After sailing on Carnival's Excel, Vista, and Conquest Classes, I decided to book a cruise on their oldest, most seasoned class at sea.
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Having launched in 1998, Carnival Elation is currently Carnival's oldest ship in service that hasn't received a complete refit.
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While the 71,909 gross registered ton vessel isn't anywhere near the size of today's mega-ships, I was surprised by the overall condition of Carnival Elation.
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It was apparent that Carnival had spent a considerable amount of time and money keeping the ship as up-to-date as possible.
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For my 5-night spring break cruise, my partner and I booked the cheapest available cabin: a standard interior room located on Deck 4.
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Upon entering the room, I was taken aback by its spaciousness. My interior staterooms on Carnival Celebration and Conquest felt much more compact.
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Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the cabin was the abundance of outlets, especially for such an old ship.
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The vanity area had two standard American outlets, as well as two USB ports and a single European outlet.
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That wasn't all, either. There were two more USB ports beside the bed, meaning that we could both charge our devices each evening at ease.
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The storage was pretty average for a cruise ship.
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One closet had room for longer garments, whereas the other had more shelving.
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Rather than feature a dresser near the vanity, there was a built-in armoire-type cabinet that had a few open shelves, as well as two drawers.
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One shelf was occupied by the safe, which is where we kept our valuables like passports, wallets, and car keys. Our cabin steward also left two towels for us on embarkation day.
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The vanity itself didn't have too much storage; however, the shelves were large enough to keep items like sunscreen, cosmetic bags, and medications.
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The singular nightstand could be opened to store things, too. While the surface was a great place for miscellaneous items like water bottles and phones, my partner stored their small carry-on bag inside.
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From the lack of storage to clingy shower curtain and stained floor, the age of the ship was most apparent in the cabin's bathroom.
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Thankfully, I brought my hanging organizer. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had enough space for all of our toiletries.
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We had quite a few issues with the bathroom, too. On the second day, the shower handle broke.
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I tried calling our cabin steward on the in-cabin phone; however, he didn't answer. We did not see him in the hallway, either, so it ended up remaining broken for the remainder of the day, as well as into the following afternoon.
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Additionally, the showerhead itself was a bit gross. It desperately needed to be replaced with one that wasn't as rusty.
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Unfortunately, the broken shower wasn't the only problem we had, as the toilet stopped flushing on the third day.
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While the bathroom served as a place for us to shower after long days ashore in Half Moon Cay and Nassau, it was probably my least favorite cruise ship bathroom I've ever had.
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Since it was just my partner and me in the room, we decided to keep the two twin beds together, rather than separate them.
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I presume that if we had chosen to separate them, the nightstand would have been moved in between them, rather than placed next to the vanity.
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The singular cabinet attached to the vanity was home to the cabin's mini-fridge, which was nothing more than a place to store water bottles that we wanted to be kept at room temperature. In other words, it was a sad excuse for even a cooler.
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Above the mini-fridge was a small drawer that contained the cabin's hairdryer, which was pretty standard for a cruise ship.
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I did appreciate that the cabin's phone was affixed to the wall, as it did not take up any space on the vanity. This allowed us more room to get ready because it was impossible to do makeup in the bathroom since there wasn't any room to place cosmetics.
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While the room certainly could have been cooler at times, the in-room thermostat worked pretty well. It never felt too stuffy, which has been the case in other cabins I've stayed in.
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Booking this cruise five weeks out meant we paid more than we would have if we reserved it further in advance. The total cost for two people in a standard interior room for a 5-night sailing amounted to $1,475.30, or a little over $145 per person, per night.
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Despite the few hiccups with the cabin, as well as the horrendous tendering process to Half Moon Cay, we had a great cruise on Carnival Elation.
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If you're expecting a ship with all the bells and whistles, you'll want to consider sailing on an Excel Class ship, such as Mardi Gras or Carnival Jubilee. Those, however, who want a simple getaway will appreciate the intimacy of Carnival Elation.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
