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Carnival Celebration vs Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
The Carnival Celebration was 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 19 years newer than the Serenade of the Seas, which was built in 2003 and renovated in 2023.
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 Serenade of the Seas, the Celebration is 104% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
The Carnival Celebration holds more than double the amount of people as the Serenade 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 Serenade of the Seas.
The Celebration uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Celebration | Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Excel | Radiance |
| Gross Tonnage | 183,521 | 90,090 |
| Length | 1,130 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 137 | 106 |
| Passenger Decks | 17 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,374 | 2,146 |
| Crew | 1,735 | 848 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 42 |
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 twenty-eight different dining options like Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship), Emeril's Bistro 1397, and Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue. Of those options, nineteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Serenade of the Seas has fourteen fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, Windjammer, and Chops Grille. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Celebration might be a better choice. It has 100% more dining options than the Serenade of the Seas.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Celebration might be a better choice then the Serenade of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Celebration | Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 28 | 14 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 19 | 8 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 6 |
| % of Included Options | 68% | 57% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Celebration has 6 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas. The Celebration has 17 bars like Golden Jubilee, Havana Bar and Latitudes. On Celebration, you can grab a drink at 11 different bars such as Schooner Bar, Sky Bar and Vortex Nightclub.
| Carnival Celebration | Royal Caribbean Serenade 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 | •Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • English Pub • Pool bar • R Bar • Schooner Bar • Sky Bar • The Congo Bar • The Safari Club • Vortex Nightclub • Zanzibar Lounge |
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 Serenade 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 Serenade 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 Carnival Celebration has a total of 6 pools and 7 hot tubs. 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 Serenade of the Seas has fewer pools than the Celebration and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Serenade of the Seas. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Celebration.| Carnival Celebration | Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 6 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
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 Serenade of the Seas, 70% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Celebration | Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Roller Coaster | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Celebration will likely be more expensive than on Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas.
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 Celebration | Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base 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 menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet 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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