A little bit over four months ago, I was able to finally take my first ever Brian Christopher Slot Cruise. In addition to it being the first time taking to one of the seven seas with nearly 200 other slot enthusiasts. It was also my first time trying out Carnival Cruise line.
There was an air of skepticism, I am a Diamond member on Royal Caribbean, and I didn’t have any real vacation experience with any other cruise line. That uneasy feeling was immediately shot down when I stepped on board. Looking back, I can confidently say, it was one of the best vacations of my life. (Hey, to the Jubilee April 2026 crew!)
Obviously, with an experience like that, I was eager to get another cruise on the books and enjoy more tropical ports of call plus more than a few dates with the cruise ship casino. This time, I signed up to join Brian and our usual slot crew for a week long trip on the Carnival Celebration to the Western Caribbean including a stop at the new private island, Celebration Key.
The Carnival Celebration, like the Carnival Jubilee, is one of the cruise lines premiere ships, one of three (currently) of the “Excel-class cruise ships” that have quickly earned a reputation for wowing and surprising guests- myself included. The Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee, and Carnival Mardi Gras all follow the basic same deck plan with a few changes here and there while embracing unique themes. The Carnival Celebration is themed after its homeport of Miami, Jubilee after the ocean, and Mardi Gras…. Well, you probably guessed it, the ship is themed after its homeport of New Orleans.
I like that the deck plans are essentially the same on these Excel-class ships because once you’ve been on one, you can more easily navigate the sister ships. Speaking to my most recent experience, the Carnival Celebration can carry more than 5,200 guests at a time and offers plenty of entertainment while underway including shows, a rollercoaster, live music, and, of course, the casino.
Like on every Brian Christopher Slot Cruise, there are plenty of opportunities to test your luck in the casino either on your own or during one of the organized events. This particular adventure featured a welcome party, slot tournament, group pull, and farewell get together.
In addition to those more structured events, Brian was in the casino nearly every evening for at least two hours, looking for cruisers to play with or even challenge to a friendly slot showdown. When I was headed home, I ran into a nice couple that was with us on the voyage. Out of all the activities, I recall them saying how challenging Brian to a solo showdown was the highlight of their week. I don’t disagree – challenging Brian (on slots) is always a highlight!
An added benefit of the cruise adventures is getting to ask the team things that you’d normally only get to type into a chat box. During both the welcome and farewell events, Brian and Marco welcomed cruisers to their private reception before jumping into audience questions, games for prizes, and of course enjoying a bite and complimentary drink. Some of the audience questions that were being asked will make their way onto Flip The Switch, keep an eye out!
If you’re wondering how we’re able to tell who is part of our group and gets access to our private events – it’s simple! Everyone that is part of our group receives a schedule of events in their cabin plus a branded lanyard with your name. That lanyard signifies to Brian, the BC crew, the casino team, and everyone else for that matter, that you’re part of our slot squad.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll appreciate that the lanyard also gets you access to our coffee, tea, and pastry table setup right in the casino on sea days. There’s just something about rolling out of bed and directly into the casino with coffee on standby that just really sets the day up for vacation success.
For what it’s worth, I greatly appreciate the Brian Christopher Slot Cruises for the fact that the pressure is off. I don’t have to worry about making plans, or finding friends. Once you get to the port and on the ship, you’ll be greeted with your itinerary plus the ship’s own schedule of events. Nearly anywhere I went, I could easily spot other BC lanyards and casually strike up conversation. This is especially appreciated when my husband can’t make the trip- I never feel alone when bopping around the ship surrounded by BC lanyards.
Casino adventures aside, this was a very relaxed seven days. Unlike my trip in April, I opted to stay on the ship nearly the entire week. My friends (and Brian Christopher moderators), Heather and Carol, have very similar vacation styles to mine. We like to slow things down, start the day with a relaxing cup of coffee, and nestle in for extended casino sessions throughout the day. Outside of the casino fun, I tagged along with Carol and Heather to a cake decorating class, some trivia sessions, and other Carnival planned events.
I greatly appreciate the friends that I’ve made along the way on adventures like this. I didn’t know Carol or Heather before leaning into the slot community and I am so happy I did! The entire week it didn’t escape me how fortunate I was to be able to take a solo cruise while still feeling connected and involved. If you’re a solo traveler, I promise as silly as it may sound, the lanyards do really make a difference!
Whether you’ve joined us before or are looking to see what all the hype is about for yourself, you can see Brian’s recently released 2027-2028 sailing schedule here! I hope to see you aboard – I’ll be wearing my lanyard!
