I travelled on the Elation with 3 other ladies out of Galveston on September 26th, 2004. We had two ladies to a cabin. We had an ocean view on the Riviera deck, next to the elevator. I thought there would be a lot of noise there due to the elevator and stairs, but we didn't hear a thing.
I was a little concerned about the weather before we left, due to the hurricanes, but we had beautiful weather and smooth sailing the entire time. This was my 3rd cruise. I sailed on the Jubilee and the Celebration, both out of Galveston, before this.
We parked our car at the Dolphin lot Sunday around 11 a.m., for a fee of $60 for the week. We got on the bus quickly, and we were taken to the pier for embarkation. Unfortunately, getting off the cruise and back to the car the next Sunday was not that easy. It was VERY hot, sunny, and humid when we came home, and we waited over an hour to get on the Dolphin shuttle to take us back to the parking lot. A lot of people had parked in that lot, so we were all trying to get back to it at the same time. I would suggest a bottle of water and an umbrella so you will at least have some shade while you wait. Oh, and a lot of patience!