By
Alex Smith |
Carnival Cruise Line has held a keel-laying ceremony for its newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
The ceremony was attended by Carnival Cruise Line’s president Christine Duffy, Meyer Werft’s managing director Bernard Meyer, and Carnival’s senior vice president of newbuilds Ben Clement, among others. The three executives, wearing cowboy hat-shaped hard hats, placed coins under the 375-ton keel block to celebrate the occasion, signifying good luck for the ship. One of the coins is an official ship coin that shows a completed Carnival Jubilee alongside the Carnival’s original Jubilee ship from 1986. The coins will later be placed in a compartment near Carnival Jubilee’s mast to be permanently displayed.
“Our plans for Texas are as big as the state itself, and we’re looking forward to bringing guests aboard our third Excel-class ship that will be just as magnificent as her sister ships Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration,” said Duffy. “I’m ecstatic to be here for this important moment and witness construction now officially underway. Carnival Jubilee will significantly enhance our offerings from Galveston as the industry leader in the Texas cruise market and an important contributor to the Galveston tourism economy.”
Carnival Jubilee is the first Carnival Cruise Line ship to be built in Papenburg. Meyer Werft has already built four other LNG-powered ships for other cruise lines under parent company Carnival Corporation, and Carnival Jubilee will be the third Carnival Cruise Line ship to run on an LNG technology platform.
Carnival Jubilee will share many of the features of its sister ship, Mardi Gras, which was delivered by Meyer Turku shipyard in 2022.
"We are pleased to take another symbolic step in the construction of Carnival Jubilee with the keel laying,” said Bernard Meyer. “The Meyer team will once again produce an advanced and innovative cruise ship that will provide a great vacation for millions of passengers.”
The new ship will begin sailing from Galveston in November 2023 and will offer seven-day ‘Western Caribbean’ cruises with stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, as well as Mahogany Bay, Honduras.