I cruised on Carnival Celebration. Here’s where I’d splurge again—and what I’d skip

Carnival’s newest and biggest cruise ships offer plenty of ways to spend money onboard. Between specialty restaurants, fun cocktails, spa treatments and even a roller coaster at sea, it’s easy to keep adding extras to your cruise tab.

Carnival Celebration is no exception. While there’s plenty included in your cruise fare, there are also tempting opportunities to splurge throughout your vacation. The challenge is deciding which ones are actually worth the additional money!

When my sister and I sailed on Carnival Celebration, we booked an inside cabin and spent seven nights exploring everything the ship had to offer.

We paid extra for several experiences, including specialty dining, internet, cocktails, and a quick roller coaster ride. However, we also found plenty of included options that made other purchases easy to skip.

Some of the extras were well worth the money, while others weren’t experiences I’d pay to repeat. Personally, I’m happy to splurge when truly something adds to my vacation. On the flip side, I also love finding places to save without feeling like I’m missing out on something.

These are the splurges I’d repeat on Carnival Celebration and the extras I could do without. And if you’re looking for more tips and reviews about our time on Carnival Celebration, you can check out our ship tour here and our lessons learned here.

I’d splurge on breakfast at Emeril’s Bistro

Paying extra for breakfast on a cruise might seem unnecessary. After all, you’ve already paid for plenty of food, and there’s no shortage of places to grab something in the morning. Normally, I would understand that argument, but Emeril’s Bistro 1397 was an exception for me.

In all honesty, my expectations weren’t particularly high. The week before our cruise, I had eaten at an Emeril’s restaurant on land and left disappointed. The food was overpriced, and my burger was memorable for all the wrong reasons, so I wasn’t exactly rushing to repeat the experience at sea.

Thankfully, our breakfast on Carnival Celebration was completely different. Located in The Gateway, Emeril’s had a small, cafe-like seating area that felt more inviting to me than the busy buffet. We stopped while the ship was docked in Cozumel and ordered the breakfast po’boy and Bananas Foster crepes. At the time, most breakfast dishes cost around $6 each, which felt reasonable for something a little different from our usual cruise breakfast.

The po’boy was cheesy, well-seasoned and served on a warm baguette, with a substantial portion that made the price feel even more worthwhile. The crepes were perfectly sweet, complete with caramelized bananas and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

We enjoyed breakfast so much that we returned on our last sea day to try the ham croissant sandwich, sweet potato waffle, and the beignets that had been calling our names all week. Served warm with chocolate and strawberry sauces, those pillowy beignets were easily one of my favorite treats of the cruise.

On another Carnival Celebration sailing, breakfast at Emeril’s would be one of my first splurges. I wouldn’t pay for breakfast every morning, but I would absolutely make room for another visit or two. It was a really nice alternative to the jam-packed Lido Marketplace buffet.

Bolt was expensive by the minute, but I’d probably still ride again

I never imagined that someday I’d be able to ride a roller coaster on a cruise ship! Yet there we were, straddling a motorcycle-style car high above the ocean, waiting for the light to turn green. My sister and I grew up riding roller coasters with our dad, happily waiting hours for the biggest, fastest, and most intimidating rides at amusement parks.

With that background, I was skeptical that a cruise ship coaster would get our adrenaline pumping. I pictured a glorified kiddy ride that would leave us wondering why we had paid extra. Bolt costs $15 per person for two laps around the track, so we spent $30 for the two of us.

Once the ride launched, those doubts disappeared pretty quickly. We twisted around the top of the ship, screaming and laughing while my sister worked the throttle from the front seat. Being surrounded by the ocean made the experience even more surreal, and we returned to the loading platform grinning like little girls again.

Our two laps lasted about 55 seconds, though, which is a very quick way to spend $15. At the price we paid, a family of four would spend $60 for everyone to ride once, so I understand why some cruisers would pass. However, we both thought it was worth the money to try at least once, as Bolt was faster and more thrilling than we expected.

If you’re curious about riding Bolt on Carnival Celebration, I would budget $15 each. Repeated rides would be harder to justify, although we did joke about handing over another $15 immediately. If roller coasters aren’t your thing, we also had a blast on the included waterslides and ropes course, but for thrill seekers like us, riding a roller coaster at sea was a splurge worth making.

I’d choose Bonsai Teppanyaki over another steakhouse dinner

During our cruise, we tried both Bonsai Teppanyaki and Fahrenheit 555. Although we enjoyed parts of each experience, Bonsai would get my money first on another sailing because it combined a substantial meal with an entertaining evening.

For our teppanyaki dinner, we watched as our chef chopped vegetables, scrambled eggs, and cooked with enough garlic butter to reassure me that we had made an excellent decision. Of course, there was also an onion tower with flames shooting from the top. Is it really teppanyaki without a little fire?

I ordered the steak and chicken combination with fried rice, vegetables, and dipping sauces. The yum-yum sauce was our favorite, and the portions were so generous that we couldn’t finish everything. Dessert arrived in a chocolate bento box with several miniature sweets, which was a fun way to finish such a filling meal.

Keep in mind that you will be sitting next to other guests around a shared grill. This wouldn’t be my first recommendation for a quiet, private dinner, but for a fun-filled evening, we thought it was worthwhile.

Fahrenheit 555 was a more subdued experience, with sparkling chandeliers, plush seating, and excellent service. The price was similar to Bonsai Teppanyaki, and as someone who loves a tender, juicy steak, I had been looking forward to this dinner.

Unfortunately, the meal didn’t quite become the highlight I had hoped for. At the beginning of the evening, we were told we could choose one appetizer, one soup or salad, one entree with two sides and one dessert. I understood limiting the main course, but I was disappointed that we couldn’t sample more of the menu, especially when some portions were small.

My filet was cooked to the temperature I requested, although the lingering broiled flavor wasn’t my favorite. We enjoyed the roasted chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and desserts, but we didn’t leave super excited. When I’m paying extra on top of my cruise fare, I want to leave feeling enthusiastic about the experience.

For my budget, Bonsai’s flavorful food, generous portions, and interactive performance were more compelling, making Fahrenheit 555 easier to skip.

I’d skip the pricey spa and unwind in Serenity instead

I appreciate a little peace and quiet on a cruise, especially on a ship with as much going on as Carnival Celebration. But I didn’t need to book a spa treatment to find somewhere relaxing, thanks to the ship’s complimentary adults-only Serenity retreat.

Large, plush daybeds were scattered around the deck, with a small pool and a bar nearby. This gave us a place to unwind away from the activity of the main pool deck without paying extra for access. During our sailing, we never struggled to find a daybed or lounger, which made the space even more appealing.

An afternoon on a daybed obviously isn’t the same as a massage or facial. If a spa treatment is something you look forward to on vacation, it might deserve a place in your budget. For me, Serenity offered the relaxation I was looking for, and I was happy to enjoy a space already included in my cruise fare.

The Ultimate Guide to Carnival Cruise Line (2026)

I’d buy a few specialty cocktails without purchasing a drink package

I absolutely enjoy a fun cocktail on vacation, and I will never turn down a themed bar while cruising. Carnival Celebration had several themed bars where I was happy to spend a little extra, including Latitudes Bar in The Gateway.

As someone who loves to travel, I was an easy audience for the train station-inspired design, faux passport stamps, and drinks inspired by destinations around the world. Sipping sangria from Spain while admiring these cute details was lovely, and the changing scenes on the LED windows gave us even more to look at while enjoying our drinks.

We also liked the Golden Jubilee, which pays homage to Carnival’s history with old ship plans, salvaged doors, and portholes displaying pieces of the cruise line’s past. I appreciated how much personality these spaces had, making a stop for a cocktail another opportunity to enjoy the ship.

For me, a few specialty drinks were enough. I didn’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on Carnival’s CHEERS drink package to enjoy the bars. I found that paying individually let me choose something because it caught my attention, not because I was trying to get my money’s worth. On another sailing, I would absolutely leave room in the budget for occasional cocktails at the bars I enjoyed most.

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The internet package was worth paying for

Internet was one extra I needed for work, but I appreciated having it for much more than that. During our Carnival Celebration cruise, the connection worked flawlessly wherever I used it around the ship, and I was impressed with both the reliability and speed.

When you have work to get done on vacation, the last thing you want is to spend your time fighting with the Wi-Fi. I never experienced connectivity issues, which made it easier to handle what I needed to do and get back to enjoying the cruise.

Once my work was finished, I also used the internet for leisure and keeping in touch with people back home. Although work was the reason I needed the package, those everyday conveniences made the purchase feel even more worthwhile.

I understand the appeal of putting your phone away and disconnecting at sea. For me, having reliable internet made this an easy expense to justify, and based on our experience, it’s something I would budget for again.

I’d skip the specialty coffee line and order coffee to my cabin

I love starting my morning with a specialty coffee, but the line at JavaBlue during our cruise was enough to make me reconsider how badly I wanted one. Paying extra for coffee is one thing, but spending part of my morning waiting in a long line for it made the purchase less appealing.

Instead, I preferred ordering a carafe of coffee through room service. It arrived hot and fresh, and we could enjoy a cup while getting ready without leaving our cabin. For me, that was a much better way to start the day, and it saved money!

Coffee is among the complimentary continental breakfast options available through room service. Carnival currently offers that breakfast service from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., although additional menu selections carry a charge. A carafe of regular coffee won’t replace your favorite latte if it’s a vacation essential for you, but I was perfectly happy with our morning delivery.

I’d save on the cabin and book an inside room again

Our inside cabin was one of the cheapest accommodation options on Carnival Celebration, and I was perfectly comfortable spending the week there. We didn’t have natural light or a private balcony, but we had so much to do around the ship that our room mostly served as a place to sleep, shower, and get ready.

The storage was especially impressive for an inexpensive cabin. We had two large closets, plenty of hangers, shelving, and drawers, which allowed us to unpack instead of living out of suitcases all week.

There were USB ports beside the beds and additional outlets around the vanity, which made charging our electronics convenient. Compared with older cabins where finding an available outlet can become a nightly project, this was a welcome improvement. I also appreciated the illuminated vanity mirror while getting ready.

Then there was the shower, which was unexpectedly spacious for a modest inside cabin! After dealing with tiny cruise showers and clingy curtains on older ships, having a proper door and room to move around felt like an upgrade all by itself.

My main complaint was the lack of a small chair, as our beds were essentially the only place to sit. However, I never felt that choosing a cheap inside cabin prevented us from enjoying the ship.

A balcony might be worth the additional cost for someone who spends more time in their cabin. Based on how we cruised, I would happily consider an inside room again and put the savings toward experiences we were excited to try.

I wouldn’t spend too much on specialty dining with so much included food

One of Carnival Celebration’s biggest strengths was how well we ate without paying extra. We loved the chicken sandwiches at Big Chicken and Guy’s Burger Joint served up the greasy, tasty cheeseburger I wanted. Similarly, BlueIguana was an easy favorite for burritos, especially for breakfast.

There were so many options for dining onboard that we ran out of time to try everything. I would definitely keep this in mine when debating to splurge on specialty dining. If I’m bored with the included food, I’m much more tempted to purchase alternatives, but on Carnival Celebration, I already had plenty of meals I was looking forward to.

Cucina del Capitano was another favorite, with a warm atmosphere and yummy dishes like carbonara, short rib, and an enormous chicken parmesan. We liked this spot enough to eat there twice! ChiBang also impressed us, especially the chicken spring rolls, Beef and Broccoli, and Kung Pao Chicken, although we didn’t get around to trying the Mexican side of the menu.

Our visits were complimentary during that sailing. Carnival currently advertises a complimentary first meal at both Cucina del Capitano and ChiBang on Carnival Celebration, with additional visits priced at $8 per person.

We also enjoyed SeaDay Brunch and had a very good dinner in the main dining room, complete with quick service and views of the ship’s wake. The Lido Marketplace buffet was less appealing to me, as the limited variety and repeated offerings across stations left us underwhelmed. Thankfully, with so many other included choices, it was easy to eat elsewhere.

For my budget, a few carefully chosen dining splurges would be more than enough. I wouldn’t fill every evening with specialty reservations when there was so much other food I really wanted to eat.

I’d skip paid activities and make time for the included entertainment

Carnival Celebration had enough included entertainment to keep us busy all week, so I didn’t feel the need to fill our schedule with extra-cost activities. Aside from our ride on Bolt, I was happy to spend our time enjoying experiences already covered by the cruise fare.

For instance, Carnival Kitchen caught my attention with classes where you could learn to make homemade pasta and pizza. While I liked the concept, and we were tempted to try the experience, we didn’t book anything. I remembered that I hate cooking at home, so why I want to spend money on vacation to cook?!

With so much happening onboard, we already struggled to fit everything into seven nights between comedy shows, trivia, evenings at the piano bar and the headliner productions.

The production shows were also a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t always been impressed with Carnival’s shows on previous cruises, but The Most Magnificent Circus was one of the best I had seen at sea.

Celestial Strings was another favorite, as it paired familiar music with talented performers and electric violins. We also loved visiting Punchliner Comedy Club for some laughs and attended trivia for a little friendly competition. Needless to say, we had no trouble filling our evenings.

My biggest complaint was the seating situation for the shows in Celebration Central. During our sailing, some views were obstructed, people walked through the performance area, and finding a good seat could feel unnecessarily competitive. I loved the performances, but getting settled in to watch them was sometimes more stressful than I would have liked.

Even with those frustrations, I never felt we needed to purchase another activity to keep ourselves entertained. A cooking class might be worth budgeting for if that’s something you’re excited to try, but I would happily leave that money unspent and make more time for the entertainment already included.