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Meyer Werft delivers Carnival Jubilee, the third Excel-class Fun Ship

Meyer Werft handed over the first German-built ship for Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Jubilee.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

December 4, 2023

2 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

It is the third Excel-class Fun Ship, following Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras. The 183,000gt Carnival Jubilee has capacity for 6,400 passengers and 1,750 crew.

Carnival President Christine Duffy, alongside Ben Clement, SVP newbuilds, refurbishments & product innovation, and the ship’s senior officers, joined Meyer Group's Jan Meyer for the hand-over festivities in Bremerhaven.

CRUISE Carnival Jubilee delivery

From left, Carnival Jubilee Capt. Andrea Catalani, Christine Duffy, Jan Meyer and Meyer Group Advisory Board member Bernard Meyer

Galveston home

Carnival Jubilee is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Galveston Dec. 20 to begin sailing year-round, weeklong cruises Dec. 23.

'Carnival Jubilee is the fifth additional ship we’ve welcomed into our fleet since 2021 and an integral part of our growth strategy. 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,' Duffy said.

'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.'

First LNG cruise ship in Galveston

The ship is Carnival’s third to be powered by LNG and the first Galveston cruise ship to use this fuel. It will operate from Terminal 25, which was upgraded to the tune of $53m for Carnival Jubilee.

Carnival was the first cruise line to sail year-round from the Texas port in 2001, and the new ship with a Texas star on its bow 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.

26th Fun Ship

Jubilee is the 26th vessel in Carnival's fleet.

Besides Carnival Jubilee, additions to the Carnival fleet since 2021 include Mardi Gras (2021), Carnival Luminosa (2022), Carnival Celebration (2022), and Carnival Venezia (2023). Carnival Firenze is due to join in April 2024.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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