We were quite disappointed on this trip for the first time ever on a cruise. The ship was older, and it showed in the lack of activities and lack of food choices. The cruise director really tried, but I could tell even he was frustrated at what he had to work with. If we ever go Carnival again, it will have to be a newer ship. We have sailed on many of their older ones, including Sensation, Fantasy (now gone), and Sunrise, and all had great food, enthusiastic crew, and fun vibes. The other passengers were great, but we have never felt so disappointed in a ship like we did with this one.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Port was organized, we arrived at noon and were in line for less than 2 minutes. Efficient use of various stations to show our Covid tests, vax docs, and IDs.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
There were NO specialty dining rooms, our options were buffet (horrendous food), Guy's Burger Joint (AWESOME burgers and fries), the Taco place (not our thing, so no comments), and main dining room. We didn't visit the main dining room because we were assigned late seating and couldn't wait until 8:15pm to actually eat. We tried to change it to 'anytime' but they would not let us. In addition, the menu was exactly the same every night and none of it was particularly appealing to either of us.
Reports from other passengers (and even some of the crew) was that the food in the dining room was bad. Meat was dry, veggies were tasteless. Apparently we were not missing much.
The buffet seemed closed more than it was open, and even at breakfast, the food did not look appetizing. Bacon was only served every other day, and the scrambled eggs were so watery they were inedible. The deli at the back of the ship had a lot of options, but I tried a turkey wrap the first night and they sliced deli turkey was frozen and crunchy. The 24 hour pizza place had pizza that was mostly flavorless so that was also a disappointment.
Pool Bar
4 out of 5
Homer is the BOMB! Fun server, remembered our drinks and names, made our days by the pool so much fun.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
There was a mini putt course that we skipped (full of kids under 10 with no parents in sight) and the pool/hot tubs were filled with small kids all day, every day. There was a tiny adults only section on the back of the ship, but it did not have a bar and closed at 8pm every day....yet the main pool and hot tubs were open until midnight...why would they close the adults only area so early??
Entertainment
3 out of 5
There was not a whole lot going on if you didn't want to spend extra money. We enjoyed the musical trivia nights on the Lido deck with the cruise director, and the comedy shows were great. There were some shows in the theater that did not interest us so we didn't go. The musicians around the ship were great, we loved the violins in the atrium and the musicians near the coffee shop.
Children's Programs
didn't bring kids, but there may be an issue with the programs since ALL the kids were in the hot tubs all day every day.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
many of the crew we encountered seemed to have a tired and defeated air about them. No enthusiasm at all. This was our first cruise where we did not feel a compulsion to give out extra tips on top of the automatic ones, and we are normally generous with tips. Only ONE server at the pool had any energy and contributed to our enjoyment of our trip. Homer, you rock!
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
always someone cleaning all over the ship, they were very good at keeping everything wiped down and clean. hand washing stations were everywhere and well maintained. The layout was fine, it was easy to find what we needed, likely because it was so small. The adult area could use its own bar, and the casino was really tiny but functional. Having said that, the water in all of the toilets and sinks was brown. Not yellow or a bit discolored, but brown. I had to brush my teeth with bottled water it was so gross.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
we had a porthole/interior cabin. quite large for what it was. The bed was incredibly comfortable, though the pillows were a bit softer than we would have liked. Shower got nice and HOT which was a major plus for me, though the shower water was also a bit brown like the sink and toilet so I did not linger very long.
Ship tip
For any cruise- don't pick the earliest possible time to check in, everyone shows up early. We chose noon, and there was no line and we walked right onto the ship!
they are still doing major construction on the port area, we wandered around the port shopping for several hours and got some souvenirs. No excursions, we have been to this island before.
it was pouring down rain the whole time we were there, so we didn't do any excursions. the people were nice, we staying in the little shopping area at the port, and had some Dominican fried cheese at the restaurant there.
It’s sad that you were disappointed, but I think the issue happened during your decision making process on which ship to book. You book on the oldest ship in the fleet for great prices, but you then have to adjust expectations based on that decision. I would make a list of what are your “must haves” for your next cruise, whatever cruise line you decide on, then begin doing your research. There are tons of great videos on YouTube that give great overviews of the ships you’re considering so you have all the information before you book. Wishing you a better experience next time.
MrsBlackRoss, that explains it. What you were seeing on the app was just the "classics" which is the same every day. They usually have eight or more appetizers and eight or more main courses but there are always the classics like shrimp cocktail and ceaser salad and chicken breast or flat iron steak. But they definitely change the other options every night. Many of those MDR dishes are also in the buffet so if you liked the buffet food you would have liked the MDR food.
Just curious if you actually went to the dining room each night and they actually served the same menu each night (or you looked at the hard copy menu outside the dining room), or if you just looked at the app, saw the same menu each time and decided to eat at another venue. I have found the menus on the app are not always updated or correct.
For those saying the MDR doesn't serve the same meal every night, all I can say is that the menu I saw in the app every time I checked was the same 4 appetizers and main courses, with the exception of Thanksgiving when they offered a turkey option. The buffet on the Sunrise was fabulous and open whenever we ventured over to it, on the Elation, not so much. There are always some who love the food and some who don't, I gave at least one specific example of sub par food in my original review.
When we booked, I tried to get 'anytime' dining but it was not offered and when I asked to change it they told me they couldn't. (when we booked the Sunrise in August, our only choice was early dining, which we also didn't like, but we worked with it).
In case you also did not see, we HAVE sailed on older Carnival ships before, including this past August, and on those, the mood and enthusiasm of the crew more than made up for what those ships may have lacked in included amenities. As I said in my review, if we do go Carnival again, we will be trying one of their newer ships as we have already done 4 of their oldest ones (including one that was scrapped last year).
'perhaps cruising is not for you' is such a cop-out. We love cruising, we loved the people we met and just being on the ocean. We just didn't vibe with this ship, the food, or the crew on it.
Yes the Elation is old but you knew that when you booked it. Cruise ship amenities have come a long way so if that means a lot to you, choose ships wisely. I think you'll have a hard time convincing anyone that the MDR menu was the exact same every night, especially the other people who were on that same cruise and raved about the MDR food. Fortunately you can choose your dining time when you book so you can pick early dinner if you like. Too bad you never visited the MDR, you may have liked it.
Was the ship full, was it sailing at full capacity? I’m scared I’m also staying in a port hole cabin in December, I don’t want to see any brown water, rm U16, what room were you staying in? Sorry for your experience.
Thanks for the review. Sounds like cruising may not be for you, at least until Covid is over. I am have never seen (or even seen reported), that the same menu was repeated each night. If true, it would only be due to supply chain issues, which is out of Carnival’s control.
Strange.. been on over 20 carnival cruises and I have never heard of the MDR having the same menu repeated. The activities and dining choices are clearly listed for each ship before you choose to book. You act surprised
dang, it does sound bad. The Turkey in the Deli should be fully thawed before served
.. my favorite things about Elation is Dukes Piano bar and the rock cover band in the casino. ... maybe next time.. thanks for the review
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