Ahoy, matey! This was our first cruise of any kind, but it certainly won't be our last! Elation is a stunning ship, and the crew were all outstanding. If Long John Silver had taken this cruise, he'd of given up his evil pirate ways in favor of commanding a carnival on the high seas. Carnival Cruise Lines, that is...There are a great variety of fun activities on board, from laying out by the pool sipping a "drink of the day" (my personal favorite) to dancing the night away into the early hours of the morning (my wife's personal favorite) in the Jekyll & Hyde Club or the Romeo & Juliet Club. The Karaoke club is a blast, even if you can't sing. That's OK though, a few more "drinks of the day" and you won't care. Word of warning here, though, drinks are about $5 a shot, so either set yourself a limit or prepare for a $500+ bar tab at the end of a 7 nighter.
There are two fantastic formal dining rooms. Were were assigned to the Imagination. Our server, a beautiful, friendly Romanian girl, took excellent care of us and even remembered our names and what we liked to drink. And this brings us to the food. If you care about your figure, I suggest a diet the month before you go, because there is great food (including lots of desserts)everywhere you go, and as much of it as your over-extended bloated American belly can hold!
Carnival has it down to a science. Man, if you can't relax and have fun on this ship you can't have fun anywhere! It seemed like everyone we talked to had cruised Carnival before and loved it. There's a great casino as well, although I'm not much of a gambler. I got sucked into the "3 card poker" hole for $100 and learned my lesson. Took me 3 or 4 "drinks of the day" to get over that one. But you know what, that was still fun, even though I lost. Actually the casino is way more user friendly than Vegas, so if you are a rookie blackjack player, its a good place to learn. Just understand up front that you are going to lose your money, honey.