Elation review January 13-18

[DramaQueen22]

I sailed on the Elation January 13-18, visiting Nassau and Princess Cay.  Thankfully the norovirus outbreak occurred AFTER I left the ship!  Here's a brief review of my experience:

 

I flew into Jacksonville the night before and stayed at the Courtyard on Duval Road.  Great hotel!  They had a free area shuttle that not only picked you up at the airport, but took you to local restaurants or shopping in the area.  This was a great feature!

 

EMBARKATION

 

Arrived at Jaxport just about noon.  Ugh.  The port check in process is chaotic here. Everyone  was in one line, regardless of arrival time appointment.  The line snaked its way into and through the terminal.  We had to stop to have our bags  checked by the dog.  Cool thing there...right after I went through, they tested the dog with a dummy bag.  It was  interesting to see how the dog alerted to the bag.  After going through the rest of the line, you finally reach an agent who checks your documents and sign and sail info.  You finally get to board after that.  That entire process took 45 minutes.  Definitely NOT the streamlined boarding I'm used to through Miami.

 

THE SHIP AND MY CABIN

 

Elation is the smallest ship in the fleet.  Great for a 5 day trip, but anything longer than that would leave you looking for things to do.  Hardly any trivia on this trip.  Punchliner is tiny...you have to line up for a seat before the show or you will be out of luck.  Duke's Piano Bar was my absolute favorite hang out this trip.  Felicia was amazing.  (she's headed to Freedom next!)  Crowded dining rooms, but that doesn't bother me.

 

I originally booked an Inside, but was offered an upgraded ocean view for a small price.  I was in R195, just off the aft elevator bank.  I thought that would make the hallway loud, but with only a few exceptions the cabin was very quiet.  My steward, Lloyd, was great.  Lots of storage and room in the cabin and a great location on the ship.

 

DINING AND BARS

 

I had YTD with a single table.  Most nights the folks around me were nice and we enjoyed good conversations.  Food was very good from the buffet, to Guys, and to MDR.  Service could be a bit slow, but I tended to eat around 6:30 and that seemed to be the busy time.  Alchemy is always my favorite and this ship was not exception to that.  Pizza and sandwiches were available later at night, both were good even if lines were sometimes longer.  I never waited very long.

 

PORTS

 

Nassau is SO MUCH BETTER with the new port complex open.  I chose an excursion to Arawak Cay which was a great beach day.  Princess Cay was lovely and another great relaxing day on the beach.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

The Playlist cast on this ship was PHENOMENAL.  We sailed on the Horizon in September, and this cast was a million times better.  Shows were Heart of Soul and Epic Rock.  Do not miss Epic Rock!  The violin duo were excellent, and the solo guitar player was very good...smooth voice!  I loved Felicia in the Piano Bar, again one of the better performers I've seen in 10+ cruises.

 

Cruise Director Gabe was truly wonderful.  He was everywhere onboard.  His Motown and Farewell parties were so much fun.  This was his last cruise on Elation.  Not sure where he's headed next but if you have a chance to sail with him, do.

 

DEBARKING

 

Elation uses the new digital debark through the Hub.  So easy.  I chose the time I wanted to get off, luggage tags were delivered right to me.  When the number was called, off I went.  No fuss.  Caught a taxi to the airport right from the curb.

 

 

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

We cruised the elation last summer, and did not deal with that line outside the terminal. We went around it, showed our boarding pass to the agent because it was our check in time, we skipped 3/4 of the line, which was outside the building.

[DramaQueen22]

On 1/25/2024 at 4:20 PM, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

We cruised the elation last summer, and did not deal with that line outside the terminal. We went around it, showed our boarding pass to the agent because it was our check in time, we skipped 3/4 of the line, which was outside the building.

This was very unusual to me.  There's typically a line for the arrival time, then an "early/late" line.  None of that the day I embarked.  Maybe it was just that day.  No matter...I still got on!

[ninjacat123]

Thank you for your review!  We were on Elation over Thanksgiving and had a great time.  We experienced some rudeness and inconsiderate behavior from the other passengers which has us thinking we will not be cruising out of Jacksonville again.  Our cruise out of Port Canaveral on Freedom two weeks ago was just the opposite regarding passenger behavior, which was a relief.  I'm glad your experience was  positive one!

[Essiesmom]

I read in a cruise newsletter today that another unnamed cruise line is anxious to sail from JAX.   Would be a larger ship.  Hope it’s not NCL,  it I know their oldest ships can pass under the bridge because they sheltered there at the start of the Covid stoppage.  EM

[shof515]

20 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

I read in a cruise newsletter today that another unnamed cruise line is anxious to sail from JAX.   Would be a larger ship.  Hope it’s not NCL,  it I know their oldest ships can pass under the bridge because they sheltered there at the start of the Covid stoppage.  EM

it is NCL

[Essiesmom]

Darn.  EM

[mlshum]

Thanks for the review!  We’ll be on Elation in April.  I appreciate the info.

[jabbaya]

Thanks for the heads up on NCL.  I'm actually a loyal NCL cruiser and am looking forward to them leaving out of JAX.  Going on Elevation in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to the trip!

[Pellaz]

OP, thanks for the review.  A friend of mine surprised me today when he posted he was boarding Elation for his very first cruise, so it's good to hear a mostly favorable report on her.   Hopefully he'll have a good time.