Just returned from the Celebration! 5/15/06 sailing

[taylor712]

Awesome trip - My 5th on Carnival, my husband's 1st cruise. I'll try to keep this short (lots of luck! haha) & structured

 

Cabin

We were in cabin E120 (a friend sailing w/ us booked forward Upper deck cabin). It's true what people have said - Carnival bedding is amazing. Almost a better nights sleep than at home. Our cabin had been set up w/ the 2 beds pushed together and our steward (her tag said Komalmos, but she called herself Ann) was sweet as can be. Always appreciate having the bathrobes, towels were fluffy too. We did get a basket loaded w/ dental floss, disposable razors, vitamin C, moisturizer.

 

Crowd

This was a very mixed crowd - a lot of young couples (20s through 50s), some families, groups of twenty-somethings. A lot fewer children than you'd see other times of the year. Mostly those who live in the southeast (FL, GA, Carolinas), a few northerners (IN, MN, NJ). In general a good crowd, fun people. A cruise is what you make of it; if you are looking to enjoy yourself, you will.

 

Onboard Activities

Spent lots of time at the Trolley Bar - drinks were adequately strong (or more so). Karaoke was a blast. My husband even had the nerve to get up there several times over 2 nights. Casino was a killer, as we expected it to be -- next time, we'll have a casino budget; I'd recommend it to all future cruisers. We had ugly weather our first sea day (Tues), so I'm sure they made boatloads of cash from all of us. Didn't spend too much time in the disco, although the singles contest the 2nd night (I think it was that night) was a hoot.

 

I played Bingo on 2 occasions - didn't win, but had fun. They keep that Astoria Lounge frigid, I'd recommend a sweater! :) I did find the MC ("Show me the money, Brad!") slightly annoying. He couldn't just call out the numbers, he had to have a little something to say with it. It began to grate after awhile.

 

The pool games on our 2nd sea day (Friday) were amusing. Hairy chest contest - as always lots of fun; they also did the Balloon toss.

 

One notable caveat is the size of the gym - it is really small and the machines & weights are all cramped. For those looking for a serious workout (guys who lift regularly), you are going to be disappointed. Our friend couldn't work out all week and I know he was frustrated. But hey, it's a vacation! I used the jogging track a few times - it says 10 laps to a statute mile. Timewise, it seems like you'd need to do a few more laps than that, but it was nice walking in the open air.

 

Dining Room

I love going to dinner on cruises - it's one of the things I most look forward to, getting dressed up, all that. We had 5:45 seating in the Horizon dining room. Having had both early and late seatings, I definitely prefer early (though I like 6:15 better). Depending on the itinerary and whatever excursions I pick, I always seem to get back to the ship by 3, plenty of time for a nap and a shower before dinner. Plus you get to catch whatever activities in the evening without feeling like you have to rush from one to another. Our team consisted of Sueta & Ida, both from Indonesia. They were great, perfect timing, really friendly.

 

The food was good, consistent. I'm surprised so many have mentioned trouble with lukewarm food or meat not prepared right. I ordered the filet on one night and it was a perfect medium rare. Highlights for me were the escargot, the mushroom ragout, and the vegetarian option on night 3 (I think--it had grilled vegetables with cous cous in a tomato type sauce--it was delicious!). I cannot comment on dessert because we rarely ate any. We did breakfast each day in the Wheelhouse Grill - I stuck w/ the eggs, sausage, and fruit. The fresh fruit was great - helped me feel like I was eating somewhat healthy during the week. I also took full advantage of the 24 hour caesar salad--good stuff. We mostly lunched at the Wheelhouse, although we ate in the Dining Room on 1 day.

 

*we did have 1 small issue w/ dining that was cleared up early on day one. For some reason, they did not link our booking number w/ that of our friend and initially had us at different seatings. We were able to fix this at 1:30 with the Maitre'd so he could dine with us.

 

What else am I missing?

 

Oh the ports!

Nassau & Key West

Not the best for excursions. We basically walked around a little and then returned to the ship. We truly basked in that time of day, returning to the ship while everyone else is still on the islands. So relaxing and peaceful.

 

Debarkation was pretty easy. We were off before 9 a.m. Saturday morning. The only weird thing (unrelated to Carnival), was the entrance to 95 South (which should take us around to I-10 West) was closed to we wound up taking 95 North into GA, then 16 West from Savannah to return home to North GA.

 

This was a great cruise and I was able to convince my initially weary husband to sail again in the future. Mission Accomplished! If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you.

 

Thanks for reading!

Stacey

[SeaSaltSue]

Stacey - I am glad that you had fun!!!! Did you get to meet up with Jennifer?

[taylor712]

Hi Sue,

We met and spent some time with A Jennifer (and her husband), but not THE Jennifer from the boards. For a second, I wondered if it was her, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. I hope she and her husband had a great time too.

 

Stacey

[F5Loar]

We found those 2 ports to have some of the best snorkeling. Key West has a lot to see for first timers. Nassua best do something as town is not much.

We found the smaller Celebaration delivered as fun a cruise as any of the bigger ships. They got the job done in grand style.

[bp traveler]

How was the night life on board?

 

Also any idea how tall kids have to be to do the waterslide?

 

Thanks and glad you had fun -we are off this week :)

[DeBeCruiser]

Glad you had a good time. WE were first time cruisers on the Celebration 4/3/05 cruise and we loved every minute of it. We had no complaints at all. Great review.

[taylor712]

Dave and Bob (my husband and our friend) made good use of the waterslide this past week. Too funny watching grown men coming down that thing. I believe 48" is the height requirement.

 

The nightlife on Carnival is always great. We didn't stay up too late on most nights... although the last night we didn't get back to the cabin until 1 a.m. (hit karaoke for a few hours and then the piano bar for another hour). Karaoke was loaded with people on the nights we went. The deck party on night 4 was crazy - I had never seen so many people awake and on line for food as that night. They usually do mexican that evening... this one was no exception. The casino stays seems to remain open until the last few stragglers give up and go to bed.

 

I don't know if it's a change with Carnival or just the Celebration, but we had a 1 man band most of the time or recorded music (on deck). When I was on the Triumph or Imagination (or both), I think I remember them having a complete band playing for us. As long as the music keeps spinning, we're happy.

 

Regarding the ports, I had been to both before and had stayed at Atlantis back in 2000. We did go to the Ripley museum in Key West (the weather was ugly this day - pretty damp, although no longer raining). We didn't much care for Nassau - the area by the port is loaded w/ jewelry stores, t-shirt shops, and of course the straw market.

 

*one funny story - we stopped at the local candy store so I could get my daily sugar high :) ; well, walking back to the ship, 2 merchants are asking me for some candy (they will do this - why they can't buy their own candy, who knows). So I gave a lollipop to the one lady we had bought things from earlier, but not the other one who first asked me. She then calls out from her seated position against a building that she hopes I get cavities from the candy. Silly woman. Anyway, it was bizarre.

 

One tip I would suggest to anyone travelling to the Bahamas or elsewhere, if you pay with cash, ask for U.S. dollars in change.

[Jabee]

Was Mary still in Karaoke? She is kind of quiet, but a lot of fun.

And..is Brie still in the Red Hot Piano Bar?

I agree that Brad can be very .....well...Brad...

and Big Tex was still your CD, but he was supposed to leave the ship with you and Risa back this week.

It also sounds like you missed out on Blackjack, the band that performs all during the week. They are a hoot also.

 

But...we are all waiting to hear about Josef or Joseph. He is a Matre'd and has been bouncing back and foth....

Waiting to hear what ship he is going to!!!

[kathy32259]

Are you referring to room service when you talk about the 24 hour Caesar Salad? Just curious.

[taylor712]

Caesar salad is available 24 hours on Lido (Deck 10 - at the pizza station). If you'd like, you can ask for grilled chicken with it (though I never did).

 

Don't know anything about Joseph/Josef maitre'd - sorry couldn't be more of help Jabee.

 

Brie was our piano girl for the week and Big Tex was our Cruise Director. We didn't attend any of the evening shows, so I cannot really talk about him; we did, however, attend the Captain's Cocktail Party which was nice (gotta love the free drinks--plus it was cool being introduced to the captain, etc... ) and I watched the debarkation talk on Carnival TV. He seems like a great guy. Yes, Brad is Brad. But so dang annoying. Dude talks more than me, and that's a HUGE statement.

 

There was a gentleman running karaoke. Didn't say much, although he was a great participant to each victim when the solo needed a partner.

 

Here's my question -- what is the deal with people bringing their own karaoke CDs??? Have you all seen this before???

[The4Cruisers]

Yes, Brad is Brad. But so dang annoying. Dude talks more than me, and that's a HUGE statement.

 

Great review! I enjoy reading about other folks having a good time on the Celebration. It's a classy ol' ship. Wish you had some info on Joseph, the Maitre D. I know Jabee and I are both quite curious.

 

Thanks too for backing up my thoughts on Brad. "Ladies & Gentlemen..." is one of his favorite lines. I can close my eyes and mentally hear him annoying me! But he really is a nice kid though. I imagine he'll become more polished as he gains experience.

 

Happy sailing!

[PUP11593]

This is all good to hear. :)Myself and my daughter are taking our first cruise on the Celebration on 5/29/06 (less then a week away) and the only thing she is worried about is getting sea sick. She has never been on a ship before and for that fact I haven't either. Never read much about sea sickness so I guess the ship dosen't move alot but it must just rock you to sleep at night. Once again thatks for the information and I will be writing about our trip when I come back. I must be nuts, I'm 36 and my daughter is 13 so I'm sure to have fun keeing up with her on land.:D

[yogimax]

How smoke filled was the casino? We were on Celebration last November and found it to be very poorly ventilated. Any improvement? BTW, I agree about the gym. If Carnival upgrades this ship, that is certainly an area for improvement.

[semala]

I know you said you had some road delays on the way back, but how was the drive down? I live south of Atlanta and even though I'm not going to JAX until September I'd like to start getting a feel for the drive early.

[djpaul]

The Dj's leaving less than a week as well..

 

As for snorkling at the ports, which is the best? Someone in here mentioned that Key West is good.. Do we need to book on ship? Or can we book once we get off the ship? Also what's a price range to expect when snorkling?

 

Thanks,

when i say dj

you say paul

 

DJ

[cruzeluver]

Not sure about Key West, but we snorkled last Fall in Nassau and it was terrific! The excursion was called the "catamaran sail and snorkle". They take you on about a 20 minute catamaran ride out to the snorkle site. The guys on the boat were terrific. If you are inexperienced they will do whatever they can to help, and if you are experienced, they just let you go. We had about an hour in the water. The coral was beautiful and we saw a lot more fish then on previous snorkle trips. I believe the cost was $59 per person. We booked it through Carnival and highly recommend it. Hope this helps!

[obx_fintoo]

This is all good to hear. :)Myself and my daughter are taking our first cruise on the Celebration on 5/29/06 (less then a week away) and the only thing she is worried about is getting sea sick. She has never been on a ship before and for that fact I haven't either. Never read much about sea sickness so I guess the ship dosen't move alot but it must just rock you to sleep at night. Once again thatks for the information and I will be writing about our trip when I come back. I must be nuts, I'm 36 and my daughter is 13 so I'm sure to have fun keeing up with her on land.:D

 

Be forewarned that the Celebration has a tendency to rock and roll due to it's smaller size. Not to worry! My DH has been somewhat seasick in almost all of our cruises until the one before last when we discovered Ginger Root Tablets. You can get them at WalMart or any drug store. They are usually 500mg per tablet and you take two in the morning with breakfast and two more with dinner. Had no problems at all!

 

Enjoy your cruise! We love the Celebration and plan to sail her again this December (our 4th on Celebration and Platinum over all!!:D )

[semala]

Oh, I somehow managed to forget that my co-worker was on the 5/15 sailing too! It was her honeymoon cruise. She told me all about it today. She only ate the dining room the first night because they didn't like the food. I suppose it's individual preference, but she said the filet mignon tasted like hamburger meat. She also said at nassau they took a taxi down to the beach and went jet skiing for an hour for $100.

[F5Loar]

Expect to pay $50 to $65 each for snorkeling in those 2 Ports. Key West was a little higher but then it's in the USA but still a first class operation. You can book on your own but usually with reservations only as the cruise line pretty much books out those excursions leaving only a few seats for locals.

Big Tex did a fantastic job our week. I left my tux cufflinks at home and fussed at him as to why they don't sell cufflinks or rent cufflinks at the tux shop. He sent for a pair from his stash in his room and handed them to me. Saved the evening for me. During our week we had to continue to step outside to make sure the ship was sailing. That's how smooth it was our week. As far as smoke in the casino and ventilation problems, our week was not bad. Some weeks are full of heavy chain smokers and they are going to congregate in the casino which probably does cause an overload on the vent system. You just never know who those other 2000+/- are going to be like your week. It was nice to go into the karoke lounge and find it was smoke free. Carnival keeps this up someday we might can expect to book a non-smoking cabin.

[djpaul]

hmm...50-65 isn't too bad.

 

What all does this price include? Also which might be better for snorkeling? Key West or Nassau?

 

Do you have to be taxied out to snorkle at these place or is it possible to bring your own gear and still have a good snorkle at eithe rof those locations?

[kmtjones803]

Caesar salad is available 24 hours on Lido (Deck 10 - at the pizza station). If you'd like, you can ask for grilled chicken with it (though I never did).

 

Don't know anything about Joseph/Josef maitre'd - sorry couldn't be more of help Jabee.

 

Brie was our piano girl for the week and Big Tex was our Cruise Director. We didn't attend any of the evening shows, so I cannot really talk about him; we did, however, attend the Captain's Cocktail Party which was nice (gotta love the free drinks--plus it was cool being introduced to the captain, etc... ) and I watched the debarkation talk on Carnival TV. He seems like a great guy. Yes, Brad is Brad. But so dang annoying. Dude talks more than me, and that's a HUGE statement.

 

There was a gentleman running karaoke. Didn't say much, although he was a great participant to each victim when the solo needed a partner.

 

Here's my question -- what is the deal with people bringing their own karaoke CDs??? Have you all seen this before???

 

Which night was Captains Night and which was the past guest party? Also, which night is formal night? We went on a 5 day last year, but I can't remember at all!!! LOL

 

I am very excited, we are booked for September!

 

Miranda

[cruzeluver]

Night two is the captain's cocktail party and is also formal night. Not sure about the past guest party.

 

To DJPaul- In Nassau the snorkle tours meet you by the boat at the dock and will walk you over to the boats that take you out. Don't know how it works in Key West.

[F5Loar]

The time runs 3 to 4 hours. At these 2 Ports you walk to the Catermarin from the ship. They provide everything you need plus instructions. They both take you out about 30 min. to find the right spot where they know the fish are. You can bring your own stuff. It's a toss up as to which was better as they were both so different in what you saw. PS: buy your underwater camera at WalMart before you go. About half price of what the ship will charge or any island store.

[djpaul]

Sounds good...guess I'll just have to decide which to snorkle when I get on the boat

 

Do you book with Carnival or when you get there?

[cruzeluver]

I recommend booking ahead through Carnival. Don't want to wait and find out the excursion is full. And you can cancel up to 24 hors prior to the excursion with no penalty. :)