The most overriding pro is that the ship was very clean and inviting and that the crew members were continually cleaning to keep it that way. My room steward, Pak, and the dining room service team, Romeo and Attila, could not have been any more professional and congenial. They were excellent in every respect.

The floor plan of the ship is very easy to understand and the lighted signs at almost every entryway made it easy to find your way around the ship from the very first day. There were few lines anywhere on the ship except at every embarkation and debarkation. The Lido deck food service area is well planned to avoid lines and a pleasant place to eat. The addition of a stack of trays to carry your meal to the table would be a helpful item. Although there were several hundred children aboard, they were usually well behaved and supervised. The 24 hour pizza was tasty and always available when I was hungry hours before the appointed 8:00 PM dining hour. The library was well stocked with a variety of reading material and quite comfortable. The Mozart Trio was by far my favorite music although I enjoyed Ted at the Piano and James at the Drama bar also. Although it was not a tour provided by the ship, the highlight of my cruise was the horseback riding in Mazatlan with Randi's Happy Horses which I found on the internet through some of the cruise reviews.

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The cons from my point of view: The emergency drill was next to useless and very uncomfortable. The food in the dining room was quite variable from very good to fair at different meals. There was an extreme shortage of fruits and vegetables served and none were available in the dining room even if you asked for them. The meat course at dinner was generally well prepared with a garnish of vegetable and a tiny serving of rice or other grain. If a sauce, even cocktail sauce for shrimps, was listed on the menu it was just a dime size decoration on the plate. More was available if you asked for it.

All of the hot tubs were always full of young children playing without supervision. Never did I find one available for adult relaxation. This may have been because the pool water was always very cold.

Although this ship has a deck called the promenade, it does not really have a promenade deck where you can walk around the ship and enjoy the sea air. The ship is predominantly an indoor resort which floats and includes a few short decks outside filled with smokers. Most of the music in the evening was too loud to sit and enjoy. The lounges were small and did not need so much amplification.

For anyone who might be interested here is my daily journal of observations in chronological order, not in order of importance.

I had an easy flight into LAX where I was met by friendly Carnival staff who passed us from one to another as we picked up luggage, put it into the designated truck, and were put on a bus to transfer us to the pier. One lady said she felt like cattle at a round up; I felt secure that I was on the correct path to my adventure.

This efficiency ended when we got to the pier. The ship was very late arriving at the pier so that they were not ready for us yet. We were kept in a large holding room for our processing where there were four different long lines. The employees were friendly and the lines each moved fairly quickly. First there was document control to check paperwork and take tickets, then on to a group of chairs to wait for a bus to take us back to the correct terminal for the Elation. After the line to get on a bus we got in another line at the terminal to check our tickets again and go through the security check like the one at an airport. The last line was an extremely long one to actually get our ID cards and get onto the ship. Luckily the weather was very pleasant or it would have been a miserable experience. It took 2.5 hours from airport arrival to buffet line on the ship. I was allowed to leave my carry on luggage in my cabin.

The lunch was quite good with lots of choices from hamburgers with french fries to fresh pizza or a cafeteria style buffet of salads, hot dishes, and desserts. Overall it was of medium quality with great variety. The turkey roast was juicy and the french fries hot and fresh so I was happy. I immediately bought the $30 card for unlimited soft drinks during the week. I was never pressured to order drinks and the card was honored in a friendly manner at all bars all week. The only problem was that room temperature soda from a can was poured over ice so that all drinks ended up being quickly watered down.

The ship is not as garish as the Celebration on which I have previously cruised with my teen aged daughter, but still much too overdone for my taste. Any one of the decor elements in any spot might be beautiful, but too many at once were just gaudy. The atrium was most beautiful at night when only the lights and the copper coloring were featured.

My travel agent had told me that I would have twin beds with a roommate to be assigned or a single cabin by myself as I had paid over $900 for the fare. This was much higher than anyone else I talked with if the mention of the fare came up. My roommate had been sent an email with a picture of a twin bed cabin and told she would have a private room for her $1000. Instead the two of us are in the smallest inside cabin on the ship with two bunk beds and very little floor space. The bathroom is adequate and there is plenty of closet and drawer space. When we went down to the purser we were told that the travel agents are supposed to have checked the final fare before sailing day as Carnival will refund the difference between the fare we paid and the final fare charged if the agent checks before sailing. Since ours didn't there was nothing they could do at this time. I mentioned that it was too late for the travel agent to help us as we were now in the hands of the Carnival staff. I asked that we at least be given a decent sized cabin for the exorbitant amount we were paying compared to others who had made reservations even later. They said there was nothing they could do as the ship was full; a roll away bed would be put into the room. I later found out that rooms were available and my roommate, by being consistent in her daily requests, finally got a cabin to herself on the third day. This gave me a cabin to myself too. The cabin which had been so completely inadequate for two was just fine for one person. I still do not understand why my travel agent did not look out better for my interests and why Carnival treated us so shabbily in the first place. I had tried using a travel agent who specializes in vacations for single persons. I was hoping to avoid the usual single supplement and other overcharges commonly charged to single travelers. I had thought that the guaranteed share meant that I would pay the same and get the same treatment as two people traveling together. This was not the case. After I realized that Carnival had no intention of treating us fairly, I decided to ignore the problem and enjoy the cruise. I have found that you can always focus on the bad aspects if you want to; and I prefer not to do this.

After the time at the purser's desk I headed off to see the Maitre D to change my 8:45 PM late dinner seating. I was informed there was no space at 8:00 PM.

Before we left the dock it was time for the emergency lifeboat drill. I have been on several cruises so I thought I knew approximately what to expect. Wrong! The most complete lifeboat drill was on the Universe Explorer in Vancouver where roll was taken at each muster station and the crew went to find any missing person. After all were accounted for, the captain checked each group to make sure all life vests fit properly and were tightened properly. His attitude about the seriousness of this drill was clearly transmitted to us. After this we were told where to go and what to do in an emergency. We were shown two routes to our muster station, one using back stairs in case the emergency blocked the main stairway. I can understand that the Elation carries more passengers so that the captain could not personally check every passenger, but we had the complete opposite extreme. I was assigned to gather in the Mikado lounge as my muster station. We were supposed to keep our uncomfortable vests on the whole time. We waited nearly an hour in the lounge, most of the time spent waiting for stragglers who kept arriving. There were two young people in charge of the whole group who were very friendly about helping people get their vests on. After waiting for the hour we were escorted as a huge mob up the stairs to the place where the life boats would be. We stood there wedged together very tightly for awhile, then we were excused. There was no explanation of what we would actually do in an emergency situation or of how the lifeboats would get to us. I could not believe that this met the Coast Guard Requirement.

After the drill I read for awhile in the Mark Twain library, one of the most tastefully decorated rooms I have seen so far. The chairs looked good, but were not comfortable to curl up in with a good book. I later found that the most comfortable chairs were on the Promenade deck forward of the Atrium. Large black leather chairs facing the sea, perfect for relaxing and reading.

Dinner was delicious; a lot of variety of choices, good service and excellently prepared entrees. The spring lamb was perfectly cooked. There were ten at our table and all but two found their entree choice to be delicious. The mushroom soup was also very good as I had read in a review that it would be. Desserts were pretty, but not especially tasty. Black Forest cake is a favorite of mine. What they called Black Forest cake was layers of chocolate cake alternated with layers of whipped cream. There were a few cherries baked into the cake batter. A poor relative of the real thing.

The people at our table were a diverse and friendly group. I was looking forward to meals with them, but my table was changed the next morning to the 8:00 PM sitting that I had requested. My new table mates were a family of five at a table for six so I was given the extra seat. They also turned out to be extremely nice people with whom I enjoyed sharing many meals. They ate many of their meals elsewhere so I often ate at a table for one.

Breakfast in the dining room was not as good as breakfast at a good coffee shop. The eggs benedict came with cold, congealed sauce, the Danish were served cold, and the orange juice was made with too much water. Another day the omelet was overcooked until completely dry although the menu said fluffy. The oatmeal was good and Romeo was very nice about bring the brown sugar I prefer for it; but after a couple of days I ate breakfast on the Lido deck. The food was no better, but it was more enjoyable eaten out on deck. Lunches in the dining room were quite good. This was the only meal with enough vegetables as salads were often featured. At dinner each evening there was a vegetable garnish, but you could not have any more unless you took a whole second entree which I did a couple of times primarily to get more vegetables.

After breakfast I went back to the library and checked out a book. $25 was charged to my ship board account to be refunded if the book was returned by Saturday. The ship is quite rocky so I had to take sea sick preventative medication the whole time. I think this is the reason that I was sleepy a lot of the time. I do not have this problem when cruising on rivers or in the Caribbean. After lunch I went to the Mikado lounge to watch a dance lesson. The two young instructors were friendly and patient. The couples on the stage ranged from about twelve to over sixty and all appeared to be having a good time. by the end of the lesson most looked quite proficient at the cha cha and could even do some step variations. After the dance lesson I stayed for the ship's version of the TV show 'What's My Line'. The audience tried to guess the vocations of fellow travelers who turned out to be a comic book salesman, a TV producer, and a pain specialist. It was a pleasant way to spend the time. After the show I grabbed a slice of hot pizza on the Lido deck to carry me over until dinner and retired to the library to read as it is too cold to read out on deck. I have found in conversations that several people booked this cruise after doing the same trip last Easter. They enjoyed it enough to do the same thing again.

Since it is Captain's welcome night the menu features lobster, prime rib, and salmon. All on one night so that you must choose. Everyone at our table chose the lobster. It was a bit tough and dry, but tasted good. I was able to get the baked potato from the prime rib dinner. This plus a couple of sprigs of broccoli made a nice dinner. Between dinner and the main show I sampled the clubs along Elation Way on the Promenade deck. They were generally nice, but again the volume took precedence over the quality of the performance, even in the intimate setting of the Romeo and Juliet lounge. The main after dinner show was a Las Vegas type review. It had colorful costumes, energetic dancing, and well done special effects; however, the music was so loud that the voices were distorted coming through the sound system. Maybe that is to be expected in a show entitled 'Rhythm'. I had arrived early enough to get a good seat in the balcony and found the show a pleasant way to end the day.

Tuesday morning I spent reading. After lunch I perused the gift shops before going to tea with live classical music. The afternoon tea was very low key and enjoyable with a selection of teas and a waiter circulating with a tray of little cakes. A piano, violin duo played light classical pieces quite competently. This has been my favorite scheduled activity so far on the cruise. Today I am trying the patch behind the ear. It seems to make me less sleepy than the pills. The weather is overcast and too cool to sit out on the deck and read so I will rest in my cabin until dinner.

Dinner tonight was several choices of routine foods presented in an elegant fashion. It was OK, but nothing special. My roommate has found that the dining selections for a vegetarian are completely inadequate; a few slices of green pepper and some pilaf or something similar. The after dinner comedian was sometimes funny, but mostly bathroom humor of the type that appeals to nine year old boys. The fiddler was good, but over loud due to excessive amplification. I left after one number as I have had enough loud music to last a long time.

Today, Wednesday, I woke up with a very upset digestive system so I stayed in the cabin until it calmed down then had a breakfast of Rice Krispies and ginger ale. We are docked in Puerto Vallarta, but I have decided to stay on the ship and read. It was also nice to get on the treadmill in the well equipped gym with no wait. The lunch buffet in the dining room was nothing special; cold cuts, salads, rolls, and overdone roast beef. I did not check out the Lido deck to see if it was better since I planned to eat a very light lunch anyway. After lunch I finished my book from the library. I ate very little for dinner even though it looked good as I still do not feel well in the tummy. I am surprised to feel so ill when I have not eaten anything ashore yet. After dinner there was folk dancing and Mariarchi music in the Mikado lounge. After the show I went to cash a travelers cheque to be ready for Mazatlan tomorrow. The Atrium is much prettier at night with just the colored lighting as the main design element.

I set my alarm for 7:00 AM so that I would be ready for my horseback ride at 8:30. by 8:00 they had told us that fog would prohibit our timely entry into the channel for the dock at Mazatlan. They finally let us off the ship at about noon and there was Randi, with her sign, who had waited for us. We were transported to Stone Island where we were given instructions and helped onto our horses. I had never been on a horse and was quite apprehensive. It did not help when I was told that the name of my horse was Lightning. Luckily it was definitely the wrong name for him as he was extremely patient. I was terrified for the first fifteen minutes and would have gotten off if I had known how to, but by the end of the ride through palm trees and along a beautiful ocean beach I was able to keep up a respectable trot and had a wonderful time. Randi and her two assistants were very encouraging and helpful. After the ride we had refreshments at a beach restaurant and some of the group played in the waves which were great for body surfing. Some of us bought souvenirs and some had a delicious late lunch. I bought two beautifully carved wooden animals for $10 apiece. It was definitely the best part of the trip so far. Randi and her assistants got us back to the ship in plenty of time for our 5:30 PM sailing. The tour was $40 for all transportation from the gangplank of the ship and back, the ride, and a soda or beer at the restaurant after the ride.

After the ride I enjoyed the music of the Mozart trio until time for dinner. I had a decent, but not great, veal entree. The best part was the small serving of cubed zucchini under the veal.

On Friday we anchored outside Cabo San Lucas on a perfectly gorgeous day. I had a pleasant breakfast sitting on the deck outside of Tiffanies on Lido deck. Again I enjoyed the gym with almost no other people. I did my mile on the treadmill with no wait. After this I lounged on the promenade in a comfortable leather chair near the atrium until time to go up on top and enjoy the perfect view as we sailed off.

The lentil soup at lunch was good, but the pepper steak, Chinese style was just OK. Next I listened to the Mozart trio for an hour on Elation way at the Musical Cafe. The ship is definitely rocking more this evening. As I got ready for the Gala evening I noticed that the little cabin is just as right for one person as it was inferior for two. I am sure glad that my roommate was able to get her own cabin so that I also have some space in this one. I had grown quite tired of bruising my shins on the roll away each time I used the bathroom or answered the phone. Tonight was one of the better dinners. Prime rib and grilled jumbo prawns were among the choices. After dinner I want to the show in the Mikado lounge. The dancers were energetic, the costumes clever, but the overall presentation was even more disjointed and amateur feeling than the Monday show. The dragon ice carving at the Gala buffet was spectacular. I enjoyed looking at the beautifully presented food, but did not stay to sample any. I sat for awhile at the Drama bar and listened to James playing guitar and singing. It was very pleasant, not over amplified as most of the music has been. The ship left Cabo over an hour late and is going quite fast with lots of rocking and creaking. The ear patch seems to be working. I am not sick and I am sure I would have been without it. Two were missing from our dinner group feeling ill. The ship rocked fairly gently all night. This is once when I am glad I have a midship cabin on the very bottom passenger deck. The upper ones will be feeling a lot more of the motion.

Today is the last day on the ship. Lunch was a beautifully prepared salmon fillet with an adequate serving of julienne vegetables. This had been one of the best meals on the ship. After lunch I packed my larger case and went up to listen to music until dinner. The ship was pitching and rolling so badly that three of our table mates could not eat dinner. I felt it even with the patch so I spent the evening on deck until show time. A lot of people were getting sick in the restrooms and they were not getting cleaned. I called the infirmary to ask a question, but there was no answer to the telephone, it just kept ringing.

I went to the show in the Mikado lounge. Both the band and the featured musician were so loud that I could not stay for the comedian. I could hear the band clear past the atrium until I was outside on the deck. So many people were sick that I decided to go to bed where the rocking of the ship soon had me sound asleep. The disembarkation went smoothly although the lines were long.

Although I had a good time on the Elation; I would not take this cruise again unless I were sailing with my grandchildren. I prefer a ship where quality is the main emphasis not quantity. Music, food, and decoration all had quantity as their main feature. I really enjoy meat at dinner, but feel that fruits and vegetables need to be an integral part of the meal, not just a garnish. On several cruises vegetables and potatoes were passed in separate bowls by the assistant waiters so that each passenger could take as much or as little as preferred. This would be a nice addition on the Elation. Also on most other cruises I have taken I have truly enjoyed just sitting and listening to the dance bands in the lounges. Almost everything on this ship was just too loud to be enjoyed just for listening and relaxation. I think it is a good vacation for families and young singles, just not for me, especially not at the price I paid.