All about the Carnival Encounter

The Carnival Encounter was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2025. It's considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 951 ft long and 118 ft wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.2 tractor trailers, and the same height as a 14-story building. The Carnival Encounter is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Star Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Encounter for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers.

Carnival Encounter Overview

• Ship and Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Carnival Encounter Size and Passengers

The Encounter can hold 2,636 based on double occupancy (two people per room) and more when you take into account 3rd and 4th passengers. When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, the Encounter has a space ratio of 41. Depending on the ship, this number can range from 30 to 52 (with a bigger number meaning more space per person) so this ship's space-to-person ratio is about average.

	Carnival Encounter
Class	Adventure
Gross Tonnage	108,865
Length	951
Beam/Width	118
Passenger Decks	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,636
Crew	1,100
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.4
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	41

Carnival Encounter Space Ratio

30 41 52

The Encounter is one of two Adventure Class ships currently sailing with Carnival. This class of ships were originally built as Grand-class ships for Princess Cruises. The ships transferred to P&O Australia and then Carnival. While they have had some upgrades to add in the Carnival experience, it will be notably different than what you might experience on the rest of the fleet. The ships have a private area, Byron Beach Club, accessible only to guests sating in Byron Beach Suites, a ropes course, water slides, and an adult-only area called the Oasis. The Encounter is very similar to its sister-ships; Adventure, although each ship may have some differences.

Carnival Encounter Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and there will plenty on the Carnival Encounter. You have ten different dining options to choose from. Of those options, five are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee. Some of those options are a set price and some have a la carte menu pricing. Only 50% of the dining options are included meaning you might spend more while on the ship due to the additional fees.

Restaurant	Restaurant Type	Type of Food
Included
Angelo's	Sit down	Italian
Dragon Lady	Sit down	Asian
Pizzeria	Quick serve	Pizza
The Pantry	Quick serve	Buffet
Waterfront Restaurant	Sit down	Australian
A la carte
Cherry on Top	Quick serve	Dessert
Luke's Bar & Grill	Sit down	Steak and Seafood
Luke's Burgers	Quick serve	Burgers
NZ Natural Ice Cream	Quick serve	Ice cream
Trattoria	Sit down	Italian

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Carnival 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.

There are also plenty of bars available on this ship. You can check outrecent bar menus for the Encounter below.

Pools and Hot Tubs on Carnival Encounter

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 in a pool, a cruise might not be the right choice. 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 Encounter has a total of four pools and eight hot tubs.

Looking to get away from the kids onboard? Try relaxing in the Serenity Adult-only area, for guests 21 and older only. It's located on the ship. Here, you'll find .

One of the pools and two 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 Encounter
Total Pools	4
- Pools - General Access	2
- Pools - Adults Only	1
- Pools - Exclusive	1
Total Hot Tubs	8
- Hot Tubs - General Access	6
- Hot Tubs - Adults Only
- Hot Tubs - Exclusive	2

Carnival Encounter Features and Activities

There are quite a few things to do on the Encounter. These are the main amenities that are available. Some are included in the cost of the cruise, while others have an additional charge.

	Carnival Encounter
Adult Only Relaxation Area	Included
Arcade	A la carte
Basketball	Included
Casino	A la carte
Comedy Club	Included
Dr Seuss Breakfast	A la carte
Edge Adventure Park	Flat fee
Fitness Center	Included
Pool-side Movies	Included
Water slides	Included

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties which vary per ship.

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.

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:

Carnival Encounter 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	$83 - $88 Learn more
Internet Plan	$18.70 to $23.80 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

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