Honest, First-Hand Carnival Cruise Reviews

The Carnival Celebration is my absolute favorite Carnival ship sailing from Port Miami! As the second Excel-class ship, she launched during Carnival's 50th anniversary in November 2022. My Carnival Celebration reviews cover her amazing features, including the BOLT roller coaster at sea, six themed entertainment zones, and her LNG propulsion. Insider tip: When you sail, be sure to check out the Golden Jubilee lounge for one of my favorite libations—'Mickey's Fave,' a great dirty martini created in honor of Micky Arison himself.

The Carnival Mardi Gras launched a new era for the cruise line as the first LNG-powered vessel in the fleet and home to the world's first roller coaster at sea (BOLT). After multiple pandemic delays, she finally set sail in July 2021 with six incredible themed zones. Based on my personal sailings, no cruise on Mardi Gras would be complete without taking in lunch or dinner at Emeril's Bistro. His famous New Orleans dishes are served up along with fresh seafood—it's an absolute must, so be sure to try it!

Originally built for Costa Cruises in 2019, the Carnival Venezia was transferred to Carnival in 2023 and debuted in New York City, a rare homeport for the line. She retains stunning Italian-inspired decor and offers a distinctly different feel from a typical Carnival ship. However, in my honest Carnival Venezia reviews, I share that I gave this former Costa ship a try and frankly wasn't that impressed. Carnival made an attempt to give this ship some Carnival DNA, but it clearly wasn't enough.

As the second Vista-class ship, the Carnival Horizon introduced the first Guy Fieri's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse to the fleet, along with the Dr. Seuss WaterWorks. While she holds a special place as the second Carnival ship to resume operations post-pandemic, I have a major insider tip for booking: when choosing a stateroom on Carnival Horizon, if you're considering one of the Havana rooms, be sure to check the deck plan! I had an interior Havana stateroom that shared a wall with the Havana nightclub and it was quite noisy until midnight or longer when the band was in full swing.

Debuting to massive fanfare in 2016, the Carnival Vista was the line's first new ship design since 2009. She introduced the iconic SkyRide suspended cycling experience on the top deck and features an onboard craft brewery exclusive to the ship. My personal Carnival Vista reviews cover a rather unique experience: I sailed on the Vista during a period when the ship was having propulsion issues, on a cruise that was initially canceled but reinstated at the very last minute! Read my trip reports to see how the crew handled the situation and what you can expect onboard this class flagship.

Searching for a Carnival Splendor review? She is the only ship of her class in Carnival's fleet, originally ordered by Costa Cruises as a Concordia-class vessel before being redirected to Carnival during construction. She has sailed the Baltic (which is rare for Carnival) and has been based in Australia since late 2019. Check out my trip report below to see what makes this one-of-a-kind ship so unique.

In my Carnival Liberty reviews, you can explore a ship with a very notable 'first' in the fleet's history. The Liberty was the inaugural ship fleet-wide to receive the FUN 2.0 upgrades in 2011, which introduced Guy's Burger Joint. Today, Guy's is one of the most beloved free dining venues in all of cruising and is found on virtually every Carnival ship.

The Carnival Spirit is the original Spirit-class ship, introducing a narrower design capable of Alaska sailings, Panama Canal transits, and navigating Australian waters. Built in Helsinki for $375 million, she has spent many of her recent years based in Australia sailing Southern Ocean itineraries. While she may be a bit on the older side, my Carnival Spirit reviews showcase how her interiors are still full of that classic Joe Farcus design that was so popular on Carnival ships at the time. Is it a little dated? Yes. But it's undeniably fun!

Currently the smallest ship in Carnival's fleet, the Carnival Paradise launched in December 1998 as a completely smoke-free ship—a controversial experiment that ultimately didn't last. Here is a fun insider fact from my Carnival Paradise reviews: if you look closely at the ship's hull today, you will still notice remnants of that era with painted-over 'No Smoking' signs! She underwent a major dry dock in October 2023 and is fully updated, currently sailing short, classic getaways from Tampa.