CARNIVAL ELATION
July 24, 2009 | San Diego, California
Carnival Elation (Carnival Cruise Line) was photographed in San Diego, California, on July 24, 2009, during the ship's period of West Coast service. We had previously traveled aboard Carnival Elation on a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise in April 2002, giving the Fantasy-class ship a personal connection to our collection.
Carnival Elation was photographed in San Diego, California, on July 24, 2009, during a period when the Carnival Cruise Line ship was operating from Southern California. The Fantasy-class ship had become a familiar presence in San Diego while sailing cruises along the Pacific coast of Mexico.
Carnival Elation also has a personal connection to our collection. In April 2002, we traveled aboard the ship on a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise from Los Angeles, visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas. The photographs in this gallery were taken seven years later during a separate San Diego visit and do not document our personal cruise.
Built by Kværner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland, Carnival Elation entered service for Carnival Cruise Line in 1998. She was the seventh of eight Fantasy-class ships, a highly successful series that became an important part of Carnival's fleet during the 1990s and early 2000s. Although modest in size compared with today's largest cruise ships, the Fantasy class was designed around the entertainment, dining, recreation, and short-cruise experience closely associated with Carnival.
Information List
Name: Carnival Elation
Operator: Carnival Cruise Line
Ship Type: Cruise ship
Class: Fantasy Class
Builder: Kværner Masa-Yards, Helsinki, Finland
Entered Service: 1998
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 71,900 GT
Length: Approximately 855 feet / 260.6 meters
Beam: Approximately 103 feet / 31.5 meters
Guest Capacity: Approximately 2,190 at double occupancy
Crew: Approximately 900
IMO Number: 9118721
Location Shown: San Diego, California
Date Shown: July 24, 2009
Personal Voyage: Seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise in April 2002
Personal Cruise Ports: Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas
Photograph Context: This gallery documents a separate San Diego visit seven years after our cruise
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service:
Carnival Elation was built by Kværner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland, for Carnival Cruise Line.
She entered service in 1998 as the seventh member of Carnival's eight-ship Fantasy class.
The Fantasy class began with Fantasy in 1990 and expanded rapidly during the decade.
Carnival Elation followed Carnival Inspiration and was followed by the final Fantasy-class ship, Carnival Paradise.
The class became one of the most recognizable groups of ships in Carnival's fleet.
Fantasy-Class Design:
The Fantasy class was developed as a larger evolution of Carnival's earlier purpose-built cruise ships.
Ships in the class were designed around extensive interior entertainment spaces, open decks, swimming pools, dining rooms, lounges, and nightlife.
Carnival Elation measures approximately 855 feet in length and more than 100 feet across the beam.
Her original design emphasized the onboard resort experience that became increasingly central to Carnival's identity.
The class remained an important part of Carnival's short-cruise operations for decades.
A Distinctive Carnival Interior:
Like other Carnival ships of her generation, Carnival Elation was designed with highly themed public spaces.
The interiors reflected the theatrical approach associated with Carnival's ships during the 1990s.
Large atrium spaces, lounges, bars, entertainment venues, and dining rooms were given distinct visual identities.
These interiors helped distinguish the Carnival experience from the more restrained design approaches used by some competing cruise lines.
Passenger Facilities:
Carnival Elation includes multiple dining venues, lounges, entertainment areas, pools, open decks, and recreational facilities.
The ship's central atrium serves as one of the primary interior gathering spaces.
A main theater provides space for production shows and other entertainment.
Outdoor areas include swimming pools, sun decks, and recreation spaces.
Later updates introduced newer Carnival concepts while retaining much of the ship's original Fantasy-class layout.
Our 2002 Carnival Elation Cruise:
We traveled aboard Carnival Elation in April 2002 on a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise.
The voyage sailed roundtrip from Los Angeles.
Our ports included Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas.
The cruise took place during Carnival Elation's original period of regular West Coast service.
Our separate April 2002 collection documents this personal voyage and establishes Carnival Elation as part of the Ships Traveled On collection.
The July 24, 2009 photographs on this page were taken during a later San Diego visit and are not photographs from our 2002 cruise.
San Diego – July 24, 2009:
Carnival Elation was photographed in San Diego on July 24, 2009.
At the time, the ship was again serving the Southern California cruise market.
San Diego's cruise terminal is located along the city's downtown waterfront on San Diego Bay.
Ships departing the port travel through San Diego Bay before reaching the Pacific Ocean.
This gallery documents Carnival Elation approximately eleven years after she entered service and seven years after our own cruise aboard her.
Carnival in Southern California:
Carnival Cruise Line has maintained a long presence in the Southern California cruise market.
Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego have all played roles in Carnival's West Coast operations.
Mexican Riviera and Baja California itineraries have been particularly important to the region.
Carnival Elation served Southern California during more than one period of her career.
Our 2002 cruise and this 2009 San Diego gallery document two separate chapters of that West Coast history.
Later Career:
Carnival Elation has outlasted most of her Fantasy-class sisters.
As Carnival introduced newer and larger ships, many older Fantasy-class vessels were gradually withdrawn from service.
Several members of the class left the fleet during the major industry disruption of 2020.
Carnival Elation remained in Carnival service and continued operating cruises from the United States.
Her longevity makes her an increasingly important surviving representative of Carnival's 1990s shipbuilding program.
The Fantasy-Class Legacy:
Eight Fantasy-class ships entered Carnival service between 1990 and 1998.
The class helped Carnival expand substantially during a period of rapid growth in the North American cruise industry.
Their design established a successful platform for short and medium-length cruises.
Although later Carnival ships became much larger, many elements of the company's modern onboard experience developed during the Fantasy-class era.
Carnival Elation represents the later development of this influential generation of Carnival ships.
Legacy:
Carnival Elation represents an important period in Carnival Cruise Line's development and the expansion of purpose-built cruise ships during the 1990s.
Her long career has taken her through multiple cruising regions and several generations of Carnival fleet development.
For Ocean Liner Photography, the ship has an additional personal connection through our seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise in April 2002.
The July 24, 2009 San Diego photographs preserve a separate moment seven years later, documenting Carnival Elation during another period of her West Coast service.
OLP Social: A familiar ship from our seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise in April 2002, the Fantasy-class vessel was still serving the West Coast seven years later, during a period when smaller Carnival ships regularly operated from Southern California.
