Beautiful ship, poorly designed spaces

Carnival Celebration Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 4
Helpful Votes: 76

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5
Carnival Celebration

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 15, 2023

Ship: Carnival Celebration

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 14471

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Overall cruising on the carnival celebration for 7 days was a fun trip. There were small frustrations as stated in my review but nothing that could cause me to not enjoy being on vacation and being on a cruise. I I blame some of my frustrations on myself for having larger expectations of such a large ship.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
So simple, terminal F was beautiful, and we went from line to ship in less than 20 mins

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Food was what you would expect from carnival. Guys Burgers was top notch, Main Dining options we good but at times lacked variety. Chi-Bang was not very good. In our party of 24 only 3 or 4 people said they likes their meals there. Pig and anchor was the typical barbeque options but always a tasty quick meal. Miami slice was the typical late night carnival pizza but they did do a great job of keeping the lines down.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
For being a new ship andhaving one of the best CDs, the entertainment lacked and the entertainment team did not match the Cruise Directors energy of fun. I believe any cruise is what you make of it and I dont rely on the entertainment team to create a fun vacation for me, however I do believe they can hinder fun if they don't have the energy. And thats what happened during karaoke, deck parties, and games.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Staff, as always, did everything they could to make everyones trip enjoyable.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5
The layout and design was my biggest issue with this vacation. The ship is the largest of the Carnival fleet but the spaces are smaller,. Lido pool deck is smaller, balcony stateroom was smaller, and bathrooms were very small. Smaller spaces on a ship with nearly 6000 passengers made for frustrating times.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
Cabins decor was nice however the smaller rooms and shrunken bathrooms made it difficult to enjoy the improve decor and upgraded showers.

Ports of call

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

4 out of 5
Enjoyed this little island, did a tour that cost about $25 per person for 6 hours around both the French and Dutch side. Learn so much history and saw some beautiful sights.

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

2 out of 5
Amber cove was a bit of a disappointment to me, I read many people say they tend to stay on the ship and having finally visited I understand why. The area set up like a private cruise port with none of the benefits like free food or beach area.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5
San Juan was amazing, I wish I had more time to explore. This is not the type of port to bring your bathing suit to but you can absolutely enjoy yourself bringing your walking shoes and appetite. The old San Juan history, sites, and food are worth five stars

Miami, Florida

4 out of 5
Construction seems to constantly be an issue at port of Miami, leave early to give yourself time to deal with backed up traffic getting to the port.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Fast and simple, if you use a passport and sign up for facial recognition, you will be out of the port in 10 minutes or less.

Traveler Photos

Lobster tail dinner in MDR With Lee your Cruise Director after Love & Marriage game Room 14471 Arriving to Port of Miami to see the Celebration in the distance. St Maarten from the ship
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10 Comments

Loriedarlin1    1 year ago

How were the Ocean Suites?

AuntPinkie    1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed feedback. Glad you managed to have fun in spite of the hiccups.

strauss3396    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing!

cruiseplayer    1 year ago

After being at amber cove many times , I agree that the only thing there at the port are many of the same as other ports are gift shops and the biggest pool in the Caribbean . To relax at and it is free ,

deesweetpea1    1 year ago

Thanks for your review.

javawoody    1 year ago

Appreciate the review

Mmjay    1 year ago

I agree that the bathrooms were small in most of the cabins. I am glad you had a good time.

Tropicgal    1 year ago

Taking B2B this summer. Thanks for the heads up with your review.

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

lsbs    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing.

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