What Theme Parties are on a Carnival Ship?
Last Updated on December 6, 2022
Carnival has always positioned itself as the fun cruise line, and you can usually feel that from the moment you step onboard. It just has a different energy from other cruise lines. Everyone just seems ready to have a great vacation. As part of the cruise, Carnival hosts theme parties or events.
Before COVID, it seemed that Carnival was trying to standardize the theme parties between all the ships. However, it seems that has gone by the wayside. John Heald, Carnival Brand Ambassador, recently shared the theme parties that will be occurring on each ship in the fleet, and they’re pretty varied.
Take a look at the different parties below and how they work.
What is a Carnival theme party?
Several nights on a Carnival cruise, they host a party with a specific theme. The parties usually take place on the main Lido pool deck or in the ship’s Atrium area. Guests are encouraged to dress to fit the theme, but it’s not required. Unfortunately, Carnival only schedules 30 minutes for most of these events, which seems way too short for an event you go out of your way to dress up for.
What types of theme parties are there?
There’s a variety of parties, here are some of the more popular ones.
White Hot Night Party

This is the easiest party to dress for; just wear white. The more, the better. White hats, glasses, watches, accessories, go all out. Most ships with a white party are equipped with black lights to make you pop. It’s an amazing experience to see a room full of people in glowing white dancing away.
Mega Deck Party
This “mega” party will usually take place on the deck by the main pool if the weather allows. The music will be pumping, and Carnival’s fun squad will keep the energy up. There will be limbos, choreographed dances, and more. Carnival recommends wearing red or blue to this party, but we rarely see people dress up in theme for this one.
80’s Rock & Glow

Get ready for lots of neon, leg warmers, and high hair. The 80’s Rock and Glow party celebrates everything 80’s. Usually taking place on the Lido Deck, the party features all your favorite music from the 80’s. It seems like one of the better attended and dressed for events on the cruise ship.
Decades Theme Parties
Some ships will also have a theme party dedicated to a specific decade. Typically, in our experience, fewer people dress for these events, but they usually have a great turnout.
Silent Night Disco

The Silent Night Disco is a recent addition to the Carnival fleet but has been on other cruise lines for some time. In a silent disco, you get a set of headphones to listen to the music. There’s a button to change between two different live streams of music on the headsets. That means you can be dancing next to someone who’s listening to a completely different song. If you really want to have fun, go without headphones and enjoy the surreal experience of seeing people dancing in a completely silent room. Well, not completely silent; you’ll have people singing along to the different tracks at the same time, which adds to the experience.
What theme parties are on your Carnival cruise?
John Heald provided the list below in mid-March. Keep in mind these parties can change because of weather, change of cruise director, or adjustment of the cruise itinerary. Usually, you’ll get an email a few weeks before your cruise outlining the parties so you can be prepared. It’s frustrating that Carnival can’t just post this information in the online cruise planner to make it easy for everyone. They have a listing about it on their general website, but it’s outdated and hard to find.
Carnival Breeze
- White Night
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
Carnival Celebration
- White Night
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Mega Deck Party
- Tiki Fest (Hawaiian)
- Backyard Bash (Country)
Carnival Conquest
- Mega Deck Party
Carnival Dream
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
Carnival Ecstasy
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- 80’s & 90’s Theme Party
- 70’s Theme Party
Carnival Elation
- 80’s Theme Party
- Mega Deck Party
- 90’s Theme Party
Carnival Freedom
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
Carnival Glory
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Mega Deck Party
- Silent Disco
- Decades Party
- White Night
Carnival Horizon
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Silent White Night
Carnival Legend
- Motown Theme Party
- 90’s Trivia Party
- Mega Deck Party
- White Night
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Silent Night Disco
Carnival Liberty
- Mega Deck Party
Carnival Magic
- Mega Deck Party
- Silent Night Disco
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Motown Trivia Party
Carnival Miracle
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Mega Deck Party
Carnival Mardi Gras
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Mega Deck Party
- Tiki Fest (Hawaiian)
- Mardi Gras Parade
- Backyard Bash (Country)
Carnival Panorama
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Mega Deck Party
- Silent Night Disco
- White Night
Carnival Paradise
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
Carnival Pride
- 70’s Theme Party
- 80’s Theme Party
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
Carnival Radiance
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
Carnival Splendor
- Mega Deck Party
- Northern Lights
- Decades Party
Carnival Spirit
- Northern Lights
- Mega Deck Party
- 80’s Rock & Glow
Carnival Sunrise
- Mega Deck Party
Carnival Sunshine
- 80’s Rock & Glow
- Mega Deck Party
Carnival Valor
- 80’s-90’s Theme Party
- Mega Deck Party
Carnival Vista
- Mega Deck Party
- Silent Night Disco
- 80’s Rock & Glow
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