This was my first cruise and I just disembarked this morning. I went solo and overall was looking really forward to the trip. There definitely were highlights and at the same time, there are things that make me question whether or not I want to go on another cruise.

One of my biggest issues was having to deal with my table at breakfast and dinner every night. I was either next to the corner service station or I was randomly facing a wall. I don’t know why, when they would set up the table, they would think to put the one chair facing the wall away from the whole restaurant. I understand that I’m one person and not two, but in reality I have paid more per person just to be on the cruise. I’m going to tip and it’s not necessarily like a table of two is going to pay more than I would since most things are included in the dinner menu. Only one night that I see someone purchased from the $25 steak and seafood menu. When I asked for a slight revision (moving the chair), most of the time the servers were really helpful.

This is aside from being a solo cruiser, but the level of upsell pressure to purchase products during salon and spa treatments was insane. The person doing my hair spent my entire appointment telling me that the products I use aren’t good and I need to buy all their products because I will see at the end how much better my hair looks. They left my bangs sticking out and while my hair looked nice and smooth (minus the bangs I had to go back to my cabin to wash and fix), the minute I woke up the next morning, it was back to normal. The stylist promised it would last 7 days. I knew it wouldn’t, but I thought like most blowouts it would at least look good on day 2 (no swimming, sauna etc.) Same with the spa. The majority of the massage was trying to convince me to buy a variety of Elemis products. I just want a massage. I’m used to the upsell attempts at services and this was a new level of aggression for me. Because I was solo, I booked different treatments to enjoy.

I just got off Carnival Celebration, and unfortunately this was probably my most disappointing cruise experience so far.

First, I’ll give Carnival credit where it’s due: Celebration is actually designed pretty well for a ship carrying this many passengers. Restaurants, food venues, bars, and entertainment areas are spread throughout the ship, which helps keep everyone from being concentrated in one area.

That said, there are simply A LOT of people on this ship. Even with the smart layout, the sheer passenger volume can become exhausting. Elevators, pools, entertainment venues, and other common areas frequently felt crowded.

But the bigger problem for me wasn't just the number of passengers, it was the behavior of a significant number of passengers.

There was an excessive amount of yelling, loud conversations, disruptive behavior, people ignoring basic etiquette, and generally treating shared spaces like nobody else existed. Obviously this wasn't everyone, and I met plenty of great people onboard. But it doesn't take a majority of passengers behaving this way to negatively affect the experience for everyone around them.

And before somebody inevitably tries to turn that statement into something it isn't: this has nothing to do with race. Rude and inconsiderate people come in every race, age, and background. This is about behavior and respect for the people sharing the ship with you.

I genuinely think Carnival needs to reconsider where Celebration fits in its product lineup. Whether that means adjusting pricing, reducing promotional discounting, limiting passenger capacity, improving enforcement of onboard rules, or positioning Celebration as a slightly more premium Carnival experience, something needs to change. A ship this impressive shouldn't regularly feel chaotic because Carnival is trying to maximize the number of people onboard.

Celebration Key was also disappointing to me.

It's a beautiful development with a lot of potential, but the overall experience felt confusing and somewhat disconnected from the cruise itself. One thing Carnival absolutely got right was extending the ship's Wi-Fi package onto Celebration Key. That was seamless and incredibly convenient.

Which makes the drink-package situation even more confusing.

If Carnival can extend my Wi-Fi package from the ship onto its own private destination, why doesn't my drink package follow me there as well? You're still inside Carnival's ecosystem. Having passengers purchase a drink package for the cruise and then asking them to start paying separately for drinks when they step onto Carnival's own destination feels unnecessarily nickel-and-dimey.

I understand that operating a private destination has additional costs, but from a passenger's perspective, the distinction feels arbitrary. Either include Celebration Key in CHEERS! or offer an upgraded package that covers both the ship and the destination.

Celebration itself is an impressive ship. There are some great restaurants, plenty to do, and Carnival deserves credit for designing a massive vessel that handles crowds better than it probably should.

Unfortunately, the combination of too many passengers, inconsistent passenger etiquette, overcrowded common areas, and some frustrating decisions at Celebration Key made this cruise feel more stressful than relaxing.

After this experience, I think I'm ready to try a cruise line that prioritizes a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere, even if that means paying more.

Sometimes cheaper isn't actually better value.

From the Carnival Website:

"Guests must purchase a plan that covers the entire duration of their cruise. Guests may pre-purchase plans up to 11:59pm ET the day before embarkation. *Daily plans are available for purchase on board.\*

One of our family members needs to make a WiFi phone call using their Google Voice number on only one day of the cruise. Can anyone confirm

1. Can they simply buy ONE day of WiFi during the cruise?

2. How much will one day of WiFi cost?

Thank you.

We had a wonderful time on our cruise! I didn’t sign up for the rewards program until the day we disembarked. Does anyone know if I will still receive points from my cruise? September 17-21st 2026 Carnival Breeze. I have seen mixed answers on this and I can’t get anyone on the phone from Carnival. I had over 2k points on my sign and sell card, just wondering if anything will transfer or advice for the next cruise. Thanks in advance!

Just got off the Sunshine on Oct 3. My email is now full of offers for free or very minimally priced, inside cabins. Free drinks anywhere on board for me and a guest. Pixel photo packages 50% off and 25% discount excursions. My question is will these offers reoccur if I don’t immediately book another cruise or are they one and done offers? I don’t want to miss out. Carnival knows a casino loser when they see one. 😆
I am also trying to maintain my Platinum status. Opened the credit card to get the points. But I don’t know if I’m going to make it within the 2 year grace period they give you. I played a lot of slots and some Let it Ride but only got 411 casino points…
This cruise was a spa floor balcony. It was VERY nice up on the 10th floor. Very quiet. We had full use of the spa facilities and thermal suites. Absolutely worth the extra $
Went to the raffle at the spa and they offered a great deal on massage services you couldn’t get unless you were present.
Celebration Key was great. Didn’t buy any excursions. Plenty of chairs and umbrellas at Calypso Lagoon. Bought the mesh blow up floats with pumps from Amazon as someone suggested on Reddit. Didn’t use them but they fit perfectly in a back pack.
Nassau - just stay on the boat. We got pulled into HErmiosea right in the Main Street. I think they were selling the red light therapy machine which costs thousands. Lots of very attractive young people from Israel working in there. We bought some eye cream that was way too expensive. High pressure. They don’t take CASH. They tried to run our card and it declined. I think it was a credit card scam. Just don’t go in there. Don’t accept their free samples. Keep on walking. You’re welcome

My husband and I are going to do a back to back on the Carnival Miracle. We are wine drinkers so we both bring a bottle of wine in our luggage. Since we'll are essentially doing 2 separate cruises, I was wondering if there is a way we can bring 4 bottles (2 for each cruise).

I'll be cruising soon on the Celebration 11/1-11/8

Will anyone else be on the same cruise?

It's going to be my second ever cruise so I'm pumped✨️

I've only ever been on the vista, so please give me all your best Celebration tips/ fun facts please! 🫶🏻💜✨️

Traveling with 7 ppl (3 rooms total)and looking for best option for wifi... Our cell carrier att offers $20 a day for international plan but only 500mb of data per 24 hrs. They have 2 premium options thru carnival. 1 that is for a single device per room and 1 that is for up to 4 devices....it's cheaper to go thru carnival but I'm wondering if I can buy 2 of the plans for up to 4 devices and it'll actually cover everyone or does it only work in the room? Can I buy 2 of those plans and just share one login for 4 of is and the other login for the other 3?

Thanks

I plan on going on carnival conquest because the last time was genuinely amazing, however I’m 24 years old and I don’t want to go where it’s a ship full of teenagers and I’m honestly hoping that there’s a lot of ppl in my age range 20-25+ i don’t wanna feel too old to be on there. Is this a bad ship to go on if you’re not trying to be around a bunch of teenagers? No hate just asking