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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Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee combine BOLT, WaterWorks and six themed zones with a broad restaurant choice. Their most noticeable differences are the public spaces: Mardi Gras has a French Quarter, Celebration has 820 Biscayne, and Jubilee has Currents and The Shores.
Compare those spaces alongside the cabin and departure port. These are large ships with substantial walking distances, so map the route from your room to breakfast, the pools and children’s activities before paying for a location or category upgrade.
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's six zones give the large public spaces distinct identities. The differences include restaurants and bars as well as decor: Mardi Gras's French Quarter, Celebration's travel-themed Gateway and Jubilee's digitally animated Currents are reasons to compare the individual ships.
Trace the places your group will use most often on the deck plan. BOLT carries a separate charge, and its rider limits may rule it out for a child who can use other family facilities.
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 is a separately priced roller coaster. Carnival lists a height range of 52–77 inches, a 300-pound limit per rider and a 440-pound limit per vehicle. Children under 12 must ride with someone at least 15. Closed-toe athletic shoes and workout clothing are required. Check these restrictions before making the ride central to your family’s choice.
WaterWorks, the ropes course and sports areas provide other active options. Evening shows take place in several venues; leave enough time to walk from dinner and find seats for the performances you want.
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.
On these three ships, Carnival includes one dinner at Chibang! and one at Cucina del Capitano; repeat dinners cost $8 per person at each venue. Check the current dining-time rules in the HUB app, particularly if you have assigned main-dining seating.
Compare menus and meal charges in the individual guides for Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee.
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.
Carnival Excel Suites include access to the Loft 19 deck. A private cabana is a separate reservation, with priority for Excel Suite guests; ordinary suite categories do not automatically carry the same deck benefit. Compare the exact category, total cabin price and walking route to the areas your group uses.
Time aboard, walking distances and family priorities
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.
Compare an earlier Carnival class if Guy’s Burger Joint, comedy, pools and a convenient departure cover your priorities. For Excel, include the actual BOLT rides, specialty meals and cabin benefits you plan to buy in the fare comparison.
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
| 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.
Your decision checklist
- Check BOLT’s rider limits before including it in the family budget.
- Compare ordinary cabins with Family Harbor, Havana or Excel Suite access.
- Plan which first dinners to use at Chibang! and Cucina del Capitano.
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.
Is BOLT included in the cruise fare?
No. BOLT costs extra and has height and weight restrictions. Riders must be 52–77 inches tall; the published limits are 300 pounds per person and 440 pounds per vehicle. Children under 12 need a companion aged 15 or older.
Do all suites include Loft 19 cabanas?
No. Carnival Excel Suites include Loft 19 deck access and priority cabana reservations, but the private cabana is a separate purchase. Check the benefits of the exact suite category.
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.
- BOLT rider requirementsHeight, weight, age pairing, clothing and extra-charge classification.
- Loft 19 cabanasExcel Suite access to the deck is distinct from reserving a private cabana.
- Dining inclusions and repeat-visit chargesIncludes the Excel-class first dinner and repeat dinner arrangement.