CCL-Carnival Cruise Line announced that its 3rd Excel-class ship, Carnival Jubilee, will be delivered in 2023 and based at the Port of Galveston (Texas). Carnival Jubilee will be constructed in Turku Finland, by the German shipbuilder Meyer Werft.
The announcement was made the same day that the company confirmed that all 22 of its USA-based boats will be back in passenger operations by March 2022.
19 ships will be operational by February 2022. Carnival Sensation restarts from Mobile (Alabama) on March 5. Carnival Ecstasy restarts from Jacksonville (JAXPORT, Florida) on March 7. Carnival Paradise restarts from Port Tampa (Florida) on March 12.
Carnival Jubilee is the 3rd Excel/XL-class liner with sisterships Mardi Gras (2021-built, homeported in Port Canaveral /Orlando, Florida) and Carnival Celebration (2022-built, in PortMiami, Florida). These boats are LNG-powered and the most advanced in the CCL fleet.
Carnival Corporation (shipowner) pioneered the introduction of LNG in the passenger cruise sector as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and compliance throughout global operations.
The new Excel-class cruise ship will not be the first "Jubilee" to operate from Galveston. As Carnival gets ready to celebrate its 50th birthday in 2022, it has resurrected some of the names of its previous vessels that were popular with passengers at the company’s inception - Mardi Gras (1961-built as "Empress of Canada"/2003-scrapped as "Apollon"), MS Celebration (1987-built/2021-scrapped as Grand Celebration) and MS Jubilee (1986-built/2017-scrapped as "Henna").
Carnival's homeporting in Galveston started in 2000 with MS Celebration, soon joined (in 2002) by MS Jubilee. In 2023, 23 years later, the new Carnival Jubilee (4 times bigger than MS Jubilee) will debut at the port ushering brand new ways for the next generation of "Fun Ship" cruisers.
Carnival Jubilee has GT tonnage/volume 182,800 tons, passenger capacity 5400+, crew capacity ~1700, 18 decks (11 with cabins). She will be sailing 7-day Western Caribbean itineraries and will boast features from her sisterships that guests know and love including the top deck BOLT roller coaster, expanded dining options, new suite and stateroom designs, and a 3-deck atrium on the starboard side of the liner that overlooks the ocean and converts into an entertainment venue at night. Jubilee will also have 6 fun-filled zones like her sisterships, 2 of which will be new concepts.
Carnival Jubilee is to be open for sale in early 2022.