HONEST Review! Carnival Elation!

[@MyStangJax]

Totally agree we LOVE the atriums and I hope they bring them back. It's such as wow factor walking into those everytime. We live about 12 mins from the Jacksonville port and I think this smaller ship gets bad reviews just for that but we always have a great time. Hope it stays that way. We have sailed the fascination, ecstasy, and elation and loved them all.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Absolutely! Big ships are great, but small ships are too! Love not having the big crowds. Grand Central on the excel class is no atrium! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@huskylivingwith3blackcats]

Thank you for the review! I am going in December and have PTSD so you have calmed my nerves about the crowds. So Excited!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Awesome! Hope you have a great cruise! The crowds seem so much smaller than on the new huge ships! Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@LeticiaHerzog]

Hi guys! I’m the girl who is part of the duo from Brazil, I’m very happy that you liked us and we hope to meet you again! ☺️

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Omg! You guys were great! I wished we could have listened to you more! We hope to catch you again on another cruise!

[@user-il9jx8gw7d]

We just went on a 5 day cruise on the Elation and got home today. We had a great time. Wife and I are older than you two, so we didn't do as much as you did, but we still enjoyed ourselves. It was our first cruise since our honeymoon 43 years ago. The staff were WONDERFUL. Not one bad experience. As a side note, I did some research on the ship we cruised on in 1980. The name of it was the SS Britanis. We went to about 5 Caribbean islands and had a great time. The ship had a long history, but now sits at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Southern Africa........sad ending to a beautiful old ship!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Glad you had a great cruise! The Elation is an awesome smaller ship. Hope your next cruise isn't in another 43! Thanks for watching!

[@Drmelhughes]

Thank you for this because I am a travel agent, and I have some clients with physical challenges who are older. This helps.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Awesome!@@Drmelhughes

[@timandilene2405]

Loved watching this video.❤

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

TYVM! Thanks for watching!

[@kristyhuber7835]

We’re doing the Elation for the first time in August and then again in Oct. I’m excited! We’re also doing a port hole! My first cruise was the Ecstasy 7 years ago. My 2nd was the Pride a few weeks ago. I thought the Ecstasy was so much prettier than the Pride! Seeing the atrium of the Elation makes me even more excited to cruise on her!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Awesome! Hope you have a great cruises! I think you will love the Elation! Thank you so much for watching!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

I LOVE the Elation!! My wife and I are musicians and our first ship contract was on the Elation! This is a really nice walk down memory lane! Thank you for such a great review. The only parts of the entertainment I heard you talk much about were the production shows, the piano bar, and the comedians. Did you guys talk about the live musicians? That's always my favorite part (cuz that's me! lol)! Also, Epic Rock is my favorite show! Can't agree with you more, Scott!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks for the kind words! We loved the Elation! One of my favorite things to do is listen to the live musicians! There was a guitar duo that I loved! I thought the girls voice sounded like a young Natalie Merchant. Plus they did some Pink Floyd, so that was awesome! The violinists were great too!

[@JohnDietz-xr3nl]

Thank you so much for the vlogs and the review on the Elation !! My wife and I are celebrating our 30th anniversary on the elation next August. I have PTSD and issues with large crowds, but love live bands and people watching. Your videos have helped alleviate my worries!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks so much for the kind words! The Elation is such a great little ship! We think you'll have a great time! Happy anniversary to the two of you! We have a couple more years before we hit 30 years! 😊

[@bobbear4437]

You can always find a quiet place on a ship if the crowds get a bit much! Take along a book, a tablet with videos loaded, some music pre loaded, and enjoy a peaceful relaxing day with sea breezes! Congrats on your 30th, our 20th this December!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Great answer! Yes! There are so many quiet places to sit on the Elation! @@bobbear4437

[@worldoftony469]

Just subscribed. I was recently on wonder of the seas. I’ve been trying to get my footage up as well. Love the review, you all did a great job. I will be on this ship in a few weeks. Going from the largest ship in the world to one of the smallest is going to be a fun time!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

TYVM! We haven't been on the Wonder yet. Looks like an amazing ship! We really liked the small ship feel of the Elation. Could have used a few more dining options, but hey. Can't wait to see your footage of the Wonder!

[@mermaiddreams-xn9hg]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Great stuff!!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

TYVM! Thanks for watching!

[@PaulFord-uo9gh]

I've sailed on Elation twice and have another booked for March. I too have been on the bigger ships. I love them. I typically take 7 day or longer cruises. This trip I'm taking my girlfriend who has never been on a cruise. I think the Elation will be perfect for her first time. Less people. Smaller ships are unfairly underrated. Elation is a great and well maintained ship.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We think the Elation will be perfect too! We loved not having as many people on board. Felt much more laid back. Hope you guys have a great cruise! Thanks for watching!

[@georgejones5019]

I'm glad you caught the ship passing under the Dame's Point Bridge. Thats a unique part of its departure. My favorite part of the elation were the comedy shows at night.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Going under the bridge was pretty cool. We want to go out of Tampa to go under the Sunshine bridge. Typically comedy is our favorite thing too. We just didn't care for the comedians this time.

[@Kimberly-ng4gg]

Great video! Always love watching you guys!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

TYVM! Thanks for watching!

[@roxygirl5946]

Loved your video as usual! Thanks for all the info! 😊

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks for watching!

[@BG5850]

Love you guys 😂 headed to that ship in a few weeks thanks for the video

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thank you so much! Hope you have a great cruise!!!

[@janicesellars3877]

I love that ship! Enjoy it every time I go cruising. That's my part time job 😅. Just cruise 2/1/2024

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We love it too! Great little ship! Have a great cruise!

[@spectaclegaming7724]

Thanks for the video series! I just watched the whole set from your trip and really enjoyed it. My wife and I and another couple are going this February, and we too were concerned about the size of the ship. Your vlog has shown that it can still be really fun. Thankfully all 4 of us are casino addicts like Kim, so we'll always have that to do.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks so much for watching! The Elation is definitely a smaller ship, but was great for that 5 day get away. The casino got Kim's approval, except for the fact that it took her money! Lol! Hope you have a great cruise!

[@user-tm7bs5sv4j]

Great video, going for my first cruise on the elation in February, so exciting. Thank you

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thank you! Hope you have a great time! The Elation is a great small ship.

[@BOOMBIGZ]

Thanks for your review of the Carnival Elation! I do like that style of atrium. Watching & supporting! :)

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

TYVM! We really love the classic atriums!

[@trendingwwwandw]

thanks for sharing your Carnival Elation review like your video bookmarks/chapters very much the dining chapter @25:08 was very interesting. The food served looked attractive AND delicious....my favorite chapter !

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

One of our favorite parts of cruising... The food! lol! Thanks for watching!

[@bilparker7908]

Looking forward to cruising on Elation later in February. My wife and I love the smaller cruise ships. Our first cruise was Norwegian Majesty. We have cruised the mega ships and do not enjoy them as well.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Hope you have a great cruise! The Elation is a great ship! She still has that older ship charm.

[@SansanRN]

I'm tickled that you guys enjoyed it Having said that, the cruise hubby and I took on it last April was why we won't EVER sail Carnival again. We had a horrible experience with crew (short staffed so they were over it,) ship was filthy, fights broke out onboard-at least one per day, and it reeked. I was so disappointed!! Anyhoo, I'm hoping that improvements were made for others to enjoy this old ship.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Oh that does sound bad! Luckily we didn't have any of that. Except for the short staff. I think that is gong to be the new normal. Hope your next cruise is much better! Thanks for watching!

[@obriancruiseandtravel857]

We sailed the Fascination 3 times and loved that ship! This coming May 2024 were on the Elation and we can't wait to get back on a Fantasy class ship again!!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Awesome! We loved getting back on a smaller ship. Enjoyed having a little elbow room! Hope you have a great cruise!

[@dougberdan3906]

I cruise last October on the Elation and we ran into some rough weather the comedian was joking about the ship rocking even during his act he was having a hard time standing on stage is reaction to it made it all the more comical

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Lol! We felt bad for our comedy hostess. She was struggling so bad! Kim would have been struggling without Bonine! Lol!

[@craighaywood9639]

We went on the elation out of Jacksonville in Nov. and we had a blast also and you guys are right Gabe was absolutely awesome for a cruise director, overall it was a great vacation and we are planning on going again soon same ship can't wait. I wanna try a bigger ship one day but I don't think it could be much better than the Elation (to us)

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Gabe was great! Yeah we really loved our cruise on the Elation. You do have to try one of the mega ships at least once. It truly is a different experience. We liken it to an amusement park. Lol

[@dyvatravels3064]

I'm a travel agent and have a group of 60 going with me Thursday Nov 9th! I'm super excited 😊thanks for this review!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Awesome! Hope you guys have a great time! The Elation is a great little ship! Thanks for watching!

[@user-tm7bs5sv4j]

You two look like so much fun, would love to cruise with you guys!!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks! It's all Kim!

[@Bandit74.]

Elation was our first cruise last year and it was for our anniversary on August 21!! We love that ship and would definitely be going back on it in the future. After that cruise we are hooked and already got our 3rd cruise booked for New Year's week on Carnival Freedom. Our 2nd cruise was on the Mardi Gras back in January and we had a blast on it.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

You are picking a lot of the same ships we have done! We haven't done the Freedom yet. A New Year's cruise sounds awesome! Hope you have a great cruise!

[@Bandit74.]

@@seatrippinwkimandscott we are still new at it and planning on doing as many Carnival ships we can lol.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We want to hit all the different ships and ports! Not sure we will be able to hit that goal but hey!@@Bandit74.

[@Bandit74.]

@@seatrippinwkimandscott we have been looking at MSC and Royal. But everyone we talk to that has been on the MSC keep saying the food isn't that good. I have some videos of Elation and Mardi Gras on my channel.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We are going to go on our first MSC cruise next year. We have heard both good and bad. Hoping for the best! lol@@Bandit74.

[@chrisgonzales4420]

The port holes are nice for 2 to 3 days cruises, honestly a week or longer the balcony or even wondow may be more expensive but is a great choice for comfort.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Ocean view or a balcony are great if we can get them for a good price. Otherwise, it's an interior for us!

[@cathim.7409]

We just got off the Mardi Gras which was spectacular! Now we are booking the Elation. From the largest ship to the smallest. I was a little concerned until I watched your video. Now I'm excited to try it out! Thank you!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Awesome! We had a great time on the Elation. Not as many people and it feels more relaxed! The one thing we did miss was all the different places to eat.

[@cathim.7409]

That is what I will miss the most as well.@@seatrippinwkimandscott

[@idamadeagoeswirhasemadhy3971]

Hii Kim and Scott,nice video.. I think i serve you a drink when i was on that ship,i was a bartender in Casino Drama Bar. I was on Carnival Elation from Sep 28' 2023 until April 25' 2024

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

LOL! You probably did!!! Thanks for making our cruise so amazing!

[@user-pb6rl8tp9d]

thanks! watching from Tallahassee..

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Awesome! Hello fellow Floridian!

[@scottsmith9201]

We've never been on any of the newer/bigger ships. We took our first 2 cruises on Carnival Fantasy and got hooked on cruising. We will be on the Sky Princess for Christmas and that will be different. We're on Carnival Spirit Dec. 3rd and looking forward to that too ( small ship). We've never parked at port either. Always parked at the hotel we stayed at or off site parking. Love those tall atriums too. Thanks for posting!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks for watching! You have to try one of the bigger ships at least once. It is an experience. We take our first Princess cruise next April. We are excited! You will have to let us know how you liked Princess!

[@Frankie-Floyd]

We've been on the Elation five times and it's my wife's favorite one. Me I'm on the one's that have the Mongolian Wok & Dive-In .

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

The Elation was great! I am with you though, Mongolian Wok is so good! One of Kim's favorites!

[@TheMusterDrill]

Great video! I have wanted to sail the Elation for quite a while, but can't find an opportunity to be in or near JAX to justify the travel. Looking at your video, the port building and parking look almost identical to the port of Baltimore. I agree with you, Scott, get the muster done ASAP.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

TYVM! We haven't sailed out of Baltimore yet. That is on our to do list. We used to be from the Baltimore area and it would be great to sail from our "old" home! Jaxs was super easy!

[@margaretatter4743]

I live in Jacksonville. I love sailing out of my home port. I love the Elation. It's a great cruise to ha ve time away. It's is nice to sail on a smaller ship. Her sister ship the Facination is also a nice small ship.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

The Elation is a great ship! We enjoyed coming back to the smaller ship. You are lucky to be so close to Port! Thanks for watching!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks for watching! we loved sailing out of Jacksonville on the Elation! We haven't tried the Facination yet, but it's on the list.

[@user-tm7bs5sv4j]

I think a smaller ship might be good for first time cruisers, won’t feel overwhelming

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Absolutely! The smaller ships are great for first time cruisers.

[@chrisbowles2040]

Me and fiance are going on it Wendsday..its my first cruise

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks for watching! Have a great time!

[@DL30Creations]

I've been on Sunshine, Sensation which is no longer existing and Holland America Oosterdam. Going on Elation in April and it definitely looks smaller than all three previous ships but smaller crowd sounds better.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

The Elation is definitely a smaller ship, but sometimes that is perfect! We had been doing so many of these Mega ships and it was so nice to come back to a more relaxing cruise without all the crowds!

[@HollyAtkinson-yc9lr]

I was wondering about the pressure point wrist bracelets you showed one of your videos. How did they work for you? Are they worth buying?

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

That was the first time I had ever used them, and I was really impressed how good they worked! I now have several of the Blisslets brand. I do like them, however, I feel like they stretch out too easily. I think their policy is they will replace them, but I haven't bothered. I also have a regular "sea bands" pair, and they seem much tighter and don't lose their shape.

[@HollyAtkinson-yc9lr]

How do you get an early check in time on embarkation day without paying extra? We’re sailing on the elation soon! We can not wait!!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

I believe you can check in 14 days before your cruise...midnight eastern time. We have a video about that too! As soon as it's midnight, you can start checking in online. You don't have to fill in everything. Just keep hitting skip so you can get to the "pick your time spot". Save and go back in to fill in all the stuff you skipped.

[@leticiafox1465]

How did you know ahead of time about the 80’s party? I want to prepare we’re sailing in September.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We joined the Facebook group for our sailing. That's how we figured out what night was what event. Here is a link that lists the events for each ship. cruisewithleo.com/carnival-cruise-theme-nights-parties-schedule/

[@KD-gu2mb]

Just went on independence of the sea. I understand it. But I do like the smaller carnival ships better.do wish it did have specialty dineing.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Yeah was strange that it doesn't have a specialty dining venue as those are money makers for the cruise line. But, it really is nice to sail on the small ships every once in a while.

[@stevekoren1962]

Great video. We are scheduled for March on the Elation. We are new to cruising. How do you know what kind of parties are on the ship ahead of time. (Example the 80s party) we want to be prepared for the parties. Thanks

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks so much for watching! You are going to have a great time on the Elation. This site has a list of all the parties on each ship. cruiseline.com/forum/post/new-theme-parties-on-carnival

[@sethbrantley2361]

I’m going on my first cruise ever in less than 36 hours! My 15 year old daughter and are going on a 4 day cruise on the elation to Freeport and Nassau. My daughter has been on two cruises previously. I’m so excited. We are definitely on a budget but it’s been a tough year for my family and we really need this break together. Does anyone have any recommendations for a 1st timer?? Thanks so much!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Wow! That's exciting! You're gonna have a great time! One tip is on embarkation day, most people head to the buffet when they board. If you want to avoid the crowd and lines, goto Guy's Burger or Blue Iguana instead! They are really good!! Also, bring sea sickness meds just in case, because you never know what the seas will be like. Make sure you have the Hub app downloaded so you can see all the fun activities on board! I hope you and your daughter have an amazing cruise!!! 😃

[@margaretatter4743]

He correct. Always muster first.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

I keep Kim in check lol!

[@malcolmcook1915]

Regarding the guard shacks, even with no ship present at the port it is still a secured area and you would not get past the first guard shack without the required credentials.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

That is very true. Just weird for the first time there. They have 3 shacks to drive through and they just wave you through.

[@Dogzontop4567]

I know they don’t have an outdoor movie theater but do they play movies any at like the comedy club

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We don't remember them playing movies anywhere. But don't take that as a fact. We just don't remember seeing them anywhere.

[@Dogzontop4567]

Thank you! We changed our boat to the glory because they have an outdoor theater. We love to watch the movies we watch one every night of our cruise

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Hey I understand! We haven't tried the Glory yet. You will have to let us know how you like it! Hope you have a great cruise! @@Dogzontop4567

[@yoyo67279]

Was is very choppy trying to sleep being smaller?

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We didn't notice it being any "rockier" than a big ship.

[@yoyo67279]

@@seatrippinwkimandscott I like your very thorough description of the ship

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

@@yoyo67279 TYVM! We hope you have an awesome cruise on this great small ship! Was a nice change from all the huge ships we had been sailing!

[@Jonzan64]

Thank you for the video. Do you know if the casino has video game called casino wizard? It has craps, roulette and baccarat.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Thanks for watching! I'm sorry, I don't remember if they had Casino Wizard.

[@spectaclegaming7724]

I've seen some other videos of Elation and definitely seen the Casino Wizard game there. Not sure which games they have programmed in it though. Some casinos don't always have all of the games in the Wizard machine available. We're going on Elation in 3 weeks and will see for ourselves.

[@Jonzan64]

@@spectaclegaming7724 Thank you!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

​@spectaclegaming7724 Thanks for the help there! To be honest the only game I know is Buffalo! Lol!

[@00spaceissocool00]

Hello I’m going on the cruise next month with elation how much cost is for 5 days parking

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Hope you have a great cruise! When we went last September it was $85 for the 5 night cruise.

[@brittanymack6453]

What dates did you sail!? We were on Oct 30th-nov4th elation.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

Ohh you were on the Halloween sailing! Was it fun? We were on the Sept 9th sailing.

[@brittanymack6453]

It was fun! However we weren't able to make it to the princess cay Island. The waves were too intense for the smaller boats to take us. Gabe was an amazing cruise director!

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

​@@brittanymack6453We have heard the Seas have been pretty rough the last few weeks! Sorry you didn't get to stop at PC. But, now you have a train to book another cruise.

[@rex001111]

Would you do faster for the fun on this ship?

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

We don't think so. We got FTTF for our first couple of cruises. Mainly for the benefit of getting on early. Here on the Elation we had the earliest boarding time and it was wall right on. Now on the disembarkation maybe. But I have heard the Elation changed disembarkation since we cruised.

[@kristyhuber7835]

I’m still debating on it, too. My first cruise it was only $50 for FTTF. This time it would be $99. Not horrible, but just trying to decide if it’s worth it? We love being on the ship early so we may still do it just for that perk.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

If you get an early check in time, really ​don't think it is necessary! Boardingwas so quick and easy! @kristyhuber7835

[@melodyhall6886]

The more you smoke, the more you drink. Spending more money 💰 in the casino.

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

So True!

[@MannLev]

This ship sucks

[@seatrippinwkimandscott]

😢 Sorry you didn't have a good time. We enjoyed going back to that small ship experience.