Carnival Elation Cruise Ship: Overview and Venues

At greater than 25 years previous, Carnival Elation is admittedly one of many older cruise ships you may decide for an upcoming trip. The Fantasy-class ship has lived an extended life, delivering traditional Carnival enjoyable to households, and it’s nonetheless going to this present day. 

Along with being on the older facet, the ship can be on the smaller facet — a minimum of compared to most fashionable cruise ships. 

All that stated, don’t assume that older and smaller all the time equals much less fascinating. Carnival has saved this ship up, with common refurbishments and dry docks, with the newest occurring in 2023, and the following scheduled for 2026. 

Intrigued? Right here’s every thing you must know earlier than you’re taking a Carnival Elation cruise.

Carnival Elation Stats

As talked about, Carnival Elation is on the small facet. Simply because it’s small, although, it’s not cramped, and also you’ll discover you’ve gotten loads of room to unfold out amongst your fellow passengers. The ship measures in at:

• Gross Tonnage: 71,909 GT
• Size: 855 toes
• Passenger Decks: 11
• Staterooms: 1,095
• Passenger capability at double occupancy: 2,190
• Passenger capability at full occupancy: 2,697
• Crew: 900

As the latest, most fashionable cruise ship throughout the Fantasy class (different Fantasy-class ships, each retired and presently crusing, embrace Carnival Paradise, Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Fascination, Carnival Creativeness and Carnival Inspiration), Carnival Elation can be one of many largest, solely outranked by Carnival Paradise, and solely by a minimal quantity.   

Building

Carnival Elation was constructed at Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland, and first launched in January of 1998, with a maiden voyage following in March of that yr, after being christened by Carnival Cruise Strains heiress Shari Arison. 

Equally to how Carnival Elation’s Fantasy-class sister ships made headlines with some “firsts,” (most notably, Carnival Paradise was the primary non-smoking cruise ship in all the world when it debuted), Carnival Elation was the primary cruise ship to be outfitted with an Azipod propulsion system.

Whereas that won’t imply a lot to the typical cruise-goer, it principally signifies that Carnival Elation had an total higher maneuverability when it got here to steering, giving company a smoother experience, when in comparison with different ships in Carnival’s Fantasy class.

Carnival Elation is identical age as Carnival Paradise, which was additionally launched in January of 1998. The 2 sister ships are the one Fantasy-class ships nonetheless in operation. The older Fantasy-class ships, the primary of which entered service in 1990, with Carnival Fantasy within the lead, have all been retired, with most getting into retirement in 2020 or 2022. All retired Fantasy-class ships have been bought for scrap.

Refurbishments and Dry Docks

Given Carnival Elation’s lengthy, lengthy life, it’s undergone fairly the collection of refurbishments and dry docks, beginning in 1999, only a yr after launch, with refurbishments going down each few years since then.  

The newest dry dock befell in early 2023, with beauty enhancements together with a brand new hull design and paint scheme, plus some minor adjustments, like rebranding the ship’s spa because the Cloud 9 Spa.

Extra complete dry docks befell in 2017 and 2020, when Carnival up to date Carnival Elation with a number of the model’s traditional venues and eating places, now thought of staples on all of their ships.

Collectively, these two dry docks added Bonsai Sushi, Javablue Café, Cherry on High, Alchemy Bar, Man’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, BlueIguana Tequila Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, Camp Ocean and extra to the ship. The 2017 dry dock even added a brand new deck to the ship, with suites and some scenic staterooms. 

The following dry dock is scheduled to happen over late January and early February 2026.

Carnival Elation Itineraries

Over its lifetime, Carnival Elation has primarily caught to cruises round North America. 

Its first few cruise seasons have been spent touring between Los Angeles and Mexico. Within the 2000s, it served the Western Caribbean from Galveston, Texas, after which went again to California–Mexico routes.

Within the 2010s, it provided Western Caribbean itineraries from each Alabama and New Orleans, earlier than transferring on to Florida and cruises to the Bahamas. Since, the ship has principally stayed in the identical space, crusing the Caribbean from numerous homeports within the Sunshine State.

Staterooms

For its small dimension, Carnival Elation provides an enormous variety of staterooms. Throughout the greater than a thousand staterooms (together with suites), you’ll discover the next choices: 

• 109 staterooms with commonplace balcony
• 2 scenic ocean view staterooms
• 469 ocean view staterooms
• 417 inside staterooms
• 19 inside higher/decrease staterooms
• 34 accessible staterooms 

Beginning with the inside staterooms, all provide a fairly first rate quantity of area for an inside room, and so they don’t really feel boxy or closed in. Porthole inside rooms, with their ample lighting, nook set televisions and desk area, appear notably roomy. The inside higher and decrease staterooms are an excellent decide for particular person, solo vacationers, as they provide a single mattress, however loads of flooring area.  

A scenic ocean view stateroom gives you the finest view of the ocean potential, whether or not you’re watching the sundown or dawn. The scenic ocean view rooms function superb, floor-to-ceiling home windows and area for as much as two company.

In the event you don’t need to improve to the scenic ocean view, the usual ocean view nonetheless provides nice views from the window, in addition to a cheery environment and decor.

Learn Additionally: What Is a Pullman Mattress On a Cruise Ship?

Normal balcony staterooms present seating for 2, to benefit from the sound of the waves and most sea breeze in your pores and skin as you loosen up within the sunshine, with unobstructed views of the horizon. The aft-view prolonged balcony stateroom enriches the expertise a bit with an excellent bigger balcony.

All staterooms come commonplace with facilities comparable to:

• A devoted stateroom attendant
• Mushy linens 
• Loads of closet and drawer area
• An in-room protected on your valuables
• A tv
• Particular person stateroom local weather management

Do observe, whereas the above cabins do provide lots to like, comparable to a pleasant quantity of flooring area, and enormous balconies, for all their repairs, the décor is a reminder of the ship’s age. Don’t count on Twenty first-century type. That stated, if you need just a bit extra by means of luxurious, yow will discover it, to a level, with a collection.  

Suites

In the event you’re contemplating upgrading to a collection throughout your cruise aboard Carnival Elation, the splurge is properly price it, once you have a look at every thing you’re getting. The ship provides:

• 2 Grand Vista Suites with massive balcony
• 28 Grand Suites with massive balcony
• 49 Junior Suites with commonplace balcony

The best room on the ship, the Grand Vista Suite gives probably the most room of any lodging possibility, with room for as much as 4 company, a large balcony, the most gorgeous views at each angle, ample seating and workspace, an enormous closet and handy walk-in dressing space, self-importance and even a bath — a cruise ship lodging rarity.

The Grand Suite Prolonged Balcony possibility is comparable, however with extra space outdoors than in, although the inside does nonetheless function a comfy sofa in a contemporary type. The Grand Suite could be very comparable by way of inside.

Price Studying: Unimaginable Cruise Ships With Household Suites

Junior suites are available each commonplace and obstructed view choices, each with huge balconies, huge bogs and many seating space. Suites include all of the above facilities which are already included once you ebook a typical stateroom, but additionally extras comparable to:

• VIP check-in and boarding
• Precedence Major Eating Room time task
• Precedence debarkation at homeport
• In-room bottles of water 
• An upgraded mattress
• Bathrobes

All of those extra-special facilities add to your keep aboard Carnival Elation, with extra comfort, consolation and total extra to take pleasure in.  

Free Eating

Carnival Elation provides a couple of totally different complimentary eating choices. When you don’t get the vary and breadth of choices you would possibly take pleasure in on Carnival’s newer ships, you definitely get sufficient to maintain you occupied at some point of a brief cruise.

With out spending an additional dime out of your journey funds, you’ll be capable of take pleasure in meals at:

• BlueIguana Cantina, providing Mexican-style eats to fulfill your taco cravings
• Man’s Burger Joint, for burgers with celeb chef Man Fieri’s approval
• The predominant eating room, for 3 programs of traditional cruise ship eating
• Lido Market, the ship’s buffet, with one thing for each urge for food
• Pizza Pirate, for pizza, all day, day-after-day
• Swirls, for a candy deal with
• Candy Spot, for dessert

If this gained’t maintain you fed and glad, although, you do produce other choices.  

Specialty Eating

Sadly, the opposite choices aren’t all that plentiful. This can be a small, older ship, in spite of everything. Your paid choices embrace Bonsai Sushi Categorical for quick sushi bites and JavaBlue Café on your caffeine repair. There’s additionally The Chef’s Desk, a chef-led eating expertise for a restricted variety of cruisers, and room service.

Bars and Lounges

When it’s time to get a drink, you’ll discover that your choices are equally restricted, however that you just’ll get to take pleasure in a number of longstanding Carnival-favorite watering holes. Choices embrace:

• Alchemy Bar, for combined drinks
• RedFrog Rum Bar, for Caribbean-inspired libations 
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar, for tequila-based drinks
• Piano Bar 88, for reside music 

There’s additionally a bar within the on line casino, beer stations and drinks-related experiences, like martini and wine tastings.  

Actions and Leisure

Whether or not you’re touring as a household, a pair or a gaggle of mates, you’ll discover loads of actions and leisure on this ship. For the ship’s small dimension, it packs in a number of enjoyable. Your choices will embrace the varied methods to spend your sea days: 

Swimming pools

There are three swimming pools on the ship. The primary pool on the Lido Deck gives near-endless loungers and spot to sit down or swim. A resort-style pool additional down the ship is somewhat calmer and fewer of an exercise hub.

After all, anybody 18-and-up can’t miss out on the Serenity Deck, with its loungers and spots to benefit from the solar. There’s additionally a really small pool right here.  

Carnival WaterWorks 

On the Lido Deck, you’ll discover the Waterworks water park, the small-ish area that features a few fundamental water slides (together with the Tornado waterslide) after which some water play areas for the smaller youngsters who need to have some enjoyable, however who aren’t fairly able to tackle something adrenaline-pumping.

Seuss at Sea 

Half eating expertise, half leisure, The Seuss at Sea program is a favourite for households with babies. Children can dine on inexperienced eggs and ham alongside notable Seuss characters, take part in a Seuss parade and take part on different enjoyable actions. 

Cloud 9 Spa

As talked about, the Cloud 9 Spa on this ship lately acquired a giant improve and rebrand. Now, it provides an identical expertise to what you’ll get on any Carnival ship. 

The Cloud 9 Spa gives all of your favourite, conventional spa therapies. Assume facials, massages, and acupuncture. There’s additionally a salon and barber, in case you simply want a trim, and there are even spa therapies out there for the skincare-curious teenagers in your crew. (Go to the spa on sea days to see in case you can snag a sale!) 

Children Venues

Carnival Elation could be very kid-friendly. There are tons of issues for kids and households to take pleasure in, from toddlers, all the way in which as much as teenagers. Actions vary from issues all the household can take pleasure in (like mini golf), to kid-specific actions that they will take pleasure in on their very own, at one of many three on-board youngsters’ golf equipment.

Children who need to take pleasure in somewhat “me” time away from their mother and father can achieve this on the Membership 02 lounge that’s outfitted for youngsters 15 and up, with films, music, video video games, karaoke and occasions catered simply to them.

For these somewhat bit youthful, 12 to 14 years previous, the Circle C membership gives a lot of the identical programming, just for a youthful crowd. 

Then, for these underneath that age group, all the way in which right down to toddlers aged 2, there’s the Camp Ocean kids’s membership, with crafts, video games, academic actions, and toys geared towards particular age teams.  

Closing Ideas

Sure, Carnival Elation is on the older facet. Sure, Carnival Elation is on the smaller dimension. Nonetheless, in case you don’t want 20-plus eating places to select from throughout your cruise, or six swimming pools, or seven several types of suites, you’ll hardly discover the dimensions.

Learn Additionally: Are Carnival Cruises All Inclusive?

As for the age, in case your focus is on the enjoyable you may have and the experiences you share, you gained’t thoughts the marginally outdated décor. Briefly, as long as you’re not prioritizing experiencing solely the most important, finest and flashiest in cruising, you’ll probably discover one thing to take pleasure in about Carnival Elation.

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