Celebration: 18 – 22 September 2003
The Celebration was my eighth cruise and my girlfriend, Margaret’s fourth. This was my first four day cruise and consisted of two sea days and only one day in port at Cozumel. I will be honest and say that we weren’t expecting much – from either the short, four-day itinerary or from the 16 year old Celebration. The good news is Carnival was able to achieve their mission as far as we were concerned – they completely exceeded our expectations.
Embarkation in Galveston was a pleasure. The morning of our Celebration cruise, we slept in until about 8:00 or 8:30, ate a leisurely breakfast, dressed and packed the few remaining items into our bags. Margaret’s parents arrived around 9:30 to drive us, and at 10:00 we left for Galveston.
We arrived at the port around 11:45. Signs gave clear directions to the port and the officers directing traffic did a great job of keeping the flow moving. At the curb in front of the terminal building, the porters were friendly and eager to help. Passengers who drove themselves to the terminal dropped their luggage and most of their party on the curb before taking their cars to long-term parking. Free shuttles then brought them back to the terminal building to catch up with their traveling companions.
The porter put our three bags (but for the SCUBA gear it should have been two) onto his cart and led us into the terminal building. We had booked a category 4A guarantee and our luggage was tagged with the generic grey tags indicative of such a booking. The porter found our cabin number and attached new tags of the appropriate color to our bags for us. He gave us clear directions to the check-in counters and wished us a good trip as we left the bags in his care.
We passed through a quick security check then got in line for check in. The line appeared a little long at first sight – about 70 to 100 people I would guess – but it moved very quickly. Stepping up to the counter, we received our Sail & Sign cards and keys to stateroom U170 (an upgrade to a 4C) from a nice lady with a thick Texas accent. I was born in Texas and, except for 18 months in Michigan and a misguided three years in Louisiana, I have lived here my entire life. Some of my friends tell me I have a Texas accent, but my accent is nothing, compared to this nice lady’s. I’m sure the people who come to Galveston from north of the Mason-Dixon Line enjoy hearing that accent even more than I did.
By the time we left check-in around 12:15 the ship was open for boarding. We stepped away from the counter and onto the ship – with a brief pause for a boarding picture of course. This was the first boarding picture I’ve ever taken where I didn’t look dog tired and beat up after waking up early and traveling all day. We actually looked like normal, healthy people. Did I mention that embarkation in Galveston was a breeze?
The Port of Galveston is doing some construction work to expand the pier and terminal building in order to handle the increasing number of ships coming to town. That being the case, we boarded the ship over a gangway from the pier onto deck three, just as you would in any of the island ports of call. At the gangway, the port employee, in yet another thick Texas accent, was announcing that the cabins were still being cleaned and everyone would need to go directly to the Lido Deck (deck 10) where lunch was being served. However, as we boarded the ship, a crewmember informed us we could go to our cabin. Rather than stay in line for the elevator, we took the stairs up to the Upper Deck (deck 6) and at 12:30 we dropped our carry-on bags in our cabin.
The cabin was smaller than I expected, my previous two cruises having been on RCCL’s Adventure of the Seas and Carnival Triumph. The bathroom was especially small, but everything was very clean and in great condition. I had read reports that during Celebration’s recent refurbishing Carnival had replaced all the beds, bedding, chairs, etc. This must be true, because everything in the room was comfortable and appeared brand new. The passageway and cabin even smelled clean and new.
The ship looks nothing like the two Carnival ships I have experienced – Fascination in 1999 and Triumph in 2003. Missing are the bright colors, flashy Las Vegas decor and neon lights. This ship is classy. The décor is more nautical, with a liberal use of wood. The fittings on the wood railings look of brushed stainless steel and the trim is mirrors and chrome. The result is a look and feel of subdued elegance. Being 16 years old, Celebration has no grand atrium or glass elevators. The hallways are narrow and the ceilings low, especially in the Wheelhouse Grill on the Lido deck where the fire monitoring system in the ceiling is visible to all. The upside is that for the entire four days I “felt” like I was on a ship – something that is easy to forget on the new mega-ships like Triumph and Adventure.
The Rainbow Club Casino was much bigger than I would have expected for a ship this size. Before sail away we met the casino host, but I can’t remember her name. We discussed the differences between the casinos on the various ships for a while before letting her go back to work. She was a very friendly Australian, which made me even more excited to start planning our trip down under in February 2005.
As always, the muster drill took place just before sail away. Our muster station was in the Islands in the Sky lounge. Sitting in the air-conditioned lounge was a nice change from standing on deck in the heat and humidity as we have done on our recent cruises.
We ate dinner in the Vista Dining Room at a table for ten – number 143. Our table mates were Leonard and Michelle from Houston, Hector and Teresa also from Houston, and Michael and Norma from San Antonio. Michael and Norma got engaged on formal night, so congratulations go out to them. We met the fifth couple at our table during breakfast one morning, but they never came to dinner and we never got their names. We had a great time at dinner each night and really enjoyed meeting everyone.
Our waiter was Supa from Indonesia and our assistant waiter was Jean from Haiti. Both did a fine job, but unfortunately due to the short length of the cruise, we were unable to get to know them as well as we would have liked. Their service was good, no better or worse than any we’ve experienced on larger ships. I’ve heard people comment on superior service on smaller ships, and while this may be true on longer cruises, we didn’t notice it during the four days we were on Celebration. As far as we are concerned, they have all had superior service.
The food in the dining room was delicious – both dinner and breakfast. We especially enjoyed the lobster, the prime rib and the escargot. The food in the Wheelhouse Grill was good as well. We certainly put the 24-hour pizzeria to the test, and it passed with flying colors. The salad & sandwich bar served delicious, fresh Caesar salads on embarkation day. The pizzeria served Caesars each of the other days, but the fresh ones were a little better. Incidentally, I never did see a sandwich at the salad & sandwich bar. There were tons of deserts there though, so who needed sandwiches.
The Pool Bar on M/S Celebration after a late night rain.
We spent most of the two sea days up on deck. The railings of deck 11 above the pool were actually railings, as opposed to the solid wall type we found on the Triumph. We could see the blue water of the Gulf from almost anywhere. The decks weren’t crowded and we had no trouble finding a couple of chairs. Being a mid-September sailing, there were very few children on board. Most of the passengers appeared over the age of 45.
From our spot on deck above the pool, we could easily hear the music. Unfortunately the ship didn’t have a full steel band, only one drummer. Clive was talented, but he accompanied “Hits of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s” on CD rather than just playing the drum, which we would have enjoyed more. When Clive was on break, the soundtrack consisted of hip-hop and rap, which definitely wasn’t to our taste.
We played table tennis on deck 9 by the children’s swimming pool. Both tables were vacant (as was the entire area) each evening around 4:30 as the people with early seating began getting ready for dinner. Again, the lack of children on the September sailing could have something to do with the lack of interest in “Ping-Pong.”
After dinner on our last night aboard, we wandered into the library – the most stunning room on the ship in my opinion. There were several models of early 1900’s ocean liners on display and three glass curio cabinets held historical nautical artifacts. The ceiling was a stained glass representation of two passing ships. The theme of the library was wood and glass with brass fixtures and trim. Even the handful of modern flat panel computer monitors failed to detract from the antique maritime look and feel of the place.
The Library on M/S Celebration
Our only disappointment was the short duration of the stop in Cozumel, but we knew that when we booked – such is the price to pay when sailing from Galveston. As soon as the announcement cleared us to go ashore, we got in line to exit the ship. The line started at the door on Deck 3 and wound up the stairs to deck four. Several people forced their way down the stairs past the line of people waiting to exit. There were so many of them I thought they must be trying to get to their Deck 3 cabins. As I watched them push by and exit the ship, I regretted my decision not to say anything. Don’t people have manners anymore?
Before leaving home we scheduled a two-tank SCUBA dive with Dive Paradise. Most of their morning dive boats depart at 8:30AM, but despite the later arrival of our ship and the fact that it was just the two of us, Renee “Apple” Applegate agreed to hold a boat over until we arrived. We exited the ship as soon as possible and took a cab to the shop. True to her word (with no prepayment or credit card information from me) the boat, captain and dive master were waiting when we arrived. Our dive master, Santos, led us on two great dives where we saw countless fish, several lobsters, eels, a stingray, a puffer fish and even a small nurse shark napping under a coral. (Sorry, but the underwater camera isn’t digital and I don’t have a scanner.) We are sold on Dive Paradise and will definitely dive with them again as soon as we can make it back to Cozumel! Check them out at www.diveparadise.com.
The Beautiful Mexican Caribbean
After our dives, we took a cab to Chankanaab Park. We had been there in June to SCUBA dive with the dolphins but had been too rushed to look around and enjoy the park. We ate lunch at Restorante La Laguna. (Maybe the only restaurant in the park.) I highly recommend the nachos and chicken tacos, and the Pico de Gallo was amazing!
The Fountain at Chankanaab Park with Celebration & Holiday in Port
We grabbed a spot on the beach and did some snorkeling. I was surprised at all there was to see – plenty of fish and a large coral reef in about 20 or 30 feet of water. There was a barracuda hanging out under the swim platform about 30 or 40 yards from shore. Several of the people on the platform were visibly disturbed by this and were debating whether to reenter the water. Barracuda’s look menacing but their image is far worse than their bite.
We arrived back at the ship just after 4:00. Another Carnival ship, the Holiday sailing out of New Orleans, was in port alongside us so there were long lines of people extending down each side of the pier. As we approached the door a crew member was trying to explain to everyone that there were two lines across the gangway. We thought we had pulled off a real coup as we got into the newly formed second line. Unfortunately, there was only one metal detector and x-ray machine on board, so the second line only served to create a traffic jam in the doorway. Not exactly the best organized island boarding I’ve seen, but the line moved quick and we were soon back in stateroom U170 attempting to find space to dry our wetsuits and scuba gear.
The last day at sea passed quickly – too quickly of course. We found deck chairs by a rail in the sun. We watched the water go by, hoping to hear the engines stall so that we would be “forced” to stay aboard a while longer. I played in the Volleyball tournament in the afternoon. The teams were supposed to be chosen at random, but a group traveling together wanted to form their own team. No surprise they came home with the gold plated plastic ship on a stick and the rest of us came home empty handed. But it was fun, and the fact that the Carnival Social Host didn’t know the difference between a “point” and a “side-out” kept the games close.
Arrival in Galveston was an experience. About 5:00AM the vibrations started. We had felt a little vibration now and then over the weekend, mostly at dinner, but this was enough to wake us from deep sleep. For the next two hours the ship vibrated, shimmied and shook. I assume all the activity had to do with turning the ship around in the turn basin before heading into the pier. It was mildly annoying and made it a little difficult to sleep but I guess its all part of sailing on a 16 year old ship sans modern propulsion systems.
Did I mention embarkation in Galveston was a breeze? Debarkation was equally easy. Shortly after 7:00, the first announcement rang out calling the first two colors to the Islands in the Sky Lounge for the immigration check. At 7:15 we entered the Vista dining room for breakfast. About an hour later, as we exited the dining room, our color was ordered to the lounge for immigration. As it turned out, our color was the next to the last called. We had been unable to hear the announcements in the dining room. As we stood in line for immigration on the Promenade Deck, the PA sounded again informing everyone that we were free to leave the ship. We were in no hurry to leave. I don’t think it was 9:00 yet and we weren’t expecting Margaret’s parents to arrive at the pier until 11:00. The line moved quickly and after clearing immigration we went up to the pool deck in order to get a strong cell phone signal to call Margaret’s parents. Luckily they were early and would be arriving at the terminal around 9:30.
We leisurely strolled down the stairs, taking our time and taking a few last looks at each deck. We reached the gangway on deck three to find it almost empty. The cruise director, Trevor Block, was there having his picture taken with three women. Other than them and us, there was no one. We left the ship and entered the terminal building to collect our luggage.
The place was all but completely empty. Almost every piece of luggage had already been claimed and collected. We found our luggage in a matter of seconds and followed the signs toward customs. We didn’t want to admit the weekend was over, so in an effort to make it last, we got in the longest line for customs. There were three people in front of us.
We stepped out of the terminal where the officers were managing the traffic flow with the same efficiency as when we had arrived. Margaret’s parents pulled up to the curb, we loaded the bags and we were off – no mass of cabs, no traffic jam, no honking horns and no mad dash to catch a flight at the airport.
I had been hesitant to take a cruise out of Galveston. My opinion had always been that if a cruise didn’t involve a flight to some far away port city, then I wouldn’t feel like I had really gone anywhere. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Watching Galveston fade in the distance during sail-away was just as exciting and fun as leaving Miami or San Juan. It was also a pleasure to exit the ship and be home in less than two hours rather than be facing a day of airplanes and airport food.
All in all, we had a great weekend. The newly refitted Celebration is a beautiful ship with classy lines and elegant décor. She lacks the affordable balconies of the modern mega-liners (only 10 balconies total and six have life boat obstructed views), but she’s a pleasure to sail if you don’t mind the smaller staterooms and want to feel like you’re on a ship.
The Port of Galveston really has their act together – both at embarkation and debarkation. Sailing from Galveston was not only convenient, but enjoyable, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the rumors of an RCCL Voyager class ship coming to town are true.
:: Home :: Celebration Review :: Triumph Photos ::