Carnival Elation: 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise from Jacksonville, Florida

January 2023

Carnival Elation in Grand Turk

Arrival and check-in ~ Jacksonville cruise port

We opted to park at the Parking Mall across from the cruise port, as the cost was $7 less per day. The parking area is fenced in; however, we would not choose this option again for a couple of reasons. I am providing the details here, to assist others in making their own decision. If you do plan to park there, I suggest NOT booking in advance, like we did. Pay when you arrive, and have exact cash for the cost. The cost is $70 for a 7-day cruise, if you pay when you arrive. If you book an advance reservation online, you will be charged $75. This is extremely unfair, because our check-in process to board the shuttle was a quick click by the worker on his tablet. We then had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for people checking in that day, who needed change, or to run their credit cards. The second thing we did not like about this business, was the return shuttle pickup process. There was no organization at the cruise port, so each time the bus arrived, people who had just gotten off the boat were trying to shove in to the line to board, when there were already too many people trying to board who had been waiting two runs or more. Some of you may think the return chaos cannot be controlled by the shuttle service, and I would disagree with that to some extent. We have observed other shuttle services that have someone at the port, and/or more than one bus running during busy times. When the first bus arrived after we got to the pickup area, we observed a few people who seemed quite annoyed with the wait, so possibly they waited even longer than we did (we got on the third pickup after arriving). A second bus did start running this day just before we got on our shuttle, so things may have run smoother after we departed. Unfortunately, there is not a pedestrian walkway to get from the cruise port to the parking lot.  

The boarding process to get on Elation in Jacksonville was efficient, and one of the easiest we have ever experienced. Our credit card authorization was processed before 8:00 AM. Our check-in time was 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, and we were on board before 11:00 AM.

 

Carnival Elation cabin R26

Porthole cabin R-26, deck 4

We usually prefer a balcony cabin when on a cruise of 7 days or more; however, this time we went with an interior less expensive room. Overall, we were quite happy with this cabin. We liked the windows, and we liked having the ledge in front of the windows.

Carnival Elation cabin R26, small stool in corner of top photo

The only thing we did not like about this cabin was the lack of seating, and the fridge/cooler did not work well. There was plenty of room in the corner for a soft chair, so I do not understand why the cabins we have had recently only have one little stool seat by the mirror and counter. We never sit at the counter in our cabin, so this seat does not make sense to me.

Bathroom in Carnival Elation cabin R26

The closets had enough hangers and enough room to store both our suitcases. The bathroom functioned well, and contained everything we needed. I requested a bathrobe from our room steward shortly after we arrived, and I received it before evening.

From the breakfast menu on Carnival Elation: Breakfast Bowl and Corned Beef Hash

Food and beverages

Breakfast

• Dining room breakfast was great. Service was always top-notch, and foods were good. Although Corned Beef Hash was different than last year, it was still very good. Masala Dosa had been eliminated from the menu.
• Sea Day Brunch experience was also great, although the app did not seem to work correctly. Every time we checked in, the notice always said the wait was less than 10 minutes. This was fairly accurate most of the days (for breakfast and brunch). The first sea day, we waited over 30 minutes for our table after checking in. On all days following the first day, I received updates on the app saying our table had been requested. The first day, I received the confirmation saying our table request had been received, and then I did not receive any updates after that until our table was ready. We all liked the Fire Roasted Tomato Soup, and Banana Cream Pie. I was disappointed that the Breakfast Tower and Breakfast Board had been eliminated from the menu.

Lunch

• Blue Iguana Cantina and Guys Burger Joint provided the same foods and service as we experienced on other ships. I like shrimp tacos, and did not have any trouble getting this at Blue Iguana, even though shrimp is only listed for the burritos. My husband, however, was unable to get one when he tried a few days after me. 
• Deli menu items were a bit different than they had been in 2022. The Turkey Pretzel Bun, which is one of my favorites, no longer contained arugula. There were a few new items, like the Buffalo Chicken Wrap.
• Pizzeria seemed the same as usual, and we never had to wait long for our pizza.

Dinner

• Dining room menu and foods had not changed much. The portion sizes were a bit smaller, which was fine with me. Carnival is also charging $5 now for any entrees over two. This is another good decision, in my opinion. Our dining room staff provided the best service!
• This ship did not have a Steakhouse, or an Italian restaurant.

Alchemy Bar on Carnival Elation, and sunset from Alchemy 

Beverages and lounges

• Alchemy Bar on this ship was beautiful. We were surprised to see that this area was never very busy. It was a great place to relax and watch the sunset before dinner, as it is directly above Inspiration dining room. 
• You can get a bucket of six beers for $6 off at any bar.

Romeo and Juliet Lounge on Carnival Elation

• Romeo & Juliet Lounge was beautiful and spacious with a nice dance floor. Unfortunately, none of the musicians played in this lounge. This room was used for karaoke every night.
  

Beverage menu in Comedy Club on Carnival Elation

About the only places we observed beverage menus on this ship was at Drama Bar (casino), and Alchemy Bar. I requested the menus shared above at the Comedy Club bar. Then, I was unable to get a drink because right after the bartender gave me the menu, she walked away, and then they started shooing everyone out for the next show.

Serenity Deck on Carnival Elation 

Pool and outside areas

The only pool deck area we visited was serenity deck at the back of the ship on deck 9. There were two heated whirlpool tubs, and this area was not usually too crowded. We liked the shaded seats at the tables on the deck above outside the Pizzeria and Lido Bar. Both sides offered great views, and neither side was ever very crowded. The photo above was taken from the table area outside Lido Bar.

This ship has a waterslide and mini golf. It does not have an outside walking/jogging track.

Gifted game champagne we received 

Entertainment and activities

The shows in the showroom were very good, and we enjoyed the comedy shows. We never had any trouble getting a decent seat at any of the shows. One thing missed on this cruise was the Fun Squad. There were not many daytime activities, other than bingo and trivia. We participated in one family game called Walk the Plank. This was enjoyable, and we almost won! We actually did make out in the end--the family near us who won received a Ship on a Stick, and a bottle of champagne. They approached us afterward, and offered us the champagne, as they said they do not drink. We gladly accepted. 😊

Platinum perks and past guest party

We received the same koozie wrap we had received on two prior cruises for our gifts. The past guest party was nice. The service was great, and there was a cooler of craft beers with a server, along with the servers waiting on guests in their seats.

Debarkation

Debarkation was just as smooth as boarding this ship. In fact, it was earlier than we expected. We were at dock before 6:00 AM, and people were disembarking by 7:00 AM. We were quite surprised with the early debarkation, as this ship was not re-boarding after our cruise. It was going into dry dock.

I will have share info about our ports of call, next. The activity schedules and more pictures can be found in the Facebook album. Let me know if you have any questions!