As the second ship in the Excel class, it's easy to see why so many people love her. As much as I enjoyed this cruise, I think may be too much ship for me personally (because of how far you have to walk to get from one place to another. The walking kills me)
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I am happy to say that almost all of the food that we tried was really good. As expected, Guy's Burgers, Fahrenheit, the MDR and Buffet were pretty good. I tried Shaq's Big Chicken (chicken tenders) I had high hopes but was underwhelmed. The Deli made beautiful sandwiches and hot dogs. As they say, if you go hungry, it's your own fault lol. One thing that was quite noticeable on this cruise is the food in the buffet while very good, lacked variety daily. Over all though we were well satisfied with our meals.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
This ship is BIG! and I mean BIG, lol. You will definitely need a good pair of walking shoes. There are so many things to do, and see that I feel like we missed half of the ship because of the size and layout. There were places that I hadn't had the opportunity to explore still by the time the cruise ended. We just might need to take another cruise to finish checking her all out.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I feel similar to previous reviews on the entertainment issue. I feel like the venues are too small and too chopped up to allow everyone equal opportunity to enjoy.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Absolutely 💯 Amazing! staff and crew. I have never witnessed so many people working so hard and or long for the betterment of others. I give the staff and crew A+++
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
This is by no means a reflection on Carnival. This one lays with the ship builder. As others have posted the Lido stairs and others throughout, it is a disgrace. They are warped, cracked, have huge chunks missing out of them, etc. This ship is not even a year old, and the amount of wear and damage is unacceptable. I almost fell stepping down a wonky shallow step.
There was a great deal of wear in certain places in the hot tubs on deck 8 and on the Aft. If I were Carnival, I'd be screaming at the ship yard. 🚢 😳 One final thing that I'd like to point out is the limited shaded areas on board. The Serenity Deck "nailed it" but it was a challenge in other places.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was our first interior cabin, and it was so nice. The bathroom is a bit tight, but it's manageable. The new color scheme is so nice. I'd give this cabin a 10/10
Ship tip
Pack your patience. The Celebration is a big ship and holds a lot of people. As a result, some things may take a little longer, for example, waiting for pizza or an elevator.
I want to give a HUGE shout out to our shuttle drive, our cousin, Chicago, and his wife! the weather in St. Thomas was AMAZING!!! Getting a taxi to Magen's Bay Beach was super easy. It was $12 per person each way. Magen's is everything that you would expect it to be. We did the skyride at Paradise Point $24 per person each way. Once we made it to the top there were some shops to explore and bar/restaurant where you can have a drink called a Bushwacker or a Daquiri. Our "cousin Chicago" was educating us on our ride back to the port about the island. He even made a special photo stop for us. He is super cool. If you ever go to St. Thomas, look him up.
I was so pleasantly surprised at how nice Amber Cove is. We browsed the little shops and then went to the pool. It was 🔥 🔥 hot but so pretty. I think the water could have been just a teeny tiny bit cooler given the heat. Overall, my only complaint is that while we were sitting at the swim up bar, when the bartender (a woman) waited on you, she didn't ask if you wanted your change back. She just kept it. There was a gentleman sitting next to me who bought a round of drinks for his family/friends and (he was paying with a credit card) he gave her a nice tip. So, he comes back and orders more drinks and goes to pay cash. He should have had about $15+ change. She didn't give it to him. So, he calls her out on it, and all of a sudden, she "didn't understand" what he was saying. Being a true gentleman, although frustrated, he told her to keep it and he wouldn't be back. The moral of the story is to make sure you have small bills.
Make sure you have your walking shoes, lots of water, and sunblock because PR is 🔥 PR is beautiful! We walked to both forts and then went to Senor Frogs for a drink. I would love to visit PR again, but next time maybe when it's a but cooler. It would be so nice if one of the shipping companies would develop a pool area 😳
If I have to be honest then I'll tell you that I really don't like Miami at all. I don't like the heat, aggressive people, and most especially the airport itself. I've decided that I'm going to give Ft. Lauderdale a try as so many people seem to recommend it. I'll let you know in a future post.
Disembarking was a nightmare. It is a completely different experience than embarking. It was so chaotic and disorganized. We were in one line only to be told we needed to be in another line and told we needed to be in the first line we were in. It was like the left half didn't know what the right hand was doing. It's not an experience that I care to repeat.
I been reading a lot of celebration and seems tons of ppl myself included think what the heck were they thinking with the venues they used celebration central for way too much 7 days and I went to the theatre 1 time for What’s age got to do with it everything else was either in a lounge or bar
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
