Celebration Cruise Line's 35,000-ton, 1,500-passenger Bahamas Celebration offers year-round, two-night budget cruises from Palm Beach, Florida to the Bahamas. The ship is aimed at first-time cruisers looking to test the waters with minimal commitment, as well as drive-to-port Floridians seeking a quick getaway.
While it's not quite a mega-ship, Bahamas Celebration rests very much in mainstream cruise ship territory in terms of onboard amenities. Here's what you'll find:
Dining. The ship has four restaurants. The Crystal Restaurant is the main dining venue. Trattoria Di Gerry serves pizza and pasta. Rio's is a combination buffet venue and Brazilian churascurro, where waiters bring around meats for the picking, and The Cove is the ship's for-fee specialty restaurant ($25 per person).
Cabins. As the ship is a converted cruise ferry, cabins are generally quite small, and about 50 feature upper and lower berths (i.e. bunk beds). Just over half of the staterooms feature some sort of window; there are no true balconies. There are, however, four suites with enclosed balcony configurations.
Kids' Facilities. For the youngest cruisers, the ship features age-specific kids' clubs (for ages 3 to 10, 11 to 14 and 14 to 17). Each offers age-appropriate activities: arts and crafts for the youngest and Internet consoles for teens, as well as video game systems like Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Wii. There's also a 180-foot-long waterslide, which is, of course, fair game for passengers of any age. Baby-sitting is not offered.
Entertainment. There are several bars (piano lounge, pub, venue for karaoke, disco), a casino and a 630-seat main theater that features nightly production shows. There are also two small swimming pools, one of which is designated for adults only.
Editor's Note: The drinking age is 21 in U.S. waters and 18 in international waters and on Grand Bahama Island.
