Celebration Review 9 Apr

We have returned. And gee ya know what?? We saw no unsightly carpet stains, no sewer smells, had no problem with chair savers, no babies in the pool with or with out swim diapers, no unruly drunks, only one or two idiots in the dining room in shorts (never ceases to amaze me), no late comers just before departure, and had good service and food every day. No I am not being a Carnival cheer leader - this was just the way it was. We flew into Jacksonville the day before - jumped in the van at 1130 the next morning and were at our room by 1215. This trip really put an damper on all those who seem to think Carnival cruises are nothing more than one big drunken party. A large portion of the passengers were more mature folks, 60+. There were obviously a mix of all ages but I was a bit surprised by the numbers above 60.

I was not pleased with the schedule. We got to Key West at 0700AM and left at 3 o'clock. By the time we did the Island tour and walked Duval Street it was time to go back to the ship. In Nassau we did the Atlantis trip. You need to see this place = its nice and the aquarium is awsome. But - we got to Nassau at 1:00PM and left at Midnight. So by the time we did the Atlantis thing all the shops started closing - they all close at or about 500PM - so unless you are into hitting the bars, not much left to do. That is because of the timing - not because there is anyhting wrong with Nassau. The Staw Market was a zoo. Very crowded and cramped. I would liked to have done another tour or two but timing did not allow. The weather on the cruise was great. It was less than 60 degrees overcast and sprinkling when we got back to Jacksonville - it was cold. We were in E217 at the back of the ship. Good room with the minor exception of one afternoon when they decided to scrap and bang (working on the ship) under us and wife wanted to take nap. Didn't happen :). All in all a great cruise. Suggest you take a look at the schedule and determine if this schedule will meet your expectations. Like I said I would liked to have had a little more quality time at the ports but we had a great time and the ship was in really good shape.

gr,

Thanks for the review and information. :D

Our itinerary has us scheduled for Nassau from 7am-midnight so I hope we'll have plenty of time to really enjoy Atlantis.

I was SO GLAD to hear the ol'girl is in tiptop shape for her age. We're now just over 50 days til sailing so . . . I'll make sure that I post my review too when I return!!!!

We are sailing in 2 weeks on the Celebration and will be in cabin E217. Any pictures of the cabin you can pass along??

Mike

Mike . . looking forward to reading your review of the Celebration! We are sailing on her on Oct 16th and want to hear all about her!!

:cool: Bill

Thanks for the review - we are on her in less than 20 days :D

How was the piano bar?? Was there any nightlife on the ship to speak of?

I will be sure to write a review as well.

I just stumbled off the ship this morning. All in All a nice cruise. It suites this port well. I cant wait to go on a bigger ship now. Cause to me this one just didn't cut it. The sit down meals are just absolutly wonderful, the rest of the food has much to be desired. And yes they do have food 24/7 but seems like everytime I wanted to eat I only had the choices of Pizza or Roomservice. One very nice thing about the ship being so small was lines where short. Someone asked about the nightlife, well the only club that seem to have people was the Piano bar, and Galaxy-Z from 12-2am. The Karoke bar was busy early but dies about 9-10. The shows where never packed and could always get a good seat. And the Casino was never full, hard getting play on certain tables at time. But the Casino Dealers and Staff are some of the best I have ever seen. If you are going soon, keep your eyes out for Poojah and Coral(Table Manager) and Shakeel some really good people and can give you a good laugh.

Port: Loved Key West, hated we had such short time. Hated Nassau since everything closes at 5pm. And you cant go more than 2 ft being asked to buy something.

I wont kidnap this thread any more but I will write my full review later on tonight.

DW keeps telling me that I need to try a smaller ship, and she's been on the Celebration twice and wants to go back. We're considering the Celebration for September. We really don't care about the time in port because we've done Nassau too many times to care, and a few hours in Key West is enough for us. We're looking forward to your reviews of the ship's rooms and activities. Did anybody take any pictures that you're planning to post???

bp traveler-

What day do you sail?? We sail on May 20th.

Mike

Thanks for the info, I'm going on my first cruise on the Celebration this month 5/29

Your post really helped me. My DH and I have been on several Carnival Cruises but never one this small. Can you really tell a difference on the size once you get on? I am looking forward to a smaller ship because It took me 3 days on the Victory to get to know the ship and still got lost. I love the fantasy class especially the area behind the pizza place. Great deck lovely breeze, It gives you the best view and it is never overcrowded. We sail the Celebration on June 17-22nd and cait wait. We are taking my Son for his senior graduation, My 16 year daughter and her 17 year old best friend will be going along also. Any hints that will keep the 3 teens busy but not in trouble?? look forward to your reply, Annmarie

Oh yes you can tell your on a smaller ship. There is no midnite buffet. They have a GRAND GALLA(One night of Midnight Buffet) and that is it. And they have ice carvings and fruit scupltures but all the food is finger food. Yes they had allot of kids events but we never saw more than 3-4 kids at each one.

To me this ship fits in the been on 2-3 cruises and need something different and quaint this is the ticket. If you are looking for a little more of a party and a true cruise ship experience then I would say try one of the bigger ships.

We are going on 5-25-06 -anyone else out there on this date?

I do hope there is some nightlife that is why Camp Carnival is such a perk for us - we can bring our son and my brother who is like a big kid too and hang with them all day and take him to camp for awhile at night and it is fun for everyone!

Oh yes you can tell your on a smaller ship. There is no midnite buffet. They have a GRAND GALLA(One night of Midnight Buffet) and that is it. And they have ice carvings and fruit scupltures but all the food is finger food. Yes they had allot of kids events but we never saw more than 3-4 kids at each one.

We have sailed the five day trip twice...

Grand Gala buffet one night...

Mexican night one night...

Burgers and Hot Dogs on Buffet one night,

in fact every night you could eat something at midnight at a buffet.

No one goes hungry...

JB

I'm heading out in less than a month on the Celebration...sounds to be the same itinerary that you went on, Key West/Nassau with the same times on the islands...

So what do you recommend to do at these ports? I have no idea about Key West and was wanting to snorkel in the Bahamas. What's this Atlantis in the the Bahamas?

Also any tips on the boat? I haven't been on this boat before.

thanks,

dj

bp traveler-

I guess we'll be getting off right before you get on.

Mike

Wow! What a difference a few weeks can make when all the kids are back in school from their spring breaks. I suspect the general non-family older crowd also improved the ratio of proper dress vs. anything goes dress. And I bet you didn't have a problem finding a chair near the pool either. The food is just as good on a small ship as a big one. You can always find something worth going back seconds for. It's a fun ship and the Celebration has a great crew to boot! Sounds like you picked a good week to go.

So is the abscence of an atrium all the Celebration lacks?

What on-board food do they have aside from the buffet and dining rooms? I've seen on here people talking about Chinese places and getting Reuben sandwichs onboard. Are these on the Celebration?

Also, any tips about Nassau and/or Key West are appreciated.

-dj

But there is a sandwhich bar available on the Lido deck in the Wheelhouse Grill...of course you can also get these from room service...

Also...no chinese, but they do have some specialty foods (ex. sushi, ice cream sundaes) in the Trolley bar...

The buffet is in two parts...

one side is a typical buffet food choice while the other serving line is "A Taste of the Nations" and dedicated to a different cuisine each day.

Plenty of options....

Key West is a great port if you have never been there. I would recommend the Trolley tour for your first visit, but don't miss sites on Duvall Street.

Nassau...Atlantis is a don't miss, but also several nice boat and scuba trips.

enjoy...

If cats is your thing visit the historic Hemmingway house in Key West. Also the Truman Little White House is neat to visit. Plenty of places to eat if you don't want to eat on the ship for lunch. Snorkeling very good in Key West.

Also very good in Nassau.