Later this month the newest cruise ship in the world will make its debut with passengers as Carnival Celebration welcomes its first guests.
But as of today, the ship is now officially part of the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. The sister ship to Mardi Gras was delivered to the cruise line at a ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
There, Carnival president Christine Duffy signed the paperwork making the transfer official and adding Carnival Celebration to its roster.
“We have so many reasons to celebrate now that Carnival Celebration has joined as the 24th ship in our fleet. Now, more guests will experience all that our innovative Excel-class has brought to cruising,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “She represents the culmination of our 50th birthday while also shining a light on our bright future with so much more excitement to come!”
From Finland, the ship will head to Southampton, England where it will take on its first passengers on November 6 as the ship takes a 14-day trip to its new homeport in Miami. Once in Miami later this month, Celebration will sail week-long cruises to the Caribbean from the newly updated Terminal F at the Port of Miami.
Second Ship in Excel Class, With Tons to Offer
Celebration is the second ship in the cruise line’s Excel class, a group of ships that represents a different direction for Carnival. These ships are not only LNG-powered, but also represent the largest cruise ships in the fleet.
The new vessel will hold more than 5,200 passengers at double occupancy and measures roughly 180,000 gross tons. Another Excel-class ship — Carnival Jubilee — is slated for 2023 to sail from Galveston, Texas.
Of course, the big draw to a larger cruise ship is that it can offer all those passengers so much more to do, see, and eat. For example, Celebration will have the BOLT roller coaster that first made headlines aboard Mardi Gras. It also features a massive WaterWorks waterpark on the ship as well, in addition to classics like the SportsSquare, Arcade, mini-golf, and more. In short, there is a lot to offer families.
Food is also seeing a major push compared to what you might find on smaller vessels in Carnival’s fleet. Favorites like Guy’s Burger Joint are there, but there’s also Chibang! (Mexican and Chinese dining), Shaq’s Big Chicken, Miami Slice (pizza), and Street Eats.
Meanwhile, six different zones onboard offer a spot for everyone, including The Gateway (inspired by international destinations and travel) and the pool area called Summer Landing, which Carnival is calling “the greatest chill spot at sea.”
In short, if you take what so many people love about a Carnival cruise, Celebration and the other ships in the Excel class look to take that to another level.
You can read more about the new ship here.