Carnival Luminosa

Theatre and Shows on Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship

On Decks 1, 2 and 3, the 800-seat Luminosa Theatre is home to Playlist Productions, Punchliner Comedy Club and some late-night fun and games.
Playlist Productions run 'musicals' at 7.30 and 9.30 throughout each cruise beginning with the Welcome Aboard stage show where each performer works hard to make the production 'big' on a small stage.

Flick is a tribute to Hollywood movies from Top Gun to Flashdance and, surprisingly, Star Wars through song and dance and some clever staging, lighting and effects. Let's Rock is more like a mini-rock opera.

Standup, aka Punchliner Comedy Club, is also in the Luminosa Theatre, and there's a family-friendly 7.30 show and at 9.30 pm, it gets bluer. Each sailing features different Aussie comedians who deliver some classic one-liners and are always up for some lively banter with the audience.

Daily Things to Do on Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship

You'll feel at home onboard Carnival Luminosa if you're a trivia buff. Each day Ocean Plaza is home to up to four themed competitions from Australiana to General Knowledge, Sport, Game of Thrones, Friends and more. And yes, Bingo fans are well-catered for.

Ocean Plaza is also where Fun Squad Games throw the oversized dice, and passengers try to 'Guess that Song', Jesse & Sarah, and other duos perform.

On Deck 2, the Art Gallery always seems busy with auctions and seminars on featured artists while the keen shoppers make a beeline for the Galleria shops on 3 for special sales and events.

When onboard a cruise ship with Italian heritage like Carnival Luminosa why not turn your hand to pasta making? Extra $$$ will see you in the Fahrenheit 555 dining room, kitted out with an apron and chef toque and everything you need to make fresh pasta. Fettuccini, Angel Hair and Ravioli. Of course, you're not guaranteed to become a pasta master, but you get to eat your efforts as part of a three-course lunch afterwards.
Warehouse Arcade is for all ages with a wide variety of Arcade and video games and is open day and night.

Nightlife on Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship

Musical productions, standup comedy, a piano bar, DJs, and band performances are all part of the nightly (and sometimes daily) entertainment on offer. In addition, a roster of DJs, theme nights, and late-night parties are included for those who like to keep the party going.

Entertainment options from the Playlist Production musicals, Punchliners Comedy Club, DJs, and Piano Bar 88 to the duo and band performances are all included. For those who like to party a little later, the Altair Nightclub features DJs and an Island Deck Party and Adult Games night.

You can always rely on a Piano Bar for an excellent sing-a-long, and Piano Bar 88 with Kelly plays the standards and keeps the requests coming. And if you like a little karaoke, Limelight Bar is ground zero. And a roster of DJs spins the discs for kids poolside during the day and for a more grown-up crowd at Altair Nightclub till late.

The 8-piece Luminosa Rock Band gets happy guests up on the dance floor with a funky mix of Motown, Prince and 80's hits.

Cruise Director Simon London (of course, he's English) leads many an unwitting guest to 'perform' for the audience in some 'adult' games. He's also the Chief Fun Officer at the special Sail Away Party, Island Deck Party and the Day-Glo if you dare 80s Dance night.

When it comes to Elegant night, you can choose to don full formal attire, throw on a good frock or keep to your personal dress code.

Casino: Deck 2 is home to the Luminosa Casino, with poker, blackjack, roulette tables and plenty more ways to spin the dice. There are also dozens of poker machines with different betting options.

Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship Bars and Lounges

Pre-booked alcoholic drinks packages (CHEERS) are available from $119 per person per day, but like the non-alcoholic 'Bubbles' package, it doesn't include coffee from the Atrium Bar or Java Blue Cafe.

With nine bars across Luminosa, there is something for everyone. Alchemy is touted as dedicated to earnest mixology. But, that only goes as far as the cocktail list. For example, a dry gin martini was served with three olives as ordered but in a whisky glass minus a toothpick for the olives.

Our Picks

Cheerful and No Fuss: Piano Bar 88
For Cocktails: Serenity Retreat is the best spot for sunsets with colourful cocktails to match.
For a relaxed beer or wine: Try the Red Frog Rum Bar by the main pool on Deck 9 does more than rum cocktails and its a good spot for an afternoon drink post-swim.

Pools and Hot Tubs on Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship

The main Lido pool is flanked by two hot tubs on Deck 9. This is the only pool available for kids and does get quite busy. There are six stairs up to the hot tubs that only feature ladder access. Unlike most Carnival ships Luminosa doesn’t have any waterslides.
The only other pool on board Carnival Luminosa is in the adults-only Serenity Retreat. There are also two hot tubs. Early risers must get to the Serenity Retreat pool deck around sunrise to stake a claim to the black rattan clamshell sunshades built for two. Attendants try to keep it fair, and sometimes if you're lucky, you might snare a spare. Carnival would do well to add more on deck 10.

Waterslides, Ropes Course and Splash Park on Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship

With a busy Australian season followed by an Alaskan season in the US summer it’s hard to see time for a dry dock makeover soon. Giving Luminosa the Carnival treatment would include waterslides as well as a few of the favourite eateries.

Sundecks on Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship

Those black rattan clamshells are the hottest tickets onboard Carnival Luminosa. There are loungers, but summer in Queensland and the South Pacific needs shade too. The Serenity bar area is under shade.

On Deck 10 the Sunset Bar has chairs and tables but is only open for short periods. This would be a prime spot for some more shaded lounging.

Services and Wi-Fi on Carnival Luminosa Cruise Ship

Wi-Fi is available onboard Carnival Luminosa from $15.30 for the Social plan per day. Upgrade to the Value plan for $17.85 per day or Premium at $21.85 per day. Each plan can only be used on one device at a time. And it can only be used by one person. Pre-book before you cruise for a 15% discount or organise through the always busy Customer Services desk.

If you’re unlucky enough to be working while cruising the Premium package will handle most work requirements. It is sometimes spotty even on a Queensland cruise and although the Carnival site says the Premium package will handle Zoom - reliability can be an issue due to coverage.
Most passengers find the premium package adequate but download your Netflix movies at home first.

There are two ATMs onboard Carnival Luminosa. Note the $6.50 fee is per use - including account balances. (There is an international transaction fee even in Australian waters).

Tip: Withdraw cash before cruise day and organise extra funds on your credit card.

Looking to mix up your day? The Carnival Hub app is a planner with maps, activities, and special events and lists your restaurant and spa bookings. You can pre-plan and highlight events in the app as a handy reminder.

Spa and Thermal Suite on Carnival Luminosa

Cloud 9 Spa offers many treatments, from deep tissue massage and body wraps to weight loss, facials and thermal therapies. Treatments are comparable in price to land-based day spas, with a 50-minute deep tissue massage costing $150.

The Spa is also home to a suite of climate-controlled rooms, including various steam options and a serene hammam-style space with heated mosaic-tiled loungers next door to the multi-jet hydrotherapy pool. Finish with a glass of cool water in the airy confines of a salon space equipped with comfy loungers at the optimal temperature. Day passes for these rooms are $40 per day but are included with Cloud 9 Spa suites and cabins.

Fitness and Gym on Carnival Luminosa

With virtually uninterrupted views taking a spin around the Deck 11 jogging track is a must-do. It's exhilarating to merely walk some 97-metre laps. And, so much better than taking the stairs.

Just aft the free-throw Basketball court is popular with families, teens and tweens most of the day.

Down on ten as part of the Cloud 9 Spa, the fitness centre has elliptical treadmills, weight machines and a range of cardio equipment to work off that extra slice of pizza. Fitness classes include indoor cycling, Pilates and boot camp and are not included.

While Carnival Luminosa might not be the largest ship in the Carnival fleet, there is a substantial range of food options. Budget cruising is more about filling up than fine cuisine and Carnival Luminosa is not a cruise for foodies.

The Main Dining Room, or Vela Restaurant, is the primary, non-buffet option and is popular at lunch and dinner for food. There is also a specialty steakhouse -- Fahrenheit 555, at an additional cost of $65pp for dinner with wine or cocktails extra.

*Note: the Tacos and Burritos space will become BlueIguana Cantina while Burgers will get the Guy's Burger Joint livery sometime in the future. *

Free Restaurants on Carnival Luminosa

**Lido Marketplace on Deck 9 **
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Sandwiched between the Family pool area and Red Frog Rum Bar at the bow and the Serenity Retreat's adult's pool and bar aft, Carnival dubbed Luminosa's buffet the 24-hour Cruise Food Hall.

Breakfast runs from 6.30 am with self-serve continental items like cereals, Toast, pastries, cold meats and a limited fruit selection. From 7 am, servers whip up omelettes or fried eggs. At the same time, self-serve chafing dishes contain bacon, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, baked beans, and hash browns, with a different Eggs Benedict available daily.

Machine-brewed American-style coffee, sugary apple and orange juice and chilled water are available all day. Tea lovers may be disappointed with only Bushell’s black tea and green tea bags on offer. Full-fat and skim milk is available alongside sugar sachets and artificial sweeteners.

Roasts, curries and more are available at Lunch and Dinner, with some of the Main Dining Room dishes on an early dinner menu. Meanwhile, there's a short queue most lunchtimes for made-to-order sandwiches and hotdogs at the Artisan Eats Deli. The servers are kept busy at Burgers, Tacos, Pizzeria del Capitano, Chopsticks, Snags and Pies and 'Ol Fashioned BBQ station.

Overall, most buffet dishes were fresh, if a little bland. On more than one occasion, the food could have been much hotter.

On Day Six, the food crew unveiled a sweet surprise - a Chocolate Extravaganza at the Lido Marketplace. It was a parade of Chocolate Tim Tam Cake, chocolate pretzels, mini choux puffs, and cheesecake. The big hits were towering layer cakes glistening with dark ganache, Espresso palmiers, chocolate crackles, and chocolate banana marshmallow cake.

*Tip: The pizza is made to order and tasty. So grab a salad, some wine, and a relaxed in-cabin movie night is just an elevator trip away. *

**Vela Restaurant **

Vela is the main dining room and again, most dishes could have been hotter. It felt like the experienced crew were still learning the Luminosa ropes. However, these may merely be teething issues. All the team we encountered were friendly, courteous and willing to help at every moment. Drinks from the bar and wine by the glass or bottle are well-priced.

Sea Day Brunch is a little hit-and-miss in the two-storey Vela Dining Room. Other passengers reported overcooked 12-hour French Toast, and the Aussie Breakfast was sparing. A pre-prepared (read soggy) crouton with mashed avo masqueraded as Avocado Toast. On the other hand, Chia pudding with coconut milk and banana was delicious.

Themed nights in Vela proved much better. Italian night's highlights included a small but tasty Caprese salad entree, duck pappardelle and a reduced sugar passionfruit pannacotta to finish. Mexican night's Carne Asada steak was cooked as requested, hot and delicious.

Tip: Not everyone is a fan of the nightly choreographed ‘song and dance’ by the wait staff at dinner in the Vela dining room. Diners can request to eat in the adjacent Archipelago dining room. It’s quieter and may suit those who don’t need to wave their cloth napkins in the air to have a good time.

What Restaurants Cost Extra on Carnival Luminosa

There are only a few options if you want something off the included menu.

Sushi Bonsai Express is inexpensive - $

$$ - The Seafood Shack on Lido Marketplace displays fresh and cooked seafood - mussels, prawns and more over ice.

$$$$ - If you're looking for a more refined dining experience, Fahrenheit 555 offers three courses at $65 and is well worth the splurge. Wine is extra; the menu lists recommended pairings at $$ per person. The service is a little brisk for a what is described as a fine dining experience.

$$$$ - The Chef's Table begins with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for just twelve guests. Then, a galley tour followed by a multi-course dinner with wine for $140pp.

Cruise Critic Restaurant Picks on Carnival Luminosa

Breakfast burritos are a great fresh, made-to-order option with Mexican or traditional scrambled eggs, shredded hash browns, salsas, extra jalapeños, cheese, lettuce and tomato all available. A separate self-serve fixings station with salsas and crema fresca is a few steps away.

We also thoroughly enjoyed Pizzeria del Capitano. Open from lunch to 4 am, and the menu is limited to Margherita, Pepperoni, Quattro Formaggi, Prosciutto and Hawaiian. Gluten-free is taken seriously here - with a separate prep bench and oven shelf. Other pizza lovers say you can ask for variations on the compact five pizza menu.

Fahrenheit 555 at $130 per couple plus drinks is worth a splurge for a special occasion or if your cruise is longer than seven nights. With ten entree and ten main courses to choose from there is something for everyone. A range of sides include a very good Mac ’n Cheese and six other vegetable and three different potato dishes.

The mushroom risotto, steaks and lobster tail are the stand-outs. If you want bragging rights when you get home order the oysters. While they are served fresh on ice and served with an apple mignonette they arrive under a glass cloche with smoke for full dramatic (and social media effect).

And if you like your dessert with a splash, the Art at your table dessert makes for a great Instagram post as chef splatters fruit gels and melted chocolate across an enormous dessert board.

Tip: Rumour has it that if you book a table at Fahrenheit 555 for the first night a free bottle of house wine is included.

Dietary Requirements on Carnival Luminosa

Guests with food dietary requirements are best to alert Carnival at booking. Still, the dining room crew do a fantastic job taking great care of coeliacs, the lactose-intolerant, vegetarians and those wanting a low-sugar alternative.