Are wondering if the Carnival Celebration is a good ship for a family with teenagers? Well, here are 29 reasons teens will love the Carnival Celebration.
The Celebration is one of Carnival Cruise Line’s newest and biggest cruise ships. There are so many great amenities, activities, and features that teens will love.
29 Reasons teens will love the Carnival Celebration cruise ship
1. Bolt
Bolt is the name of the roller coaster, or sea coaster as Carnival calls it, on Carnival Celebration. It is great fun, and more thrilling than I expected. Teens will definitely enjoy the Bolt. You can find all the Carnival Celebration Bolt information here.
2. Ropes course
Carnival Celebration has a great ropes course that teens will love. There are 2 tracks side by side, an easier one and a more challenging one. The more challenging side even has a small zipline and a plank you can walk out on.
This is a free activity. Be sure to pack a pair of shoes as no open or backless shoes (like flip flops or sandals) are allowed. The minimum height restriction is 48″ and the maximum weight is 300lbs.
3. Water slides
The Carnival Water Works on the Celebration has 3 large water slides that teens will love. One of which you ride on a mat down. There is no charge to use the water slides on Carnival.
4. Cool ice cream truck
There are several free soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt stations on the ship, but the one teens will love the most is the Army truck ice cream and froyo station.
There are 2 flavors of soft serve ice cream and 2 flavors of frozen yogurt.
5. Mini golf
Carnival Celebration has a nice little mini golf course at the back of deck 18. This is a great family friendly activity that is free to play.
This is one of many Carnival Celebration activities.
6. Basketball court
The basketball court, or sports court as Carnival calls it, is a popular spot. This is a great place to meet new friends. At times they will offer volleyball here as well. It is part of the Carnival Celebration Ultimate Playground.
You have to get up early to get a photo without people in it.
7. Arcade
Since Carnival Celebration is a newer ship, it has some of the latest and greatest arcade games. There are even virtual reality ones.
A word of caution though, to play you just swipe your Sign & Sail cruise card. If your child has charging privileges, be sure they are aware of their budget. Many of the games were in the $2-$5 range, so charges can add up quickly.
8. Carnival Celebration teen clubs
Younger teens (12-14 years old) will be in the Carnival Circle C program. The Circle C room is deck 17 behind the arcade. You can read more about Carnival Circle C here.
Teens aged 15-17 will be part of the Carnival Club O2. The Club O2 which is also on deck 17 includes a really cool outdoor area.
Carnival Celebration outdoor Club O2 area for teens aged 15-17
9. Pig & Anchor games area
This space is one of the things I love about Carnival Celebration. Teens will love the area at the back of the Pig & Anchor Brewhouse as there are foosball tables, a shuffleboard table, and TVs showing sporting events. There is no charge to play these games, and as a bonus, the Army ice cream truck is right beside there.
10. Hot tubs
Teens will have 5 hot tubs to choose from on the Carnival Celebration. There is one by the main pool, 2 by the Tides pool, and 2 on deck 8.
11. Pools
Lounging in and around the pools are a great way to spend time on a Caribbean cruise.
The Beach pool (main pool) and the Tides pool are both on deck 16. The Summer Landing pool is on deck 8.
12. Cool things to explore
The Carnival Celebration has so many “ooh look at that” things. Many are ones they will want a photo of. I put together a list of 13 cool things you’ll see on the Carnival Celebration. Have your teens check that out.
13. Dive-in movies
Each night there will be one or two newer movies shown on the big screen above the main pool. Carnival calls it the Seaside theatre. Watch a movie under the stars from the pool, hot tub, or lounge chair. There is even popcorn available.
14. Deck parties
Carnival has several family friendly deck parties that teens will love.
On our sailing, the deck parties that teens could join in on were:
- Sail away party
- White hot night party (passengers are encouraged to wear white)
- Evolution party (this was held indoors at Center Stage)
- Groove for St. Jude
If you are looking for some all white cruise outfit ideas, check this out.
15. Guy’s Burgers
In my opinion, Carnival has the best casual free food options. This is extra great for families cruising with teens. Guy’s Burger Joint is one of the big reasons Carnival tops my list.
Guy’s Burgers are a must-try. They are so delicious. I have no doubt they will be a hit with your teen.
16. Blue Iguana Cantina
This is another of the great free food options on Carnival that teens will love. They serve huevos rancheros and breakfast burritos in the morning and tacos and burritos for lunch.
Being able to grab delicious food whenever they are hungry will definitely appeal to teens.
17. Pizza
Teens will love that they can get pizza pretty much whenever they like. Miami Slice pizza serves up thin crust pizza from 9am to 4am.
18. Street Eats
Street Eats is a neat concept on Carnival Celebration. It is a great spot to grab a snack. There are three different little food stalls serving up different grab and go food options each day.
Teens will want to try the different loaded fries options from Time Fries. Mad Sizzle and Steam Dream are a great spot to try something new. There is no cost to eat here. Time fries also serves up wings, but these do have an additional charge.
Street Eats on Carnival Celebration
19. Big Chicken
Here is yet another free food option on Carnival Celebration that teens will love. Big Chicken is the restaurant cofounded by Shaquille O’Neal. We enjoyed the chicken tenders.
20. Carnival Kitchen
This is a great activity on Carnival Celebration for those that like to cook or bake. There are several cooking and baking classes offered on the Celebration from cupcakes to sushi. These do have an additional cost.
There Carnival Kitchen classes were very popular and several sold out even before the cruise started. You can find the available classes and more details on Carnival’s website once you sign into your account, look under specialty dining.
21. Build a Bear workshop
Carnival Celebration has Build-a-Bear workshops on select dates and times. You will see people of all ages creating their own souvenir stuffy. There is a cost for this activity.
22. Mocktails
Nothing says vacation like a yummy frozen cocktail, and luckily for teens many of Carnival’s tropical drinks come in a non-alcoholic version.
Treat your teen to a pina colada mocktail and it will make their day. In Dec.2023 the cost was $8.00USD plus an automatic gratuity of 18%. Carnival also now has editable straws.
23. Gelato station
If you teen gets tired of all the free soft-serve ice cream, then can head to the Windjammer Buffet where there is a gelato station. There are several different flavors and they is no charge.
24. Sea Dogs hot dogs
Another section of the Windjammer Marketplace restaurant (buffet) is Sea Dogs, which serves up different gourmet hot dogs daily.
25. Bean bag toss
Bean bag toss or corn hole is a fun game teenagers can play on the Carnival Celebration. This is a game where one can practice on their own or play against family members or new friends.
26. Ping pong
As with pretty much every ship out there, the Celebration has ping pong tables.
27. Comedy shows
The Celebration has the Punchliner Comedy Club onboard. While many of the shows aren’t suitable for teens, there are some family friendly, or PG shows. Be sure to check the Fun Times or the Carnival Hub app for the show’s rating.
28. Candy store
The Cherry on Top candy store on Carnival Celebration will definitely catch the eye of most teens. They may want to bring some extra spending money if they plan to shop here a time or two. For most candy you pay by the weight.
29. Carnival teen spa
The teen spa on Carnival is called Zspa and has select services for 13-17 year olds. This definitely isn’t cheap, however if you are looking to splurge or treat them on a birthday cruise this is a great option. They even offer mother and daughter or father and son massages.
You can see the Carnival teen spa menu here.
As you can see, you won’t have your teenager saying they are bored or that there isn’t anything good to eat on the Carnival Celebration.
The Carnival Celebration is a great family friendly ship that offers great things for all ages.
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