Carnival Cruise Line has marked the keel laying for its third Excellence-class cruise ship Carnival Jubilee, a sister ship to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration.

Carnival Jubilee will be LNG-powered like her sister ships and will share many of the same features that debuted aboard Mardi Gras – including the award-winning BOLT, The Ultimate Sea Coaster., as well as unique experiences and signature venues.

The keel laying took place at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, but featured a Texan theme in keeping with the ship’s future homeport of Galveston.

Executives from Meyer-Werft and Carnival mark the keel laying for Carnival Jubilee

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Wearing cowboy-shaped hard hats, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy was joined by Meyer Werft Managing Director Bernard Meyer and Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Newbuilds Ben Clement, among others, to celebrate the construction milestone.

The executives placed specially commissioned coins under a 375-ton block, which forms the keel of the ship and will be the block around which all other sections of the vessel will be assembled.

The placing of coins under the keel of a new ship is an ancient maritime tradition intended to bring good luck to the ship. The coins will remain under the foundation block as the structure is built, and will then be permanently fixed to the navigation mast before she is delivered to Carnival.

One of the coins is an official ship coin, commemorating an important part of Carnival history while celebrating its future by showing Carnival Jubilee alongside the original MS Jubilee from 1986.

Christine Duffy, President, Carnival Cruise Line

“Our plans for Texas are as big as the state itself, and we’re looking forward to bringing guests aboard our third Excel-class ship that will be just as magnificent as her sister ships Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration,” said Duffy.

“I’m ecstatic to be here for this important moment and witness construction now officially underway. Carnival Jubilee will significantly enhance our offerings from Galveston as the industry leader in the Texas cruise market and an important contributor to the Galveston tourism economy,” she added.

Carnival Jubilee is the third Excellence-class cruise ship to be built by Meyer-Werft, but is the first Carnival Cruise Line ship built in Papenburg, Germany. Meyer Turku in Finland delivered sister ship Mardi Gras last year and will deliver Carnival Celebration later this year.

Carnival Jubilee rendering

Carnival Jubilee will be Carnival’s third ship to run on a liquified natural gas (LNG) technology platform as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce emissions and make its business more environmentally sustainable.

More information about Carnival Jubilee’s unique experiences and signature venues will be shared in the coming months, according to Carnival Cruise Line.