VESSEL REVIEW | Carnival Celebration – New Caribbean cruise ship with 5,200-guest capacity

Florida-based Carnival Cruise Line has taken delivery of its second Excel-class cruise ship following construction at Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku.

Like its earlier sister ship Mardi Gras, the Bahamas-registered Carnival Celebration has a length of 1,131 feet (345 metres), a beam of 136.8 feet (41.7 metres), a gross tonnage of 180,800, and capacity for 5,374 guests and 1,735 crewmembers across 18 decks with six themed zones. The Excel-class newbuilds' dimensions make them the largest ships ever to join the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. A third ship, the future Carnival Jubilee, is under construction at Meyer Werft in Germany and is scheduled for delivery in 2023.

An LNG propulsion system delivers a service speed of 17 knots and a top speed of 23 knots.

The accommodation spaces include 180 suites and 2,641 single staterooms in four categories. The hallways between the staterooms are also noticeably wider than on Carnival's previous ships, ensuring easier access for guests and crew. The dining options meanwhile consist of 10 restaurants and 11 bars.

For recreation, the ship boasts facilities such as a theatre and other venues for live entertainment, a fitness centre, a spa/salon, pools, a water park, a casino, activity areas for younger guests, sports courts, a jogging track, a library, duty-free shops, and a roller coaster.

A notable area of the ship is a three-deck-high atrium that also houses an entertainment complex and restaurants. Large floor-to-ceiling windows in this area provide guests with a near-unobstructed view of the outside over the starboard side.

Many of the design elements – such as the names of the onboard areas – were either inspired by or sourced from some of the earlier ships in the Carnival fleet, as Carnival Celebration went into service at around the same time that the company celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. For example, one of the lounges on Celebration features actual artwork and other items that were originally fitted on some of Carnival's now-retired ships.

Carnival Celebration is homeported in Nassau but is presently operating out of Miami, serving itineraries covering the eastern, western, and southern Caribbean.

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