Since I usually work all of the holidays I enjoy getting away after New Years Eve. My 12 year old son and myself traveled to San Diego by Amtrak. We boarded in the Fullerton Station(Station closest to hometown of Long Beach)(next southbound stop past L.A.'s Union Station). Checking our two larger pieces of luggage was a breeze. Although the train was slightly late in coming we really enjoyed the Amtrak Surfliner. Breathtaking views glided by our large windows of the upper level business class comfy seats. We arrived in sunny San Diego. It was a short walk to the Best Western Bayside Inn. The hotel was nice and the restaurant off the lobby had good food and service. I had lovely views of the waterfront from my hotel room. San Diego is an great town for a pre cruise stay. The next morning we walked down to the pier to take pictures of the Elation. Next to her we also saw the Crystal Symphony. It was short 15 minute walk. We walked back and checked out. There was a large group of people in the lobby also going on the Elation. The hotel has an excellent free shuttle to the pier. Embarkation @ a little before 12:00 was a breeze. From drop off to being in the Lido to have my lunch was approx 20 minutes. I had an excellent buffet lunch while Carlos my son ventured off to explore the ship. Promptly @ 1:30 our room was ready as promised.

We had one of the Cat. 11 Verandah deck balcony suites. To me a very nice space. Although the decor is a tad dated ( scheduled to be redone in the Evolutions of Fun program), the room was of a high quality. Nice dark wood cabinets, ample storage space, marble counter tops, floor to ceiling attractive pastel tile in the bathroom, clean like new carpet, wallpaper also almost like new, But best of all real teak deck on the balcony with sturdy metal chairs. A very nice space to spend 4 nights. The couch was made into a very comfortable bed for my son, while I enjoyed the Queen size comfort bed. Boat drill went fast, while the lines were cast off and we set sail. We enjoyed the rest of sailing out of San Diego from our compact balcony with the sun setting. I made myself a cocktail while Carlos had a coke and we toasted ourselves "Bon Voyage". I had pre ordered a bottle of the hard stuff that was waiting for me. Carnival is really good and getting you the items you pre order. Dinner the first night was excellent. Our waiters Michael and Alex both from the Philippines did and excellent job. Our Cabin steward Trisnah kept me in fresh towels and lots of ice for the voyage. One great thing about the Cat. 11 rooms on Fantasy class ships is that they are much closer to the pool and lido areas than the more expensive Cat 12s.

Our Fun day at sea was a very relaxing. I did a token work out in the very nicely equipped forward work out room. Also very close to those Cat 11 rooms. The semi private locker room shower is like the one Joan Crawford had in Mommy Dearest. Multiple Shower heads. Next after our excellent dining room breakfast Carlos and I played mini golf while we saw other cruise ships pass by. The rest of the day was spent lounging by the pool and going down the water slide. I am sure I was one of the older ones to use it. Very fun. I did fetch a buffet lunch from the Tiffanies and had it on my balcony... after naps an excellent dinner and show followed. I saw an amazing sun set at sea, that day. The next day we had room service continental breakfast, Then effortlessly tendered into Cabo. We did the Dolphin encounter in Cabo San Lucas and we will never forget it. You really do get to play with and ride the dolphins. Our guide/trainer ironically named Aldopho really gave our group extra attention. I highly recommend it. After buying a few trinkets we returned to the ship to enjoy more sun and twister water slide rides. Temps in Cabo were in the 80s. We enjoyed seeing whales as we glided past. The next day was cold and stormy. But we are both good sailors and enjoyed the ride. So did most of the other passengers we saw. I spent a huge chunk of our second sea day reading with the balcony door bungee corded open enjoying the sound of the waves. My son also liked the video arcade but did not really get into the program for his age group. Alas the last morning arrived and we had to leave. It was no problem to make it off the ship for our 9:30 return train trip. ( I would not advise this for those flying out). We had a fun packed and relaxing father and son trip, and met some nice people. I also saw multi generational family groups several times. Most passengers were first or just a few cruises. But I did meet a lady who had been on something like 60 cruises. Yes there were a few party animals but mostly lots of families. The cruise was an excellent value for the money and I would do it again...