I recently spent 14 nights onboard the brand-new Carnival Celebration, as she made her way from Southampton England to Miami Florida. For the first time on a sailing, I felt I had ample amount of time to checkout everything a ship had to offer. There were certainly things I did not experience, like the gym and the spa, but I think I was able to cover everything I had intentions on seeing or experiencing. Blogging about everything I did over the 14 days would be a bit overkill, so I decided to focus on five things that really stood out to me.
Bolt
This is one of the most noticeable features from the outside of the ship on the Carnival Celebration. The motorcycle style roller coaster is something new to the industry (first debuted on the Mardi Gras) and should be on the top of your list of must do activities onboard. Each ride costs $15 and consists of two laps around the track. A lap takes just under 30 seconds, though this can vary depending on a rider’s use of the throttle and boost button. I had originally planned on only riding once during the sailing, but after the first ride, I decided I would have to go again.
These type of attractions on cruise ships I feel can be hit or miss. Sometimes more hype than practicality. However, in the case of Bolt, its full of fun, speed, and excitement. The only thing holding me back from riding it even more was the $15 price tag. I have heard that some sailings on Mardi Gras offered a “season pass”, but I did not see this available on my sailing of the Celebration.
Chef’s Table
It’s not too often I get to say, “that was the best meal I’ve had at sea”, but I did after experiencing Celebration’s Chef’s Table. Carnival Kitchen is the dedicated venue for Chef’s Table on the Celebration. We started the meal a welcome glass of champagne and several reception hor d’oeuvres. We were then escorted down to the galley to watch a demonstration on how to make Carnival’s famous chocolate melting cake. Anyone who has visited a cruise ship galley knows how busy things can be and how many different moving parts there are. It’s very cool to witness firsthand. The visit to the galley was quick but was a nice addition to the experience.
Once back to the Carnival Kitchen, our eight-course dinner started. This is where the experience really started to shine. Each dish stood out on its own, but all together the offering just fit together so well. I documented the entire meal on my Instagram stories which can now be found in the highlights section of my profile here.
The price of Chef’s Table is currently $99 per person. The up charge is worth every penny in my opinion. Especially if you are a foodie like me, this is an experience on the Celebration you will not want to miss. Availability is limited, so I would suggest booking pre-cruise if possible!
Latitudes Bar
There are so many bar offerings on Celebration that it was hard to pick just one to highlight, but the Latitudes Bar has everything you could want in a cruise ship bar and more. Located in the Gateway section of deck six, the airport/train station inspired themed bar jumps out to any travel enthusiast. The bar menu has cocktail creations from around the world. You definitely don’t want to miss out on the Sakura!
In the evening there is live music just across the hall which adds to the ambience. The atmosphere is perfect for a pre or post dinner drink. Though, you may end up staying for more than one, with the amazing bar staff on hand. As a bonus, there is rotating video entertainment via the LCD windows in the Gateway corridor. Each show taking you to various locations, or even back in time! After you’ve paid a visit to the Latitudes bar, shoot me a DM, and let me know if you agree that this is one of the coolest bars at sea!
Street Eats on Lido
Pool deck food options should be quick and easy in my opinion. If you get those two down, and make the food delicious and unique, well then we have perfect pool deck offering. Street Eats consists of three, food truck style venues, Mad Sizzle, Steam Dreams, and Time Fries. Each venue offers one dish each day but rotates through different items over the course a sailing.
Mad Sizzle offers kebab and satay dishes. Steam Dreams will have different dumplings and bao buns. Time Fries takes a unique spin on the staple snack dish, with offerings like Cheesesteak Fries. If you’re lounging by the pool soaking up the sun and just need a little snack to hold you over until dinner, Street Eats is the place to go!
Serenity
I personally tend not to spend much time in Serenity, but I know it’s a popular area for those trying to get away from all the action and noise of the main pool deck area. You might be asking yourself, why did it make his list? The first reason is the sheer size of the space, it takes up about one third of the deck space on deck 18 (forward). If you’re over 18 and looking for some quiet space, there is no lack of it. I appreciate that Carnival is focused on offering a well-rounded product, when it comes to open air deck space.
The second, and main reason it made my list, is its potential for an outdoor nightclub space. My sailing was quite quiet on the nightclub front. This was due to the demographics of a long transatlantic sailing. However, on a regular seven-day Caribbean sailing, this space would have some serious vibes going on. Carnival, if you’re listening, you need to have silent disco’s up here! I had a vision and I hope to see it happen one day!
There are so many other great things this ship has to offer, but I just could not touch on all of them. Some other notables I’ll mention briefly with no explanation that you should check out on your next Celebration sailing, ChiBang, Bar820, Alchemy Bar, Bonsai Teppenyaki, Waterworks, and Emeril’s Bistro. If you’re looking to book a cruise, I promise you will not be disappointed with this ship. If you’ve already sailed on the Celebration or when you get back, be sure to let me know what YOUR top five are!
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