We sailed on the Elation August 2011. First of all, I am really disappointed that Carnival is leaving Mobile. The efficiency of the port was top rate. One of the best we've ever been too. It took us about 30-45 minutes from the time we pulled in to the bay to unload our car til the time we was on board sitting down for lunch. The garage on site was a nice plus. We've never had a long wait or bad experience boarding any Carnival Ships, but this one was exceptionally smooth.
Now for the review of the ship.
The Elation is a fantasy class ship and is in the middle of the evolutions of fun upgrades. The ship did not have the waterworks yet or the upgraded cabins with flat screens, but they were still really nice. We squeezed 5 into an ocean view room and found we had more than enough space for all of our belongings. Our room steward, Alit, was one of the most friendly stewards we've ever had. He came by our room 1st day right after we moved in and learned all 5 of our names. We saw him several times a day and he always made a point to call all of us by name and ask how we was. Our room was always tidy and there was a cute towel animal or two in our room every night. Next, our head waiter, Mehmet, he went above and beyond our expectations. He was very patient with our shy daughter and even had her dancing by the end of the trip. We never had to ask for anything and he always remembered our names and what we wanted to drink and special needs for each dinner. There was 8 of us traveling together and he treated all 8 of us like he had known us forever. We even have him on facebook as a friend.
Large closets, large bathroom, plenty of drawer space, huge window, quiet hallways.