Best Carnival Cruise Line Ships for 2022
Carnival Cruise Line’s entire fleet is back at sea! This past May (for the first time in over two years), Carnival marked the return of all 23 of its cruise ships worldwide.
Carnival Cruise Line first resumed sailing with passengers on July 3, 2021, with the return of Carnival Vista sailing in the Caribbean from Galveston. Since this date, Carnival has brought ships back to fourteen United States homeports. While getting up to full speed, Carnival completed updates on several vessels and introduced the first Excel-class ship.
If you are planning a cruise with Carnival in 2022 or beyond, you may wonder which ship best suits your travel preferences. To help guide your selection, we culled the thousands of reviews submitted by our members who sailed with the cruise line to pull top ship rankings. These vessels make up the best Carnival Cruise Line ships for 2022 in the categories of best ship quality, onboard activities, dining, cabins, service, and entertainment.
Ship Quality
The quality of a ship can influence a guest’s entire cruise experience. With this ranking category, members judge the ease with which they can navigate the design of the vessel and also the cleanliness of the ship. Our members reviews ranked these five Carnival Cruise Line ships as best quality overall shipboard experience:
1. Carnival Breeze - 4.611
2. Carnival Radiance - 4.579
3. Carnival Magic - 4.524
4. Carnival Panorama - 4.510
5. Carnival Freedom - 4.506
What Our Members Say
“The ship’s layout was outstanding and the ship was always clean.” - hopesolo0308 on Carnival Breeze
“The ship was clean and organized!” - AprilHubbard on Carnival Magic
“Great layout. Loved the Waterfront Deck on 5.” - LorraineMK on Carnival Panorama
Our Thoughts
Carnival Breeze took the lead in the Ship Quality category, jumping up from number three in our 2020 rankings. The Dream-class ship was among one of the first vessels back at sea following the pause in operations. Our members ranked the ship highly for its family-friendly activities, excellent design, and overall feeling of the ship. Coming in at a close number two and three were Carnival Radiance and Carnival Magic. The recently-refurbished Carnival Radiance (formerly Carnival Victory) received high marks for its new design, jumping from number 17 (as Victory) to number two. Carnival Magic (also part of the Dream class) received excellent reviews for ship upkeep in spot number three.
Check Out All Member Reviews for Carnival Breeze
Onboard Activities
When it comes to onboard activities for Carnival ships, the bigger the better! The diverse age range of Carnival guests means the line has to provide amenities for families and adults alike. These five Carnival ships ranked on top for their onboard activity offerings:
1. Carnival Radiance - 4.243
2. Mardi Gras - 4.147
3. Carnival Vista - 4.099
4. Carnival Magic - 4.096
5. Carnival Freedom - 4.055
What Our Members Say
"Our grandsons loved the pools and water slides. We enjoyed watching movies on the deck and relaxing. "- NFV on Carnival Radiance
"I spent most nights in the piano bar. Mark is absolutely great! I’ve done 6 cruises and he was by far the best. "- Ronnshan on Carnival Magic
"My kids had a blast!! They really enjoyed WaterWorks. It is wonderful for kids and adults alike! "- Kb40 on Carnival Vista
Our Thoughts
Following two years of upgrades and new ship debuts by Carnival, most of the ships in this category changed rankings. Our top two winners for the onboard activities category were ships that were new at sea for the year. First place Carnival Radiance was fresh off a major upgrade where it received a new WaterWorks Aqua Park, ropes course, Cloud9 Spa, and a SportsSquare. Brand new Mardi Gras came in a close second place. In addition, the ship boasts top-ranked activities like BOLT (the first roller coaster at sea), Family Feud Live, and the Serenity adults-only retreat. Our other category winners saw big moves in the rankings this year. Carnival Vista went from sixth to third, Carnival Magic from tenth to fourth, and Carnival Freedom went from thirteen to number five.
Check Out All Carnival Radiance Member Reviews
Dining
Carnival is known for its broad mix of included and specialty restaurants. Most ships are home to fan-favorite staple restaurants like BlueIguana Cantina, Cucina del Capitano, and Bonsai Teppankayi. You will find several innovative specialty eateries on newer and recently revamped ships. These five ships ranked the highest in dining for all Carnival ships:
- Mardi Gras - 4.304
- Carnival Radiance - 4.237
- Carnival Conquest - 4.227
- Carnival Valor - 4.226
- Carnival Pride - 4.225
What Our Members Say
"The option to pick from three different restaurants for any time dining made it easy to choose. Chef's Table, Steakhouse, Bonsai, and Emeril's were great, so much so that I never ate a slice of pizza or made it to Shaq's chicken. Sea day brunch was also fantastic." - barbarameche40 on Mardi Gras
"All food was good and served fresh. The dining room food was excellent." - ALXINC on Carnival Valor
"Main dining room food and service were excellent." - Woobiescoobie on Carnival Conquest
Our Thoughts
Our number one ranked ship for dining is home to more dining options than any other Carnival vessel. Members ranked Mardi Gras restaurants high for a variety of included and specialty options, as well as the overall outstanding food quality. Mardi Gras boats 22 restaurants such as Big Chicken by Shaq, BlueIguana Cantina, Flamingo Restaurant, Guy’s Burger Joint, Guy’s Pig & Anchor, Ji Ji Asian Kitchen, La Piazza, Lido Marketplace, Palm Restaurant, Piazza Piana, Pizzeria del Capitano, Street Eats, Swirls, Bonsai Sushi and Teppankayi, Carnival Kitchen, Chibang!, Cucina del Capitano, Emeril’s Bistro, Fahrenheit 555, JavaBlue Cafe, Rudi’s Seagrill, and the Seafood Shack.
Carnival Pride was number one in the dining category on our 2020 list. However, it dropped down to fifth in this year’s rankings with the addition of new eateries to compete with on Carnival Radiance and Mardi Gras. Carnival Valor was number two in our last rankings, dropping to number four this year. The number three Carnival ship for dining, Carnival Conquest, moved up from number four to number three in the rankings.
Explore Mardi Gras Member Reviews
Cabins
Cabins can be a guest’s private oasis on the ship. How comfortable a guest ranks their cabin can influence their overall experience and review of a cruise. With ships of varying sizes, you will find numerous cabin categories on all of Carnival’s ships. These five Carnival ships were marked the highest for overall cabin quality:
- Carnival Magic - 4.544
- Carnival Vista - 4.531
- Carnival Freedom - 4.508
- Carnival Radiance - 4.482
- Carnival Panorama - 4.469
What Our Members Say
"The size far exceeded our expectations. The ship's crew ensured that our cabin was impeccably clean and stocked." - sultanc on Carnival Magic
"Great layout. Loved the waterfront deck on 5. We loved our cabin location 11258 right outside the pool deck where the action is. Was not loud at all." - LorraineMK on Carnival Panorama
"Our cabin was always clean and tidy. A perfect first cruise can’t wait to go again." - Lyndawillicombe on Carnival Vista
Our Thoughts
Fresh off a refurbishment, Carnival Magic leaped from number 15 to number one in the best cabins category. The vessel has 28 category types, from Interior Rooms to VIP Grand Suites. As one of the largest ships in the Carnival fleet, Carnival Vista came in at number two in the cabin category. This ship can accommodate traveler groups of all sizes, with over 53 different cabin categories. Also jumping in the rankings was Carnival Freedom, which went from number 24 to number three. Finally, Carnival Panorama (which debuted in late 2019) was a newcomer to these rankings, coming in at number five.
Explore All Carnival Magic Member Reviews
Service
Shipboard service was among the most commented areas in member reviews this past year. As crew members learned to navigate the ‘new world’ of cruising, many of our members noted the hard work to make the ships safe and fun for everyone. The following top-ranked Carnival ships excelled in the service category with only a small margin separating each vessel.
- Carnival Freedom - 4.771
- Carnival Breeze - 4.740
- Carnival Valor - 4.725
- Carnival Magic - 4.723
- Carnival Dream - 4.714
What Our Members Say
"Beautiful cruise. The food was delicious and the customer service staff was excellent." - Peggiesue9 on Carnival Freedom
"Outstanding job keeping the ship clean and safe!" - gguelcher on Carnival Valor
"The ship was extremely clean and had great staff. Everything ran so smoothly, it was great to get back out again." - gracebwilliams on Carnival Breeze
Our Thoughts
The rankings in this category were overall very close, with ratings ranging at just one-hundredth of a point difference. We congratulate the staff and crew of these five Carnival ships - your efforts to create a great cruise experience are appreciated by our members! Carnival Freedom leaped up in the Service category from number 21 to number one. Also making big moves was the number two ranked ship Carnival Breeze which went from number 12. Carnival Magic moved from number 13 to five in the category. Both Carnival Valor and Carnival Dream kept spots in the top five rankings.
Explore All Carnival Freedom Member Reviews
Entertainment
Odds are if you cruise with Carnival, you’ve likely come for the entertainment. You can find activity options of all kinds onboard any Carnival ship - lido deck parties, games, karaoke, musicals, stage shows, piano sing-alongs, and much more. These five Carnival Cruise Line ships ranked above the rest for entertainment:
- Carnival Radiance - 4.340
- Mardi Gras - 4.336
- Carnival Breeze - 4.242
- Carnival Vista - 4.216
- Carnival Conquest - 4.209
What Our Members Say
"The Playlist Players were spectacular. I saw all shows they were in and just wow!" - amandacox44 on Mardi Gras
"The shows were amazing, the music was great, and the magician at dinner blew my mind." - SarahMcCroskey on Carnival Radiance
"The musicians were excellent. There was a 6 member band with a keyboardist and guitar player who were brothers from Brazil - absolutely phenomenal! The shows were very good also." - daunz on Carnival Conquest
Our Thoughts
Onboard entertainment was an area that had to adapt to cruising protocols this past year. Both guests and crew had to learn to adjust to new measures like social distancing and pre-booking activities. Newly refurbished Carnival Radiance scored high in this category for its entertainment options like Playlist Productions theatre shows, Dine-In Movies, and the live Deal or No Deal Game. At a very close second number two, Mardi Gras came in strong in the category for its wide variety of entertainment options and high-quality performances. Carnival Breeze jumped from number 12 in the 2020 rankings to number three in the entertainment category this year. Also making moves in the rankings were Carnival Vista, going from number eight to four, and Carnival Conquest, moving from number eleven to five.
Explore All Carnival Conquest Member Reviews
Did you recently take a Carnival Cruise? Write a review!
See All Carnival Cruise Line Deals
Explore Carnival Cruise Line Ships
Post A Comment