First cruise since the restart couldn't have been much better. The new e-muster is so fast and easy I think it took longer to get my Guy’s burger. Really enjoyed getting to make new friends on a cruise again, as well as have a surprise reunion with our favorite Carnival crew member and personally congratulate him on his recent promotion and engagement since we last seen him. Since we enjoy cruising phone free, we weren't crazy about the fact that Carnival is pushing the use of the Carnival hub app so much, but we found ways to work around not using our phones once again. Also, Happy 50th Birthday Carnival, we enjoyed celebrating such a milestone with you!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Not sure how much time using the VeriFLY app saved us, but it's so simple we will be using again whenever necessary. Embarkation went quickly once it began. Would have made it from curb to cabin in less than 30 minutes, but disembarkation of the previous cruise was delayed.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Finally ended the Guy's burger withdrawal. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL! Enjoyed most of our meals in the MDR, and the wait staff was terrific as always. Also, let's not forget about the mandatory late-night pepperoni pizza. It is mandatory, right?
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Couples massage at the spa was wonderful, as usual. My wife also enjoyed her mani-pedi, and facial. We also tried a beginner yoga class and stretched muscles we forgot we had.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Didn't go to any shows, but all the different musicians throughout the ship were very good, especially the two violinists in the atrium.
Children's Programs
No kids with us
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our cabin steward Fidal was amazing. We do not use the hub app, so he made sure we had a copy of the FunTimes in our cabin each day.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Fourth time on the Elation. We love the layout and design of the Fantasy class ships, which makes them easy to navigate through. So sad that most of them are gone. Thought the ship was very well kept for her age.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was P225, but it's not in the list of cabin numbers you can select for a review. I'm guessing it's because the deck plans on here haven't been updated since the Elation's 2020 dry dock. The Cole Porter Lounge has been replaced with 30 cabins, one of which was our Junior Suite P225. It is much more spacious than the other JS cabins on board, with a walk-in closet, bigger bathroom with tub, almost twice the room inside the cabin, and much bigger balcony. Liked it so much that we already booked in it for next year's anniversary cruise. Even with a MDR below and Lido buffet above, there were no unwanted smells and only the rare occasional sound of a chair being moved above. The wind outside our balcony actually made more noise. Cabin is right next to Serinity (which is also your muster station), steps away from Alchemy, and being at the back of the Promenade deck made it easy to get places yet still be far enough from the Promenade noise. Perfect location!
Ship tip
Don't book our new favorite room before we can. Lol! Enjoy the ease of getting around a smaller ship before they are all gone.
We booked the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter, Waterpark, Beach & Lunch. Our bag was too big for the small lockers provided, so my wife missed out of the dolphin encounter in order stay with the bag. I enjoyed the encounter, so we will rebook this again for her to experience. The lunch was nothing special, but just as described in the excursion details and not much different from what you get @ HMC or Princess Cays. Would have liked something with a little Caribbean or Bahamian flair. New crew members joined the ship in Nassau. Loved seeing that considering that due to staffing issues, crew members are working even harder than usual to make everyone's cruise memorable.
Rented an Adults Sanctuary Bungalow. Seems a little pricey, but we thought it was a good deal with everything it includes and the fact that it's for four people. We invited a couple from our dinner table to join us. A little bit of a walk to the beach access and buffet, but there is enough fruit, veggies and dip, and chips, salsa, and guac in your bungalow that you could skip the buffet if you wanted. Will definitely rent again. Great view from our bungalow and no crowd or noise around. The beach area and water near the bungalows also has less people, so it made for some great snorkeling. Got a good pic of a ray at least 3 feet wide buried in the sand at the bottom.
I posted some Nassau and Princess Cays pics with this review, but they got tagged with the ships name even though I chose the ports name, so I deleted them. Will post them separately and see if it works right.
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