On the heels of the rave reviews of its newest ship Mardi Gras, Carnival Cruise Line announced that its third Excel-class ship – to be named Carnival Jubilee – will be delivered in 2023 and based in Galveston, Tex.
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The announcement about Carnival Jubilee was made the same day that Carnival confirmed that all 22 of its U.S.-based ships will be back in guest operations by March 2022.
Nineteen ships had been confirmed by February, and now Carnival Sensation will restart from Mobile, Ala. effective Mar. 5, Carnival Ecstasy will restart from Jacksonville, Fla. effective Mar. 7, and Carnival Paradise will restart from Tampa, Fla. effective Mar. 12.
“Carnival was the first cruise line to offer year-round cruising from Galveston in 2000, and we have continued to grow our presence and support of the Port of Galveston’s expansion, so we are thrilled to bring our brand-new Carnival Jubilee to Texas and the greater southwest region,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“This beautiful, innovative ship will bring an entirely new cruise experience to our guests, and we’ve got some great surprises to fun it up in ways we know they are going to love.”
Carnival Jubilee will be the third in the Excel-class for Carnival, joining sisters Mardi Gras, sailing from Port Canaveral since earlier this year, and Carnival Celebration, which will be delivered in late 2022 and based in Miami. The ships utilize a liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology platform. Carnival Corp. pioneered the introduction of LNG fuel in the passenger cruise sector as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and compliance throughout its global operations. Mardi Gras is the first LNG-powered cruise ship to operate in North America,
However, this new Excel-class ship will not be the first Jubilee to sail from Galveston. As it gets ready to celebrate its 50th birthday in 2022, Carnival has resurrected some of the names of its previous ships that were popular with guests at the company’s inception – such as Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and now, Carnival Jubilee. Celebration was the first year-round ship positioned in Galveston in 2000 and was soon joined by Jubilee in 2002. So now, just more than 21 years later, this new Carnival Jubilee – four times larger than her predecessor – will make her debut at the port ushering new ways for the next generation of cruise enthusiasts to have fun.