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The first, known simply as Celebration, set sail for the line in 1987. It left the fleet in 2008 before ending up with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line as Grand Celebration, which was scrapped during the industry's pandemic pause in 2021. Now, Carnival Celebration resurrects the name to offer more fun to more people. Carnival ships feature accessible elevators, and accessible routes in most parts of the ship for guests with disabilities, among other accommodations, according to its website.
Havana Staterooms & Suites
Carnival, like the rest of the industry, has struggled with crewing issues since the end of the global pandemic. Qualified staff are in short supply, and it’s no secret that some of the crew on all ships throughout the industry are very green indeed. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of Carnival Celebration relates to the onboard service from its 1,735 international crewmembers. Room service, as on all Carnival ships, incurs a small additional charge. However, we found ourselves missing the generous size of Carnival’s bathrooms of the past.
Carnival Celebration Tips & Things to Know
In the case of Celebration, that first impression is made as you board right into an area known as Celebration Central. This spot takes over instead of having a typical atrium like you see. It offers a three-deck performance area (complete with stage and video backdrop) where performances are held throughout the entire cruise that’s also combined with a path through the rest of the ship. The staffing shortages also hit bars and lounges. This is a good ship to be sober on, because you’ll rarely – if ever – be asked if you want a drink, and even then, only on the pool deck. There are no servers roaming around the ship’s other bars and lounges soliciting drinks like “the old days”.
Carnival Celebration Stats
The new shows (named "Celestial Strings", "Soulbound", "Vintage Pop") use the full capacity of the interactive LED screens. A 4th show ("Amor Cubano - A Caribbean Dance Romance") is also available on the Horizon ship. The Gateway's Deck 6 is home to Latitudes Bar, Emeril’s Bistro 1397 (by chef Emeril Lagasse), The Golden Jubilee (travel-themed bar lounge), Carnivale Restaurant, Carnival Kitchen, Conference Room. The Gateway has a large digital map showing the current location of all CCL ships in real-time. The boat has 18 decks, of which 15 are passenger-accessible and 11 with cabins. The XL-Class is similar as design and facilities to HELIOS-Class ships produced for Carnival Corporation's brands Costa and AIDA (all by Meyer Werft in Papenburg Germany).
We recently had the opportunity to sail aboard Carnival Celebration. Below, we provide a full guide to sailing on the ship, including a tour, tips, things to know, and our full thoughts. In short, apart from Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration is like nothing else in the fleet. From the restaurants available to all-new entertainment, venues, activities, and more… it has the most of everything in the lineup. Thankfully, that demeanor changes once you hit Carnival’s for-fee dining options; our meals in Bonsai Sushi and Bonsai Teppanyaki were above reproach in terms of service.
On Deck 6, the Golden Jubilee features artwork, memorabilia, and original pieces from Carnival’s earlier vessels perfectly incorporated throughout the space, bringing Carnival’s 50 years of fun full circle. We loved the reproduction of blueprints depicting the evolution of Carnival’s Fun Ships, including some hand-drawn designs by world-renowned architect Joe Farcus in the ceiling. Festivale Restaurant (MDR/main dining room) is aft-positioned on both decks (6-7). The sisterships Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee have CCL fleet's largest Atriums and open-deck areas. Cabin balconies are accessed via sliding floor-ceiling glass doors.
What sets Celebration apart is its distinctive ceiling design, featuring 1,400 color-changing lighting fixtures resembling a burst of confetti. The atrium's ambiance is enhanced by floor-to-ceiling windows turning into LED screens for live events. This central hub, located in Celebration Central, is one of six distinct zones on the ship. It's likely that many of these dining issues are startup problems.
CARNIVAL'S NEW CELEBRATION KEY™ TO FEATURE FIVE DISTINCT AREAS DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE THE FUN - PR Newswire
CARNIVAL'S NEW CELEBRATION KEY™ TO FEATURE FIVE DISTINCT AREAS DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE THE FUN.
Posted: Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Eventually, it’ll roll out to other Carnival ships but, for now, you can only find it here, on Carnival Celebration. The WaterWorks part of the Ultimate Playground could be a day of fun all on its own. The water park features three large slides, two racing slides and more. Of course, there are also several specialty suite and stateroom options available on Carnival Celebration. Carnival Celebration has been a long time in the works. The ship was initially ordered in 2016, before construction started in 2021.
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The top aft deck is one of the best areas for kids, containing a large water wark with slides, mini golf, a ropes course, and a basketball court. There’s plenty to keep you entertained onboard, day or night. There are plenty of other great choices for a quick snack on board, including Guy’s Burger Joint, which was one of our favorites for lunch. Guy’s Burger would have been a dinner favorite too if we weren’t looking to spend a lot of time eating, but unfortunately, they’re closed for dinner. We’ve tried them on several other cruises where the experience seemed worth it to us, such as 150 Central Park on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, which is a small upscale restaurant located in a park like setting.
Walking around the huge area several times to find a table, trying to find your family, people walking every direct and cutting in line, is all part of the experience. We didn’t find the main dining room service or food the best, and we only ate there several nights on our 7 seven-night cruise. You won’t go hungry on the Celebration, even when you’re not paying extra for the specialty restaurants. Over we found the food not quite as good as on other cruises, we still rated it slightly higher than the higher-end all-inclusive resorts we’ve been to recently, such as the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana in Punta Cana. Here’s some of the best restaurants on board.
Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse has a specialty restaurant (located in The Gateway/ Deck 6 portside). Lagasse is the chef and owner of 11 different restaurants, including 4 in New Orleans. He is a regular guest on Good Morning America (TV show) and has hosted 2000+ shows on Food Network (US pay-TV channel). Lagasse Restaurant offers New Orleans cuisine, including spicy creole specialties.
I stayed in a windowless cabin onboard Carnival Celebration that cost $1900 — here's what my inside stateroom ... - Cruise Blog
I stayed in a windowless cabin onboard Carnival Celebration that cost $1900 — here's what my inside stateroom ....
Posted: Wed, 18 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
At 180,000 gross tons, it’s approximately 35% larger than Vista-class ships, Carnival’s previous build of vessels. Meanwhile, it holds about 5,300 passengers at double occupancy, along with 1,800 crew members. Carnival is a line that harmoniously brings people from all walks of life together. In elevators, when returning to the ship from port visits, in the eateries and at shows, by the pools — you name it — most guests, despite such varied backgrounds and identities, were happy to converse and share in the fun. One of Carnival’s secret weapons has always been to offer up some unexpected free eats. This includes casual venues like Guy’s Burger Joint and Shaq’s Big Chicken, along with the Mexican-themed BlueIguana Cantina, with its tacos and burritos made-to-order.
During the show, performers climb on these items as they rise three decks into the air. From there, they perform all sorts of acrobatics and contortions, spin, and more. Meanwhile, the video background screen offers even more visuals, while other performers move through the crowd and on stage.
And Havana cabins also make an appearance, with their own private pool that I actually thought offered the best views of any pool onboard. Decks at the top of the ship are the pool/outdoor decks. Here you’ll find everything from the main pool to the buffet, an aft pool with bar, Guy’s Burger Joint, the Serenity adults-only area, and the Ultimate Playground.
