By
Alex Smith |
Carnival Cruise Line’s third Excel-class ship – to be named Carnival Jubilee – will be delivered in 2023 and based in Galveston, Texas.
The announcement was made at the annual CruiseWorld travel advisor conference in Miami Beach, Florida. Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, was joined on stage by a seven-foot cowboy as she revealed the news to more than 1,000 travel advisors.
"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 Duffy. "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 182,800gt, with capacity for more than 5,400 guests and 1,700 crew. The ship will offer seven-day western Caribbean itineraries from Galveston after her arrival at the port. She will join the Excel class alongside Mardi Gras, which has been sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida, since earlier this year, and Carnival Celebration, which will be delivered in late 2022 and be based in Miami, Florida. The ships will be fuelled by LNG, with Mardi Gras being the first LNG-powered cruise ship to operate in North America.
“We love Texas, and Texas loves Carnival,” said Duffy. “Galveston is one of our most popular homeports, and we draw guests to Texas from across the midwest, southwest and western US Bringing a brand-new ship to a market is a big commitment, and it’s one we gladly make for the greater Galveston community and entire region.”