Some people repeat stereotypes about a Carnival Cruise, but I strongly disagree. Within the last few years, Carnival Cruise Line has built three mega cruise ships that have revolutionized the cruise line. These modern cruise ships are unlike anything the cruise line had built before.
After many years of building ships of similar size and design, Carnival Cruise Line finally upped its game. In 2021, Mardi Gras debuted as the first Excel Class ship for Carnival, representing a new cruising era for the family-friendly cruise brand. The following year, Carnival Celebration was introduced as the newest sister ship in the Excel Class.
Now, Carnival Jubilee is sailing as the newest and biggest ship in the Excel Class for Carnival Cruise Line. The stunning, Texas-sized cruise ship debuted in December 2023 and currently sails from Galveston, Texas.
As a Carnival cruise fan, I’ve been fortunate to sail on all three of the cruise line’s newest vessels. My first cruise on an Excel Class ship was on Carnival Celebration - and I didn’t entirely know what to expect, especially considering the cruise line’s reputation. However, the new cruise ship really blew my expectations out of the water
I was so impressed with Carnival’s snazzy design for its brand-new ship class, along with the quality entertainment and unbelievable assortment of casual dining. It was a stark contrast to my prior Carnival cruises on the oldest and jankiest ships, such as the 31-year-old Carnival Ecstasy.
Needless to say, I was sold on the Carnival experience and I’ve been booking cruises with the cruise line ever since. Last spring, I sailed on a 7-night Caribbean itinerary onboard the flagship vessel, Mardi Gras, in an ocean suite balcony. The stateroom featured a spacious design, expansive balcony, and suite amenities for $3,000.
However, I was able to sail onboard Carnival Jubilee in a balcony stateroom during her inaugural season for $400 less. This 7-night Caribbean cruise from Galveston was only $2,60 - quite the steal for a brand-new cruise ship. Although not necessarily a suite, the cove balcony was uniquely designed to provide both privacy and proximity to the ocean.
Not to mention, $400 is a nice chunk of change! As a budget cruiser, I am always thrilled when I can save any amount of money, let alone hundreds of dollars. In my mind, $400 is enough to book another cheap cruise! I will never scoff at saving this kind of money.
Even better, this cruise was on Carnival’s latest and greatest cruise ship, as Carnival Jubilee was only a few months old. Typically, the newest cruise ships are the most expensive because of increased demand, but this wasn’t the case.
It just so happened that booking a balcony cabin on Carnival Jubilee was cheaper than sailing on the 3-year-old Mardi Gras. Let’s take a look at how these two balcony cabins compare on Carnival’s newest and largest cruise ships, including why I wouldn’t hesitate to book the cheaper cabin again.
Cabin Overview
Carnival’s Excel Class ships are massive, holding around 6,400 guests at maximum capacity. Measuring 180,000 gross tons, these Excel Class ships are 40% bigger than anything the cruise line had built before. With so much to offer onboard, it’s no surprise the largest ships for Carnival have been a smashing success.
To accommodate all these passengers, Excel Class ships have many different cabins to choose from, especially cabins with balconies. For instance, you can book all of the following balcony stateroom categories onboard: standard balcony, junior balcony, obstructed balcony, cove balcony, ocean suite balcony, Havana premium balcony, and extended balcony.
(Ocean suite balcony stateroom on Mardi Gras)
At the end of the day, all of these balcony cabins feature essentially the same thing: a private veranda space in your stateroom. Whether your balcony is obstructed, extended, or standard, you’ll have a private space to take in the ocean sights from the comforts of your cabin.
In general, most cruisers look to book balcony cabins. On the other hand, I don’t mind booking interior staterooms when the price is right. If it’s not too expensive to splurge on a balcony, I usually consider doing so.
(Cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee)
When cruising on Mardi Gras the year prior, my sister and I splurged on an Ocean Suite, which featured an extended balcony. Of course, staying in a suite felt quite luxurious for two penny pinchers! We had never cruised in a suite before with Carnival Cruise Line, so this was a treat in and of itself.
The following year, my sister and I were looking to take a cheap spring break cruise. We were excited when we found a great deal on a cove balcony cabin onboard the new Carnival Jubilee.
(Ocean suite balcony on Mardi Gras)
For this 7-night Caribbean cruise, my sister and I booked a Cove Balcony stateroom located on Deck 5. It was only an additional $300 per person to upgrade from a cheap interior cabin to this balcony stateroom. I had never sailed in a cove balcony before, so I was eager to see what the experience would be like compared to our prior balcony experience on Mardi Gras.
(Cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee from port)
In both of these balcony staterooms, we had more space than an interior cabin. Having this much room to sprawl out made the cost feel worthwhile right from the start! The ocean suite balcony cabin was around 290 square feet while the cove balcony was a little smaller at 205 square feet.
Both of these balcony staterooms were much more comfortable than the interior stateroom, which is typically only around 160 square feet on Carnival’s Excel Class ships! These tiny cabins can feel so cramped and lack additional seating for us.
(Interior cabin on Carnival Celebration, which lacks any additional seating)
In both of these balcony staterooms, we had additional seating with a couch. Comparing the two sofas, they appear to be identical! However, our ocean suite featured a separate living room area with an additional TV while the cove balcony’s sofa was adjacent to the bed. This was one of the biggest differences in the configuration of the stateroom.
(Top: Sofa on Mardi Gras in ocean suite. Bottom: Sofa on Carnival Jubilee in cove balcony)
While it was nice to have this extra living space in the suite, I didn’t mind the sofa’s location in our cove balcony cabin. In the end, I truly just appreciate having additional seating in my cruise cabins with a sofa, loveseat, or even a chair. Otherwise, you are typically forced to sit on your cabin’s bed whenever you return to your stateroom.
Considering the cove balcony was cheaper, the configuration of the room did not matter to me at all.
Identical Features
Much to my surprise, the two balcony staterooms had many of the exact same features. The two were more alike than they were different with very similar design elements, furnishings, and amenities.
Moreover, a suite is considered more opulent than a standard balcony cabin. With a higher price tag, you typically find more upscale designs and amenities when you book a suite. Keeping this in mind, I expected to find more differences between the cove balcony and ocean suite given the price discrepancy.
Read more: How does Carnival Jubilee compare to Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras? A complete guide
(Bathroom in ocean suite balcony on Mardi Gras)
First, I was surprised to find the bathrooms were the exact same size and design in the two balcony staterooms. I was anticipating to find the bathroom to be bigger in the ocean suite, but this wasn’t the case. My cove balcony was nearly identical, featuring the same spacious walk-in shower and shelving for storage.
(Bathroom in cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee)
The two balcony cabins also featured nearly identical furnishings, with the same color schemes and carpet in each. For instance, the nightstands in our ocean suite balcony were the same minimalistic, metal-tiered shelves as we had in our cove balcony. In fact, these nightstands are the same ones that we had in our interior stateroom on Carnival Celebration too!
(Top: Nightstand in ocean suite on Mardi Gras. Bottom: Nightstand in Carnival Jubilee's cove balcony)
When comparing the two cabins, I noticed many of the exact same design elements throughout. Both balcony cabins featured modern, sleek designs with blue accents across the stateroom.
My sister and I agreed that the beds were equally as comfortable in the two balcony cabins, although the suite supposedly had higher-quality bedding. In my opinion, the two beds were the same and I didn’t notice any difference in the bedding. My sister and I slept well in each balcony cabin during our cruises.
(Beds in cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee)
Storage was also practically the same between the two balcony cabins. Both of these staterooms had two large closets for storage with drawers, shelves, and hangers for us to use. This storage was more than enough for me and my sister to use for our 7-night itineraries. We were able to comfortably unpack in both balcony cabins and even store our suitcases in the leftover closet space.
(Closets in ocean suite on Mardi Gras)
When comparing the vanities, there are a few slight differences between the two. The ocean suite vanity was slightly smaller and featured darker woodwork. Above each vanity, you could find a large circular mirror with a ring light and two floating shelves for additional storage. Below was a cooling fridge and drawers for more space to unpack.
(Vanity in cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee)
While the ocean suite had an actual chair to sit on, the cove balcony only had an ottoman to use at the vanity. However, this difference was negligible when comparing the costs.
Balcony Differences
Naturally, the private balcony was a highlight for both of these cabins when sailing on Carnival’s newest and largest cruise ships. Having your own private veranda to relax, unwind, and take in the ocean sights is unmatched when cruising. Although I normally book inside cabins, I have never regretted booking a balcony stateroom!
When comparing the two balconies for these staterooms, there were major differences. If I had to choose one balcony over the other, I would pick the cheaper cove balcony. Here’s why.
Read more: Guide to staying in a Carnival cruise balcony cabin
(Cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee)
To start, the ocean suite on Mardi Gras featured a much larger balcony. Although we had more space when using the balcony, the expanded veranda unexpectedly had its downsides. Because of the cabin’s location on Mardi Gras, the balcony was actually very exposed and lacked privacy.
(Exposed balcony on Mardi Gras, with other passengers visible on the top)
In this way, other people above and below our stateroom could easily see into our balcony. The balconies below ours were extended even further, allowing us to see into these verandas as well while we were outside. Essentially, everyone around us was peeping into one another’s balconies.
As you can imagine, this did not give us any privacy while we were outside on the balcony. We even had other guests yell to us from above while we were trying to take photos with the sunset; this was a little embarrassing and intrusive. We also woke up to a chicken nugget on our balcony, which must have fallen from an upper deck.
(Responding to people talking to us from their balcony)
On the other hand, our cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee was the complete opposite. With the cove enclosure surrounding the veranda, our balcony felt extremely private and secluded. We were unable to see any other balcony when sitting outside, which created a quiet and relaxing atmosphere for us.
In addition - and perhaps, more importantly - no one could see into our cove balcony from elsewhere on the ship. Unlike the suite balcony on Mardi Gras, our balcony was essentially covered.
(Cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee)
Along with the privacy, our cabin was located quite close to the ocean itself! I’ve never stayed in a balcony cabin as close to the ocean as this cove balcony. Watching the sunset from our cove balcony each evening was a highlight, especially being so close to the sea.
Bottom Line
(Ocean suite on Mardi Gras)
Between the two balconies, I would choose the cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee any day. I hated feeling like I was on display for the whole ship to see on our extended balcony while cruising on Mardi Gras. Even better, the cove balcony was cheaper!
A cruise ship balcony is meant to be a private, quiet, and peaceful place. When you can see others above and below your cabin, it feels intrusive. I don’t recall ever seeing another person on their balcony while we were outside on Carnival Jubilee enjoying our cove balcony. For this reason, I wouldn’t hesitate to book another cove balcony.
(Cove balcony on Carnival Jubilee)
In the end, I actually preferred the cheaper cove balcony because of its privacy and proximity to the ocean. The amenities, furnishings, and features were also nearly identical between the two balcony staterooms. If the cabins were drastically different, this could sway my opinion that the suite splurge was more worthwhile.
Moreover, sailing in a balcony cabin on the newest cruise ship, Carnival Jubilee, was cheaper than the oldest Excel Class ship, Mardi Gras. As a cruise enthusiast, I’m always eager to sail on a cruise line’s latest and greatest vessel! There’s nothing quite like sailing on a brand-new ship during its inaugural season!
Furthermore, I’m not convinced that $400 was worthwhile to stay in a suite balcony compared to a cove balcony. The pricier balcony cabin was slightly more spacious; but for two people, the extra room was not necessary. If I was traveling with more guests in the stateroom, I would maybe appreciate the extra space.
Other suite perks included dining priority in the main dining room, along with priority embarkation and disembarkation. Are these perks worth $400? Not for me, but maybe for some.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
