Carnival Cruise Line's 2022 newbuild, the Carnival Celebration, is under construction in Finland. The Carnival Celebration is one of Carnival's XL class ships and is a sister ship to the Mardi Gras in Carnival Cruise Line's fleet. Carnival recently posted the Carnival Celebration's deck plans to include some virtual tours of some of the ship's public areas. Once the ship enters service and has completed cruises, I am sure we will see many Carnival Celebration cruise reviews with pictures, but at this time Carnival has given us some virtual tours of a few public areas to enjoy. 
    

​Viewing these virtual tours is extremely easy. I will give you a step by step tutorial on how to find these virtual tours on Carnival's website: 

1)   Go to Carnival Cruise Line's official website. The Carnival Celebration has its own separate ship page & profile that contains a variety of photos, information, deck plans, and more. To make this easy on you, here is a direct link to this page: https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-celebration.aspx    (Link will open in a separate window) 

2)  Once you are on the Carnival Celebration's page on the Carnival website look for a page called "Deck Plans". When this first comes up you may have to click another button that says "View Deck Plans". If this is the case for you click on "View Deck Plans". When you have the screen below appear you will be in the right place: 

5.  After clicking on "360-view", you should see a message that says, "Click Here And Drag For Virtual Tour". After you click your mouse on that, you have the capability to scroll around and look at the view Carnival has provided.

These Areas Have The 360-View Virtual Tours Available On The Deck Plans:
These areas have 360 views (in no particular order): 
Deck 4:  Family Harbor Lounge
Deck 5:  Cloud 9 Spa & Thermal Suites
Deck 6:  Theater, Cloud 9 Spa, Piano Bar 88, Java Blue Cafe, & Cherry on Top 
Deck 7:  Theater (same view as Deck 6), Casino, & Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse 
Deck 8:  Havana Bar, Bonsai Teppanyaki, Bonsai Sushi, The Watering Hole, Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse, & Patio Pool 
Deck 16: Blue Iguana Cantina, Beach Pool, Red Frog Tiki Bar, 
Deck 17: Red Frog Tiki Bar (same as Deck 16) & Guy's Burger Joint
Deck 18: Serenity Adults Only Retreat, Sportsquare, & Carnival WaterWorks

Some Additional Notes:
These 360 views (virtual tours) Carnival has provided are of renderings. The ship is still under construction, which means the actual public areas are not finished yet.

     Thank you Carnival for providing this feature on the Carnival Celebration's deck plans! While these are only renderings, cruisers can still use these to tour the ship and get excited about their upcoming vacation. ​

        This week Carnival Cruise Line announced the cancellation of remaining cruise vacations that were sailing from Miami and Port Canaveral. The cancellation of these cruises came less than a week after the CDC released the Conditional Sail Order. Carnival's social media release stated the company will update guests after analysis and a plan to comply with the CDC's directives are undertaken. 
                 At this point in time, there are no Carnival cruises with guests scheduled to depart the United States for the remainder of 2020. It is unclear when Carnival's ships will be allowed to re-enter US waters due to having to comply with multiple requirements.
             Cruises from homeports other than Miami and Port Canaveral were already cancelled through the end of 2020. The ships with newly announced cancellations are the Carnival Conquest, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Elation, and Carnival Liberty. 

For the latest information please check Carnival's Health & Safety updates page:  Click Here  
If you are looking for more information on cancelled cruise voyages: Click Here
              

      Today the CDC announced the No Sail Order will expire as scheduled on October 31st and a framework for a Conditional Sail Order will begin. The CDC's Conditional Sail Order offers the opportunity for cruise lines to have a phased in approach for returning to passenger operations in US waters. 

Highlights of the CDC's Conditional Sail Order:
​1.   Cruise lines will be required to hold simulated voyages before being able to obtain a "Conditional Sailing Certificate" from the CDC. On these simulated voyages The CDC will want to see that the cruise line's plans are designed to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spreading onboard. The Conditional Sail Order had specific requirements for the simulated voyages that will test various aspects of the cruise experience such as dining, embarkation, debarkation, activities, shore excursions, and more. 

2. The CDC is requiring the cruise lines to conduct laboratory testing of all passengers and crew on the day of embarkation and day of debarkation. 

3.  Cruise lines cannot sail or offer cruises that are longer than 7 days. The CDC reserves the right to shorten or increase the number of days the cruise is permitted to sail. At this time, it is unclear how long this is in effect or if this stipulation pertains to all cruises.

If you would like to read the full Conditional Sail Order please click here. This link will take you directly to the CDC's website and the Conditional Sail Order can be found under the 10/30 guidance. 

Cruise Line Responses To Today's News 
               Now that the CDC has allowed the No Sail Order to expire and has implemented a framework for the Conditional Sail Order cruise lines can have a higher degree of certainty for planning a return to cruises. I expect in the coming days and weeks more information is going to be released. Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean posted statements are after the release of the Conditional Sail Order on their websites:

Carnival Cruise Line: 

Besides cruise lines issuing statements, Cruise Lines International Association ("CLIA") posted a press release discussing the release of the framework for the Conditional Sail Order. CLIA anticipates the previously announced Health Sail Panel's recommendations to serve as a foundation for the return to service. If you would like to read the full press release click here (link will take you to CLIA's website). 

The Main Thing To Keep In Mind Right Now
             There will be a lot of communication from cruise lines coming in the upcoming days and weeks. Cruise lines have likely been planning for a return to service and now will incorporate this new information into their plans to come back. There are a lot of moving parts to the process to get the ships back sailing, but as we get closer to the day cruises begin again with guests we should learn a lot more.

         Yesterday Carnival Cruise Line announced the cancellation of some November and December 2020 cruises following the CDC's decision to extend the No Sail Order. Carnival cancelled cruises for all US homeports except for Miami and Port Canaveral. 
UPDATE:  Carnival has now cancelled the remainder of November 2020 cruises. There are no cruises scheduled for Carnival in November 2020 anymore. 
                    Carnival's press release stated that Miami and Port Canaveral are where the company is focusing on its initial return to service when cruises are able to begin. The cruises scheduled out of Miami and Port Canaveral during this time frame are not cancelled, but Carnival should have sent guests on these cruises a letter stating options if guests wish to voluntarily cancel. Carnival has kept these cruises open while options are being evaluated. 
                   For US cruises not out of Port Canaveral or Miami, unfortunately Carnival has cancelled all sailings through and including December 31, 2020. Guests on these sailings should have been notified with options. Based on Carnival's website it appears the options offered were either a full refund or a combination of 100% future cruise credit paired with onboard credit based on the cancelled sailing's length. This is just an overview of the options so please consult Carnival or your travel advisor for more information if you are on the cancelled cruises. 

Ships With Cruises Not Cancelled From Miami and Port Canaveral:

• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Horizon
• Carnival Sunrise
• Carnival Breeze
• Carnival Elation
• Carnival Liberty

For the latest information please check Carnival's Health & Safety updates page:  Click Here 
For information regarding the cancellations discussed in this post please check out Carnival's press release: Click Here

        Getting around your Carnival Cruise ship can be made easier if you have a copy of the ship's deck plan. For those that are not familiar, a deck plan is essentially a map of the ship that shows which lounges, attractions, or areas are on on each deck of the ship. 
             This first part of this post will give links to Carnival's online deck plans for each ship. This will allow you to look at your ship's deck plans pre-cruise. The second part of this post will share ways to use deck plans while on your cruise. 

Pre-Cruise: Viewing The Ship's Deck Plan
              Before your cruise I highly recommend taking a quick look at your ship's deck plan. Carnival's website has interactive deck plans available as well as a PDF copy of the deck plan that should be printable. The interactive deck plan is a helpful tool for pre-cruise research. Carnival has a feature built into the interactive deck plan where you can type your stateroom number and it will pull the stateroom up on the deck plan. 
                     The PDF deck plan is great because it is printable. If you are a first time cruiser or have never been on the particular ship before, I highly recommend printing out the PDF deck plan. 
                       Each of the links below will take you away from this website to Carnival's website. The  "PDF Deck Plan" links are directly to PDF documents that can be found on Carnival's website of the deck plan. All links will open in a new window. Your computer will need to have the ability to open a PDF document if you try to view one of the PDF deck plans. If a link has changed or is broken please let me know! 

Carnival Ecstasy                    Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Sensation                 Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Elation                      Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan
​Carnival Paradise                   Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Sunshine                  Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Sunrise                     Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Radiance                  Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Spirit                         Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Pride                         Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Legend                     Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Miracle                      Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Conquest                  Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Glory                         Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Valor                         Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Liberty                     Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Freedom                  Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Splendor                  Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Dream                      Interactive Deck Plan               PDF Deck Plan 
​Carnival Magic                      Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Breeze                    Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan
Carnival Vista                       Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Horizon                   Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Panorama               Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan 
Mardi Gras                            Interactive Deck Plan                PDF Deck Plan 
Carnival Celebration             Deck Plans have not yet been released. This is Carnival's 2022 new ship. 

During Your Cruise:  How To View The Ship's Deck Plan Once On The Ship 

Option 1:   Carnival Hub App
                Carnival's Hub App is a useful tool for information onboard your cruise and once you have the app connected onboard you can view the ship's deck plan from the app. This app is free to download and is available for both Apple & Android phones. Once you are onboard the ship look for instructions on how to activate the app because most features of the app are not available until you are on the ship, in airplane mode, and connected to the ship's wi-fi network. 

Deck plans are a useful tool for finding your way around the ship. If you still cannot find something on the ship after looking at the deck plans, ask a crew member or at guest services! Most crew members know the ship's layout well and should be able to give you directions to what you are looking for.  Have a great cruise!

       The Carnival Imagination has officially left Carnival's fleet and has now been run aground at a scrapyard in Aliaga, Turkey. Videos have started to surface on You-Tube that showed the Carnival Inspiration being run-aground (beached) at the ship recycling and scrapyard. This ship beaching comes only a few weeks after the Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration were run-aground at the same scrapyard. All three ships are beached/run-aground next to each other. 
            The Carnival Imagination entered service for Carnival in 1995 and was built in the Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland. When the Carnival Inspiration entered service, it was the 5th ship out of 8 in Carnival's Fantasy class. ​

Some You-Tube Videos Showing The Ship Arriving & Being Run Aground (Beached) In Turkey:
               Below you will find some links that show the ship being run-aground. Some of these videos have sound and some do not. A few of these videos have advertisements that I had to watch before being able to view the video because You-Tube would not let me skip the ads.  I do not own these videos and am not responsible for any of the content these videos contain. Please note, by clicking the video links you will be taken to You-Tube. ​

Video #1 -   This video shows the Carnival Imagination as it makes its final maneuvers before being beached. As the ship gets close to the shoreline you will be able to see the other ships already beached including the Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Inspiration, Monarch (Pullmantur), and Sovereign (Pullmantur). The Carnival Imagination was beached right next to the Carnival Fantasy. In the last part of the video the Carnival Imagination hits the Carnival Fantasy. The front portion of the Carnival Fantasy has already been taken apart. 
Link To Video:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7nQD5i3UYo 

Video #2 -  This video was taken in the Carnival Imagination's navigational bridge as the ship was beached in Turkey. 
Link To Video:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GiWhp8r-AU

​Video #3 -   Check out this video for a view of the ship being run-aground from the shore as well as video taken from the ship's navigational bridge as the ship made its way to the shore. Some of the noise from the Carnival Imagination hitting the already beached Carnival Fantasy can be heard in this video as the ship is nearly at shore. 
Link To Video:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq-e6UmHNQU
​
Video #4 -  This video has a variety of interesting pictures and videos. At the start, you can see a view from the shoreline of the Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Imagination after the beaching has taken place. The Carnival Fantasy's front is nearly gone. 
Link To Video:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz8m85S1u54

         Carnival Cruise Line announced this morning a modification to their fleet return plan for some ships due to changes in dry-dock dates. Each of the affected ships had dry-docks scheduled in 2021 and due to scheduling changes with the dry-docks, Carnival decided to delay the return to guest operations for the affected ships until after the dry-dock is over. 
               The ships that have had cruises cancelled due to this modification plan are the Carnival Magic, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Valor, and Carnival Spirit. Here are details regarding each of these ships' cancellations: 


​Carnival Magic: 
​The Carnival Magic's cruises are cancelled until March 13, 2021. 

Carnival Paradise: 
The Carnival Paradise's cruises are cancelled until March 19, 2021. 

​Carnival Valor: 
The Carnival Valor's cruises are cancelled until April 29, 2021. Originally, the Carnival Valor was going to be sailing a transatlantic from New Orleans to Barcelona before the dry-dock and another transatlantic from Barcelona to New Orleans. These transatlantic cruises are now cancelled. 

Carnival Spirit:
The Carnival Spirit's cruises are cancelled through May 16, 2021. Carnival notes the first sailing is now scheduled to embark on May 12, 2021. 

       Besides announcing sailing cancellations due to dry-dock changes, Carnival officially announced the sale of the Carnival Imagination and Carnival Fascination. Both of these ships have been in long-term layup and will now be leaving the fleet This leaves 4 ships in Carnival's Fantasy class (Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Elation, & Carnival Paradise). 

            Please keep in mind there could be further changes to Carnival's fleet return plan. If I learn any details about the work scheduled for these dry-docks, I will post that information. 

For more information:

• Carnival's Health & Sailing Update:   Click Here (will take you away to Carnival's website) 
• Carnival's Press Release:   Click Here (will take you to Carnival's News website) 

Some You-Tube Videos Showing The Ship Arriving & Being Run Aground (Beached) In Turkey:
               Below you will find some links that show the ship being run-aground. Some of these videos have sound and some do not. A few of these videos have advertisements that I had to watch before being able to view the video because You-Tube would not let me skip the ads.  I do not own these videos and am not responsible for any of the content these videos contain. Please note, by clicking the video links you will be taken to You-Tube. 

Video #1 -  This video shows a timelapse of the ship making its final maneuvers in Turkey. The speed in this video is quick and this lasts 26 seconds. 
Link To Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z-wjOAtmRo 

Video #2 -  In this video, the Carnival Inspiration is sailing to shore as the beaching process is completed. One thing I found interesting in this video is the ship tried to fit between  between the Carnival Fantasy and Pullmantur Sovereign. While trying to fit, the Carnival Inspiration hit both ships. No damage was shown in this video, but check out the videos below for some damage that came from the ship's beaching and hitting the other two ships. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG7Dhyz8NXc 

​​Video #3 -  This video shows the view from the Carnival Inspiration's Verandah Deck observation area after the ship has been beached. If you look closely you can see damage on the Carnival Inspiration because some of the metal rails are damaged and bent by the hit. The video also shows some of the damage done to the Carnival Fantasy. Some of the Carnival Fantasy's windows and railings were knocked down. The scrapping process was already started on the Carnival Fantasy, but the only thing I noticed is the ship's lifeboats have been removed. Also, the person filming the video walked to the side of the ship with the Pullmantur Sovereign to show the damage from the ship's impact on that side. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q5xabv_34E 

​Video #4 -   This video gives a view from shore as the Carnival Inspiration is run-aground/beached. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do6rswWX218 

​Video #5 -   This video has a compiliation of still photos taken from onboard the ship the day before the ship is run-aground. The description of this video states this was from the last day crew were allowed on the ship. One thing I noticed in this video was the ship looked like any normal cruise ship and was filled with all of the normal furniture. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAFC_guIzZ4 

         Costa Cruises has released some of its safety measures that will be implemented when cruises return. At the time of writing this post, Costa is planning on resuming some cruises starting in mid-August 2020. 
           I normally do not write or cover Costa, but I decided to write a blog post over the planned safety measures the company has announced. This could be indicator of some of the procedures other Carnival Corporation brands may adopt to protect guests and crew, but it is too early to know exactly what each brand's safety procedures will look like. Please keep in mind this information is subject to change and Costa may have to change procedures. Below are a list of the procedures I gathered from Costa's website & press release:

Check-In Information

• Prior to cruising guests will have online check-in and self-certification procedures that must be completed. Costa's website states this will help minimize interaction with staff members that are working in the cruise terminal. 
• Guests will sign a mandatory health questionnaire that will require certification of health. It is not yet clear from Costa's website or press releases what exactly this health questionnaire will require certification of.
• Costa is offering the ability to book onboard services prior to the cruise. 

Temperature Checks & Personal Protective Equipment

• Costa will be taking the temperature of all guests and crew each time they board the ship. This includes the first day of the cruise and each port of call. 
• Once onboard the ship, guests can take take their temperature using a self-service electronic device. This self-service device should be available throughout the day. 
• Costa's press release states the use of masks will be required when in the indoor areas of the ship, but will only be mandatory in outdoor situations where distancing is not possible. The use of masks when off the ship in a port of call depends on local regulations.

Physical Distancing Onboard

• The number of guests able to be onboard the ship has been reduced. Costa did not release the exact capacity reduction for the ships. 
• Costa is planning on having controlled access to entertainment venues in order to prevent crowding. Their plan is to have more shows available throughout the day with a smaller sized audience in each showing. 
• Lounges and venues will have reduced occupancy levels and these areas have had some redesign to allow for the reduced occupancy. 
• Safety signs will be onboard to remind guests to distance. 
• There will be no self-service restaurants onboard the ships. This means crew members will be serving guests food and drinks.
• In dining areas, Costa says the space between tables and seats has been modified to allow for distancing of guests. Furthermore, Costa states access to dining areas will be capacity controlled.

General Onboard Procedures

• Public areas will be sanitized multiple times a day with antiviral disinfectants. Costa's website notes restrooms will be sanitized frequently. 
• Guests staterooms/cabins will be cleaned using an antiviral disinfectant treatment prior to the guest's arrival (this probably means during time after the last guest left the room from the prior cruise and before the guest has access to the room on the next cruise). Costa's website notes that the stateroom/cabin will be cleaned and disinfected daily. 
• Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the ship. 
• Shore excursion buses will be sanitized after each use and there will be reduced occupancy on the bus.
• Onboard ventilation systems have new filters. The goal of this is to have less internal air recirculation, but instead have more fresh air from outside. 

Procedures For Crew Members

• Crew members will have to undergo a temperature screening before and after each shift. 
• A multi-step process to test crew members will be implemented. Crew members will be pre-screened in their own country and will have to undergo two swab tests to see if he or she has COVID-19. Once the crew member arrives in Italy, he or she will undergo another test. If the third test comes back negative, the crew member will be allowed on the ship to start a 14 day quarantine period. These crew members onboard will have a temperature check done at least once daily and a swab test done at least once per month. 
• Costa's website states crew members will have protective equipment that is in line with Italian regulations. 

My Sources & For More Reading:
Costa's Sanitation & Safety Procedures On Their Main Website:  Click Here 
​Costa's Full Press Release (August 3, 2020) With Some Information:  Click Here

Please keep in mind this information is subject to change. If you are cruising on Costa, it is best you check with them for the latest safety requirements and measures. 

         The Carnival Fantasy has officially left Carnival's fleet and has now been run aground at a scrapyard in Aliaga, Turkey. Today (7/29/20) videos began to surface on You-Tube that showed the Carnival Fantasy being run-aground (beached) at the scrapyard/ship recycling yard. 
            The Carnival Fantasy was Carnival's oldest ship in the fleet and has been sailing with Carnival since 1990. When the Carnival Fantasy entered service, the ship started the Fantasy class which eventually grew to have 8 ships in total. In a few days, the Carnival Inspiration is expected to arrive in Aliaga, Turkey to be scrapped too. 

Some You-Tube Videos Showing The Ship Arriving & Being Run Aground (Beached) In Turkey:
               Below you will find some links that show the ship being run-aground. Some of these videos have sound and some do not. I do not own these videos and am not responsible for any of the content these videos contain. Please note, by clicking the video links you will be taken to You-Tube. 

Video #1 -  This video shows the Carnival Fantasy being beached from a distance. As the ship gets closer, the smoke from the ship is thick black. When the ship is beached & stopped, take a look at the ship's front and notice that the tip of the bow is slightly pointed upwards. Seeing this indicates the ship is beached. 
Link To Video:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm2cyG6BQ9M 

Video #2 -   This video shows shows a closer view of the Carnival Fantasy being beached. One thing I noticed in this video is the ship had to quickly adjust its course as it got closer in order to be beached in the exactly correct location. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtgsMhB1v-U 

​Video #3 -   Although this video does not show the actual beaching, I wanted to share it here because it shows some of the final Carnival crew leaving the Carnival Fantasy. These crew members were taken off the ship and as they leave the ship's horn blew. The video of the ship makes it look like a normal cruise ship that was lite up for the evening. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB2UWDys2no 

Video #4 -   This video shows a view from the Carnival Fantasy as the ship was being breached. It appears this video may have been taken from the Verandah Deck observation deck, which is right above the ship's navigational bridge. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAB3l-BVLLs 
​
If additional videos of the Carnival Fantasy are posted I will share them here.