Carnival Excel class: Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee compared
Compare Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee: BOLT, dining, Havana and Family Harbor cabins, ship-specific neighborhoods and official deck plans.
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If the ship is meant to be a major part of the holiday, Excel is Carnival’s fullest expression of that idea. Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee combine a roller coaster, a waterpark, several themed zones and a broad dining choice. The question is how much of that you want to fit into a week.
These ships suit travelers who enjoy options and do not mind planning their way around a large vessel. They are less compelling if your ideal cruise involves a short walk to dinner and a quiet deck chair. Start with the route and cabin, then decide which ship’s particular bars, restaurants and design give you something worth choosing for.
What matters for your decision
- Extensive casual dining and several distinct activity areas support varied sea days.
- The ship’s scale adds walking and more decisions about where to spend time.
- Compare Havana, Family Harbor and standard cabins by the access and sleeping arrangements your group will use.
Six zones and a much larger Carnival ship
Excel is a substantial step up from Carnival’s earlier designs in both scale and the way public spaces are grouped. Six themed zones help divide the experience into recognizable areas. BOLT is the visible headline, but the more frequently used differences may be a casual food stop, a shaded place to sit or an evening venue near your room.
Do not count every advertised activity as an inclusion. A ship can offer a feature without including it in your fare, and a ride can have eligibility limits or weather interruptions. Nor does a larger tonnage establish that a particular lounge or pool will feel spacious on your sailing. Think in daily routes: cabin to breakfast, pool to lunch, dinner to the show.
Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee
| Ship | What distinguishes the choice |
|---|---|
| Mardi Gras | The French Quarter and New Orleans-inspired identity distinguish the original Excel ship; compare its bar and dining map with the later sisters. |
| Carnival Celebration | Celebration Central, 820 Biscayne and The Gateway create a different public-space identity from Mardi Gras. |
| Carnival Jubilee | Currents and The Shores give the ship an ocean-focused identity; its Galveston departures also make Texas travel logistics central to the choice. |
BOLT, WaterWorks and a full sea-day schedule
BOLT, WaterWorks and SportSquare provide three different kinds of active time. BOLT is a short, separately priced attraction, not an entire afternoon’s entertainment. WaterWorks can matter more to a family that returns daily; the ropes course adds another option when conditions and eligibility allow.
Evening entertainment is distributed around the ship rather than confined to one conventional theater routine. Decide which shows your group actually wants, then allow time to get between dinner and the relevant venue. A short cruise compresses this choice further: trying to sample every activity can turn a relaxed trip into a queue-and-reservation exercise.
For adults, Serenity and the ship-specific bars offer alternatives to the busiest activity areas. They do not make Excel an adults-only product. For children, a cabin that supports naps and a manageable route to supervised activities may be more useful than a distant premium view.
Included lunches and specialty dinner costs
Big Chicken, Guy’s Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina give Excel a strong casual-food foundation. The main dining rooms remain a practical included dinner choice. Specialty restaurants such as the steakhouse, Rudi’s Seagrill and Bonsai Teppanyaki should be budgeted separately unless your specific booking says otherwise.
Be precise about Chibang! and Cucina del Capitano. Carnival’s current pages describe a first complimentary meal and a charge for subsequent visits in applicable venues; “included restaurant” is therefore too broad a promise. Check the current arrangement, opening times and any dining-time eligibility before building a nightly meal plan around them.
Choose a few restaurants that genuinely interest you instead of buying an upgrade because the ship has a long list. A household that is happy with the main dining room and casual lunches can enjoy the ship without turning every evening into a specialty purchase.
Havana, Family Harbor and Excel suites
The room decision is more complicated than interior versus balcony. Family Harbor, Havana, Cloud 9 Spa and Excel suite categories attach different benefits to particular locations and room types. Havana is not simply a decor choice: Carnival states that its occupants must be at least 12. Confirm the ages of everyone in the cabin before comparing its fare.
The Havana outdoor area on an Excel ship is not a copy of the aft Havana pool arrangement on Vista class. Compare the actual deck drawing and photographs of the correct ship. For a conventional balcony, inspect whether you overlook a public deck, have an obstruction or sit below a busy open-deck venue.
Excel suites can introduce private-deck benefits and substantial extra space, but do not assume that every room called a suite includes the same access. Get the category code, the benefit list and the total for your occupancy together. A larger room farther from your daily destinations may be a poor trade for a mobility-limited traveler.
Families who want the ship to be part of the holiday
Choose Excel for a group that wants multiple ways to spend sea days and is willing to accept walking, scheduling and optional charges. It is particularly attractive when the sailing itself leaves enough time onboard to use those facilities.
Choose an earlier Carnival class when you mainly want familiar casual food, comedy, a pool and an easy departure. An Excel premium is difficult to justify if the only feature you expect to use is a roller-coaster ride. Conversely, a slightly longer cruise on Excel may be easier to enjoy than a short cruise spent trying to do everything.
Pros and cons
| Advantages | Compromises |
|---|---|
| Extensive casual dining and several distinct activity areas support varied sea days. | The ship’s scale adds walking and more decisions about where to spend time. |
| BOLT and the large WaterWorks complex give active travelers specific reasons to choose the design. | Headline attractions and specialty meals can increase the total beyond the fare. |
| Multiple cabin concepts let you prioritize family convenience, spa interests or suite space. | Cabin benefits and restricted areas require more careful category checking. |
Other ships to consider
Vista class is the nearest comparison for an activity-rich Carnival trip at a smaller scale: SkyRide, Havana accommodation and ship-specific indoor attractions replace Excel’s zone-and-coaster identity. Dream class makes sense when outdoor deck space and familiar Carnival dining matter more than the newest rides. Compare the actual total; no class is reliably the cheapest on every date.
Official deck plans
Select the deck plan for your ship and sailing date using the official links below.
Check the cabin legend, connecting doors and extra beds, then inspect the decks above and below your room. Ask the operator to confirm any essential accessibility requirements; a floor plan cannot establish whether the room and shore arrangements will meet them.
| Ship | Features and current information | Official deck-plan destination |
|---|---|---|
| Mardi Gras | Mardi Gras: official overview | Deck plans for Mardi Gras |
| Carnival Celebration | Carnival Celebration: official overview | Deck plans for Carnival Celebration |
| Carnival Jubilee | Carnival Jubilee: official overview | Deck plans for Carnival Jubilee |
Photograph and further reading
The photograph shows Mardi Gras at the date recorded in its credit. It illustrates the vessel, not a guarantee of its current paintwork, cabins or latest refit. Original photograph and attribution; photograph license.
For the wider choice, use our Carnival Cruise Line class comparison. Compare the actual sailing, room and trip cost through CruiseGem’s Carnival Cruise Line page.
Your decision checklist
- Write down the ship, departure date, port times and your party’s exact cabin occupancy.
- Confirm the specific attractions, restaurants and room benefits that justify your choice.
- Save the current deck plan and check rooms, public spaces and service areas above and below your cabin.
- Compare the full trip cost, including transport, required charges and the extras you will actually use.
- Check cancellation terms and get any essential accessibility or family arrangements confirmed before payment.
Questions travelers ask
Which ships does this guide cover?
Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee. This operating roster was checked for September 23, 2026; future additions are not counted.
Are the ships in this class identical?
No. Start with the ship comparison above, then use the individual operator page and date-appropriate deck plan. Refits, venues, room categories and deployment can differ even when the underlying design is shared.
Does a higher fare mean this is the better ship?
No. Compare the same occupancy, cabin benefits, itinerary and inclusions. A newer venue matters only if you will use it; an easier departure or better-positioned room can be more valuable.
Official sources and further reading
Sources checked September 23, 2026. Explore the original policies, destination guidance and provider information behind this article. Each description explains what you will find at the source.
- Carnival Cruise Line fleetFleet context; future bookable ships are excluded from this operating roster.
- Mardi Gras official ship informationShip features and layouts; booking-specific operation and inclusions can vary.
- Carnival Celebration official ship informationShip features and layouts; booking-specific operation and inclusions can vary.
- Carnival Jubilee official ship informationShip features and layouts; booking-specific operation and inclusions can vary.
- Mardi Gras official deck plansUse the version applicable to your sailing; linked operator resource, not a reproduced or independently surveyed plan.
- Carnival Celebration official deck plansUse the version applicable to your sailing; linked operator resource, not a reproduced or independently surveyed plan.
- Carnival Jubilee official deck plansUse the version applicable to your sailing; linked operator resource, not a reproduced or independently surveyed plan.
- Carnival official ships-by-class chart (earlier edition)Design-family context, including Luminosa within Spirit. This earlier chart predates Adventure and Encounter; the current roster is checked against individual ship pages. Renamed-ship dates need not mean original construction.
- Photograph: Mardi GrasMardi Gras · 2026 · Jack Adamenko · CC0; Wikimedia thumbnail, displayed to fit the page.
- Additional photograph: Carnival CelebrationCarnival Celebration · 2026 · Jack Adamenko · CC0; displayed to fit the page.