ELATION Review - 10/31-11/07 - Long, Pt 3

[bh2359]



PORTS: (individually below)

 

PROGRESSO: We arrived here early and were awaked by a noise outside our window. We then saw

a lifeboat being lowered. The crew was having a practice drill. Thanks to these boards, we were

informed beforehand that Progresso was one of the cheapest places to buy things, and those people

were right! What appeared to be handmade maracas at $2.00 per pair for the bigger ones. What about

$5.00 for a woven blanket that really looked nice. We saw tee shirts for $4.00 each. Also, the

Mexican people at this port seemed to be a bit friendlier than at other ports. If you’re going to buy

souvenir type items, buy them here. By the way, we saw those same $5.00 blankets in Cozumel for

$7-$10, and in Tulum for $45.00!

 

COZUMEL: This was our fourth visit to Cozumel so we simply got off and walked around for a

while and got back on the ship. The Elation docked south of town so if you wanted to go into

Cozumel proper, it was a three mile taxi ride (I think it was $5.00 for up to four people). Because

of the emergency problem and the cancellation of Belize, we stayed in Cozumel until 10:00 p.m.ked

next to us was the Sensation, another sister ship. At least, the two looked alike deck to deck. I’m

always amazed when something as large as a ship can dock and undock itself without tugboats etc.

Well, this time we all got a treat as the Sensation left at 6:00 p.m. and we watched as she moved

sideways from the pier about 100 feet out, then turned completely around to leave. As it was getting

dark and she was all lit up, many were on deck with their cameras. It was quite a sight.

 

CALICA: As with Costa Maya, this is a port built by the cruise lines and there is literally nothing

there unless you take an excursion. As a matter of fact, when we asked the local vendors on the pier

if they had any tee shirts that said “Calica” instead of Cancun, they told me that Calica was a town

name the cruise line came up with and that that area was really Cancun. We talked with some people

afterward about this port and they all said they took a bus or taxi ride to Cancun and spent the day

there. We had wanted to go to the Myan ruins at Tulum from Cozumel but it wasn’t offered on this

cruise. When this port was added when Belize was cancelled, Tulum was offered and at a much

lower price as we were then closer to the site. The bus was at the pier when we got off. The tour

started off with a bang, literally. As we were driving along in the bus, we heard a very loud bang and

the floor right under my feet lifted. The bus had blown a tire. It was an inside of a double tire so we

proceeded along and the driver got it fixed while we were in Tulum proper. The drive was about 45

minutes but we stopped on the way at a “special” souvenir” place where nothing was price marked.

Items only had tags with written codes on them. That should’ve been a warning sign. When we asked

about the price for a few items, the prices were extremely high. Don’t bother. They did have toilets

available that were fairly clean considering where we were. The excursion to Tulum was $59.00

from the ship and I did not see any vendors at the pier offering it as there was basically nothing there,

only a few souvenir stands. Once at the entrance to Tulum, we are told it is about a half mile walk

to the ruins but, a trolley was available for $2.00 round trip. Please hear this, buy the trolley ticket!

The ruins are in the open, it is very hot, and the walk over might be okay but after treking through

the place for a few hours, the walk back can be terrible. BUY THE TROLLEY TICKET so you can

smile as you pass the others walking back, sweating and huffing and puffing. The restrooms at the

entrance were primitive but fairly clean. Sometimes, someone is standing at the door expecting a tip.

For what, I don’t know but give him a couple pieces of pocket change and go on. No problem. We

were also told about this on the excursion folder. If you have a video camera, there is a $3.00 extra

charge to use it at Tulum. Still cameras were not charged. There is a lot of walking along the trails

there and the word “trail” might be misleading because you are usually walking on a lot of large

stones in places. Make sure you are wearing good shoes and be prepared. (By the way, you are not

allowed to climb any of the structures as we did in Altan Ha.) The view from the temple overlooking

the Caribbean can not be beat. There is also a small beach at Tulum available to you (no extra

charge). The waves there were kinda high and breaking close in but it was crowded so someone was

having a good time. Your guide will talk talk talk about the history of the Mayan and Tulum. We

asked if we could go about on our own and was told yes, so we did. You don’t have to stay with your

group, only be back on the bus by the time the guide stated. We left two people there because we

waited and waited and after 17 minutes, he said, “Well, you all have to get back to your ship so will

you sign this paper that we did wait”. We did and I don’t know if those two people got back or not.

When you take the return trip by trolley (Buy the ticket for $2.00!), you come back to the entrance

and there are souvenir shops there. The vendors really hassle you if you allow them to. They will also

negotiate a lower price with you if you want to haggle. Be prepared to say no and turn to walk away.

The price suddenly is reduced again! Also, there are several open air places to get a cold drink. Pepsi

in a bottle was $2.00 but it was cold, and worth it. We actually passed Xel Ha on the way to Tulum

so if you also want to go there, there is a longer excursion with both Mayan sites.

 

DEBARKATION: Carnival allows “self assist” which means if you want to take your own baggage

off the ship, you are allowed to get off fairly early. We do this all the time and were the second group

called for immigration check and then departure. We got off very early.

 

It might sound like some of the negatives here are nitpicking and they probably were. I am trying to

compare this ship and cruise against the others we’ve taken and give those going on a first cruise on

the Elation what to expect. I’ve always said “Go with the flow” and make your own fun and we did

just that on this ship as there seemed to be more negative things here than any of our eleven other

cruises. Unfortunately, this was probably our first and last cruise on Carnival. It wasn’t all the

negative things that made up our minds as much as the attitude of much of the crew, especially some

of those at the Purser’s desk. I always thought that post was to help people, not insult them. The final

straw came on the last night when my wife called the Purser’s office to find out what the expected

weather would be in Galveston the following morning so she could dress accordingly. The first

person she talked to said they didn’t know and HUNG UP on her. We called back and got someone

else who told us they wouldn’t know until 4:00 in the morning. My wife said, “What about those

who left their suitcases outside their cabin to be picked up at midnight. How would they be able to

dress accordingly? She was rudely told that the weather was “none of her business but she was

welcome to call back to 4:00 a.m. if she wished”. As I said, that iced it and we’ll go elsewhere for

our next cruise which should be in about three or four months. I’d just like to let Carnival know that

the 12 cruises we’ve taken have all been within the last three and a half years.

 

I did really try to find some positive things to try and balance this report. I hope I was objective as

the elation had a lot of good things going for her, but you always look at the bad more than the good.

I do hope this review has been of help to someone as I’ve depended a lot on these boards with posts

from others.

 

You will find my review of the Rhapsody under “Royal Caribbean” titled “RHAPSODY review

10/24-10/31 - Very Long” or search for it under my name of BH2359. (By the way, I’m asked a lot

about my screen name. I’m a music researcher of 1950's music and my favorite performer, Buddy

Holly, died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, hence BH2359.)

 

Thanks.

[Runner Girl]

Thanks for the review. You know, it's the little things that make a difference.

[ronrythm]

Having read your reviews of both ships out of Galveston, I'd like to rebut some of it having also been on both. In neither case did I find the music in the casino too loud, in fact one of the things I liked about the Elation was all the live music all over the ship. The pursers desk is probably the busiest place on the ship the last night of a cruise. They told you they didn't have the information you wanted, still you persisted in bothering them. After reading both of your reviews, is there a cruise line you do like?

[Philly Steve]

Is Belize no longer a stop on the exotic western carib cruise?

[sgriff17]

gheeez..Ronrythm, a little testy are we? No matter what, an employee should NEVER be rude to a guest. NO MATTER WHAT.

[bh2359]

Having read your reviews of both ships out of Galveston, I'd like to rebut some of it having also been on both. In neither case did I find the music in the casino too loud, in fact one of the things I liked about the Elation was all the live music all over the ship. The pursers desk is probably the busiest place on the ship the last night of a cruise. They told you they didn't have the information you wanted, still you persisted in bothering them. After reading both of your reviews, is there a cruise line you do like?

 

Hi Ronrythm. This was my personal "review" of our cruise on the Elation. As to the loud music in the casino, please notice that I stated "in my opinion". What's bad for one is okay for another. The purser's desk, with one exception, was very rude all week long, not just on the last night. This was our first cruise, out of 12, with Carnival. We've been on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian, and have overall enjoyed ourselves. Also, we did enjoy ourselves on this cruise. I've always said to "Go with the flow". As this was a review, I gave my opinion of the positives and negatives.

[bh2359]

Is Belize no longer a stop on the exotic western carib cruise?

 

Hi Philly Steve. Yes, Belize was a stop in our original itinerary. Because of a medical emergency the first day, Belize was dropped on this voyage in favor of Calica and other port days were shuffled around. We were disappointed but fully realize that an emergency like this comes first. If it had been me, I'd want the ship to turn around also.

[betsyrossapk]

I agree w/OP that a preview of the next days forecast might be nice to post somewhere. On our trip, an El Norte breezed into Cozumel the night before & over a dozen Carnival excursions had to be cancelled due to weather (dangerous snorkeling conditions). Our fellow passengers found out after they already got off the ship & the excursion company advised them. Carnival should have done this so people could plan their day accordingly. BTW, in Cozumel, we purchased a $4.00 blanket at the roadside, a $4.50 t-shirt @ Cinco de Soles, & saw Maracas for 3/$2.00 @the Int'l pier shops. I would think a day in Cozumel would be lovely to spend at the beach alone, no matter how many times you've been there, but that's JMHO. :)

[workroombee]

Hey BH2359--Thanks so much for posting this review! I've scrolled around the board and read all 3 parts and enjoyed your writing. We're going on this cruise in February and are greatly looking forward to it. We've also sailed on Norwegian and Carnival in the past, and find things we like on both lines. I appreciated the details you provided, and I had to laugh when I read about the loud music in the casino that you mentioned, followed by another poster who felt the music was fine! I understand completely that you were expressng YOUR viewpoint, as was the next poster--isn't that what makes life interesting, after all? And what makes these boards so informative instead of boringly repetitive? I'd love to hear any other details about your cruise that you'd like to add.

 

side note: I see that you're from Lubbock--I grew up in Slaton and we still have family there! Greetings from a transplanted West Texan now living in North Texas!

[sgriff17]

Hey BH2359--Thanks so much for posting this review! I've scrolled around the board and read all 3 parts and enjoyed your writing.

 

I agree, they were quite enjoyable to read! Make sure you take a moment and send Carnival a note about the rude pursers. I dont care how much they work, it IS their job. No one is FORCING them to interview for the job, let alone accept it. People need to stop making excuses for rude employees.

 

I will admit though, I have never run into a rude carnival employee...prob just very lucky :)

[brn2crz]

Great reviews..I enjoyed both of them (both sailings)

 

RCI posts a weather report of each port, a day or 2 in advance at the pursers desk.Its just a yahoo weather report,but they have them sitting out for anyone to get.

During our sailing in Sept,during Hurricane Ivan I went for one and they were not out,but the girl went and ran one off the computer and got one.

[betsyrossapk]

Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe they are available & just yours for the asking. We'll check next time.

[ronrythm]

Hi Ronrythm. This was my personal "review" of our cruise on the Elation. As to the loud music in the casino, please notice that I stated "in my opinion". What's bad for one is okay for another. The purser's desk, with one exception, was very rude all week long, not just on the last night. This was our first cruise, out of 12, with Carnival. We've been on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian, and have overall enjoyed ourselves. Also, we did enjoy ourselves on this cruise. I've always said to "Go with the flow". As this was a review, I gave my opinion of the positives and negatives.

Hi bh2359, As this is an open forum I gave my opinions. You seem in both reviews to dwell on the negatives, so I wondered if you enjoyed any of it. I'm glad you've enjoyed your cruises and thanks for posting your reviews. I'll be posting my review of Carnival Pride after my December 26 and will welcome any comments.

[goolsbys]

My husband and I and another couple spent 14 days straight on this ship as she came from Long Beach to Galveston in September 2003. I must say we must look at our glass as half full because we can't think of a thing that was negative about this sailing except when we arrived in Galveston we had to get off! We will be sailing the Elation again on November 28 and don't anticipate anything but a great cruise.

How is your glass? Half full of half empty!

[sailawayT]

I too was on this cruise and all-in-all had a great time. I wasn't bothered by the change in itinerery but I don't do shore excursions and I am sure some people were very disappointed. The airlift of a passenger was the second emergency we had. The broken hip was the first and then another passenger had a much more serious problem, thus the need for his removal. We had breakfast with his family one morning and they did say he was doing fine after a few days in the hospital.

 

I do agree that the logistics of navigating the ship leave a lot to be desired. It also took us a long time to find our dining room and there were a lot of passengers very frustrated about this. I had no dealing with the purser, but our dining room wait staff were very disinterested in serving us. They weren't unpleasant, just not interested. Thought the food was good.

 

I did not notice the noise level in the casino but did notice that the payoffs were terrible. I gamble a lot and this ship has the worst payoff of any I've sailed on. Of course, this didn't stop me!! Thought the music was good - especially band in Romeo & Juliet Lounge.

 

Our cabin steward was good without being overbearing. I had an inside cabin and it was a very good size. I have sailed on the Rhapsody three times and I do think the Elation cabin is bigger, even given the fact that I had a balcony room on the Rhapsody. There are things about both ships that I like.

 

I did not care for Progresso or Calica but in Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. It was very nice and I suggest it to those who don't take tours and want to go the beach. The taxi fare is $12.00 per cab one way. There is no entrance fee at the beach nor a fee for umbrellas, chairs and floatation mats. If you want to snorkle or kayak there is a $5.00 fee. I did not snorkle but understand there is a coral reef not far from shore with some good sea life to view. The food at the restaurant was really good and beer was $2.00/bottle. Happy Sailing!!