Carnival Elation Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I like the swimming pool and shopping. Food is good but may have to add spicy food. We went as a large group and we all missed our traditional spicy foods. At least they need to add Garlic chili paste or Sriracha instead of vinegary tabasco. Just try one time and get the survey.

We took our two college age children on this cruise to the Bahamas for Christmas. A treat for us all.  The cabin was great, service fantastic, food wonderful, staff friendly, professional.  The ship was decked out in Christmas glamour.  Our dinner mates were perfectly matched as we all had college aged kids with us.  Looking for our next cruise opportunity!  The only minor improvement would be hot tubs and pool time for adults only.  There were a lot of kids and they filled the pools and tubs from sunup to sundown.  

We had the most enjoyable time aboard the Elation.  This is the second cruise we have taken with Carnival and we love how the crew were all wonderful and they really enjoyed their jobs.  We had some really outstanding people who were with us during the whole cruise.  First we had Jaypee our room steward who was absolutely the best.  He took care of everything we needed and made sure we had all the current information for the upcoming day from our schedule and excursion to bed turned down and those wonderful towel animals.

He is the epitome of why we love cruising with Carnival.    

The next person was Elidor.  We were fortunate to cruise last year on the Facination for the New Year's Eve cruise and she was our drink server for that cruise and to our wonderful surprise she was on this cruise also!  She is such a great asset in that she was always making sure we had drinks and she was really a very easy going person.   As soon as I walked on the Elation and went to get our drink she was right there and gave me a big hug and said "Welcome back, where are your friends?"  For her to remember just one person out of the thousands that they have interaction with especially a year later makes her a very special person in my book.   Melody our cruise director for a lot of special shows, but the one we especially loved was the the tribute to the military.  My husband retired from the military and to have a special event like this in his honor moved all our veterans and active duty military members.  Melody knew first hand what it was like to be a military family in that her father was in the military and that showed in how she presented the tribute and the wonderful way she set it up! Our next person was Arnel our server for dinner.  He was really on top of each and every menu and after the first night knew things that each person at our table would love and things they may not like so much.  He made sure that we had everything we needed all the time and if someone was not really happy with their dinner choice he was right there assisting them.  The dancing he and the others did was really great and they tried to get everyone involved with the show. Lastly,  we once again chose the Chef's dinner....  I have got to say I have not been disappointed either time, but this time Sous Chef Singh went out of his way to explain a lot of the behind the scene jobs. We had Chef Joy who came to the room during dinner and was very informative about the courses we would be served for dinner.  He and Mr. Singh were really a great pair and made our dinner enjoyable and very fun!  We had Mohammad assist with the serving, and being as young as he is, he is a big asset to Carnival.  He was diplomatic when little children were attempting to access the library during our dinner and he was on top of making sure our glasses were ready for each and every course.

Older ship could use some updates, especially the lido deck. Pipe busted on our deck. Had to change cabins which separated us from the kids. Disastrous excursion on Freeport. Boat battery died. Had to be towed in. Missed beach day. Bus broke down on way back to ship. Had to call in another bus so missed shopping. Arranged our own activities in Nassau and had a great day. Carnival did refund some of the money. 

The crew was beyond amazing and they made the most memorable moments. I LOVE cruising so there is nothing negative that I can say about the ship or the service. The only hiccup that we encountered was the unsupervised kids late at night. Knocking on doors and running, also they were throwing food in the hallways. Cake, sandwiches, etc. Freeport (been there before) was cool for a beach day. Nassau (been there) we took a guided tour with an independent cab driver. Less than 20 per person (group of 10) and we had a 3 hour air conditioned van tour that allowed us to stop and get out wherever we wanted. Payment was collected at the end. Overall wonderful trip!

THIS BEING MY FIRST CRUISE CARNIVAL HAS SET THE BAR PRETTY HIGH. I THIOUGHT THE "SEA DAYS" WOULD BE TIME TO REST AND RELAX, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE TO DO(NO REST FOR THE WEARY). THE CREW WAS AWESOME AND FREINDLY. WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS TO OTHERS

We loved the food in the dining room every night. It made the trip. The buffet wasn't that great, but what do you expect from a buffet. The entertainment was alright. Not the best I have ever seen on a cruise ship, but it wasn't bad either. The private island was amazing as well.our favorite spot on the ship was on the back of the ship in the adult only section. 

The cruise met my expectations.  I knew this was an older ship that is scheduled for an update next year.  The ship has help up well.  The service was good and the food was good.  The shows were decent and I enjoyed the ship.  The cruise was a good value and I liked having three ports of call.  We especially enjoyed Half Mile Cay and the excursion we took at Freeport.  We signed up for a CocoNutz tour through the internet and they exceeded our expectations.  It was a lot of fun and Alfredo and Genie did a great job with an abbreviated schedule.  I would definitely take this cruise again based on value. 

The Carnival Elation is an old ship that desperately needs some updating.  The crew was excellent and very friendly, but the boat was very worn and that was evident throughout the ship.  In the cabins, there were only one electrical plug that worked and there were a lot of water problems throughout the trip.

It's relaxing. Nice and friendly crews. Food are awesome. I like the entertainments.We wished there were more entertainment like impersonators (singers) Room is clean and linens are changed everyday. Embarkation and Disembarkation are organized and smooth. Gym is great!  

We had a wonderful and relaxing time in the Elation with Carnival. The dining room wait staff and cabin stewards with particularly attentive. This trip made a lifetime cruiser out of me!

I really enjoyed my vacation from the time we boarded the ship, so big & beautiful with lots of thing to do & see. The food was the best part along with so many activities I found most of the workers to be pleasant & a few that needs work with customer service....however my cabin attendant was the best, he made sure I had everything I needed & was caring. I would definitely recommend this cruise ship vacation to others.

You know when you book if you're going to Freeport so you accept the paucity of things to do there - mainly a Caribbean flea market.  Nassau is beautiful and charming as always - so there.

Food is very good - again you know that before you leave.

Shows in the main theater were so-so at best.  8 really good singers performing to taped music and pyro.

The main thing Carnival could do is take the Sea Majors (6 piece band that plays on deck) and make them part of the main show. In fact, they sang some of the same songs that were in the main show and of course they did them live.  A really outstanding group that has a lot to offer when coupled with the great singers they have on board.

The service on the ship was Outstanding - everyone we met would drop what they were doing to answer questions and help.

The only real complaint is the elevator management.  During debarkation on the last day we were twice told which elevator to take and they were wrong both times.  I don't think it was the crew - I think the person running the elvators had his wires crossed.  There were clear instructions to use the mid-ship elevators - that forward and aft would be closed.  In fact, from the 4th floor the forward aft elevators worked for the group in front of us, then the same elevator wouldn't work for us.  Since we had a wheelchair we couldn't take the stairs so we went up to 9th, another boarding floor.  The mid elevators didn't work there but the forward ones did.  All's well that ends well but really peculiar given they do this every week.  Somebody dropped the ball.

When we returned from Nassau we were told by an attendant to be back by 5PM, it turned out to be 4:30PM.  The crew did not say a word and could not have been  more gracious.  It was the next day before I even knew we were late :-).

But when we got back from Nassau the elevators were turned off, there were 10 crew down there on Deck 3 trying to help, making calls, etc.  Again - the wheelchair prevented us from simply taking the stairs.  30 minutes later an officer finally escorted us thru the crew areas to another elevator not open to passengers.  Net-net - we were about 30 minutes late for dinner.  Again - THE DINING STAFF COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE GRACIOUS.

GIVE THE SEA MAJORS MORE WORK - THEY ARE GREAT.

Thanks

all of the staff was super friendly and did an awesome job!  everyone went out of their way to say hello to my children and made us feel comfortable.  the food was awesome and the wait staff was great and friendly!

Staff is very friendly and helpful. The food was really good. I would have liked to have had more gluten free options and sweet tea instead of unsweet tea but other than that, I cannot complain about anything. The entertainers and shows were great. I enjoyed the towels folded into different animals each night and was surprised and delighted by our heart anniversary cake presented to us at dinner one evening. It was a very fun cruise and will definitely go again.

The dining room experience was so awesome. Great team of servers and staff. Christina Medina awesome at what she does and I cant wait to travel with this crew again! 

Normally my favorite part is the food, entertainment (shows, deck and after party). This time they fell short in buffet Hot food was cold and Grits was the worst like a lot of water and not cooked.  Early dining was ok and servers Mika and I Wayan was very good. Their attentiveness and 2 dance/singing entertainment was very good. Entertainment was good. One show was more interactive than the 70/80 epic rock. The casino turned me off completely. Sooo much smoke i couldn't stay, even though I tried ta different times of day. There either should be specified nonsmoking area or better ventilation so all cruisers feel welcome. Our room fell short also.  GOLD member so I've been on many cruises. This room was the worst. I usually brag to friends and family about the towel  animals in room. Not this time anyone had 2 the same 1 used every day except last night. The bathroom floor flooded every day except morning of departure. Spoke to several people about issue e(guest service who wrote it down, called maintenance and sent letter, 2 guys who came at work time getting ready for dinner one day and show the next but said everything was OK and normal)  flooding is not normal. Finally last night someone found out issue was broken seal around  shower that lead to floor outside flooding. Also think painting and any other work like that should be done during down time and less active moments when ship is full of cruisers. Wanted to give 2 1/2 stars. Compared to Breeze (which was best so far)  this ship may need some upgrades and if not will not travel on elation again.! We try to do a cruise every year, I'm not sure about next year due to this experience. 

The cruise service was excellent. Bonnie kept our room spotless and we loved the towel animals. The creations was beautiful. The food was good but it could be better if it was hot especially the coffee. Overall it was a good trip.

Was a great cruise would do again. We did have a few things our luggage was delivered to the wrong room and was to have a sharp contain that took 3 days to get. The Stateroom attendant was not that friendly

Although I will NEVER use Delta Skycruises EVER again, I must say the Carnival experience was wonderful. The food, hospitality and fun was great. The staff remembered our names from beginning to end.