Before this year, I had never cruised on a ship I swore I'd never return to. Though every vacation has pros and cons, the experience always has something redeeming, whether it's a great crew or fun activities. However, my cruise aboard Carnival Elation left me feeling frustrated. By the end of the voyage, I was excited to be disembarking in Jacksonville.
I knew the cruise was off to a rocky start when we arrived at the cruise terminal to a disorganized crowd. The check-in process was chaotic, with port agents saying contradicting things. One told us there were two lines to enter the building, though we only found one. The terminal lacked clear markers indicating where the second line began if it existed.
It took us nearly 40 minutes to pass security and complete the physical check-in process. This was surprising, as I've spent a fraction of the time boarding ships much larger than Carnival Elation. Still, I remained positive and hoped the rest of the cruise would improve.
Unfortunately, my optimism faded by the end of the second evening due to the poor quality of the food in the Main Dining Room, inconsistent service, and broken shower.
Read more: I have been on Carnival Cruise Line’s oldest and newest ships: Here are my top 11 tips
The stateroom made a positive first impression for a cruise ship built in the 1990s
For my 5-night spring break cruise, I booked the cheapest available cabin: a standard interior room on Deck 4. Inside cabins lack natural light and are typically the smallest rooms onboard, so I was surprised by how spacious the cabin felt. Measuring 185 square feet, it was larger than some interior staterooms I've stayed in on newer ships, including Carnival Celebration.
I also appreciated the amount of charging options available, including the two American outlets at the vanity and bedside USB port. On older Royal Caribbean ships, the outlets are far more limited. Most of the time, they don't have any charging options beside the bed, either. This means you must bring a portable charger or leave your phone at the vanity overnight.
The cabin's location wasn't my favorite, as it was further from frequently visited spots like the Main Dining Room, Duke's Piano Bar, Fun Shops, and Mikado Main Show Lounge. However, because of the ship's small size, it wasn't hard to get from one place to another, especially since the stateroom was near the forward elevator bank and stairwell.
Read more: I sailed in tiny interior cabins on old Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships. I'd only book one again
Things took a turn for the worse in the bathroom
While there's nothing wrong with a tiny cruise ship bathroom, I always hope for it to maximize storage for the most functional experience. The size of the bathroom in my cabin on Carnival Elation didn't bother me as much as the lack of storage.
I'm thankful I brought my hanging toiletry organizer because the available space would have felt cramped without it. The small shelf above the sink barely fit the essentials, and there was no counter space. Sharing this cramped bathroom with more than one person would have been challenging.
In addition to the storage problem, our showerhead desperately needed to be replaced—it showed obvious signs of limescale build-up. Truthfully, I don't think I had ever seen a showerhead so disgusting on a cruise ship.
Not only that but it broke a few days into our voyage. The small piece attaching the showerhead to the fixed rod fell off, and it took more than a day for maintenance to get around to fixing it. We had to hold the showerhead at an awkward angle, causing water to splash everywhere and flood the limited floor space. Finally, the toilet had some plumbing issues, and we had trouble flushing it.
Disappointing dining
Unlike newer Carnival ships, the dining options on Carnival Elation are limited. Aside from the Main Dining Room, there aren't many dinner options unless you're willing to splurge on a meal at the Chef's Table or Bonsai Sushi Express. As such, we dined in the Main Dining Room all five nights of our Bahamas cruise.
Food is subjective, and I've come to accept that cruise ship food usually isn't anything worth writing home about. However, the food on Carnival Elation was disappointing, even by typical cruise standards. Most dishes were bland and lacked seasoning. On several nights, the meat was overcooked. The grilled chicken breast, for example, had a rubbery texture. Plus, the sides were equally lackluster.
I also found the service in the dining room to be slow. Sometimes, we wouldn't be greeted by a server until thirty minutes or so after we were seated. There were long gaps between courses, too. Once I've finished my appetizer, I don't really feel like waiting twenty minutes for my entrée!
I’d also suggest requesting a table around 5:45pm. The wait times increased significantly between 6:30pm and 7:00pm, and I can only imagine how long the dinner service must have taken for those seated later
Finally, the buffet's variety was disappointingly limited for a five-night cruise, particularly during breakfast. If you aren't a fan of eggs or red meat, you'll have few options to choose from.
Read more: 11 foods you must eat on a Carnival cruise
Carnival's fast-casual dining was my saving grace
Guy's Burger Joint is a Carnival staple.
The juicy burgers, fresh toppings, and crispy fries make for the perfect poolside meal on a day at sea, and on Carnival Elation, the spot was a welcomed break from the Main Dining Room. My partner and I even discovered they served veggie burgers, which she appreciated as someone who doesn't eat red meat.
BlueIguana Cantina was another highlight of the cruise. Serving up tasty Mexican fare like tacos and burritos, it quickly became one of our go-to spots for a quick meal. You can't go wrong with the salsa bar, either!
Read more: 10 lessons learned after trying Carnival for the first time
Chaotic tendering process
Having visited Half Moon Cay a few months before on my cruise aboard Carnival Conquest, I was excited for another relaxing day at Carnival's private Bahamian paradise. The tender process on Conquest was organized, with passengers wanting to go ashore early needed a group number to be allowed onto the water shuttle. I assumed the process would be similar on Elation; however, it was the exact opposite.
After leaving our cabin on Deck 4 at 8:40am, we were greeted by a crowd of people in the hallway trying to move into the forward elevator bank, despite the informational sheet given out the next before sharing that 9:00am-10:00am would be the busiest time.
Similar to embarkation, there was no line structure and just one crew member facilitating the process. There were supposed to be two lines (one for the midship tender and another for the forward), but it quickly turned into a moshpit, with guests arriving from the elevators trying to cut those already in line.
The singular crew member tried to keep tensions down by reassuring everyone it would be another "five or ten minutes" before we could begin boarding; however, we waited an hour before we were finally allowed to board the tender. The lack of organization and clear communication from the crew only added to the growing frustration. After the short ride to the island, we disembarked from the water taxi around 10:00am!
Read more: I tried Carnival's older cruise ships and never want to go back
While the entire trip wasn't a bust, I wouldn't be willing to spend money on a cruise aboard Carnival Elation again
My partner and I paid $1,475.30 for out 5-night cruise on Carnival Elation, breaking down to a little over $145 per person, per night.
This year, I went on more memorable cruises for less, including a voyage on Vision of the Seas to Bermuda, which cost $1,396.76 for two people in an interior cabin. I also sailed on Carnival Conquest, a newer ship in Carnival's fleet of "FUN" ships, for $817.30.
For the price we paid for such an old cruise ship, I expected a more enjoyable experience, but after dealing with frustrating issues like the chaotic tendering process, lackluster dining, and a broken shower, the overall experience fell short.
And though not a fault of the ship itself, I'd rather spend money on cruises to new ports of call, having visited Nassau four times the year before my Elation cruise. For future cruises, I'll seek out newer ships in Carnival's fleet that call at new-to-me ports.
Overall, while Carnival Elation may appeal to some due to its small size and more intimate feel, I don't think it offers the best value for money.
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.
