Carnival Celebration Maiden Voyage - Part 1
14 Day Transatlantic Cruise - November 6, 2022
Carnival Celebration in Southampton, England.
In October 2020 (during the cruise shutdown) we received an email from Carnival introducing their next ship, the Carnival Celebration, and advertising the maiden voyage which would be a transatlantic cruise from Southampton, England to Miami, Florida. We were originally scheduled to be on the transatlantic cruise of her sister ship, the Carnival Mardi Gras, but that was cancelled due to the shipyard not being able to guarantee it would be finished in time (but as we all now know, it would’ve been cancelled anyway due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). Excited for the opportunity to book another transatlantic cruise, and it also being the maiden voyage, we quickly called our PVP at Carnival and reserved an aft balcony!
Two years later we boarded a plane to London, England. We spent a couple days in the city, then took a tour bus to Southampton. Along the way we stopped at Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Salisbury Cathedral. Soon we were hauling our luggage up the stairs to our hotel room in Southampton, barely sleeping due to excitement, and waking up to embarkation day!
Itinerary
Sun - Nov 6th - Southampton, England
Mon - Nov 7th - Fun Day at Sea
Tue - Nov 8th - La Coruna, Spain
Wed - Nov 9th - Vigo, Spain
Thu - Nov 10th -Fun Day at Sea
Fri - Nov 11th - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Sat - Nov 12th - Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Sun - Nov 13th - Fun Day at Sea
through
Sun - Nov 20th - Miami, FL
Embarkation Day
When we arrived to the Ocean Cruise Terminal at the Port of Southampton, there was already a long line snaking around outside. It took us over two hours to get through the line and to check-in for the cruise. While waiting in line we were informed The Maritime and Coastguard Agency were completing an inspection, which involved many of the crewmembers on board the Celebration. This caused them to delay embarkation and then very slowly let people on the cruise ship.
Once we were welcomed onto the Carnival Celebration, we headed straight to our aft balcony cabin to drop off our carryon luggage, and to see our home for the next two weeks. When we originally booked this stateroom, we were unaware it was an accessible cabin. Through the two year wait for the cruise, we were made aware, and chose to keep the stateroom (mindful that we could be moved if someone needed it) since all the aft balconies were fully booked.
While in our stateroom we watched our muster drill video and met our cabin steward, I Nyoman. We then headed downstairs to check in at our muster station, the Festivale Restaurant. With that out of the way, we stopped at the first bar we saw, Latitudes Bar, and ordered our first drinks of the cruise!
When planning this cruise, we decided against purchasing the Cheers! Beverage Package, but after seeing Jay’s eyes bug out at the receipt for our drinks, we discussed it and decided to go ahead and buy it. Hey, we’re on vacation! Though I wish we had purchased it pre-cruise, because it’s slightly cheaper.
After we finished our drinks, we walked over to the Cloud 9 Spa for a tour and to enter the raffle. The spa looked really nice, there was a large hot tub spa, infrared heat chamber, aroma steam chamber, plus saunas and many treatment rooms.
After the spa tour, we headed up to the Lido Deck for the sail away party! We watched P&O Arcadia sail away, then walked down to the Fitness Center for the spa raffle. We didn’t win any thing this time, but it’s always fun to try!
We spent some time just walking around and exploring this brand new cruise ship. Soon we found ourselves sitting at the Alchemy Bar, one of our favorite bars on Carnival Cruise Line. It’s a vintage-pharmacy/apothecary themed craft cocktail bar, the mixologists even wear pharmacist jackets!
The menu has so many delicious drinks, but the secret is their custom cocktails, just tell them what you like (sweet, refreshing, vodka, gin, etc) and they’ll surprise you! This would quickly become our go-to bar on the Carnival Celebration.
We started getting hungry, so we requested seats in the Festivale Restaurant (one of Carnival Celebration’s main dining rooms) through the Carnival Hub App. We had Your Time dining for this cruise, and found it very convenient. It was easy to make reservations in the app at the many restaurants on board whenever we were hungry.
We soon received the notification that our table was ready, so we headed down to the Festivale Restaurant on Deck 6 Aft and were directed to a table for two. We started with shrimp cocktails, I had salmon and Jay had steak. We each enjoyed a fruit plate and cappuccino for dessert.
The ship was starting to really rock, so we headed back to our cabin to finish unpacking. Stuffed from dinner and tired from a long and exciting travel day, Jay called it a night and went to bed.
I decided to head down to the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse Bar for a glass of wine. I met two lovely couples from Louisiana and we closed down the bar talking about cruises and college football. It was a wonderful end to the first night on board the Carnival Celebration’s maiden voyage!
Fun Day at Sea #1
We slept in a bit after a very rocky night at sea and then went down to the Festivale Restaurant for Carnival’s Sea Day brunch. We started with cappuccinos and mimosas. I had scrambled eggs with bacon and a croissant. Jay enjoyed grits with bacon and a chicken caesar salad.
After brunch, we spent time walking around the ship (a bit zig-zagged) to get a sense of where everything is located. The ship was rocking all day. The Bay of Biscay is known for rough seas, but the remnants of Hurricane Martin added to it. Even some of the staff who’ve been cruising for years were affected by it.
For a lunch-time snack, we decided on pizza at Miami Slice in the 820 Biscayne zone on Deck 8. I picked pepperoni and Jay chose quattro formaggi. They were both very good, but the pepperoni slices on top were very thick, and overall we liked the quattro formaggi better.
Carnival Celebration’s Miami Slice menu
After pizza, we walked over to the Miami-themed Bar 820 for some cocktails.
Carnival Celebration’s Bar 820 menu
I ordered the Calle Ocho, which is an espresso martini with Cuban coffee. So delicious! Jay tried the Key Lime Pie, which reminded him of a classic rum daiquiri.
We enjoyed the 820 Biscayne zone on Carnival Celebration and felt like we were home in South Florida. This area is named after the address of the original Carnival Cruise Line corporate offices in Miami.
We had dinner reservations this evening at the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, so we went up to our stateroom to get ready for dinner. We had a new friend waiting for us! There’s something about towel animals that will always bring a smile to my face on a cruise.
At 7:30pm, we were at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse checking in with the hostess for our reservation. We were promptly seated and greeted by our waitress for the evening.
Before our meals, we were each presented with an amuse-bouche from the chef. I started with the Maine lobster bisque and classic caesar salad. For my entrée I ordered the surf & turf (lobster with filet mignon) and had the cheesecake for dessert.
Jay began with the jumbo shrimp cocktail and baked onion soup. He enjoyed the spice-rubbed USDA Prime ribeye for his entrée and for dessert he ordered the apple tart tatin.
We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and highly recommend it. Jay said it was the best steak he’s ever had at a cruise ship steakhouse. We wished we had left more room before dinner though, we were beyond stuffed. Jay said next time he’ll order less starters, he was so full he couldn’t finish his steak and even cancelled his dessert order. We had to roll ourselves back to our stateroom for bed.
La Coruña, Spain
Today we excitedly woke up to land! The ship has finally stopped rocking and rolling. We went up to the Lido Marketplace buffet for a quick breakfast before getting in line to disembark the ship. There was only one gangway open, we couldn’t use the second exit due to the tide.
We booked A Taste of La Coruña through Northwest Iberia Wine Tours. This was a 4-hour walking tour around the city, full of history and wine. Two of my favorite things!
At 11:30am, we met up with our tour guide, Adrian, at the gate outside the port. We walked through the Plaza de Lugo then went to the Mercado Eusebio da Garda, a fish and meat market. At the mercado we had a glass of Godello white wine and Fuet on bread which is Catalan thin, dry-cured, sausage of pork meat.
We then walked through the Wine Zone (3 streets of wine bars aka my heaven… seriously I want to live here now). After that, we learned more of the history of the city by walking through the Praza de María Pita. Then we visited the Colexiata de Santa María do Campo and the Igrexa de Santiago (the oldest church in the city). Next, we stopped in Bar A Cunquiña to have the traditional Galician way of drinking wine from porcelain bowls, or cuncas.
Then we stopped for lunch at O’Secreto Taberno (owned by a golden nose, Xurxo Rivas). Galicia has 5 major wine regions: Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras, and Monterrei. We got to taste one from each region.
We started with charcuterie of local meats and cheeses. The first wine was from Candea Monterrei (an original monterrei wine) and one of the top wine makers in Spain. It was paired with Protestant Octupus. Yes, we tried octopus! The second wine was Albariño from Rías Baixas paired with Zamburiñas (Queen Scallops).
We then moved to red wine from Ribeira Sacra, a gorgeous wine area. That was paired with Entrecôte: a premium cut of beef used for steaks and roasts. Then we tasted a Ribeiro from Eidos Ermos by Luis Anxo Rodrigues Vazquez (#1 winemaker in the region) which is apparently the first type of wine to make it to the Americas, it was on Columbus’ ship. We finished with a glass of Memoria de Ventura Valdeorras, a granache style wine.
After what was one of the best gastronomic experiences we’ve ever had, we walked to the port to get back on board the Carnival Celebration. We had a wonderful time with Adrian, and absolutely encourage anyone cruising to La Coruña to book a tour with him. It’s one of the best tours we’ve ever done!
We were very full from our fantastic lunch, so we spent most of the evening in the Havana Bar watching karaoke and trying some of the Cuban themed cocktails on the menu.
Carnival Celebration’s Havana Bar menu
When we were finally hungry again, most of the onboard restaurants were done seating, so we went to the Bonsai Sushi à la carte restaurant which is open late (until midnight on our cruise). This restaurant isn’t included in your cruise fare, but also doesn’t have a set fee, so it’s perfect when you just want a couple small things to eat.
Carnival Celebration’s Bonsai Sushi menu
I ordered the edamame appetizer and spicy tuna roll. Jay ordered the green salad, wagyu kakuni appetizer, and beef ramen bowl. We both thought our choices were delicious, and would end up eating here a few more times this cruise. It became one of our favorite restaurants on board!
After our late-night dinner, we headed back to our room for bed. Tomorrow we have another Spanish city to explore!
Vigo, Spain
Today we were in Vigo, Spain and we spent our time visiting Galician wineries! We met our guide, Teresa, from Tours of Galicia right outside the cruise terminal exit at 9am.
First we went to a smaller, family-owned winery, Lagar de Besada. We were shown the wine making process then got to taste three of their wines, all made from the Albariño grape, but each tasted very different.
At noon, we went to Granbazan, a larger chateau-style winery. We also got a tour of the wine-making process. Then we went to the tasting room where we got to try four wines, again all from the Albariño grape, and again each so very different. Each wine was paired with food, such as mussels, cheeses, and Queen’s cake.
At 3pm we made it back to Vigo and got back on board the Carnival Celebration. We went up to the Lido Marketplace buffet for lunch. After lunch, we went to our room to watch sail away from our balcony then promptly took a nap.
That evening, we had dinner at Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse/Brewhouse on Deck 8 Aft. I ordered the maple & chili salmon with BBQ beans and green beans & bacon. Jay ordered the 18 hour brisket with Mac Daddy Mac & Cheese and BBQ beans. The service was very slow, but we enjoyed the food enough that we’ll try it again another night (except for the Mac & Cheese, it was a dried out brick).
After dinner we finally made it to the Punchliner Comedy Club where we saw Cee Jay Jones perform. He was very funny! After the show, we stopped by the Tropicale Bar then headed over to the Grand Spectrum Theater for the evening’s comedy showcase with Jill Kimmel and Cee Jay Jones.
On our way back to the room, we stopped by Miami Slice for a quick snack of pizza (along with the rest of those at the comedy show… the line was long!) then it was time for bed.
Fun Day at Sea #2
We enjoyed a very relaxed day at sea. We ate a leisurely breakfast in the Festivale Restaurant main dining room.
After breakfast we walked around the Ultimate Playground on Deck 18 Aft. We saw the mini golf, water slides, sports court, ropes course, and Bolt: Ultimate Sea Coaster (this is only the second cruise ship ever to have a roller coaster).
We spent some time at the RedFrog Tiki Bar on Deck 16.
Then walked over to Serenity, Carnival’s adults-only area. We sat on the comfy loungers for a bit, it was still too chilly to lay out in our bathing suits. This is where Fresh Creations, a salad bar, is located so we decided to eat lunch there.
At 1:45pm we went down to the Limelight Lounge for trivia: fact or fiction. We didn’t do well at all, but it was still fun. After that, we found a spot at Alchemy Bar and just chilled for awhile.
Tonight was our first elegant night onboard. We stopped by Java Blue Cafe for some espresso before heading back to our stateroom to get ready for the evening.
At 7:15pm we checked into Bonsai Teppanyaki for our dinner reservation and enjoyed a wonderful meal and performance.
The food was delicious, and there was so much of it! We were completely stuffed before dessert arrived.
After dinner we went down to the Punchliner Comedy Club for the 8:45 show with Merl Hobbs. After the show, we were still uncomfortably full and decided to just head back to our room and call it a night to prepare for tomorrow’s port stop in Funchal, Madeira.
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Today we were in Funchal, Madeira. Unfortunately the private tour we had scheduled was double-booked so we didn’t have any plans. We went up to the Lido Marketplace buffet for breakfast and I asked my cruise friends on social media for ideas on what to do in Madeira for the day.
After breakfast we went down to Deck 3 and got off the ship. Right outside the port, we walked by the ‘Plastic Mero’ art sculpture. Portuguese street artist Bordalo II used garbage collected from Madeira’s waters to create the sculpture. It portrays the endangered mero fish, also known as the Atlantic goliath grouper. Through his work, the environmental artist wants to remind viewers of how overconsumption leads to littered oceans that harm marine life.
Next, we walked over to the CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo Museum. Cristiano is a very famous soccer (football for our non-American readers) player who was born here in Funchal, Madeira. It cost 5 euros each so we bought tickets and took a look around.
After the museum we walked over to the Funchal Cable Cars and bought tickets to ride up the mountainside to Monte. Once we departed the cable cars, we sat at the restaurant and enjoyed a Portuguese beer and glass of wine while taking in the views.
Then we headed over to Carreiros do Monte, the wicker toboggan ride, one of Madeira’s most famous attractions. In the 1800s, these sledges were the downhill public transportation for the local residents. The line took over an hour, but eventually we made it to the front. We rode the traditional wicker basket sledges for 2 km back toward the city of Funchal.
On our way back to the ship we stopped at Infinito Wine Bar and had a glass of Madeira wine (similar to port) paired with a gingerbread cookie. We then grabbed a taxi and headed back to the Carnival Celebration!
Once on board, we went to BlueIguana Cantina for a lunch of ancho roast pork and chipotle rubbed chicken tacos. This is one of my favorite fast casual places to eat on Carnival Cruise Line, I love the freshly made tortillas!
We watched sail away from our balcony, then went to the Limelight Lounge on Deck 7 for more comedy. The comedy shows were so popular on this cruise, they were held in three locations: the Punchliner Comedy Club, Limelight Lounge, and Grand Spectrum Theater. After another hilarious show by Cee Jay Jones, we went to Alchemy Bar for pre-dinner drinks.
For dinner, we chose to eat at Chibang! This is a Chinese & Mexican restaurant on Deck 8 and is included in your cruise fare on Carnival Celebration (and Carnival Mardi Gras). Chibang means “wing” in Mandarin. I ordered pot stickers and beef and broccoli. They were both delicious.
After dinner, we watched some of the Celestial Strings show in Celebration Central and then called it a night. We have the final port stop of the cruise tomorrow.
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
We were in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands today for our last port stop of the cruise!
P&O Azura in port at Santa Cruz de Tenerife (taken from our balcony on board the Carnival Celebration)
We booked the Tour Teide + Wine Tasting tour through Tours Tenerife. First, we visited La Esperanza, the gateway to the largest forest of the island, Bosque de la Esperanza. Next we went to Teide National Park. Mount Teide is a volcano on Tenerife. Its summit is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic.
The Cruisin Chandlers at La Catedral in Teide National Park, Tenerife.
We stopped at Restaurante Bambi for a typical Canarian Barraquito, a coffee cocktail unique to the islands. The delicious layered coffee drink is made using lemon, liqueur, condensed milk and coffee.
After visiting the national park, we headed to a Canarian winery, Bodega Lagar de Chasna at Vilaflor. Vilaflor is the highest village in Tenerife at an altitude of 1,400 meters.
We tried five wines at the winery: two whites, one rosé, and two reds. We also enjoyed a tapas lunch with bread, ham, cheese, and potatoes.
Once we were finished with lunch, we headed back to the port with some more sightseeing along the way.
We got back on our lovely ship, the Carnival Celebration for the last time, and watched sail away from our balcony. This is the last time we’ll see land for seven straight days.
Once we could no longer see land, we decided to go hang out somewhere we haven’t been yet, The Golden Jubilee on Deck 6. This bar celebrates the 50 years of Carnival Cruise Line. There’s actual artifacts from Carnival ships of the past, mixed with design elements inspired by their earliest ships. The menu includes guest favorite cocktails from the past five decades.
Later, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner at the Festivale Restaurant. Then it was time for bed, but at least we have seven more days to explore this ship before arriving back home in South Florida. There’s still so much we haven’t done yet!
Click Here for Part 2 of our Carnival Celebration cruise blog.
