Overall, this was a fantastic trip. It was a perfect first cruise for my parents and a great get-away for all of us together. I will definitely sail Carnival again and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Elation to family and friends.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
It really wasn't too bad. We arrived almost exactly at our reserved time. The people who arrived earlier than their reserved time seemed irritated that they had to wait for so long. I guess that's a chance you take when you arrive early. My mother-in-law had knee and ankle replacement surgeries, so her metal kept setting the metal detector off, causing a bit of a delay for my party. However, all the Jaxport employees were super friendly and helpful. No complaints.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Guys Burgers was phenomenal. I ate lunch there almost everyday. The line was never terribly long, and the process was quick and efficient. I really loved the toppings bar. We ate at the buffet for breakfast only, and it was fine. Nothing was fantastic, but everything was good. My dad went to the omelette station one morning and said it was really good. We only had breakfast in the dining room one morning, and that was the Dr. Seuss breakfast. It was a good experience overall. My family members ordered the steak and eggs with the steak cooked medium. My father's was more like well-done whereas my husband's and my mom's were rare (they couldn't even eat them). We ate dinner in the dining room every evening and really enjoyed it. If you're a picky eater who doesn't like to venture out (like my husband), you may not be thrilled with it, but if you're like me and enjoy trying new things, you'll really enjoy it. Our waitstaff (Mary Joy, Nim, and Rajesh) were phenomenal.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
My daughter and nephew only attempted the pool one day as it was almost always crowded. We knew that before our trip, though, based off many other reviews. The big water slide was shut down on our first sea day due to high winds. I know that's not Carnival's fault, but it was still disappointing. The lines for the smaller slides were too long for our kids to want to wait in. On the last sea day, they were finally able to do the slides, and they really enjoyed them. We participated in several of the trivia games, which were fun. My only complaint is about the Harry Potter trivia, which was more popular than the others we did. The crowd was huge and spread out, but the lady giving the questions didn't use a microphone and was hard to hear/understand. We managed, though. The trick-or-treat activity was a major cluster. I kept telling myself Carnival doesn't HAVE to do this, so we should just be thankful for the opportunity. However, I felt it was very unorganized and stressful. They had everyone begin in the same area and follow a map for the treat stations, which meant a HUGE line/cluster everywhere. Luckily, people decided not to follow the map in order and instead went a different way, which reduced lines/wait times. I think Carnival should rethink the organization of this event. Also, once we arrived at one stop (the Fun Shops), there was no one there manning that station. I asked around to other employees, and they were all confused. We tried going back a second time after completing the other stops and were told that the person "already left."
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We attended one PG comedy show (it was just alright), the Gender Showdown (a lot of fun), the Welcome Aboard Show (fun), the Epic Rock Show (fantastic), and the magician's show on the last sea day (awful. The music was playing while he was speaking, and we couldn't hear a word he said. We gave up and left). We also attended the towel folding demonstration, which was good, but don't believe Cam when he says the books being sold in the back are "a couple of dollars." They were actually $15! We still bought one. We hung around for the towel animal puppet theater, which was cute, as well.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
My daughter only went to Camp Ocean once, but she was disappointed. The people working that day weren't friendly to her, she said. She did want to go back and try it again, but we just ran out of time.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward, Wayan, was fantastic. We opted for 2x/day room service, and he did a phenomenal job keeping our space tidy and our towels refilled. Our waitstaff, Mary Joy, Nim, and Rajesh were fantastic and went above and beyond to serve us well in the dining room. On our first day, our luggage was delayed. When my husband's finally arrived, it was soaked and all the clothes inside were soaked. Carnival did not hesitate to make it right. They told us to leave the wet clothes in a pile and our room steward would take them to be laundered. Less than 2 hours later, they were neatly pressed and folded and waiting for us on our bed. The next day, we received an apology letter with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and other goodies. Carnival's customer service is top-notch!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cleanliness gets 5 stars, for sure. There was always someone cleaning, tidying, spiffying, clearing trays/trash, etc. The layout of the ship, however, wasn't one of its strong points. It was rather confusing getting around, and I'm not a fan of how smoking is allowed at the casino and casino bar, which is wide open to the rest of floor 9. The Elation does seem to sway/rock more than other ships I've sailed on. I know that's at least partly due to Hurricane Michael in the distance.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We never spend much time in the cabin anyway, so an interior stateroom is just fine. We had sufficient room for the 3 of us and a fairly decent amount of storage space. We still utilized an over-the-door shoe organizer for toiletries, which helped immensely. My parents had cabin U139 and complained that the bathroom door squeaked loudly. That becomes an issue when one person is an early riser and the other likes to sleep in.
Ship tip
Get to the Epic Rock show EARLY as seating fills up quickly. Guy's Burgers is fantastic. Greet fellow passengers with a smile. It causes them to be extra considerate. ;)
HMC is our favorite port! We had a fantastic time. We rented Villa E and absolutely loved it! We felt like VIP's. The process of tendering and then waiting for a tram (we had some in our party who would've struggled to walk all the way down to Villa E) was irritating as I kept thinking about all the minutes ticking away. The day FLIES by with not nearly enough time to do everything I wanted to do. I wish we could spend more time at this port.
My husband, daughter, and I did the Ultimate Island Snorkel and Beach Safari excursion through Carnival. We loved every minute! The speed boat ride, seeing celebrities' homes, seeing Gilligan's Island, snorkeling with sea turtles (the part I was most excited about), and snorkeling with tropical fish was fantastic! We would highly recommend this tour. After it was over, we went back to the ship, got cleaned up, had lunch, and met up with the rest of our party to walk around Nassau and do some shopping. Yes, the locals ask you to buy things, but a simple smile and a no, thank you is all it takes if you're not interested.
Disembarkation was quite a cluster. I'm not sure if I should blame Carnival, the Jaxport Terminal, or ourselves for doing the self-assist thing (first time we've tried that). It took until 10:00ish to get off the ship. It only took minutes to get through Customs, though. By 10:20ish, we were on the road home to Tennessee.
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