Modern touches makes up for a few hiccups

Item: Carnival Celebration
Rating: 4.8
Author: cruisingem

Carnival Celebration Cruise Review

cruisingem

Contributor Level: Second Mate

53 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 62

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 12, 2023

Ship: Carnival Celebration

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

It was my first experience on a ship of this size. It felt a little big for me and I prefer midsize ships. This being said, I will not hesitate to book another cruise on Celebration with the right group of people. There’s pros and cons to everything and the pros do out weight the cons. it just felt less personal. The ship is amazing and I still recommend everyone give it a try.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Super easy, was travelling with a diamond so we zipped right through everything. The terminal is quite impressive and walking in brings the same rush every time.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Loved all the options and given the size of the ship, the buffet never felt over crowded. It was easy to find a table at any time of the day. Loved the newer options on board but I admit the Guy’s burger was harder to find than on other ships. In the MDR however, it wasn’t the usual service we’ve had in the past. I’m assuming it’s growing pains with the size of the ship. We were never in a rush so it was fine. The food was never cold, it just took a while to get to the table.

Cucina del Capitano

4 out of 5

Food was amazing, we went for both lunch and dinner. Not sure if they were short staffed during dinner but it did take a while to get our food. Our whole section was left waiting, tables in another section got their whole meal before we were done with appetizers. I was on vacation so there wasn’t a rush but I’m just mentioning it. It was well worth the wait.

Big Chicken

5 out of 5

I was looking forward to trying Big Chicken and it lived up to the hype. Tried both breakfast and lunch menu. The chicken tenders were so good and loved the sauce choices.

Miami Slice

5 out of 5

The pizza never disappoints and it was nice to get it somewhere other than the buffer. Such a great ambiance where it was located.

Chibang!

3 out of 5

It was fine, it was free to try and I don’t regret going. This being said, I ordered the queso fundido and it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I wouldn’t recommend it if you had the real thing before. If you have to pay for it, I’d pass on the experience.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

There’s so many choices and the ship was at full capacity but it never felt over crowded. Loved the mini golf and it was fun to watch the coaster go by.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

There was a lot going on, the shows in the atrium were so great. It was hard to get to see everything we wanted to because of all the choices.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our room steward so great.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

It was easy to tell it was a post pandemic ship. The bathrooms on the lido deck are all motion sensored, it took a minute to understand how to lock the door. The layout of the ship alleviates any crowds.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Loved the set up, it’s definitely smaller than older ship cabins but the way they have it set up is convenient. There’s also a few USB plugs which is also great.

Ship tip

I highly recommend travelling with a passport. The line at customs at the end is non existent compared to the one for those travelling with birth certificates.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

We caught one of those bus taxis to the beach and enjoyed the water. Saw a few turtles in the water.

Thumbs Up 0

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Walked around for a few hours and did some sight seeing.

Thumbs Up 0

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

We caught a taxi to the beach. Got to walk around and visit a few shops.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Super easy, we were doing a side by side so we were in the last few to disembark. It was a breeze, especially because we had passports. There was no line and we were able to be out of the terminal in under 15 mins.

9 Comments

jkengle 1 year ago

Loved San Juan P.R., loved the history and the Fort .The scenery was breath taking .. One of my favorite destinations.

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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lsbs 1 year ago

Thanks for the review.

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janetconant 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing!

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envy1219 1 year ago

Thank you ror your review

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AsYouWishTravel 1 year ago

I'm on her now and I have to agree. Though she's a nice ship, she's a bit crowded, elevators only hold a few people and take a long time, it's hot in the hallways, and it is laid out very strangely. It's hard to find lots of places, and food isn't that great. BUT, I love cruising and always make the best of things and not expect things to be perfect. So, yes, I might book on her again, but it might not be for a while.

Thumbs Up 4

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Tropicgal 1 year ago

Thanks for reviewing.

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for the review

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Excellent tip! Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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