''Carnival Celebration'' is the current

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of Carnival Cruise Line. She is Carnival's second vessel of the fleet's Excel class, a subclass of Carnival Corporation & plc's Excellence class. At , she is the largest ship in Carnival's fleet. Unlike her sister ship, ''

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

'', as well as the original ''

Celebration Celebration or Celebrations may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Celebration'' (musical), by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, 1969 * ''Celebration'' (play), by Harold Pinter, 2000 * ''Celebration'' (TV series), a Canadian music TV serie ...

'', this ship is named ''Carnival Celebration'' using the Carnival prefix. Her name was announced on 21 August 2020. She was ordered on 6 November 2016 from the Finnish shipyard

Meyer Turku Meyer Turku Oy is a Finnish shipbuilding company located in Turku, Finland Proper. The company is fully owned by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft GmbH. The main products are cruise ships and cruiseferries. The shipbuilding facility is Perno shipy ...

. Construction started on 13 January 2021 and was completed on 2 November 2022.

Design and specifications

''Carnival Celebration'' is divided into six zones incorporating themed elements and spaces that host activities and events and also house various dining and shopping outlets. On her top decks, ''Carnival Celebration'' hosts the "Ultimate Playground" zone, where the shipboard

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

is located, dubbed "Bolt". Designed by Maurer AG, the ride consists of self-propelled cars that ride on an 800-foot track and can travel up to . "Bolt" is accompanied by an extensive water park and sports center. Specific to ''Carnival Celebration'', a new zone called The Gateway features the Golden Jubilee bar and lounge. This is not only dedicated to the cruise line's 50th anniversary but also featuring both replica and original items taken from retired ships of the past, from the original ''

'' to '' Carnival Fascination''. This replaces the Brass Magnolia that is featured on the her sister ship, ''Mardi Gras''.

Area of operation

The ship is currently operating from Miami, Florida sailing a mixture of 6-8 day cruises to the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean after a 14 day transatlantic cruise, which departed from Southampton, England on 6 November 2022.

References

{{Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Corporation & plc Carnival Cruise Lines Ships of Carnival Cruise Line Ships built in Finland