Thread: Carnival Elation Review 10/14-10/22

Greetings Forum

Here's a brief review of my Elation Cruise

Pre Cruise Accomidations
Beacon Hotel South Beach: Great place, got a good deal on Travelocity. Shocking how many hotels on SB get a bad rating from past guests. The beacon was one of the few that got good reviews. Just over 100.00/night. Had a blast walking around SB the day and night before cruise.

Embarcation on Sunday:
Somewhat chaotic. Three big ships boarding that morning so there was a lot of activity. I expected the drop off to be more pronounced, we just got let out in a parking lot and pulled our luggage over to the big metal bins that load on the ship. Could have been a bit classier, but who cares we were getting on a cruise ship.

The Elation:
The Elation is the smallest and oldest ship yet for me, however I was not disappointed. We didn't have a balcony for the forst time but it didn't matter. The boat is elegant in it's own way and I became very attached to it in a short time, it's just different than the Miracle in so many ways. They are both great, just different. The decor was nice, the room was good except for the way the life Jacket storage locker blocks the access to the other side of the bed. I guess this is why my wife and I both got up on the right side of the bed every morning!(sorry). Storage was less than Miracle class but OK for us. No outside camera views on the TV. No ability to check bill on the TV. All little things. No problem.

Food:
Excellent. Tried Sushi from the Sushi Bar. Escagot, ate like a pig and had a great time dancing with the Table Stewards! 9 I am amazed by people who don't like the food on these cruises. I travel alot and eat out at the best resteraunts, and this food stacks up to any food around.)

The Crowd:
We were blessed with a great bunch of people on our cruise. We had a lot of diversity which is great. Made a lot of friends, NO bad experiences with anyone.

The Destinations:

Half Moon Cay:
Awsome... no other words to describe it, Awsome. Best start possible for a week of cruising.

St Thomas:
We did Godfreys Tour. He's the most professional tour guide you meet. Knows the history of the island and has a vested interest in it's future. 25.00 per person for longer tour..no brainer. The wife tore up my credit card in the jewelry shops... The magnetic strip melted down and the numbers rubbed off. She deserved it. She's a stay at home mom with 4 kids, nothing is too good for her. I'll just get a second job. St Thomas is breath taking. We went to Coki Beach for the Afternoon, greatest sand on the planet, I swear it is corn meal instead of sand, it's no even abrassive and so soft you sort of sink in a bit. Natives serving drinks and food on the beach.

Puerto Rico (San Juan):
Great City. So much History! The condition of the buildings and forts was amazing. if shopping is your thing there's that too. I bought my wife a Dooney and Bourke purse here in the states for 200.00 bucks last month and that was a good deal, saw the same thing in SJ for 110.00. That made me sick.. but my Sister Inlaw got hooked up with a real purse for the first time in her life so I was glad for her. Loved everything about San Juam. Oh by the way don't bother spending a bunch of money at Senior Frogs getting loaded befoire you get back on the boat, Bacardi meets you in the Port Terminal with all kinds of free rum drinks, whew were they too good and too strong, sand our way back on the Elation..Cruising rocks!

Grand Turk:
Broked Record Time! Loved Grand Turk. Best Snorkeling of my life! Go around the point right from the dock and you will be able to snorkel on a real coral reef twenty feet from the shore. Giant pink conchs in the sand everywhere (made my wife carry mine home in her carry on bag, msut have weighed 7 pounds, hey she got a ring!) don't worry the conh wasn't in the shell, I don't kill anything in paradise. The beach was great, clouldn't have cared less about Margaretaville, you get tired of 20.00 drinks rather quickly. We went into Cockburntown which is the only town on the island, very few people did this apparently. It's ver small and there are some seedy places, we talked to some of the locals, bought a few crafts and found a little pub on the beach with wireless internett and a big plazma screen with satalite tv LOL. The world is too small these days. The guy who owns the place is an American, we talked to him and his beautiful mother for a couple hours. The cab driver took us on the same tour people were paying 40.00/ea for 5 bucks ea. I have found that to be the case many times, theres always a better deal than the boat's. Yes you are running a risk to some level, but I love the smaller groups and the savings, not to mention the connection with the true locals.

Sea Days:
Good, too much food consumed, too much gambling, not enough sleep, that's what I paid for. Shopping on the boat was good according to the Sail and Sign Queen.

Conclusion:
If you havn't been on a cruise this is the one to start with. Great Itenerary, perfect Ship Size, reasonable price.

Sorry about the typos and spelling, I'm in a hurry.

Thanks so much for telling us about your cruise!

You all certainly enjoyed youselves, that's great. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the reveiw, this is one of te ships we are considering for our next girls cruise!

Thanks for the review!!


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Great in depth review......thanks for taking the trouble to do that. It makes a huge difference.

Phil

thanks for the review! I love reading any and all reviews....I spend half of my internet time just reading reviews...one never knows when one might just HAVE to cruise on your reviewed vessel

Thanks, for the posted review...cruisers can always ask questions or volunteer their view