My LONG Elation Story with pictures and Funtimes - 04/29 to 05/04

[mamiamjo]

10 minutes ago, mlshum said:

Princess Cay – May 2nd

 

 

 

 

My faithful anchor/rope/thruster alarm again woke me up bright and early whether I wanted to be up or not.  This was our first trip to Princess Cay.  I don’t know how we’ve missed it so many times, but I was looking forward to trying it out.  Some of our friends had been there the previous fall and had talked about how good the snorkeling was.  We brought our own snorkel gear and were ready to see what we could see.  I had read that Princess Cay was one of the most missed ports in the Bahamas, but it appeared our weather was beautiful, the sea was glassy and visiting the island wouldn’t be a problem.

 

We got dressed for the beach and went up to Lido.  I realized at that point that the name of the Lido restaurant was Tiffanys.  How cool is that?!?  We’d been having Breakfast at Tiffany’s the last couple of mornings and didn’t even realize it!  (In case you haven't noticed, I'm easily amused by small things.  LOL)

 

 

 

We had used the blue towels in our room the previous day so after we finished breakfast, we stopped by the towel hut and got a couple more towels for the day.  We stopped at the room to collect our snorkel gear and headed out to board the tender.  This day the gangway was on Deck 4.  Again, we walked straight down the stairs and onto the tender.  We really didn’t have to do much waiting in line at all during this cruise.  I guess that is one of the perks to a smaller ship with fewer people.

 

 

On the tender

 

 

 

 

Pulling away from the ship

 

 

Princess Cay is a private “island” on the tip of Eleuthera.  Unlike Half Moon Cay, it is very rocky, and the water tends to be pretty shallow in a lot of places.  We had rented an umbrella and two chairs before the cruise, so we stopped by the “Float Station” to claim our chairs.  This was also the place where you could rent snorkel gear and other things.  There were lots of water items that were available for rent including a Hobie Wave sailboat.  That looked like so much fun, but prior sailing experience was required and unfortunately, we didn’t have that.

 

 

Welcome to Princess Cay!  Why, thank you!  Happy to be here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always love the pictures of the ship anchored out in the water.

 

 

This is where you went to claim chair/umbrellas, clam shells or water related items.  I wish we had a choice of where our loungers were located but basically, we checked in and were shown to two loungers with an umbrella.  I would have liked to have been a little closer to the snorkel area but no matter.  I need to get those extra steps anyway.

 

 

We settled our belongings on our loungers, got out our gear and set off to explore the island.  We first walked down to the right of the area where the tender docks.  There was a rocky point that projected into the water, and we thought it might be a good place to snorkel, but the water was really too shallow.  We saw Lucia and Hannah at that end and stopped to tell them “Hi”.  I didn't get any pictures to the right of the tender dock point.  It was only about ankle deep.

 

 

Lots of loungers

 

 

 

The view from the observation tower

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our spot for the day

 

 

We then walked in the other direction.  There was a playground, some shops, photo opportunities, swimming areas, a picnic area, a lookout tower and a snorkel area.  According to the posted directions, you were to enter to the left of the snorkel pavilion where people were swimming and swim around to the right to the reef.

 

 

Playground

 

 

Snorkel pavilion  

 

 

 

Again, the water was slightly cold and again, we adapted pretty quickly.  We set off to explore the area.  There were lots of rocks near the shore and in the distance was a grassy area.  I was pretty sure I saw a turtle moving out in the grassy area but as I tried to go that direction a lifeguard stopped me and pointed the other direction.  Phooey!  There were fish and it was fun, but I would have appreciated a little more freedom to explore a little further afield.

 

Ron snorkeled and filmed for about 30 minutes and decided to head back to our loungers.  I stayed out for another 20 – 30 minutes enjoying the fish and swimming.  It was truly a beautiful day, and I was having a great time.

 

 

I wanted the Go Pro

 

 

He just kept filming!

 

 

 

Finally, I got it and took his picture

 

 

Lots of the typical Caribbean fish.  I know the Seargent Major.  What are the others called?

 

 

 

This was one of the biggest of this variety I had ever seen.  I tried looking it up online.  It looks like a picture of a Bermuda Chub.  Is that right?  Does anyone know?

 

 

Off in the distance was the beginning of a grassy area where I thought I saw a turtle but, alas, I was turned back by a lifeguard.  Boo!!!

 

 

I finally got out of the water and went back to our chair to dry off a little.  I was tired and hungry.  You know how swimming will do that!  After we rested for a little while it seemed like lunch was a good idea.

 

 

He seems pretty chill.

 

 

Breakfast at Tiffany's 😆 Princess Cay looks wonderful, Great Pics! 🙂

[mlshum]

2 hours ago, shof515 said:

 

Victory is still sailing, it just has a new name.it has been renamed to radiance . Similar to how destiny was renamed to sunshine and triumph was renamed to Sunrise 

Yes, exactly!  I've been on Sunshine and Sunrise but not Radiance yet.....or I guess I WAS on it when it was still Victory.  I think that whole episode of "sunshining ships" was very confusing!

[mlshum]

1 hour ago, mamiamjo said:

Breakfast at Tiffany's 😆 Princess Cay looks wonderful, Great Pics! 🙂

Thanks so much!  I'm easily amused, I guess.  LOL  I wish I were a better photographer but occasionally I get one that I really like!

[WhiteOptima]

3 hours ago, mlshum said:

My favorite itinerary was on Fascination when they sailed from Puerto Rico.  I loved the southern Caribbean route.  Next year we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary with a trip to Alaska on Spirit.

Best cruise ever!  When you are on the bigger boats you don’t always want to get off as there is more to do and places to eat but the Fascination and the itinerary was perfect to get us to many great ports.

[mlshum]

16 minutes ago, WhiteOptima said:

Best cruise ever!  When you are on the bigger boats you don’t always want to get off as there is more to do and places to eat but the Fascination and the itinerary was perfect to get us to many great ports.

I would do that one again in a heartbeat!  It makes me sad that Carnival doesn’t sail from Puerto Rico any longer.  I will probably do that one again on another line at some point.  I’d also love to do the ABC islands at some point.  I’ve been reading @Saint Greg’s recent review of that.

 

i’m one of those weird people who will get off the ship regardless.  If we’re in port, I’m getting off.  Even on Celebration last Thanksgiving when I got so sick, I managed to walk into the port area very briefly.  It was made slightly better by the fact we were doing that same itinerary in Sept.

 

Next year we are doing our bucket list cruise to Alaska.  It reminds me a little of the southern Caribbean itinerary in that there are 5 ports in 7 days.  That will be awesome!

[mlshum]

We walked up to the buffet area.  There were four buffet lines.  Like I said earlier, I’ve never been to Princess Cay before.  I assumed that all the buffet lines would be the same.  We joined the shortest line, which was Line 4.

 

 

This is the buffet area.  

 

 

 

 

A great view from the picnic area

 

 

Here's the menu

 

When we reached the serving area, we realized that this line was only for sides and desserts.  What??  You had to go to one of the middle lines to get a hamburger or hot dog.  That’s kind of weird but whatever, I guess.  We got our sides, and I sat down at to keep our seats at a picnic table since there wasn’t much available seating at the time.  Ron went back to one of the middle lines to get our burgers.  That was when the war began.

 

 

As you can see, the lines were numbered but no explanation given.  Grrr......

 

 

There were flies.  Lots and lots of flies.  I was trying to keep them off our food.  Waving them away wasn’t enough because there were too many.  I finally covered our food with napkins AND continued to wave them away as much as possible.  It was so frustrating!  I hate flies, especially when they’re trying to land on what I’m trying to eat.

 

Ron finally made it back with our burgers.  He had accomplished it surprisingly fast, but our sides had unfortunately pretty much reached room temperature by then.  We tried to eat as quickly as possible because of the flies.  I usually enjoy a picnic lunch but not this time.  I don’t know if it’s always like this but if I’m at this port again I intend to move further away from the picnic area to try to find a place with fewer flies.  No matter, we were fed and that is what mattered.

 

 

As you can see, we survived the invasion of flies.

 

 

We went back to our loungers, and I decided that we needed a Diet Pepsi.  I remembered that on Half Moon Cay the Sign and Sail cards could not be used at the island bars.  I would need cash.  I got some cash and headed to the bar.  When I got there, I was told that they don’t accept cash, only Sign and Sail cards.  You’re kidding, right?!?  I walked back to our loungers, got our cards, walked back to the bar and FINALLY managed to get a Diet Pepsi.  Seems like a lot of work for that, doesn’t it?  On the way back, I noticed this...

 

 

Oops!  I kind of missed that little detail.

 

 

The day was beautiful, and the temperature was perfect.  We stayed on the beach reading and just enjoying the beautiful day for another hour or so.  I had thought I might get back in the water but the mood sort of left me and we decided to head back to the ship.  It was about 2pm by that point.  The last tender would depart the island at 3:15. On our way to the tender we stopped in a gift shop and bought a Princess Cay magnet.  The tender was full but not crowded and both the boarding, trip and unloading happened quickly.  We were back in our cabin in no time.

 

 

This is where you go to board the tender.  No lines!

 

 

Boarding the tender

 

 

There was an elephant waiting for us

 

 

We spend some time on deck reading before getting changed for dinner

 

 

 

 

I put my "duck of the day" in a corner to watch to see if anyone would get it.  This one had to be in a Ziplock bag because the band holding its little card had broken.  As lady came by and picked it up.  She grinned and seemed happy.  She took it with her.  That, in turn, made ME smile!

 

 

Since it was well into the afternoon, we decided to go ahead and get ready for dinner.  We did this at a pretty relaxed pace as there was no reason to hurry.  When we were ready, we wandered around listening to music for a while before dinner.

 

 

 

 

Lunch is over but I'll try to get back later to put up the rest of that day.

 

[BallFour4]

Great review!

 

The Elation was one of the Fantasy class ships based here in Galveston for a while. She did seven day runs and later moved over to the 5-5-4 rotation the Breeze has now.
 
In 2005, post serious damage to Cozumel our Thanksgiving week cruise went to Veracruz as a substitute. The city turned out like it was a holiday. With a late departure they sang to us as we left port.

 My wife and I are fortunate enough to have been on everything from the original Mardi Gras to the Icon of the Seas for forty-one (I think) cruises. Fantasy class ships have all had amazing food, friendly crew, the "at sea" feel with a bit of movement and enough wood and brass to make the Queen Mary jealous.

 We took a sixteen year run with Carnival exclusive and returned to the Quantum of the Seas for Alaska last summer, then seized a deal on the Icon for this past March.

We watch the Jubilee sail when we bike ride, and perhaps later this summer it will fit around chemo. Cancer protocols change vacations...

 Here are a few of the Fantasy class images that I call favorites.

 

See you at sea!

 

Edited May 14 by BallFour4

[Frank12]

6 hours ago, mlshum said:

  Next year we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary with a trip to Alaska on Spirit.

Happy 40th!  Out of our 40 cruises the two best ones were Alaska...and Alaska! Can't wait to go again.  We loved the Spirit. Great ship.

[heffy2]

31 minutes ago, BallFour4 said:

Great review!

 

The Elation was one of the Fantasy class ships based here in Galveston for a while. She did seven day runs and later moved over to the 5-5-4 rotation the Breeze has now.
 
In 2005, post serious damage to Cozumel our Thanksgiving week cruise went to Veracruz as a substitute. The city turned out like it was a holiday. With a late departure they sang to us as we left port.

 My wife and I are fortunate enough to have been on everything from the original Mardi Gras to the Icon of the Seas for forty-one (I think) cruises. Fantasy class ships have all had amazing food, friendly crew, the "at sea" feel with a bit of movement and enough wood and brass to make the Queen Mary jealous.

 We took a sixteen year run with Carnival exclusive and returned to the Quantum of the Seas for Alaska last summer, then seized a deal on the Icon for this past March.

We watch the Jubilee sail when we bike ride, and perhaps later this summer it will fit around chemo. Cancer protocols change vacations...

 Here are a few of the Fantasy class images that I call favorites.

 

See you at sea!

 

Thank you so much for sharing these WONDERFUL pictures! Even though they're old, and tiny, I love the Fantasy Class ships.

[mlshum]

48 minutes ago, BallFour4 said:

Great review!

 

The Elation was one of the Fantasy class ships based here in Galveston for a while. She did seven day runs and later moved over to the 5-5-4 rotation the Breeze has now.
 
In 2005, post serious damage to Cozumel our Thanksgiving week cruise went to Veracruz as a substitute. The city turned out like it was a holiday. With a late departure they sang to us as we left port.

 My wife and I are fortunate enough to have been on everything from the original Mardi Gras to the Icon of the Seas for forty-one (I think) cruises. Fantasy class ships have all had amazing food, friendly crew, the "at sea" feel with a bit of movement and enough wood and brass to make the Queen Mary jealous.

 We took a sixteen year run with Carnival exclusive and returned to the Quantum of the Seas for Alaska last summer, then seized a deal on the Icon for this past March.

We watch the Jubilee sail when we bike ride, and perhaps later this summer it will fit around chemo. Cancer protocols change vacations...

 Here are a few of the Fantasy class images that I call favorites.

 

See you at sea!

 

What fantastic pictures!  Thanks so much for sharing them!  I remember of couple of those, especially the Rolls, from my times on some those ships.  I saw the Rolls again this past Thanksgiving on Celebration.  We were scheduled for the third sailing of the Jubilee but when it was delayed, we had to switch to Celebration.  I still hope to get to Galveston at some point. 

 

You've had such an amazing run and I appreciate your telling us about it!    Also, thanks so much for reading along and for your kind words.

 

[mlshum]

28 minutes ago, Frank12 said:

Happy 40th!  Out of our 40 cruises the two best ones were Alaska...and Alaska! Can't wait to go again.  We loved the Spirit. Great ship.

Thank you so much!  We're really looking forward to it.  We've had an idyllic marriage for the past almost 40 years.  I am so blessed.  We started so young....we didn't know how young we were!  I was only 18 when we got married.  Ron was 21.  I turned 18, graduated high school and got married in three consecutive weekends.  My dad was a basket case.  LOL  I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but it has worked for us!

[TrqoisWtrs]

22 hours ago, mlshum said:

Ron continued to be lucky and saw a huge barracuda!

Glad to see another of your reviews!   

 

Your comment brought back a memory when I was snorkeling in front of the El Presidente Hotel in Coz.  I had just been drifting along and all of a sudden a barracuda swam up from under me and bit the head off the fish that had been swimming in front of me!  WOW.  Talk about a shock...couldn't backswim fast enough lol!  Luckily he was only interested in the fish, and I watched the back half of the body drift down to the bottom leaving swirls of red behind...tried to get pics, but that was back in the day of the cheap disposable water cameras, so didn't really get any good ones.  But I still remember...got out of the water pretty quick cause I wasn't quite sure if anything else would be attracted to the blood in the water.😜

 

You should try to use fins, they help a lot when the water is more rough.  You can get little travel ones which are great for space saving in luggage and they work just as well as full size ones.😊  

[mlshum]

1 minute ago, TrqoisWtrs said:

Glad to see another of your reviews!   

 

Your comment brought back a memory when I was snorkeling in front of the El Presidente Hotel in Coz.  I had just been drifting along and all of a sudden a barracuda swam up from under me and bit the head off the fish that had been swimming in front of me!  WOW.  Talk about a shock...couldn't backswim fast enough lol!  Luckily he was only interested in the fish, and I watched the back half of the body drift down to the bottom leaving swirls of red behind...tried to get pics, but that was back in the day of the cheap disposable water cameras, so didn't really get any good ones.  But I still remember...got out of the water pretty quick cause I wasn't quite sure if anything else would be attracted to the blood in the water.😜

 

You should try to use fins, they help a lot when the water is more rough.  You can get little travel ones which are great for space saving in luggage and they work just as well as full size ones.😊  

Thanks so much for taking the time to read along again!  I really appreciate it!

 

I would have been absolutely terrified!!  It's a wonder you ever went back into the water!  I've seen a couple of barracudas, not as big as the one Ron saw, but I've never seen a shark.  I both want to and don't want to see one.  I'm pretty sure I would need to get out of the water ASAP, but it would certainly be an experience.  Liz insists that she'll never swim with sharks for an excursion.  I keep telling her that we probably already have and just didn't realize it.  LOL

 

I am going to try the fins in Sept.  I have tried them before but I they just feel clunky to me.  I think I may be bending my foot or something in a weird way.  I am going to watch some videos on YouTube before then and see if I can figure it out any better.  It's strange, when I went scuba diving, I wore them with no problem but somehow, I haven't liked them when snorkeling.

[mlshum]

The dining room was still pretty quick but alas, showtime was a little earlier than previous nights and we would up being there for the performance.  I guess it's OK.  We ate dessert.  One night in five isn't bad at all.  This night would be a conga line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both had a garden salad for an appetizer.  I had chicken parm and Ron had pepper steak for an entrée.  I had chocolate ice cream, and he had a banana split for dessert.  It was all very tasty, as it has been all week.  Way to go, Elation!

 

Epic Rock was playing in the Mikado theatre at 7:30.  I had seen it several times, but I always enjoy it.  I think it’s one of my favorite Playlist shows.

 

 

I don't think I remember this guitar decoration from before.

 

 

I definitely remember the speaker screen from before.

 

 

 

After Epic Rock, we didn’t yet have enough music, so we went in search of whatever else was available.  We first stopped to hear Kenny J.  He was pretty good.  He was a soloist with an acoustic guitar.  I didn't get a picture of him.  We listened to him for a while and then wandered up to the Drama Bar to catch a little of Music Manila.  They had been playing all week, but we had missed them until this point.

 

 

We'll get a better seat for the next show!

 

The Drama Bar is basically the bar immediately beside the casino and basically a wide spot in the hall.  A small stage is positioned on the side in front of a window.  There were quite a few people already listening to these guys and we quickly discovered why.  They are really good!

 

Music Manila is a group of four guys.  There is a lead guitar, bass guitar, piano and drums.  They play 70’s and 80’s music.  It appears that they've been performing on Carnival ships for many years.  I think what made them so much fun is that THEY were having a ball performing.  It’s always fun to watch people who enjoy what they are doing!  We watched them for quite a while and decided to head for bed.  We were tired.  Tomorrow would be our very last day.  Ugh!  Time goes by so quickly on a cruise!

 

[Frank12]

25 minutes ago, mlshum said:

The dining room was still pretty quick but alas, showtime was a little earlier than previous nights and we would up being there for the performance.  I guess it's OK.  We ate dessert.  One night in five isn't bad at all.  This night would be a conga line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both had a garden salad for an appetizer.  I had chicken parm and Ron had pepper steak for an entrée.  I had chocolate ice cream, and he had a banana split for dessert.  It was all very tasty, as it has been all week.  Way to go, Elation!

 

Epic Rock was playing in the Mikado theatre at 7:30.  I had seen it several times, but I always enjoy it.  I think it’s one of my favorite Playlist shows.

 

 

I don't think I remember this guitar decoration from before.

 

 

I definitely remember the speaker screen from before.

 

 

 

After Epic Rock, we didn’t yet have enough music, so we went in search of whatever else was available.  We first stopped to hear Kenny J.  He was pretty good.  He was a soloist with an acoustic guitar.  I didn't get a picture of him.  We listened to him for a while and then wandered up to the Drama Bar to catch a little of Music Manila.  They had been playing all week, but we had missed them until this point.

 

 

We'll get a better seat for the next show!

 

The Drama Bar is basically the bar immediately beside the casino and basically a wide spot in the hall.  A small stage is positioned on the side in front of a window.  There were quite a few people already listening to these guys and we quickly discovered why.  They are really good!

 

Music Manila is a group of four guys.  There is a lead guitar, bass guitar, piano and drums.  They play 70’s and 80’s music.  It appears that they've been performing on Carnival ships for many years.  I think what made them so much fun is that THEY were having a ball performing.  It’s always fun to watch people who enjoy what they are doing!  We watched them for quite a while and decided to head for bed.  We were tired.  Tomorrow would be our very last day.  Ugh!  Time goes by so quickly on a cruise!

 

Music Manilla sounds fun.  I hope someone like that is on her in December!

[mlshum]

12 minutes ago, Frank12 said:

Music Manilla sounds fun.  I hope someone like that is on her in December!

They were!  We don’t usually stay for an entire set but this time we stayed through two sets.  One of them said their contract on Elation was through July.

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

12 hours ago, mlshum said:

The dining room was still pretty quick but alas, showtime was a little earlier than previous nights and we would up being there for the performance.  I guess it's OK.  We ate dessert.  One night in five isn't bad at all.  This night would be a conga line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both had a garden salad for an appetizer.  I had chicken parm and Ron had pepper steak for an entrée.  I had chocolate ice cream, and he had a banana split for dessert.  It was all very tasty, as it has been all week.  Way to go, Elation!

 

Epic Rock was playing in the Mikado theatre at 7:30.  I had seen it several times, but I always enjoy it.  I think it’s one of my favorite Playlist shows.

 

 

I don't think I remember this guitar decoration from before.

 

 

I definitely remember the speaker screen from before.

 

 

 

After Epic Rock, we didn’t yet have enough music, so we went in search of whatever else was available.  We first stopped to hear Kenny J.  He was pretty good.  He was a soloist with an acoustic guitar.  I didn't get a picture of him.  We listened to him for a while and then wandered up to the Drama Bar to catch a little of Music Manila.  They had been playing all week, but we had missed them until this point.

 

 

We'll get a better seat for the next show!

 

The Drama Bar is basically the bar immediately beside the casino and basically a wide spot in the hall.  A small stage is positioned on the side in front of a window.  There were quite a few people already listening to these guys and we quickly discovered why.  They are really good!

 

Music Manila is a group of four guys.  There is a lead guitar, bass guitar, piano and drums.  They play 70’s and 80’s music.  It appears that they've been performing on Carnival ships for many years.  I think what made them so much fun is that THEY were having a ball performing.  It’s always fun to watch people who enjoy what they are doing!  We watched them for quite a while and decided to head for bed.  We were tired.  Tomorrow would be our very last day.  Ugh!  Time goes by so quickly on a cruise!

 

I have to agree that Music Manilla was one of the better cruise bands that we have saw in several cruises!  Those guys wer certainly entertaining and put on a good show.

[mlshum]

Just now, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

I have to agree that Music Manilla was one of the better cruise bands that we have saw in several cruises!  Those guys wer certainly entertaining and put on a good show.

Yes!  They were having a ball!  Albert came through the crowd introducing himself (in the next installment) and inviting people to join their Facebook group, so we did.  Some of their pictures and videos go back almost 20 years on various ships.  They’ve been doing the Carnival circuit for a long time!

[Jamman54]

Continuing to enjoy your review! FYI, Half Moon Cay is just like Princess Cay in that you use your Sail & Sign card for purchases. There are only a couple of vendor stalls in the Plaza that take cash. It's always been like that. 

[mlshum]

18 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Continuing to enjoy your review! FYI, Half Moon Cay is just like Princess Cay in that you use your Sail & Sign card for purchases. There are only a couple of vendor stalls in the Plaza that take cash. It's always been like that. 

Thank you!  That's very odd.  The last time we were there with Liz and Aaron on Sunrise, we had gone to get a Diet Pepsi (and whatever they wanted) and were told they would only accept cash, so we make the trek back across the sand to get cash.  Luckily Ron had some left over in his back pack from some other venture.  Maybe it was just that one bar or they were having difficulty with a computer or something.  I don't know.  I had thought they would accept the card like it had been in the past but not that time.  

 

Thanks for weighing in on that.  You've definitely been there more than me and would certainly know better than me!!

[mlshum]

Just now, mlshum said:

Thank you!  That's very odd.  The last time we were there with Liz and Aaron on Sunrise, we had gone to get a Diet Pepsi (and whatever they wanted) and were told they would only accept cash, so we make the trek back across the sand to get cash.  Luckily Ron had some left over in his back pack from some other venture.  Maybe it was just that one bar or they were having difficulty with a computer or something.  I don't know.  I had thought they would accept the card like it had been in the past but not that time.  

 

Thanks for weighing in on that.  You've definitely been there more than me and would certainly know better than me!!

And maybe I'm misremembering.  Who knows?!?  It's been a while!  🙃

[mlshum]

Sea Day – May 3rd

 

 

 

As inevitably happens every single time, we had arrived at our last day on the ship.  It goes by so quickly!  We slept in a little because our anchor alarm didn’t wake us at “0 dark early” like it had the previous two mornings.  We didn’t have any real plan for the day except relaxing and enjoying our last vacation day before returning to work.

 

Today was Towel Animal Takeover.  There weren't any of the really large creations that I've seen on some of the other ships.  I think Magic had the best one with the huge dog and doghouse. This was the display for Elation....

 

 

 

I like the googly eyes!

 

This was from Magic in 2022...

 

 

 

First order of business was Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  After breakfast we caught a morning trivia game in the Romeo and Juliet Lounge.  The first game was all about superheroes.  I knew before I sat down that I wouldn’t do well on this one.  The second game was Harry Potter.  I know a little more about that subject but definitely not as much a many of the people in the room….and there were a lot of people in the room!  We didn’t win, of course, but, as always, enjoyed playing.   The line for the Deal or No Deal Bingo cards was forming right outside the door, so I got in line to collect our Bingo card.  I’m not a big fan of Bingo but if the card is “free”, I’m going to play it! 

 

 

Best days ever......nothing but water.

 

 

By the time I got through the line it was close to lunch time.  I still hadn’t managed to get my pizza, so we went up to the buffet.  Ron preferred a Guy’s Burger, and I ordered my pizza.  It took about 10 minutes to get my pizza so that was perfectly acceptable.  We found a table and settled in for our last lunch.  We finished it all off with a piece of key lime pie.  That was the best dessert I’ve had all week!  Tummies full (too full in my case!) we opted to take a quick nap.  Naps are a luxury we don’t have very often!

 

We got back to the cabin to find our "Get Off Our Ship Heart" that is there on every last Sea Day.

 

 

 

When we woke up from our nap it was almost time for Bingo.  As usual, there were three games.  The first two were normal games and the last one was the $5000 game.  In order to win the $5000 you had to cover the entire card within 49 calls.  Although the winner didn’t quite make it, she was pretty close, maybe 52 calls? and she won $1100.  I needed only one number at the end of 49 calls and that was about as close as I have ever come to winning Bingo.  I didn't get any Bingo pics, unfortunately.  I need to do better at channeling my inner "Patti" @Jamman54 to get ALL of the pictures.  That girl doesn't miss a thing!

 

 

As we headed back up to the Lido deck Ron mentioned that we had yet to play mini golf.  Mini golf on ships is very hit/miss.  Sometimes the weather is cooperating, and you can play mostly normally.  Other times the wind is howling, and it is virtually impossible to play.  Fortunately, it was a nice day and we had fun playing a round, which he won OF COURSE because he always wins.  (Major eye roll)  

 

 

 

Often, we will do a long weekend somewhere with our sons and daughter-in-law, just to get everyone together for a couple of days.  I miss them!  Ben and Katherine moved to Nashville last year so it's a long drive to see them now.  Andrew, our oldest, is back in Princeton temporarily as he decides where he wants to go next.  His job allows him to work remotely so he can live anywhere, which is nice.  When the five of us are together, we play vicious, killer mini golf. Our other favorite family activity is escape rooms.  We turn into a very competitive bunch! I don't win often at golf.  I still have a picture on my phone of the score card from the one game I won while on a kayaking trip in KY. 

 

 

This was taken in January when we took a weekend to visit Ben and Katherine.  We, of course, found an escape room.  This is something like number 56.  There is only one time in 56 that we haven't gotten out in time.  It was in that dark room that we realized we all wear glasses and none of us can see in the dark.  LOL  Not a bad track record!

 

Anyway....back to the Elation cruise!

 

The golf course on Elation looked new.  It was only open certain times of the day, and the clubs and balls were kept locked during the off times.  It's a very nice course!

 

 

We hadn’t made it out to Serenity during the entire cruise, so we headed that direction to check it out.  Serenity is Deck 8 aft on Elation.  There are several loungers in the sun, a covered area with couches and two hot tubs.  It was pretty busy on this last sea day.  We grabbed one of the couches and spent a delightful hour or so there.  Before too long, it was time to go get ready for our last dinner.

 

 

This is the only picture of Serenity the site is allowing at this time.  I keep getting a "server error".  As you can see, it's at the back of the ship.

 

 

I had made Thank You cards with extra tips for Gede, Gusti and Sadia.  We left Gede’s in the room earlier that day and we took the cards for Gusti and Sadia with us to dinner.  All of these people are so nice.  All of them work so hard.  That extra tip isn’t much but it’s the best way I can think of to say, “Thank you!”

 

 

I'll be back to continue later!

 

[mlshum]

Dinner was jerk pork chops.  We both started with a garden salad again.  I had melting cake for dessert and Ron had Babaloo cake.  I have never seen this offered before.  It’s a pretty, colorful dessert.  He liked it.  I tried it but really wasn’t a fan.  I don’t know if it’s specific to this ship or if it is also on other ships.  On that last day there is usually Baked Alaska on the menu but on this sailing the Babaloo cake seemed to have replaced the Baked Alaska.  Dinner was excellent, as before, and we snuck out before the “Leaving on a Fun Ship” song could start.  That one is always kind of sad, I think.  It means the cruise is over!

 

 

I FINALLY remember to take a food picture!

 

 

Melting cake has pretty much been my favorite since the first cruise.

 

 

This was the Babaloo Cake.  I've never seen it on a menu before on any other ship. 

 

 

The evening was before us, and we decided we wanted to go see Music Manila again.  Ron kept trying different versions of that name…..Manila Ice, Manila Folder, Manila Envelope, Manila Frosting…..enough already!  LOL We wanted to get there pretty early since seating was limited so we took our books with us and settled in for the evening.  There were a surprising number of people already there, so it was good that we went early.

 

 

If you get a chance to see these guys GO!  They're so much fun!

 

They started their set, and they were every bit as good as the night before.  So much fun to watch!   People were in the halls and at the bar dancing.  Everyone that walked through was smiling and most were singing along.  They played their first set, and we enjoyed it so much we waited around for their second set as well.  I can't remember EVER having done that before on any of our cruises.  In the time between the sets, one of the band members named Albert went through the crowd and introduced himself to everyone.  I thought that was really nice.  He invited everyone to join their Facebook group.  Very smart of him!  If we ever cruise with them again we’ll definitely catch their show.

 

We sang along with them until after 10pm.  It was time to go pack.  I didn’t feel that I had left anything undone.  We’d had a great time.  Time to get back to reality.

 

 

I'll be back later this evening to finish this story!

 

[heffy2]

20 hours ago, mlshum said:

The dining room was still pretty quick but alas, showtime was a little earlier than previous nights and we would up being there for the performance.  I guess it's OK.  We ate dessert.  One night in five isn't bad at all.  This night would be a conga line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both had a garden salad for an appetizer.  I had chicken parm and Ron had pepper steak for an entrée.  I had chocolate ice cream, and he had a banana split for dessert.  It was all very tasty, as it has been all week.  Way to go, Elation!

 

Epic Rock was playing in the Mikado theatre at 7:30.  I had seen it several times, but I always enjoy it.  I think it’s one of my favorite Playlist shows.

 

 

I don't think I remember this guitar decoration from before.

 

 

I definitely remember the speaker screen from before.

 

 

 

After Epic Rock, we didn’t yet have enough music, so we went in search of whatever else was available.  We first stopped to hear Kenny J.  He was pretty good.  He was a soloist with an acoustic guitar.  I didn't get a picture of him.  We listened to him for a while and then wandered up to the Drama Bar to catch a little of Music Manila.  They had been playing all week, but we had missed them until this point.

 

 

We'll get a better seat for the next show!

 

The Drama Bar is basically the bar immediately beside the casino and basically a wide spot in the hall.  A small stage is positioned on the side in front of a window.  There were quite a few people already listening to these guys and we quickly discovered why.  They are really good!

 

Music Manila is a group of four guys.  There is a lead guitar, bass guitar, piano and drums.  They play 70’s and 80’s music.  It appears that they've been performing on Carnival ships for many years.  I think what made them so much fun is that THEY were having a ball performing.  It’s always fun to watch people who enjoy what they are doing!  We watched them for quite a while and decided to head for bed.  We were tired.  Tomorrow would be our very last day.  Ugh!  Time goes by so quickly on a cruise!

 

Music Manila is incredible!! They were on ECSTASY's final sailing and it was standing room only at the Casino Bar for the entire 5 nights. I can't wait to see them on another CCL ship.

[mlshum]

57 minutes ago, heffy2 said:

Music Manila is incredible!! They were on ECSTASY's final sailing and it was standing room only at the Casino Bar for the entire 5 nights. I can't wait to see them on another CCL ship.

Yes!  This was the first time we'd seen them.  I hope we see them again at some point in the future!