To be honest I was looking for a larger ship since our previous 3 cruises had been on different Fantasy-class ships and we wanted to try something new. Our vacation window however only fit with a cruise out of Jacksonville on the Elation.
We purchased F2F since it turned out to be so convenient for our previous cruise. Since there were four of us including our two daughters who were both over 18 it was nice to get straight to the fun and not have to lug our suitcases around. We were once again glad that we spent the extra $ because it made embarkation much quicker and convenient. A surprise Coast Guard drill had delayed the process for embarkation and everyone was already delayed at least a half hour. We were quickly ushered on board after the VIP suites and Platinum cruisers. Our room was ready and we dropped off our things to begin our vacation.
Having already been on Paradise, Fantasy and Sensation I already knew what to expect out of the ship itself but knew that Elation was a year away from a dry dock refit. This concerned me a little but once we came aboard all worries were put aside. As Carnival is famous for the ship was well maintained in spite of its age. We had an aft ocean view cabin that seemed a little larger than our previous Ocean view cabin or interior cabins. We loved the view from the stern overlooking the ship's wake.
The cabin was very comfortable for just 2 occupants with the bed configured as a king. With the annoying corner boxes removed we were able to actually walk on both sides of the bed!
JAXPORT was extremely easy to get to however we chose The Parking Mall directly across the highway for parking because it was almost half the price for the week of parking.
The beach is beautiful. We rented a clam shell for our lounge chairs as well as masks and snorkels. The BBQ was great and very well organized with outdoor shaded picnic tables. I took a stroll around the island and enjoyed the solitude that was only a few minutes from the main beach.
We chose to just walk around the port area and took in the local government buildings as well as shopping, restaurant and Junkanoo beach. It was fun but we were ready to get back on the ship by 3 p.m.