Carnival Elation Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I really enjoyed this cruise. The staff was wonderful and the made sure we had everything we need to be comfortable. There was plenty for us to do on board so we never got bored.

cruise was ok.  a good experience...enough to know id never do it again.  pretty trashy crew.  alot of obese, tatooed smokers took over our boat.  The food and service was awesome though!  had a great time at the cruise.  

The crew was fabulous. We enjoyed all of the Comedy Shows and the food was excellent especially in the Dining Room. Met a lot of nice people. We had an outside Cabin on the Empress deck, will probably want a Balcony or Suite on next Cruise for a little  more room.Overall experience was great!!

(note: the rooms could use a facelift, the closets and drawers)

Carnival makes sailing fun for sure.  The employees are truly amazing.  Not only are they fun and friendly but they are intelligent and interesting people!  We had a blast interacting with them and watching them on stage, etc.  We enjoyed everything from our stateroom to the shows, concerts, performances and the food.  We loved the piano bar and spent most nights there.  The excursions were great as well, especially the Mayan ruins in Progreso, and the snorkeling in Cozumel is excellent!  Fantastic vacation we will never forget!

Great time, great cruise. Wouldn't recommend 5 people to a room. Camp carnival was great for my 3&4 year old kids. Crew was great. Next time I'll put daily spending limits on my sail and sign

Everything was excellent the food the cruise all in one can't wait to cruise with carnival agian.. there are clubs on the ship the casino great food eat all you can the food was terrific, take beautiful poetritsall while sailing smooth with carnival....

Me and my husband needed to get away. This was a short notice trip. We didn't have many rooms to choose from. We were at the bottom of the ship, but with an ocean view.  Pros: Staff was amazing. They were hilarious, kind , helpful, and always professional. Drinks were very good. Food was free. Casino was a blast. They took photos of you at dinner, by the pool, laying out, etc (you do have to pay for them). Cons: drinks were expensive, food didn't not taste very good, everything was so close together, dinner is with other couples (not by yourself), too many people are on one ship, and I wish we could have spend a little more time in Mexico. It was beautiful. Over  all our experience was good. We would defiantly go on another cruise .

This was our first cruise. It was excellent! My son and I had an outstanding time. My son enjoyed his experience in Camp Carnival. Michael Jr. enjoyed the pizzas and the ice cream. We loved being able to go to other parts of the world such as Mexico. That was truly exciting for us. We both look forward to our next cruise and going somewhere different inthe world.

I found there were not enough activities during the day for adults.  There was inadequate space by the pool.  The evening entertainment was below average.  The food was boring, nothing special.  I would not take this ship again.

I recommend this cruise for anyone that has never been on one, it is a MUST! The staff is very friendly, the food is good and the drinks are strong! :) 

We missed half our trip because airline cancelled. Leg of flight to New Orleans.  I have to remember this is older ship, so it can't be compared with some newer ships we have been on. With that said,  I was impressed with taste and quality of food.  I would rate that. A 5.

It was a very enjoyable and great experience-- from the food, shows, service, and different people that you meet.  It was during spring break & there were a lot of people having a very happy time.  One thing to caution on, make sure you have your motion sickness patch or pills, because it can go from great to not so great.  Wish we would have had more time in Cozumel, but did enjoy the time we did have there.  Another couple, my wife and I booked a taxi to give us a tour of the island while we were there. We had an awesome time.  Would highly recommend taking a cruise if you have never been.  The service is top of the line.  I hope this heips!

Would not do spring break again. To many 18 to 22 year olds. When they start drinking. Wow!!  Not the brightest people. There was not a live band. We really like the live band. No hair dryers. It is 2014 why no hair dryers. Adult pools are great but when they are full of 18 to 22 year old drinkers it is like a kids pool. Excursion were fun if you timed them right. Overall the cruise was fine. Once again would never do spring break again. 

It was an enjoyable cruise--the cabin was nice and quiet.  It was during spring break & there were a lot of young people having a very happy time.  So much of the common areas were noisy.  Wish we would have had more time in Cozumel, but did enjoy the time we did have there.  Unfortunately I lost my cell phone while there (with many photos that I had never downloaded)   The food onboard was good but not exceptional--the one area that could be improved. The NewOrleans port was great, the embarkation process was very good. Enjoyed New Orleans afterward was very enjoyable.

This was a great cruise and we enjoyed it so much.  The shore excursions were the best both in Cozumel and Progresso. On board charges were a bit high...$25 to play bingo and having to buy even bottled water left us thirsty most of the time we were not at meals.  The wait staff and the casino people were just great and the ease of getting on the ship was great.

We were treated awesome and made to feel special at every opportunity. The staff paid special attention to our grandchildren. They made sure we did not want/need anything. From the room steward to the dinig staff, they all remembered our names and were friendly and courteous when ever they saw us.

Frequently, they anticipated the children's needs before I could. We were very relaxed in the morning and throughout the day but always rejoined as a family for dinner in the main dining room. Dinners were very special each night. This was NOT the Carnival Cruise Line I have experienced in the past. We will be booking another cruise with them.

This cruise was disapointing for us as the food quality and quantity has diminished considerably.  The evening dining was very low in quality.  For exmple, the shrimp cocktail, which ued to be generous is now ridiculously tiny.  The lobster dinner also very small (we ordered the prime rib also to suplement it and were glad we did).  And, we are definatley not big eaters!   Some items on the menu are very poor in content too.  What happened Carnival?  Two very small frozen pre-cooked sausages and one one inch potato patty for breakfast...really?   And so many people dining in shorts and t's......the standard has slipped dismally.   The only redeeming fact on this trip was the wonderful staff service...everyone was polite and very helpful.  But sorry carnival I won't be taking this ship again......

My whole family had a great time on this cruise.  The only complaint that I have is maybe the food.  While it was pretty good, I don't know that I had anything that I would say was great.   I understand that they have to prepare thousands of meals a day and it's hard to make high end food for that many people, but I think they could improve a little on the food. The staff on the cruise was outstanding and I can't say enough about how good of a job they did with everything from cleaning our room multiple times a day to giving excellent food and drink service thoughout the whole cruise.  My kids had a good experience at camp carnival and overall we enjoyed the cruise and plan on going on another one before too long.

Unfortunately, this vacation was really dampened by the food service on this cruise. I went with high hopes and an optimistic attitude. The first night at dinner our table server suggested I order the Indian food, which I did and found quite good. He then confirmed I am not quite vegan (I am vegetarian and cannot consume dairy, but I eat eggs.) and thus would not need the vegan menu and then asked me to make selections for the following day. I did tell the server I would happily order off of the vegan menu, if it would be easier but he declined. As they were serving eggplant/zucchini parmesan as the vegetarian entree and also a pasta dish with peas, turkey, and a cream sauce, I thought it would be simple to prepare some veggies with pasta and marinara sauce with a salad. I also ordered the roasted tomato soup and some steamed vegetables for the next morning with eggs. I was also advised that I could get the veggie patty at the grill.

The following morning, we were seated, and I ordered as I had previously indicated but the soup arrived with cheese in it, though this was not listed as an ingredient on the menu. Apparently, I was supposed to speak to someone about the preordered meal, but no one bothered to tell me this, so I assume there was a non-dairy bowl of soup that went to waste. I tried to visit the grill for the veggie patty but there was not one ready. When I asked for one, the person behind the counter rolled his eyes and then hollered down the line for someone to put one in the microwave for me. It appeared as I was eating it that it contained cheese, as strings formed when I took a bite, but I am not certain it contained cheese. That night, I was presented with a pile of (cold) zucchini and eggplant without sauce or spice of any kind and a separate dish of turkey, peas, and pasta, again without sauce. I reminded them I was vegetarian and was presented several minutes later with a dish of plain pasta. I barely touched the dinner.

I ordered for the following day and played it safe by ordering al la carte from the every-day menu. I requested a baked potato, plain, and some steamed vegetables. This was moderately better but again cold, and some of the vegetables and the potato had black spots. Also, on the following day, there was no brunch served, as it was a shore-excursion day, so I went to the buffet to find something to eat. The buffet had just closed, so I was forced to visit the grill, where I discovered that only fruit (which I had to beg for from the people dismantling the buffet) and a roasted tomato were avaible to me. There was no utensil with the tomatoes, so I requested one and was presented with the tongs used for the sausage. I said I was a vegetarian and thought that, regardless, separate utensils should be used and was met with a glare. (We had no issues accomodating my dietary restrictions in Cozumel.)

The following day was again a shore day, but my husband was sick, so I managed to get to the breakfast buffet for some fruit before they closed it up. I intended to go to the Mongolian grill for lunch, since I figured I would finally be able to get my hands on a large quantity of fresh vegetables. I went to the grill for lunch, compiled my vegetables, and presented them to wok cook. He asked what meat I would like, and I told him I was a vegetarian and did not want any meat. He continued to put my veggies in the wok and added some liquid from a small pitcher. I asked what it was, thinking it might contain fish sauce or something, and he stated it was chicken broth. I reiterated that I was vegetarian, and he told me to put together another pile of vegetables and he would redo it. He put the new vegetables in the wok and added about 1 1/2 cups of water instead of broth, so when I received my food, it was soup. By this time, my hands were shaking as I was angry and starving, and I took my plate to the customer service desk and explained my problem. They called the head person from the deck grill and buffet who arrived about 10 minutes later. I reveiwed my complaints with him, and he promised to correct my food from the grill and again mentioned a vegan menu. I said I had been informed there was one but had not seen it. I again said I would happily order from it, but he declined since I eat eggs. (I am in doubt of the existence of this menu, as I also find no mention of it anywhere online.) He did fix my Mongolian grill food, but the battle with the food situation continued the entire cruise. I had three more dinners, all of which were lukewarm to cold and most of which included very few actual vegetables. I assume the temperature issue is because the meals are prepared early and are not adequately kept warm. With regard to the quality of the food, I can only guess that the chef never actually tried any of the food he prepared for me, as it was incredibly sub par - Subway, Chipotle, any Asian food place, and most fast food joints offer food that I can consume and that tastes better than what I was served. It was dry and flavorles and showed a complete lack of imagination or understanding of cuisine, vegan or otherwise. For desert, they made some kind of pudding with soy milk (every night except one). It was okay but nothing special, not what I would eat on a vacation for sure.

The entire situation was embarrassing. I actually had brunch the last sea day and requested a salad with vinaigrette dressing and no cheese (the only salad on the menu was Caesar), and the waitress acted like a change of dressing was going to cause her incredible distress. The continual public notice of how difficult it was for me to find food suited to my needs was humiliating and only served to draw attention to a subject I don't really care to discuss anymore - why I'm vegetarian. I am not sure my husband and I will take another cruise, but, if we do, we will be researching who has the best vegan options beforehand. It just did not occur to me that, with all of the options now available to me (different from when I became a vegetarian in 1991), it would be so difficult for them to accommodate me as a guest.

I can recommend the Indian food and sincerely wish I had simply had this every night of the cruise. I hope this helps anyone out there with questions about finding vegan food on this cruise.

The ship was wonderful- smaller than we usually sail on but that made it alot less crowded and to me less stressful. The boarding process and debarking process were both quite easy. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. The highlight of the entire cruise was The Chef's Table. That was the best night with a really nice group of people. And The Chef- what a wonderful man. My only issue was with the excursions. I love Cozumel- would go there again and again. But Progresso- not so good. The ship is too far away from anything. We went on the "shopping" tour to Merida. Crowded into a little van- long ride- and the shopping was for about 30 minutes to what I think was the most expensive shop in the entire city. And they did not easily deal with the US dollars. ALOT of walking. To be honest I was a bit scared to venture out to anywhere else. Our guide took us to the middle of the town to this shop then disappeared. Did not see him again until we made our way back to where the Van was supposed to be. Merida was not a pleasant excursion for me. It was a waste of money.  I'll sail on the Elation again- have already booked the cruise. But will not be getting off the ship in Progresso with a planned paid for excursion.