Carnival Cruise Ships - Elation

Passengers: 2044
Launched: 1998
Gross Tonnage: 70,367
Length: 855
Decks: 10
Registry: Panama
Nationality: Italian officers, international crew
CDC Score: 95


Itinerary: Through 2002, Elation will sail seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises roundtrip from Los Angeles with visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

Overview: As the seventh of Carnival Cruise Lines' eight Fantasy-class ships, the Elation features some significant improvements over her six sisters. She is the first of Carnival's new cruise ship to offer year-round Mexican Rivera cruises from Los Angeles and also the largest cruise ship ever to have a home port in Los Angeles.

The Elation is the most sophisticated and upscale of the Fantasy-class ships, and she should appeal to a much broader audience than the older glitzier Carnival ships. She combines some of the best design elements of the innovative Carnival Destiny with some of the best design elements of highly successful Fantasy-class series. Among the new features on the Elation are an expanded children's center; a virtual reality video game arcade; a patisserie and coffee bar; a sushi bar on the promenade deck; a newly designed casino bar area; and a totally redesigned lido cafe area. The Elation is the world's first cruise ship to feature the new Azipod propulsion system, which dramatically reduces engine noise and vibration. This state-of-the-art system pulls (rather than pushes) the ship through the water and it makes for increased fuel efficiency and better maneuverability. The Azipod system also eliminates the need for rudders or stern thrusters.

Carnival's ships have traditionally stimulated the senses with sometimes over-the-top decor, but Elation is a step in a more upscale direction. The basic color scheme is copper, with inlaid woods, and mauve. Prisms and fiber optic lights create subtle lighting effects and mood changes in the atrium. The theme aboard the Elation is the mythological Muses and the art they inspire. Carnival's designer, Joe Farcus, has adorned the ship's seven-deck atrium and promenade deck with lighted, floor-to-ceiling columns and classical reliefs. As is the case on the other Carnival ships, Farcus has not skimped on the materials used in the interiors of the Elation. The design of the Elation is intended to appeal to a broader market and to better represent the tastes of today's Carnival passengers.

While the atmosphere on Carnival's ships is pure Las Vegas-At-Sea, the Elation is noticeably toned down a few notches. There is still plenty of glitz to satisfy the traditional Carnival guest, but there is also much to attract a totally new breed of sophisticated Carnival passenger. The ships' strengths include exceptionally spacious and comfortable cabins, excellent entertainment and activities, outstanding children's programs, continually improving food and service and extensive fitness facilities and programs. If you seek a high degree of personalized service, gourmet cuisine and a quiet, elegant, refined ambiance, the Elation is not for you. But those who enjoy a fun-filled and active vacation, are young-at-heart and love nightlife and casinos will adore this ship.

Public Rooms: Central to the Elation is an enormous, seven-deck high Grand Atrium topped by a glass dome. Guests enter the ship by way of this atrium, which features a lobby bar with live piano or string music. The lobby area is larger and more understated than those on the other Fantasy-class ships. Wonderful jewel-encrusted murals by British artist Susanna Holt embellish the walls on the various levels of the Grand Atrium. Outstanding, Las Vegas-style floor shows take place in the beautiful, multilevel, Japanese-themed Mikado showroom. This lounge (which was named after the famous Gilbert & Sullivan operetta) features a striking decor of Japanese fans, rice paper shoji screen walls, elegant Japanese-motif upholstery and gold-leaf bamboo and chrysanthemum designs that have been sandblasted onto black fossil stone walls and tables. The Mikado showroom has state-of-the-art sound and light systems, as well as high-tech lasers and pyrotechnics for special effects. I found the entertainment to be exceptional, with two brand-new, song and dance revues -- "Spin" and "Rhythm" -- created especially for the Elation.

One of this ship's most popular spots is the enormous Casablanca Casino, which features the full gamut of slot machines, video poker machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and Caribbean stud poker, and which goes until the wee hours. The Elation's piano bar, Duke's, evokes Manhattan in the Jazz Age. This lounge is a tribute to jazz great, Duke Ellington, who found fame at New York's Cotton Club. Guests enter Duke's via a scaled-down replica of Washington Square Park's Triumphal Arch. There are replicas of the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and other notable New York sights. A white baby grand piano on a motorized turntable is surrounded by a circular bar. The Jeckyll and Hyde Dance Club features eight-foot-high sculptures of the fictional, two-faced Robert Louis Stevenson character. The split faces of the sculptures are meant to convey both benevolence and malice. The heads swivel in unison to the music's tempo, and video monitors set into the sculptures display live pictures of dancing guests as well as the latest music videos. All of the Carnival ships feature elegant libraries, and the Elation is no exception.

The Victorian-styled Mark Twain Library depicts the Gilded Age, when the great riverboats plied the mighty Mississippi River. Scale models of several famous sternwheelers are displayed in glass display cases and two pillars are finished in matte black and crested with gilt crowns that evoke the smokestacks of the steamboat Natchez. The Musical Cafe, which serves specialty coffees, pastries and liqueurs, is located halfway along Elation's Way, the glass-enclosed promenade that acts as a main boulevard showcasing nightlife. The Plaza Bar is centrally located on Empress Deck in the Grand Atrium lobby, an informal spot to meet for a cocktail, listen to live music or watch sporting events on a retractable big screen television. Additional night spots include the lovely Cole Porter Club (the venue for late-night entertainment) and nautical, Art Deco-style Gatsby's Great Bar (a nice, quiet place to enjoy a cocktail or cigar with friends).

Dining: Two dining rooms -- the Imagination and Inspiration -- each accommodate 650 passengers in two seatings in comfortable surroundings. Both restaurants are exceptionally understated in decor when compared to the dining rooms on the other Fantasy-class ships. Decorative touches include burlwood columns and faux malachite and lapis lazuli lighting fixtures. The wine list offers a nice selection of reasonably priced bottles. Cuisine exceeds the expectations on a ship in this price range.

While Carnival admittedly does not offer gourmet cuisine, the food is tasty and of good quality and it should please the palate of the typical Carnival guest. Low-fat Nautica Spa cuisine and delicious vegetarian entrees offer passengers alternatives to heavy meals. A children's menu offers such kid-friendly fare as chicken nuggets, hot dogs and spaghetti. Service is friendly and efficient. Each evening there is a different theme in the dining room and the waiters engage in such antics as singing, dancing and marching through the dining rooms with trays of flaming Baked Alaska balanced on their heads. It's silly, but it's part of the lively "Fun Ship" experience and most guests really get into it.

Breakfast and luncheon buffets, as well as the optional casual dinner option -- The Seaview Bistro -- are located in Tiffany's Bar and Grill on Lido Deck adjacent to the pool. The decor features brightly colored blue, yellow and green Tiffany-glass columns that divide the space into more intimate seating areas than in previous Lido Deck cafes on the other Fantasy-class ships. The atmosphere is cheerful in this room, even if the weather is less-than-perfect. At the aft of Tiffany's Bar and Grill is Carnival's signature pizzeria, which offers a selection of delicious pizzas with different toppings, freshly made Caesar salads and warm garlic rolls around the clock. Also aft is a bar with multiple video monitors that can double as a sports bar. Tiffany's Bar and Grill also offers made-to-order omelets at breakfast, plus stations for pastas, stir fry dishes and fajitas at lunch. The breakfast and lunch buffets feature a larger-than-average selection of hot and cold items. Lunch and dinner selections include a large salad bar, a dessert buffet and soft-serve frozen yogurt and ice cream machines. Guests who do not wish to dress up for dinner may dine at the Seaview Bistro in Tiffany's Bar and Grill on an open seating basis. This is a welcome alternative, as more and more cruisers want a casual vacation experience. Cabins have 24-hour room service, with a limited menu available.

Cabins: Carnival boasts some of the industry's largest cabins. While fairly spartan in decor, they're comfortable and boast ample closet space for a one-week cruise. Some 26 mini-suites are 226 square feet with 36-square foot verandahs. The 28 suites each measure 350 square feet, with 71 square-foot private balconies. Standard outside cabins are 190 square feet (an excellent buy in the minimum-grade category) and inside cabins measure 185 square feet. Standard amenities include color television with a daily selection of movies, radio, direct-dial telephone, individual climate control, wall safes and plenty of closet space. Bathrooms have handheld showers and ample medicine cabinets. Toiletries and hair dryers are not included, but there are electrical outlets in the cabins for guests who wish to bring their own hair dryers or electric razors. Self-service laundry rooms, with washers, dryers, irons and ironing boards, are available for guests to use -- a big plus for families traveling with children. Due to the new Azipod propulsion system, there is little vibration or engine noise even in cabins all the way aft or on the lowest passenger decks.

Fitness and Recreation: Few ships offer more fitness and recreation facilities than the Elation and her sister ships -- at 12,000 square feet, the spa/fitness center aboard these vessels are the largest afloat. The Nautica Spa gymnasium features more than 38 top-of-the-line exercise machines including progressive resistance machines, treadmills, rowing machines, stairmasters, lifecycles and free weights and trained professional staff. The fitness staff conducts a variety of exercise and wellness classes for every fitness level and interest, ranging from cardio-funk workouts to stretching and relaxation sessions. Nautica Spa salon services are provided by Steiner's of London, which offers a full complement of massages, facials, manicures and pedicures, as well as a beauty salon for both men and women. Other sports and fitness facilities include three outdoor swimming pools (including one wading pool for toddlers); four outdoor and two indoor whirlpools; Carnival's signature water slide (at the main pool); a padded, one-eighth mile jogging track that encircles the Sun Deck; volleyball and shuffleboard courts; PGA golf academy program and a secluded deck area for those who choose to sunbathe topless.

Children's Programs: Carnival expects to carry a record 175,000 children this year. The Elation adds a new dimension to the line's popular Camp Carnival program -- two Owner's Suites were deleted from the design of this ship to make room for Carnival's largest children's facility to date. This 2,500 square foot facility, which is known as Children's World, is divided into three sections. One section features an educational computer lab, as well as fun computer games. The arts and crafts area has spin art, sand art and jewelry-making machines, as well as easels for painting and drawing and a gallery to display the creations of the participants. The third section is an indoor play area with a climbing maze, toys, games and puzzles, along with a video wall where kids can watch movies, music videos and cartoons. An outdoor play area features a schooner-shaped play house. There is also a wading pool for toddlers. Special attention will be given to teens on the Elation. The Virtual World video game arcade is meant to attract teens and older children. Teens will also find photography workshops, late-night movies and disco parties with nonalcoholic specialty drinks. Camp Carnival is the most comprehensive children's program at sea, with age-appropriate activities for kids from two years old and up. Regular activities go until 10 p.m. Parents can arrange for group baby-sitting from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. at an additional charge of $4 per child per hour for the first child in a family and $2 per child per hour for each subsequent child.

Fellow Passengers: The average age of Carnival's passengers is 47, composed of singles, couples, seniors and families. Thirty percent of Carnival's passengers are under 35. Carnival does not permit single passengers under the age of 21 unless they are accompanied by a parent or adult guardian of at least age 25. The drinking age on Carnival is 21. Guests must be at least age 18 to enter the casino.

Clothing: The Elation is a casual cruise experience, with two formal evenings during the week. Tuxedo rentals are available aboard ship ($65 per week), but most men opt for a dark suit and tie. On formal nights, most ladies will be wearing short cocktail dresses or silk pants outfits with sequined tops. On other evenings the attire is casual. This means sport shirts, sport jackets and long pants for men and pants outfits, casual dresses or skirts and blouses for women.