Viewing the night sky from Carnival ships

[CruiseKittyFL]

Best dark sky spots I have found so far:

Carnival Freedom - forward observation deck above and below the bridge. You can get there thru a door at the end of the cabin hallways.

Carnival Legend: same

Carnival Liberty: same

Carnival Ectasy: top of sun deck forward. There is a exterior walkway just beyond the windows that enclose the golf course. Grab your pool towel and sit out there against the glass. (The towel keeps your butt comfy). Just gorgeous!

[sailingwithfriends]

Star gazing on the ship has become a tradition for us. We usually are on the aft of the ship. They are pretty, but the front of the ship is the best place. Find the deck on the front of the ship that juts out the most. (On the deck that passengers are allowed.) There will be stairs there to go up or down to another level. My advise, take a small flashlight to find your way around. It is very dark and very windy. We even lay down on the deck to look up. That helps block the wind.

[grooveynurse]

My fiancé is a TOTAL star gazer. We have these ridiculous binoculars that we brought along on our Freedom cruise 6/1/15.

 

We went out on the "secret" deck on the 6th floor one night and could see hundreds of stars with the naked eye. When fiancé handed me the binoculars to look through, you could see MILLIONS :) When I put the binoculars down and turned to him, he was on his knee and proposed! It was so dark all I could see was his giant smile...couldn't even see the ring because it was so so dark:)

 

Enjoy star gazing:)

[ferfoodle]

Actually, the one place that I have seen the most stars is nearby in Rocky Mountain National Park. We like to go there at night to about 10,000 feet. On a clear night, not only can you see EVERY star in the sky, you can easily see the haze of the Milky Way. It's such a peaceful and tranquil experience, and on the way back, we stop and try to find the elk herds. Never seen nearly as many stars on a cruise as I can see here in the Rocky Mountains.

 

And this is the absolute truth. High altitude, thin air, very low humidity; anywhere in Colorado away from the big cities and you see so many stars it is hard to find the constellations. In addition, our sunsets dust any I have seen on the ocean. No comparison in beauty, but you know what? There is just something special about the heavens at sea that one can't get a home. The sunrises/sunsets just seem more refreshing on a cruise. I still star gaze on a cruise too. Leave home with Orion overhead and then find him laying down to the North while at sea. A subtle reminder of how far away I am from home, from work - the whole reason I took a vacation in the first place.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Leave home with Orion overhead and then find him laying down to the North while at sea. A subtle reminder of how far away I am from home, from work - the whole reason I took a vacation in the first place.

You're right! This is also true with the Moon. Whether it's a waxing or a waning crescent, it's upright near the poles, and slightly tilted in mid-latitudes. But near the equator, where most Caribbean cruises happen, it's practically lying on its side. The difference in the tilt of the Moon also reminds you of how far from home you are. I've usually been too busy partying with my cruise friends to look closely at the stars, but I always notice the Moon.

 

I suppose you can try looking for the Orion during your Alaska cruise, if you go on one, and see how high in the sky it'll be. Try the North Star as well while you're at it.

Edited June 20, 2014 by LandlockedCruiser01

[TPFKAH]

I live in a big city, so looking at the night sky filled with stars is a rarity for me. So I was wondering if I would be able to see night sky the way it was meant to be seen. On one hand, Carnival ships sail in the open ocean, a good distance away from the bright city lights. On the other hand, ships have outside lights of their own, which will block out the stars.

 

To get to the point, will there be a good view of the night sky from the top outside deck? (For Fantasy class ships, it'd be the Sun deck; not sure about others.) The kind with the sky being pitch black filled will thousands of stars of varying brightness and the Milky Way. If not, what outside areas are there where it's possible? On the Serenity deck, perhaps?

 

Also, while it's a long shot, do Carnival ships ever have "dark sky hours", where outside lights are turned off or at least dimmed, so people can enjoy the night sky for a little bit? Post your experiences.

 

The darkest always seems to be up front over the bridge, but there is always one bright light on, which ruins the effect.

 

We were thrilled on our first RCCL to discover you can walk on the bow. No lights up there either. Saw sights I never saw before.

[sjcruiser]

We tend to go out on the balcony late at night, or another upper deck to watch the stars. The ships lights can sometime interfere, but its still worth doing. We also enjoy watching other ships follow each other around to the next port. You can usually see the crown and anchor from Royal Caribbean, or just make out the "X" on Celebrity, etc.on the ships side or funnels.

[stargate fan]

We found a great spot on the Dream last fall. It was one of those "secret" doors all the way forward. I can't remember whether it was the 7th or 8th deck, but we went out there and there were NO lights anywhere. The ship's bridge is right in front and that's why I think they keep it dark. Anyhow, it was a perfect place to view the night sky. I have to admit though, it did get kind of creepy out there after a while in all that darkness. I mean it was dark enough that I couldn't even see the person I was with standing right next to me. Hope you find a spot like that on your sailing. :)

 

We were on Magic at the end of April and went all the way forward on Deck 8, I believe, right below the bridge. It was so pitch black that we could not see each other. There were "billions upon billions of stars" to quote Carl Sagan. We saw lightning way off in the distance. It was so beautiful out there. But we had that same creepy feeling too after a while.

 

To all the naysayers who say it's not possible to find a totally dark place to view stars on Carnival ships...they are wrong. We have found such spots on every one of our 13 Carnival cruises.

[evandbob]

Actually, the one place that I have seen the most stars is nearby in Rocky Mountain National Park. We like to go there at night to about 10,000 feet. On a clear night, not only can you see EVERY star in the sky, you can easily see the haze of the Milky Way. It's such a peaceful and tranquil experience, and on the way back, we stop and try to find the elk herds. Never seen nearly as many stars on a cruise as I can see here in the Rocky Mountains.

 

Yep, there are many places one can see the Milky Way - but a cruise ship usually isn't one of them.

 

Try Roatan at night during one of their frequent but short electrical outages.....the clarity was amazing! I had the privilege last Feb while staying at Infinity Bay.

Edited June 20, 2014 by evandbob