REVIEW / EXPERIENCE - Carnival Elation / March 21 - March 28

Hi all!

I just got back from my cruise on Sunday. I'll do my best to post a
readable review. I may also post this on some other cruise sites.

Feel free to post any specific questions. Please excuse any bad
grammar.

First off...

The Cruise: Carnival Elation, March 21, 2004 - March 28, 2004
Departing From: Galveston, TX
Ports of Call: Progreso, Cozumel, Belize City

----
Prologue (Trip preparation)

Me and my girlfriend were excited to go on our first cruise. We
decided to drive from Arlington, TX (Dallas/Fort Worth area) to
Galveston which is about a 5 hour trip.

We packed out luggage, which consisted of 3 suitcases (2 for her, 1
for me) and 1 carry-on which we used to hold our valuables (birth
certificate, boarding pass, etc.). We decided that we didn't want to
pack more than the both of us could physically move without
assistance.

Also, we made sure to fill out our FunPass online on Carnival's
website so that we wouldn't have to fill out a lot of forms at the
cruise terminal. We also filled out our luggage tags and boarding
passes.

A few weeks before, we had made reservations at the Harbor House Hotel
for Saturday night so we could stay there and leave Sunday morning.
----
Saturday, March 20, 2004 (Drive to Galveston)

After getting up early to get some drinks and make sandwiches for the
trip, we ran to the bank to get some cash. We decided that $300-$500
each was a good start.

After checking that we had everything, we stuck all our luggage in the
car and started our trip about 10:00am CST.

We drove down I-20 to hit I-45 south, which would lead us straight
into Galveston. One tank of gas got us there, but the drive through
Houston was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. I'd recommend
finding an alternate route around Houston if you're hitting it around
early afternoon.

We finally got to Pier 21 and the Harbor House Hotel where we would
spend the night at about 3:00pm CST. One night was approximately $130
plus parking, which was $8. We found that we could park our car in
the hotel parking lot for an additional $20.

The hotel room was very large, but not what I'd call very modern. The
room had a nice table, a couch, and a large king-sized bed, but the TV
was pretty small and the shower had very low water pressure. No hot
tub was available in the room. The view was nice though since we
could look out into the gulf and see the cruise ships come in.

We had some dinner and looked around a bit. The cruise terminal was
at Pier 25, easily within walking distance.

We went back to our room and found out that the walls were very thin.
We could hear our neighbors laughing and the sound of their
television. About 2:00am the people above us must have been having a
party, because I could hear a lot of voices and loud music.

If it weren't in such a convenient location, I wouldn't recommend the
Harbor House Hotel because the bad sound proofing. Still, if your
neighbors are quiet, it's a good place to be.
----
Sunday, March 21, 2004 (Embarkment and Fun Day at Sea)

We woke up early and had the hotel's Continental Breakfast. It
consisted of some croissants and orange juice, but not much else. It
was pretty low par compared to many hotels I've been to.

We walked up to Pier 25 about 8:00am just to have a look of where we
needed to go. It was very quiet and the porters were just starting to
get ready for the cruise's debarkment and the new cruise's embarkment.

We went around and looked at some of the shops for a while to kill
some time.

Around 10:30am we came back and found lines and lines of cars, buses
and people waiting to get the heck out of there. They told us that we
couldn't embark until around 11:30am.

We went back to the hotel and checked out, leaving our car in their
parking lot. We headed back to the terminal around 11:00am, towing
our luggage behind us. It was a good idea not to bring more luggage
than we could tow ourselves.

After busting through the people waiting in line, we found that we
could just drop our luggage off at the luggage drop-off point and head
up into the cruise terminal. We tipped the porter $6 at the drop-off
point to be nice.

With just our carry-on, we headed up into the cruise terminal and sat
down to wait for the embarkment process.

After a brief wait, we went through security, which was very easy. We
then headed up to the embarkement desk where they looked at our birth
certificates and verified they we were indeed US citizens. They then
sat us down to wait even longer. Completing our FunPass online helped
speed us through.

At about 12:30pm, they started to let us onto the ship. After a brief
photo opportunity, we headed up the ramp and made it onto the ship.

After looking around a bit and grabbing something to eat at Tiffany's
buffet (free lunch), we headed down to our Outside View stateroom on
the Main Deck.

Our cabin was actually pretty roomy and have no complaints about it.
The steward had made the bed and we were left with some toothpaste,
Tylenol PM, and other toiletries.

We also had some nice 20oz. bottles of Coke and Sprite for the low sum
of $2.50 each left in our cabin. I didn't see Dr. Pepper available at
all, but I didn't ask. Ginger Ale was available as Schwepps at only
$1.50 for a 12oz can.

The TV had cruise information playing as well as a few movies. The
view was nice.

We lounged around a bit until the ship left port. After that, we
retired to our cabins to prepare for our first dinner onboard.

Finding our table was easy with the help of the maitre'd and waiters.
We were seated at a large table for 10. Each place-setting must have
had 4 forks, 3 spoons, and 2 knives as well as a butter knife.

Our table mates were all very pleasant.

Water was free as well as ice tea and juices (orange and apple).
Coffee was also free in the form of regular, cappuccino, or expresso.

The dinner menu consisted of a choice of many appetizers, two salads,
and many main courses. Appetizers were small and main courses were
quite varied. Your individual tastes may vary, but I found much the
food a little too fancy for my tastes.

After the main course, we were given a dessert menu with many choices.
My personal favorite was the pineapple sorbet.

I headed to the casino and played 3 Card Poker and made $300 the first
night.

Available casino games included Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, Let It
Ride Poker, Craps, 3 Card Poker, Black Jack, Slot Machines (of
course), and a variation on Black Jack they called "Fun 21" which
removed all Queens from the deck, but let you double down on any card
and you were always paid on blackjack regardless of what the dealer
had. A lot of money exchanged hands.

After the casino, we skipped the nightly shows and midnight buffet and
retired from a long day. The ship rocked noticeably, but that helped
rock us to sleep.
----
Monday, March 22, 2004 (Fun Day at Sea)

We got around 7:30am and decided to try the seated breakfast.
Breakfast was served at a leisurely pace and was very pleasant.

After breakfast we explored the ship. We found a basketball hoop,
volleyball court (wooded deck), ping-pong tables, several hot tubs,
many lounges, and a lot of decks (12 of them).

Water was everywhere around the ship. Never having been so far out in
the ocean, the view amazed me. Blue was as far as the eye could see
and land was nowhere to be seen.

Lunch was served at Tiffany's and consisted of your choice of burgers
or a lunch item of the day.

Pizza and soft server ice cream was available at any time, as was room
service.

We killed time until dinner. It was a formal dinner and we dressed
appropriately.

Lobster was the main choice for most of us that night, but I found it
a little less than stellar.

Dessert for me was pineapple sorbet as usual.

I skipped the night shows for the casino, but my girlfriend saw some
shows and found them to be pretty good.

We retired for the night again.
----
Tuesday, March 23, 2004 (Progreso, Mexico)

We hadn't planned any shore excursions this day, but we did get off
the ship at the dock. Like every port of call, the dock had some
shops willing to barter a bit for their wares.

I didn't buy anything except a few postcards, but my girlfriend ended
up with a cheap blanket and some wind chimes.

The casino is closed at the ports of call, so I had to wait a bit
until the ship left to lose some more of my money.

We skipped the seated dinner than night and just about everything
else.

It was a pretty uneventful day for us.
----
Wednesday, March 24, 2004 (Cozumel, Mexico)

Along with Cancun, Cozumel is a pretty popular place to visit in
Mexico.

We got up early to get to our shore excursion.

After hitting Tiffany's for the breakfast buffet (much preferable to
me than the seated breakfast), we went down the dock and looked at a
few shops before going on our excursion.

Mermaid Sub-Ocean View was our first excursion. It consisted of going
down into a partially submerged boat with glass walls in the submerged
portion. From here we could see the ocean life below the waters of
Cozumel.

The water was remarkably clear and the fish life and ocean life was
quite abundant. Even barracudas swam around.

After visiting some reefs and seeing an abundance of sea life, we got
back on the Elation and set sail for Belize City.

That night we went to our seated our dinner and regaled with stories
of snorkeling in Cozumel. Snorkeling seems pretty popular and is
probably one of the more recommended excursions.

Again I skipped the night shows and buffet.
----
Thursday, March 25, 2004 (Belize City, Belize)

I assume the water is somewhat shallow in Belize. The ship docked
several miles off the coast and we had tenders (boats) take us to
shore.

We went through security as usual and took our tender to Belize City
where we boarded a bus to take us on our shore excursion.

This port, we decided to visit some Mayan ruins and take a river trip.
I believe the shore excursion was called Altun Ha/River Wallace.

The bus trip was kind of scary. Belize City was built before any
major roads it seemed and most of the streets were very narrow.
Larger automobiles had the right of way and other cars pulled to the
side as we passed them.

After a long ride we arrived at the Mayan ruins. Ruins are always
interesting to look at from the outside, but once you've seen a bunch
of them, they start to look very similar. We were able to climb one
and it was very tough since the steps were like 2 feet tall each.

After the ruins we got back on the bus and headed to a dock where we
get on a boat and head down the River Wallace.

The river trip was great because it seemed like we were going down the
Amazon with a lot trees and flora on either side. We saw a few bats,
crocodiles, iguanas, and manatees. It was a very enjoyable
experience. The river actually hit the Caribbean Sea and our guide
said that at this point the water was only 5 feet deep.

The boat took us back to Belize City where we shopped a bit more and
then headed back on the tender to our ship.

Security let us back on the ship and we left port soon afterwards.

Seated dinner was again a bit too fancy for my tastes, but with a
different menu every night, there was always something new to try.

This night was no different from the others and we retired early.
----
Friday, March 26, 2004 (Fun Day at Sea)

We had nice buffet breakfast at Tiffany's.

I called my workplace to wish my boss a Happy Birthday at the cost of
only $6.99/minute. A 1-900 call would have been cheaper.

We lounged around most the day and really didn't do much.

Dinner was as usual, but this time we decided to go see a show.

The Las Vegas style show was really good. I would recommend you see
it if you take a Carnival Cruise.

The boat rocked us to sleep that night as well.
----
Saturday, March 27, 2004 (Fun Day at Sea)

After a nice breakfast buffet at Tiffany's at entered into the local
ping pong tournament. I made it past the first round, but the next
guy obliterated me. He eventually went on to win the tournament. I
saw quite a few high caliber ping pong players. One guy even brought
his own paddle and asked if we were playing by International Rules. I
was definitely outclassed.

I played in the casino a bit more, vowing to give them all my
hard-earned money.

Not much went on this day.
----
Sunday, March 28, 2004 (Debarkment at Galveston)

It's good that they ask you to turn in your comment cards before you
debark, because I'm sure it would kill their ratings.

I found debarking to be a slow a tedious process, but what should I
have expected with 2000 people getting off?

The line were long and we had to wait quite a while before they called
our luggage tag color.

Once we actually got off the ship, it was a breeze. We headed down
and picked up our luggage and had a nice short walk to our car. I
felt sorry for those people who had to wait in line for their buses
and taxis.

The trip back was uneventful. Heading through Houston wasn't nearly
as bad this time and we got back home in about 4.5 hours.

The trip was fun, but I'm not sure it was worth the cost of
approximately $2000 all told (initial cruise cost, gratuity, shore
excursions).
----
Conclusion (Trip Thoughts)

I think that if you enjoy shore excursions, sunning, and lounging,
you'd enjoy taking this cruise.

For me, I found the cruise a little boring. During the mornings and
afternoons, there really wasn't a lot going on besides the casino.
Most of the time I found myself in my cabin watching a movie.

I'm not into watching shows or listening to bands or tanning, so there
wasn't always a whole lot for me to do.

The food was okay. Dinner was too fancy for my tastes and breakfast
and lunch were normal buffet quality. I didn't find the Pizza all
that great either.

If I were to go on a cruise again, I'd take a few things with me.

2-way walkie talkies are great for finding your other members on the
ship.

Bring some soft drinks onboard with you. At $2.50 a pop, they are
pretty expensidv and I don't think the $29.99 soda card is worth it
for me personally. Also, your favority soft drinks may not be
available onboard, like Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, so bring some of those.

Bring some books with you to kill the time and maybe a Gameboy Advance
to play with when you're in those lines or waiting for something.

Leave some room in your luggage for all the stuff you're going to
bring back with you.

Bring plenty of cameras and film with you. You never know when you'll
get that great photo opportunity. The shops onboard are pretty
expensive compared to your local Wal-Mart.
----
Well, that's all from me for now. Sorry I didn't go into more detail,
but I'm going braindead.

- Samiel

Thanks.....I thought your review was very good. I'm just sorry you
didn't seem to "fit in" the cruise mode. Like meeting lots of new
people and listening to the band, piano player and seeing the shows.
Even the silly pool-side games are fun to watch.
Just curious.....what did your girl friend think about the experience?
Perhaps you could try it again with another couple that you enjoy
spending time with.

~Dory~

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 15:32:36 -0500 (EST), (Dory
Samuels) wrote:

Thanks.....I thought your review was very good. I'm just sorry you
didn't seem to "fit in" the cruise mode. Like meeting lots of new
people and listening to the band, piano player and seeing the shows.
Even the silly pool-side games are fun to watch.
Just curious.....what did your girl friend think about the experience?
Perhaps you could try it again with another couple that you enjoy
spending time with.

~Dory~

My girlfriend enjoyed it mostly, but there were times when she found
it rather boring as well. I think you are right in suggesting we
could go with some friends or another couple. I think that had I had
some other people to entertain we'd have found more to do.

- Samiel

Spoof?????

"Samiel" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 15:32:36 -0500 (EST), (Dory
Samuels) wrote:

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:39:59 GMT, "Joann Wiatrak"
wrote:

Spoof?????

"Samiel" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 15:32:36 -0500 (EST), (Dory
Samuels) wrote:



From WebTV? I doubt it, lol. :-p

- Samiel

"Samiel" wrote in message
...
Hi all!

I just got back from my cruise on Sunday. I'll do my best to post a
readable review. I may also post this on some other cruise sites.


Thanks for your review, Samiel, you did very well.
Was this by chance, your first cruise? I wondered because you made no
mention of the activities on board and I am under the impression that you
are both young and would have at least enjoyed using the pool. Did you read
the Carnival Capers each night and and check what else was available for you
to see and do? Were your tablemates around your age? Often you meet others
on a cruise that you automatically "click" with and do things together. I
think the suggestion that you go with another couple next time, might make
it more fun for you. Cruising is so wonderful that I would hate for you to
give up on it because you felt bored.

--Jean

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 05:12:21 GMT, "Jean O'Boyle"
wrote:

Thanks for your review, Samiel, you did very well.
Was this by chance, your first cruise? I wondered because you made no
mention of the activities on board and I am under the impression that you
are both young and would have at least enjoyed using the pool. Did you read
the Carnival Capers each night and and check what else was available for you
to see and do? Were your tablemates around your age? Often you meet others
on a cruise that you automatically "click" with and do things together. I
think the suggestion that you go with another couple next time, might make
it more fun for you. Cruising is so wonderful that I would hate for you to
give up on it because you felt bored.

--Jean

Hi Jean!

Yes, this was my first cruise. I read the Carnival Capers each night,
but I really didn't find any activities that interested me and the
majority of events went on in the evening.

Our tablemates were about the same age as us, but we never did
anything together. I guess I could have been more proactive about it
though.

I'm also not one for lounging around the pool, so maybe that's why I
didn't find much to do. I think that if I found a good ping-pong
parter or just another couple to do things with, I would have found
more to do.

I'm not saying it was a bad experience, it's just not something that
suited my personal lifestyle.

I may try another cruise if I can find some friends to do one with.

- Samiel

Very interesting name. Samiel

SUNNY

S'nd I
XXX

"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
om...

"Samiel" wrote in message
...
Hi all!

I just got back from my cruise on Sunday. I'll do my best to post a
readable review. I may also post this on some other cruise sites.


Thanks for your review, Samiel, you did very well.
Was this by chance, your first cruise? I wondered because you made no
mention of the activities on board and I am under the impression that you
are both young and would have at least enjoyed using the pool. Did you
read
the Carnival Capers each night and and check what else was available for
you
to see and do? Were your tablemates around your age? Often you meet others
on a cruise that you automatically "click" with and do things together. I
think the suggestion that you go with another couple next time, might make
it more fun for you. Cruising is so wonderful that I would hate for you to
give up on it because you felt bored.

Though cruising is wonderful for many people, cruising isn't for everyone.
Some people are shy, and being thrown into meeting new people just
isn't all that thrilling. Some don't like hanging out in the sun, drinking,
and watching pool games. I know I find the action around the tiny
ship pools less than engrossing, and I prefer eating dinner with folks
I already know. I only like cruises that stop in a port everyday. I
find sea day excruitiatingly dull, and despite the size of the ships makes
me feel trapped. I think Samiel tried cruising with the best of intentions,
but why throw more money into cruising when he has figured out
it's not his cup of tea?

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 18:38:42 GMT, Samiel wrote:

For me, I found the cruise a little boring. During the mornings and
afternoons, there really wasn't a lot going on besides the casino.
Most of the time I found myself in my cabin watching a movie.

Aaaaghhhhhhhh.........