There is a free trip from Carnival Cruise Line to be given to the founder of the company. The opinions were hers and didn't need to be reviewed by the line.
The just-unveiled Carnival Celebration is the second ship in the line's excel class. It's clear that Celebration isn't your mother's, or grandmother's, Carnival cruise ship, taking the company into its next half-century with a more modern, updated version of Carnival's "Funship" style. Cassidy Gifford, daughter of Carnival's original spokeswoman Kathie Lee Gifford, was chosen to be the ship's godmother, closing the book on the old era and welcoming in the new.
Most of Carnival Celebration's modern updates were made available on the sister vessel. There are two ships in the fleet that are powered by natural gas. It is the biggest ship Carnival has ever sailed with over 5,000 passengers.
The line's flagship, the soaring atrium, has been replaced by the three-deck-high Celebration Central. Guy Fieri is not the only celebrity chef in town, he's joined by others. Carnival's thrilling water parks have to make room for a roller coaster and the RedFrog Pub has been replaced by an indoor hangout.
The first Carnival vessel to be named Celebration was the ship. The first ship to sail for the line was called Celebration. After leaving the fleet in 2008, it ended up with the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, which was scrapped in 2021. The name of the event has been changed to offer more fun.
The first sailing from Miami's home port to the Caribbean was for Carnival Celebration. What's new, what we loved and what could use some tweaking are outlined here.
Sign up for the cruise newsletter to get more cruise guides, reviews and tips.
Three of the themed zones are not the same as the ones on Gras. Some zones are more self contained than others. The areas are labeled.
The JavaBlue Cafe is one of the attractions at Celebration Central. The Tropicale Bar on deck 6 is named after the first ship in Carnival's fleet to have the brand's well-known whale-tail. The Golden Jubilee Bar is decorated with pieces from past Carnival ships and is named after the line's 50th anniversary.
You can sign up for our newsletter.
Carnival is going to retire its oldest ship.
The address where Carnival Cruise Line was founded 50 years ago is where the 820 Biscayne zone is located. There is a new area on the deck 8 midship that features a variety of food and drinks. Cuban-inspired coffee drinks and cocktails can be found in the area.
The new travel-inspired neighborhood The Gateway on decks 6 and 7 midship has "windows" that display scenes from countries around the world. This area is anchored by the train station inspired Latitudes Bar and the pharmacy themed Alchemy Bar. There are three evening specials based on the day's international theme.
There are five best destinations you can visit on a Carnival ship.
The Carnivale Restaurant and Festivale Restaurant pay homage to the second and third ships to sail for the brand, as well as the Limelight Lounge nightclub, a demo kitchen for cooking classes, and the Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse.
Summer Landing is back on carnival celebration. The living room and backyard are located here. You'll find soft serve machines in a military truck, a game room for foosball and table shuffleboard, and a stage for live music at the Heroes Tribute Bar. There is a small pool, two hot tub, and Watering Hole outside.
chasers will flock to the ultimate playground The Bolt roller coaster is the second in the fleet and it zooms over the mini-golf course and around the water park. A packed basketball course and an elevated ropes course keep the fun going. There is a jogging track around the playground.
Lido is your go to spot for all other outdoor activities. The midship pool has a giant screen for Dive-In Movies, as well as a bar and restaurants on two decks. There is a pool and a big chicken near the Lido Marketplace buffet. The adults-only Serenity Deck has a pool, hot tub, and a salad bar. The sun deck is exclusive to suite guests.
I've seen ships from other lines where the top-deck attractions take up so much space that the pools and lounging space are not taken seriously. There is a lot of real estate for the sun worshippers in the deck 18 playground. The Bolt roller coaster is a good ride, but it could be a bit longer if it were not for the low price. You might feel like you'll fall on the ropes course, but it's completely manageable and you don't have to worry about falling. Try the zip line and walk over the edge of the ship.
There are 8 different types of Carnival ships.
There are three different slides at the water park and the mini-golf course is fun and difficult. Carnival lost the ridiculous outdoor exercise equipment from its Vista-class ships and kept only the games cruisers actually play.
Carnival has a variety of casual, included dining venues on its ships. The carnival celebration continues. There are variations on the fried chicken-and-biscuit theme from breakfast through the late afternoon at the Big Chicken venue, which is new with the excel class. The tender meat is very good. Carnival's pizza is one of the best in the business, and BlueIguana has a variety of different taco and burrito flavors.
I've been on older Carnival ships where all the casual venues are on the lido deck and the area gets very busy at lunchtime. There are too many people in the same space and lines are difficult to navigate.
The casual venues are spread out across multiple decks by the excel class ships. Guy's Burger Joint is on deck 17 instead of by the midship pool, while Big Chicken is on deck 16. There are two soft-serve machines that are used a lot.
There is a guide to Carnival cruising.
The deli, pizza, and Guy's barbecue are all located on Deck 8. You can't get a salad at the pizza place because they're not big on vegetables. You have to travel seven decks to get greens with your pizza or turkey sandwich.
You might be surprised to know that Carnival has some of the best sit-down dining among the big-ship lines. I have always found the main dining room to be a great place to eat breakfast and have fun with friends.
We had a good time at a few of the specialty restaurants. The Seagrill delivered a large cioppino and a soft sole. My husband and I both enjoyed hot-from-the-oven beignets. We tried both Mexican and Asian dishes at Chibang! The Mexican menu stole the show, even though both were delicious. My kids ate pasta at the restaurant and I heard people rave about the food.
Family cabins, Havana cabins with patio swings, and all kinds of suites are available on Carnival's excel-class ships. When I stayed in a balcony cabin with my family of four, I was impressed with how well designed the room was to fit four people in a small space.
Carnival did a great job with cabin storage. There were tall and short hanging spaces, shelves and three pullout drawers in the four section closet. There are two drawers and a shallow drawer in the desk area. All our stuff found a home even though I had to ask for more hangers.
There's a lot to know about cabins and suites.
The bathroom was clean and comfortable. The shower is large enough for two people to stand next to each other, but not for a small bathroom. I didn't try to pick a bottle off the floor. It has a shave bar in one corner and a shower head that can be adjusted.
One of my favorite places on the ship is the travel themed The Gateway. The seatbacks of the bar were decorated with faux passport stamps. We tried a couple of bar-specific cocktails that were inspired by countries around the world. The Sakura comes with a surprise presentation and is a great drink.
The Golden Jubilee Bar is decorated with pieces from previous Carnival ships, and I liked it. It serves drinks in its own space rather than across a street. It's a great place to have a drink before a meal.
The living room on the Carnival Celebration is where my family would often stay. My kids loved the foosball and table, and my daughter loved the pool with its shallows. The machine was easy to use and both liked it. We went to Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse for breakfast and barbecue dinner and watched other people watch sports at the heroes tribute bar. The setting is great for kicking back with a drink and listening to live music, but I didn't get to hear the band that played here after-hours.
The RedFrog Pub is no longer on the ship. The expanded size and proximity to a pool, hot tub and outdoor seating make this a great place to stay.
Unlike their fleetmates, Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras don't have a multi-deck-high central atrium and instead have a three-deck-high ocean-facing one on the starboard side. The area was redecorated and now looks like confetti. The central area of the ship has been moved to a more out-of-the-way spot.
Guests can enjoy coffee and a snack at the JavaBlue Cafe across from the lower level of Celebration Central. The high-tech animated backdrop for musical production shows featuring multiple aerialists and performers who dance in and out of passengers sitting closest to the stage is at night.
Carnival has a loyalty program.
The daily flow of the ship now includes the atrium area, rather than the other way around. The action extends beyond the stage and into the air. The performance space has high tech capabilities.
The area lacks seating with sightlines of both the stagebound singers and the aerialists. The family arrived at the show 40 minutes early because they found seats with bad views. There was only one seat in the stadium style section of the banquettes at the show I attended. In this area, which is meant for show watching, I was not able to see all of the action because of the noise from passengers walking around and coming in and out of Bonsai Sushi.
The hotel director assures me his team will find ways to schedule shows so fewer people show up, but I'm not sure that putting a theater in a public space is the best idea for a show.
Carnival has tried to make it easier for people with disabilities to eat on this ship. In addition to the main dining room, passengers who have selected the Anytime Dining plan can enjoy dinner at one of the other restaurants.
You can request a table at any one of the three venues.
The problem is that guests on the early or late dining plan can't get in. We were assigned early dining, so the night we wanted to try Chibang! we requested a table exactly at 7:45 p.m, but there was a 50 to 60 minute wait, which led to a very late dinner for our kids.
There were many other restaurants with a wait. When my husband and son came for dinner, the hostess wasn't sure if she could get them a table before 10 p.m.
Many of these issues are startup issues. It takes six months for a new ship to be up and running. If you're on an early sailing, I advise you to request tables half an hour to an hour before you want to eat. The flexible dining option will allow you to try out different restaurants earlier in the evening.
Carnival Celebration takes the Carnival Fun Ship concept to the next level with a bigger ship and an updated layout that still holds true to the line's core values of dining variety, plentiful bars and a focus on fun. Loyalists will find many of their favorite places and spaces and come to develop new beloved hangouts, while first-timers will be impressed by the nonstop options, livable cabins and always-friendly and helpful crew members.
Are you planning to go on a cruise ship? These are the stories to start with.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
