Carnival Cruise Line Takes Delivery of Its Massive New Ship

The new Carnival Jubilee has officially been delivered in Bremerhaven, Germany, in a special ceremony that has handed over the vessel to Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Jubilee is the first ship for the cruise line that Meyer Werft has built in Papenburg, which makes the occasion even more memorable for both the shipyard as well as Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Jubilee Delivered

In a momentous occasion for all, the new and highly anticipated Carnival Jubilee has officially become part of Carnival Cruise Line following the handover ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany on Monday, December 4, 2023 – just 19 days before the ship will welcome her first guests in Galveston, Texas.

The ceremony marks the finished construction and testing of the ship, and transfers ownership of the vessel from the shipyard to the cruise line.

“With a strong team effort and a lot of commitment from everyone involved in the MEYER Group and our partner companies, we have once again managed to deliver a particularly innovative cruise ship to Carnival Cruise Line. I would like to thank everyone involved in its completion for their work,” said Jan Meyer, Managing Director of Meyer Werft, during the ceremony.

Likewise, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy and other cruise line executives were on hand to welcome Carnival Jubilee to the fleet.

“Our first ship built in Papenburg for Carnival Cruise Line is stunning, and being on board to take delivery, I’m proud of all the work our team and our partners at Meyer Werft have done in collaboration to bring Carnival Jubilee to life,” Duffy said. “Now, we start sailing her home so we can deliver her to our guests just in time for the Christmas holiday.”

Next Steps for Carnival Jubilee

The tremendous ship – third of the LNG-powered, Excel-class vessels for Carnival Cruise Line and sister ship to Mardi Gras (2021) and Carnival Celebration (2022) – will now set sail for her homeport in Galveston, Texas as the 26th ship in the Carnival fleet, dramatically expanding the cruise line’s overall capacity.

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

Carnival Cruise Line was the first cruise line to sail year-round from Galveston when they began operations from Texas in 2001, and the dramatic star on Carnival Jubilee‘s bow – the first of its kind for the fleet – symbolizes her connection to the region and Carnival’s commitment to Galveston.

While there will be no paying guests onboard Carnival Jubilee until she embarks her first passengers in the Lone Star State, crew members are already aboard and familiarizing themselves with the vessel.

Before reaching Galveston, the ship will make supply calls in Tenerife in the Canary Islands as well as Nassau in the Bahamas. At both ports, the ship will take on additional supplies and crew members as she prepares for her Texas debut.

While the pre-maiden-voyage schedule is still tentative and may be impacted by weather as the ship crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Carnival Jubilee should arrive in Galveston with great fanfare on Wednesday, December 20.

The maiden voyage for Carnival Jubilee will depart Texas on December 23, 2023 for a very memorable Christmas holiday cruise indeed. The 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary includes calls on Roatan, Honduras as well as Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico, before the ship will return to Galveston on Saturday, December 30.

The 183,521-gross-ton ship can welcome 5,374 guests at double occupancy, or up to 6,631 travelers when fully booked. Also onboard are more than 1,700 international officers and crew members to ensure that every guest truly has the very best cruise aboard the brand new ship.