Carnival Elation Cruise Reviews - Reviews

My husband and our two children had a lot of fun. The children were first time cruisers and they had a blast. They were nervous about going to their clubs at first, but both had a great time. The Elation is an older ship and it does show a little. That said, the staff were wonderful and friendly. Our cabin steward did an excellent job. He remembered all our names after just meeting him once. If we ever needed anything we only had to ask. There were only two negatives. 1) The pool was kinda small for that many people and it was geared more toward the kids. It would be nice if there were another pool. 2) The comedians were horrible!!! I've heard language and can handle it. But, a joke can be funny without saying the "F" word every other word. My husband and I couldn't even stay for one set. We walked out after only three jokes. Adult is one thing, vulgar is another.

The Carnival Elation is an older cruise ship and it shows. However, it was very clean and the staff was very friendly. One of the high points of the cruise was the live shows. Both shows were great, we even saw Let's Rock twice. There were many activities to choose from and the kids enjoyed the arcade as well. The food was ok the dessert was bland. The 24 hour pizza place never had pizza ready and there was always a line. The room was small. There were two adults and two kids in the room. The trundle bed was on the floor and the pull out bed was directly above it. This made me and my son nervous because we just didnt know if it was going to be sturdy. Fortunately it was ok. Overall we enjoyed the cruise and will cruise again, but not on the Carnival Elation. The Carnival Valor is much much nicer and larger.

I would rate our cruise as a fair experience. This was our fifth cruise and I would rank it the lowest so far. Our accomodations were good with the beds being comfortable and the bathrooms large enough. Our cabin steward took good care of it. The carpet in the Tiffany buffet was very visibly dirty with crumbs and food particles lying about, as were many areas of the deck. I went to an upper deck to sun and my daughter and I observed a used prophylactic lying on the deck as well as other discarded garbage. We often found dirty dishes, etc. on the deck just behind the Tiffany in the early morning when we went for breakfast. I did observe staff cleaning constantly. The musical show was so loud that even the young people in our party did not want to go back for the next one. The show itself was good and the performers were excellent but the sound was turned up way too loud. The same was true with the music that played continuously at the pool area on the Lido deck. It was being played so loudly that we couldn't hear each others conversation without yelling so we finally avoided the pool area altogether. I was disappointed in the Mikado theater offerings. I have experienced more variety of night time entertainment on other cruises. There was often lots of noise, from fellow cruisers, in the cabin corridors. The cruise was rough and I know this was due to a tropical storm but several in my party were motion sick most of the trip. Breakfast was the best meal. Although the other meals and food was presented in an attractive manner and the waiters were excellent, the food was just average. Altogether I would say that Carnival is a party ship geared toward drinking. I would not cruise with them again.

This is a smaller, older boat that is in need of a makeover. The cabins and interior finishes are dated and show their age. The food was okay. Out of the 3 cruiselines I have experienced, I would rate Carnival's food behind both of the NCL and Royal ships on which I have sailed. The crew was not overly friendly. Some of them seemed upset to be there. the room stuards and dinning room attendants did not go out of their way to make the trip special. They performed their jobs well, but don't expect much conversation. We did do the my time dinning so figuring we would not be at the same table each night, maybe the dinning room staff did not feel they had to go out of their way to accommodate. The shows were to be expected. The typical cheesy song and dance numbers and a couple comedians. The main theater had some bad lines of sight in the upper deck. I would recommend sitting on the main level. The comedians were okay at best. They both performed multiple times through the 5 day cruise. Both of them re-issued the same jokes multiple times. This got old. The Superstars Live was entertaining as guests performed karoke with the live band. The fitness center was decent. If you went first thing in the morning, it was a little packed. There were also a few treadmills and elipical machines that were out of service. It was a little awkard getting into the fitness center as you had to pass through the spa and dressing rooms to get there. Women on one side and men on the other. All in all it was a nice time. I knew going into the trip that this was an older, smaller boat and did not have my expectations high. If you know this going in, you won't be too disappointed. This was my girlfriend's first cruise and she enjoyed it and would go on another. Don't expect ammentities found on larger, newer boats and you should be fine.

The ship was very clean food great! Service exceptional entertainment family friendly no booty shows! The spa salon probably best I have ever experienced staff were excellent knowledgeable of treatments best for me and my husband. Dune buggy excursion was so much fun !

The crew was friendly and helpful. The service was great. The entertainment was very good. The pool area was overcrowded, but there were other things to do. My only complaint was that the elegant dinning was far from elegant. I am a traditionalist and occassionally like to dress up and go to a fancy restaurant. With two dinning rooms and two sittings each, I can see no reason why Carnival cannot enforce a dress code for one sitting at one of the retaurants each night. That way everyone can be happy. I booked with Cruise.com. I will never do that again. We never went on the excursion we booked. The ship's arrival was 6 minutes late and by the time we were allowed to leave the ship, walk to the gate, be forced to walk through the shopping mall by a Mexican policeman and take a taxi to a bar from which the boat excursion left, the boat had already departed. We were allowed a total of 24 minutes from the time Elation cleared customs to arrive at the excursion departure site. To add insult to injury, cruise.com refused to refund the fee that I paid for the excursion. Next time I will book with Carnival lines direct.

Thought is was a great vacation! Couldnt have asked for a nicer or more prompt staff. Would defenitely go back. The only thing i would suggest is a bigger pool area. The rooms were good size...not too much movement where we were placed. Room service was awesome! Never met any member of staff that wasnt friendly and helpful. Loved the karaoke every night! The bands and other entertainment always put on a good show. Would suggest a slightly bigger area for smokers to gather. Loved the different themes at the night club. Music was great everywhere on the ship. All in all great time, couldnt go on

My daughter and I needed a getaway and this cruise was perfect. Too much good food, great entertainment and much needed rest. This was my daughter's first cruise....now she understands why I am hooked. We both wanted to just stay on the ship when it was over. The staff is always smiling, keeping things nice. This ship is easy to move through. We will definitely cruise Carnival Elation again.

This was my first trip taking my 83 year old Mom in a wheelchair. I was very concerned and had never left from New Orleans before. Everything was Great! The day we left it was pouring rain and I dropped Mom off in her chair with all the bags at a drive thru covered area with porters. I then parked. No handicap spots left. No inside spots left. Oh well, take a spot on the top floor still not too far from elevators and go down to meet Mom and the carnival employee that was waiting with her and the carry on bag. This was the quickest I every got on a ship! We went straight to our room with the help of the carnival employee. From this point we just cruised. Ate and watched the best (singing dancing) show I have ever seen on a ship(Rock) and I see them all when I go. This was cruise #9ish? One okay comedian and one GREAT comedian. "The Cowboy" he did 5 shows and I saw them all and they were each one different. The way the club was packed let me know I was not the only one enjoying him. Cruise food was good and presented well. I find that I eat out enough at home and other vacations that after about 2 or three days of a cruise eating is less exciting anyway. I did like how easy it is on Carnival to eat whenever you want. Our service was good through out the trip. All the silly boat games were about the same and I enjoyed some of them. I like taking in a couple each trip. As always I was able to stay busy most of the trip and that is something else I like. I like to do a little gambling but find that I wish I could play black jack or something other than the slots for a little less per hand. I can leave a little money in a casino but like it to take me a little longer to make the deposit.(HA) I wish boats could have one or two $3 minimum tables so I could double down and increase my bet without having $20 per bet out per hand. I am tight when it comes to gambling. Their tables were only $6 minimum which is very much in line with casinos these days. The second show "Win" was cute and had one passenger in the show. The concept was cute and the professionals were outstanding. I did not like this one as well the first one. Having a fellow cruiser on stage was distracting from the show much of the time I think I may have missed the pleasure I would have gotten from watching the professionals without the distraction. If they continue this I think having the guest appearance on stage less often would be more entertaining. I saw the love and marriage show with fellow passengers and enjoyed it. I think these type of shows along with Karaoke etc give enough passengers stage time. The idea was "cute" but with the level of performers available on this ship I think a guest was not needed on stage. I did watch the liar show and the crew was entertaining. They again invited the cowboy comedian. Getting off the ship was as smooth and quick as getting on. Just an FYI. I have cruised and gotten on early due to my suite etc. This was not the case on this trip. I was a last minute booking with a cheap interior room. This made the quality of service even more impressive!

We booked our cruise through and will never do that again. They got the room wrong, the bedding situation wrong, and the dining time wrong. It took us a while to get everything straighted out once on the ship.

A pleasure. First cruise for the wife and I, won't be the last. Being diabetic, my expectations for ice and diet were met professionally. I could talk with the staff for hours ,if time would permit. I could only hope that I was as interesting. The "behind the fun" tour was of special interest to me as it related to my former employment. The stateroom was comfortable, bathroom was larger than expected (RV) and room service is the way to go.

This was only our second cruise ever. We loved our 3 day Royal Caribbean cruise last year so much that our children clamored for another one even before we got our bags unpacked and so we booked this one within two days of our return. Unfortunately, I decided to try Carnival thinking: heck if we loved RC that much how much more will we love cruising on Carnival, which supposedly caters to families with kids? WRONG!! The kid's club staff were some of the meanest, rudest people I've ever met (the Circle C lady actually made me cry when she screamed at me!), and my kids avoided those clubs for the entire 5 day cruise. To top it off, the food was awful and the entertainment (what little there was) was terrible. I will NEVER do that to my family again.

Overall this was a fun cruise. My first on Carnival but we cruise often. Most of the staff were very friendly. The Camp Carnival helped and my little boy had fun. Everyone in the casino was wonderful and very friendly. The pool was very small and not suited for adults. The buffet food and times were fine.

The Elation was our fourth cruise...the second with our whole family (of five). Were it just my wife & I, I would choose another cruise line, but Carnival does allow you to have 5 in a standard room which is a plus. The ship itself is ok...it's looking dated compared to other boats, but it's still clean an well taken care of. Where you really see the age is on the upper deck where the main attraction in an aging mini-golf course. The staff were very friendly, especially the wait & room staff. The food was pretty good, but you will find better on Royal or Holland America. We Cruised to Progreso & Cozumel. Cozumel is one of our favorite islands (despite bad weather this time around), but don't expect much from Progreso. It is definitely not ready for prime time yet. It's a pretty scrubby little town - the Xcapo (sp?) ruins are interesting, but note that you are looking at rebuilt ruins...not as impressive. In summary, Carnival is a good choice for a family of five, but the room does "fit" better when the kids are small (was a bit cramped). If you don't have 5 and have options, choose another cruise line. Carnival is slowly becoming the Greyhound of the Seas in my opinion.

This was a very relaxing cruise with great entertainment and a superior staff. We loved the various programs, including the Battle of the Sexes trivia game and the production shows. The weather in Cozumel was rainy so we got to go shopping instead of our excursion. Overall, just the right length and we would definitely do it again!

Old ship that has not been updated, food good, rooms nice, very difficult to get around in. Boarding and getting off ship very difficult. Customer service around pool deck rude, very difficult to get service, drinks very pricey. Waiters for dinner awesome, very courteous and friendly. Boat smelled very musty, basketballl rims were broken, boat was rusty and bathrooms were very difficult to find.

Awesome trip where we had the best treatment / services provided by truely professional staff and support crew. Spa services and workout area...fabulous Shore excurtions...really cool Food...awesome (just toooooo much to consider) All in all - We had a blast!

Although there was a mechanical problem with the stabilzer (I heard), and poor weather in Cozumel, overall I'd have to say that the cruise was fun and I had a great time. Lots of caring and fun employees, the dinning stewards were great, particulary Atilla at our table in the Inspiation Dining Room. He was very outgoing and fun, and provided exceptional customer service to our table and others. I was very impressed. The shows were excellent, and the cruise directors were entertaining.

I love cruising! You cannot beat this vacation in the $$$ value nor the experience value. We had the best time. And as always, Carnival made us both feel relaxed, welcomed and so happy that we chose to sail with them!

Outstanding food, hospitality was great, not much to do on board for the 6 day 5 night vacation, although for the price I was content. Now lets talk about the Top to Toe Massage, lets just say I went back three nights in a row.... :)