Carnival Elation
Fantasy Class · Carnival Cruise Line
// ABOUT THE SHIP
About the Ship
Carnival Elation is a Fantasy-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line, originally launched in 1998 (28 years ago). She is one of 31 active ships in the Carnival fleet and sails alongside her sister ship, the Carnival Paradise. The ship underwent her most recent renovation in 2023, which included updates to onboard features and spaces.
Deck Plans – 10 Decks to explore
Carnival Elation spans 10 passenger-accessible decks with 1,093 staterooms and 52 onboard venues — including 26 activities, 8 bars & lounges, 11 dining, and 7 shopping. Explore every level from bow to stern using the interactive deck plans below.
PASSENGER DECKS
10
guest-accessible decks
STATEROOMS
1,093
cabins across all categories
VENUES ONBOARD
52venues
BY TYPE
Carnival Elation Cruises
Carnival Elation offers 5 sailings in June, ranging 4-5 nights, departing from Jacksonville, Florida, starting from $504 / guest.
Cabins – 1,093 staterooms
Carnival Elation has a total of 1,093 cabins throughout its 10 passenger decks. Those are made up of 434 Interior, 471 Ocean View, 109 Balcony and 79 Suite cabins. The 26 stateroom categories that make up these 4 cabin types are found below, along with counts for each.
// SHIP CLASS
Fantasyclass
YEARS
1998–1998
AVG SIZE
72k GT
AVG LENGTH
855 ft
AVG CAPACITY
2,606
The Fantasy Class is one of Carnival’s more mature family of vessels. The original Fantasy ship was introduced in 1990 and has had seven siblings added down the line.
Things to do
Carnival Elation features 48 venues across 10 decks, including 22 activity, 8 bar, 11 dining, 2 other and 5 shopping. Explore every onboard experience from dining and entertainment to pools, fitness and more.
// AGE & RENOVATIONS
Carnival Elation ship age vs the fleet
Built in 1998 and last renovated in 2023, Carnival Elation is 28 years old. The fleet average age is 16.8 years. She is newer than 3% of the 31-ship fleet, ranking #29 from newest to oldest.
THIS SHIP
Age at a glance
BUILT
1998
28 years old today
LAST RENOVATED
2023
3 yrs ago
FLEET AVERAGE
16.8 yrs
11.2 older
NEWER THAN
3%
of fleet
FLEET RANK
#29
of 31
FLEET RANKING
By age, newest to oldest
Out of 31 ships in the fleet, Carnival Elation ranks #29 when sorted from newest to oldest by build year.
AGE BENCHMARKS
Carnival Elation vs the fleet
SHIP RENOVATIONS
Last major refit
LAST RENOVATED
2023
3 years ago
One of the oldest ships in the fleet, the Carnival Elation underwent a major refurbishment in early 2023. It received the new hull livery, an expanded Alumni Bar, and a completely new JavaBlue Café. Most recently, in January 2025, it received routine technical maintenance and a refresh of the Camp Ocean youth spaces. The next scheduled ship refurbishment will occur in February 2026. As one of the oldest ships, the Elation will receive a technical life-extension. This includes a refresh of the Cloud 9 Spa and potentially an expansion of the JavaBlue Café seating area.
How big is Carnival Elation?
Compare the Carnival Elation ship size with the rest of the Carnival fleet below. Included, you'll find gross tonnage, length, and the relationship between the two graphed in the scatter plot.
Carnival Elation measures 71,909 GT and 855 ft in length. The average size of a Carnival ship is 121k gross tons and the average ship length is 992 ft. Carnival Elation is 41% smaller and 14% shorter than the average ship in the fleet.
// THIS SHIP
72k GT
CARNIVAL ELATION
// AVERAGE
121k GT
FLEET AVERAGE
// LARGEST
184k GT
CARNIVAL CELEBRATION
// SMALLEST
72k GT
CARNIVAL ELATION
// PROPORTIONAL AREA · 31 SHIPS · TOTAL 3755K GT
EACH CIRCLE'S AREA IS PROPORTIONAL TO GROSS TONNAGE · HOVER FOR DETAILS
// CAPACITY
Passenger Capacity
The Carnival Elation carries up to 2,606 guests and operates at roughly 100% capacity, so you can expect that number will accurately reflect your fellow passenger count. These guests are looked after by a crew of 920 staff members, representing a guest-to-crew ratio of 2.8:1. On average, Carnival ships have 4,085 guests and 1,226 crew, which works out to a fleet-average ratio of 3.3:1.
// GUESTS
2,606
at full occupancy
// CREW
920
international staff
// RATIO// GUEST-TO-CREW
2.8:1
service ratio
// 3,526 PEOPLE ABOARD AT FULL CAPACITY
// CRUISE DIRECTOR
Your Cruise Director
Your Carnival Elation cruise director is the heartbeat of the ship... the person responsible for onboard entertainment, activities, and guest engagement from embarkation to farewell. Think emcee, social director, and morale officer rolled into one. Here's who's current cruise director for the Carnival Elation and the available schedule for past and future sailings.
CURRENT · ONBOARD NOW
John Loney
Cruise Director
John Loney is a Carnival Cruise Line cruise director with extensive experience across multiple ships. He is known for steady leadership, clear communication, and traditional cruise director hosting.
VIEW FULL PROFILE// CAME ONBOARD
Apr 23, 2026
2 months ago
// ASSIGNED THROUGH
Sep 10, 2026
per current contract
// CRUISE DIRECTOR SCHEDULE
// 10 · FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About the Carnival Elation
FAQs for the Carnival Elation. Here are the most popular questions asked by our community members regarding this Carnival ship.
// TOTAL QUESTIONS
10
Tap a question to expand its answer. Answers update automatically based on live cruise data.
Still have questions?
Our community has the answers. Ask fellow cruisers about this ship.
Ask the communityResearched and assembled by Gangwaze Cruise Editorial using daily-refreshed ship and fleet data.
LAST UPDATED · JUNE 4, 2026