Carnival Cruise Line takes delivery of Mardi Gras sister ship Carnival Jubilee

Carnival Cruise Line has taken delivery of Carnival Jubilee, the third ship in its award-winning Excel-class, during a ceremony with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany. 

Carnival Jubilee has now embarked on a repositioning voyage to Galveston, Texas where she will represent a major expansion of Carnival Cruise Line’s capacity, bringing an exciting mix of new entertainment, dining and fun to one of the cruise line’s most popular homeports.

Carnival Jubilee is due to sail her maiden voyage from Galveston on December 23rd, and will homeport in the city year-round, cruising to the Western Caribbean.

Carnival President Christine Duffy, alongside Ben Clement, Carnival’s SVP of New Builds, Refurbishments & Product Innovation, and the ship’s senior officers, joined Meyer Werft Managing Director Jan Meyer, to welcome Carnival Jubilee. 

“Carnival Jubilee is the fifth additional ship we’ve welcomed into our fleet since 2021 and an integral part of our growth strategy,” said Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line. “This ship will bring our most dynamic offering of fun to one of our most popular homeports and will be a great addition to our plans to remain the number one cruise line in Galveston.” 

“From the thrill of the roller coaster, BOLT, to a piece of paradise at the Serenity retreat, and so much more, we’re delivering a new level of fun for our guests sailing from Galveston that will complement our current and upcoming operations there,” she added.

Additions to the Carnival fleet since 2021 include Mardi Gras (2021), Carnival Luminosa (2022), Carnival Celebration (2022), and Carnival Venezia (2023). Carnival Firenze will join the fleet in April 2024. 

Luminosa, Venezia, and Firenze are all former Costa Cruises ships that have been temporarily seconded to the Carnival fleet while Costa Cruises consolidates its operations following the COVID-19 pandemic. Both cruise lines are owned by Carnival Corporation.

Carnival Jubilee represents a significant expansion of capacity from Galveston for Carnival. She will join Carnival Breeze and Carnival Dream at the port as part of a four-ship deployment plan that will be complete when Carnival Miracle repositions to Galveston in October 2024.

The 183,000 gross-ton ship can accommodate approximately 6,400 guests at full capacity, plus 1,750 crew. She is the third in the fleet to be powered by a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion system, and the first cruise ship to run on LNG from Galveston.