Carnival Reveals Name, Base of New Ship and Restart Date for Entire Fleet

Carnival Cruise Line announced on Thursday that its third Excel-class ship, which will be named Carnival Jubilee, will be delivered in 2023 and based in Galveston, Texas.

Carnival Jubilee will join sister ships Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration. The latter is scheduled to be delivered in late 2022 and based in Miami.

Arriving at 182,800 gross tons with a capacity of more than 5,400 guests and 1,700 crew, Carnival Jubilee will sail seven-day western Caribbean itineraries and boast onboard highlights such as the BOLT roller coaster, expanded dining options, new designs for suites and staterooms and a three-deck atrium overlooking the ocean as well as six fun-filled zones, two of which will offer brand-new concepts slated to be revealed at a later date in the months to come.

Carnival Jubilee will open for sale in early 2022. For now, travelers can register to be the "first to know" about the ship's itineraries and special sale promotions at Carnival.com.

"Carnival was the first cruise line to offer year-round cruising from Galveston in 2000, and we have continued to grow our presence and support of the Port of Galveston's expansion, so we are thrilled to bring our brand-new Carnival Jubilee to Texas and the greater southwest region," Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement. "This beautiful, innovative ship will bring an entirely new cruise experience to our guests, and we've got some great surprises to fun it up in ways we know they are going to love."

"We love Texas, and Texas loves Carnival. Galveston is one of our most popular homeports, and we draw guests to Texas from across the Midwest, southwest and western U.S. Bringing a brand-new ship to a market is a big commitment, and it's one we gladly make for the greater Galveston community and the entire region," Duffy added.

The big announcement coincides with Carnival's encouraging confirmation that all 22 of its U.S.-based cruise ships will be back in operation by mid-March 2022. Nineteen ships will be sailing with guests onboard by February. However, the company has since announced that Carnival Sensation will restart from Mobile, Alabama effective 5 March 2022, Carnival Ecstasy will sail from Jacksonville, Florida beginning 7 March 2022 and Carnival Paradise will set sail from Tampa as early as 12 March 2022.