My husband and I wanted a nice inexpensive getaway and we certainly found that on the Elation. For a total price of $500 for both of us we could not resist. We drove to New Orleans a city that we have always wanted to visit. New Orleans was fantastic! We enjoyed the fun of Bourbon street as it was Labor Day weekend also known as "Southern Decadence" a.k.a. gay pride weekend. It was interesting and fun people watching and enjoying music, food, drinking etc. You definitely needed to have an open mind lol. We grabbed a hotel room at the Marriott on Canal Street and it was perfect. The room was beautiful, clean and smelled really good. We were able to park our car at the hotel overnight for $35. The staff was awesome and the view from our room on the 23rd floor was perfect. They served a great breakfast as well.

We enjoyed our morning in preparation of our cruise by taking a nice stroll around the area. The cruise port was just a short drive away so we didn't have to check out before noon. The parking at the port was a breeze. You pay $80 up front and park in a covered secure garage. Your luggage is then transported to the ship for you and you are on your way.

Getting aboard the ship was efficient. I was surprised by not receiving a welcome drink as I had on the other 3 Carnival cruises I have taken. I had the drink and the sail away party on the brain as soon as I got on board. All hopes of that faded as we had to figure out how to get to our muster stations for the safety drill. Hey I'm all for safety but it was sort of a buzz kill the way it was done. So that was my first "hmmm". Beyond that I felt that the staff was not as attentive as I had known them to be on previous cruises. I tend to think it has to do with the new tipping procedure where they charge your tips to your credit card daily. Perhaps if the staff knew they were working for tips maybe they would be a little more attentive? The staff seemed tired to me. I did find Read more