The Elation was a great ship. There was plenty of activity , and the ports were as expected. I've been to the Bahamas before, so just a day in each port was plenty. I did a lot of research via social media on the ship and ports and felt well prepared. Everything lived up or passed expectations.
There was a lot of buzz on the Shipmate app about Nassau being full of hawkers and/or dangerous. Nothing like that was experienced by us. Once reason may be due to the fact we were in port before the shops opened, so no one was bugging us as we walked around the front street. We found the people extremely friendly and open. We had a few occasions where folks guided us by hand to places we wanted to go. They just operate on "island time" which doesn't gel well with the limited time we have in port.
There was also a lot of negativity expressed about Princess Cays being "just a beach". Yeah, well.... what do you expect when you go to a private island? It was all we dreamed it would be. Even though our weather wasn't ideal. we still had a blast swimming and snorkeling. We brought our own equipment, even a hammock, and had a thoroughly relaxing day. I'd love to come back!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Not much standing in line (compared to my only other experience), and we were able to board earlier than our apointment time.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Only had one meal I wasn't crazy about, but was offered a replacement and was highly satisfied with the selection, variety, quality, and portion size. Service was exceptional and entertaining!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Serenity spa was actually more crowded at times than the main pool area. BTW they had signage for an additional forward pool that no longer exists, I guess since the latest upgrade. Fitness room was more than adequate, mini golf was super fun. I must say the one complaint we had was that there was no designated track to walk/jog. We made our own by combining a few areas, but even they weren't available a lot of the time due to the windy conditions (which, of course, were out of Carnival's control!).
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Loved all the shows we attended for their quality and entertainment value. Kevin the CD was super funny and appeared personable.
Mikado Main Lounge
3 out of 5
There were a lot of vantage points blocked by poles/supports. Sound was great and seats were comfy.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Never met a single cruise member who didn't say "hello" or had a smile on their face. Very customer oriented.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
As mentioned above, no place to walk for exercise. I loved all the time I was able to spend outside, even for all my meals. Room was spotless except for the smelly bathroom, but I am told that urine smell just doesn't go away. Stronger air freshener will be brought along next time.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Cabin had loads of room for storage, a small fridge (yay!), and a very comfy bed. Window view was great, and we were lucky it remained clean for most of the cruise. I would have appreciated a small chair to sit and read from. Cabin was kept squeeky clean. Overall room size seemed cramped, and I get claustrophobic easily.
Ship tip
If you want to get off early on debarkation day, just schlep your luggage down the stairs. We could have saved at least an hour of waiting doing that.
We just did a self walking tour in the am, which was very enjoyable. The Pompey Slavery Museum was well done. Our afternoon was slightly marred by the incredibly inept water taxi service. Avoid this! We were in jeopardy of missing our boat even though we allotted >3 hours just to make a round trip!
We brought our hammock and were able to find a secluded area to hang it. So fun! Although it was on the cool side, we were able to enjoy swimming and snorkeling thoroughly! The food was great, but they rushed us through the line unnecessarily. We could have stayed a week here just soaking up the beauty.
As mentioned, I'm sure we could have left a full hour earlier had we known we could have just gone down the (empty) stairs with our luggage. Once we were off the boat, we breezed through customs and were on our way home.
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