Carnival Horizon vs Carnival Celebration

The Carnival Horizon was built in 2018. It's 4 years older than the Celebration, which 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.

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 Horizon is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,055 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Carnival Celebration, the Horizon is 27% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Horizon holds 26% fewer passengers than the Celebration 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 Horizon has less space per person compared to the Celebration.

The Celebration uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

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 Horizon has 25 different dining options like Captain's Pasta Bar, Seafood Shack, and Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue. Of those options, 16 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 9 options have an additional fee.

The Celebration has 2 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Emeril's Bistro 1397, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and Street Eats. 19 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 8 have an additional fee.

The Carnival Horizon has about the same number of dining options as the Carnival Celebration.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Carnival Horizon & Celebration

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Horizon has 3 fewer bars than the Carnival Celebration.

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Horizon and the Celebration 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 Horizon has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs 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.

Carnival Celebration has more pools than the Horizon and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Celebration. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.

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. These are the Carnival editions with featuring places Pizza Pirate and mini-golf.

Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Carnival Edition

Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Carnival 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. On the Horizon, 62% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Celebration, only 61% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

Cruise Costs

Carnival is a mainstream cruise line. 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 Horizon will likely be cheaper than on Carnival Celebration.

The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:

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 understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.

We sailed aboard the Carnival Horizon and Carnival Celebration

We sailed aboard both of these ships. Follow along on our sailings at the links below. 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 ships.

Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Miami

Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day

Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Amber Cove

Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Grand Turk

Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Sea Day

Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Nassau

5 Hits & Misses of the Carnival Horizon

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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