The Carnival Jubilee will be ready to start sailing from Galveston, Texas, next year, and Carnival Cruise Line to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) got its first taste of Texas today with the keel-laying ceremony at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.
Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy joined Meyer Werft CEO Bernard Meyer and Carnival Senior Vice President of New Builds Ben Clement, among others, to celebrate the construction milestone by placing coins under a 375-ton keel block.
The coins signify good luck for the ship and will remain under its foundations while the structure is being built.
One of the ship's lucky coins is an official ship coin, commemorating an important part of Carnival's history, while also celebrating its future by showing the Carnival Jubilee alongside the original 1986 MS Jubilee.
The coins will later be placed in a special compartment near the mast of the Carnival Jubilee as permanent features of the ship.
“The Carnival Jubilee will significantly enhance our offering for Galveston as an industry leader in the Texas cruise market and a major contributor to Galveston’s tourism economy,” Duffy said.
The Carnival Jubilee will be the first Carnival Cruise Line ship built in Papenburg, Germany.
The Carnival Jubilee will be the third Carnival ship to operate on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology platform .
Meyer Turku, in Finland, delivered the sister ship Mardi Gras last year and will deliver the Carnival Celebration later this year.
“We are pleased to take another step in the construction of the Carnival Jubilee with the laying of the keel. Meyer’s team will once again produce an advanced and innovative cruise ship that will provide magnificent vacations for millions of passengers,” said Meyer.
The Carnival Jubilee will share many of the features of the Mardi Gras, but will also have unique experiences and venues of its own, about which more details will be given now that construction is underway.
The Carnival Jubilee will begin sailing from Galveston in November 2023 and will offer seven-day cruise vacations in the Western Caribbean with stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya (Mexico), as well as Mahogany Bay (Roatan Island) (Honduras).
