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Ship comparison

Carnival Celebration vs Star of the Seas

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Carnival Celebration is a mega Carnival Cruise Line ship carrying 5,374 passengers, in service since 2022. Star of the Seas is a mega Royal Caribbean ship carrying 5,610 passengers, in service since 2025.

Choose Carnival Celebration if you want a lower starting fare or more of a party: it outscores Star of the Seas for party (9.0 vs 8.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and its cruises start from $310 (vs $897).

Choose Star of the Seas if you want more space per passenger, more crew per passenger or a more romantic trip: it outscores Carnival Celebration for romantic (7.0 vs 6.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores, it has 44.7 gross tons per passenger (vs 33.5) and it has a crew member for every 2.4 passengers (vs 3.1).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

Carnival CelebrationStar of the Seas
Cruise line Carnival Cruise Line Royal Caribbean
Ship size Mega Mega
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2022 2025 (better)
Gross tonnage 180,000 250,800
Passengers 5,374 5,610
Crew 1,735 2,350
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 3.1 2.4 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 33.5 44.7 (better)
Decks 19 14
Length 1,130 ft 1,196 ft
Beam 137 ft 219 ft
Speed 20 mph 25 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 8 / 10 —
Cruises on sale 19 17
Upcoming sailings 70 76
Cruise lengths 7 to 8 nights 7 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $310 (better) $897

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Carnival Celebration leads on 1 of the ten, Star of the Seas on 5, with 4 level.

  • Active Carnival Celebration: 7.0 Star of the Seas: 7.0
  • Adventure & nature Carnival Celebration: 5.0 Star of the Seas: 6.0
  • Cultural Carnival Celebration: 5.0 Star of the Seas: 6.0
  • Dining Carnival Celebration: 6.0 Star of the Seas: 6.0
  • Entertainment Carnival Celebration: 7.0 Star of the Seas: 8.0
  • Family friendly Carnival Celebration: 8.0 Star of the Seas: 8.0
  • Party Carnival Celebration: 9.0 Star of the Seas: 8.0
  • Romantic Carnival Celebration: 6.0 Star of the Seas: 7.0
  • Spa & fitness Carnival Celebration: 6.0 Star of the Seas: 6.0
  • Staterooms Carnival Celebration: 6.0 Star of the Seas: 7.0

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Celebration

Carnival Celebration, the first megaship from Carnival Cruise Line with 5,374 passengers (double occupancy), debuted in November 2022 with short splash-and-dash sailings to the Caribbean out of Miami.

Sailing now

19 cruises on sale, from $310.

Questions

Carnival Celebration or Star of the Seas?

Which is bigger, Carnival Celebration or Star of the Seas?

Star of the Seas is bigger at 250,800 gross tons, against 180,000 gross tons for Carnival Celebration. Carnival Celebration carries 5,374 passengers and Star of the Seas carries 5,610.

Which ship is newer, Carnival Celebration or Star of the Seas?

Star of the Seas is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2025 against 2022 for Carnival Celebration.

Which has more space per passenger?

Star of the Seas, with 44.7 gross tons per passenger against 33.5 on Carnival Celebration. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

Star of the Seas, with one crew member for every 2.4 passengers against one for every 3.1 on Carnival Celebration.

Which is better for families?

They score the same for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 8.0 out of 10.

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