Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest addition, made its debut at the Port of Galveston, Texas, early Wednesday morning.
The journey from Emshaven, Netherlands to Galveston, Texas, covered 6,500 miles and took 14 days and 15 hours. The ship is now ready to welcome guests this weekend.
Before arriving in Texas, the Carnival Jubilee made stops in Tenerife for fuel and provisions and in Nassau for a technical stop. It arrived at the sea buoy early this morning to take on the harbor pilot.
With the harbor pilot onboard, the ship was navigated to the newly renovated Pier 25 for docking.
Met with a water cannon salute at the entrance to the harbor, the ship was met by 100s of fans waiting to get their first look at Carnival’s latest mega-ship. Mr. and Mrs. Claus also attended the celebration, hanging out in the Havana area onboard while the ship docked.
“The Texas star on her bow isn’t just decoration. It’s a symbol of our gratitude to our guests sailing from Texas who’ve made us the number one cruise line in Galveston and our commitment to the future of cruising from this great city and state,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “When we cut the ribbon to welcome our first guests on this ship this weekend, we’ll be celebrating the beginning of a new era of operations here.”
Along with bringing the first roller coaster on board a cruise ship to Texas, Carnival Jubilee will also usher in the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in Galveston. In fact, enhancements were made at the port to accommodate the use of LNG.
Additionally, Carnival’s decision to debut the new ship at its Texas homeport generated a $53 million investment in terminal improvements.
Carnival Jubilee is the third Excel class ship for the line, following Mardi Gras in 2021 and Carnival Celebration in 2022.
This ship joins the Carnival Breeze and Carnival Dream in Galveston, Texas, marking an even larger presence in the Gulf.
Carnival Jubilee’s start-up team consists of 1,750 crew members. On Saturday, the ship will embark on its inaugural week-long voyage with over 6,000 passengers on board.
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