Carnival Elation

Carnival Elation Facilities / On Board Activities

Dining / Dinner	Entertainment / Recreation	Gratuity Policies
Dining Rooms - 2 Grill Ice Cream Bar Pizzeria (Open 24 Hours) No. of Dinner Sittings: 2 Usual Dinner Hours: Flexible Special Diet: Available upon request Dress Code: Daytime: Casual / Evening: Resort wear to formal	Art Gallery Bars/Lounges/ Night Clubs - 13 Casino Library Pay-Per-View Movies Photo Shop and Photo Gallery Pools - Outdoor - 3 Video Arcade	Dining Team $5.50 per guest/ per day Bistro Service $1.00 per guest/ per day Cabin Steward $3.50 per guest/ per day
Services	Shopping	Health and Beauty
Beauty Salon Shore Excursion Desk	Shopping Mall	Health Spa (with whirlpools)
Athletic/Exercise Facilities	Business	Children
Aerobic and Exercise Room Health Club Jogging Track	Conference Center Internet Connection	Baby Sitting Services Child Counselors Children's Playroom - 2 Kids Pool Area Teen Center

Carnival Elation Onboard Experience

Identical in all but décor, Elation is the seventh of the eight Fantasy-class sister ships (Ecstasy, Fantasy, Fascination, Imagination, Inspiration, Paradise, Sensation). These ships always seem to have something of interest going on, and thus are ideal for the up-and-at-'em style cruiser. Carrying 2,052 passengers, the ships are big enough to provide a week's diverse entertainment, ample deck space for those whose idea of being entertained is basking in a warm sunshine glow, and separate facilities for children of all ages.

The unifying theme of Elation's interior decor are famous literary authors and their works. You'll find the the Romeo and Juliet Lounge, the Cole Porter Club, Gatsby's Great Bar, the Mark Twain Library, and the Jekyll & Hyde Disco. They are all more or less connected by the generous Elation Way on Promenade Deck. As the evening crowds bustle from the Mikado Theater, through the Casablanca Casino (with a theme based on the movie of the same name) to the Cole Porter Club the ship soars with activity as nearly every chair and barstool becomes occupied.

Ideal as it is for the sort of person who likes to have loads of activities planned, Elation also offers lots of out-of-the-way places to read or just contemplate the sea. During summer cruises, however, when there are hundreds of kiddies aboard, quiet contemplation might become a luxury reserved for another ship.

It bears noting that Elation was the first cruise ship equipped with Azipods, a now industry-standard propulsion system that makes for very smooth sailing.

Carnival Elation Things to Do

Entertainment:
The prime entertainment venue is the 1,300 seat Mikado, a Japanese-inspired theater, but karaoke draws big crowds to the Romeo and Juliet Lounge, while the Cole Porter Lounge, incongruously, seems to be the favorite venue of folk and country musicians. A variety of live bands and individual performers entertain nightly along with its elaborate stage shows. Regardless of what sort of music you like most, you're pretty much assured of hearing it.

In Duke's piano bar on Elation you'll finds replicas of New York's Empire State Building and other metropolitan scenes. Such "entertainment architecture" significantly enhances Carnival's nightlife. There are quiet bars for those seeking to muse melancholy about the one who got away, as well as vibrant discos. The casinos are some of the biggest and most clamorous on the high seas.

By day, there are bingo and Trivial Pursuit contests, not to mention such highbrow events poolside as the men's hairy chest contest.
 
Fitness:
With no fewer than 12,000 sq. ft. devoted to fitness and spa facilities, these ships are a dream come true for those who like to keep in shape during their cruise, and don't mind doing so in either uninspiring (the spa) or aggressively pink (the gym) surroundings. The gyms have a private trainer and 35 state-of-the-art exercise machines. There's a day-long schedule of aerobics, and stretching yoga, and Pilates classes (usually around $10 each), as well as body composition analysis and personal training sessions, $75 for 60 minutes. There's a fully jogging track and a volleyball court. Women who want to sunbathe topless will find secluded areas in which to do so.

Those who prefer to skip shore excursions and snorkel on their own can rent equipment for $26 for three days. The inescapable Steiner's of London operates the ship's spa, which offers lots of different kinds of massage – and pushes its beauty products rather more zealously than most passengers would prefer.
 
For Kids:
Carnival's celebrated Camp Carnival program offers a full schedule of supervised activities, from finger painting and singalongs for younger children to photography workshops, late-night movies, and pool parties for their older siblings. The ships' 2,400-square foot "Children's World" play areas are stocked with a computer lab, a climbing maze, an activity wall, and an assortment of toys, games and puzzles.

Carnival Elation Dining / Dinner

Cuisine:
From the best pizza afloat (available 24 hours per day) to haute cuisine in the main dining room, Carnival really delivers on the food front.
 
Restaurants:
Total Choice Dining provides for four dinner seatings in the main dining rooms, alternative Bistro dining every evening, and an increased number of service staff. Passengers are assigned a table for dinner in one of the two main dining rooms -- The Imagination on Atlantic Deck, mid-ship, or the Inspiration on Atlantic Deck, aft -- at one of four seatings; 5:45 p.m. or 6:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. There are very few tables for two in either of the two main dining rooms; expect to dine with four, six, or eight fellow voyagers.

You typically have a choice of six starters, a couple of salads, and six or seven main courses (pan-fried fillet of red snapper, sweet and sour shrimp, rack of New Zealand lamb and Beef Wellington). The menu also includes Spa Carnival selections for those trying to reduce their intake of calories, sodium, cholesterol, fat, or meat.

Additionally, the poolside Lido eateries are converted into Seaview Bistros between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. each evening, offering buffet dinner with no reservations or advance notice required. The informal Tiffany (T-shirts and shorts are OK) Restaurant on the Lido Deck offers both inside and poolside seating. All meals here are served buffet style, with open seating for all three meals.

Other alternative eating options include a 24-hour pizzeria, a complimentary sushi bar and 24 hour room service. Themed midnight buffets ensure that no passenger will be rendered sleepless by the rumblings of his empty belly.
 
Service:
Don't expect formality. Indeed, expect wacky dances after dessert – and then to come back to your cabin to find that your cabin steward, cutup that he or she is, has left a towel folded to resemble a dog on your bed. The hi-jinx never stop!

Tipping:
Carnival automatically adds $10.00 per person per day in gratuities to your Sail & Sign card unless you're under two years old, and if you're reading this, you're probably not. This includes $3.60 for the stateroom steward; $5.50 for the Dining Room team, and $.90 for service in the alternative dining rooms. Visit the purser's desk during the cruise to raise or lower this amount.

You may also prepay gratuities for all service personnel at a rate of $10.00 per person per day. On Cruises-to-Nowhere, gratuities of $10 per person per day must be prepaid.

A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all beverage tabs. Tip the maitre d', room service, spa, casino and other staff as you deem fitting.
 
Attire:
On the two "formal" nights per week, most men wear a dark suit instead of tux. By day, nearly everyone wears shorts, T-shirt, sneakers/sandals, bathing suit, and a hat.

Carnival Elation Ambience

Decor:
Every Carnival ship, designed by fanciful designer Joe Farcus, has a unifying theme for the decor. From the first ship of these seven ships known as the Fantasy-class christened in 1990, to the last (Paradise) launched in 1998, these ships got progressively less flamboyant. Though each was state of the art in its day, today these ships are considered small and modest. In her day, (1990) Fantasy tried to be bigger in life by adding lots of glitz in the form of neon, chrome & mirrors. But Elation's theme (1998) is much more subdued.
 
Public Areas:
The ship consist of 10 decks with most of the public rooms concentrated on Atlantic, Promenade and Lido decks (decks 5,6 and 7). The cabins are mostly concentrated on decks one through four; Riviera, Main, Upper (which is actually a lower deck 3) and Empress decks.

You can stroll down Elation Way, or plop down into a soft banquette to ogle passing strollers. The two-level, 1300-set show lounge The Mikado at the front of the promenade presents live production shows, comedians, magicians, and passenger talent shows, with exemplary sight lines and good seating throughout.

The ships' most fanciful decor is in such entertainment venues as the popular piano bars. In one of Elation's, an enormous circular piano doubles as a bar for those who like to sing along. You'll also find a vibrant disco and cabaret lounge along the boulevard.

Other public areas include the Galleria shopping mall, the Virtual World arcade, and the ship's photo gallery. The Internet cafe offers access for 75 cents per minute; for those who plan to spend more time on the computer, there are 100 minute packages available for $50 (50 cents per minute) and 250 minute packages for $100 (40 cents per minute).
 
Cabins:
Because they were built just before the shift toward lots of verandahs, just the 26 demi-suites (250 square feet) and 28 full suites (400 square feet) have them.

Carnival's cabins are fairly spartan in decor and skimpy on amenities (a color TV with CNN, telephone, radio, no hair dryer, and a basket of "free-sample" toiletries), but among the largest in the cruise industry: inside measure 185 sq. ft, outside 190 sq. feet. Even in the minimum category inside or outside stateroom you'll still enjoy ample space. Cabins for four and five are understandably popular with families, and go fast.

Oceanview staterooms and suites offer a mini bar, bathrobes, and fairly large bathrooms with a hand-held shower and medicine cabinet. There are also 26 mini-suites (226 sq. feet plus 36 square foot private veranda) and 28 suites measuring 350 sq. feet with 71 sq. foot balconies.