Live · sailing at 8 kn · USJAX>BSGBI
Carnival Cruise Line · CCL FANTASY
Carnival Elation
Guests
2,188 – 2,626
Crew
900
Cabins
1,094
Length
260 m
Space ratio
27
Homeport pattern
Jacksonville
Where she is right now
En route · USJAX>BSGBI· 8/31/2026, 9:59:52 PM· Course 124°
Position
30.33°N, 81.23°W
Heading
124° · COG 129°
Speed
8 kn
Destination
USJAX>BSGBI
Our take · opinion
Fun Ship value, Fantasy bones
We experience Carnival Elation as an older Fantasy-class Fun Ship that still delivers Carnival staples without megaship complexity. She’s for value-minded families and first-timers sailing short warm-water trips from Jacksonville.
Elation is classic Carnival energy in a walkable midsize hull. Serenity is the adults-only escape we protect for parents, while kids programs and the pool deck keep the Fun Ship promise without a full WaterWorks aqua park. Evenings lean participatory around Duke’s Piano Bar, Jekyll and Hyde, and production shows rather than Broadway-scale spectacles that need a megaship stage.
We experience her as value Fun Ship hardware that still knows how to party without Excel-class complexity or a specialty-dining maze on every deck. Oceanviews and insides still dominate the inventory, and balconies exist but are not the Fantasy-class default the way they are on Vista or Excel ships. Grand Vista Suites and junior suites are the splurge when a family needs real living space, a better bathroom, and room to spread out after a long day ashore.
We’d pressure-test deck placement with you, because under-Lido and elevator-adjacent rooms are the usual noise traps on this generation of Carnival hardware. Dining stays mostly included across twin main dining rooms, Tiffany’s Lido buffet, Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, sushi, and pizza. Ask us about the sailings on this page if you want Fun Ship energy from Jacksonville without paying for Excel-class newness premiums.
She's for
- Value-minded families on short warm-water cruises
- First-timers who want classic Fun Ship energy
- Drive-to guests sailing from Jacksonville
- Shoppers who prefer included dining over specialty upsells
She's not for
- Guests who need abundant modern balconies
- Waterpark hunters expecting WaterWorks-scale thrills
- Cabin-luxury shoppers chasing Excel or Vista-class newness
Honest caveat
She’s a 1998 Fantasy-class ship—balconies are limited versus modern Carnival, and bathrooms feel of their era. If cabin age or balcony inventory is a dealbreaker, ask us before you book.
The record · ship backgroundCarnival Elation, on paper
Show ship backgroundHide ship background
The record · ship background
Carnival Elation, on paper
Show ship backgroundHide ship backgroundCarnival Elation is the seventh Fantasy-class Fun Ship, built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki and floated in January 1998. Godmother Shari Arison christened the ship after March delivery. Her maiden voyage was a Panama Canal repositioning from Miami to Los Angeles before Mexican Riviera seasons from the West Coast, and she was the first cruise ship fitted with Azipod propulsion.
Partial Evolutions of Fun and Fun Ship 2.0 programs added Serenity, youth spaces, and later Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana, JavaBlue, and Alchemy Bar upgrades. Drydocks in 2017 through 2020 added staterooms and balconies while later yard periods in 2023 and 2026 focused on maintenance and hotel refreshes rather than a full redesign of the public rooms.
Homeport history includes Galveston, San Diego, Mobile, New Orleans, Port Canaveral, and year-round Jacksonville service. Confirm this sailing’s embarkation and itinerary on the table below. Short Bahamas and Caribbean patterns are the usual shopper match for this ship.
Build record
- Keel to delivery
- 1997 – 1998
- Inaugural
- Apr 1998, Los Angeles
- Fuel
- Marine diesel
- Sisters
- Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Fascination, Carnival Imagination
Commerce
Upcoming sailings
6 itineraries · 123 sail dates on Carnival Elation. Fares are live and change daily.
| Sailing | Date | Depart | Nights | $/n | Inside | Balcony | Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Day BahamasJacksonville, Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Nassau, The Bahamas | Jacksonville, Fl · 44 dates | Sep 10, 2026 | Jacksonville | 4 | $119 | $477 | — | $1,576 |
| 5-Day BahamasJacksonville, Fl | Princess Cays, The Bahamas | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Jacksonville, Fl · 7 dates | Sep 14, 2026 | Jacksonville | 5 | $93 | $463 | — | $903 |
| 5-Day BahamasJacksonville, Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Jacksonville, Fl · 36 dates | Sep 19, 2026 | Jacksonville | 5 | $93 | $467 | — | $1,274 |
| 5-Day BahamasJacksonville, Fl | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Jacksonville, Fl · 32 dates | Sep 28, 2026 | Jacksonville | 5 | $89 | $443 | $980 | $962 |
| 6-Day BahamasJacksonville, Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Nassau, The Bahamas | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Jacksonville, Fl · 3 dates | Nov 23, 2026 | Jacksonville | 6 | $126 | $754 | $1,420 | $1,574 |
| 5-Day BahamasJacksonville, Fl | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Ship Meetup | Jacksonville, Fl | Mar 6, 2027 | Jacksonville | 5 | $159 | $796 | $1,247 | $1,446 |
Keep looking
Related links
Sister ship
Carnival Ecstasy
CCL FANTASY
Sister ship
Carnival Fantasy
CCL FANTASY
Homeport
Jacksonville
Sailings from this ship's usual hub
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