Carnival Celebration Review

The pros and cons of Carnival's newest cruise ship

In December 2022, we sailed on the Carnival Celebration from Miami, Florida on an eight Caribbean cruise. We really enjoyed the entertainment and the casual dining. My favorite moment was during the Evolution dance party when the Quora String Trio joined in the fun. Overall, it was a great cruise. I gave it an 8.5 / 10 and here’s why:

Differences between the Carnival Celebration and the Mardi Gras

We previously sailed the sister ship - Carnival Mardi Gras - in December 2021. You can find that ship tour by clicking here.

The obvious difference is the theme. The Mardi Gras has a New Orleans theme. Carnival Celebration has a Miami theme.

On the Celebration, they reconfigured part of Deck 6. The Golden Jubilee replaced the Brass Magnolia. The Celebration’s lounge is configured a little differently to allow more sound proofing between the lounge and Carnivale restaurant. Personally, I like the Brass Magnolia theming better for that area.

Also on Deck 6, the Fortune Teller bar is now Latitudes - a train station themed bar that leads to The Gateway. They moved the bar all the way to the windows. This is a much better set up. It allows more seats at the bar and easily viewing for the musician performing in the lounge. The Gateway is a new concept. Each night starting around 6pm, a little show takes place in the windows above the Latitudes bar and Emeril’s. After the show, the windows show scenes of different places are the world.

Otherwise, the rest of the ship felt very familiar.

If you want more detail about the Carnival Celebration, check out this extensive walkthrough ship tour: