My time on Carnival Celebration is quickly coming to an end, as today we are in the first of two back-to-back sea days on our way back to Port Miami for an early morning arrival on Sunday. Sea days are always hectic on a cruise, as we’re all captive audience members to the show called “humanity” happening all around us!
Sea days often bring out the worst in people, especially those affectionately known as “chair hogs” who get up at the crack of dawn, place a towel on a prime lido deck lounge chair, and then… don’t use it all day.
While all the cruise lines make it a point in the daily program to remind people that saving chairs is a no-no and that any unattended articles left on a chair after a certain amount of time will be removed, this rule is rarely enforced.
What Are Chair Hogs and How to Deal With Them on Your Cruise
Fortunately, on Celebration, there’s plenty of space to grab a chair—either in the sun or shade—on the lido deck or in a quieter spot on the ship. Plus, there’s the adults-only Serenity deck, where you must be 18+, providing a nice spot to relax without kids running around.
Serenity Adults Only Area
The Serenity deck features a small pool, plenty of seating (which fills up quickly on a sea day), a bar, and a salad bar available for a few hours at lunchtime. Since this area is located at the very front and top of the ship, it can get quite windy. With a system brewing in the Gulf, the winds are stronger than usual, so it’s extra windy here and on all the outer decks.
Cruise Ship WiFi by Starlink
Now, let’s talk a bit about WiFi on the ship. It’s hard to stay disconnected for more than a day! While some people manage, most of us can’t. If you’re like me and work from the ship, WiFi is a must.
All Carnival ships now have Starlink, which has become the standard for internet at sea across nearly every cruise line. While WiFi at home may be cheap, out in the middle of the ocean, it’s not. It’s expensive for passengers, and definitely isn’t cheap for cruise lines either.
Some cruise lines bundle in a basic WiFi package that might include access for simple tasks like sending emails or checking social media, but these packages are often limited by the number of minutes and don’t include streaming, video calls, or web meetings over Zoom or Google Meet.
If you’re just looking to check email, the cheapest WiFi package will do the trick at $23 per day. You can save 15% if you purchase it pre-cruise. If you need to do video meetings or catch up on Netflix, the premium WiFi costs $25 per day, also with a 15% pre-cruise discount.
Both of these packages are per device, meaning only one device (phone, tablet, or laptop) can be logged in at a time. If you’re traveling with family and need more than one device logged in simultaneously, a multi-device plan is available at $75 per day. You can also save 15% on this plan if purchased in advance.
In terms of speed, don’t expect it to be like at home. While Starlink is a significant improvement over ship internet from a few years ago, it still has limitations. If you’re browsing or doing emails, it’s fine. Streaming and video calls are acceptable too, although I have experienced buffering and distorted video during web meetings. Uploading files, photos, etc., can take much longer than at home.
During this cruise, we had some encounters with Mother Nature where heavy clouds and rain interrupted the internet signal. Heavy rain and dense cloud cover impact the satellite signal, so there may be times in such weather when you can’t connect.
If you’re wondering if WiFi is necessary to access the Carnival HUB app, it’s not. The app connects to the ship’s WiFi for free features like the daily planner, restaurant reservations, photo viewing, and more. For $5 per person for the length of the cruise, you can access passenger-to-passenger chat via the app to stay in touch with your travel companions.
Sea Day Breakfast, Brunch, and Lunch Options
Switching gears, let’s talk about food. On sea days, a special Sea Day Brunch is served in the main dining room along with a Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2 Birthday Breakfast. The Sea Day Brunch is free, but the Dr. Seuss breakfast isn’t—it costs $15 for adults and $10 for kids 11 and under.
At lunchtime, besides the quick-service outlets like Guy’s Burger Joint, Shaq’s Big Chicken, the buffet, and Seafood Shack, you can also enjoy special lunch menus at Chibang (Asian/Mexican) and Cucina Del Capitano (Italian) for an additional fee.
Elegant Night Dinner
Tonight is the second elegant night of the cruise and the night they serve lobster in the main dining room, which means wait times to get in, for those with anytime dining, started off at 70+ minutes at 5pm when the dining room opened. Cruise ship lobster night is the most popular night in the main dining room and I can never understand why people wait so long for a single 4oz tail. But to each is own. Anyway, here’s a look at what’s being served:
Rudi’s Seagrill on Carnival Celebration
For dinner this evening, I decided to try Rudi’s Seagrill, a restaurant created by celebrity chef Rudi Sodamin, who has restaurants on multiple ships under the Carnival Cruise Line corporate umbrella.
This $49-per-person restaurant specializes in seafood, but there are options for those who prefer something “not from the ocean.”
For appetizers, I chose the Fried Calamari, which had a crispy breading and was all rings rather than tentacles—a preference of mine. It was served with marinara sauce for dipping. Unfortunately, this dish was a bit rubbery, and the breading didn’t adhere to the calamari, making it somewhat messy.
Next up was the Cioppino, a hearty fisherman’s stew loaded with clams, mussels, scallops, white fish, and a lobster claw in a savory tomato broth with grilled bread on the side for dipping. Absolutely delicious!
For the main course, I chose the Stuffed Lobster Tail. The split tail was about 6 oz and came with a crab stuffing that had almost an equal amount of filling to crab. While tasty, the stuffing could have used more crab. The lobster itself was sweet and tender.
Dessert was a delicious bread pudding served with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate inside—a perfect way to end the meal.
Having eaten at Rudi’s Seagrill several times in the past, I felt tonight they weren’t quite at their best. With rubbery calamari and a crabmeat stuffing that lacked a substantial amount of crab, the meal could have been better for the price. However, service was top-notch, with my server and her assistant being professional and attentive all evening.
There’s one more day left on this cruise, and in tomorrow’s report, I’ll provide an overall review of the cruise and details on my upcoming travels. As always, thanks for following along!
FunTimes for Day 5:
The Fun Times for November 1, 2024 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.
Personal Day-By-Day Carnival Celebration Cruise Review: