Carnival Elation Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,134 reviews

Fantastic Ship, Great Food, Wonderful Trip

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Carnival Elation
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RogerThat726
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

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Sail Date: Jul 2009

I booked this cruise for a quick getaway with some dear friends of ours who had never cruised before.  I was nervous about booking their first cruise on such an older ship with some not so nice reviews but it was the only cruise that the dates worked for the entire group so we booked.  Here is my take:

1.  The ship is in great shape.  EVERYTHING was clean and looked nice.  I don't know if they just went though an refurbished the inside of the ship but it was clean from top to bottom.  We had two outside cabins and while the decor was a little dated, they were great.  Good size and quiet.  We were towards the back of the ship so you could from time to time feel the engines but it was never terrible. I dare say I like the bathrooms on Elation better than the bathrooms on Spirit.  I wouldn't hesitate to book on Elation again.  The safety drill on Elation was a little different and seemed to take forever.  I don't know if that has to do with the age of the ship or some other requirement but at least you only have to do it once.

2.  We had dinner in the dining room all 4 nights and the food was great.  I realize that Carnival's menu doesn't match Holland or Princess but hey, you get what you pay for and I prefer they laid back dress code on Carnival.  Everything was delicious, served hot and pretty fast.  Our waiter Karsaki couldn't have been better.  Always a huge smile and advice on what he thought we would like.  Lido deck food was even good and I have never been a huge fan of buffets on cruise ships but they did a great job keeping everything fresh and ready on Lido.  Lines for sandwiches got long during lunch but seemed to move pretty quickly.  

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