Carnival Ocean View Room Guide: What to Expect

An Ocean View room on a Carnival cruise ship can be a great choice of accommodation. It offers natural light that you won’t get with an Inside cabin while being significantly cheaper than a room with a balcony.

In this guide to Ocean View rooms on Carnival cruises, I’ll show you the different types of Ocean View rooms that are available on each ship to make it easy for you to decide which is the best for you.

What Are Ocean View Rooms on Carnival Cruises?

On Carnival cruise ships, Ocean View rooms have windows that allow you to look out to the ocean. They’re usually larger than Inside rooms and sleep up to five guests.

Do Ocean View Windows Open?

In a Carnival cruise Ocean View room the windows do not open. These cabins are often located close to the waterline, so the windows are permanently shut. You can look out of the window, but if you want to experience the fresh sea air, you’d need to upgrade to a Balcony room.

How Many Ocean View Rooms Are There on Carnival ships?

The number of Ocean View rooms on Carnival cruise ships varies from 103 to 391, depending on the ship. Carnival’s newest ships – Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee – have just 7% of their rooms as Ocean View. The oldest ships tend to have more Ocean View rooms, with Fantasy-class ships having up to 38% of rooms as Ocean View.

Carnival’s oldest ships were built in the 1990s, a time when cruise ships didn’t have as many balcony cabins as more modern ships do. Instead, the rooms are mostly Interior and Ocean Views.

How Big Are Ocean View Rooms on Carnival Cruise Ships?

A Standard Ocean View cruise room on Carnival ships is between 176 sq ft and 243 sq ft, depending on the ship. Most Standard Ocean View rooms are 220 sq ft. The largest Ocean View rooms are Scenic Grand Ocean View Rooms which are 320 sq ft.

The table below shows the sizes of the various Ocean View rooms on each Carnival cruise ship…

Ship	Smallest Ocean View rooms (sq ft)	Largest Ocean View rooms (sq ft)
Breeze	220	230
Celebration	243	312
Conquest	220	320
Dream	220	230
Ecstasy	185	185
Elation	185	230
Freedom	220	320
Glory	220	320
Horizon	220	230
Jubilee	243	312
Legend	185	185
Liberty	220	220
Magic	220	230
Mardi Gras	243	312
Miracle	185	185
Panorama	220	230
Paradise	176	230
Pride	185	185
Radiance	220	320
Sensation	185	185
Spirit	185	185
Splendor	220	320
Sunrise	211	320
Sunshine	220	280
Valor	220	320
Venezia	200	265
Vista	220	230

The 8 Different Types of Ocean View Rooms

There are eight different types of Ocean View rooms on Carnival cruise ships, although each ship will only have between one and five different Ocean View room types available.

Here’s an overview of the different Ocean View rooms that you’ll find on Carnival cruise ships…

Standard Ocean View Rooms

Categories: 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D or 6E

You’ll find Ocean View rooms on every Carnival cruise ship. They’re a popular choice if you want a room with natural light, but don’t necessarily want to shell out for a Balcony cabin.

Size

Most regular Ocean View rooms on Carnival cruise ships are 220 square feet in size. On the Fantasy-class and Spirit-class ships, they’re a little smaller at around 185 square feet. On Mardi Gras and other Excel-class ships, they’re larger, at 243 square feet.

Windows

The windows in Carnival’s Ocean View rooms are generally pretty large at 4 feet wide by 3 feet high. On Conquest-class and Spirit-class ships they’re a little smaller, but still generous at 3 feet wide by 3 feet high.

Floorplans

On Carnival ships, Ocean View rooms come in a variety of different shapes and configurations as you can see from these example floorplans…

Deluxe Ocean View Rooms

Categories: 6L, 6M, 6N

You’ll find Deluxe Ocean View rooms only on Dream-class and Vista-class ships, including the Venice sub-class of Vista. The main difference between Deluxe Ocean View and the standard Ocean View is that you get a separate washroom in addition to a full bathroom.

Some Deluxe Ocean View rooms can sleep up to five guests, making them a good choice for families with three kids.

Size

Deluxe Ocean View rooms are slightly larger than standard Ocean View rooms, with an area of 230 square feet, rather than 200 square feet.

Windows

The windows in Deluxe Ocean View rooms are the same size as the standard Ocean View rooms.

Floorplans

This example floorplan shows the separate washroom with a bathtub.

Deluxe Ocean View rooms (category 6L, 6M, 6N) are on these Carnival ships:

• Carnival Breeze
• Carnival Dream
• Carnival Horizon
• Carnival Magic
• Carnival Panorama
• Carnival Vista

Scenic Ocean View Rooms

Category: 6J

Scenic Ocean View Rooms on Carnival cruise ships are a great choice for families. These rooms are flooded with natural light and offer amazing views of where the ship is going through huge forward-facing windows.

Size

On most Carnival ships, Scenic Ocean View rooms are 230 square feet in size, making them around 5% larger than the standard Ocean View rooms.

Windows

Scenic Ocean View rooms are a popular choice because they have huge floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows are around four times as large as you’ll get in the standard Ocean View rooms. When Scenic Ocean View rooms face forwards, the windows will be sloping.

Floorplans

There are some different configurations when it comes to Scenic Ocean View rooms and as you can see from these floorplans, some have bigger windows than others.

Scenic Ocean View rooms (category 6J) can be found on these Carnival ships:

• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Elation
• Carnival Freedom
• Carnival Glory
• Carnival Paradise
• Carnival Radiance
• Carnival Splendor
• Carnival Sunrise
• Carnival Sunshine
• Carnival Valor

Scenic Grand Ocean View Rooms

Category: 6K

Grand Scenic Ocean View rooms are arguably the best sea view rooms on Carnival cruise ships because they offer the best views of the ocean through the biggest windows.

Size

On most ships, Scenic Grand Ocean View rooms are 320 square feet in size, offering almost 40% more space compared to Scenic Ocean View rooms.

Windows

Just like Scenic Ocean View rooms, Grand Scenic rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows. But because these rooms are larger, the windows are often bigger too.

Floorplans

Here’s the typical configuration of a Scenic Grand Ocean View room, although they may not all look exactly like this.

Scenic Grand Ocean View rooms (category 6K) can be found on these Carnival ships:

• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Freedom
• Carnival Glory
• Carnival Radiance
• Carnival Splendor
• Carnival Sunrise
• Carnival Sunshine
• Carnival Valor

Family Harbor Ocean View Rooms

Categories: FE, FJ, FP

The newest Vista-class and Excel-class Carnival cruise ships that were built since 2016 feature Family Harbor staterooms. These have a special nautical décor and are located near the Family Harbor Lounge where families can play board games, video games, watch family movies and eat breakfast and snacks.

Family Harbor Rooms come with the following perks:

• Access to the exclusive Family Harbor Lounge
• Kids dine for free in speciality restaurants
• One free Night Owls evening at Camp Ocean

Size & Windows

Family Harbour Ocean View rooms are the same size as their non-Family Harbor equivalents. You’ll get different décor, but no extra space. There’s also no difference in the size of the windows.

On Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee, you can book a Family Harbor Ocean View Suite. These are very large, at 312 square feet and feature two bathrooms, one with a toilet, shower and double sinks and one with a bathtub and sink.

When you book a suite, you also get some additional suite perks.

Floorplans

Family Harbor Ocean View rooms come in all different shapes and sizes, as you can see by these example floorplans…

The Family Harbor rooms are available on:

• Carnival Celebration
• Carnival Horizon
• Carnival Jubilee
• Mardi Gras
• Carnival Panorama
• Carnival Vista

Cloud 9 Spa Ocean View Rooms

Categories: 6S, 6T

Carnival cruise ships built since 2008 (Excel-class, Vista-class, Dream-class and Splendor-class) feature Cloud 9 Spa staterooms. These are located near the spa and feature relaxing décor, extra amenities like bathrobes and upgraded toiletries and some spa perks.

Cloud 9 Spa rooms come with the following perks:

• Priority spa appointments
• Thermal Suite Pass with access to sauna, steam room, showers, whirlpools and Thalassotherapy pool
• Scrub kit to use in the Thermal Suites
• Two yoga or pilates classes
• Body composition analysis
• Bathrobes and slippers
• Elemis shampoo, body wash and bar soap 
• Discounted spa treatments

The Cloud 9 Spa perks only apply to the first two adult guests in each room.

Size & Windows

Cloud 9 Spa Ocean View rooms are the same as standard Ocean View rooms when it comes to room size and the size of the windows.

Floorplans

Just as with standard Ocean View rooms, there are many different configurations of Cloud 9 Spa Ocean View rooms. Some of these rooms have a window that looks out onto a walkway rather than directly over the ocean.

Cloud 9 Spa Ocean View rooms are available on:

• Carnival Breeze
• Carnival Celebration
• Carnival Dream
• Carnival Horizon
• Carnival Jubilee
• Carnival Magic
• Mardi Gras
• Carnival Panorama
• Carnival Radiance
• Carnival Splendor
• Carnival Sunrise
• Carnival Sunshine
• Carnival Vista

Pros and Cons of Ocean View Rooms

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Ocean View rooms on Carnival cruise ships…

Price – Ocean View rooms are often considerably cheaper than Balcony rooms
View – It can be nice to have a view of the ocean and to know what the weather’s like
Size – Ocean View rooms are larger than Interior rooms
Safety – With an Ocean View room you don’t need to worry about kids on the balcony

Fresh Air – The windows of Ocean View rooms don’t open so there’s no sea breeze
Location – Ocean View rooms are usually on the lowest decks, away from the activities

Carnival Ocean View Room Facilities

In your Ocean View Room you can expect the following:

• Bed with soft, cosy bedding
• Heating / air conditioning
• Lots of closet and drawer space
• Television
• Safe
• Bathrobes (upon request)

Ocean View Room Vs Balcony

Oftentimes, cruisers have to decide between an Ocean View room and a Balcony room. While the natural light is certainly welcomed by most, you’ll want to think about how often you’ll actually sit on your balcony when justifying the cost of the upgrade.

Are you the type of person who likes to sit in your room a lot, or would you prefer to be up on deck amongst the action? Remember, you can’t use your drink package when you’re in your room!

How Much More is a Balcony Room on a Carnival Cruise?

On Carnival cruises, a Balcony room typically costs between $50 per person and $300 per person more than an Ocean View room. On a seven-night Caribbean cruise, the average price of an Ocean View Room is around $799 per person, while a Balcony room is around $909 per person.

The prices can vary significantly depending on the itinerary, with Balcony rooms costing more when the weather is better. The best Ocean View rooms may sometimes cost more than the cheapest Balcony rooms, so be sure to compare all the options for the sailing that you’re interested in.

If you’re looking for a cheaper option than a balcony, be sure to check out Carnival’s cove balcony rooms, as one of those might be just right for you.

Interior Rooms with Windows on Carnival ships

While most other cruise lines would class small porthole windows and large windows with obstructed views as Outside or Ocean View rooms, Carnival classes these as Interior.

So, when you book your cruise, it’s worth looking up Interior rooms as well as Ocean View, even if you’re sure that you want a room with natural light.

On Spirit-class ships, you should certainly look out for 4K category staterooms. These have floor-to-ceiling windows, yet they’re classed as Standard Interior rooms because the view is obstructed by lifeboats. If you’re savvy, you can pick a room that’s between two lifeboats and enjoy a decent view of the ocean.

Here are some photos of Interior rooms you may want to look out for as a cheaper alternative to an Ocean View. Although these are classed as Interior, they do all have windows.

Read more: Carnival Cruises Interior Rooms

Final Thoughts

An Ocean View room on a Carnival cruise ship is a great choice. There are lots of different Ocean View rooms to choose from, as well as soon Interior rooms with windows that you may also wish to consider.

Whichever room you choose, the price you pay will vary depending on which travel agent you book it with, even though what you get will be exactly the same!

To make your decision, it’s always a good idea to look at the deck plan for your chosen ship to see where the room is located relevant to other things on the ship.

Here are some links to the deck plans:

• Carnival Breeze
• Carnival Celebration
• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Dream
• Carnival Ecstasy
• Carnival Elation
• Carnival Freedom
• Carnival Glory
• Carnival Horizon
• Carnival Jubilee
• Carnival Legend
• Carnival Liberty
• Carnival Magic
• Mardi Gras
• Carnival Miracle
• Carnival Panorama
• Carnival Paradise
• Carnival Pride
• Carnival Radiance
• Carnival Sensation
• Carnival Spirit
• Carnival Splendor
• Carnival Sunrise
• Carnival Sunshine
• Carnival Valor
• Carnival Vista

Related posts:

• Carnival Cruise Ships By Size
• Carnival Cruise Luggage Restrictions
• Celebrity Cruises Vs Carnival: Which is Better?
• Why I (Almost) Always Choose an Inside Room for a Family Cruise