Carnival Elation

The 1998-built Carnival Elation cruise ship is the 7th of CCL's eight Fantasy-class liners, with sisterships Sensation, Fascination plus the "no balcony ships" Fantasy, Ecstasy, Imagination, Inspiration, Paradise.

The vessel (IMO number 9118721) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 355831000) and registered in Colon.

History - construction and ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US shipping company, trademarked brand and subsidiary of Carnival Corporation (shipowner). CCL was founded in 1972 as an independent company by Ted Arison (1924-1999, co-founder of NCL Norwegian). 

CCL has the Corporation's largest fleet as number of vessels and GT-tonnage (ship sizes/volumes and passenger capacities). In 2023, CCL had ~9% (by revenue) and ~19% (passengers) share of the cruise industry's worldwide market. In 2024, the parent company (Carnival Corporation) had ~51% stake in the US$64+ billion industry.

The 2200-passenger ship Carnival Elation was floated out on January 4, 1998. Elation was retrofitted with part of Carnival's "Evolutions of Fun" upgrades. The Serenity adults-only area was installed, but not the WaterWorks park. Carnival Elation also had 28 balconies installed, all on Deck 6. Although the ship did not receive the full upgrade "Evolutions of Fun", in 2014 she received "Fun Ship 2.0" upgrades.  Elation is the world's first cruise vessel equipped with Azipod propulsion, the state-of-the-art technology that substantially improves maneuverability in addition to saving hull space. The ship is also the world's first with a conference center (capable to accommodate small to medium groups for meetings and special events).

Decks and Cabins

Carnival Elation staterooms (1094 total, in 25 categories) include 79 Suites, 98 Balcony, 528 Oceanview and 378 Inside cabins. Most cabins are sized 170-185 ft2 (16-17 m2). CCL Elation ship has 33 wheelchair-accessible cabins (ADA staterooms adapted for passengers with disabilities). The largest (Grand Vista Suites) are sized 350 ft2 / 33 m2 plus 60 ft2 / 6 m2 terrace and accommodate up to 5 passengers. Grand Suites feature large sitting areas and spacious bathrooms (with whirlpool bathtubs, separate shower), VIP services and amenities.

The boat has 14 decks, of which 11 are passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins.

During drydock refurbishment 2017, a total of 38 new cabins were added, of which 2x Grand Vista Suites, 22x Junior Suites, 2x Scenic Oceanview, and 12x Interior. A total of 98 balconies were added to existing staterooms, which were upgraded to 230 ft2 / 21 m2 sized balcony cabins. The number of passenger staterooms was increased from 1026 to 1094, which increased the boat's passenger capacity from 2052 to 2128 (max 2462 to 2554).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Carnival Elation does not offer alternative dining, so every meal onboard the ship is served in one of the two MDRs or the Tiffany’s Lido buffet. Passengers can thus avoid the nickel-and-diming, equated with newer and larger ships, but you might wish for more variety. However, excellent service is one of the bright spots: bar servers are close by throughout the ship. The informal Tiffany's Bar and Grill is located on the Lido Deck and offers inside and poolside seating. Meals are served buffet-style with open seating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A 24-hour pizzeria, 24-hour room service and complimentary sushi bar are the other alternative eating options. Carnival is one of the few cruise lines that still offer midnight buffets.

The real foodies who are curious about how the galley feeds so many people, have to check out Chef's Table. For US$75 per person, you'll be able to meet the head chef and tour the galley, as well as dine on a multi-course meal at a private table, while watching the chefs at work. 

Follows the complete list of Carnival Elation restaurants and food bars.

• Imagination Dining Room (650-seat forward restaurant, with two fixed dinner seatings and “Your Time Dining”, as well as “Seuss At Sea” themed breakfasts for US$5 cover charge)
• Inspiration Dining Room (658-seat aft restaurant, with two options for dinner seating)
• Tiffany’s Lido Buffet Restaurant (722-seat, complimentary self-service restaurant with various food stations; operates as a bistro in the evenings)
• Sushi Bar (complimentary)
• JavaBlue Cafe (patisserie/specialty coffee bar)
• Bluelguana Cantina (poolside Mexican fast food bar / complimentary)
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar
• Guy’s Burger Joint (poolside burger bar / complimentary).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Carnival Elation will not waste time to convince you as she is a ship where "participation" does make the experience. There are a lot of spots for a drink, from the laid back Gatsby’s Great Bar to the jumping Jekyll and even Hyde Dance Club to the always-swinging Duke’s Piano Bar.

A variety of live bands entertain nightly on Carnival Elation, and virtually every musical style can be heard. The prime entertainment venue is the Japanese-inspired Mikado theater, showcasing Las Vegas-style revues and performances by individual comedians and musicians.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Elation lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Elation Atrium Plaza (7-deck high midship open area served byPlaza Lobby Bar)
• Internet Cafe (24-hour Internet computers room)
• Art Gallery; Photo Gallery and Shop (digital platform / Pixels-brand); Formalities Shop (tuxedo rentals, special occasion gifts); The Fun Shops (offer “Bon Voyage” store menu, souvenirs, watches, jewelry, logo merchandise, duty-free liquor, fashion boutiques / Guess Store, Pandora Store)
• Mikado Theatre (1300-seat, 2-level main show lounge for musical productions; also used for game shows, bingo, movies)
• Duke’s Bar (92-seat piano bar)
• Mark Twain Library; Conference Room (70-seat)
• Casablanca Casino (450-seat, served by Drama Bar)
• Elation’s Way Promenade and Bar (230-seat)
• Musical Cafe (72-seat specialty coffee bar and patisserie)
• Cherry On Top (Carnival's signature candy shop)
• Alchemy Bar (Carnival's “cocktail pharmacy” lounge served by professional mixologists)
• RedFrog Rum Bar (frozens, beers, Carnival’s private label ThirstyFrog Red/draught beer)
• Romeo and Juliet Lounge and Bar (109-seat, with dance floor and karaoke)
• Jekyll and Hyde Disco and Nightclub (230-seat Dance Club)
• Gatsby’s Great Bar (92-seats cigar bar/smoking lounge with patio)
• Punchliner Comedy Club/brunch shows)
• Elation Lido Pool area (features one pool, two whirlpools, two poolside bars and stage for live performances, as well as 3-deck high Twister Waterslide which ends in the main pool); Aft Pool area (features one Whirlpool, one Splash Pool and one rounded pool)
• Circle C (kids' complimentary club lounge with movies, video games, parties, planned activities)
• 24-hour Video Games Arcade; Club O2 teens' lounge for movies, karaoke, parties
• Serenity (adults only relaxation area with padded lounges, hammocks and two Whirlpools)
• Camp Ocean (marine-inspired play area for children 2-11 with more than 200 ocean-themed activities)
• Camp Ocean (kids' club lounge with complimentary supervised program, indoor and outdoor playground areas)
• Carnival WaterWorks (aquapark with the 300-ft long waterslide Twister, 2x 82-ft long racing mini-slides, kids splash zone)
• Spa Carnival (Spa and Fitness complex with Relaxation Room, Steam Rooms, Saunas, Massage Rooms, Beauty Salon, Gymnasium with Aerobics Studio)
• Basketball/Volleyball Court, Jogging Track, Tennis Tables, 9-hole Mini Golf Course, Bocce Court, Shuffleboard.

During drydock 2019, the Cole Porter Club (540-seat bar lounge with a dance floor and a stage for live performances) aft on Promenaded Deck was replaced by the Alchemy Bar and 30x new staterooms.

Itineraries

Carnival Elation itinerary program is based on 4- and 5-day short breaks from New Orleans LA to Mexico and the Western Caribbean. Feature port destinations include Progreso and Cozumel. On April 23, 2016, Elation starts new Bahamas itineraries from Jacksonville.

In December 2017, Carnival announced the 2019 deployment of Carnival Elation to Port Canaveral (Orlando Florida) (new homeport). Starting on May 12, 2019, the ship will operate a year-round schedule of 4- and 5-day Bahamas cruises. Departures are on Thursdays (4-day itinerary to Freeport and Nassau) and on Mondays and Saturdays (5-day itinerary to Amber Cove Dominicana and Grand Turk Island).

Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade was done in 2014. In 1998, MS Elation made the "cruise news" as the first cruise liner with AZIPOD propulsion (azimuth thrusters/electric podded units). The vessel was christened by godmother Shari Arison - daughter of Ted Arison (1924-1999) - co-founder of NCL Norwegian Cruise Lines (1966) and founder of Carnival Cruise Lines (1972).

The Carnival ship Elation is one of the company's oldest (Fantasy-class) vessels with sisterships Ecstasy, Fantasy, Fascination, Imagination, Inspiration, Paradise, Sensation. A fleet-first feature for a Fun Ship is CCL Elation's dedicated conference center able to accommodate small groups for private meetings. As part of Carnival's 250 million "Evolution of Fun" program ("Fun Ship 1.0"), Elation received some upgrades in 2009, including the new facilities "Circle C" (kids club for passengers between 12- and 14-years-old), the adults-only deck "Serenity", as well as expanded buffet dining options.

The vessel was constructed by STX Finland (at Kvaerner Masa-Yards/Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki) under yard/hull number 491. It has volume 71909 GT-tons, DWT/deadweight 7036 tons, max draught 8 m (26 ft). The powerplant is based on Wartsila marine diesel engines (models 12ZAV40S and 12V38) with total power output 47,52 MW.

Carnival elation was launched/floated out from drydock on January 4, 1998, and delivered (as MS Elation) to Carnival on March 20, 1998. The Maiden Voyage was a 16-day Panama Canal transition itinerary from Miami to Los Angeles, visiting ports in Colombia (Cartagena), Panama City (Balboa), Costa Rica (Puerto Caldera/Puntarenas) and Mexico (Acapulco). The inaugural cruise season started on April 12, 1998, and was based on homeporting in LA and 7-day Mexican Riviera itineraries visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

In 2003, Elation started homeporting in Galveston (Texas) with 7-day Western Caribbean itineraries. In 2007, Elation started homeporting in San Diego (California) operating short breaks to Baja California (Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas). In the following years, the boat was also homeported in Mobile (Alabama), New Orleans (Louisiana) and Port Canaveral/Orlando (Florida).

Carnival Elation refurbishment 2020 review

In 2019 (March 2-26) the ship entered drydock at Grand Bahama Shipyard (Freeport Bahamas). During the refurbishment, aft on Deck 9/Promenade (in the space previously occupied by the Cole Porter lounge) were added 30 new staterooms and the Alchemy Bar. The new cabins' modules were delivered by ALMACO (drydocking project's management company).

Other changes included remodeling several venues and adding JavaBlue Cafe (patisserie/coffee bar) and Bonsai Sushi Express (complimentary take-away dining option/made-to-order sushi).

During drydock 2023 (Jan 21-Feb 10, in Freeport) were conducted general maintenance works and only parts of the ship were updated/upgraded (new carpets and cosmetic enhancements). Cloud 9 Spa was fully refreshed (new steam and sauna rooms), and some maintenance works were conducted on some venues and staterooms. Works included hull cleaning and repainting with CCL’s new livery (red-white-blue design).

Carnival Elation refurbishment 2017 review

The list of deck plan changes after the ship's 2017 drydock refurbishment (August 31 - September 27) done in Freeport Bahamas included:

• A total of 38 new cabins were added, of which 2x Grand Vista Suites, 22x Junior Suites, 2x Scenic Oceanview, 12x Interior. Balconies were added to 98 cabins (on decks 5-Main, 6-Upper, 7-Empress). This changed the vessel's passenger capacity from 2052 (max 2606) to 2128 (max 2554).
• The newly added staterooms were modular (delivered in a block consisting of 7 sub-blocks), pre-manufactured by ALMACO Group - a full-service provider of marine vessel cabins, wet units, galleys, provision stores, crew living quarters). The ship's elevator lobbies and stairs were also renovated.
• (Lido Deck 10) Guy's Burger Joint was added (complimentary poolside dining venue serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries )
• (Lido Deck 10) BlueIguana Cantina was added (complimentary poolside Mexican eatery for fresh-made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas, with salsa bar and a variety of toppings). Also here was added the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar (Mexican-themed outdoor bar for frozens and beers).
• (Promenade Deck 9) Here was added the RedFrog Rum Bar (rum bar for frozens and beers, serving Carnival’s private label ThirstyFrog Red /draught beer).
• (Promenade Deck 9) In the area of "Elation’s Way Promenade" (near Drama Bar) was added to Cherry On Top (bulk candy store, also selling Carnival Cruise Lines logo apparel, gifts, toys)).
• (Verandah Deck 11) the old Camp Carnival kids complex was redesigned and transformed into Camp Ocean. Also here (aft) was installed Carnival Waterworks (aquapark with Splash Zone, 2 mini racing slides for kids, and the Twister Waterslide).
• (Deck 14) the 9-hole Mini-Golf Course was relocated and redesigned (added bocce court).
• Retail Shops were completely redesigned and upgraded with new brand boutiques (Guess Store, Pandora Store). The Photo Gallery was replaced with a digital platform (Pixels-brand).
• Various technical enhancements were implemented, including shoreside power capabilities.
• Routine maintenance works included new hull coating.

During refurbishment 2017, the crew area was also renovated.

The vessel was last drydocked in 2023 (January 21 thru February 10) at Grand Bahama Shipyard (Freeport). The scheduled drydocking was for routine class works and general maintenance (hotel and machinery).