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Carnival Celebration vs Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
The Carnival Celebration is a fairly new ship, being built in 2022. The Celebration is named after the original Celebration that sailed with Carnival from 1987 - 2008. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships: The Gateway, an area dedicated to travel and Carnival's history, and 820 Biscayne which has a retro-Miami vibe. It's 2 years older than the Icon of the Seas, which was built in 2024. Icon of the Seas is the first in a whole new class of ships by Royal Caribbean that's designed to provide the "ultimate family vacation." It is currently the largest cruise ship in the world.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Celebration is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,130 feet long and 137 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 17-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas, the Celebration is 27% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Celebration holds about the same number of passengers as the Icon of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Celebration has less space per person compared to the Icon of the Seas.
The Celebration uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded. The Icon of the Seas employs a similar concept but they're called neighborhoods.Carnival
CelebrationRoyal Caribbean
Icon of the SeasClass Excel Icon Gross Tonnage 183,521 250,800 Length 1,130 1,198 Beam/Width 137 216 Passenger Decks 17 18 Passengers (double occupancy) 5,374 5,610 Crew 1,735 2,350 Passenger to Crew Ratio 2.6 2.4 Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) 35 45
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Celebration has 27 different dining options like Cucina Del Capitano (Excel-ship), JavaBlue Cafe, and Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship). Of those options, 19 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 8 options have an additional fee.
The Icon of the Seas has 2 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are AquaDome Market, Pier 7, and Basecamp. 14 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 15 have an additional fee.
The Carnival Celebration has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Celebration might be a better choice then the Icon of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.Carnival
CelebrationRoyal Caribbean
Icon of the SeasTotal Dining Options 27 29 Complimentary Dining Options: 19 14 Additional Fee Dining Options: 8 15 % of Included Options 70% 48% See the options See the options
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Celebration has 9 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas. The Celebration has 17 bars like Aquaria, Latitudes and Punchliner Comedy Club. On Celebration, you can grab a drink at 26 different bars such as Dueling Pianos, Schooner Bar and The Overlook.
| Carnival Celebration | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Aquaria • Bar 820 • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Golden Jubilee • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Latitudes • Limelight Lounge • Piano Bar 88 • Punchliner Comedy Club • RedFrog Tiki Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • The Watering Hole • Tides Pool Bar • Tropicale Bar | •1400 Lobby Bar • Basecamp Bar • Boleros • Bubbles • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • Desserted Milkshake Bar • Dueling Pianos • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Lou's Jazz 'N Blues • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rye & Bean • Schooner Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Swim & Tonic • The Attic • The Grove Bar • The Hideaway Bar • The Lemon Post • The Lime & Coconut • The Lime & Coconut: Frozen • The Overlook • Trellis Bar • Windjammer Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Celebration serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Icon of the Seas serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Celebration and the Icon of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Carnival Celebration has a total of 6 pools and 7 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 2 of the pools are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas has more pools than the Celebration and more hot tubs.Carnival
CelebrationRoyal Caribbean
Icon of the SeasTotal Pools 6 7 Pools - General Access 3 5 Pools - Adults Only 1 1 Pools - Exclusive 2 1 Total Hot Tubs 7 9 Hot Tubs - General Access 5 7 Hot Tubs - Adults Only 2 1 Hot Tubs - Exclusive 0 1
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5
(Carnival Edition) (Royal Caribbean Edition)
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8
(Carnival Edition) (Royal Caribbean Edition)
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Celebration. Only 61% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Icon of the Seas, 80% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Celebration | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Roller Coaster | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Royal Caribbean are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.Carnival
CelebrationRoyal Caribbean
Icon of the SeasBase Daily Gratuities*
(Per Person Per Day)$16.00 $18.50 Tip added to drinks & services 18% 18% Soda Price $3.00 $3.50 Domestic Beer Price $8.75
See drink menus$8.25
See drink menusDrink Package Price $83 - $88
Learn more$77 - $118
Learn moreInternet Plan $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day $19 to $30 per device per day *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
We sailed aboard the Carnival Celebration
Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Celebration. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Miami
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Cozumel
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Costa Maya
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Roatan
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Sea Day
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Sea Day
5 Hits and Misses on Carnival Celebration
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