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Carnival Sunshine vs Carnival Celebration
The Carnival Sunshine was built in 2013. The Sunshine was previously known as the Destiny from 1996 - 2013, but was renamed after it went through huge rennovations. It's 9 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 Sunshine is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 893 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Carnival Celebration, the Sunshine is 44% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Sunshine holds 44% 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 Sunshine 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.
| Carnival Sunshine | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Sunshine | Excel |
| Gross Tonnage | 102,853 | 183,521 |
| Length | 893 | 1,130 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 137 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 17 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,002 | 5,374 |
| Crew | 920 | 1,735 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.3 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 34 | 35 |
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 Sunshine has 19 different dining options like Carnival Deli, Cucina Del Capitano, and The Chef's Table. Of those options, 12 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.
The Celebration has 8 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Blue Iguana Cantina, Seafood Shack, and Emeril's Bistro 1397. 19 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 8 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Celebration might be a better choice. It has 42% more dining options than the Sunshine.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Carnival Sunshine & Celebration
| Carnival Sunshine | Carnival Celebration | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Chicken | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Blue Iguana Cantina | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Bonsai Sushi | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Bonsai Teppanyaki | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Carnival Deli | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| ChiBang | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cucina Del Capitano | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Cucina Del Capitano (Excel-ship) | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Deco Deli | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Emeril's Bistro 1397 | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Fresh Creations | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Guy's Burger Joint | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship) | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| JavaBlue Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| JiJi Asian Kitchen | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Lido Buffet | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Miami Slice | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Pizzeria del Capitano | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Rudi's Seagrill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Seafood Shack | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Steakhouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Street Eats | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Swirls | ✓ | ✓ | |
| The Chef's Table | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Sunshine has 4 fewer bars than the Carnival Celebration.
| Carnival Sunshine | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemy Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquaria | ✗ | ✓ |
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bar 820 | ✗ | ✓ |
| BlueIguana Tequila Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fahrenheit 555 Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Golden Jubilee | ✗ | ✓ |
| Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse | ✗ | ✓ |
| Havana Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Java Blue Cafe | ✓ | ✓ |
| Latitudes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Limelight Lounge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ocean Plaza Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Piano Bar 88 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Punchliner Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| RedFrog Pub | ✓ | ✗ |
| RedFrog Rum Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| RedFrog Tiki Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Serenity Pool Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shake Spot | ✓ | ✗ |
| SkyBox Sports Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Watering Hole | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tides Pool Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tropicale Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
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 Sunshine 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 Sunshine has a total of 2 pools and 3 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 1 of the hot tubs are adults only.
Carnival Celebration has more pools than the Sunshine and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Celebration. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Carnival Sunshine | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 6 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 2 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 3 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| 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. 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 Sunshine, 73% 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.
| Carnival Sunshine | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Roller Coaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
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 Sunshine 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.
| Carnival | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $59.95 - $69.95 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $15.30 to $21.25 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
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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