Carnival Elation Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,134 reviews

Not much to do

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Elation
User Avatar
kassimer1
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: May 2018
Cabin: Interior

We have cruised many times and this was the worse ship ever. There was nothing to do. Our room was an interior. I usually love interior rooms because they are so dark it makes sleeping easy. Not on this ship. There is a big crack all around the door letting the hallway light spill in. The way the bed was set up every time I rolled over light was shining in my face. The room was stated for 4 people and it looks like the extra 2 beds were an after thought. instead of pulling out of the ceiling they built fold down bunk beds. Unfortunately, this caused you to have a 8 inch shelf sticking out of the wall about 12 inches above your head when laying on the bed. You had to be very careful not to sit up to fast or you hit your head. This set-up also stopped your ability to lean against the headboard and read or watch tv, Since there was no other chair in the room (due to the other bunk bed sticking out where a chair usually is) you could not just relax in your room well. This also caused my other half to run into the bunk sticking out at night. The shower in the bathroom did seem a tiny bit bigger than on the last ship we were on. There is no bathroom counter space and only one tiny shelf in the bathroom. This caused a lack of storage. The bathroom and hallway smelled strongly of urine. So strong as to almost gag you but we were the lucky ones, many floors and elevators smelled of sewage. Instead of 3 closets that most of our interiors had there is only 2. Since 1/2 of one was taken up with bedding for the 2 bunk beds and life jackets you are very limited on storage. There are 3 shelves and 2 drawers and the safe where the 3rd closet usually is. One tiny draw under the desk for the hairdryer, and a barely cold mini fridge. It took 24 hours before out water was slightly chilled. We complained to the room steward and he said that that's how they all are on this ship. He called it "basically a cooler" I have no idea how you would fit 4 people and their stuff in this tiny room. Our room steward, Alexandher was awesome. Anything we asked for was quickly brought to us, such as extra pillows and Ice. He always had a smile and called us by name and asked how we were. We had any time dining and on the first night we had Richard and his team. The were quick and friendly. We asked to be seated in his section every night, even though there was sometimes a wait for his table it was worth it. The food was good and we ate there all but one night because DH got sunburn and did not feel like going there one night so we did the buffet one diner. It was ok but some of the food was cold. Lunch was mainly the buffet, pizza, deli, guys burgers and blue iguana. The staff in those areas were mostly friendly. The only one not nice was the one female in the dessert station. She acted like you were bothering her. Room service took over an hour the only time we used it and they sent more food than we ordered so it went to waste. I don't know if the other platter was for another room but she was already gone once we realized we had to many. Could not save it for later due to fridge barely cool. I only went to a few of the shows because some appeared to be duplicates from another ship we had just been on. The rock show was very good. The after noon magician was a big joke. he even gave up on one of his tricks, the others were high school magic tricks, good for the kids but not for any adults. We went to many comedy shows and most of the comedians were great. one was so so but with comedy you get that. Normally I love to do the afternoon trivia but on this ship over 1/2 of the trivia was in the smoke filled casino bar. I have asthma and could not participate. This ship had at least 4 other rooms open where they could have the trivia but they choose the smoke filled room. DH asked to speak with Kevin the cruise director and explained that we were unhappy and wanted to get off the ship with the fun guarantee. I don't drink, gamble, or sit out in the sun ( due to father died of skin cancer) so the only 2 things I do when there isn't a show or dining on the ship are trivia and games in the library. Every day at around 2 they would close the library so they could set the captains table up in there. Kevin told us he would switch the trivia to one of the open rooms and actually went over all the different games to see what ones we would be interested in and those he would switch. Why would they have an activity that children and those with heart and lung diseases join in the smoke filled bar when there are other places is so confusing to me. Kevin said corporate told them to have them their due to art auctions. but the art auction was over with by the time of some of the trivia so who knows. Since Kevin was going to change the trivia we decided to stay on the ship. This worked for a few days until we left grand turk. that was the first stop they could have flown us home from. Then it went back to almost all in the bar . We did not appreciate being lied to. The decor on the ship is beautiful but the design of the atrium was terrible for entertainment. there were the bar stools around the bar and then pushed way out the way was a small area of couches. So basically you had to stand for any entertainment. The fun staff was doing their job but only 2 really seemed like they enjoyed it. We did one excursion in amber cove - serenity vip beach. We loved it. The resort area was amazing. Every one got a beach bed and there was plenty of shade. the water was beautiful but rocky so wear water shoes. This came with unlimited drinks and food. The virgin daiquiris were great. I would definitely go back. We just did a beach day at half moon cay. I bought a pop up tent from amazon that fit in my luggage and was only 2 lbs. it worked really well for shade. Overall, I will never cruise this ship again even if it was free. There were some nice things but to many problems. The embarkation and debarkation was fine.

Cabin Review

Interior

Cabin 4I

Our room was an interior. I usually love interior rooms because they are so dark it makes sleeping easy. Not on this ship. There is a big crack all around the door letting the hallway light spill in. The way the bed was set up every time I rolled over light was shining in me face. The room was stated for 4 people and it looks like the extra 2 beds were an after thought. instead of pulling out of the ceiling they built fold down bunk beds. Unfortunately, this caused you to have a 8 inch shelf sticking out of the wall about 12 inches above your head, you had to be very careful not to sit up to fast or you hit your head. This set-up also stopped your ability to lean against the headboard and read or watch tv, Since there was no other chair in the room (due to the other bunk bed sticking out where a chair usually is) you could not just relax in your room well. This also caused my other half to run into the bunk sticking out at night. The shower in the bathroom did seem a tiny bit bigger than on the last ship we were on. There is no bathroom counter space and only one tiny shelf in the bathroom. This caused some problems because of lack of storage. The bathroom and hallway smelled strongly of urine. So strong as to almost gag you. Instead of 3 closets that most of our interiors had there is only 2. Since 1/2 of one was taken up with bedding for the 2 bunk beds and life jackets you are very limited on storage. There are 3 shelves and 2 drawers and the safe where the 3rd closet usually is. One tiny draw under the desk for the hairdryer, and a barely cold mini fridge. It took 24 hours before out water was slightly chilled. We complained to the room steward and he said that that's how they all are on this ship. He called it "basically a cooler" I have no idea how you would fit 4 people and their stuff in this tiny room.

Port Reviews

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata)

We did the serenity VIP excursion. It was all inclusive resort wit an almost deserted beach area just for those on excursions. The food and drinks were good and staff friendly. We had a great time. There are beach beds, hammocks, swings, all different ways to relax.

Jacksonville

We stayed at the hilton garden inn before the cruise and the staff was amazing and the room gorgeous. We had a late flight out after the cruise and they let us come back after we disembarked and stored our luggage for free while we went to the zoo. I strongly suggest staying here. It was mother's day weekend so all mothers got in the zoo free. That was a nice surprise since I did not have my child with. The zoo had a cute train that would take you around the outside to see the animals. you could also just walk around or hop off part way. It was a nice way to spend some time. We used uber to get back and forth.

1 Helpful Vote
previous reviewnext review

Find a Carnival Elation Cruise from $249

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.