Carnival Celebration

Carnival Celebration is the second ship of Carnival's Excel class, delivered by Meyer Turku in late 2022 and fuelled by liquefied natural gas. She carries 5,374 guests at double occupancy, rising past 6,300 when every berth is filled, and she sails year-round from Miami. One decision explains her. She was built as Carnival's 50th-anniversary ship, and the anniversary became the architecture. Her Miami zone, 820 Biscayne, takes its name from the address of the company's first headquarters. The Gateway, aft on deck 6, contains the Golden Jubilee, a lounge assembled from the fleet's own relics: the original casino wall from the first Mardi Gras, a brass Chadburn telegraph from Carnival's second ship, and brass coins set into the floor for every vessel the line has operated. Other new ships theme themselves after cities. This one themes itself after Carnival.
The zones do real work. They break a 345-metre hull into places with names. Bolt, the roller coaster, runs on the top decks aft in the Ultimate Playground and carries a charge per ride. Summer Landing, aft on deck 8, is the pick of them: an outdoor bar and barbecue terrace with the Heroes Tribute lounge and a quieter pool. 820 Biscayne holds Rudi's Seagrill, the Miami Slice pizzeria, Deco Deli and Bar 820. Emeril's Bistro does a well-liked breakfast for a few dollars. The complimentary food is genuinely good.
The complaints are consistent. Cruise Critic's editorial review scores her 4.0 out of 5, a rating it labels very good, but lists long lines, a confusing layout and spotty service among the cons, and describes a ship that feels consistently busy. Lifts are small and slow for the passenger count. Popular rooms run out of seats. Reviewers report waits for coffee at peak times and a scramble for seats at Center Stage. Service in the included restaurants draws more criticism than the cooking.
She suits families, first-timers and groups who want a lot of ship for the money. Carnival's price point sits well below Royal Caribbean's for a comparable class of vessel, and the atmosphere follows the price: loud, informal, unbothered. That is a fair trade rather than a fault. If you want calm public rooms, unhurried service and a quiet bar at nine in the evening, this is the wrong ship.
Cabin choice matters more here than on smaller ships, because the zones are noisy by design. Deck 8 forward puts staterooms close to 820 Biscayne and the Celebration Central atrium, which is convenient and not quiet. Deck 17 has cabins sharing a deck with Guy's Burger Joint, the RedFrog Tiki Bar, the arcade and the children's clubs, with the pool decks and Bolt's track above them. If a cabin overlooking one of the themed zones appeals, treat the view as payment for the noise. We should be straight with you. We are still mapping her venues deck by deck, and we would rather say so than guess.
The deck plan repays ten minutes before you book. Look at what sits above and below you.