The line that owns up to being loud
Since 1972 Carnival has sold a simple idea: the cruise as a popular
night out rather than a ceremony. The ships carry waterslides, beer
bars, comedy stages and an entertainment team called the Fun Squad. The
tone sits closer to summer camp than to a grand hotel. That is
deliberate, it is owned, and it is why the line carries more passengers
than any other in North America.
This positioning decides everything else. A traveller looking for
quiet, hushed service and calm evenings is better served elsewhere, and
we will say so. A traveller who wants energy, children running, music on
deck and a reasonable entry price finds at Carnival what few lines offer
to the same degree.
Four generations of ships in one fleet
Four generations of ships sail side by side, and more than thirty years separate the newest from the oldest. The three Excel-class ships
form the top of the range: Mardi Gras entered service in 2021, Carnival
Celebration in 2022, Carnival Jubilee in 2023. They run on liquefied
natural gas and carry roller coasters on the top deck. A fourth,
Carnival Festivale, is announced for 2027.
Then come the Vista and Dream classes, more conventional, then the ships of the 2000s and 1990s, smaller, often refitted, serving the
secondary ports. Ship size changes the experience more than the
destination does: on an Excel you walk a great deal and you queue; on a
Spirit you know the ship by the second day.
Two Italian ships and two Australian ones
Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze are former
Costa ships, moved under the Carnival
flag with a separate programme the line calls its Italian format. The
decor, part of the dining and the vocabulary aboard remain Costa's. A
guest who boards the Venezia expecting an ordinary Carnival ship meets
something else, and that deserves saying before the booking rather than
after.
Carnival Encounter and Carnival Adventure come from P&O
Australia, whose operations ended in March 2025. They were renamed and
folded into the fleet the same year.
What the fare covers, and what it leaves out
The fare covers the cabin, meals in the main dining rooms and the
buffet, part of the included restaurants, the shows, the pool and the
entertainment facilities. It also covers supervised children's
programming during regular hours.
Charged separately are alcoholic drinks and some soft drinks,
specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi, shore excursions, the spa and photography.
Gratuities are billed automatically per person per night and are added
to the onboard account rather than to the advertised fare. We give you
the amounts when we quote, because they change with the cabin category
and with the year.
Sailing from Quebec
Carnival operates no Canadian homeport. For a Quebecer the most
reachable departures are New York and Baltimore, which serve the Canada
and New England itineraries in autumn, then Florida and Galveston for
the Caribbean. Flights or driving therefore enter the calculation, and
that often changes the comparison with a line that sails from closer to
home.
Who Carnival suits
Families with teenagers, groups of friends, first-time cruisers who
want to try without committing a large sum, and travellers who find the
premium lines a touch solemn. Children genuinely enjoy themselves here,
which is worth a great deal.
It suits less well couples seeking quiet, food enthusiasts and
travellers sensitive to crowds. For those, look instead at
Princess, which belongs to the same
group with a calmer tone. To compare at similar scale, see
Royal Caribbean and
MSC.
