Carnival Jubilee is the latest Texas-sized cruise ship to debut for Carnival Cruise Line. She is the third ship in the Excel class, following Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration. As the newest “Fun Ship” from Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Jubilee packs a punch when it comes to entertainment, dining, and onboard thrills.
For many years, I scoffed at the thought of cruising with Carnival Cruise Line. Horror stories about wild parties and rowdy crowds kept me from stepping foot on one of the cruise line’s ships. However, after sailing on Carnival Celebration in late 2022, I was completely surprised by Carnival’s newest ship class.
Gone are the days of low ceilings and outdated decor. Carnival’s Excel-class ships rival some of the mega-ships from competitors like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
I’ve now sailed on eight Carnival cruises and more than 55 cruises overall across many different cruise lines. One thing I appreciate about Carnival is its laid-back atmosphere. The cruise line’s emphasis on fun is apparent throughout the experience, which creates an energetic and lively vibe onboard.
After sailing on both sister ships, I was eager to see how Carnival Jubilee compared. I booked a 7-night Caribbean cruise in early March aboard Carnival Jubilee, departing from Galveston, Texas, which was a port I’d never cruised from before.
After spending a week onboard, here are six things I wish I knew before sailing on Carnival Jubilee.
1. Carnival Jubilee feels different from the other Excel-class ships
When cruise lines build ships within the same class, they’re usually designed to feel nearly identical. There might be a few layout tweaks, but most sister ships share the same overall atmosphere.
That isn’t entirely the case with Carnival Jubilee.
As the third Excel-class ship, Jubilee has its own distinct personality. While Mardi Gras pays tribute to New Orleans and Carnival Celebration honors Carnival’s history, Carnival Jubilee embraces both Texas and the ocean.
The ship’s ocean-inspired theme is most noticeable in two signature zones: Currents and The Shores.
Currents is one of the most unique spaces onboard, featuring immersive digital displays, bars, lounges, and restaurants. It’s also home to Dr. Inks, Ph.D., an exclusive bar found only on Carnival Jubilee. Many of the cocktails feature playful touches like edible glitter and sea foam. Nearby, you’ll find the Golden Mermaid, another venue serving ocean-inspired drinks.
Above Currents is The Shores, a boardwalk-inspired neighborhood where guests can grab quick bites from Coastal Slice and Beach Buns before descending a dramatic staircase into the underwater-themed space below.
Carnival Jubilee also wears its Texas pride proudly. Carnival has stated that the ship was designed specifically for Galveston, where she will sail year-round. The Texas star displayed prominently on Jubilee’s bow is a reminder of that connection.
Because of this, you’ll find plenty of Texans onboard. The ship even offers Texas-inspired programming, including the Lone Star Tailgate party, complete with games, food, and plenty of country music.
2. Carnival Jubilee feels crowded on a full sailing
When I booked this cruise, I didn’t initially realize it would happen during spring break season. This became obvious almost immediately once we boarded and saw the abundance of families and college students onboard.
This wasn’t my first spring break cruise, so I expected larger crowds. However, I was surprised by how often we found ourselves waiting in line.
Whether it was grabbing specialty coffee from Java Blue Cafe in the morning or finding seats for the evening production shows, crowds seemed to be everywhere. At one point, I refused to wait 30 minutes for an overpriced latte.
Dining was another challenge for us. We regularly waited for tables, including a 45-minute wait at Pig & Anchor Smokehouse despite arriving shortly after the restaurant opened.
Because of this, we adjusted our schedule throughout the cruise to avoid waiting as much as possible. For instance, we arrived early for production shows and budgeted up to two hours for dinner each evening to account for wait times.
Even still, the crowds were manageable. Carnival Jubilee was specifically designed to accommodate thousands of guests, and the ship’s layout does a good job spreading people out.
3. Bar service can be surprisingly slow
One of my favorite cruise activities is grabbing a cocktail and relaxing by the pool. Carnival Jubilee has no shortage of bars, including newer venues like Dr. Inks, Marina Bar, and Golden Mermaid, along with Carnival favorites like Alchemy Bar and RedFrog Tiki Bar.
I don’t drink heavily on cruises, but I usually enjoy at least one cruise cocktail each day. Unfortunately, bar service was slower than I expected.
Because the ship was sailing completely full during spring break, many bars seemed overwhelmed. It wasn’t unusual to wait around 20 minutes just to order a drink.
I honestly felt bad for the bartenders, who were working nonstop trying to keep up with demand. The long waits meant I visited the bars less frequently than usual. While that saved me money, it was still disappointing. Had I purchased Carnival’s Cheers beverage package, I would have been much more frustrated.
4. There are only two new production shows
One of the things I love most about Carnival’s Excel-class ships is the entertainment.
The centerpiece is Center Stage, a stunning three-deck venue surrounded by massive LED screens that transform throughout each performance. When I first sailed on Carnival Celebration, I was genuinely impressed by how much Carnival had elevated its production shows.
Because of that, I was excited to see what Carnival Jubilee would offer. What surprised me most was learning that only two of the ship’s production shows are unique to Jubilee.
One is The Residency, a Las Vegas-inspired show celebrating famous resident performers. Unfortunately, the description didn’t immediately grab our attention, so we skipped it. What we didn’t realize was that the performance was only offered once during the cruise, meaning we missed our opportunity to see one of Jubilee’s exclusive productions.
The second original show is Dear Future Husband, a fun production centered around a couple getting married onboard. The music was upbeat and entertaining, although I wouldn’t consider it a standout performance.
The remainder of the production lineup consists of shows that debuted on other Excel-class ships, including We Are One, Rio Carnival, and Celestial Strings. Even so, the entertainment remained one of the highlights of the cruise.
5. Book specialty dining early if you’re interested
Carnival Jubilee offers nearly a dozen complimentary dining venues, so I’ve never felt much pressure to spend extra on specialty restaurants.
Places like Guy’s Burger Joint and Big Chicken are some of my favorite spots onboard, and they don’t cost anything extra. However, midway through the cruise, my sister and I decided we might use some leftover onboard credit for a specialty meal.
That’s when we ran into a problem. Every specialty restaurant was completely booked for the remainder of the sailing.
Since we’ve sailed on other Excel-class ships before, we’d already tried most of the included dining options. We thought it would be fun to switch things up with a meal at Fahrenheit 555, Rudi’s Seagrill, or Bonsai Teppanyaki.
Unfortunately, we waited too long. Because Carnival Jubilee has a relatively limited number of specialty dining venues compared to some competing mega-ships, reservations disappear quickly.
If specialty dining is important to you, don’t wait until midway through the cruise like we did.
6. Cruising from Galveston wasn’t my favorite experience
My biggest disappointment from this cruise actually had nothing to do with Carnival Jubilee itself. Instead, it was sailing from Galveston.
Living in Florida’s Panhandle, I’m spoiled when it comes to cruise ports. I can drive to Mobile, Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Tampa, and New Orleans, often avoiding airfare altogether. Because Carnival Jubilee sails exclusively from Galveston, flying to Texas was unavoidable.
I flew into Houston Hobby Airport and spent the night before the cruise in a less-than-impressive airport hotel. The next morning, we sat in traffic for nearly an hour getting to the port.
I was surprised by the amount of congestion surrounding the cruise terminals. Considering Carnival Jubilee can carry nearly 6,000 passengers, that’s a tremendous number of people moving through the area every week.
Disembarkation was equally stressful. After our scheduled transportation canceled, we waited 45 minutes for an Uber to the airport. Thankfully, I had booked a late-afternoon flight.
Even with my frustrations about sailing from Galveston, Carnival Jubilee was a fun cruise. Between the dining, entertainment, and energetic atmosphere onboard, it’s easy to see why Carnival’s Excel-class ships have become so popular.
