As Told by Ali

“Fun For All. All For Fun” In May 2023, my family and I went on a 7-Day cruise aboard Carnival Celebration. This ship is one of Carnival’s newest and largest ships which had its inaugural journey in November 2022. At first we wanted to go on a more “seasoned” ship, however, we also wanted to experience a more modern and larger ship. Another major decision prior to booking was which destinations we wanted to visit. Unfortunately, the ones we were interested in (Jamaica, Bahamas, Dominican Republic) all set sail during a different month. Therefore we settled on a western-Caribbean cruise which would take us to destinations we would have seen previously. Yes, this isn’t my first cruise. Nonetheless, let’s get into my review of Carnival Celebration and few tips for if you’re planning your first cruising vacation in 2024.

Ship Deets

Decks: 19
Passenger Capacity: 6,500 maximum
Crew: 1,735
Zones (6): Celebration Central, The Gateway, Summer Landing, 820 Biscayne, Lido, The Ultimate Playground

Let’s Board!

Our trip departed from the Port of Miami on a Sunday. The boarding process was fairly simple. Once arriving at the port, there were porters outside who took our bags for them to be loaded onto the ship. Prior to departure we received a few documents, one of which was a luggage tag to place on our bags. We were also given a boarding time to arrive at the port to cut down on the amount of people and processing times etc. After going through security, we were directed to a departure lounge whereby we waited for our group to be called. Before getting to this area they have a few photo booths setup to capture the special moment. P.S. this is a regular occurrence on board as well as at the disembarkation ports.

Where are we off to?

This 7-day cruise has 3 ports of call (destinations) and two days at sea; the remaining two days are the day you leave and return to Miami.

• Sunday: Depart Port of Miami
• Monday: Fun Day at Sea
• Tuesday: Cozumel, Mexico
• Wednesday: Mahogany Bay, Honduras
• Thursday: Costa Maya, Mexico
• Friday: Fun Day at Sea
• Saturday: Return to Port of Miami

Cozumel, Mexico

This was our second time at this port of call, so we weren’t really excited about it. But we did get off to see if anything changed during the last 7 years. To our surprise, most of the cruise port was still the same, so it was a pretty short stay. My sister and I wanted to try some mexican tacos, but settled on chips and guac, with a drink at Tres Amigos. After taking a few more pictures, it was back onto the ship to relax and wait to leave.

Mahogany Bay, Honduras

Our next stop was another return visit. Although everything still looked the same we ventured out to the port to visit the beach and purchase a souvenir. To get over to the beach we took a chair lift, it was frightening at first but pretty cool. We got to see the beach from a different point of view and all the offerings that were being advertised. There was a guy selling coconut water on the beach so we got one then went into the water which was pretty good. After awhile we decided it was time to head back to check on the others and get some lunch.

Costa Maya, Mexico

Our first time here and probably one of my favourite experiences, although it was packed! There were two other megaships at the port this day, and the area is also pretty small, so it was easy to feel the pressures of the crowd. Unlike Cozumel, there were a lot of activities to keep you busy at the port. There were souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, swimming pools, dolphins, flamingos, birds – honestly it was like a whole theme park. We went to a few stores just to see what was being offered, then my sisters and I walked around to get some photos and chill by the pool. I also got this mango daiquiri which was so good! Since it was so hot, I also decided to take a dip in the pool. The vibes here were very upbeat which made for a good stop.

What’s on the menu?

The ship hosts over xx restaurants, some of which are included in your stay, and some whereby you’d have to pay an additional charge. Our plan of action was to test out all of these restaurants, but of course time slipped away from us and we also stuck in our comfort zones for different reasons.

Breakfast

Most days we went to the breakfast buffet in the main dining area on the Lido deck. They had various options available including fruits, pastries, and an omelet station. The omelet station usually took a little while to get through as there’s normally a line. The breakfast was average, with a few things being enjoyed more.

On other days we headed to this Mexican inspired stall which is a part of the Street Eats offerings. They were making breakfast burritos fresh and offered all your toppings which was pretty good.

On days at sea, they offered a sea day brunch in one of the dining rooms. These would need to be booked in advance using the app to get a seat. The wait times to get food was a little lengthy and the food wasn’t as great.

Lunch

One of the better experiences as there was more restaurants to try if the main dining wasn’t sufficient. There was buffet on the lido deck which was okay on some days, but nothing too special. What I liked the most was the dessert options and the gelato bar which served two different flavours each day.

Dinner

For dinner we were assigned a specific dining room and time. I believe we ate here on most nights. The selections were sometimes a hit or miss. What I particularly liked is that you can order multiple options from the menu to test more than one dish. I believe the limit is three before you’d have to pay a surcharge.

Other restaurants we checked out:

• Shaq’s Big Chicken 5/5
• Guy’s Burger Joint 4/5
• Guy’s Pig & Anchor BBQ 3/5
• Bonsai Sushi 5/5 *costs additional
• Seafood Shack 5/5 *costs additional
• Chibang 3/5
• Blue Iguana Cantina 4/5
• Street Eats (Steam Dream, Mad Sizzle, Time Fries) 4/5
• Pizzeria del Capitano 5/5

You can also find swirls around the ship which offers soft serve ice-cream and frozen yogurt.

Restaurants we didn’t get to visit:

• Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse *costs additional
• Cucina del Capitano
• Bonsai Teppanyaki *costs additional
• Emeril’s Bistro at Sea *costs additional
• Rudi’s Seagrill *costs additional
• The Carnival Deli

Activities on the ship

The ship has a plethora of activities happening daily. If you’re not visiting a port be sure to check out the events list on the app or it usually gets delivered to your room the night before. There’s also two “fun” days at sea which is a good time to explore, although it also means more people around. We tried to do as much as possible, but for various reasons didn’t always make it.

The Ultimate Playground

One of the zones mentioned up above, this playground is on the upper most deck and features basketball courts, track, waterpark, mini golf, a ropes course and Bolt (a rollercoaster). Out of all the activities we would have tried mini golf and I did the ropes course solo which was pretty fun. One of the course option was a mini zipline over the side of the ship. The only activity in the playground which comes at a charge is the rollercoaster ride.

Bingo

They had various Bingo games and we tried our luck at one but unfortunately missed the mark. Some of the prizes were cruise credit, with the major prize being cash! They were also several packages available to purchase your bingo cards, of course we went for the cheapest just for the fun of it.

Arcade

Given it was a family trip, we also had to find activities to keep my nephew busy. We checked out the arcade which had a few games he could participate in and given the credits we received he was able to get a small token. Of course all of this uses money and the games do add up.

Other activities we came across:

• Trivias
• Spa visits (they hosted free testers different time throughout the week, but we missed them all)
• Shopping (there are different stores selling souvenirs and other items)
• Movie nights on the deck
• Dr. Seuss
• Shows (Deal or no Deal, Family Feud, a Circus, Musical etc.)
• Carnival Kitchen (cooking classes)
• Bars (there at least xx bars, the plan was to bar hop on one of the days, but that also didn’t happen)
• Punchliner Comedy Club
• Serenity Adult Only Retreat

Tips for Cruising

• Research early: Start your research early, especially if there’s a particular destination you’d like to go. Therefore, you can then book your vacation days around the appointed sailing days. The costs are usually cheaper the earlier you book as well, with different discounts and packages being advertised.
• Get the app: Once aboard you can use Carnival’s app to stay up to date on everything that’s happening each day, the various ports of calls, dining times and menus etc. There’s even a chat feature whereby you can message persons in your group/family.
• Plan your excursions: As you saw from the above, I didn’t do any shore excursions. The cruise offers a selection of these at the various ports which you can book online prior to travelling, or you can do research and book your own adventures using Trip Advisor or another platform.
• Set a budget: If you’re planning to do excursions, purchase souvenirs, dine at restaurants on and off the ship, enjoy a few alcoholic beverages aboard (if you didn’t purchase the drinks package) then you need to have budget in mind for this. Whereas you can use your credit card on the ship (it’s linked to your sailing card), some of the destinations may require cash, so it’s always good to keep a little on hand.
• Be prepared: As a precaution you should walk with any motion sickness medication in the event you start feeling woozy. On this particular ship it was only in certain instances I actually felt the ship moving, so for the most part I was okay. I’ve been on previous ships where I definitely felt sick.

Also, because people have different preferences, Carnival cruise line may not be for you. Out of the bunch, persons may look at it as a “party” boat, and since their messaging is all about having fun, there’s a lot going on daily. There are other cruise lines which give off a more relaxed vibe and there’s even Virgin Voyages which is adults only. Therefore, doing your own research is important to figure out what suits you best!

Overall I had a good experience aboard Carnival Celebration and look forward to sailing with them again in the future.

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Until our next adventure,