My husband and I needed to escape the long, cold Chicago winter, so we decided to cruise on Elation in late March. First, we love (can I say that in all caps - LOVE) New Orleans. The city is just such a great place to spend time. No matter what you like, it's there. So after arriving there the late afternoon prior to our cruise and enjoying the night on Bourbon Street and in the French Quarter, we grabbed some cafe au'lait and beignets at Cafe DuMonde on the morning we embarked the ship and then headed over to the terminal.

Embarkation, including parking, was a breeze. The VIP lounge was set up very well and it was mabe 25 minutes from the time we left the car in the garage until we were walking on to the ship (we arrived at 11:30). We're platinum and had a grand suite, so our room was ready. We dropped off our carry-on bag, unpacked a little bit, checked out the suite and the balcony and then wandered the ship a bit before grabbing a bite to eat on the Lido deck.

First impressions were fantastic. The ship was very well kept, clean, and funny enough, the orange and teal color scheme matches all this spring's clothing that is currently in the stores. We joked that if you wait long enough, everything comes back into vogue, and the decor here certainly proved that point very well. Read more