here that we enjoyed our experience very much.  I am posting my review here as well as the Review section.  Why here?  In case anyone has a question about the cruise…..  and here we go:

 

PRIOR to CRUISE:  We stayed the night before at the Crowne Plaza Airport, which provided parking for 7 days within the total cost.  $5.00 for each day thereafter.  They do NOT have shuttle service to the cruise port, only to the airport.  We used Super Shuttle.  The cruise port website has transportation information of taxis and shuttle services that they recommend, one phone number for each.  I saw that after I had booked the shuttle, but it worked out great.

 

EMBARKATION:  Very easy - we booked a Jr Suite and with that, we could Check-in online 2 days prior to Balcony and below cabins.  We selected the 10:00-10:30 arrival for check-in, and got to the terminal at 9:50.  We were guided in, through the rope course in record time.  We checked in easily, provided our passports and showed our VERIFLY app.  She simply looked to see that the app showed green, info confirmed, and sent us on our way to wait to board. (They scanned our passports and their system uploaded our picture and that is used instead of taking a pic, but hubbys didn’t work, so got one taken on the ship.). Our Sail and Sign cards were not given to us then, they said the cards would be at our cabin door. (If you don’t have the VERIFLY, it surely is a good idea – it made our process so much easier and faster)

We sat and waited for about 15 minutes, they announced that once we board, the cabins would be ready.  This early is probably because the Elation had docked the day before, moving from Port Canaveral, so they had time to get our cabins ready.

Note:  Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level.

 

SPECIAL NOTE:  We found out the ship was at approximately 54% capacity, which meant no long lines, plenty of deck chairs, etc.  

 

THE CABIN:  Verandah Deck 11, V9 - Jr Suite, Starboard side.  This is about the same size as a balcony cabin on other ships.  The balcony is wide enough for two chairs, but not deep, you have to walk sideways to get to sit!  Deck below us was a walking deck, so we could not look down directly at the water.  No biggie.  The Bridge is one deck down and extends to the edge of ship.

 

The cabin had all we needed, two nice size closets, one set of tall shelves, an extended dressing table & drawers with stool, sofa and chair, hairdryer (lower wattage and speed), frig, Flat screen TV, and bath with shower.  The bed!  We asked for ours to be king, which as most know, they push the twins together.  BUT warning - they do not have a mat or eggshell mat to put on top, so the twins have a tendency to slide a bit apart, which means you might end up in the little gully in the center!  As you will see, this review is mostly positive, however, my cruise friends, I do believe Carnival can afford to provide 2-ply toilet paper over 1-ply! 

Climate control was outstanding, easy to use thermostat and the unit worked great!

Our cabin steward Marco was wonderful and a fun guy!  Upon arrival, he asked if we would like cabin service in the morning or evening, we chose morning.  And of course, the towel animals were there each day.

 

LAUNDRY SERVICE:  I read on Carnival’s website that they have laundry service and a laundromat.  Laundry service is a cost per item, ironing at a cost as well.  They also have a wash and fold service of $15.00 a bag, I had read from different posts that the bags are small and can only fit a small amount in there.  NOT SO!  The paper bag size is 14 X 3 X 21 and held the following rolled clothes:  2 pair of slacks, 4 T-shirts, 2 pair shorts, 5 pair underwear, 2 pair of socks.   We used the service twice and results were great.  You can save the money by packing more OR you can spend the money and pack less! (Also, the wash and fold option was not on the form in the cabin, I went to Guest Services and asked.  It took a bit for the employee to get a yes for me but he did)

 

FOOD:  We have been on a few cruises and are at the point in our lives not to anticipate the very best of the best or worst, but just go with the flow.  Cruise lines we have been on always use huge plates, bowls and sometimes the app, entree or dessert will fit on a saucer or dessert plate, but presentation is 50%, yes? Carnival allows you to order as many of anything you want that is part of the standard offering.  (Priced entrees, I.e. filet mignon or lobster do have a $20.00 surcharge). We enjoyed the MDR very much, again, it’s all in what you anticipate.  Service was outstanding!  We had one formal evening (or whatever they call it) on the first Sea Day.  It was a bit upscale, but did not offer lobster, that did surprise us.

 

BUFFET:  Ate lunch once and breakfast once.  Breakfast even had eggs Benedict. - wonderful and Omelets cooked to order, delish.

 

GUY’S BURGERS:  Outstanding!  Gotta try, you will get hooked and the line moves right along, I never knew 80/20 burgers could be so tasty!

 

PIZZA:  Just did not get around to it, but wish we had.

 

ROOM SERVICE:  We only ordered the free Continental Breakfast from the Room Service card.  It was very good and they brought as much as you wanted to order.  Once done with room service they ask you to place the tray outside room.

 

We did not get the Bubbles or Cheers package, not cost effective for us since we don’t drink that much.  Cheers is 15 drinks a day, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

 

PORTS:  Nassau & Princess Cay - been there, done that so we decided to stay on the ship.  We did not see any excursions that interested us this time, but there were many to consider.

 

ENTERTAINMENT:  There was plenty of entertainment, lots of fun to be had.  Pool deck had lots of fun going on every day, don’t miss it.  It was definitely a happy place.  Our favorite of favorites was at the Atrium bar, listening to Electric Waves, an outstanding violin duo, Hermes & Jola!  They had the place rocking and mellowing and sometimes singing along!  They took requests, as well.  From rock, to classical, to country and on and on.  And they have two CD’s.

 

SHOPPING:  I can safely say that they have the usual shopping venues.

 

WiFi:  We did not purchase, friends did, but it was so spotty that they got full refunds (if you went to Guest Services)

 

DISEMBARKATION:  The instructions were left in cabin night before; we had an option of walking off with luggage (not us) or tagging luggage with group # and leaving outside the cabin by midnight (us).  We only had to show our Sail and Sign card when leaving the ship and walked down down down again to the terminal.  Except hubby got stopped and since I had the Passports, a port employee escorted him down.  We were required to go to another line and talk to Customs.  Since hubby bought some jewelry, they wanted to have a chat.  The Customs Agent was professional and friendly, asked him some questions about the jewelry and sent us on our merry way.  Did not ask to see jewelry or receipts, I guess since it was purchased on board.  You want to get through that long line, buy some jewelry! 

 

The passenger parking lot was right at the dock, no walking across the street, I don’t know if there was a cost.  Taxi service was readily available as soon as we left the terminal.  Very little walking involved.

 

Would we cruise on the Elation again?  Absolutely!

 

I hope this answers some questions you might have!

 

Mimi W

Virginia

 

[Frank12]

Thanks for your opinion.  We've had several good cruises on her!

[Alexintheboro]

You said that you boarded on the 7th Deck?  I remember having to board on Deck 3 because the old Jetways at Jaxport were built for the Holiday Class Ships.

[CM1984]

3 minutes ago, Alexintheboro said:

You said that you boarded on the 7th Deck?  I remember having to board on Deck 3 because the old Jetways at Jaxport were built for the Holiday Class Ships.

We sure did, it was at the Atrium bar…(Deck 7)

[elklemi]

What was the cost for the shuttle to and from port?

[Essiesmom]

If you spend over your customs allowance, the ship notifies CBP.  If your husband’s overage was jewelry, and it was EFFY, it is not dutiable because it is actually made in the US.  But sometimes the duty on the overage items is not worth the time the paperwork takes.  EM

Edited May 3, 2022 by Essiesmom

[CM1984]

2 hours ago, elklemi said:

What was the cost for the shuttle to and from port?

 

It was $40 plus tip, a bit high for sure!  It was recommended by hotel, so that is what we did, but it was just the two of us in a luxury SUV 😍  AND it was only one way!  We grabbed a Taxi when we got off the ship, $30.00 plus tip back to hotel.

[CM1984]

49 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

If you spend over your customs allowance, the ship notifies CBP.  If your husband’s overage was jewelry, and it was EFFY, it is not dutiable because it is actually made in the US.  But sometimes the duty on the overage items is not worth the time the paperwork takes.  EM

 

Thanks, yes, EFFY, we did NO paperwork, just a chat with Customs.  (I was surprised)

[love2rvcamp]

When you said "Note:  Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level."

 

Wanted to ask, I am cruising end of May with my 78 year old mother who has some mobility challenges.  She can walk, uses a walker some time but gets out of breath very easily.  I have been considering requesting a wheelchair but she is adamant that she will be able to walk onto the ship.  Your thoughts?

[Essiesmom]

22 minutes ago, love2rvcamp said:

When you said "Note:  Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level."

 

Wanted to ask, I am cruising end of May with my 78 year old mother who has some mobility challenges.  She can walk, uses a walker some time but gets out of breath very easily.  I have been considering requesting a wheelchair but she is adamant that she will be able to walk onto the ship.  Your thoughts?

The ramp is not that steep.  It is wide enough that she could stop to catch her breath.  It’s a switch back, with landings where the turns are.  EM

[CruiseAdict218]

Glad you had a good overall experience, had a grand time on her back in December. Very beautifully decorated.

[CM1984]

19 hours ago, love2rvcamp said:

When you said "Note:  Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level."

 

Wanted to ask, I am cruising end of May with my 78 year old mother who has some mobility challenges.  She can walk, uses a walker some time but gets out of breath very easily.  I have been considering requesting a wheelchair but she is adamant that she will be able to walk onto the ship.  Your thoughts?

Well, @Essiesmom is correct, it’s not that steep and it’s switchbacks, BUT it’s a lot of walking. My DH, only 73 does have COPD, not severe, but he said he wasn’t  sure he could go too much longer.  If nothing else, get the wheelchair and push it empty.  Good luck!

[Bostwick girl]

Your experience at the Jax terminal was certainly a lot different from ours on April 9! That one was a total cluster …! We had just done the March 26 sailing, but were in a Vista Suite (due to change from Ecstacy to Spirit) and other than the line we were in not knowing much about Verifly, took awhile to check all the documentation. After that we went to the suite area and boarded shortly after that. We had a late departure of 8:30 pm because of the time of low tide.  Our arrival time was 1-1:30, and we received several emails telling us about the late departure.  Unfortunately the April 9 was late debarking for some reason (we found out later it was due to tides again, but received nothing this time). Couldn’t get a porter to help with luggage so I carried it all myself (DH is on mobility scooter so not much help). At least this time the Verifly worked ok. Because of the late debark, the terminal filled up quickly, no place to go, no place to sit!  We waited probably 45 minutes before clearance was given and boarding started.  Debarkation wasn’t a whole lot better, but that will be improving soon as they will be getting the facial recognition by June we heard.  Yes the parking is very close and yes, it’s $17 per day I think. No more Jacksonville departures for us although we live an hour away! 
 

we did Elation about 3 years ago, but won’t again unless we get a suite with a sofa! Too old to sit on the bed!

 

 

 

[EngIceDave]

But were you Elated?

[CM1984]

@Bostwick girl…wow, what a difference.  After your experience I would feel the same, BUT…. Good luck with your future cruises.  

[w&k]

On 5/4/2022 at 8:10 PM, love2rvcamp said:

When you said "Note:  Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level."

 

Wanted to ask, I am cruising end of May with my 78 year old mother who has some mobility challenges.  She can walk, uses a walker some time but gets out of breath very easily.  I have been considering requesting a wheelchair but she is adamant that she will be able to walk onto the ship.  Your thoughts?

love2rvcamp, your mom will ABSOLUTELY NOT be able to get up that ramp.  Contact special services for wheelchair assistance.  Trust me on this one. Been there, done that.

 

[Jamman54]

On 5/4/2022 at 8:10 PM, love2rvcamp said:

When you said "Note:  Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level."

 

Wanted to ask, I am cruising end of May with my 78 year old mother who has some mobility challenges.  She can walk, uses a walker some time but gets out of breath very easily.  I have been considering requesting a wheelchair but she is adamant that she will be able to walk onto the ship.  Your thoughts?

 

Here's a picture of that ramp. No way should your mother walk that! 

 

[Megan_Strick]

On 5/2/2022 at 5:23 PM, CM1984 said:

 

Hello All, 

 

We cruised on the Elation 4/23-4/28/2022.  We had read so much on social media and CC, the positive and the negatives and I was a bit concerned.  So you will see here that we enjoyed our experience very much.  I am posting my review here as well as the Review section.  Why here?  In case anyone has a question about the cruise…..  and here we go:

 

PRIOR to CRUISE:  We stayed the night before at the Crowne Plaza Airport, which provided parking for 7 days within the total cost.  $5.00 for each day thereafter.  They do NOT have shuttle service to the cruise port, only to the airport.  We used Super Shuttle.  The cruise port website has transportation information of taxis and shuttle services that they recommend, one phone number for each.  I saw that after I had booked the shuttle, but it worked out great.

 

EMBARKATION:  Very easy - we booked a Jr Suite and with that, we could Check-in online 2 days prior to Balcony and below cabins.  We selected the 10:00-10:30 arrival for check-in, and got to the terminal at 9:50.  We were guided in, through the rope course in record time.  We checked in easily, provided our passports and showed our VERIFLY app.  She simply looked to see that the app showed green, info confirmed, and sent us on our way to wait to board. (They scanned our passports and their system uploaded our picture and that is used instead of taking a pic, but hubbys didn’t work, so got one taken on the ship.). Our Sail and Sign cards were not given to us then, they said the cards would be at our cabin door. (If you don’t have the VERIFLY, it surely is a good idea – it made our process so much easier and faster)

We sat and waited for about 15 minutes, they announced that once we board, the cabins would be ready.  This early is probably because the Elation had docked the day before, moving from Port Canaveral, so they had time to get our cabins ready.

Note:  Boarding was on Deck 7 at the Atrium, which meant it was a VERY long walk up the ramp from ground level.

 

SPECIAL NOTE:  We found out the ship was at approximately 54% capacity, which meant no long lines, plenty of deck chairs, etc.  

 

THE CABIN:  Verandah Deck 11, V9 - Jr Suite, Starboard side.  This is about the same size as a balcony cabin on other ships.  The balcony is wide enough for two chairs, but not deep, you have to walk sideways to get to sit!  Deck below us was a walking deck, so we could not look down directly at the water.  No biggie.  The Bridge is one deck down and extends to the edge of ship.

 

The cabin had all we needed, two nice size closets, one set of tall shelves, an extended dressing table & drawers with stool, sofa and chair, hairdryer (lower wattage and speed), frig, Flat screen TV, and bath with shower.  The bed!  We asked for ours to be king, which as most know, they push the twins together.  BUT warning - they do not have a mat or eggshell mat to put on top, so the twins have a tendency to slide a bit apart, which means you might end up in the little gully in the center!  As you will see, this review is mostly positive, however, my cruise friends, I do believe Carnival can afford to provide 2-ply toilet paper over 1-ply! 

Climate control was outstanding, easy to use thermostat and the unit worked great!

Our cabin steward Marco was wonderful and a fun guy!  Upon arrival, he asked if we would like cabin service in the morning or evening, we chose morning.  And of course, the towel animals were there each day.

 

LAUNDRY SERVICE:  I read on Carnival’s website that they have laundry service and a laundromat.  Laundry service is a cost per item, ironing at a cost as well.  They also have a wash and fold service of $15.00 a bag, I had read from different posts that the bags are small and can only fit a small amount in there.  NOT SO!  The paper bag size is 14 X 3 X 21 and held the following rolled clothes:  2 pair of slacks, 4 T-shirts, 2 pair shorts, 5 pair underwear, 2 pair of socks.   We used the service twice and results were great.  You can save the money by packing more OR you can spend the money and pack less! (Also, the wash and fold option was not on the form in the cabin, I went to Guest Services and asked.  It took a bit for the employee to get a yes for me but he did)

 

FOOD:  We have been on a few cruises and are at the point in our lives not to anticipate the very best of the best or worst, but just go with the flow.  Cruise lines we have been on always use huge plates, bowls and sometimes the app, entree or dessert will fit on a saucer or dessert plate, but presentation is 50%, yes? Carnival allows you to order as many of anything you want that is part of the standard offering.  (Priced entrees, I.e. filet mignon or lobster do have a $20.00 surcharge). We enjoyed the MDR very much, again, it’s all in what you anticipate.  Service was outstanding!  We had one formal evening (or whatever they call it) on the first Sea Day.  It was a bit upscale, but did not offer lobster, that did surprise us.

 

BUFFET:  Ate lunch once and breakfast once.  Breakfast even had eggs Benedict. - wonderful and Omelets cooked to order, delish.

 

GUY’S BURGERS:  Outstanding!  Gotta try, you will get hooked and the line moves right along, I never knew 80/20 burgers could be so tasty!

 

PIZZA:  Just did not get around to it, but wish we had.

 

ROOM SERVICE:  We only ordered the free Continental Breakfast from the Room Service card.  It was very good and they brought as much as you wanted to order.  Once done with room service they ask you to place the tray outside room.

 

We did not get the Bubbles or Cheers package, not cost effective for us since we don’t drink that much.  Cheers is 15 drinks a day, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

 

PORTS:  Nassau & Princess Cay - been there, done that so we decided to stay on the ship.  We did not see any excursions that interested us this time, but there were many to consider.

 

ENTERTAINMENT:  There was plenty of entertainment, lots of fun to be had.  Pool deck had lots of fun going on every day, don’t miss it.  It was definitely a happy place.  Our favorite of favorites was at the Atrium bar, listening to Electric Waves, an outstanding violin duo, Hermes & Jola!  They had the place rocking and mellowing and sometimes singing along!  They took requests, as well.  From rock, to classical, to country and on and on.  And they have two CD’s.

 

SHOPPING:  I can safely say that they have the usual shopping venues.

 

WiFi:  We did not purchase, friends did, but it was so spotty that they got full refunds (if you went to Guest Services)

 

DISEMBARKATION:  The instructions were left in cabin night before; we had an option of walking off with luggage (not us) or tagging luggage with group # and leaving outside the cabin by midnight (us).  We only had to show our Sail and Sign card when leaving the ship and walked down down down again to the terminal.  Except hubby got stopped and since I had the Passports, a port employee escorted him down.  We were required to go to another line and talk to Customs.  Since hubby bought some jewelry, they wanted to have a chat.  The Customs Agent was professional and friendly, asked him some questions about the jewelry and sent us on our merry way.  Did not ask to see jewelry or receipts, I guess since it was purchased on board.  You want to get through that long line, buy some jewelry! 

 

The passenger parking lot was right at the dock, no walking across the street, I don’t know if there was a cost.  Taxi service was readily available as soon as we left the terminal.  Very little walking involved.

 

Would we cruise on the Elation again?  Absolutely!

 

I hope this answers some questions you might have!

 

Mimi W

Virginia

 

Thank you! I'm doing the same route in Sept

[CM1984]

22 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Here's a picture of that ramp. No way should your mother walk that! 

 

GOOD FOR YOU!

[Silent Penguin]

I enjoyed your report and especially appreciated your details about wash and fold service.  My daughter and I were just on the Elation a couple weeks ago, and if I had known this information, I would have gladly spent the extra money (only $8.00 more than doing it myself) for wash and fold instead of doing my own laundry.  We packed light, so all our dirty clothes did in fact fit into the bag you described.    Did your clothes smell especially perfumed or scented, lightly scented, or not scented or all?  

[jetsfan58]

Always one of my family's most favorite Carnival ships. We are partial to the Carnival Pride because they actually started the Carnival Life Long Cruise Journey for the family. 

 

Regardless of what some might say this ship is very good for its age. I would highly recommend her for any upcoming Carnival voyage!!  

[mz-s]

57 minutes ago, Silent Penguin said:

I enjoyed your report and especially appreciated your details about wash and fold service.  My daughter and I were just on the Elation a couple weeks ago, and if I had known this information, I would have gladly spent the extra money (only $8.00 more than doing it myself) for wash and fold instead of doing my own laundry.  We packed light, so all our dirty clothes did in fact fit into the bag you described.    Did your clothes smell especially perfumed or scented, lightly scented, or not scented or all?  

 

They do not use any scent in the laundry.

[love2rvcamp]

We just got back from our cruise on the Elation and yes we got her a wheel chair as she would have NEVER been able to walk it.  Thanks everyone for that confirmation on getting her one.  She protested and the helpers there told her she really would need that assistance.  

[CM1984]

4 hours ago, Silent Penguin said:

I enjoyed your report and especially appreciated your details about wash and fold service.  My daughter and I were just on the Elation a couple weeks ago, and if I had known this information, I would have gladly spent the extra money (only $8.00 more than doing it myself) for wash and fold instead of doing my own laundry.  We packed light, so all our dirty clothes did in fact fit into the bag you described.    Did your clothes smell especially perfumed or scented, lightly scented, or not scented or all?  

It was a great service, and  the laundry smelled nice and fresh, no perfumes.

[CM1984]

43 minutes ago, love2rvcamp said:

We just got back from our cruise on the Elation and yes we got her a wheel chair as she would have NEVER been able to walk it.  Thanks everyone for that confirmation on getting her one.  She protested and the helpers there told her she really would need that assistance.  

MOM’S….sometimes us kids just have to step past their decisions and do what’s best, just like you did…..I hope you had a great time.