By
Richard Humphreys |
Debuting on 21 November 2022 from PortMiami in Florida, the LNG-powered Carnival Celebration will be the latest vessel joining Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet of ships.
“Carnival Celebration is the sister ship to Mardi Gras, which continues to be a tremendous success,” says Glenn Aprile, director of newbuild product development at Carnival Cruise Line. “This class of ship is the result of years of careful and complex planning. We wanted to deliver three Excel-class ships built with many of the same concepts in mind, as opposed to completely reinventing each one after Mardi Gras. Having said that, we’re always committed to continuous improvement and introducing new ways for our guests to enjoy cruising on our ‘Fun Ships’, so Carnival Celebration will combine favourites from our existing fleet that our guests know and love, as well as new venues and features.
“Carnival Celebration will be home to the Ultimate Playground, Lido and Summer Landing zones similar to the concepts on Mardi Gras and will introduce three new zones: Celebration Central, with its updated version of our groundbreaking three-deck-high atrium, the Miami-themed 820 Biscayne, and a soon-to-be-announced zone.”
Located on Deck 8, 820 Biscayne will be a lanai deck with both indoor and outdoor areas. “The zone pays homage to Carnival’s home city and the ship’s homeport, with characteristics of Miami’s diverse culture, flavours and architectural styles woven throughout,” says Aprile. “While all zones were designed to be the perfect place – be it morning, day or night – 820 Biscayne will offer a more casual vibe relative to the public areas on the decks below it, making the zone an especially welcoming environment during the daytime.”
Carnival Celebration's interiors will pay homage to Carnival’s Fun Ship history, a fitting way for the cruise line to celebrate 50 years in the business. The ship has been designed to celebrate the past, present and future of Carnival, with nostalgia meeting innovation throughout the interiors.
“The themes and designs are intended to pay tribute to our founder’s vision of making cruising accessible to all, enabling people of all walks of life to come together and have a great time while voyaging to new, exciting and fun destinations,” says Aprile. “One example is The Golden Jubilee – a name which means a 50th anniversary celebration. It also happens to include the name of one of our ships from our past and the name of our third Excel-class ship, Carnival Jubilee, which will be introduced in 2023. The Golden Jubilee is a venue that commemorates the evolution of Carnival Fun Ships over the last 50 years and counting. Guests in this glamorous and elegant lounge will be surrounded by original fittings from past Carnival ships and also have the opportunity to get a glimpse into the future of cruising with Carnival.
“Another example of Carnival Celebration's interiors blending nostalgia and innovation will be Empress Casino – a subtle nod to the past life of Carnival’s first two ships, Mardi Gras and Carnivale – formerly Empress of Canada and Empress of Britain, respectively. Many of the smaller ships in our fleet also have an Empress Deck for the same reason.”
Carnival Celebration will also have Festivale Restaurant and Carnivale Restaurant – named after two of Carnival’s very first ships – and elements from other Carnival ships will be incorporated in other areas like the Aquaria Bar within Celebration Central, which will feature colourful glass murals from Italian artist Luciano Vistosi that were removed from Carnival Victory during the ship’s recent conversion to Carnival Radiance.
Like Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration will feature six zones. “The look, feel and guest experience in each zone is intentionally distinctive, offering guests an incredible amount of variety throughout the ship in terms of food, drinks and entertainment,” says Aprile. “The entrances of each zone are designed to provide an exciting sense of arrival as guests transition into these unique environments throughout the ship. This also makes the experience of wandering through the ship a form of entertainment in itself.
“We take a story-driven approach to developing designs for new concepts and features. Every design element from colours and materials to special features and fittings are selected to support the over-arching narrative and theme of the experience we are aiming for. This also applies to the service, programming, food and beverage offerings within each space.”
This article was first published in the 2022 issue of Cruise & Ferry Interiors. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Subscribe to Cruise & Ferry Interiors for FREE here to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox or your door.