Although the debut of a new cruise ship is undoubtedly exciting, not everything can live up to its hype. Even the most highly-anticipated cruise ships have kinks that need to be ironed out. Glitz and glam aside, brand-new cruise ships can also bring about disappointment when the bar is set high.
I just returned from a 7-night cruise onboard Carnival Jubilee - the newest vessel from Carnival Cruise Line. The cruise was lively and borderline wild for a spring break itinerary with plenty of families and college kids.
The 185,000 gross ton vessel is packed to the brim with unending fun. From the first rollercoaster at sea to more than 20 different restaurants onboard, Carnival Jubilee has so much to offer from bow to stern.
As the third ship in the Excel Class, Carnival Jubilee is the youngest sister in her ship class. She was preceded by Mardi Gras - the flagship vessel - and Carnival Celebration. With big shoes to fill, Carnival Jubilee made her debut in late 2023 as the newest ship for Carnival.
Carnival Jubilee sails exclusively from Galveston, Texas and the homeport will be her residency for the foreseeable future, according to the cruise line. Everything’s bigger in Texas - and that’s certainly true for Carnival’s latest and greatest cruise ship!
With all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the launch of Carnival Jubilee, I went onboard to see what the fuss was about. I was eager to uncover what made Jubilee special compared to her sister ships; or, would I discover she is a near carbon copy of Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras?
Here’s my honest review of Carnival Jubilee, including whether I would plan to sail on the mega-ship again in the future.
To start, Carnival Jubilee is thoughtfully designed and features an ocean theme onboard.
Carnival’s newest and biggest cruise ships are modern, stylish, and innovative, and all Excel Class ships are designed to be nearly identical with a few changes here and there. The ship is designed with six distinct zones throughout, each with unique and exciting experiences.
On Carnival Jubilee, two zones feature new designs: Currents and The Shores. Carnival Cruise Line wanted to design an ocean-themed vessel for some time and found a home for it on Carnival Jubilee.
Currents is located across Decks 6 and 7 and is described as “an awe-inspiring, immersive, and transformative space” that is designed to transport guests below the sea. Gleaming stairs accompany hues of blue and swimming fish as you wander down from The Shores above. Large LED screens display whimsical ocean scenes to create an immersive space on Carnival Jubilee.
Currents is also home to two brand-new bars called Dr. Inks (Ph.D) and The Golden Mermaid with eccentric, sea-themed cocktails.
Above Currents is another newly-designed zone named The Shores, which is meant to be a seaside celebration with colorful elements. You’ll feel as though you’re walking on a boardwalk on a summer day or riding a Ferris wheel. This is where you can find Cucina Del Capitano, Beach Buns, and Coastal Slice eateries. The nautical-themed Marina Bar can be found here as well.
These new zones are fun and playful, although I prefer the travel theme of Carnival Celebration and the French Quarter design of Mardi Gras. Jubilee’s ocean design feels a little more childish, making it my least favorite in terms of style among the Excel Class ships.
I’d argue that Carnival Jubilee has some of the best food at sea
If you don’t disembark your cruise ship with pants slightly tighter than when you boarded, did you really even cruise? For me, enjoying all of the yummy food is one of the best parts of cruising.
While not necessarily sophisticated, the food on Carnival Jubilee was something that I was most excited about and it did not disappoint.
I’ve been on six Carnival cruises over the last decade - and Carnival’s food has always left me impressed. Carnival Jubilee really shines with its multitude of dining options. From grubby, greasy burgers at Guy’s Burger Joint to crispy chicken at Big Chicken and freshly made burritos from BlueIguana, you’ll run out of time before you can try all of the restaurants onboard.
Carnival Jubilee has 13 included restaurants onboard: two main dining rooms, the Lido Marketplace buffet, JavaBlue Cafe, Street Eats, Guy’s Burger Joint, Big Chicken, Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse, Beach Buns, Coastal Slice, ChiBang, Cucina del Capitano, and BlueIguana Cantina.
My only disappointment with the food on Carnival Jubilee continues to be the Lido Marketplace buffet. The location of the buffet cultivates heavy foot traffic to the pool deck. Not to mention, the variety is severely lacking. I would choose a juicy, tender chicken sandwich from Big Chicken any day over the Lido buffet.
However, standing in line was a recurring theme on our cruise
Although the food was delightful on Carnival Jubilee, the wait times were not. During our cruise, there were many lines across multiple venues, which was a letdown.
We had to wait 45 minutes to dine at Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse. While the freshly smoked meats were heavenly, I was surprised to see how long the wait times were both times we dined in the evening.
I can see why the smokehouse is popular though. Carnival Jubilee’s aft turns into a tiny version of Nashville with live country music, homemade brews, and house-smoked BBQ. It’s a honky-tonk style party, so no wonder it was busy. Still, though, we didn’t have the same issue on other Excel Class ships.
In addition, the wait times for Sea Day Brunch were upwards of an hour on the second and third sea day. Although we were able to get a seat in a timely fashion on the first sea day, we didn’t want to wait that long during the other mornings.
Grabbing a quick slice of pizza at Coastal Slice turned into a 30-minute ordeal while waiting for fresh pizza to be made. Luckily, I had nothing else to do but wait patiently for food on Carnival Jubilee.
My wallet is thankful though, as I opted to skip my daily specialty latte in the mornings. One morning I woke up at 7 a.m. hoping that the line would be short at Java Blue Cafe, but alas this was not the case.
I was hoping for new headliner production shows on Carnival Jubilee, but most shows were repeats
When I cruised on Carnival Celebration - my first experience on an Excel Class ship - I was blown away by Carnival’s elevated entertainment. Between the awe-inspiring shows at the new Center Stage with aerialists and talented vocalists and the upbeat Playlist Productions, everything was top-notch.
Although Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration each had an exclusive headliner show, I was surprised to find Carnival Jubilee mostly featured repeat shows onboard. The main production shows, like We Are One, Rio Carnival, and Celestial Strings were all repeat shows from other Excel Class ships.
The only new shows on Carnival Jubilee included The Residency, which was a Las Vegas tribute, and Dear Future Husband, a cutesy Playlist Production show with singing and dancing.
Read more: 14 things I loved and hated about Carnival Jubilee
In fact, I didn’t realize The Residency was one of Jubilee’s only unique shows; therefore, I didn’t attend the show because it didn’t interest me. The show was only offered one evening, so I did not get the chance to see it.
Of course, there was no shortage of entertainment, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the shows. Between the daily comedian shows in the Punchliner Comedy Club and game shows like Deal or No Deal and Family Feud, you could find live entertainment each evening across the many bars and lounges on Jubilee as well.
I loved our cove balcony cabin, but there were temperature control issues
I typically book interior cabins when cruising but decided to splurge on a cove balcony onboard Carnival Jubilee. It was only $300 more per person to book a cove balcony, which I felt was worthwhile to have a more spacious cabin and private veranda.
The cove balcony itself was unlike any balcony I had experienced, as it was more private and secluded with the cove-style enclosure. Located on Deck 5, we were also much closer to the sea!
The only issue we had with our cabin was temperature control, which seems to be a larger issue on Carnival Jubilee in general. We had our air conditioner running the entire time, but the stateroom still felt warm throughout the night. In general, Carnival Jubilee had a stuffy climate. It wasn’t extremely uncomfortable, but certainly noticeable.
Carnival Jubilee has unique Texas-style touches onboard; however, getting to Galveston was more cumbersome than other ports
This was my first time cruising from Galveston, Texas. In fact, I hadn’t visited Texas for many years, so I was excited to get onboard and see how Carnival Jubilee pays homage to Texas!
Carnival Cruise Line has a longstanding history with Texas as the first cruise line to sail year-round from the Port of Galveston. Now, Carnival Jubilee is the first cruise ship to be built specifically for Texas. She caters to a mostly Texan crowd, so you can expect to hear a lot of “y’all” and “yeehaw” onboard.
Carnival Jubilee proudly displays the Texas star on her bow, signifying her commitment to the state. If you didn’t know, Carnival Jubilee will be calling Texas her home both now and forever. With a Southern crowd sailing, you can find plenty of Texas-style touches and themed activities onboard.
For example, Carnival Jubilee has a Texas Tailgate Party on the pool deck throughout the sailing. If you want Texas-themed merchandise, the Carnival Store has you covered! Everything from water bottles to T-shirts and crewnecks are designed with Texas in mind. Even Jubilee’s spunky cruise director, Kyndall Fire, is a native Texan and brings the heat!
However, the distance to the port of Galveston from Houston can be frustrating for those flying in. Galveston has two airports: Houston Hobby and George Bush International. Although Hobby is closer to the port, it’s still upwards of an hour's drive in traffic. Although George Bush International has more flight options, it’s further from Galveston.
Finally, we waited 45 minutes to get an Uber after disembarking. Luckily, I didn’t have an early flight otherwise I would have been sweating from stress!
Did Carnival Jubilee live up to the hype? The jury is out
After sailing on Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras, I had high expectations for Carnival Jubilee. Perhaps I set the bar too high, but I found Carnival Jubilee fell short of my expectations more than I expected.
Perhaps the spring break crowd skewed my experience, but all of Carnival Jubilee’s lines, crowds, and wait times were a massive drag. While some lines moved quickly, such as Big Chicken and Guys Burger Joint, other wait times were more excessive, like Java Blue Cafe for coffee and Pig & Anchor Smokehouse for BBQ.
Additionally, I was hoping to see a wider variety of new production shows on Carnival Jubilee. I was so impressed with the exclusive headliner shows on Mardi Gras and Celebration; however, I kept looking at the daily agenda for Jubilee’s exclusive show. I was disappointed to find that The Residency is apparently the new show onboard but was only shown once. Not to mention, the Las Vegas tribute description didn’t appeal to us.
Despite the lines and lack of variety, I was still satisfied with the food and entertainment on Carnival Jubilee. I appreciated how much was included in the cruise cost, as is true for most Carnival cruises. Also, Jubilee’s Texas themes and activities differentiated the ship from her sister ships.
Would I cruise again on Carnival Jubilee? I don’t think I would make the trek to Texas just to sail onboard. I would prefer the ease of sailing on Carnival Celebration or Mardi Gras, as I prefer the entertainment on these ships and their ports are easier to access for me.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
