Carnival Cruise Ships - Celebration

Passengers: 1486
Launched: 1987
Gross Tonnage: 48,000
Length: 733
Decks: 10
Registry: Liberia
Nationality: Italian officers, international crew
CDC Score: 97


Itinerary: Celebration alternates 4 and 5-day cruises roundtrip from Galveston, Texas to Cozumel, and Calica/Cancun through December 2002.

Overview: Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest cruise line in the world carrying one-fifth of all cruise passengers. A good percentage return again. This is a great main stream cruising value for those that are looking to have a "FunShip" vacation with a party atmosphere. You will find excellent spa and fitness facilities, great programs for kids and some of the largest cabins in this price range. Onboard all Carnival ships, guests under 21 must be accompanied by a parent, relative or guardian 25 years of age or older. This cuts down on the "Spring Break" reputation Carnival is trying to beat.

Public Rooms: Celebration is decorated with New Orleans in mind and when you venture into Mardi Gras Square you wonder if Bourbon Street ever looked this good. The Astoria Lounge is the main show lounge that features Las Vegas-style acts. The Trolley Bar features a trolley car complete with tracks and lightposts. The Endless Summer Lounge is bright red and purple. The Galax Z disco with its futuristic theme is decorated in bright purples, reds and blues with a neon lit dance floor. The Rainbow Club casino is appointed with all the lights and tables to rival a Vegas casio and is are full all night long. The Admiral's Lounge, is beautifully decorated with a nautical themed stained glass ceiling, ocean blue carpeting and maritime memorabilia.

Dining: The two dining rooms, Vista and Horizon are totally nonsmoking and each serves dinner in two seatings. The Wheelhouse Bar and Grill is located on the Lido deck with ample seating for informal breakfast and luncheon buffet and a pizzeria which offers delicious complimentary pizza and caesar salad around-the-clock. In addition to the regular menu items in the dining rooms, Carnival offers low-fat Nautica spa selections. The dining room service is very good -- professional and attentive, yet also extremely warm and friendly.

Cabins: Cabins are simply decorated and include closed-circuit TVs, small safes, radios and telephones. Hair dryers are not standard equipment, but the steward can provide one. Carnival has added amenities baskets that include a variety of necessities like a disposable razor, mini-shampoo, breath mints and soap, but be sure to bring your own shampoo to be safe. There are 10 suites with balconies available (some with obstructed views), the majority of the cabins are oceanview with a large window, smaller porthole and inside cabins are also available. Thir and fourth berth cabins are available in most categories. There are no self-service laundries available but send-out service price lists are in the cabin.

Entertainment: Carnival's shows are arguably the best afloat. The fabulous Vegas-style shows (that doesn't mean nudity, as one fellow passenger thought) exhibit a degree of professionalism hard to beat, with extremely talented singers, dancers, costume designers -- even the lighting effects are spectacular. Full scale Broadway-style reviews have lovers of musical comedies smiling and suppressing the desire to sing along. Additionally, late-night, R-rated comedians entertain the grownups. Various bars throughout the ship offer music entertainment throughout the cruise with mixture of music styles. The Galax Z disco is popular and everything from "house" music to disco keeps passengers dancing till the wee hours.

Fitness and Recreation: The pool complex on the Lido Deck is the scene of live music around the pool. A topless sunbathing area is situated aft on the Verandah Deck. The Nautica Spa and fitness center includes a beauty salon, sauna and a gym offering pneumatic pressure machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, and Stairmasters. It's operated by Steiner, as on most cruise ships. Spa rates are pegged to the cruise passengers and are lower here than on the more upscale ships. There's a jogging track on Lido and a children's pool on Promenade deck.

Fellow Passengers: Lots of young couples and families choose this ship, partly because of the complimentary Camp Carnival program and the shorter cruises. However, it also draws a complement of singles.

Children's Programs: Families are a major market for Carnival and the minimum passenger age is 4 months with no ship maximum on the number of children allowed on a particular sailing. Kids pay the flat rate for third/fourth guests in a cabin. Parents should pay “tips” on children aged three and up.

Camp Carnival is divided into four categories. Toddlers (2 - 5), Juniors (6 - 8) Intermediate (9 - 11) and Teens (12-15). There’s a playroom for under-3s. Operating on sea days from 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. On days-in-port, Camp Carnival offers supervised free-play from arrival until 2 p.m.; scheduled activities run from 2 - 10 p.m. Babysitting is available on sea days and port days; cost is $6 for first child, $4 apiece for additional children and babysitting is a group activity (available from 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. in the children’s play room. The dining room features a “daily junior special” each day plus a regular kids menu with the usual staples (chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, pb&j). On formal nights, counselors host a kids-only dinner at the Lido buffet. Diapers are sold in the infirmary, and there’s a turndown service featuring fresh baked chocolate chip cookies at bed-time. Carnival also offers teen-only shore excursion outings and walkie-talkies available for rent onboard. A Fountain Fun Card ($9 - $23 depending on length of cruise) is available for the under-21 set.

Clothing: The Celebration is a casual cruise. There is only one formal night, and most gentlemen opt for a suit and tie as opposed to a tuxedo. Most ladies wear a short cocktail dress or a dressy pants outfit on formal nights. Other nights are casual, with most gentlemen wearing a sport shirt and long slacks and most ladies wearing a casual dress or skirt and blouse or pants outfit. Shorts are not permitted in the dining rooms at dinner. The dress is very casual during the day, with swimsuits, shorts and t-shirts being the rule. Swimsuits are not allowed in the dining rooms, but you may opt for casual breakfast and lunch on the lido deck or around the pool.