2004 Departing from Galveston
Written: Mar 29 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Relatively inexpensive. Varied activities. Good service. Wonderful food. A lot of FUN!
Cons: Alcoholic beverages onboard are overpriced. Ship is crowded and noisy.
The Bottom Line: Cruising is an excellent vacation because you can do as much or as little as you want.
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| MsXenovia's Full Review: Carnival Elation |
I haven't seen any reviews of Carnival's Elation departing from Galveston to Progreso, Cozumel and Belize City, so here's my contribution.
PRICE: A primary consideration for many. We got a 7 day cruise for an advertised $399 pp through Travelocity. After taxes, the total was $863 for two in an inside cabin. A bargain in almost anyone's book.
We live just about 4 hours drive from Galveston, so used the reserved parking at the port. $60.00 for the cruise duration.
Check-in was the usual zoo. Even being an hour early for announced check-in time didn't save us from long lines and general chaos, but since this seems to be the norm, we take it in stride. At check-in you get your "sail and sign" card that acts as your cabin card key and cc for anything you buy on board. Your "sail and sign" card is backed by your credit card or by cash you deposit on site. Tips for cabin stewards, wait persons & miscellaneous ship personnel "incentives" are automatically charged to this card at the rate of $10.00 per day per person, so you start off with a $70.00 deficit per person here. And remember, booze and soft drinks are NOT included in your cruise price. Alcoholic beverages are 'way overpriced, IMO, at over $4 per snort and they automatically add 15% tip, so even a moderate drinker can easily run up a huge tab.
Once on board, we were favorably impressed with the size of our cabin. At 186 sq. ft., it was considerably larger than most of the cabins on our other cruises, including one earlier Carnival cruise 'way back in 1990 on the Carnivale.
The Elation is a large ship and there are a LOT of people on it. Peace and quiet is hard to find..."Carnival" is, after all, a party. Even the library has noisy card players.
There is something to do at almost any waking hour. My husband and I spent some time every day on the jogging track, though there was one day the wind was so strong I couldn't make more than one circuit. The casino, the bars, the beauty salon, the spa and the pools are easy entertainment and there are scheduled activities for the more gregarious. One little note...those "seminars" for weight loss, makeup, skin care, etc. are usually just "infomercials" trying to get you to buy something. And, in my opinion, the "art" auctions are a huge waste. The "art" is either mostly prints or originals from noname painters or craftsmen. But that's just what I think...I could be dead wrong.
Shore Excursions: So little time, so much to do!
Our first port of call, Progreso/Merido, Mexico had 14 choices of excursions. Excursions are rated on activity level and include trips for people of limited physical ability up to trips for those who are very fit and able to participate in high activity events. We selected the tour to Chichen-Itza, an all-day affair that involved moderate activity. Be advised, it gets VERY HOT here and there is limited shade, so even though the walking is not strenuous, the heat is a factor.
The next day we were in Cozumel. There was an even greater number of choices for shore excursions here, but we selected a short, easy tour on a boat with submerged seating for an underwater view of the local coral formations. This was really a lot of fun and we got some great pictures.
Our next Port of Call was Belize City. There is no "dock" here, so the ship anchors offshore and we take smaller boats, called "tenders" in to shore. There are rather fewer excusions here, but those available are no less interesting, to my mind. We elected to take a trip to the Mayan ruins at Altun-Ha and a tour around Belize City. We spent a lot of time on a very comfortable bus and had tour guides who were very friendly and willing to answer any of our questions.
On the way back to home port, we had two full "fun days at sea."
This gave us the opportunity to more fully explore the ship and the onboard activities. One could indulge in a trivia contest, a ping pong tournament, a "famous faces" game or a country dance class, all before noon. Later on there was the hilarious "Men's Hairy Chest Contest" and after that crazy games in the Pool Olympics. Bingo was a stalwart, found several times a day, and there were the usual Vegas style shows every night after dinner.
All in all, we had a really positive experience on this cruise and would definitely recommend it to anyone.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
MsXenovia
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Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 2 members
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