The Carnival Cruise Line fleet is growing: The company took delivery of its newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, during an event today with shipbuilder Meyer Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Carnival Jubilee is the third ship in Carnival¡¯s Excel Class and the fifth vessel to join Carnival¡¯s fleet overall since 2021. From Germany, it now sails across the Atlantic toward Galveston, Texas, where it will boost the cruise line¡¯s capacity by offering year-round, week-long Western Caribbean itineraries.?

The 183,000 gross-ton ship ship will officially welcome passengers on its inaugural voyage from Galveston on Dec. 23. At full capacity, it can accommodate 6,400 passengers and 1,750 crew members.

Carnival president Christine Duffy, senior vice president Ben Clement and the ship¡¯s senior officers attended the? event, along with Jan Meyer, managing director of Meyer Werft.

¡°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,¡± said Duffy. ¡°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.¡±

The ship is also an ¡°integral part¡± of the cruise line¡¯s growth strategy, Duffy added. In the last three years, Carnival has also welcomed Mardi Gras, Carnival Luminosa, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Venezia. In April 2024, another vessel¡ªthe Carnival Firenze¡ªwill join Carnival¡¯s fast-growing fleet.

More specifically, it¡¯s also part of Carnival¡¯s expansion plans for Galveston. By October 2024, the cruise line will have four ships based out of the Texas port: Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream and Carnival Miracle. As a symbol of the cruise line¡¯s commitment to the region, Carnival Jubilee has a Texas star on its bow.

Carnival Jubilee will operate out of Terminal 25 at the Port of Galveston, where crews recently completed a $53 million renovation and expansion project to accommodate the new vessel. It¡¯s the first cruise ship based out of Galveston to run on liquified natural gas, and the third ship in Carnival¡¯s overall fleet to run on liquified natural gas.

Carnival also plans to offer 5G mobile connectivity abroad Carnival Jubilee in partnership with Wireless Maritime Service. It will be the first in the Carnival fleet and the first cruise ship in North America to offer the service.

For the last month, the ship¡¯s senior officers have been wrapping up seaworthiness trials to prepare the vessel for its transatlantic journey.

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