It’s the final day onboard the Carnival Celebration as we head back to Miami, putting an end to this latest adventure as we sailed through the western Caribbean. On this cruise, we made stops at Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, as well as Roatan, Honduras (Mahogany Bay).
With it being a sea day, there’s not too much to report on… well… maybe there is!
Medical Evacuations and Early Arrival in Miami for Carnival Celebration
Around 1 p.m., the captain made an announcement that there was yet another emergency situation with a guest on board. This follows the medevac of a passenger early Monday, which was our first full cruising day, and a request for blood donations for a passenger who was taken by ambulance in Cozumel on Tuesday.
Due to the seriousness of the issue, the ship began sailing at full speed to arrive in Miami to disembark the passenger around 7 p.m. The captain announced that we would not be returning to sea once we docked and that once we arrived in Miami, we would stay overnight, with debarkation beginning the following morning as scheduled.
Because of our early arrival in Miami, shops and the casino would be closing at 6:30 p.m. While most would not complain about shops closing, there was a bit of an uproar about the casino being closed, leaving gamblers without an evening to continue their winning or losing streak.
Cruise lines are not allowed to operate retail stores or casinos while in United States waters, hence the reason things were shutting down. However, all scheduled entertainment, as well as all bars and restaurants, were open on their usual schedule.
Many were also complaining about why we couldn’t just drop the passenger off and return to sea. Obviously, there are reasons such as scheduling, marine traffic, costs, pilot boat availability, etc., that would need to be considered when making a decision like this.
I’m often amazed that when things like this come up, people will find any reason to complain and try to take advantage of the situation by asking for credit even though the move was necessary to save a human life.
There was a lot of complaining onboard, and the line for guest services was long as people were venting. However, no onboard credit or refunds were issued for the early arrival in port. Additionally, some were asking if they could disembark to head into Miami for the night, and the answer was no. No passengers were allowed to leave the ship, as there were no government officials in port to process them.
With the casino closing early, I had a balance in my casino bank that I had to either cash in or play… so play it was! The casino was packed with everyone getting in their last bit of play before things shut down. I ended up with a few wins and ended up calling it quits, cashing out $300.
For this cruise, I cycled through about $5,000, and at the end of the day… for once, I was up. By $50, so I’ll call that a win!
Carnival VIFP Platinum Perks
On this cruise, I “graduated” to Platinum status on Carnival Cruise Line – a feat I would have NEVER expected to achieve! I am definitely not a fan of Carnival’s older ships, as they are dated, worn, and just don’t offer the level of amenities that the newer ships in the Excel-class have to offer. So, I must credit Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras for reaching this milestone, as these two ships have seen me the most!
Reaching Platinum requires that you have completed 75+ cruise days. Carnival counts each day sailed toward different levels in their loyalty program. Each level comes with its own set of perks. While other lines, such as Holland America, give double cruise day credit if you stay in a suite, or MSC, which gives you additional points for onboard spending, Carnival does not. They base their levels solely on days sailed.
Since this was my first cruise as a Platinum cruiser, some of the benefits I experienced included a priority line at embarkation, which wasn’t needed when I arrived at the terminal; two free bags of wash-and-fold laundry service, which is always a great perk; a chocolate surprise that you have to order via room service (which I didn’t because I think that’s overcomplicating things); a special VIFP pin with the ship name; and the Platinum and Diamond (top tier) party.
The Platinum and Diamond party is scheduled for the last day of the cruise and was held in the ship’s main theater at 4 p.m. Upon entry, you get a free beverage and then sit and listen to the cruise director talk for a bit before he introduces the captain and his senior officers.
It’s billed as a place to “mingle with other guests,” but the venue just didn’t fit. How do you mingle in a theater? You grab your free drink, take a seat, and just sit there and listen to what’s going on. There should be some type of better venue to hold this in.
For example, on MSC, the Diamond party is held in one of the ship’s lounges where not only free drinks are served, but also passed hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, a meet and greet with the captain and his staff, and photos are taken of all the guests and provided to you at no charge.
While grateful for anything that recognizes frequent cruisers, there should be a better way to do it.
Speaking of frequent cruisers, stats were shared for this cruise: there were 870 Platinum and 163 Diamond cruisers onboard… That’s over a thousand top-tier cruisers, which completely explains why a large venue like the theater is used.
Main Dining Room Dinner Menu
For those dining in the main dining room tonight, here’s what was on the menu.
Dinner at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse
For this cruise, I avoided the main dining room entirely, and for the last night onboard, I headed over to the ship’s steakhouse, where I’ve had fantastic service to match the food during the multiple times I’ve dined there.
Dinner started with the Beef Carpaccio, followed by the crab risotto. Both were solid choices, although the risotto was something that was not cooked fresh to order, as it had that “this was cooked three hours ago” taste and appearance to it.
For my main course, I went with a bone-in ribeye with a lobster tail. Both were cooked perfectly and loaded with flavor, making for yet another delicious meal at the steakhouse.
Now, let’s dive into the overall review of this cruise. First things first:
Embarkation
Not sure a future cruise can top this one as far as embarkation is concerned. I traveled from Boca Raton to Miami via the Brightline train. It takes almost exactly one hour to arrive in Miami after the train makes stops in Fort Lauderdale and Aventura before arriving at the Miami Central Station.
For this trip, I booked premium seating on the train, which gives you pre-departure lounge access with complimentary snacks and drinks, as well as a comfortable place to chill and wait for the train. Once onboard, you get larger seats as well as complimentary snacks and beverages.
Premium seating also comes with a $10 Uber voucher that’s valid on your day of travel.
When the train pulled into Miami at 12:22p.m., it’s a quick walk downstairs to the street where you wait for your ride. My Uber arrived in a few moments, and in less than 10 minutes, I was at the port.
I did not drop off my luggage, as I’m Platinum with Carnival, and Platinum and above can drop off luggage in the stateroom before they are ready for the masses.
After a quick stop for check-in and security, I was on the ship in less than 15 minutes.
Like I said, I don’t think it could get more flawless than this!
Carnival Celebration Interior Stateroom 9354
This cruise was booked as a last-minute casino offer, which gave me a free interior stateroom. The room is assigned by the cruise line, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll get an upgrade from the standard interior. In the past, I’ve been given a Deluxe Spa Interior room and once even an Oceanview instead of the interior. It all depends on availability when rooms are assigned.
For this trip, I was assigned a standard interior connecting stateroom, 9354, located on deck 9 forward. The room comes with two twin beds that can be turned into a full. It does not have upper berths or a sofa, so it’s designed for one or two people only.
This was pretty much the lowest class of interior available and, while nicely laid out, it was a bit small. Amenities included a large screen television mounted across from the bed, USB outlets and reading lights on each side of the bed, a cooler, a footstool that doubles as a place to store items and a bed tray, along with US power outlets and more USB ports at the vanity.
Closet space was ample for two travelers, with closets having plenty of space to hang clothes, as well as pull-out drawers, a safe, and a full-length mirror.
All the bathrooms in the Excel-class ships have switched over to glass shower doors instead of shower curtains. The bathrooms on these ships are quite small, but the showers are much larger. Those of larger size may have issues squeezing in to use the toilet.
Overall, the rooms on Celebration and sister ships Mardi Gras and Jubilee are huge upgrades in terms of amenities, outlets, and bathrooms compared to Carnival’s older ships. These are some of the main reasons why I choose these ships over the older ones in the fleet.
I was concerned about noise coming through the connecting room door, but fortunately, I had quiet neighbors and didn’t hear them at all during the cruise.
Carnival Celebration Food
When it comes to food, there’s no shortage on Carnival Celebration. Breakfast is served daily at the buffet and at Blue Iguana, where you can grab breakfast burritos. On port days, an express breakfast is served in the main dining room, while on sea days, you can head there for the Sea Day brunch.
At lunchtime, you can head to the buffet, grab a burger at Guy’s Burger Joint, get fried chicken sandwiches or tenders at Shaq’s Big Chicken, street food at Street Eats, tacos and burritos at Blue Iguana, seafood at the Seafood Shack, a sandwich or panini at the Deco Deli, or pizza, which is available from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily. On sea days, Chibang and Cucina del Capitano also offer lunch. À la carte sushi is available at Bonsai Sushi, and on sea days, you can dine at Bonsai Teppanyaki for a per-person price.
Dinner is where Carnival Celebration shines, as there are many options outside of the main dining room or the buffet. Specialty dining spots for dinner include Rudi’s Seagrill, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Chibang, Cucina del Capitano, Bonsai Sushi, and Bonsai Teppanyaki. More casual, free spots include the deli, pizza, and Seafood Shack.
If I had to rate the various restaurants, they would be:
- Main Dining Room (Free) – didn’t experience
- Buffet (Free) – **
- Pizza (Free) – **
- Deli (Free) – didn’t experience
- Blue Iguana Burritos and Tacos (Free) – ***
- Seafood Shack (à la carte) – ****
- Cucina del Capitano (first visit free, additional visits $8 per person) – didn’t experience
- Chibang! (first visit free, additional visits $8 per person) – **
- Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse ($49 per person) – ****
- Emeril’s Bistro (à la carte) – didn’t experience
- Bonsai Sushi (à la carte) – didn’t experience
- Bonsai Teppanyaki ($42 per person) – ****
Each daily report features notes from dinner, so be sure to check them out!
Carnival Celebration Passengers
This one caught me off guard a bit. This was a MUCH older crowd than I’ve experienced on other Carnival Celebration cruises or cruises from Miami in general. With school back in session, that’s to be expected, but the majority of passengers on this cruise were in the 35+ age group, with many 50+. There were very few families and very few kids.
Carnival Celebration Entertainment
There is no shortage of entertainment on Carnival Celebration. With two large showrooms, Grand Central and the ship’s main theater, there are two large production shows each evening, complemented by multiple comedy shows a night, solo or trio performances in various lounges, the Backyard Band, which entertained in two different venues this cruise, as well as movies on the big screen up on the lido.
There’s also Family Feud and Deal or No Deal played on board, in addition to the sport court, pools, water play area, and Bolt the roller coaster, which happened to be out of service for most of the cruise.
The production shows in the ship’s main theater are generally of low production value and “cheesy,” whereas the shows in Grand Central are more of a “production” rather than a high school musical.
The shows are still the same ones being performed since the ship was launched, so frequent cruisers on this ship will have seen them many times already.
Carnival Celebration Service
As always, the crew of the Celebration are fantastic. No matter if you’re walking down a hallway, ordering a drink, sitting down enjoying a burger, or having dinner in a restaurant, the crew is always friendly, smiling, and will go out of their way to do what it takes to make you happy.
The ship itself is meticulously maintained, with crew constantly going around sweeping, dusting, and wiping things down. The exterior of the ship is as brilliant today as it was when she launched in February 2022. You look at older Carnival ships and can see large patches of rust on the outside or around the decks that could just be cleaned up and painted over, but are simply neglected. You don’t see that on Celebration. And that’s a good thing.
Debarkation
Carnival Celebration uses the new digital debarkation process that Carnival has rolled out fleetwide. It works by logging into the Carnival HUB app, going to the last day of the cruise, and choosing when and how you want to debark.
In the app, you can select whether you’re going to put your luggage outside your room for collection the night before or if you’re going to carry your luggage off yourself. You then select a preferred time to get off the ship. Once your selections are made, you’ll receive a confirmation, and you’re all set!
On debarkation morning, just wait for the app to notify you that you’re good to proceed to the gangway, and that’s it! It’s designed to streamline the debarkation process and avoid people rushing to get off the ship first thing.
I chose to carry my own luggage off the ship and selected an 8:20 a.m. debarkation time since my Brightline train wasn’t scheduled until 9:40 a.m. Around 8:15 a.m., I received the notification that it was my time to debark.
I headed down to deck 6, waited in a very short line, and was in the terminal in about ten minutes. After a quick facial recognition scan at customs, I was on the curb waiting for my Uber to arrive and take me to the train station.
Now, waiting for an Uber at Port Miami on debarkation day is a hot mess. Port Miami itself is a hot mess. While my Uber driver was in the port, it took a good 15 minutes for him to travel less than a mile to where I was standing due to the gridlock that the port suffers from due to its aging infrastructure and inability to handle the volume of passengers traveling in and out of the port by car.
Once in the Uber, it took less time to get me to the Brightline station than it did waiting for him to pick me up! Since I booked Premium seating on the train, I had access to the Premium lounge, where there was a small complimentary breakfast buffet set up with bagels, toast, eggs, sausage, fruit, and pastries, along with complimentary beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic).
While getting off the ship was pretty hassle-free, you still have to pack your patience dealing with Port Miami.
Overall Rating
Overall, the Carnival Celebration is one of my favorite ships. I always rate my time on Celebration highly as there is so much to do, so many eateries to explore, the ship is in fantastic condition, and the experience is always great.
This cruise was no exception, and again, Celebration is the reason why I’ve reached Platinum status with Carnival.
Next Adventure
My next adventure is just a few days away, as I board Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam from Fort Lauderdale on another Western Caribbean cruise. I’ll be visiting Costa Maya, Grand Turk, Ocho Rios, and the line’s private island, Half Moon Cay, over the course of seven days.
The last time I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam was in 2010, so I’m looking forward to seeing her once again!
That trip will be followed by a quick six-day cruise on the Carnival Horizon beginning December 1st, followed by a 10-day cruise on Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess from December 20th – 30th, so be sure to follow along!
FunTimes for Day 7:
Coming soon!
The Fun Times for November 2, 2024 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.
Personal Day-By-Day Carnival Celebration Cruise Review: