In a continuing return to pre-pandemic normalcy, Carnival Cruise Line has brought back another guest favorite activity that was temporarily discontinued. As of September 6, 2022, the afternoon tea event will be available fleet-wide on every cruise.

More Events and Venues Available

The return of afternoon tea time is the latest in a growing list of onboard events that are able to begin again as health and safety protocols are adjusted and crew staffing shortages are resolved.

Many such events, including the Captain’s Cocktail Party, Seuss at Sea Breakfast, Chef’s Table dining, VIFP past passenger parties, and more were initially discontinued to facilitate social distancing and enhanced cleaning protocols, and were unable to be returned quickly due to staff shortages as cruising restarted.

Slowly, Carnival Cruise Line has brought back many of these popular events.

The VIP parties for platinum and diamond-level passengers, for example, began to be held again as of June 24, 2022, on cruises of 5 nights and longer. The events are no longer held on shorter sailings, an adjustment that was made several years ago, long before the cruise industry shutdown.

The elite Chef’s Table dining experience restarted fleetwide from June 30, more children’s programs resumed onboard in late July, and the Cucina del Capitano specialty Italian restaurant, found onboard nine vessels in the Carnival fleet, reopened from August 6, 2022.

As more events return, eager guests can enjoy more of their onboard favorites with every Carnival cruise.

What Is Afternoon Tea?

The afternoon tea event onboard Carnival ships is a special gathering to socialize and enjoy unique tea blends and flavors. Several tea options are available, and tasty finger sandwiches, pastries and other light refreshments are also served, including the ever-popular scones and clotted cream.

The options available at the tea party are typically exclusive and not available elsewhere on the ship or at any other time except afternoon tea.

As of September 6, 2022, this engaging event will now be available once again onboard all Carnival cruise ships, the cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, announced on his Facebook page.

The exact time, location, and offerings at each afternoon tea will vary for different vessels. The event is free to all passengers and is suitable for all ages.

Guests can also enjoy a more limited selection of teas available 24 hours a day from the beverage stations on each ship’s Lido deck, with more exclusive and unique teas available from onboard coffee shops for a nominal fee.

Still to Return

While the resumption of afternoon tea is a welcome sign that more and more events are returning to cruise ships, several highlights are still missing from daily schedules.

Still to return is the quirky Suess at Sea specialty breakfast popular with families, as well as past guest benefits like priority boarding for diamond and platinum-level guests.

The decadent Chocolate Extravaganza dessert buffet has not yet resumed either, nor has the exclusive Behind the Fun onboard tour. All of these options are still planned to be offered in the near future.

Not every pre-pandemic option will be returning, however. Carnival Cruise Line has announced some minor but permanent cutbacks to dining options, such as no longer having a 24-hour pizzeria and slightly trimming hours for some other dining events and venues.

Similarly, the popular but sometimes questionable Hairy Chest Contest will not be returning to Carnival Cruise Line’s pool deck festivities, but is being replaced by more family-friendly options and poolside games.

Carnival Celebration, the second Excel-class cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line, has sailed on her first set of sea trials today. The sistership to Mardi Gras set off from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is expected to be out at sea for several days. 

During the sea trials, engineers will be testing all of the technical systems onboard, but also maneuverability and speed. Construction on Carnival Celebration started in January of 2021, with the vessel expected to start operations in November from Miami, Florida later this year. 

Carnival Celebration Sails for the First Time

She isn’t ready for guests yet, but Carnival Celebration is undoubtedly getting closer to her official launch later this year. After a construction period that started just twenty months ago, the newest cruise ship in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet set sail on her first set of sea trials on Monday, September 5, from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.

The vessel is currently sailing in the archipelago around the port city in the Baltic Sea, where engineers will be testing all of the onboard systems. Sea Trials are an essential part of the construction process and are expected to take anywhere from a few days up to ten days, depending on the testing results. 

Like her sister, Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration is powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Although the shipyard has fitted the power source on multiple ships now, it still means intensive testing of the onboard systems and whether or not the ship meets the criteria Carnival Cruise Line has set for maneuverability and speed.

Captain & Crew Already Onboard

The sea trials will also enable the ship’s crew and officers to familiarize themselves with the vessel, as Captain Vincenzo Alcaras explained to John Heald earlier:

“During sea trials, the ship is undergoing several tests, which are meant to determine the ship’s capability and performance. We do many tests, but I only list a few, such as endurance test, steering tests, speed tests, thrusters tests, zig-zag tests, which is part of maneuvering tests, and all Class required tests.”

The sea trials are still under the supervision of the shipyard, and although the Captain is onboard, this is only in the role of an observer:

“During the sea trial the ship is under the responsibility of Meyer yard. I will not take command of the ship. My role together with my team is to observe the various tests, performance, and witness the commissioning of the Bridge equipment,” Captain Vincenzo Alcaras continues.

The captain is not alone onboard; several other senior officers and crew members have already boarded the vessel. They will be responsible for launching Carnival Celebration and guiding her through the difficult launch period.

Carnival Celebration will be 180,800 gross tons with a guest capacity of 5,282 at double occupancy, along with 1,282 crew members. As with Mardi Gras, both vessels are part of the Excel class of ships. Other ships in class include P&O Cruises Iona and Arvia, AIDAnova for AIDA Cruises, Costa Smeralda and Toscana for Costa Cruises, Carnival Jubilee, which is expected to be delivered in 2023, and more.

Carnival Celebration Sets Sail End of This Year

There can be no surprise that Carnival Celebration is the most anticipated cruise ship for 2022. The vessel plays a vital role in the 50th birthday celebrations for Carnival Cruise Line, with the arrival in Miami later this year marking the culmination of those celebrations. 

Guests will be able to enjoy a vast variety of activities to keep them entertained during their stay onboard, including BOLT, the same roller coaster that is featured onboard Mardi Gras, and six fun-filled zones onboard, including Celebration Central, The Gateway, Summer Landing, 802 Biscayne, Lido, and the Ultimate Playground.

Although Carnival Cruise Line calls the first Caribbean cruise the inaugural voyage, Carnival Celebration will be sailing on one cruise before she arrives in the United States. On Sunday, November 6, Carnival Celebration will be setting sail on her maiden transatlantic voyage from Southampton in the United Kingdom. 

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said: “Carnival Celebration promises to be a spectacular addition to our fleet – just in time for our 50th birthday – and we’ve put together a terrific array of itineraries kicking off with a two-week-long inaugural transatlantic cruise and then year-round Caribbean sailings from PortMiami featuring some of the most beautiful and popular destinations in the region.”

During the 14-day voyage, she will call in La Coruna and Vigo in Spain, Funchal on the island of Madeira, and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. 

On November 20, Carnival Celebration will arrive in Miami in the early morning hours, after which Carnival Cruise Line will be hosting a series of celebrations, including the official naming ceremony, to celebrate the arrival of the newest ship in the fleet. 

Carnival Celebration is scheduled to debut from Miami on November 21, 2022. The cruise ship will offer year-round service to the eastern and western Caribbean from PortMiami’s new Terminal F, constructed specifically for Carnival Cruise Line. Cruises will be between 6-8 days in length. 

In a surprising change to its Minor Guest Policy that applies to passengers under 21 years of age, Carnival Cruise Line has instituted an onboard youth curfew for all its vessels.

The curfew will only apply to travelers 17 years of age and younger, and goes into effect immediately across the entire fleet.

Curfew for Young Guests

Outlined on the cruise line’s Minor Guest Policy page, the new curfew is as follows:

“Guests 17 years of age and under who are not accompanied by an adult in their traveling party, 21 years of age or older, must be clear of all public areas by 1:00am each evening unless involved in a Club 02 or Circle C teen activity.”

Cruise passengers have long been divided on the subject of young cruisers, with some travelers reporting younger guests taking over elevators, playing in hallways or stairwells, pounding on stateroom doors, or otherwise causing excess noise and disturbance, particularly late at night.

The last day of a cruise, when youth programs have typically concluded, is often a more raucous night for young cruisers and their newly-made onboard friends before they part ways the next morning.

Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald clarified the consequences of violating this new policy on his popular Facebook page.

“Any guest in violation of the curfew or whose behavior contradicts our rules could be disembarked in the next port at their own expense and not be allowed to have a cruise with us again,” Heald said.

This does not mean, however, that young travelers would be put off the ship without their parents or guardians.

Any reported incident is sure to be investigated before consequences are applied, and it is likely that a warning could be issued before such drastic action is taken, depending on the individual circumstances and the severity of the incident.

Furthermore, the curfew will not apply when young cruisers are involved in a supervised Club O2 or Circle C activity, or when they are accompanied by their parents or another member of their immediate traveling party over 21 years of age.

More Emphasis on Respect

This change comes just days after Carnival Cruise Line updated its “Know Before You Go” information to emphasize respect, courtesy, and other values expected of its guests.

“No one will ever confuse a Carnival Cruise Line ship with a school library, but our experience has taught us that everyone has a better time when children are supervised, noise in the hallways is kept to a minimum, guests follow queues, and that a spirit of community and neighborliness is shown by all,” the new policy reads.

Similarly, the consequences for excessively disruptive behavior is the same as for breaking the new curfew: disembarkation at the next available port at the guest’s expense, and a ban from sailing with Carnival in the future.

It has not been clarified as to whether a guest could also be banned from all Carnival Corporation & plc cruise lines, which would also include multiple other popular lines, including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Costa Cruises.

These changes come after there has been a rise in onboard incidents in recent weeks, with physical altercations between groups of guests that escalate to violence.

In June and July, separate incidents occurred aboard Carnival Magic from New York and Carnival Elation from Jacksonville, Florida. Such incidents, however, are not confined to Carnival Cruise Line. Royal Caribbean International’s Navigator of the Seas had a similar incident in early July.

Furthermore, smaller incidents that involve fewer parties and are quickly broken up are rarely reported, but do happen on occasion when guests may be involved in misunderstandings or other unfortunate circumstances.

In many cases, excess alcohol consumption and the uninhibited atmosphere of a cruise vacation may contribute to such incidents, though all cruise lines do take steps to ensure a safe, enjoyable getaway for everyone onboard.