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Cabinetry in these rooms is a crisp and clean faux wood, and cabin bathrooms are neutral. That said, Carnival has seen the success that some of its competitors have had with a bigger range of upscale accommodations, and it's eyeing more suites for future vessels. The new Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration each have 180 suites — more than twice the number of Carnival's other recent ships. Each of the vessels in Carnival's recent Vista Class series, for instance, offers fewer than 75 suites. Each of the line's earlier Conquest Class ships has around 50 suites.
Scenic Ocean View
In addition, every ship has at least one — and usually several — extra-charge eateries. The two venues have flat fees of $49 and $24 per person, respectively. 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. Design-wise, Carnival's cabins and suites are fairly basic and comfortable, if not super stylish. Cabins on recently unveiled or overhauled vessels have a soothing palette of creams and blues.
Outdoor Activities
The menu has several types of meat — including steak, of course, as well as lamb chops and chicken — and seafood items like fish and lobster tail. I went with a 9-ounce filet mignon, which was cooked to perfection. It came alongside several sauces and sides of broccoli and crinkle-cut fries for $49 ($15 for kids). The space is simply packed with tables — so much so that there were only about two inches between my table and the one next to me, even though I was dining alone.
The Carnival Cruise Line fleet
Carnival also uses its big theaters for lots of interactive shows that involve you, the passenger, getting a little silly. They include Lip Sync Battle Carnival — a shipboard adaptation of the Paramount Network TV series — and Hasbro, the Game Show. The latter venue was created in partnership with Food Network's Guy Fieri and serves a free lunch on embarkation and sea days, with all items smoked on board. Every vessel has two main dining rooms and a casual buffet eatery where meals are included in the fare. For dinner in the main dining room, you must sign up for either Your Time dining (you go whenever you want) or Traditional Dining (you have a fixed table and time for dinner). For the most part, Carnival ships sail relatively short voyages of three to eight nights.
Features & News
However, a couple of passengers told me they could hear noise from Bolt in their balcony cabin on Deck 15. Of course, the highlight of this zone is the Bolt roller coaster. It's an added-fee experience during which passengers (one to two people per ride) zoom twice around the track on a motorcycle-style vehicle that allows you to throttle up or down to a speed that suits you. On the upper deck is the popular Guy's Burger Joint, which is oddly set a bit farther away from the action on Excel Class ships. Farther afield on Deck 16, passengers can check out Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken restaurant or venture to Lido Marketplace, the ship's complimentary buffet.
The Carnival fleet is scheduled to grow over the next year with two more new vessels. As noted above, the line has ordered a third Excel-class ship (Carnival Jubilee) that will be ready to sail in December 2023. Other than these two ships, Carnival's biggest vessel is the 4,090-passenger Carnival Venezia, which measures just 135,225 tons. That's about 40% smaller than the biggest ships operated by Royal Caribbean. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry.
Smoking is also allowed on the starboard side of the casino, but it's for cigarettes only. All types of smoking are forbidden in cabins and on cabin balconies. The second quarter involves pool deck games where passengers have to dress up in football gear to complete team races. Cabanas are available for rent on a first-come, first-served basis.
Travel Documentation and Online Check-in
Carnival Conquest (2002-built, last refurbished in 2022 September-October) is the first of the five Conquest-class Carnival cruise ships - together with Freedom, Glory, Liberty, and Valor. The Grand Vista Suite is the biggest, located on the uppermost deck… and all this altitude has a way of also elevating the view. As do floor-to-ceiling windows that make sure nothing gets in the way. Even more convenience and comfort come standard, like a huge balcony made for stretching out, a tub that’s great for doing the same, a convenient walk-in dressing area, plus VIP check-in. This ship remains classic Carnival — fun-packed from bow to stern — but on the other hand, we've never stopped adding fresh new features.
As a result, it has a much stronger Italy theme and a few design differences. Still, enough is the same that for all practical purposes, it is a Vista-class ship in all but name. Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon, which officially are Vista-class ships, also have Imax theaters — the first in the cruise industry.
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 recent years, Carnival also has deployed two of its vessels to Australia to operate voyages from Sydney and Brisbane. In a departure from Carnival's American-focused business model, the Australia sailings are aimed mostly at the local Australian market, though they are open to American travelers. 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.
Found on the menu at the Golden Mermaid, it's a mix of gin, St-Germain liqueur, white cranberry juice, dragon fruit and lime juice. It was a bit too dry for me, so I didn't care for the taste; however, you won't want to miss the presentation, which involves a giant bubble atop the drink. It pops when you poke it, leaving behind a tiny poof of smoke.
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Note that you'll be charged a $15 corkage fee if you want to bring the wine or Champagne to an onboard restaurant or bar to drink. Drinks brought on board must be carried in your carry-on luggage. When it comes to raucous, though, nothing on Carnival ships quite compares to the frequent karaoke nights on board. Sometimes held in a secondary lounge or a shipboard pub, karaoke on Carnival draws a big crowd. Passengers come prepared with rehearsed songs and sometimes even their own guitars. Most of these six ships (all but Carnival Venezia) have an a la carte barbecue-and-beer joint called Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse, too.
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At 800 feet in length, these aren't the biggest roller coasters ever. The center of each Carnival ship is a sweeping atrium, which may range from six to eleven decks in height. This is where you initially board the ship and check-in on embarkation day. The shops, photo gallery, Internet cafe, library, casino and disco are generally located near the atrium on two or three decks.
No matter what age your kids, there’s plenty of onboard entertainment that lets your family interact with favorite childhood characters and games. Carnival Jubilee does not have a specific daytime dress code, and people dress casually. If it's a sea day in a warm-weather destination, and you're bound for the top deck, T-shirts, shorts and bathing suits (with a cover-up to go inside) are just fine.
All ships are slightly different, but understanding the basic deck arrangements can help you become oriented. It's not too too high, but high enough to have great views from our balcony. We always try and book between cabin decks to reduce the chance of noise above or below us.
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