This was our first time traveling on a cruise-liner and can honestly say we had a wonderful time on the Elation.

Cabins: The rooms were small but then we did hear they were considered larger than other ships so we figured we were okay with their size. The only thing about our cabin was we had three adults staying in our room with two adult twin beds and one small "cot" that had you practically sleeping on the floor. We requested that bed to be switched out for another bed that sat higher and it was immediately brought to our room within a couple of hours. It wasn't like the other twin beds but was much better. Our steward was great - - very friendly and offered assistance with a smile on his face each time. We enjoyed our towel pets each evening. Last but not least about the cabins - they were really clean.

The Photo Gallery: Probably could have used a more organized system of laying out the photos for viewing/purchasing even though we seemed to find ours fairly quickly. The pics were very clear in quality.

Dining: The Lido Deck restaurant, Tiffany's, was okay. Probably could have had a larger selection of entrees. The salad bar was good. Didn't try the ice cream or desserts. The 24-hr pizzeria was okay too. Marguerita was the better out of all of the selections. The Caesar salads were very good. The pizza servers were very nice and accommodating.

The pool-side grill was good. The burgers and fries were good. Didn't try the desserts but they looked okay. The grill servers were very courteous and always smiled. All of the drink waiters were very friendly and accommodating. VERY PROMPT Service! Ramile (pool-side waiter) was very friendly and called us by our first names. We laughed at that because he seemed to remember all of us and there were so many in our group!

Imagination Dining Room / Inspiration Dining Room: Ivan, our Assistant Maitre'D, was very friendly and funny. He came by our table each night to sing his personal rendition of James Brown's "I Feel Good". We really enjoyed his company even if it was for a short time each night. He welcomed us in each evening and said good night to us as we left. Our waiter, Robert S. of South Africa, in the Imagination Room was very professional. He started out a bit quiet but as time went on he was cutting up with us all. Robert put smiles on our faces each and every evening and had the best sense of humor. He found time during his busy evenings to joke with us all at our early 6:15p dining table 108 and still provided the best professional service each and every time. We will truly miss him and hope to see him again on future cruises.

The Mikado Lounge shows: We're really not that big into the Vegas style shows. These were okay. Comedy night was fun. Didn't participate in Bingo.

Cole Porter Lounge: We had a great time listening and watching the band, The Dirt Poets. They were pretty cool and played a lot of our favorites. The drummer, Don Smith, was awesome. The whole band had a great sense of humor as well. It was fun each and every night and they managed to put up with our song requests even if they didn't play some of them. The wait staff needed a bit improvement. They probably need to be a bit more attentive in providing service, but they were friendly and prompt when we requested them.

The Piano Bar was fun, too. The piano guy, Joel, was fun. We didn't hear him play too long but the short time we did he was good. Too bad there was a young drunk girl in there who kept interrupting his performance; however, she was eventually escorted out by Security. What a relief for her sake and ours. Tea-time and dessert was good there, too. It was a quaint atmosphere and service was very professional.

The cruise director, Larry, was such a good speaker. He was very motivating and provided the most important information. He was a lot of fun. The assistant cruise director, Amy, seemed fun. A bit loud, but seemed to have fun with the younger aged groups.

The duty-free shops were okay. Prices were pretty reasonable - especially the liquor.

The Ports: We had a good time in Progreso, Mexico. The beach was beautiful. Our tour guide was good and very funny. We toured some of the Mayan ruins and spent the rest of the time at the beach. Cozumel: Playa de Sol. The buffet wasn't too great. It seemed they served more American food than Mexican food. We should have ordered from the menu. The guacamole and totopos tortilla chips were awesome and worth ordering. The shopping was okay but really expensive. I bought a dress for my little girl for $8 in Progreso and Cozumel vendors wanted $28+ for the same dress and would not negotiate. The water was beautiful. It was Spring Break so we did expect the party crowd. It was fun even though it poured down for a while. Belize: We made the mistake of getting a late start. We did take a while trying to figure out what we were going to do after learning Belize had no local beaches. The beaches were quite a drive and cost a lot to go to. We ended up taking a 30-minute drive to a river (sorry, forgot the name) and had a great time. It was a very beautiful river. The water was shallow enough to swim and the kids had a chance to swing from a rope swing into the water. It was well worth it. Our guides were very nice and had a good sense of humor. They shared with us their knowledge about their culture and gave us a few good tips along the way. We had to be back early to catch the last tender back to the ship. When we arrive at the pier, we decided to eat at the restaurant, . It was okay. The Jerk Chicken sandwich was very good. The margaritas weren't good at all. Overall, we wish we had more time to see Belize. We probably would have had a better time.

We had a wonderful time on the Elation and would highly recommend it to others. We do hope to go on another cruise again one day and will definitely consider The Elation as a future choice. Thanks to all of the crew for such wonderful service and good times!

G & C