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Choosing a Carnival cruise ship is no simple task, especially if you're new to cruising. As one of the largest cruise brands in the world, Carnival Cruise Line has more than two dozen vessels in its fleet, offering everything from megaship adventures to smaller-ship experiences. Many variables — price, embarkation dates, travel companions, ship size and amenities, and destination — can shape the way you make your choice. On Carnival Vista, Deluxe Ocean View staterooms are a great choice for families who want to let the sun shine in as they sail.
Online Check-in and Arrival Appointment
That actually works in its favor if you're a retiree who enjoys smaller ships and vintage design — in this case, more artwork and decor by Farcus. Because all staterooms are designed for double occupancy, it's generally a rule that a person traveling alone must pay both fares. This means they would pay twice as much per person as two people sharing a room. Unfortunately, Carnival has been slow to adopt solo cabins, meaning that no ships in its fleet offer accommodations for one. It's also one of the few vessels left in the fleet that still features jaw-dropping interiors designed by renowned architect Joe Farcus, who made Carnival synonymous with quirky patterns, bright colors and neon lights. Mardi Gras is full of fantastic family-friendly dining, including the line's Dr. Seuss-themed Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast (for a small fee).
Havana Premium Vista Balcony
The second-to-highest tier, Platinum (75 points), brings such perks as priority check-in and boarding, priority debarkation, priority dinner reservations, priority spa reservations and priority water shuttle boarding. Platinums also get complimentary wash-and-fold laundry service (with a limit of two to five bags, depending on the length of the cruise). Members earn one point for every night they sail on one of the line's ships. The drinking age on sailings on Carnival ships in Australia is 18.
Youth and Family
Carnival draws a lively, outgoing crowd looking to be part of the action. Note that the Carnival fleet is scheduled to grow over the next year with two more new vessels. As noted above, the line has ordered another sister vessel to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration that will be ready to sail in late 2023. However, with two exceptions, they're not giants by today's standards.
Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse, notably, has its very own in-house brewery you can see behind glass walls — something still relatively rare on cruise ships. It makes house beers including Parched Pig West Coast IPA and Parched Pig Toasted Amber which you'll find on many Carnival vessels in kegs and cans. BlueIguana is a Chipotle-style restaurant, with yummy made-to-order burritos and tacos. Created in partnership with Food Network's Guy Fieri, Guy's Burger Joint offers burgers that beat anything you'll find around the pool on other mass-market ships and even most luxury vessels. Note that Carnival's two oldest ships — those that are part of the 1990s-built Fantasy Class — have relatively few balcony cabins by today's standards. (After retrofitting, several have around 150 balcony cabins, out of a total of more than 1,000 cabins in all.) In part because of this, Carnival has been phasing these ships out of its fleet in recent years.
Day Cruises
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Carnival Dream is known for exciting entertainment and food and beverage offerings, including Alchemy Bar, a vintage-themed cocktail "pharmacy." The ship sails from Galveston, Texas, on six to nine-day cruises. Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny) is 10 years old and a fan favorite. The lower guest capacity, at just over 3,000 for double occupancy, means you won’t have to fight hoards of people to get to and from activities. Families who want even more cabin space should book one of the aft-view extended balcony rooms with great wake views and ample private outdoor space.
Although it originally debuted in 1999, it feels fresh and nearly new. It offers the line's signature Serenity adults-only sun deck, RedFrog Pub, Alchemy Bar and a slew of lounges, nightclubs and daily activities. The best Carnival cruise ship for kids is undoubtedly Mardi Gras. Not only is it one of Carnival's newest vessels, but it's also one of the largest, and it has tons of activities to keep families with children busy. Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your credit card points when paying for the cruise by using a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases.
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Carnival's biggest operations are out of PortMiami and Port Canaveral in Florida; Galveston, Texas; Long Beach, California; and New Orleans — all major cruise hubs. You'll also find Carnival ships in such secondary cruise ship ports as Baltimore; Charleston, South Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; and Jacksonville, Florida. However, for many years it chose not to follow rivals such as Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises in building ever-bigger ships. Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration are now the only Carnival ship on the list of the 50 biggest cruise ships. Seven of the line's 25 vessels measure less than 100,000 tons, which makes them almost midsize by today's cruise ship standards.
Carnival Vista®
As is typical with cruise line loyalty programs, lower tiers don't bring all that much in terms of truly valuable benefits. During the evenings, there is an official dress code, but it's pretty laid-back. Most nights are designated "cruise casual," which means just that — khakis or jeans, polo shirts, sundresses, etc. Super casual items such as cutoff jeans, men's sleeveless shirts, T-shirts and gym shorts aren't permitted. The exceptions are any Carnival ship based in Australia, where pricing is listed in Australian dollars. Near the ship's tween and teen clubrooms, it has two padded trampoline areas where you can jump around and take part in games like jousting on a balance beam or shooting baskets while bouncing.
Originally debuted in 2021 as part of the Costa Cruises fleet (an Italy-based subsidiary of Carnival), the Firenze will set sail as a Carnival ship — with an Italian twist — in Spring 2024. Across Firenze, you’ll see touches of Italy; think cute cafe set-ups that look like they were picked up from a Florence sidewalk. Terrazza staterooms access a private sun deck with whirlpools and a bar. Carnival’s fan-favorite dining options and amenities, like Guy’s Burger Joint and WaterWorks, will be on board. In addition to a comedy club and an onboard spa, the ship also offers an adults-only sun deck, several bars and lounges, and plenty of dining options and daily activities to stave off boredom on longer voyages.
Rent cabanas or lounge in the ocean-view whirlpools at Loft 19, where attentive staff take care of everything, like delivering you fruit and chilled towels. My favorite spot to hang out was the aft Patio Pool because it wasn't ever super crowded, and the view of the ocean was unmatched. Carnival Jubilee is the newest Excel-class ship in the fleet, sailing from Galveston, Texas. Adults also have their own space at the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat with swaying hammocks and a bar.
On that note there’s Bar 820 for tropical cocktails and Cuban coffee, plus Deco Deli serving up a selection of classic sandwiches… Cuban faves included. And while Miami isn’t quite known as a pizza town, we don’t think you’ll mind that we’re serving up the cheesy stuff until 4 a.m. (Roll up your sleeves and dig in!) And like any cosmopolitan center, dining quality and variety counts big. That’s why you’ll find Cucina del Capitano and Rudi’s Seagrill restaurants in the neighborhood. A Cloud 9 Spa Suite is the ultimate in both stateroom and spa accommodations.
In short, there's a ton to do up top on Carnival vessels — and it's almost all available to every passenger on board the vessels at no extra charge (the roller coaster is the only exception). Every Carnival ship has a casino, usually smack in the middle of the main entertainment deck. Carnival is also well known for the Punchliner Comedy Clubs on its ships, which draw quality comedians and can get a little raucous late at night with adult-only performances. In general, the production shows aren't nearly as sophisticated — or as long — as what you'll find on Royal Caribbean or Norwegian ships.
Balcony staterooms were designed for maximum sea breeze and the most stunning views, so look to a balcony if you're looking to cruise aboard Carnival Vista. Any time you're in your room, you're just steps away from your own personal outdoor oasis, featuring the sort of sea view you can also feel. Go ahead and call Summer Landing 'the greatest chill spot at sea'... What's three letters long and goes great with chilling outdoors? BBQ, so we're building a Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse into this zone so it always tastes like summer here with freshly-smoked faves designed by Guy Fieri and original Parched Pig® beers brewed just feet away. If you're wondering where the pool and whirlpool are, we're so alike, you and us...
Most vessels have standard North American-style, 110-volt outlets in rooms, as well as European-style, 220-volt outlets. In addition, vessels offer extra-charge laundry and, on select ships, dry cleaning services. Carnival also offers a less expensive "social" plan that only allows access to key social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and messaging services such as WhatsApp for $15.30 a day when bought in advance. A slightly more expensive "value" plan, at $19.55 per day when bought in advance, adds access to email and most websites. Carnival adds an automatic service gratuity of $16 to $18 per person, per day to final bills, depending on the cabin category (children under the age of 2 are exempt).
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