Carnival Elation Review
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This was our 4th cruise....3 on Carnival (Celebration,Imagination,Elation)...1 on Norwegian. Elation left from Galveston..we took a shuttle from Hobby Airport "Galveston limousine Service"...$50 roundtrip (discounts for seniors/children available). Porters in Galveston are much friendlier than the ones in Miami. We had requested early dining...but were given late dining..so had to change that right away. We did an oceanview guarantee....and ended up with a cabin on main deck...not too bad...used to being up higher..was worried at first..but the elevators worked just fine.
Main Deck: Hallway carpet had water stains (almost as if there was a flood there)...carpet needed to be replaced..surprising since the ship was refurbished 1 year ago. My husband noticed the laundry baskets in the hallway at all times...looked very messy. Room was clean. Dining: Would have preferred to have been seated with people in our own age group...made a comment about that to Carnival. Overall, Formal dining had something for everyone...there was just 1 night that we went that there was too much moose, goose, liver,etc..things you don't normally eat. 24 hour pizzeria was great! lunch buffets were also good...presentation is no where near Norwegian. Food was good. There is one cafe on the boat that charges for desserts...it's a shame to pay for that when you can go upstairs and get it for free....not sure why carnival has started doing that.
Excursions: We only did 1 excursion..in Belize..Shark/Ray snorkeling..$79 it was wonderful..though the boat ride to/from the snorkel site is 3 hours roundtrip on a speedboat..so take something warm. Would recommend this excursion...it was the highlight of our trip. In Cozumel, we took a $7 cab ride to Dzal-Hu..great snorkeling there..we had our own equipment..in fact all the excursion boats came here for snorkeling. In Progresso, Mexico...we found a beer bargain...Coronas for 65 cents..so we enjoyed a few drinks on the beach. The beach water is not good for snorkeling...but its a great place to relax/shop.