This was my 40th birthday cruise and Carnival made it special. Employees on board knew and I was served a special dessert in the steakhouse. Lovely voyage.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I arrived at the port by 11:15. I was on board, fully mustered, and eating a burger by 11:45. Smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I didn't eat at the buffet at all during this trip. So my rating only applies to restaurants (both quick service and sit-down).
The food was outstanding. Especially the steakhouse and Cucina del Capitano. I also really appreciated Celebration allowing guests to have 1 included night of dining at Cucina and Chibang. Even though I ate at the MDR my other nights, I'd definitely be willing to pay for these restaurants on future cruises on ships that charge the standard $8.
Seafood Shack
4 out of 5
Had the fish and chips and they went pretty heavy on the fish batter, but still very tasty!
Big Chicken
5 out of 5
I had Big Chicken twice on this voyage. The first day was delicious. The second time I had it, there was a problem with the chicken. My sandwich had that woody chicken meat texture. Definitely not a Carnival issue as this can happen even in store-bought chicken due to genetic defects. But it was still a bit disappointing.
Miami Slice
4 out of 5
Sometimes the pizzas came out slightly undercooked and floppy, but most of the time they were spot on.
Guy's Burger Joint
5 out of 5
Classic Guy's. Must have a burger at least once.
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse
5 out of 5
Perfect as always.
Cucina del Capitano
5 out of 5
The lasagna is some of the best I've ever had on any ship.
Carnivale and Festivale Restaurants (Main Dining Rooms)
5 out of 5
Every meal I had was delicious. Service was stupendous.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
This ship has everything for everyone. It's also well designed. With so many people on board, I was expecting it to be crazy crowded. But it wasn't at all. They had more trivia games than other ships in the fleet. A few more show times. And like on most Carnival ships the kids have their own section that is far away from where I spent my time.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The comedians were spectacular. We had Jill Kimmel (yes there is a relation to Jimmy), JC Coccoli, and Billy D Washington. They were all fantastic, but Billy D was an incredible performer. Supposedly he's one of Carnival's most requested performers and I understand why.
Children's Programs
No kiddos
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I thought it was odd that I didn't have a dedicated room steward, but ultimately it didn't impact my trip in the slightest. Whenever I've cruised previously, I usually get an introduction to the steward on day one, along with name card. On this trip, the steward was like a ninja. I never figured out who cleaned my room, I just know it happened every night during dinner and they always did a wonderful job.
I feel like I might be biased somehow. I've never had a bad experience with any crew member on any ship I've experienced. Celebration is no different. Every single member of staff I encountered was friendly, helpful, and made my stay stress free.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The cabin was clean and fresh. Simple decor but still nice. There was tons of closet space too. For being such a large ship (the largest I've been on so far) it was easy to navigate and I knew my way around pretty well by day 3. There's a lot of space between different areas. Kids are in one area, restaurants are in another. Clubs and shows in another. It was all pretty intuitive.
I was also really impressed with the restaurant layout. I never had to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes for food, even lunch on day one. There are so many different places to eat spread over several different floors. I didn't see any long lines or bottlenecks that I've experienced on other, smaller ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Just a regular interior cabin. It was clean and had a good deal more storage than other interior cabins I've had in the past. Really love the light switches above the bed so you don't have to get up to turn the lights out!
Ship tip
Make sure to take up Carnival on Cucina del Capitano and Chibang complimentary dinners. Smaller ships in the fleet always charge, but Excel class ships offer you a dinner at each on the house. A nice little surprise and a good way to try them out without spending extra money.
It was my first time at this port and I opted to just wander instead of booking excursions. It's such a beautiful area with a lot of nice little shops and a craft fair. Would definitely love to come back and explore some more.
First time using digital debark. There was definitely a mad rush for the elevators, but once I got down to the gangway floor, it took about 15 minutes to get off the ship.
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