Sailed on Carnival Celebration for the first time from February 21-March 1st, 2026. The ship itself…read moreis very new, well kept and has multiple restaurants and attractions for everyone.
The restaurants that were unique to this ship compared to the last one I was on were the " Chi-Bang", Cucina del Capitano, Teppanyaki and the steakhouse. I also really enjoyed the pizza from the " pizzeria del capitano" as it was very thin and had fresh ingredients! We did eat at the " cucina del capitano" one night for free, but it wasn't anything special, so I wouldn't go again for $8 per person. The rest of the cruise food was the average meals that you get on all ships--- a bit on the heavier side and tough on my digestive system, but it was nice to have the opportunity to skip the seated dinners to eat a quick salad at the buffet or have other lighter meal.
In regards to the layout of this ship, I felt that it was a bit confusing and I definitely missed having the central atrium that was present in all other ships. However, we were fortunate enough to have a room in floor 16 so we could be close to the Lido and serenity. Speaking of serenity--- on previous ships, this was on the back of the boat and thus made for a less windy experience, whereas this time it was located on the front of the boat and you were lucky if your food or towels didn't blow away.
My other critique of Celebration is that many attractions required an additional cost--- if you're going to advertise a " roller coaster at sea!" , then you shouldn't be charging guests an additional $15 per person to ride it ONCE. Our local 6 Flags has better deals than that. Furthermore due to the high winds and chilly temperatures during our cruise, the " Bolt" rollercoaster was closed more often than it was open. As a result, when we tried to book a ride, they were all sold out. The ropes course and the water slides are free, thankfully, but one of the slides was broken during our trip, so that was a bummer.
In regards to the shows and entertainment on this ship, Carnival Celebration blew all the other ships out of the water ( pun intended). Color my world, We Are One, Noche Cubana, and the circus show were absolutely AMAZING. I felt like I was watching some " cirque du Soleil" shows on the cruise ship, and was very impressed! As usual, their Punchliner comedy shows were also hilarious, and they were always a great end to the evening.
Overall, due to the greediness of the owners of the ship in making us pay extra for random unnecessary things, I give the ship a 4/5. That rating also includes the fact that, despite advertising " Celebration Key" as a Carnival owner island, all the activities one would want to partake in cost money. I wish cruise ships would stop getting greedy and instead focus on keeping their customers happy by avoiding extra unnecessary charges.