Let the 'Celebration' begin: Cruise giant Carnival's biggest ship ever debuts this weekend
It's celebration time for Carnival Cruise Line fans. Literally.
The maiden voyage of the line's much-awaited Carnival Celebration will take place Sunday as the vessel departs Southampton, England, on a two-week transatlantic cruise to Miami.
Recently completed at a shipyard in Finland, the 15-deck-high ship is a sister vessel to Carnival's giant, 1-year-old Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras made waves in 2021 for its huge size and what may be the most unusual attraction on a cruise ship: a decktop roller coaster.
The two ships both measure 181,808 tons, putting them in a tie for the position of biggest ship ever to sail for Carnival.
Both Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras are a whopping 35% bigger than the next-biggest Carnival ship currently afloat, the 3-year-old Carnival Panorama; they are also bigger than all but 11 other cruise vessels in the world.
Like Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration has a roller coaster on its top deck. Dubbed Bolt: Ultimate Sea Coaster, it's similar to the roller coaster on Mardi Gras, with an 800-foot-long track. Its vehicles will reach speeds of 40 miles per hour — give or take.
Both of the ships are designed to hold up to 6,630 passengers. That's just a tad below the 7,084 passengers that can fit aboard Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas — the world's largest cruise ship.
Related: The ultimate guide to Carnival Cruise Line
Also like Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration will have a giant water park on its top deck and a far broader array of suites than earlier Carnival ships. However, the vessel won't be a carbon copy of its sister.
It'll offer several new features, including a revamped main interior area called Celebration Central. Known as Grand Central on Mardi Gras, the ocean-facing atrium area on Carnival Celebration will span three decks and provide access to multiple food and entertainment venues.
It'll offer daytime ocean views and nighttime shows on its stage, which has been enhanced as compared to the one on Mardi Gras and has more color-changing lights than the original — 1,400, to be exact. Designed to look like confetti, they'll be one of the first things passengers see when they board the ship.
The development of ships on the scale of Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras has been a big deal for Carnival. Until recently, the line had resisted the trend among major brands to build ever-bigger vessels that offer a supersized megaresort-at-sea experience.
Carnival's last new vessel, Carnival Panorama, didn't even crack the top 40 list of biggest ships when it debuted in 2019.
The vessel is scheduled to sail six- to eight-day voyages to the Bahamas and the Caribbean out of Miami. Fares start at $449 per person, not including taxes and fees.
Carnival Celebration is debuting just four weeks after Carnival retired its oldest and smallest ship, Carnival Ecstasy.
Related: Another Carnival ship heads for the scrappers
Carnival is also adding a second ship to its fleet this month with the arrival of Carnival Luminosa, a 13-year-old vessel that until recently was in the fleet of Carnival's sister brand Costa Cruises. The ship formerly was known as Costa Luminosa.
With the arrival of Carnival Celebration and Carnival Luminosa as well as the departure of Carnival Ecstasy, the line's fleet is increasing by one ship to 24 ships in all.
Carnival also will absorb two more Costa ships into its fleet in 2023 and 2024 as parent company Carnival Corp. pulls back on cruises in China, where Costa had been a major player.
A third ship in the same series as Carnival Celebration, to be called Carnival Jubilee, is on order from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The shipyard is owned by the same company that built Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras.
TPG will be reporting live from Carnival Celebration's first sailing out of Miami, starting Nov. 21.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
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- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.