Carnival Celebration - Big Fun on a Big Ship

2024-11-19_10-43-19_552 — Carnival Celebration in the Caribbean

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By Gerry Barker
Photos/Video by Gerry and Pamela Barker

When the first Carnival Celebration ship launched in 1987, it was considered a “super liner.” Costing $130 million, weighing in at 47 gross tons and over 700 feet in length, its 10 decks accommodated some 1,500 passengers.

Fast forward to 2022 and the arrival of Carnival Celebration 2.0. At a length exceeding 1,100 feet and built at a cost of $1 billion, the 180,000-ton ship boasts 19 decks and can officially host 6,465 passengers and 1,745 crew — a veritable city on the sea. And did I mention it also has the first roller coaster at sea at the top?

Celebration is one of three, Excel-class ships in the Carnival fleet, joining Mardi Gras and Jubilee, with two more on order. LNG-powered (Liquified Natural Gas), one has to wonder how you go about taking care of over 8,000 people on a ship. To find out, we boarded Celebration for a one-week cruise in the Caribbean.

Carnival’s mantra is “Choose Fun,” and over the past 50 years, they deliver on that just about better than anyone.

Our cruise started in Celebration’s home port of Miami. While we chose a late check-in, we expected long lines. Not so. Checking in was about as smooth as any cruise we’ve taken. Onboard, our room was ready, so that was our first stop. We had an ocean-view stateroom on deck five, forward.

Surprisingly roomy, it featured a queen-size bed, a bath with a glass shower enclosure, a desk space, mini-fridge and safe, a sofa and more than enough storage for the two large suitcases of items we brought for the cruise. There were bedside USB ports and reading lights, and like many newer ships, you insert a keycard in a holder to keep the lights on. Our stateroom attendant was Kadek, or just “K” as he preferred, who took care of anything we needed throughout the week.

Something Carnival has always been famous for are their towels animals. K gave us a new one every day on our bed, and by the end of the cruise, we had quite a collection., Can you name them all?

One thing you’ll want to do before you board is download HUB, the Carnival app for your smartphone. It’s like having a personal concierge in your pocket. Besides providing a daily planner of activties, it has all the dining venues (there are 22) and menus, entertainment lineup, your account summary and more.

Time to explore the ship, and there’s a lot of ship to explore throughout its 19 decks.

You’ll spend the first day or two just finding your way around, but considering its size, it doesn’t take long to get your bearings. The ship itself is beautiful, and a visual feast around every corner. There are six zones, including Celebration Central, featuring a multi-story stage in front of a towering wall of glass, 820 Biscayne, recreating a Miami vibe, Summer Landing, where you can get your BBQ fix at Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse, Lido, with its pools, music and food, The Gateway, celebrating travel, and the Ultimate Playground, where you board Bolt, the roller coaster.

Paying homage to its 50-year anniversary, Celebration features a number of items preserved from past Carnival ships throughout, including a wall of etched glass in the Jubilee Lounge rescued by maritime historian Peter Knego. Here you’ll also find dioramas depicting the line’s history through the decades, as well as architectural blueprints lining the walls. Nearby is another historic rescue: A gleaming, 1934 Rolls Royce.

When it comes to food choices, you may be hard-pressed to try them all in one week. The main dining rooms are Festivale and Carnivale. We were assigned the former, and can say the food there, and really everywhere, was top notch. Both are included in your fare, as well as a host of others, like Guy Fieri’s restaurants, the BlueIguana Cantina, Miami Slice (pizza), Deco Deli, Street Eats and the Lido Marketplace (buffet). My favorite was Shaq’s Big Chicken (former basketball star Shaquille O’Neal is Carnival’s Ambassador of Fun), where the tenders and sandwiches had me coming back for more.

Other favorites included ChiBang! (combo of Asian and Mexican) and Cucina del Capitano (Italian). Both are free for your first visit, then $8 afterwards. There are specialty restaurants as well, including their popular steakhouse, Fahrenheit 555, Bonsai Sushi, Bonsai Teppanyaki, Rudi’s Seagrill and Bistro 1397, from chef Emeril Lagasse (we tried Emeril’s beignets — fabulous!). Fees vary.

We did appreciate that late night snacks were available, as well as room service 24-7. And here’s a special shout-out to the Gelato station in the Lido Marketplace — I’m pretty sure I tried every flavor.

The entertainment aboard was amazing, The big production shows were staged at Celebration Central and the Grand Spectrum Theater. From the infectious energy of “Amor Cubano” and the mesmerizing “Celestial Strings” to the aerial delights of “Under the Big Top,” the pace never stops. Like comedy? Head to the Punchliner Comedy Club. Kareoke your thing? Go to the Limelight Lounge. If you get the urge to gamble, forget Las Vegas. The Empress Casino on Celebration rivals the size of some land-based establishments. Carnival also hosts two of TV’s most popular game shows — “Family Feud” and “Deal or No Deal.”

Another part of the entertainment is Manoj, whose title is “Senior Table Artist.” Manoj is actually a magician, and you’ll find him roaming the dining venues and doing tricks for guests waiting for their food. Pam is still wondering how he accomplished the hidden card magic he did for her. And don’t forget to back something white for the “White Hot Night” party by the pool, where you can get your dance groove on.

If you’re looking for thrills, for $15 you can book a ride on Bolt. Of course, it was my duty to give it a try. All strapped in, the countdown starts and suddenly — whoosh! — you are off like a jet doing loop-to-loops 20 stories above the sea. My advice? Hold on — tight. While you in the area, there’s a water park with a giant slide, miniature golf, a ropes course and a sports court featuring basketball and that American craze, pickleball.

After all the fun, you might be ready to relax. Serenity is the popular, adults-only area topside where a lounger had our name on it. Above it is Loft 19, a special retreat for guests in the Presidential or Excel suites, with its own infinity pool and cabanas for rental. There’s also Cloud 9, a full-featured spa/beauty facility as well as a large fitness room with all manner of exercise equipment and machines that faces the sea. You can also improve your kitchen skills by scheduling a class in the Carnival Kitchen.

Pretty much anywhere you go you’ll find a bar ready to make your favorite drink, including familiar names like the Alchemy and Piano 88 bars. For pure glitz, try the Tropicale. In the mood for a Latin vibe? Havana Bar is the place for you. Latitudes has the feel of an airport watering hole. The Red Frog Tiki Bar is a poolside retreat, and you get a great view at the Tides Pool Bar. Our favorite was the retro Golden Jubilee Lounge, but every bar on the ship has its own unique energy.

While the 5,700-plus passengers on our cruise covered a wide age range, one demo in which Carnival excels — and every cruise line wants — are younger guests. From the very young to the teen crowd, they offer a plethora of activities, including the Warehouse Arcade and Dr. Suess Bookville. We even got caught up in a Dr. Suess parade.

Shopping? Yes indeed, with sales happening throughout the day and night when the ship’s not in port. Be ready for the Carnival photographers, who roam the dining venues, hallways and docks as you depart for shore excursions. That was probably why business was booming at Pixels, the photo studio.

As for service, we found it exemplary, from our stateroom attendant to our servers in Festivale. Despite what must be long hours and sometimes trying conditions, the staff was cheerful and friendly.

One consequence of hosting thousands of guests is lines. Depending on the time of day, and whether it’s a sea day or not, there were extended wait times for popular venues like Java Blue (specialty coffee), Guy’s Burger Joint, Guy’s Pig and Anchor Grill and getting an elevator. But the longest waits were for Guest Services, where the staffing could easily be doubled. Tip: If you aren’t doing a shore excursion on port days, use the time to enjoy the pool, eat at popular venues or schedule a ride on Bolt.

So, after a week on Celebration, Carnival has shown you can feed, entertain and meet the needs of 8,000 people at sea. By the way, just to get an idea of the scale of that, one of the chefs told us they serve between 35-40,000 meals every day, while Miami Slice serves up 1,500 pizzas a day.