Best Things to Do on a Carnival Cruise: Celebration Ship
Going on a cruise is such a fun way to travel and relax, all at the same time. Cruising allows you to see the world by visiting several ports of call while on one vacation. It is one of the best values in vacationing, as all your food, bed and entertainment are in one price. I personally like the Carnival line of ships. There's something for everyone in your family, from small children to grandpa and grandma. We have sailed with Carnival several times, and we have enjoyed every ship for different reasons. One of the best ships is the Carnival Celebration and I am going to share with you the best things to do on a Carnival cruise, especially the Celebration Ship.
What is special about The Celebration? In this post, I will tell you all about the Carnival Celebration, our personal experiences, and how the ship is organized. First, it is divided into six zones. With 19 floors of fun, it is nice to know what part of the ship you need to head to do certain things. The Celebration offers activities for all kinds of travelers, from children to senior citizens. The Celebration is one of the largest cruise ships in the world with entertainment and activities. The Carnival is family-friendly but still provides many areas that are adult-only.
How to Navigate the Celebration
Each zone has its own specific purpose and once you are familiar with the zones, you can get to different parts of the ship efficiently. I want to focus this article on what you can do on the ship while at sea and at port.
1. Celebration Central-This is the first impression you will have of the ship. This is where all the entertainment is plus a sushi restaurant and a coffee shop. There are three unique bars that offer one-of-a-kind experiences such as the piano bar. The main stage is here and the entertainment is wonderful. Go early to get the best seats at the main stage as it fills up fast.
2. The Gateway-This area pays homage to all the special locations around the world. You will find ever-changing murals that depict scenes from famous places as well as restaurants like Emeril's Bistro 1397 and the Alchemy Bar, which creates cocktails with wizardry in mind (ask about the smoking bourbon cocktail!) The murals are fun to do on a hot afternoon when you need a bit of air conditioning!
3. Summer Landing-Here you can find BBQ galore with Guy Fieri's restaurant and others. The lounge chairs are a perfect spot to sit and gaze at the ocean as the ship cruises along. And of course, you will find soft-serve ice cream in a couple of places here as well. Mid-afternoon is a great time to find a seat and enjoy an ice cream cone. The machines are always busy but the line goes really fast!
4. 820 Biscayne-It's all about Miami here, with themed decor such as art deco walls and Cuban-inspired art. Bar 820 serves Cuban coffee and the Deco Deli has Cuban favorites just for you. There is a fantastic pizza joint here and Rudi's Seagrass restaurant, a bit of splurge, but oh, so good! The pizza can be delivered to your room! It makes a great evening snack or late afternoon snack. The pizzas are large, and the price might fool you into thinking they are personal pan-sized!
5. Lido-The Lido deck is famous for so many things: Dive in movies, soft-serve ice cream, street food, and the pools! Contests are held here and this is where the party is each night. It's a happening place with something for everyone!
6. The Ultimate Playground-Home of the BOLT, the roller-coaster, this place is where everyone wants to go. The are three water slides, a mini golf course, a basketball court, and a ropes course. You need appointments for the BOLT and the waterslides, so book them on your first day. They are very busy on days at sea, so consider coming back early from a port day to do the ride or make your appointments quickly when you get on board.
Other fun things to do are the cooking school, pickleball, Build-a-Bear workshop, Camp Ocean (free for kids 2-11) Suess at Sea, and many more! Most require advance reservations, which you can do online before the ship sails.
Carnival Celebration Food and Experiences
We love the food experiences at the Carnival Celebration. We think you will too! Most require advanced reservations, do this online before cruising for the best choice of dates and times.
1. Chef's Table-For us, this is the event of the cruise! Only offered once a day, and with limited seating, you will experience the very best in food preparation by the head chef. We had 16 courses, with wine included, and spent about $125 each. We consider it a steal. Our favorite event! You need to book this event as soon as you can once you are booked on your cruise.
2. Cooking School-The Celebration offers many different hands-on cooking experiences. We went to pizza making and it was delicious. We just did one class, but on our next cruise, we will try to do more. It was fun and we learned a lot from the chef. Book early.
3. Special Restaurants-The ship has several restaurants that are not included in the cruise fee. These restaurants usually specialize in their food choices, such as steak restaurant or seafood. We try to go to at least one specialty restaurant because the food is outstanding and very reasonably priced. Again, make your reservations early for these restaurants.
4. Evening Dining-The cruise comes with dinner service that you chose whether you want an early or late seating. It is a personal preference, and one time doesn't seem to be better than another. You will be seated with other guests and we love meeting our dinner partners for the cruise. We generally talk about what we discovered about the ship, our favorite drinks or shows, or what excursions we booked. I highly recommend the Molten Chocolate Cake, the Shrimp Cocktail, and the Strawberry Soup.
Wrapping up here, if you are interested in more about the Carnival Cruise ship The Celebration, leave a comment and I will follow up with you. Cruising is a fun way to travel!
