Last year, I embarked on a 5-night sailing on Carnival's smallest cruise ship from Jacksonville, Florida, to the Bahamas.
Although I hadn't heard the most positive reviews about Carnival's Fantasy Class, I wanted to keep an open mind not only for myself, but for my partner, who was sailing on her first-ever Carnival cruise.
Certain parts of the sailing lived up to the hype, including Guy's Burger Joint and laugh-till-you-cry comedy shows, but others fell short.
The mediocre dining room food, long buffet lines, and dated cabin bathroom were hard to ignore and left us longing for more.
Here's why I'm not itching to sail on Carnival Elation, Carnival's smallest ship, again anytime soon.
Hectic embarkation
Carnival Elation is the only ship to sail year-round from Jacksonville, Florida — until Norwegian Gem joins Elation in November 2025. Because it's not as popular as cities like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Port Canaveral, the facilities are outdated.
Carnival Elation is the smallest ship in the fleet, but it took longer to board the 71,925 gross-ton vessel than one of their newest and largest ships in Miami, Florida.
Not only that, but embarkation in Jacksonville was chaotic, with port agents telling us contradictory things from the start. One said there were two lines to enter the terminal, though we only found one disorganized one.
Once we finally figured out where the line began, it took us nearly 40 minutes to pass security and complete the physical check-in process inside the stuffy terminal.
Disembarkation was just as bad. For some reason, they had us weave through the cabin corridors, which was inconvenient for those trying to exit their staterooms.
Crowded lido deck
Chair hogs are a problem regardless of which line you sail with. However, the crowded pool deck on Carnival Elation was unbearable.
Thankfully, Carnival has done a lot to rectify this issue on its newer ships with improved deck layouts and more chairs. Still, the chair hogs were hard to ignore on Carnival Elation.
With just two sea days on our 5-night cruise, it was nearly impossible to find a spot unless you were an early riser.
Typically, I'm not a stickler on location. So long as I can find a lounge chair, I'm a happy camper. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a single chair on the lido deck around noon. My partner and I had to circle like hawks for half an hour before they opened up.
On the second sea day, we make sure to skip brunch and claim our seats first thing in the morning. I was shocked by how many chairs were already accounted for by 9:30am, though the lido deck itself was relatively empty.
Speaking of the lido deck, I noticed an immediate burning and itchy sensation after dangling my legs in the pool for a few minutes. Needless to say, Carnival Elation's pool deck left a lot to be desired and wasn't a relaxing escape.
Read more: I tried Carnival's older cruise ships and never want to go back
Bad crowd management
Before I cruised aboard Carnival Elation, I took a 4-day voyage on Carnival Conquest. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed my time on the then-21-year-old ship, as I'd heard iffy things about it from a fellow sailor on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas a few months prior.
One thing that stood out — in a bad way — on Elation was the poor crowd management, particularly when tendering to Half Moon Cay. While on Conquest, we were required to pick up a tender group number the morning of our arrival.
The crew really abided by the group numbers, too. I witnessed multiple parties get turned away from the gangway trying to disembark before it was their turn.
In comparison, there weren't any group numbers given out on Carnival Elation. Instead, guests were told to make their way to Deck 4 whenever they were ready to head ashore. The free-for-all was stressful and hectic. High winds resulted in a delayed start, and line cutters caused tensions to rise.
In the end, it took us nearly an hour to make our way to the private island, and we were one of the first to get in line!
Read more: Half Moon Cay: What you need to know about Carnival’s Private Island
Lackluster dining options
Usually, I'm the first person to rave about Carnival's food. When I sailed on Carnival Celebration, I was blown away by the fast-casual options like Guy's Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina.
The variety in the dining room was also surprising. Options ranged from classic comfort food to adventurous dishes like Frog Legs Provençal.
Although the menus aboard Carnival Elation were identical to other vessels, the quality was disappointing. For instance, my partner ordered the grilled chicken breast one night and was served bland chicken with hardly-seasoned vegetables.
The food itself was a letdown, and coupled with the slow service, the main dining experience aboard Carnival Elation left a sour taste in our mouths.
The crew felt rushed and disengaged. One night, for instance, we were seated and didn't have anyone approach to take our drink orders for over 30 minutes!
Outdated bathroom
At the end of the day, cruise cabins are the least important amenity to worry about. So long as they're clean and functional, I don't have much to complain about.
I was surprised by how updated the cabin itself was, but the bathroom aboard Carnival Elation was disappointing. The lack of storage and clingy shower curtain highlighted the ship's true age.
However, the worst part was the shower. First, the showerhead showed obvious signs of limescale build-up. Not only that, but it broke a few days into our 5-night cruise. The small piece attaching the showerhead to the rod fell off.
While we alerted our cabin steward, it took more than one day for maintenance to get around to fixing it. As such, we had to hold the showerhead at an awkward angle, which caused water to splash everywhere.
Read more: I stayed in the cheapest cabin on 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 traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
